Determined to realize his own godly potential, and to permanently change Outer Spacetime for the better, La Croix conjured the visions of the Baron Samedi from his dreams and he used all of his golden pattern magic to shape the Outer Spacetime in his vicinity to create a portal to the current location of Samedi, which was the elus of Deads Town, where beings of Death Magic as powerful as Owuo resided away from the larger community.
As he held the portal open, La Croix saw Samedi inside in a dark space that was illuminated by the glow of silver in the violet magic of a wielder who seemed to be performing for Samedi.
“You said you were a worthy student,” Samedi was saying to the figure. “You haven’t shown me anything that proves that.”
“Now you just hatin,” the figure said angrily. “If I ain’t worthy, why you ain’t kicked me out yet?”
“You got me there,” Samedi said with a chuckle that showed all of his big white teeth. As his laugh trailed off, he seemed to notice something. “Wait, little dead,” he said as he peered at the portal that didn’t seem to be apparent to the little dead he referred to.
“I got respect for you, Baron, but you make me sound like a chump,” the dead said as it watched the Baron Samedi rise to his feet in the dark space. “I’m Brad Jordan!” the dead continued, “I ain’t as big as you, but I’m the best student you ever had.” Samedi waved a dismissive hand that quieted the dead and he stood at the entrance to the portal, staring at it curiously.
“Do you feel this, Brad Jordan?” Samedi asked, never taking his eyes from the portal and he made a flourish with his hands that released a glittering explosion of violet that combined with the golden magic of the portal.
“I feel that shit now!” Brad Jordan said and cowered away from it.
“Stay here and continue conjuring, I will return when I do,” Samedi said and he passed through the portal, into the bright throne room of the Baron La Croix and the Grand Brigette. Samedi was taken aback by the brightness of it all and La Croix approached him cautiously. Brigette was distracted, scrying into the large mirror on one of the walls of the throne room that broadcast the image of Tara of the Mao Ri with the Daemon of lower spacetime that were capable of ending the existence of beings of Outer Spacetime. When they were on Arada, Brigette didn’t have the opportunity to properly seize them for close examination before Tara took them, but observing them closely through the scrying mirror, Brigette identified a strange arcane energy that emanated from them. It was difficult to see unless you were looking very closely, but the Daemon gave off a violet energy Brigette was certain was the source of their ability to kill beings of Outer Spacetime.
“Welcome to…”
“A world made of Pattern Magic?” Samedi asked, looking around himself curiously. “Has Xêvioso created this place to rival Deads’ Town? Or, Obatala, it would have been the Justice.”
“Outer Spacetime was not made by a singular being,” La Croix explained, “though you are right that this is a place of Pattern Magic, exclusively. I am the Baron La Croix and I feel our kinship, you are a death dealer, and I should be too, but in a world forged on order and the rules of existence, there is no death. I would know your Death Magic, Baron Samedi. Show me all of the shades of violet.”
When she heard the word violet, the Grand Brigette noticed the man who had entered their throne room with the same bearing and silhouette of her partner. She approaches the two of them curiously.
“A Pattern Magic version of the most beautiful woman to have ever existed,” Samedi said with a slight bow to Brigette.
Brigette smiled at him with glee.
“You are so much more than those beasts Tara has!” She looked to La Croix. “Let the War of Arcana begin!”
As Brigette smiled at Samedi, La Croix smiled at Brigette who could finally understand why La Croix had been so distracted. The magic off of Samedi was so magnificent, even if it seemed dulled compared to the power La Croix had remembered from his dreams and that Samedi had exuded from the other side of the portal, but his power was glorious and there seemed to be three shades of violet energy that vibrated around him. Then, two of the shades began to separate from Samedi and soon, there were three versions of Samedi where there had been one.
“Meet Criminel and Cemetere,” Samedi said with a gesture. “You’re one of us now,” Samedi said to La Criox and all three of them smiled as Samedi extended a hand and a new shade of violet left him to surround La Croix. When the violet surrounded him La Croix, he began to convulse and there were violent bursts of golden and violet energy that shot out from his body. He fell stone still on the floor and Brigette looked down at him with concern.
“Have you killed him?” Brigette asked and then she looked to Samedi with a glint of pleasure in her eyes. “Can you do this to the others? Make them all kneel at my feet!”
As she exclaimed, she felt La Croix walk past her and she watched with amazement as he stood next to the others. She looked down at the floor where he had been and there was a body there in the clothes La Croix had been wearing, but it was lifeless. It was dead. When she looked at the new La Croix, she recognized him, but he was a different Loa.
“It is all ours,” La Croix said from his new body. “Outer Spacetime belongs to us.”
As he said this, Criminel and Cemetere flew away from Arada intent on taking all they encountered.
PRL Serials 