Of Sex and Souls: Noir Nights

Of Sex and Souls: Noir Nights (OSAS) is an interactive novel to be written by American author, Brandon Somerville. In the first series of fourteen novels, OSAS is the fifth novel of the timeline. It takes place, as all the novels do, in the fictional universe known as the Anaxverse. It has yet to be published, but an example of the text that proceeds through the first chapter can be found.

Title and Publication

Mr. Somerville originally published OSAS as a visual novel with adult elements. In the future, he will be writing all the novels as ebooks. In the original versions, they are written in a second-person perspective as the author felt it worked best in a "choose your own adventure" setting. However, in the ebook form, the novels will be written in the third person allowing for far more insight and exposition.

Plot

The Anaxverse series of novels can be read in any order, even though they follow a certain chronology. But, because the novels overlap and the stories are all interconnected in meaningful ways, it does not matter the order they are read. This page will discuss the novel teaser, until the full novel has been published. The novel is read from two perspectives: the detective Walter Riley and the succubus Dionyza.

Walter's Perspective

Walter’s story begins as a flashback where he is besides his wife, Clover Riley. We discover that Walter has been distracted by disappearances, which he believes to be supernatural caused. This has led to distance between him and his family, as he works on getting everything figured out. His colleagues agree to look for missing woman, but downplay his talk of supernatural forces. This is illustrated by a police assault on a warehouse, where Walter had thought vampires were nesting. Instead, the warehouse was empty, and he was taunted by the other officers. This leads to the loss of Walter’s job. As he ventures home, he meets the nosferatu Brone Lorcan. Brone states he is following the wish of Lord Ivor to kill Walter, his daughter Rose Riley, and take Clover to Ivor; in part due to Walter’s discovery of their warehouse nest. However, Brone recalls somebody from his living life who seems like Walter and Clover. He sets up an agreement to spare Walter and Rose; he also further states his will to keep Clover safe under Ivor’s dominating position.

Back in the present moment, we find that Walter has become an alcoholic. Walking out of the bar, he is able to briefly meet with Clover and Brone, seeing that she is still alive. Clover gives him words of encouragement, and he parts. Making his way to her favorite nightclub, Walter witnesses the singing of Emily Harbrook. However, her singing turns erotic, and Walt takes note of a beautiful woman in the back that is mimicking Emily’s movements. Suddenly, agents attack at the scene. Walt springs into action, his pistol ready and he confronts the woman in the back. She casts some sort of spell on him, demanding him to kill the agents. He disobeys, instead ordering them to put down their weapons. The BDA agents state they were hunting a succubus, whom escaped in the confusion. Walt makes his way back to his broken down apartment, and thinks back on telling his daughter that his wife would not be coming back. He steels his resolve to visit her, something he has done sparingly since she moved out.

Rose is now a botanist, who is studying mixing flora and fauna DNA. Walt feels that corrupting influence again, as he starts to visualize his daughter undressing and trying to seduce him. Realizing something is wrong, he snaps back to reality. He is slapped, discovering he was rubbing himself during the daydream. His daughter attributes it to his alcoholism, and asks him to leave. On the way out, he meets the woman from the club again. The woman tries to seduce him, but his resolve to stay with Clover perseveres. She seems to be able to read his thoughts, and pushes further. Walt runs from her. He looks back, realizing she was likely the source of his thoughts of his daughter. The woman reveals her true form as a succubus. As she starts to seduce him again, more powerfully, she is shot at by the agents from the previous night. Walter speaks with the agents, discover they were using him as bait, and refuses to leave with them. On his way out, he discovers a gas station receipt in the car the succubus was standing beside. He grabs it, contemplating his next move.

Dionyza's Perspective

Dionyza’s story begins with her coupling with one of her victims. She explains to him her prowess in sexuality, being a creature of sex. She speaks about multiple dimensions, where powerful deities stem from, all ranging on various frequencies of an elongated electromagnetic spectrum. Many of these dimensions were created by the thoughts of humans. She found that these thoughts and feelings were amplified in the Physical World, so she manifested herself there. She was summoned in ancient Greece, at a summoning site that once was established for the Snake God, Ophion. Dionyza’s summoner bound her within a summoning circle, and left a rune upon her flesh to bind her to him. When the man eventually perished, Dionyza was free from his binding. She lived in relative quietness, avoiding drawing attention of would be demon hunters. At one point in her history, she untombs an Egyptian pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut. Dionyza expresses her will to follow the queen, empowering women above men. Hatshepsut does not believe her, instead believing a demoness would quickly try to usurp her. Hatshepsut harnessed the power from a gem in her headdress, which channeled Ra’s power to burn away at Dionyza. Dionyza manages to remove the headdress, and the queen decomposes into a corpse nearly instantly.

Dionyza now had the goal to corrupt the Sunstone. In her journey to do so, she stumbles upon the Dimension of Knowledge, where she meets The Librarian. The Librarian states she will not help a demoness garner power. On Dion’s way out though, she meets the witch Eleanora Blackwood. The two agree to a pact, where Dionyza will make a love potion for Eleanora, and Eleanora will corrupt the Sunstone. The two make their way to Eleanora’s home, where they meet Anaximanes Ravenhurst. Clearly the intended target for the love potion, Dionyza continues following Eleanora to her home. The two perform the actions of their pact, and now much more powerful, Dionyza flashes back from her discussions of her past. The man she was coupling with had become an empty corpse. She leaves for her next target, Emily Harbrook. At the nightclub, she starts to bring Emily under her sway, partially corrupting her soul until the BDA attacks. Dionyza casts a spell on a man who came to protect her and Emily, discovered to be Walter Riley. She has him turn on the other agents (though he does so with restraint), as she escapes the club.

Dionyza stalks Walter, curious of his power to withhold her will. She finds where he sleeps, and waits until the next morning. She stops for a gas station, where she couples with an attendant. Though her intention was to consume his soul, it is cut short as she discovers the BDA are still on her tail. She continues with her original task, stalking Walter Riley. She follows him to a new house, and finds him speaking with his daughter Rose. She starts using her magic to corrupt his image of his own daughter, but again she is met with resistance when she starts requesting him to step up his advances. Dionyza is impressed by the woman after she slaps Walter, and ponders about corrupting the daughter as well. She presents herself to Walter as he leaves, trying once more to corrupt him. She discovers his love of his wife, and goes to use her full power on the man. She is then shot by two magically infused bullets, only able to live due to the power of the Sunstone. She retreats, eager to discover how to corrupt Walter.