Xander sat uneasily in the middle of the star created with sand. Giles and Dawn had drawn it on his apartment's main floor. His place was the only one that had the space, and Giles figured it would work better there since that was where Xander noticed his new power. Technically, if Anya was right, it wasn't even his. Xander hoped she was right. He didn't want this power, not after seeing how power could corrupt his best friend. He didn't think he could control it all the time either, and that was scaring the hell out of him.
Hopefully, if this spell was successful, they would reverse whatever damage was done. Then he'd go back to acting awkward around Anya and helping Willow deal with what happened last spring. That way he wouldn't have to worry about burning down his apartment building or becoming the host to some hell spawn. They would perform a binding spell. It would keep his soul firmly rooted inside his body for as long as he lived and would prevent any demons from fully taking it over. This spell was helpful against demons like Jycen, but would not work against vampires since one had to die before joining the ranks of the undead.
His left leg was falling asleep. He wanted to stretch it, but if he did he'd ruin the pentagram pattern. Giles was drawing symbols inside the star while Dawn helped by placing candles on all five points.
"Are my eyes still flamey?" Xander asked.
Buffy looked at his eyes closely before shaking her head. "Nope. They're both flame free."
"There's the possibility that they might return, however," Giles pointed out. He didn't see the glares that Buffy and Xander shot in his direction.
When he was done, he told Dawn to light the candles. The spell was about to start. Willow, Buffy, Dawn, and Anya stood off to the side while Giles stood next to the point directly across from me. He took a deep breath and began.
"Jycen, unholy spawn of hell and sin
You claimed this Body as your own
Its Human Soul still resides within
We bind It to this Body until Death does it part."
They watched as the sandy lines marking the pentagram and the symbols glowed white. When it faded away it took the sand with it, leaving behind the candles.
"Did it work?" Willow asked.
A wind picked up inside the house. It started out as gentle breeze and blew out the candles. It quickly grew into a whirlwind, sending objects flying around the room in dizzying circles. Xander was in the thick of it. It left him untouched and firmly rooted to the ground, but his friends had to fight to keep their balance. Xander watched them, alarmed. He stood up and tried to step through the wind to help his friends, but when he tried to rush through the spiral he found himself trapped in its core. He pounded on the walls; despite the hurricane's un-solid appearance, his fist hit something hard.
He backed up to the very center of his prison. That was when he realized that the center of the spiral of wind was getting smaller by the second.
Shit, shit, shit, shit! He thought, over and over. A second later, he was overtaken by pain as the wind hit his body on every side…and was absorbed into his body. It magically entered his chest at seventy-five miles an hour.
Xander screamed. His eyes lit up with flames.
Suddenly, it was over. Various objects fell to the ground. The Scoobies regained their respective balances and straightened out hair. Xander collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
*****
"Shit," Anya said. "It's not Jycen. It's Rajhamon. He's trying to take over Xander's body."
"That's what the hurricane was?" Buffy asked.
Anya nodded. "Hurry. We need to get him imprisoned in a binding circle."
"Why?" Dawn asked.
"Because Rajhamon is too strong for a simple soul-binding spell to stop him. Didn't you see that windstorm get absorbed by Xander's body? That was Rajhamon entering Xander's body. We need to get him trapped before he can do any damage."
She grabbed the jar of sand and started pouring it out in a circle around Xander's prone form. Giles whispered a phrase in Latin and a cylindrical beam of light shot up from the circle, trapping Xander inside. The light disappeared but all of them knew that Xander wouldn't be able to pass over the circle's boundary.
"So who's Rajhamon?" Willow asked in an attempt to stay calm. "Why does he want Xander?"
"Rajhamon was originally a phoenix," Anya explained, wrapping her arms around her chest. She fingered her necklace nervously while she stared at Xander. She still loved Xander as much as she hated him for leaving her at the altar and it hurt to see him like this. "About four thousand years ago, he went on a killing spree on the Asian continent. He attached demons and humans alike, and as a result the two groups formed a temporary alliance in an attempt to stop him. They managed to gather enough power to tear Rajhamon's essence out of his body. His essence was angry and found a way to get back at them by taking over a male human's body. He can only claim certain types as Hosts, though, and when he is successful he goes on a killing spree and doesn't stop until his Host dies of old age. No one's seen him for over a thousand years. I never expected Xander to be an acceptable Host."
"Why show up now?" Buffy asked. She wished Xander would wake up and assure them that it was still him. "What is he planning to do?"
"I don't know," Anya said. "Xander might, though. Before, Rajhamon always pushed out the souls of his Hosts, but since we cast that spell to prevent that, they're sharing space in there. It might give us an advantage. We just need to find a way to help Xander fight Rajhamon."
"How?" Dawn asked.
"I have no idea."
*****
Dawn, Giles, and Willow sat at various places around the living room, looking through the collection of books Giles had brought along. They were looking for something that would help Xander kick Rajhamon out of his body but none of them knew where to start. Buffy stood near the circle, crossbow at ready if Rajhamon managed to escape the circle. Anya paced back and forth, looking from the researchers to Buffy to Xander and back again. Her right hand never stopped gripping the pendant hanging from her neck.
This was turning into a disaster. Anya wished she hadn't insisted on casting that soul-binding spell. Xander's soul was probably in torture right now because he couldn't leave his body. But wasn't that what she wanted? Didn't she want Xander to suffer unspeakable torture? She wasn't sure anymore.
A groan came from within the circle. Everyone turned toward the sound.
They watched as Xander's form slowly stood up. Everyone was hoping against hope that Rajhamon hadn't taken over yet. They needed some sort of sign. "Xander?" Giles asked cautiously.
Xander whirled at the noise. Everyone took a step back. His normal, chocolate brown irises had become oval-shaped like a hawk's and were colored red. Tiny flames replaced both his pupils and the whites of his eyes.
The temperature in the room dropped dangerously low. There was no possible way that this could be Xander. There wasn't a doubt in their minds that the Phoenix Rajhamon was in full control of their friend's body.
Rajhamon's head tilted to the side as he studied Giles, an expression of mild interest appearing on his face. He took a step forward only to be stopped by an invisible wall. He looked down and gave the sand marking the edges of his cage the same amount of interest he'd given Giles. He looked back up and met everyone's eyes. "Who dares to imprison me?" he asked. His voice sent more chills down their spines. It was exactly like Xander's except it lacked the warmth the youth usually projected.
He studied everyone in turn. His gaze lingered on Anya. "The humans I understand, but you are not human. You are an Avenger. Do you really want me as an enemy, demon? D'Hoffryn has always tried his best to stay on my good side."
"Leave Xander's body and we'll let you go," Anya told him after deciding not to answer his questions.
His eyes seemed to blaze even hotter than before, the only sign of his anger. "I have waited a millennia to possess new flesh. I will not give it up, child." He looked down at the sand encircling him. "And I will not stay here any longer." He held his hands up to the barrier and began to chant. "Leaton qui'ras, julis qui'ras, Leaton qui'ras, ne'am'ossul qui'ras!"
The sand marking the circle began to heat, rapidly turning into glass before their eyes. Before the Scooby Gang even realized what was happening, Rajhamon was stepping over the glass. He waved his hand, sending a fireball at Anya. It hit her square in the chest. The vengeance demon went flying backwards. Rajhamon sent two more fireballs at the others, and they barely managed to duck in time.
The phoenix demon ran toward the window. He began to chant again. When he was done, the windowpanes transformed into a pile of sand on the floor and their wooden frames melted away. Xander's body jumped through the now open second story window and began to fall.
Before he reached the ground, Rajhamon stretched his arms out at his sides. A large shape, made of fire and shaped like a phoenix, appeared in the air a foot apart from Rajhamon's back. Rajhamon and his fiery shadow let out a loud, bird-like screech. Then the shadow flapped its wings and it and Rajhamon soared up into the air, flying over the streets of Sunnydale and out of sight.
*****
The smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils, making him want to puke. Screams filled the air, mixed in with the heat and noise of the flames quickly consuming the landscape.
Xander was lying on something wet and clingy. He opened his eyes to discover that it was mud. He sat up and looked around. He was lying in the middle of a medieval town square. Wooden Buildings on all sides were burning. Several charred bodies lay in the space around him. Townspeople ran by in attempts to put out the fires or flee.
How did I suddenly end up in a town square straight from the Dark Ages? Xander wondered. "Giles? Anya? Guys?" he called out. No one answered. Then he remembered the dream he'd had the night before. The details had been unclear after he woke up, but now every detail was returning to his memory. This was what he'd seen in his nightmare. The demon had to be in control of his body. That meant that this had to be the demon's mind, and Xander was trapped within it. He couldn't think of a better explanation than that.
He heard something shriek. It sounded like a hawk's call, and it was followed by more screams and what sounded like an explosion. Xander hurried off in that direction. He didn't know how he knew, but was pretty sure that if he got to those screaming people, he'd find a way to get out of there. He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was losing time the longer he stuck around in this dreamscape or memory or whatever that was.
He dodged around or through clumps of panicking people, and barely managed to duck a bucket of water as a villager raised it toward a burning house. Eventually, he reached the end of the street and raced around the curb.
The next street was empty. There were neither townspeople nor corpses on this new road. All the met his eyes were more burning buildings on either side. He heard more bird-like calls, prompting him to race down the street toward the sound and turn left down the next one. This one was empty as well, but when he heard the screams and bird call again, they sounded closer. Xander kept running, racing around more corners and more empty streets. Each time, the sounds got louder, but he still didn't approach his destination.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard Anya say, "Leave Xander's body and we'll let you go."
He paused and looked around wildly at the burning buildings, but he couldn't see her anywhere. "Anya? Anya!" he called. No one answered.
The town around him flickered to be replaced by a night sky. Xander felt like he was flying. He looked down to see familiar streets zoom by below him.
He blinked and the town zoomed back into focus. Did he see the real world right now? That had to mean he was getting closer to his ticket out of there.
More screams arose from further away. Xander ran toward the sound, hoping he'd get to the source soon. He needed to regain control of his body before someone got hurt.
*****
It felt good to be inside living flesh again. Rajhamon soared through the air and observed the town below. He could sense so many beings down below, but what called to him the most was Boca Del Inferno itself. The center of the Hellmouth's power directed him to a high school that's buildings were in the middle of revamping. Rajhamon circled over it a few times before he flew back toward the rest of the town. It had been so long since he had been able to use his powers; he wanted to practice with them before he reclaimed his throne in hell.
He could feel his stomach rumbling. He doubted his Host had ever felt anything like it before he became joined with Rajhamon. The demon smiled. He'd almost forgotten what hunger was like. It was time for the Roast.
Suddenly, his landscape changed, taking him deep into his memory of the last town he destroyed before his previous Host's body wasted away. When his perceptions returned to the sky above Sunnydale, he let out a cry of frustration. His fiery shadow echoed it with a bird-like grunt. His Host was trying to regain control. Rajhamon needed the Roast now. He needed the strength it would provide to withstand the other soul still possessing his new body. Then, when he'd successfully quieted Xander Harris' soul, he'd devour what was left of this town and move on to the rest of the New World. If he was still hungry, and he knew he would be, he'd then move on to Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some would try to stop him, he knew, but they would fail. He was invulnerable to all of their tricks and magicks.
He let out another screech as he descended toward the town. He finally had the townspeople's attention. A large group of them were gathered at someone's house for what appeared to be a party. Many of them screamed and ran when they saw him, but they wouldn't escape.
As he descended, his larger, fiery shadow of a bird brushed its tip against the side of the house. The wooden wall slowly went up in flames. Rajhamon watched, delighted, as the humans attempted to escape being burned alive while others tried to put out the fire before it spread.
Rajhamon dipped down toward the road and headed straight for one of the fleeing humans, a young male about the same age as his Host. Rajhamon could smell the boy's fear. It turned to terror and panic when Rajhamon used his new arms to wrap around the boy's body, holding him easily. Rajhamon's feet touched the ground, and his fiery shadow faded away. The boy screamed and tried to get away. The nails of Rajhamon's host grew into talons before Rajhamon scraped them across the boy's throat. He let go of the boy then, and the human dropped to the ground, hands to his throat as his lifeblood poured out of the wound.
The flames in Rajhamon's eyes danced higher as he looked down at his meal. His mouth opened to reveal two rows of razor-sharp teeth before the demon bent over his prey.
*****
Bump.
"Oops. I hope vengeance demons aren't cranky when they first wake up," Buffy said uneasily. She carefully moved Anya's an inch or so down the couch and away from the armrest. The Slayer had just moved Anya from the floor onto the couch, and she'd bumped the back of Anya's skull against the armrest.
She turned away from the unconscious demon and surveyed the room. Anya had taken a hit to the chest but her demonic healing powers would take care of that in no time, so Buffy wasn't too worried about her. Fortunately, no one else got hurt. Giles was sitting in the easy chair, looking frantically through a book. Buffy knew her Watcher had caught on to something at last and hoped that it would be something useful, like how to stop Rajhamon. Willow and Dawn sat at the table, watching the news for any reports of a giant bird-shaped figure of fire gliding through the sky.
Buffy walked over to the window. Sand, the remains of the windowpanes that had stood here only a few minutes previous, spilled over the windowsill. Buffy glanced outside but she could see no evidence of her friend's familiar form in the star-filled night sky.
He could be anywhere in town. He might not even be in Sunnydale anymore. Buffy knew that if they didn't find Rajhamon, people would die. That always happened when evil demons that were thousands of years old entered into the picture. Buffy wished Rajhamon had just stayed in the shadows, and that he hadn't taken over Xander's body. She'd already fought one of her best friends last spring. She didn't want to fight another one.
"He's on Ramirez Street," Dawn announced. "He's already caused quite a few fires and the firefighters have find some corpses that look like they were eaten." She made a face.
Buffy grabbed her Slayer supplies bag and draped it across her shoulder. "I'm there. I have to try to stop him from killing more people."
"Be careful. Don't hurt him!" Willow called after her as she walked out the door.
"I'll try. I don't like the idea of hurting him just as much as you do, Will, but if I can't stop him otherwise…" Buffy left it hanging. "I'll try not to hurt him too much, just enough to make Rajhamon leave Xander's body."
"I've got it!" Giles exclaimed. He looked around at the others, looking both relieved and excited.
to be continued
