Zach knocked on the door again, harder. "Damon! You asleep or something?"
"I am awake," said a voice from the other side. "Please wait there."
Zach took a step back at that. The voice was Damon's, but not quite - it was too deep, almost rumbling, and that stick-up-the-butt way of talking wasn't like him at all. He heard footsteps crossing the carpet, and then the knob turned and the door swung open.
The teenager gaped. Standing in the doorway was a six-foot anthropomorphic jackal, its fur so black it was almost blue, its pointed ears nearly touching the top of the doorframe. It was dressed in ancient Egyptian garb: white linen headdress and skirt with elaborate gold fringe, with thick gold-and-lapis bracelets and anklets that gleamed like liquid in the hallway's electric lighting. The clothes showed off its amply muscled chest and arms, and the headdress framed its stern and pointed face - especially the eyes, with black sclera and irises that were as golden as its jewelry. As it looked down at Zach, he felt like that black-and-gold gaze was sucking him in.
"Damon?" he managed to say. "Is that you?"
"I am a servant of Anubis now," said Damon, in that new and throaty voice. "Share this glory with me, little brother."
Before Zach could react, the jackal reached out and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him into the bedroom.
"Wait, stop! Mom! Help, Damon is-" But Damon's other hand covered his mouth as he shut the door. He dragged Zach to the middle of the room and waited patiently. Zach kicked and fought, but struggling against the jackal was like trying to push over a tree with his bare hands. It wasn't long before he tired himself out, and then Damon took the hand away from his mouth and turned him around gently. The boy was red-faced and panting, his frightened eyes wide.
"Damon, listen," he said. "I don't know what the hell's going on here, but I won't tell anyone. Please don't hurt me."
"I would never hurt you, brother." Damon knelt in front of him, so that his gold eyes were level with Zach's own. "I wish only to spread the will of Anubis. Can you not feel it?"
Zach didn't know how much of his older brother was left inside this crazy jackal-man, but he was ready to tell it whatever it wanted to hear, as long as it'd let him go. He opened his mouth...and stayed that way, standing there mutely, staring unblinking into Damon's eyes. Those gold circles were so beautiful amidst all that blackness. They seemed to grow bigger until they filled the whole world, and in the center of them, he could feel the presence of Anubis.
The name of Anubis loomed larger in Zach's mind until it eclipsed everything else, even his own name. Memories of his schoolwork and video games drained away, replaced with the daily rituals and prayers to the god of the dead. The life he'd lived just minutes ago now felt so pointless and disorderly. All he had to do was love Anubis, and Anubis would love him in return.
Damon, meanwhile, had realized what to do the moment Zach had come to his door. The glory of Anubis that filled his new body now felt like it was spilling from himself to this new follower, and it filled him with ecstasy. He couldn't believe he had ever hesitated. There was no action, no purpose greater than spreading his god's word.
Zack's open mouth slowly curved upwards into a smile, and a thin rivulet of drool ran down his chin. Damon carefully wiped it away and cradled the side of his brother's head. The boy's pale skin darkened and tanned, and his fair, unkempt hair became black and straight, falling around his neck. His hoodie and jeans shimmered and faded, and his thin body was clad in a plain and unadorned skirt and sandals. Finally he closed his eyes, and when his lids opened again, the irises had turned a brilliant gold.
Around them, the messy bedroom also wavered like a mirage, briefly turning into a far more humble and spartan room of fired mud. But Damon paid it no mind. He raised his other hand and drew his brother closer.
"Hail Anubis," said Damon solemnly.
"Thank you, brother," Zach replied. "Hail Anubis."