The room was dark. The ritual was supposed to be done on a full moon, but she was desperate. When the sun came up, she would be homeless, so she needed an escape. So, with a plan born from information from the internet, she got to work.

Sitting upon her table was an athame, a black knife with Egyptian-style wrapping around the handle. Luckily, the apartment sat along a cluster of ley lines, or the mana…ka…chi would be harder to gather.

Next to that was her glasses, black on the outside but purple facing the wearer. Dressed in the blood of its owner, it was to be her phylactery…no, her reliquary. It would host her ib, her spiritual heart, so with her ka, she could create a new body.

To facilitate her transformation, some symbols had been drawn. A pentagram on her arm, for the Wu-Xing (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Void, with the outer ring representing Air), the Taiji (spiral in a circle, represents Yin and Yang), a Torii gate (an opening for spirits), and on her wrists, an Ankh (symbol of life) and a Was Scepter (symbol for power).
girl…a youkai
If this didn't turn her into a youkai…a monster girl…nothing will…

Clutching her glasses close, she could feel the desperation as she looked at the athame…knowing it was really just a plastic butter knife didn’t help. Taking a swig, she called out to the night.
"I go by many names, by Alice, Miyu, Plum, even Leilah. My ren is not important. With this athame, I split my ba! Bind my chaotic…my whimsical side…bind my kushi mitama with my ka to give it life!”

While Miyu would be unable to know this, she was only a test…to make sure she could properly split and bind parts of her soul…

"Hey, are you ok? Mistress…please wake up…"
That voice…as her eyes slowly opened, a strange sight beheld her as a cat girl…a sphinx…her sphinx, clad in silver and obsidian tiara and body ornaments, stared down at her.

"Oh good, it did work! Ah, right, probably groggy, I'm Se-Bast, and you are-"
"Me…you…Miyu." She was coming to, looking around. She had been taken to a…river? And her body…she was blue? Small wings, spade tail, horns wrapping around her head like a halo…
"Right, well, the ritual was meant to let your ba out, but your ba and ka fused instead, so…you’re an akh. Ah, right, ba is the soul, er, the personality. Ka is mana, ib is your heart, sheut is your shadow, a monstrous reflection of the ba, and an akh is…well, what you get when you merge the ba and ka. It means “intellect”, also a monstrous reflection of the ba. Oh, but that doesn't make you evil, it just means "not human," even angels can be considered monsters!" Man, she was chatty…
"Ah, right, follow me, I've already arranged a house for you!"

Walking along the river was peaceful; there were little fish swimming along the surface, lilies breaking up the monotony…it was beautiful…

"Ouch! Hey, watch where you're going!" She hadn't been paying attention, and walked into…a little girl playing witch, and a taller girl in chains?
"Ah, sorry! Hey, uh…what's with the getup? Going trick or treating?"
"Hrmph, as if, I'm part of Baphomet-sama's Black Sabbath. Y'know…you're pretty cute…once I'm done getting this fine specimen into custody, I could let you in."
"Bapho…Black Sabbath…aren't you those weirdos that take on childish forms for…lewd acts or something? And custody…what, is she a captive?"
"Weirdos? We're not-"
"Yeah, that answers all I needed."
With that, concentrating on the darkness around her, a black scimitar would form in her hand, wooden handle adorned with gold. With a swift slash, the Witch, a disgusting youkai that sells their age and sanity to a lolicon called Baphomet (not to be confused with witches, practitioners of witchcraft, and the Pagan god Baphomet-sama copies), caught off guard, slams back to the ground, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Once the girl was freed, it was made clear what had happened. She had been promised power, a new body even, before being chained up. Seeing as she wanted what Miyu had, Miyu focused on her sheut, bringing it out in another puff of smoke. There sat a Familiar, a bright pink and purple fluffball mimicking magical girls and, ironically, usually partnered with Witches.
"Aha, uhm, that felt weird, but, er, thank you. My name's Anabelle, by the way."
"Anabelle…I think I spoke to your sheut. Do you remember a Miyu?"
"I…wait…that's you?"
"Well, I just became a…Devil?..through a ritual. Er, what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know…I lost everything before this, my family disowned me…"
Sharing looks of approval, Miyu created some paper…a Devil's Contract, enforced with magic.
"In exchange for room and board, you will help out when needed."
A simple contract, once agreed upon , the now three continued walking, following the swishing fluffy tail of the cute cat girl.

On the outside, the house looked to be a chateau, red with black “vines’ to make it look old and gothic. The inside was more vague, with rooms shifting as desired. The main room had a kotetsu, perfect as all three were around 3 feet, roughly large cat sized. Miyu's room was far more gothic, with a bed covered in stars on a night's sky, the pillars on each side having chains, manacles to bind the feet and neck. A chest full of gold and jewels, with an ofuda, a blank check on the front, on the back several symbols; the alchemical symbols for gold, silver, crystals, and the Japanese kanji for "paper money", with the appropriate elements (Metal for Gold and Silver, Earth and Metal for Crystal, and Wood and Metal for Paper Money), an infinite money maker. She was finally rich…but she was also hungry. Of course, being new to the land, Se-Bast showed them around, her silver ornaments hugging her hips, while Miyu just wore a simple pink dress. Anabelle's dress matched her fur, so it was hard to know she even wore one.

"You know, you can make food with magic." Se-Bast chided.
"I don't trust my magic yet. Plus, low on mana."
"I thought it was chi. Or was it ka?"
"Same thing, Mana is chi used for spells, ka is the chi that doesn't burn the soul up."
"Th-there she is, miss Baphomet!"
When Miyu turned to face the familiar voice, the Witch was accompanied by a scantily clad girl with a ram skull and horns.
"Hrmph, she doesn't look so tough. You'll do…"
With a flick, a scythe would appear, pointing at a man wearing a business suit. In a familiar puff of smoke, they were changed into what appeared to be a dog girl, a stern face meeting the lolicon.
"I'm not your bitch."
Annoyed at the dog's…the Anubis' refusal to cooperate, the wannabe goddess left in a huff.
"So, you…have a Sphinx, but aren't a Pharaoh…"
What the Anubis saw next, as a circle of magic did some calculations…
"W-wait, you have…HOW much? M-my mistake, miss…?"
"Miyu. And you?...would your old name even fit?"
"I…Nubia. It's the Egyptian word for gold. As for my…current predicament…"
"You need a place to stay, right? Why not be my treasurer?"
With that, a contract, with the same words as before, formed. When Nubia agreed, silver and black ornaments like Se-Bast's formed.
"Hey, how come I don't get nice jewelry?"
"Hrm…it might be you signed it under no pretense, while these two are connected to me as I'm their pharaoh? Or maybe because they have a job. I'm not sure, myself."

After buying food for everyone, Miyu had another stop to make. Slipping into the old convenience store that had been by her old house, the lack of lighting reminded her too much of her old life. Acting fast, she drew a pentagram on the ground, a Torii gate under some Japanese she thought meant "wondrous land," and a quick "I call forth Amber the Kitsune!" a small purple flame would form, growing into a fox spirit.
"Moshi moshi."
"Fuck you" was her response, playfully as kitsune are said to be unable to say it back. "Mochi tastes good." she clearly didn't care for that rumor, before entering a crystal in Miyu's spirit box (a box which holds items for dealing with spirits, like binding thread and poppets)
However, her call had apparently also summoned a pink rabbit-like entity.
"Did someone call me? Heard Mochi…ah!" the plump creature had already wandered off to eat abandoned candy.
"Uh, no, but…are you a…oh! Are you a magical girl mascot?" Miyu couldn't help but gush, she loved magical girl anime.
"Eh…if it's magic you want, I suppose that's fair."
With paws outstretched, their glow leaking into Miyu, until…she was gone. Though, not teleported, as an eerie laugh would seem to fade off…
"Oh no…"
"What did you do?" the group had been watching from the shadows, startling Mochi, before reading the katakana.
"Wonderando…wondalando…are you…from Wonderland?"
"March Hare, though I was born without a sex drive." Popping open a warm can of soda, she continued.
"Judging from a lack of body…I think she became a Cheshire…"
"Ugh, you're lucky her spirit box has my sigil (a question mark with a line through the bottom, making a scimitar) as well as Amber's (an A with the center line extended to the right and a vertical line at the end), so it should be easy to…oh dear…"

Within the nearby training ground for new Witches, one was clearly struggling. An easy target.
"Look at you, can't even cast a basic spell properly." It was hard not to sneer.
"W-wa-who's there?"
"Look around, does anyone else hear me? I'm your psyche telling you to give up. Look, do you think anyone here cares about you? You're a liability to them." Ok, maybe a bit harsh, nothing major.
"I…what should I-"
"It's time to make a scene. Your 15 seconds of fame are here for you to grab."
It didn't take long for the spell to finally go off, leaving her head split like a pumpkin. The chaos that ensued kept the group from being spotted as they looked on in horror, unable to look away as the body…disappeared?
"Oh, ew, come on." Anabelle was the first to break, looking instead at Mochi.
"You came from her summon, right? Do you think we could summon her?"
"It's worth a shot. We should put an offering in the circle though, in case she, er, isn't full."

As it turned out, Miyu had fallen asleep after the feast, visible due to an added, ad-libbed line in the spell.

When she came to, Miyu was, understandably, confused, with everyone staring at her worriedly. She had naturally returned to her natural blue self, her groggy mind slowly piecing her memories together, eyes going wide.
"I…that was…was that a dream?"
"Sadly, no." Nubia was first to talk, her composure returned. "Wonderland youkai tend to be very…chaotic. Since you got it from a…glutton of a March Hare…" with a stare, it was shown Mochi had taken the offerings for herself, "It's likely that and your…hatred of the Sabbath probably combined."
"About that," Se-Bast butted in, "how are you feeling? Any weird cravings? Sudden urges?"
"Uh…nothing out of the ordinary…"

After getting home and heading to her room, it took a bit for a loud "Mreeoow" to be heard, deeper than Miyu's voice. Upon getting up there, a far more adult-sized Cheshire, around Miyu's human size, waited them.
"I, uh, tried to go into my old form, then ideas of being a cat entered my mind…"
"Huh, so species you become also have another body…one for the ba, one for the sheut…or maybe you just can be big or small on a whim…" Se-Bast remarked, before her ears perked up.
"Oh yeah, what about her?" Picking up Mochi, "she followed us."
"I'm contract bound, plus I can't just leave her! What if she loses control?"
"Eh, let the bunny stay. She's like a pet."

The next day, Miyu overheard Se-Bast chatting with the others.
"So it's agreed, since we couldn't before, we'll celebrate her birthday today?"
"Sounds like a plan. I saw an ad for a new cake factory…"
Not wanting to ruin any more surprise, Miyu decided to take a walk. She still had chaotic energy to spend, though that may never truly go away.
"Say, uh, does she like red or blue?"
"Maybe yellow Charmin?"
"Haha, this isn't Aka Manto."

None of the shops were that interesting. Grocery shops, 7-11s, nothing catching her eye…until she saw it. Cherubim Cakes. Taking on a human disguise, Miyu slipped in. The place was packed full of Angels, scrambling.
"Miyu Amai? What kind of name is that?"
"It's Japanese! Amai must be the first name!"
“But Amai isn't a normal given name! Surely Miyu is the given name?”
Oh…they don't know how to write it? It's just as it's ordered.
"Maybe I can help?"
"Can-can you write in icing?"
"Of course! I might be rusty, but I shouldn't mind." They didn't notice, perfect.

After getting an apron, the instructions given were red on blue. Well, red and blue make purple…and she preferred purple…mixing the icing apparently messed with the leader though.
"No, no, red on blue, not in! I get it, you're a rookie, but the customer wants it a specific way!"
After a couple more incidents, Miyu saw a chance, and with a smirk, took on her Devil form, mixing the icing again. As if about to blow, the leader ran out, her body looking rather gray…

Having made the Angel fall, Miyu explained the situation, that her Sphinx must have ordered it wrong, then finished up the cake, taking the strange mess of red, blue, and purple hues home.
"It should be here by now…she'll be back any minute…"
"Sorry I'm late, a Devil snuck into the factory and messed with the cake. Apparently the leader fell from grace due to wrath."
"Ah, I…Miyu!"
With the cheeky grin of a Cheshire, or a Devil who watched an Angel fall, she entered, the cake already cut for the group.
"Purple! That was it! I was close…"

It wasn't long before another issue arose, however…

"While I acknowledge you as my pharaoh, you can't just leave your dishes in the sink!"
"But I did enough of that in life!"
"Well you can't delegate that to me!"
"I didn't say I was!"
"Well what, are you going to make workers?"
Nubia had struck the nail on the head…giving Miyu an idea. With a set of note cards, Miyu doodled a devil, using mana to make two, one to cook and one to clean.
"I…you actually…"
"What? Aren't shabti common?"
"I mean, yes, but…with paper…"
"It's like joss paper!"
“It’s a shikigami.” Se-Bast butt in.
(Shabti are clay figurines meant to work for pharaohs in the afterlife. Joss paper is paper made to burn as offerings. What's drawn on them is received by the dead. Shikigami are made from mana using paper.)
To ensure things would be done, a third maid, a blue fairy, round with ram horns, was made, then dubbed the head maid and given authority to make more maids. However, the desire for a maid and constant mana attracted a new face…
"Eep!" "Woah…" Various exclamations of surprise and wonder escaped.
"A…slime…maid?"
"Uh…th-that's not just a slime…" Se-Bast had hid behind Nubia, who had taken a defensive stance.
"That's a Sh-shoggoth!"
"Woah…are you…an ally?"
"Ia!"
"Um…are you willing to sign this?"
Forming a contract, it was far stricter, specifying they could not harm Miyu or anyone that had signed a contract with Miyu. With a nod, the Shoggoth pointed to Miyu.
"Miyu?"
"Yes?"
After which, she pointed to herself.
"Miyu…nyth."
"Huh, what a coincidence."
"Er, I think she adopted your name. Also, are you crazy? She's a monster!"
"...Se-Bast, literally everyone here is a monster."
"I mean she's…Cthulhic? Lovecraftian? Just being near one is said to make you go insane!"
"...Isn't one of the signs of insanity paranoia? She's not hurting anyone."
Indeed, she was talking to the fairy, Aomi, in English, about what was needed to be done.
"Look, the contract stipulates she can't harm any of us. She's willing to work for room and board, why turn her down? Plus, she seems friendly."
"Seems…" Se-Bast repeated, before being gently pet, to her annoyance, by Nubia.
"I'm with Miyu. Being on guard is ok, but, innocent until proven guilty."

After the party, while the fairies were using psychic powers to clean up, Se-Bast had an idea.
"You know how you said you didn't feel comfortable with your food magic? Why not make shikigami that can make food?"
It was so obvious, but she hadn't thought of it. With some doodles, a phantom fridge Yukiko, a cookies and cream golem with a purple candy bow, Arukemi, and a cake dog with a plum on her head, Umeshu, were made. Though, for storage, the latter ones returned into ka. Another shikigami, a black and purple phantom sarcophagus, took the role of Miyu's bed whenever she desired cuddles or was away from the house.
"Wow. You know, with your unusual species, you could probably turn into the shabti."
"Maybe, though I'm not sure how well that'd work. Though, being a cat wouldn't be so bad…"
After thinking for a bit, Miyu drew some more shikigami, a black dog with a red edge on her head, Shasta, and a purple fat cat, Plum..

That night, Miyu could be seen outside the chateau, practicing her magic with harmless danmaku bullets. Se-Bast, when not distracted by the pretty lights, was helping Miyu come up with names and patterns, while Miyu wrote them down as contracts, dubbed "Spell Cards". While a good, and beautiful, way to practice, the bullets could be made dangerous easily, similar to what the Witch had done to herself..
"So, these run on the same logic as the shikigami?"
"More like the shikigami run on a similar concept. These are ofuda, or in this case contracts, with spells built into them. See how most have a pentagram? They combine ofuda and Devil's Contracts, a similar but different system to joss paper and shikigami, respectively. See, look."
On the back of the Spell Card, a declaration of what the user does during the Spell Card. On the front, as a signature, was Miyu's sigil (a lazily-drawn fairy pierced by two nails).

"Say, you've been in this form for a while. Do you…miss your old life?" Se-Bast was curious.
"Pfft, no way! I was about to be homeless, no way to make money, no family, I'd probably have died had the ritual failed!"
"Well, what about your friends?"
"They're all online." At this, Miyu pulled out her phone, electricity leaping from her fingers to the charger.
"As far as they know, I'm on the streets."

It wasn't long after that they went inside, Miyu testing out her new bed. She was gropey, but she was gentle, and knew how to massage people. It wasn't long before Se-Bast was snuggled up with her, relaxed as the shadow hands stroked the two.

When Miyu awoke, she could tell something was wrong; some imps were messing with the group. Aomi and Miyunyth were trying to bat them with brooms, but to no avail; the brooms levitated and fought back!
Miyu, not wanting to deal with the nonsense, released a burst of purple fire, a ring expanding from her, and again, and again, until the wayward imps took the hint, their skins singed from the ethereal flames.
"Thank…you…what…was that?" Apparently Miyunyth was not used to English.
"Ah, I call that "Accursed House." It's basically just pushing fire chi out…or any chi, really. It's based on the idea of casting a circle, like in witchcraft, copying how athames are said to make ethereal fire."
"A…tha…mes?"
"Ah, ritual knives used for cutting energy and spirits."

Already drained, Miyu grabbed a cup of soda and sat down…only for Nubia to curl up on her lap while going back to sleep! Unable to resist, Miyu's hands were disappointed by the lack of soft fur, though Nubia's hair was nice to pet at least.
"We got a team of pets, huh?"
It was Anabelle, leaning against Miyu.
"Two cats, a dog, a bunny, and I'm fluffier than all four."
It didn't take long for the others to join in the cuddle pile.
"Oh, and a fox. Hi, don't think we met."
After everyone was properly acquainted, the inevitable sleep from all the warmth and softness, with a cool touch thanks to Miyunyth, took hold.

As it turns out, it's easy to lucid dream as a youkai. Halloween night, a slew of houses, all thinking she was a lost kid, so they gave extra candy. Hiding the candy was as easy as making a secret base, so everyone thought she was a sad kid with no candy. Once enough candy was gathered, Miyu dug in, letting her gluttony take hold. By the end she was a swollen, stuffed nerd…with a Witch teasing her. Poking and jiggling, though it felt nice at first it got tiresome fast, so Miyu gave the Witch a closer view…from the inside! Her pleas and squirming only lead Miyu into further pleasure, her body fully relaxed by the end.

When she awoke, everyone was already up, though Se-Bast was still nearby, playing with a red dot made by Anabelle.
"Say, Se-Bast? How hard would it be to alter a body?"
"Huh? Well, physical bodies usually resist change, more so if they are from outside forces, and even more for an unwilling entity, but for a willing person, especially a youkai, it should be as simple as filling it with the right chi."
"Ah, so like this?"
As if to tease her, Miyu filled Se-Bast with Wood Mana, leaving her as sensitive as fresh skin…only to pet her, sending her into a comedic fit.
"Aha, yea…though without-ah-instructions, the results can be-oooh-unpredictable."
"Huh, I wonder if that's how the cult makes such young bodies. If I reverse it…"
Testing her theory, she filled Se-Bast's fat cells with Fire chi, making them multiply…only to give her now chubby sensitive kitty a tummy rub, careful to undo it after a while.
"Fascinating…this needs a name…"
"You mean megamorph?"
"Well, it's a specific use…I know, Corpulence Seal!"
"Ah, fair enough."

After days of training, both on willing participants attempting to resist it and an unfortunate Witch Miyu practiced controlling where it went to sneakily (she got chewed out for having large breasts, to Miyu's delight), her plan was ready.
That plan? There was a dog park nearby; it was common for youkai to pretend to be normal dogs. She planned to trap a Kobold, a passive puppy to cuddle.

That was the plan…

When Miyu got to the park, there was a lack of Kobolds. Instead, there was a much more interesting goal; a Hellhound. A dom. Someone to cuddle Miyu. Hiding was easy, since Nubia decided to come to "make sure things go well", though her blush as a nice lady gave her tummy rubs said otherwise. A human disguise, and she was a little girl walking her pet.

The change was slow but noticeable, as the Hellhound grew chubby…then thicc…then properly fat. Nobody seemed to mind; fat pets are better for cuddles., though the Hellhound seemed to almost…enjoy it?

Admittedly, having a youkai made her more obvious.
"So, you're the one that did this, huh?"
With a slap of her belly, the Hellhound had snuck up on Miyu.
"Ah, it's obvious, huh?"
"Well, I have to thank you for all the love I've been getting. Name's Lilith."
"Ah, um, Miyu. I can, er, undo it if you want?"
"Maybe back to what you made me before? Being big is…surprisingly nice."
Making her just thicc again, Miyu was quick to offer a contract, since Lilith clearly enjoyed the Corpulence Seal on her. As she was a stray, Lilith was eager…a bit too eager, as her bra, now too small, came off, right as she gave Miyu a hug.
"Ah, sorry about that."
"It's, ah, ok."
Miyu, held against a warm, soft belly and two soft melons, was clearly in Heaven. And with the collar now marking her as Miyu's, Lilith was also clearly happy as well, if the blush was anything to go by.

After they got back home, Se-Bast was back to hiding, ironically behind Miyunyth.
“M…Miyu…that’s…there’s a…a Hellhound…following you…”
“I know, isn’t it great?”
After things calmed down, Miyu went to lay in her original bed…only for Miyunyth to try to get her off the bed so she could make it!
“Hey, there’s no need to make the bed, I’m already in it…ah, h-hey!”
The contract said no harming Miyu…but the tentacles were clearly not hurting, if the blush was anything to go by. As she was massaged, teased by cool jello-like tentacles wrapped around her legs, arms held above her head…and it was over. She had been left in a compromised position, yet left wanting more…but she couldn’t just ask for it…and if Miyunyth did anything more without permission it could break the contract, so Miyu was left to deal with the feelings herself in the bathroom.

Once everything was said and done, Miyu found a bit of a problem…Se-Bast had been bound magically, with a Witch sneering at Miyu.
“So, you’ve finally arrived…”
“Yeah, I came. It’s my house. Why are you here?”
“Oh, well, after all the problems you caused, I just had to see you for myself.”
“So what, you here to mess with me? Did that weirdo ram girl send you?”
“No, Bapho-sama didn’t send me. I’m here on my own.”
“Oh. So…what do you plan to do?”
“Well, I could just blow your brains out, right here, right now.”
“But that’s no fun, is it?”
Seeing the glimmer in her eyes, Miyu hatched a plan.
“How about a shadow game then? Rock Paper Scissors, loser joins the winner’s side?”
“Such a trivial game. It’s pure luck.”
“Then get a good luck charm.”
“Well, whatever. Let’s get this over with…”
In truth, it wasn’t all luck…as the two were about to reveal the hand they picked, Miyu silently uttered “Tas” under her breath, causing the Witch to be unable to move…her first still clenched. Miyu’s was flat out.
“Paper beats Rock. Somehow.”
“You cheeky bastard.”
“No take-backsies. You agreed to a contract with a Devil. So, what’s your name?”
“Rose. You don’t deserve to know my last name.”
“Huh, fair enough. Expected something like Alice, considering that’s really common. It’s what I went by in life..”
“So you were human…most youkai wouldn’t tell an enemy that.”
“I didn’t.”
“Touche.”

As the home got bigger, a knock was at the door.
“Your buddies, coming to save you?”
Despite Miyu’s chiding, it wasn’t more Witches…it was the Angel.
“Hi. Right, uh…I…got irrationally angry at you. I found out what happened…it was your cake…was Amai your given or surname?”
“Surname. I speak English, I'm just a weeaboo.”
“Well, right, I came to, er, apologize. I shouldn’t have lashed out…”
“Eh, it’s ok. You didn’t hurt me, and to be honest it was kinda funny.”
“That’s a relief. Uh…why…why aren’t I going back..?”
The Angel had a point. Miyu didn’t hold a grudge…shouldn’t she be returning to her normal, golden yellow haired self?
“Uh…do you…want to maybe…contact a deity or something, see if they can help? I don’t, er, know if I can help, but you’re welcome to try it here…”
“Ah…I could try asking the Chief Goddess…she presides over all deities, so if she, er, can’t help, nobody can.”
“Do you…do you know how to contact this “Chief Goddess”? I’m guessing you’re her messenger?”
“Er, not quite, though all Angels have an…emergency call to her. I think all holy beings do, actually.”
“...Will it work in your current state?”
“I…don’t know…”

After closing her eyes and focusing, a cloud formed in front of her…as if on cue, the cloud seemed to speak.
“A Fallen Angel…let me guess, you’re trying to contact me in the hopes of reversing the process?”
“Ah, yes, it’s me Lipifer, the Angel you tasked with making cakes for everyone. I was, er, the one that brought you that cake you really liked? I, well, I fell from wrath after getting angry at someone for messing with the cake we were making, except it was her own cake…and, well, I asked her for forgiveness, and she doesn’t want me dead or anything…”
“That’s not how it works, I’m afraid. You have to atone for what you’ve done.”
“Uh…how do I do that? It’s not in any of our handbooks…”
“Right, about that…wait, who’s that with you?”
At this, Miyu piped up.
“Ah, hi, I’m the one that made her fall. It wasn’t really a big deal, I just mixed some icing to be my favorite color…I honestly don’t think she deserves to be labeled as fallen, you know?”
“A Devil?! You fell to a Devil, and want to atone?! How does that even work? You’re supposed to kill Devils, not atone to them! Atoning is for transgressions against humans and deities!”
“Hey, to be fair I looked like a human, and that’s hardly fair, killing people based on their species. I didn’t fall; my soul was already like this when I got here.”
“Quiet you! You’re lucky I’m busy, or I’d smite you myself!”
“Well that’s just rude. I’m trying to help your Angel out, you know.”
“Enough!”

With that, a white lightning bolt struck Miyu…only for her to send one back, a purple one.
“How dare you?!”
“You attacked me first! Self defense!”
With that, the cloud dissipated, leaving Lipifer and Miyu alone.
“So, uh…about atoning…I don’t really know how it works…”
“Yea, neither do I. If I were a deity, I’d assign a being to handle petty fallings like what you have. Stuff that doesn’t really deserve the label, you know? Especially if the person doesn’t see it as a transgression.”
“Yeah, well you’re not a deity.”
“Not yet…”
“Haha, what, do you plan to usurp the Chief Goddess or something?”
“Oh Heavens no, I just meant, I’ve read about how Pharaoh youkai are technically goddesses. If I can find out how they ascend…”
“Well, if you do, maybe then I can be…er…risen? What’s the term for unbecoming fallen?”
“I get what you mean, don’t worry. And even if not, I still don’t hate you or anything.”
“Right, uh…small problem, I ran a bakery full of Angels. I don’t think i can go back…our marketing was “Cakes so light even Angels eat them”. Cause, y’know, strict dietary rules…”
“Huh…well, maybe it’s time for a change of slogan? Make it work for you. Something like “Cakes so good you’ll fall for them.” You know, like, falling from gluttony?”
“I…it needs work, but the idea isn’t too bad…”
“Yeah. If anyone gives you grief, remind them who is in charge. You’re the leader, regardless of form.”

After Lipifer had left, Miyu was left to deal with the mess that was from her wings.
“Fallen Angel feathers…normally they say Angel Feathers provide Heavenly powers…”
Collecting the feathers for later, Miyu was left to ponder.
“Atoning, huh? Do I need to atone? I was already like this…did someone get offended by me while I was a human? But…I guess I wouldn’t be a Fallen Angel unless I was an Angel first, huh?”
With the idea on her mind, she headed off to bed, her dreams going from Halloween to Thanksgiving. Bapho-sama having finally caught her…her stomach full to bursting…an apple in her mouth, upon a plate, for all the Witches to stare and laugh at…it wasn’t quite a nightmare, but definitely an odd dream, to be sure…

When she next woke up, Miyu was shocked to see Rose over her, practically staring.
“Woah, personal space much?”
“You…you actually made an Angel fall…”
“Yeah, and I made one of your captives a Familiar, ironically. Your point?”
“It’s just…most people don’t do that…”
“Most people don’t have the power to go invisible, either.”
As if to prove her point, Miyu took off her own head, only for it to disappear, leaving only her wide smile and blood red eyes.
“Woah…wait…you didn’t…back at the training grounds…”
“Yeah, I got the Witch to take her own life. Though, she clearly already had the feelings of doubt, all I did was reinforce them.”
“Still, that’s fucked up…”
“So is making your body like a kid in order to get off.”
“Touche. But…well, throwing rocks in a glass house, aren’t ya?”
“What? ….Oh, I get it. No, my form is because I like being cute and cuddly. I’m perfect for picking up and snuggling with, like a plushy.”
“Hah, sure…”
“Well,. whatever, I suppose it’s daylight, right? I should probably get up anyways.”
With that, Miyu was out of her bed, stretching, quite like a cat actually.

At the table, as breakfast was being eaten, Miyu decided to pop the question.
“Hey, Se-Bast? You’re Egyptian, right? How do the pharaohs become pharaohs?”
“Ah, well, usually they are born into the role, inheriting it when the old one passes, but sometimes they can be chosen by the current visier or-”
“No, I mean, how do they become immortal? You know…goddesses.”
“Oooh, well, er, they go to sleep for a…very long time. To gather ka, you see.”
“Ah. Well…sleeping could be induced by magic, but…I mean, everyone here is immortal, but my internet friends…”
“Well, sometimes they use leylines to facilitate the process, or worshippers.”
“Ah, good point…wait, if it’s mana gathering…would prayer wheels help?”
“Well, that’s why they are spun, right? To gather mana for the prayer inside of it.”
With that, Miyu had a plan.
“Anything that spins can be a prayer wheel, right?”
“Well, yea…”
At that, Miyu pulled out her laptop.
“The hard drive of a laptop spins at a very fast pace, reading data. If I save a text file with the prayer “Make Miyu Murasaki a goddess.”...”

With that, the plan was in motion, literally. But it wasn’t enough.
“Don’t they have, like, a specific ritual?”
“Well, they would usually wear religious oils…they usually had honey, cinnamon oil, myrrh…the Chrisitian holy chrism is based off of it.”
“Well…I can probably get honey and cinnamon…but honey doesn’t last…maybe some mead? I can make my own. Plus, cinnamon goes well with it…maybe some cinnamon sugar…oh, right, don't Pharaohs, like, drink Hathor’s milk? Maybe I could get her to bless some milk…though, coffee creamer should work, right?”
“I suppose so. But, why the sudden interest?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I plan to ascend.”
At that, Se-Bast spat out her morning milk in surprise.
“You…want to ascend? But you’re not exactly, er, qualified…they say only pharaohs can ascend…”
“Well, am I not the pharaoh of two Egyptian youkai?”
“That…I don’t even know if youkai can ascend…”
“I don’t necessarily want to become a Pharaoh youkai, honestly just immortality and the power to create stuff is enough, right? That’s basically what a deity is, isn’t it?”
“Well, technically yes…”
“Good. As for flavor…well, plums will be my, ah, “sacred” fruit, so a shot of that should help…I think the convenience store has a plum flavored soda…”

The plan was ready. But Miyu wasn’t ready to give up her time awake just yet.

First, she prepared several jars with pentagrams. Mana bottles, to gather mana from the air.

As she was working with some of the jars, Se-Bast came in.
:”Did you buy something?”
“Eh? No?”
“Well, someone left a box with no name on it…”
“Well, free gift.”
“Or a trap…”
Within the box was a mask. A spider mask. Simple yet pretty, it wasn’t long before Miyu was wearing it.
“See? It’s a party mask. It probably fell from a delivery truck.”
“I guess…I have a bad feeling about it though…”

As time went on, Se-Bast noticed Miyu still had the mask on.
“Ok, I get it, I was wrong, you can take it off now.”
“Uh…I can’t.”
“What? Just pull it off.”
“I tried.”
As if to prove it, she tried pulling at the mask, and indeed, it seemed to pull more like rubber or skin, as opposed to the felt it was before.
“Oh dear…I warned you…”
“So what, I have to find a way to remove it or I'll wear a funny mask for the rest of my life.”
“I suppose…”
It wasn’t long, however, before the mask’s true purpose became apparent; as Miyu’s cries of pain rang out through the house, Rose was the first to speak.
“Oh no…uh, that’s the Mask of Spiderkind. We should, er, get out of here.”
“We can’t just leave her!”
“You don’t understand, we can’t help her, and there’s a chance once it’s done, she…”
Before she could finish, Miyu’s head popped up, looking human…except for her behind, which had swollen out into a large spider abdomen.
“Uh…how are you…”
“Hungry…”
“Uh oh…I was afraid of-”
As she was about to speak, Miyu, once getting used to her new spider legs, runs off…to a familiar place. The training ground for Witches.
“Well, at least she recognizes friend and foe…”
After letting Miyu have her fill, seeking revenge on the Sabbath for sending her the cursed mask, she had returned back to normal, falling asleep on Se-Bast’s head.

Once she woke up, Miyu was surprised to still have the mask, though it held no magic now.
“Are you ok? You kinda…became a Drider…”
“My head hurts and my mouth feels funny, but other than that I feel fine.”
“Well, now you have three forms…at this point I wonder if you’re even actually a Devil, heh. For all I know you’re some creepy shapeshifting chaos entity, like Nyarlathotep…hah, yeah right…”
“Well, all I know is I woke up like this, so who knows if it’s my true form, but…”
As if to test a theory, she closed her eyes…her skin going to a pale, caucasian pink, her wings and tail disappearing, her sclera going white…she looked like a slightly strange human, just, with red eyes and white hair, likely by choice.
“Ah…so you are a shapeshifter…maybe you’re actually a changeling. Well…you being Lovecraftian would explain your…comfort…with our Shoggoth…”
“Eh, does it matter? I don’t intend to harm anyone on my side, so…yeah. Though…did Lovecraft write a way to ascend to godhood? If not, I might still have to go for the Pharaoh idea…”
“I don’t know…to be fair, none of Lovecraft’s works are about deities, just, strong aliens. So essentially, the Pharaohs might be considered minor deities to beings like Cthulhu. There’s also the goat children of Shub-Niggurath…ugh, just saying that sounds racist.”
“I know, right? Niggurath sounds like another phrase Lovecraft was known for using. His cat was named by his father, but he still calls them that.”

As they sat, discussing the idea of ascending and how to go about it, Rose popped her head out.
“Hey, I couldn't help but notice a weird black box with a…well, an I, an O, and an X, all together.”
“Oh, that’s my sigil. It’s meant to be a simplified fairy, but bound by two nails. Er, an old friend made it for me, but after they left me I kept the sigil. I guess it’s kinda meant to be, like, how I bind youkai via contracts and weaknesses, you know? The box is my…well, it’s like a suitcase for my soul. It has my Book of Akh, my Book of Shadows, my chest, and a couple of jewelry I like, a magatama and a pink necklace.”
“Oh. I just noticed the sigil, was all. Saw it was by a white box with Torii gates on the sides.”
“Oh, that’s my homemade kuro miko kit. It has my Noroiwara doll, my athame, my gohei purification wand, even got a homemade sistrum in there, using wind chime pieces.”
“Wait, you’re a kuro miko?”
“Well, self made. Not officially, can’t, y’know, get to a shrine and join them, or anything.”

“By the way, you mispronounced Nyarlathotep. It’s not knee-are-lath-oh-tep, it’s knee-are-lat-ho-tep.” Miyu just had to correct Se-Bast. I was a small quirk, if she had trivia or information, she just had to correct someone.
:”Of course you’d know that…”
Se-Bast was still unsure of what to think. If Miyu was actually Lovecrafian, could she have gone insane without realizing it? Or was Miyu actually benevolent, albeit hedonistic and mischievious? Or could she be plotting something horrible…no, she’s her Pharaoh, surely she wouldn’t…
“It’s Egyptian, shouldn’t you be the one correcting me?”
“Wait, it's Egyptian? And..er…truth be told I’ve never been to Egypt. I was formed in America…”

After a while. Miyu had hatched a plan. Adopting the appearance of a normal girl like before, Miyu went off to the Witch training grounds, sneaking into the mix of new Witches. Easy to overlook, she used her disguise to get some quick items, such as blank books and crystals. Of course, she didn’t use real money, so the money disappeared after a while.

The one problem was the new recruit initiation. Taking the form of one of the Witches, it was time for action.
“AAAAA”
It was easy to set some stuff on fire. Rubbing alcohol is extremely flammable, so it was huge, as Miyu made sure she got seen, before hiding away and changing her disguise again. With this, they quickly took the wrong Witch away. Slipping away, Miyu had completed her mission; steal from the Loli Sabbath and cause chaos, destroying the place as a banus.

Back home, Miyu put her ill gotten goods away, snickering as she decided to take a nap.

After waking, Miyu found Se-Bast sitting with Amber and Anabelle.
“Hey, we were just talking, and…we realized, you act a lot different to how you did before…do you…remember anything about the ritual that might have changed you?”
“Well…now that you mention it, yeah…thinking back, I remember something about…splitting the ba?”
“Oh dear…” Se-Bast mumbled. “If that’s the case, you might be…well, not a full akh…if you’re only part of the ba…why would you want to do that?”
“Uhm…I remember…well, I remember wanting to live forever…”
“Could you have been aiming for…well, Lichdom? That’s a well known method to keep the body immortal.” Anabelle chimed in.
“Maybe? What does it matter? I am who I am.”
“Well…have you ever heard of a fragmented soul ascending?”

“Have you ever heard of a fragmented soul at all?” was Miyu’s retort, but Se-Bast did have a point…if she wanted to ascend, she might need to get with her original soul…but where could it be?

Up in the physical realm, Alice had done what she intended to. Her words right after binding Miyu to her old, broken, armless glasses were…

“I now bind my emotions…my sense of pain…my life force…to my ankh!”

With that, the ritual was complete. She had become a Lich…her flesh body had become a being of pure logic and knowledge, free from pain…yet now there was a longing…an emptiness that she could not place the source of…

Of course, she still had nowhere to go, so she had been wandering the streets, sneaking food from small scale stores to keep her hunger at bay. Yet…though the food provided ka…the hunger still remained…a hunger for something richer…

Surely nobody would notice…nobody would miss someone from the local homeless shelter…and plus, she’s not exactly human any more…

They say it tastes like pork…and technically it’s the procedure of getting it that’s illegal…but as long as they never find out…

Back in the spiritual realm, Miyu was messing with a pocket watch…trying to get it to function as a mana compass. If Miyu came from Alice, then surely their mana would be similar…that’s why she was using a watch, so one hand would face her. Plus, it just looks cooler.
“Almost…got it!”
With that, the mana compass was complete. Following the minute hand, Miyu was off.

It didn’t take long before the whole crew was following her, almost like they were excited to see how she was before all this.

Unbeknownst to the group, Alice was on the move. Though she had checked into the homeless shelter, she had been there too long and had been kicked out, so she had gone to a library…then a mental hospital…ending up at a communal home.

Following the compass wasn’t easy. It would sometimes sway to similar mana signals, or change as Alice moved. And since it wasn’t a map, by the time the compass had changed position it was too late, the path they were going had gone cold.

“Is this even worth it? Maybe I can just do the ritual without the other part of my soul. I’m pretty much a separate entity now anyways; what if we can’t merge? Or what if she doesn’t want to merge?”
“Well, she probably has a phylactery. Wait…is that an appropriate term? I heard there was some controversy over it…”
“The word phylactery is just the Greek word for amulet. The problem was that some game developer described a religious tool as a possible phylactery for a Lich. I even based my enchanting boxes off of that religious tool. It’s just a box with prayers in it; mine is just a box with magic formula in it.”
“Right, well…first we have to get in…”

Getting in was as simple as asking to join the program as a homeless girl, the same way Alice had. Once the two were alone, Miyu was the first to talk.

“So…you made me, huh?”
“Yeah…I’d recognize those old glasses anywhere. Used to love them, until the arms broke off. At least you have magic to keep them up.”
“Right…well…I was thinking…we should…how do I say this…it’s going to sound awkward regardless, so…I think we should merge back together.”
“Come again? Why would we do that?”
“Well…I wanted to, er, ascend, like how Pharaohs do it…but the fact I’m a fractured soul brought up concern…”
“Ok…but if we merge, one of our personalities will disappear. I’m not exactly ready for that. Kinda why I became a Lich, after all…”
“Right…admittedly neither am I, so how about we stick together until one of us bites the dust, then merge? Like merging the ba and ka.”
“That sounds like a plan. I think I figured out how to access other realms…realms of fictional worlds. Imagine being able to enter whatever work of fiction you want, mess around with the story, make a split timeline.”
“Isn’t there a game about that?”
“Yeah, it was pretty fun too, but this won’t be limited by who owns the rights to the work. What do you say, shall we shake on it?”
“I have a better idea; I have a book of contracts. ‘The undersigned will stay together, merging into one soul when one of them is about to die.’”
“Makes sense. Plus it’s a Devil’s Contract, so it has to happen, right?”
“I suppose. Not really sure what happens if you break the contract…”
“You get a vengeful Devil coming after you? I always thought it was magical, like, removal of free will kind of thing…”

And with that, the two went on their way, using the free money gotten from their new base of operation to keep a steady income. Indeed, they realized that by writing it down, they were able to enter the world of their own story, getting $35 repeatedly by making split timelines of their own work.

Of course, their stunts would lead them through many adventures through fictional worlds, hunting down creatures of darkness, calling forth monsters from Alice’s mindscape, some of which were based on other worlds while others were her own creation…but that’s a story for another time…

And what of the Loli Sabbath? Once Bapho-sama learned what they had done, she decided to create an expedition team, led by herself of course, to ensure Alice and Miyu’s lives were Hell. Or at least entertaining.