The God Files: Orroz's Story

Silneus

I already knew, the instant I learned of Hade's plot, that I would be forced to fight against him. Normally a peaceful being, I couldn't help but feel a...certain excitement, about the prospect of fighting in this war. I never really had much trouble controlling a rather diminished blood lust, but something else now was stoking the fire, causing it to writhe and burn hotter and brighter than before. When I went through to the other side, I leaned against a nearby tree, and closed my eyes, tuning out the outside world, and instead looking within. Looking for a rather new member of my body, a certain someone I had accidentally created, and can never seem to be rid of. Silneus.

Silneus is a sort of alternate personality of mine. Unlike most said alternate personas, however, Silneus was sentient. He could think and had a mind of his own, as well as a concept of good and evil. Because I had created him that way.

I never meant to, of course. While staying at the Land of Nightmares, I decided to put my friends through a test. You see, I sort of...cramped their style, of killing others and drinking and feeding lusts and impulses. They still let me hang around with them, still let me help them, if need be. But I could've sworn that I was wearing out my welcome. So I crafted Silneus.

According to the tale I told my friends, Silneus was a naga-demon lord, the last of his kind. I had met him in India several centuries before, and offered refuge for him. But I couldn't place him in something like a container, or a zoo or a cage. He wouldn't agree to that, especially since his lifestyle was that of a god before I met him. Instead, I offered him my own body.

Silneus didn't start out as an alternate persona. He was just an alias, basically. I had morphed myself into a gargantuan, winged snake, with control over water and hypnotic powers. Sadly, I failed to consider the fact that I stayed in Silneus form for a somewhat long stretch of time. The more I played him, the more depth I added to him, until my magics animated him, and he became alive.

Silneus was the exact opposite of me in many ways. Whereas I was kind and considerate, he was ruthless and a cutthroat. He was vile, vicious, cunning, and could charm the pants off of most species. And it was he that I was about to confront within my subconscious.

My subconscious took the form of his "palace", the place where I had "met him" in India. The nighttime sky shone brilliantly with stars, their light illuminating the palace below. The floor was black and white checkered, and the surrounding buildings were made of dark brown and sand brown wood. Palm trees and flowering plants dot the room. In the middle sat a large pool of water, bubbling and steaming with heat. The steam parted to reveal a large, winged snake, twenty feet in length, with golden, catlike slits starring down at me. I stared back and strode closer to him.

          "Sssso, Orroz. What bringssss you here?" Silneus asked.

          "You are trying to stir up my blood lust, Silneus. Influence my actions," I said bluntly.

          "Orroz!" Silneus gasped in fake shock and indignity. "Why would I ever do such a thing?"

          "Don't lie to me. You're lucky I haven't expelled you and left you to dissipate in the open air."

Silneus chuckled and slithered out of his pool, the steam rising so as I could barely see my hand in front of my face. A wet, smooth surface pressed against my legs as Silneus replied.

          "You know asssss well asss I do that you cannot get rid of me. I am a part of you now. The manifessstation of your inner darknessss."

          "That does not mean I cannot try to be rid of you."

          "Any attempt at resssistance would be futile, Orroz, you know that. Your inner light wasss getting too strong. It was keeping your darknesss at bay. So when you made me, well, it ssssaw an opportunity. And it took it."

          "My anger is enough. I made an error. You are an error, Silneus. Northing more."

Instead of rising to anger, Silneus laughed fully, a sound that sounded like snakes slithering across a dry surface.

          "Now is that ssssomething you would normally ssssay, Orroz? Sssomething you would tell any ssssentient thing. That they are a misssstake, nothing more? All you do in ssssaying that isss strengthening your darkness further." I saw that he was right. Showing him anger in any way would just make him stronger. I turned to leave, but not before saying, "Do not pull a stunt like that again, Silneus. I will admit that I cannot be rid of you. But there are worse things than death." 

Silneus looked at me for a moment, uncertain, before slithering back into the water.

          "Be asss that may, Orroz. You need me. Balance must be kept. I am not too worried." And with that, my surroundings changed, as I stirred. When my vision returned to normal, I found myself surrounded by at least twenty armed men. A voice, a familiar voice called out to me.

          "What do we have here?"