True Balance is Nameless

A somewhat Philosophical sci-fi fiction, an attempt at having a main character, who though is described, remains relatively anonymous.

Walking among us he does not see good or evil, only the source. He is a moving mass of wind to the oblivious, and a specter to those who are not. He is a man but not by our definition. Not a creation of any God, without birthright, and not grown in the sense of ageing. He merely is, as an enigma, and the answer to the paradox of good and evil.

The swish of his presence, a blade only clearly visible during one frame of human visual recognition, hundredths of a second. This one saw it coming, clever. In the other dimension, the occupants aware of his unwelcome presence, more-so in the passage of the human concept of time. Most were lazy, they would adapt to the ways of those they attached themselves to. Lazy but mostly symbiotic, two sides with a subtle almost non-violent war in one dimension, and the unaware host in the other. The only presence felt between the dimensions aside from Gods themselves, but in the non-human dimension placed squarely between warring factions. His creation and existence are attributed purely to the eternal need for balance, which affirms the symbiosis. His targets are parasites, throwing the balance, Demons and Angels alike. His blade passed again, invisible to the human as he passes the dimensional divide. This time he hits his mark, a demon of jealousy is cut down, like a worm, half of it writhes in agony, only to be comforted by the white wispy presence of an angel of trust, as they join there is a sudden calm. Before it can escape he takes hold of the other half and inhales it, as if it were a harsh unfiltered cigarette. In the human realm he re-appears in the cover of shadows, the results of his work already apparent. His vision flickers as the wife apologizes profusely, the angel of forgiveness circling her husband only slightly out of balance for the moment. Knowing his presence, it returns to balance.

His work done he takes an oddly shaped pipe from the inside breast pocket of his mid coat, and packs it with a personal blend of aromatic tobacco. He puffs as he walks into the night aware he is being watched from the other dimension by members of both factions, not yet claiming a host. 

As mentioned earlier he is no creation of God, and therefore has no fore-knowledge of fate. In his work though sometimes his own fate (or lack there of) will cross paths with a human, who's time ends at the moment of his Strike. Born in this situation are Spirits of true balance, for the passing specter must be balanced before it leaves the realm of the living. The Angel or demon, cut is then forced to balance without the host, or be lost forever to the realm and unable to connect to a new host. So far only two instances of the host-less balance have occurred, in both cases the resulting Spirits began to trail him. Eventually he decided to name them, Yin & Yang. He mused speechlessly with them about what he would name any others if they happen to occur, but as it stands thus-far the two beings seem to have a knack for helping him to avoid the circumstance. Though he is technically not their host he feels their pull and understands their existence as they are is unnatural, but he is thankful, because his is as well, and otherwise he would have no friends in either dimension.

In the human world he is ageless in the literal sense, but his features are that of a fifty year old Tibetan Monk crossed with the stance and presence of a powerful Samurai. Though he is homeless there is no mistaking him for the pan-handling type prayed upon by demons of regret. He avoids human contact unless necessary, his only funds come from his brushes with demons of greed, at which time the balancing angel takes power before the battle handshake as he came to refer to it. He carries a 3 foot roll pack wrapped a foot wide weighing nearly one hundred pounds between itself and it's contents. Standing roughly 6 feet tall with 2 feet of long straight black hair, an angular mustache and goatee, plated Half calf steel toe and heel boots, black cargo pants, and one of many dress shirts he owns. A force to be reckoned with if he wasn't partially out of phase with human perception. Tonight he beds down under dryer vents of a 24 hours laundry service, thinking only that he will be dryer fresh all day tomorrow. As his eyes close Yin and Yang circle him in a protective ritual they've developed, shielding him from the view of the many Angels and Demons which are disconnected and floating among the streets searching for hosts.

We can only assume that some unknown force beyond the Gods saw the creation taking place and recognized the importance of balance. No other explanation could be made for the behavior of the invisibly warring factions. His knowledge is limited but expanding. He was however imparted with one clue to his existence, the power beyond the Gods is not a creator but for the purpose which he now exists, it copied the trick from them, and now he is (in all of human history), where before he was not.

In the dimension of spectators, wisps and the ever faithful Yin and Yang, his appearance is similar but influenced greatly by the state of his inner balance. In conflict depending on the faction with which he battles his visage will morph intensely until his force equals the opposite of the creatures. Only then when he releases that force, does the blade appear, his spirits blade, dark or light, to cut down the engorged enemies of balance. To ease the souls of the human race, who unwittingly were forced by childish creators to take part in a battle they can not even fight without insurmountable effort. With no consideration for the constant struggle for survival in their own dimension.

There are some battles though which he refuses to fight with the blade. For instance, as he awakes he realizes Yin and Yang no longer circle him, they are blocking the path of three Demons. Normally a child this age would be protected by it's own innocence, a clean soul until a proper age of experience. But the realities of the human dimension are such that despair, hunger, and envy are all too common place. Today his first battle is to be fought with bread and jams. The child who found him comfortably sleeping, was bundled under boxes and paper four feet away under another vent startled awake. He closed his eyes and found all three demons staring at him with all the intensity of the emotions that empowered them, he nodded to Yin and Yang, who circled the child in a fury. Confused and weakened the Demons settled. He approached with a small breakfast. “It's no bacon and eggs, but it will get you started for the day” Despair settled to Balance directly, and hunger in some time followed. Envy wavered but still eyed him feeling the closeness of his presence. The child still bundled in newsprint was gobbling up the food, but eyeing the roll-pack. He reached into a compartment near the one which carried his food, he seemingly created from thin air a miniature version of it. It was meant to be there and was actually a side pack and pillow for his much larger version, though rarely used so he decided this was a much better function for it. “I've been holding on to this, hoping to find someone worthy of the responsibility it entails.” He held it up as if it were holy to him. “I think I have found that someone, but first you must promise to protect it, and take good care with it. For then it will be sure you are worthy.” As he lowered it to the child (after stuffing it with a small amount of food and some smaller blankets) the tearfully happy child nearly sprung two feet in the air nodding and awkwardly hopping. Envy took one last look at Yin and Yang and now settled into an idle pattern of circles, and returned to balance around the child. The Demons and Angels circling the child became more distant in their relative orbit of the child, as apparently the aura of his innocence was glowing now, whereas it had been almost invisible before. The child smiled, and hobbled away on one leg and a crutch almost skipping. Yin and Yang noticed another smile, it was with joy that he avoided emotionally painful battles, cutting down the three demons may have been more than a child like that could handle, even if the people of this world didn't know it, the effect it has on them physically can be profound.

Human emotions, they are deeply effected when the blade hit's it's mark. Strong spirits working together can cause imbalance to the point that the host becomes visibly disheartened. Then, Medicated to the point of a waking coma, they live with the ongoing battle in their minds. It is at this point that Yin and Yang begin to have a clear purpose.

He is drawn to imbalance, mostly those close by, unless a stronger source exists in the near distance. He wastes little time with lesser problems, swinging, slicing, disappearing from one realm to the other, back and forth. The whole time Imbibing the essence of the remaining Demons and Angel halves. Today the draw is from a far distance. As they approach Yin and Yang whip into a blur, orbiting him as if they Themselves were part of a symbiosis. They had attempted this when they first combined and he strictly forbade it, they saw his blade and recoiled the first time. This time it was different, Looking through the haze that was the protection of Yin and Yang, he spotted the source. A fatted cow of a man, with two young attractive women. The man has two strong control demons Greed and Sloth, one woman has Greed and Jealousy, and the other Greed and an Angel of health. The women will return to balance, possibly with some inner shame, but some humans could use a little of what they call “humble pie.” The man however, will be an issue. The last time he dealt with control Demons, the woman they held wound up in a psychiatric hospital for 6 months after an emotional breakdown. It is balance, but it is definitely not Ideal. But at the time, and for many centuries, he did not have Yin and Yang.

So it is though, A decision to be made, he strikes jealousy, and the Angel of health, the women slow, and appear to look at each other dazed, the man walks ahead unaware. Another swing, actually three. First, the lesser greed demons, the women, turn their eyes to the man and appear visibly disgusted, then ashamed, and again look back to each other, and hurry away. Nearly the moment the women take their first step, the Greed control Demon begins to arch out to them, and this is when the third strike takes place, the halved Demon flails wildly, both appear to cling to the man as he stops in his tracks. Yin and Yang flurry away from the body of their master host to one half and appear to absorb it, as well as the other halved Spirits laying on the ground. Yin and Yang turn dark and charge back, a hand raised involuntarily and a ball of visible light forms in it's palm. The man looks, and so does Sloth, The darkness in Yin and Yang is absorbed into the ball, and as it fades to grey Sloth springs forth, and for the first time in thousands of years, the Blade is used in defense. The teeth of the demon shatter, and it's fat body ripples in pain, but he still has to make his strike, as he readies himself, the body of sloth flails at him again, this time Yin and Yang have regained control of themselves and strike, as they make contact, there is a flash, the man trips and falls on his face, and blood sprays from between his face and the ground, he is screaming but is obviously still very much alive. Yin and Yang fall to the ground as well, but Sloth is stunned, and the blade hits it's mark. He imbibes the fatted half of sloth, and begins to stagger, then falls to the ground. Then for the first time takes hold of the Hybrid spirits Yin and Yang, a thing he has always felt he should not do, and then exhales vaporous spirits from his mouth, which enter their bodies. Yin and Yang appear to struggle free and in symbiotic fashion orbit him, seeming to lift him in the air and in the blink of an eye, the three Vanish.