The streets of New York were eerily quiet, especially this early in the morning. Nobody wanted to leave their homes during the Witching Hour. Not unless they were desperate. There was no shortage of desperation in America. Entire cities had been leveled by Malice.
The curious thing was that Malice seemed to be a phenomenon born of stress. Debt piled up; disease took those you loved. Malice has shaped society in different ways, none quite perfect for those living here. There used to be much more unhoused on the streets, visible even at this time of night. Malice had changed all that. The unhoused population was most vulnerable to the seductive charms of witches.
They would sell them a future they could only dream of. A witch would be able to prowl the streets and find no shortage of targets to turn. Victims who were barely stable were pushed over the edge with a few well-placed words. A vision of a different future, where they didn't have to live like a criminal. Who could turn that vision down, as low as they were?
Very few could see that they were digging their hole deeper. Fewer could know that they had no other choice. There was Calico's way or another night sleeping under the highway. So they took the deal and were tempted to the path of darkness. None returned from that path. All of these victims were summarily slaughtered by magical warriors like myself.
"Jeeze, Maddie. Your Malice is very opinionated," Betty Malone commented as she walked alongside Madeline Crisp. "I wonder if my Malice is just as whimsical? Not that I'll ever get to see it, being dead and all."
Our hands swayed, and-- (Not our. Madeline Crisp's hand swung, interlocked with Betty's fingers.) Madeline corrected the voice in her head.
"Oh, lay it off, you two." Betty Malone laughed good-naturedly. "There's going to be an adjusting period as the two of you get used to each other. She won't even come out unless you're being Tempered."
Betty Malone makes a strong point, but the Malice within Madeline couldn't help but wonder if their arrangement could be made more... permanent. Madeline and Betty seemed to stiffen up when her Malice brought up the opportunity, but she would have liked to have been heard before judgment was cast upon her.
The current state of affairs cannot stand. Even if we don't go around causing crime, what is a crime? Look at what they have done to the unhoused population. The streets are empty, but at what cost to human life?
Those who once roamed this street are now locked up. It is known that being unhoused is a crime. Those who were unhoused were the ones causing problems back then. So the government and the police took steps. They gripped each desperate person by the throat and dragged them off to white and padded cells.
The authorities ignored their pleas for help. What did the people of this nation say? That it was their fault for being in a stressful situation. They should have had a job if they didn't want to be locked away and shown to a room. They should have worked two jobs just to make ends meet. To fight against the rising cost of living, they should just work harder.
How is any of this just? The side of Humanity is not one of Justice. It is one of filth and greed and cruelty.
"I get your point." Smoke escaped from Madeline Crisp's lungs, and she winced in pain. "That's my point. It has always been my point. I understand this is because we're one and the same, but don't get it tangled." Madeline stopped mid-sentence. "Did you just use me to advertise a book?"
Don't Get It Tangled, yes. It's a story from the perspective of a Malice-speckled egg. You would do well to read; it could change your mind about our arrangement. Becoming Malice is not so terrible.
"Please don't do that. I already have to perform product placement at work. I'm less than enthused about reading the biography of a Tyrant. I'm just tired." Madeline Crisp turned her head. "I can change the world without falling into temptation."
Can you? We have only seen you change the world for the worse in all your twenty-two years. We have never seen society collapse so quickly because of one teen's reckless actions.
"I'm not responsible for the actions others take," Madeline scowled and barked back. "If I'd have known how quickly society would move..."
Society only seems to move with any sort of enthusiasm when there are minorities to be punished. When there are unhoused to be shuffled off into death camps, beaten, and all of humanity's crimes pinned on their shoulders. It is no wonder Malice defend the weak from the strong.
"Malice butcher the weak and fear the strong." Madeline Crisp disagreed with the assessment of her Malice, but what she spoke was true. In a way, Malice caused more harm than good. But that was not a reflection of the role of Malice.
"What might that role be?" Madeline Crisp wheezed. She was tired of these games. We both knew that Maddy could only maintain this life for so much longer before she finally broke. I wanted to save her from that ending, but she would refuse to listen if I did not break her defenses.
Malice flourish where corruption is most intense. That is not a coincidence, Madeline. Malice form as a self-defense mechanism against threats towards Humanity. That's what Calico told us.
"And we know we can trust Calico. She hasn't tried to kill us at every turn. Succeeded in doing so, even!" Betty Malone chimed in, dissatisfied with my explanation. "You might be my girlfriend's Malice, but I'm not about to let you repeat that witch's propaganda uncritically."
Calico's assertion wasn't propaganda. We are an immune system response. You are the force fighting off the invaders, growing more robust against future threats yet to come. I understand your frustration, but the least you could do is ask the System if Calico was right.
We will meet her in person shortly, whether you like it or not. You won't even have to go out of your way.
