It was very sudden, but a suit of armor about 6'2 in height materialized in the castle keep in a sudden flash of light. One would think this was a fairly usual knight, but if one looked carefully through the small opening in the helmet that would usually show the eyes of the person wearing it, instead they would see nothing but a faint golden light coming out of it. The armor itself was mostly pitch black, but with some areas colored in a golden color, such as the borders of his gauntlets and pauldrons. Tied to it was a cape that seemed quite worn and was also torn at the edges, it's red coloration seemed like it was once vibrant, but was now mostly faded.

The armor looked around, unfamiliar with the area he found himself in. He had never visited many castles in his wanderings, but just the overall decoration seemed a bit different from the aesthestics he were familiar with from any of the royals he knew of. It seemed empty too, abandoned even, making him further question where exactly he was and how he had even gotten there with no memory of ever entering a place like it.

Moving his left hand towards the handle of his sheathed sword on his hip, just in case it turned out that this castle wasn't as abandoned as he had thought, he left the main keep in order to explore this new territory. Of course, as fate would have it, on his way out he began hearing the sound of someone's footsteps getting closer, leading to him coming face to face with a young man who looked rather plain, the most striking feature being his long red hair.

"Ah, are you one of the people who live in this castle?" He calmly asked so as to not startle the youth, his voice being clearly masculine and also having a small echo effect.

[Ritter Clinic (parlor)]

We were on the tail end of '63," Heinrich said somberly. "Friedrich said my apparent death happened seventeen years ago... God, that's ages. All of my children are grown by now. I'll hound him for all the details when he gets back. So, your wife's grandfather...?"

"Thank you... sir, I—"

Josef turned to the scene behind him. That strange creature, whatever it was, was clearly injured. "I could... help? Maybe? I'm not really a medic, but if you think of anything..." His voice trailed off. Everything looked like it was under control already. He suppressed a sigh, giving the fluffy white dog a few obligatory, half-hearted pats on the head just so his hands had something to do. In truth, he wasn't sure if he wanted to go near it? Her? Whatever. It was just a little too much on the humanoid side, which unnerved him in a way he wasn't sure he could articulate. The electricity arcing from its fur didn't make a compelling case for approaching it, either. Josef stiffened when it approached him, then relaxed when it went back under the cloak.

Will finish working on the rest tomorrow.

[Snow Castle (1st Floor)]

Marie twisted her lip.

"Nick, Jackson, how rude of you to treat a lady like that!" she said, before turning to Glioslem, "Don't worry, honey; I got you."

Very, very gently, she lifted her in her arms, making sure she didn't further hurt her or her wings. She was briefly surprise that she even managed to do this—she never carried anyone with wings before. Guess she was stronger than she thought.

"You're actually super adorable!" she said, "But I'll gush about you later. You ok with being carried for the time being?"

[Snow Castle (Parlor)]

Seeing a new person inside the parlor startled Adam. But once his heart settled down, he gave the armor what he hoped was a friendly smile.

"Um, s-sorry." he said, "I don't...actually live here. The owner is kind of...not in good condition, so I was just getting the room ready so she could lay down."

He looked around briefly.

"Um, h-how did you get in here, if you don't mind me asking?" He quirked an eyebrow, "I don't think I've seen anyone come in."

That young man not being one of the residents of the castle didn't surprise him much considering how plain he was dressed, he truly seemed to be a mere civilian instead of someone of royal blood. He did seem to be familiar with the owner of the castle though, who was apparently not feeling well.

"Is she wounded? I know some healing magic, so I could be of assistance," He offered, his tone remaining calm and neutral as he removed his hand from the handle of his sword, now that it seemed there was no threat of being attacked in that place.

Once he was asked about how he had gotten in that castle though, he took a brief look around similar to how the youth had done himself just before asking the question.

"As for myself... I simply found myself in here. I have no memory of seeing this place before, nor heard of it." He then fixed his gaze on the youth once more. "My apologies if I'm intruding," he added, sounding genuinely apologetic.

[Yukijou-minato ~ Snow Castle (Main Keep 1st Floor ~ Hallway —> Parlor)] (Megumi, Rin, Gwenafer, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick, Gliosem, ???)

With introductions out of the way, Megumi and Gwenafer worked on getting the incapacitated Admiral into the parlor, with some unexpected help from Nick and Jackson. The maid resisted the urge to cuff the boys in the back of their heads for how rude they were being, she had instructed them help out the injured Gliosem, who was currently slowly crawling after them.

She noticed that the other boys had sent Adam to go ahead and prep the room for Rin. Megumi nodded slightly, at least they weren't completely oblivious to all that was going on. Looking back, she noticed that Marie had stopped to help Gliosem to the room. That was one less thing she'd have to worry about...

Fortunately, Rin hadn't gone far from the room when she had collapsed, so it didn't take them long to carry the paralyzed Admiral back to the parlor. Upon entering the room, Megumi immediately noticed the newest unexpected guest. The maid narrowed her eyes at the black knight, though she didn't attempt any actions while she still carried her master. It seemed that another round of introductions would be necessary, "Oh, hello and welcome, sir. I am Megumi, head maid here. And you are...?"

[Clinic-Parlor/Henry]

"Yeah it'd probably be best to wait for them to get back." Henry said taking a hit from his cigarette. "Oh you want to hear about her grandfather?" He started laughing. "It's probably a good thing we've never met. He died in '75 and I was a state over in Oregon then. He had an undying love for the United States and never questioned anything we did. Lauren looked up to him while growing up and he filled her head with all the usual patriotic junk one would." He laughed a bit more. "Hell he'd take her to the hippie protests to watch the cops beat the shit out of them."

[San Francisco-Safon Warehouse~1989/Lauren]

Lauren put her cigarette in a nearby ashtray and rubbed her temples at Amiluet's complaints. "Listen." She started firmly. "We were attacked unprovoked and must strike back to teach a lesson or otherwise they do it again. As for the weapons it'd be foolish to rely solely on one form of attack and thus must out think our enemy."

When she was done she went back to the dresser and dug out some 1980s military fatigues. "I'm going to go change first then I'll unlock the room." She then headed to the Volkswagon for privacy as she changed.

Snow Castle - Parlor (Gwenafer, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick, Gliosem, ???, Megumi, Rin)

"You got the pillows ready?" Gwenafer shouted into the room as she and Megumi entered the tea parlor, hauling the unconscious admiral along. Once inside, it didn't take long before she noticed the new person - dressed in some kind of old-fashioned armor - and her eyes widened with surprise. Well, one of them did anyway, while the other quickly adjusted it's lens a few times, emitting various mechanical noises.

"Uh... hello," she said, nodding towards the knight.

Graveyard:

"The girl... what happened to her? Her help would... no, no matter, I have faced worse." Had she? Sentinel knew little of "Gifts", of Armory Knight, or of the strange and unheard of powers around her. She was working to save a creature tried to destroy her, all for what? Some vague words from a confused artificial girl that didn't even know her own name? It was her right, her duty as a ruler to leave them to suffer the consequences of crossing her. It was her choice, a life in her hands like so many times before, yet this time it was different. It wasn't about who she would save or not, but who she wanted to be: a savior or an executioner. "May this miracle be allowed to happen.", she whispered, "For it will be a grand one indeed."

"Surrender to my touch, to the tide of life.", she said sinking her hands into Armory Knight, passing through skin and melding into the flesh below, if terms such as "skin" and "flesh" made any sense, not needing to cut and tear to stretch towards his depths, maybe thanks to his naturally metamorphous nature. "Blood must rush and lungs must fill before we make mind from shadow and spirit from dust.", and with her words she marked arteries and veins, trachea and lungs, muscle and bone, sinew and nerves, slowly pulling Armory Knight to a more suitable form piece by piece, without knowing how much was due to his Gift and how much due to her. She did not breath, she did not blink, she only felt, not only with her senses but with Armory Knight's senses, conscious thought pushed to the background as her mind coped with the conflicting sensations and numb, painless pain that only years later she would learn to properly describe.

But said solemn contact wasn't enough, as her blessing was like water and without a proper vessel would flow away, eroding and carrying fragile pieces of being in its way, as she knew well from before she learned to control it, and had to pay the blood price. Closing her eyes she split her mind and reached further, not into Armory Knight's body, but through another dimension beyond those of space, much like the force of a wave not only moved forward, but up and down, distorting the very surface it moved on. And from that position she left behind all but her current purpose crossed the doors of her mind.

Mental Ocean:

Stormclouds and starlight, sand and brine and tumultuous thoughts in a barren mind. Thunder roared beneath the surface while layers of water fell into layers of sky in a maelstrom that failed to represent the ailments of a splintered mind. In the eye of the storm like a star in the void a round plaza of stone bisected the layers of ocean-sky, and in the center stood the feverish dreamer, the past and future form of the fallen knight. On each side a watcher, one of towering golden light and one of mist and shadow guarded by a crown of seven stars.

This is the intersection of three minds, here your work starts. Draw with your thoughts and words an map of what your knight is, can be and was, and hold it forever in your mind. The waters will bury his curse and restore his mind if given the right path, but this respite is no cure and if you break the binding two curses may devour him alive: the one of your power and the one of mine.

Be careful. Sustaining this representation is harder than it looks, and I fear that for each time we fail it will only be worse. Thankfully time is unlikely to betray us in this place and the pale sorceress' spell may make his mind less likely to break again after we are done, Sentinel said, no, thought to the Exalted Gift, with no hint of her former hesitation or of how close she came to abandoning them to suffer their fate. Those things were left behind the door, for now what she thought about Armory Knight and his Gift would only interfere in that process, this chance to see evidences that her choice was the right one in the end.

Field of Souls

"You are anchoring yourself between two crystals?", Tagui asked with some awe as he picked up his shield-coins as fast as he could... which wasn't very fast, as while his wooden leg was surprisingly firm, it wasn't light. "That is smart, but it probably won't stay stable as we move. I am not fully prepared for capturing souls, but I could try to cause interference on the latria's pull so you can stay just outside of it as we move."

Having collected all the coins, he turned to again to Ferisen and Feri-Ruka, still not fully trusting, but figuring that there wasn't much he could do there and then. "That building... I believe it may be the Eight Wings Library. The First Judge herself, who is both awake and dreaming, sometimes visits it, as do the few Oracles from the east and many healers from all over the Empire. If it isn't desert in this realm, we may find help for both of you.", he said, trying to gather as much details from it as possible. The curved ceiling, the curved walls from its visible halls, the tall and thin coloured glass windows... he couldn't quite see them all, as even with his spectacles his vision was imperfect, and his power made his senses weary, but the shape in the distance was certainly familiar. It was hard to abandon said vision and the memories it represented, almost unthinkable were not for the cold currents remembering him that his soul was on the line.

"Focus on your senses, try to keep your thoughtlines short and close to reality. The lure of fantasy is the traitorous siren's song, trying to escape from this madness with your imagination will only make you lose your grip on reality faster and faster.", he said without thinking, mixing and matching sermons of his teachers against idle daydreaming to fit a far more deadly context. Then, after convincing himself of his own point he looked towards the latria and enforced his power on it, making it screech with an off-tone song of dissonances that greatly hampered its ability to hold any other sort of influence, power or being, at the cost of further impairing Tagui's senses to the point of verging on blindness. At least he knew the path as well as his own name.

[farm- Tsadro, Vince, Fuwa, Josef, Lise]

Electricity arced through the being's fur, and he stepped back in surprise. She relented eventually, and let him help her up to Acquati. Soon thereafter, it dawned on him that she was a cat.

Well... it was a good thing he knew how to do field dressings.

Tsadro motioned for her to sit under the tree where Acquati found the medical kit, on the side opposite the animal pens. He motioned for Acquati to open the kit and set it down.

As Vince did so, he got a better look at their visitor's face, who had burrowed themself into his cloak. They were... definitely a cat. A weird cat, but a cat. "...Oh." He put a lilt in his voice, seeing how the last thing they needed was to feel unwelcome in their time of need.

"Which is why I'm handling it." Tsadro put on sterile gloves and set about examining the wound. "Can you hear me?" he asked his patient as he grabbed the appropriate tool, voice low.

Vince settled on another side of the tree, watching him work. "Still, I'm here if you need me. Anyway... Vinicio Acquati," he laid his hand on his chest, "Tsadro Oriyand," he motioned down with his whole hand, "and Lise." He motioned to his dog, who was still smiling as always. "You were saying?" He glanced in Josef's direction.

edited 22nd Apr '17 6:15:00 AM by CrystalGlacia

[Farm] (Fuwa, Josef, Lise, Tsadro, Vince)

Following the man's instructions, Fuwa headed under the tree and carefully crouched down on her heels, mimicking Lise's sitting posture, tail laying flat on the ground, the tip twitching occasionally. She then gingerly laid her arms on top of her knees to relieve the pain in her shoulder a little, before starting to lick her wound.

She the man carrying the container of strange things a look of curiosity, before transitioning into a low growl as the long haired man put on a pair of gloves. Those gloves meant one thing: needles. Caretaker disliked needles, and as such, Fuwa also despised them.

Fuwa resisted the urge to bat her hand at the man as he approached her. Nodding in response to his question, she shrugged off the cloak and quieted down as the man set about poking at her injury. Taking a moment to scratch her chest, she glanced over at the tall, dark man as he gave introductions.

"Mer~" chirped Fuwa, patting her belly with her available hand. She paused for a moment. She didn't exactly have the hang of speaking yet, Caretaker had been trying to teach her, but she could give them her name. "Fuwa," she finally said.

Snow Castle - Hallway (Rin, Megumi, Nick, Jackson, Marie, Gliosem, Armor)^note also Adam and Gwenafer if they're within earshot

Gliosem was getting tired of crawling, and was thus grateful that Marie offered to carry her. She even tried to help her out by using her small-scale psychokinesis so that her arms wouldn't have to do all the work. She did have to utter a small laugh when Marie called her "honey". "I have never had anybody call me that before. Thank you by the way."

She was about to say more, but noticed a new aural disturbance. A suit of black armor had materialized in the hallway. At first she was inclined to believe it was decoration, but then it moved. And talked. As Gliosem looked, it even appeared to have an aura^note not completely sure of this - but the knight appears to not be an automaton and thus should have a soul, and thus should have an aura, plus some strange glowing light in its helmet. And her head perked up upon his mention of healing magic.

"Oh, greetings... I am Gliosem Baoshra, lead singer of the Four Bardic Sisters of Orenya." She had just said almost that exact line to Marie, but didn't really mind, as she was rather proud of her position. "And this is Nick, Jackson, Marie, Ad..." She couldn't see Adam; apparently he had already gone looking for pillows, and with Gwenafer apparently. "Forgive the current state of things - we just finished a violent struggle with an absurdly powerful child who was throwing a tantrum. Unfortunately, she's not here anymore. But did you say you are a healer? Finally... Rin seems to be merely experiencing sleep paralysis and I have a remedy for that... but if you are able and if it isn't too much to ask, perhaps you can help with my wounds as well? ...I do not have a remedy for that, and my healing is very limited."

Others began arriving, carrying a person who, judging from what he was told, must have been the owner of the castle. One of those people was the head maid who promptly introduced herself and asked for his name. Another lady, who seemed to have a mechanical eye of sorts, something he had never quite seen before, also greeted him, although she didn't give him her name.

"Greetings, all of you," he greeted her, slightly bowing towards them, "I lack a name of my own, but among the populace I am known as 'The Phantom Light', so if you wish you may call me 'Phantom'."

One of those people, who looked like a Fae, although of a strange type he had never seen or heard of before and also from a land he had never heard of before. Although it wasn't all that out of the realm of possibility he didn't know of it's existance, after all, he wasn't allowed to enter the land of Fae. The fact this one was also treating him so politely was also rather unusual, but he didn't think much of it.

She explained that the owner was apparently suffering "sleep paralysis", which seemed to be more like an illness, so there wasn't much he could be about it, but the Fae, who called herself Gliosem, had wounds that perhaps he could heal. She mentioned the source of those wounds was a very powerful child who wasn't in that castle anymore. Certainly sounded like a problem that should be dealt with, but now was no time to be questioning them about that situation.

"My healing technique is very basic, but I can make an attempt," he said as he began approaching Gliosem and the lady who was carrying her, "Where have you been wounded?"

[Snow Castle (Parlor)]

"Oh!" Adam said, "I-I'm not upset! I was just-"

To his surprise, everyone had already arrived. Gwen was kind enough to introduce everyone to the armor—including him. He gave a polite bow.

"I'm Adam Maroon. Nice to meet you, sir." he said, getting the pillows in order, "Marie, can you help put Ms. Glioslem over here?"

"Sure thing." Marie said, looking at Gliosem, "I'll try to be very careful."

Once she was by the pillows, she slowly set the injured girl on the pillow, making sure she didn't further hurt her wings.

"Another newcomer." Nick said, "I'm guessing this is gonna be a new hotspot or somethin'; let's hope it doesn't get too crazy again."

"Yeah, you still need to explain that to me." Marie said, quirking an eyebrow, "You fought a child?"

"A magical one." Jackson said, "Technically, she took our gems and then Nick called her a monster-"

Nick glared at Jackson. "She jammed you in the face with a specter."

"Yes, and I would've taken care of that if you didn't call her a monster!"

"It was the heat of the moment! Besides, how was I suppose to know getting mad at her was gonna cause-"

"GUYS!" Adam interrupted, pointing at the unused pillows on the ground, "Priorities?"

Marie sighed and rubbed her forehead. God damn it; I can't spend five seconds away from these guys without something happening...

edited 22nd Apr '17 11:45:41 PM by Masterofchaos

Field of Souls (Ferisen, Tagui, Ruka)

To Ruka's question about whether her latria could draw in her soul outside of the Field of Souls, Ferisen shook her spectral head. "Normally, a crystal does not trap souls on its own, though I have heard of a sorcerer who placed a curse on a crystal so that it could do that anywhere. The crystals from the Field of Souls do bond more easily with souls than those from other sources, though, which is why latrias and charms on staffs are preferably made out of them. But in that case the soul remains in the body."

Speaking of the body, Ferisen found it a bit unsettling how Ruka moved and spoke through her own body, but her mind was too focused on the status of her soul to think much of it. At least now she was at a stable point where she was suspended between her latria and another crystal. Tagui seemed rather impressed that she was able to do that, though Ferisen had to admit he had a point about it not being stable for long... but it wasn't too much of an issue. Then he mentioned the Eight Wings Library.

"That library sounds promising. If you can interfere with my latria's influence that would help, though I believe I can manage it on my own if I focus. It may help distract me from this siren song that you mentioned as well. Ruka, perhaps you could push the cart with my latria on it as we walk... just be careful that you do not let go of my body in the process. If you need to you should be able to psychokinetically push the cart along, given how you have access to my third eye."^note This third eye is a physical organ that allows for easier manipulation and perception of the aura, therefore allowing the use of psychic abilities. Though if Ruka is not used to the focus required to use it, she might have a hard time with it.

She re-focused on the crystal and her latria, paying more attention to the relative position of the two. By now she seemed a bit calmer than she did before... by necessity, as she knew that panic tended to make an already detached soul even more wild.

SF Warehouse (Lauren, June, Amiluet)

When June mentioned dreaming up weapons and using her instruments as such, this got Amiluet pondering. Of course... I already know how to summon personal objects in a dream... but what weapons should I come up with?

That's when she heard what Lauren had to say, and shook her head in bewilderment. "You can't be serious! Revenge never solves anything! And neither of you are even from Orenya, so fighting those sunestre makes even less sense! And besides, I didn't want to fight them in the first place! My sisters and I are trying to prevent the Day-Night War, not escalate it!"

Sighing, she looked to June. "...You don't have the same idea she does, do you?" While saying that she sounded nervous, but then that nervousness gave way to excitement, as she bounced on her toes and playfully flapped her wings. "But you have a point regarding the dream thing! Why did I not think of modifying things in a dream before anyway? Although..." and here she stood still, "if we were to fight back, which I don't think is a good idea in the first place," she mentioned with a curt nod in Lauren's direction even though she was off changing at that point, "what good would creating weapons I don't even know how to use be anyway? Is it possible to dream up being able to instantly master skills as well? I never so much as held a weapon in my life, so..."

Graveyard (Golden Being, Armory Knight, Sentinel, Sinistrina)

As Sinistrina continued holding onto the remnants of Armory Knight's soul, she listened as the Sentinel performed her enchantment. With the mention of memories, she loosened the bond a bit, so that said memories would properly merge themselves into his soul and therefore be preserved with it. And in fact, as she watched, she actually saw some semblance of identity return to him, which she knew was the memories being attracted to his soul. Again there was that worry of killing Armory Knight at the back of her mind, especially when the Sentinel mentioned restoring life to him, but she forced that aside just as the Sentinel did with her previous suggestion of allowing his existence to end.

Instead she focused on the memories to the best of her ability... and eventually caught glimpses of those memories, when she had abandoned all other thought that did not involve his soul or her own spell, when she had implemented the same force of will she had employed herself when creating the pictures on the walls of Misery Manor. Ever since she died she had been getting used to focusing on several aspects at once like this, especially since her own soul had been composed of several "aspects" marked by distinct memories.

Once the enchantment was complete, Sinistrina walked along her own conjured shadow up to Armory Knight, where she placed a hand on the part of his body that would contain his soul.^note Again leaving it open as to what exactly that part is - and if it's inside his body, assume Sinistrina is placing her hand on whatever part of said body is closest to it. Then she closed her eyes, retracted the shadow behind her, and spoke.

"As was your body repaired, now shall your soul be safe so that it cannot be fragmented again, so that your consciousness and your memories cannot be passively compromised. Even if your body is somehow broken, your soul shall remain intact, until this part of you is destroyed. Keep this part safe from harm, and you will be effectively immortal." Just like me. "With this other enchantment, I am confident that your body will also remain preserved." Unlike mine where I consciously have to maintain it.

And with those words spoken, the shadowy anchor that held his soul condensed, attracted to Sinistrina's hand as well as the part of him that would now be his own phylactery. And yet at the same time, she drew the black mists out of his soul, as she had done with the purified ether... or tried to, as as was necessary for the spell it seemed, it would not budge. Instead the shadowy anchor flowed into it, unable to escape. And with that the spell was complete.

Withdrawing her hand, she spoke once more to the Golden Being, with a more pronounced solemnity than before. "Unfortunately I could not purify his soul like I did with the others... but it would seem better for a soul to be tainted and whole than pure and broken. But if my soul was not damaged in the process, I am confident that his too will not, as it is simply the mark of my own magic." Then to Armory Knight she spoke. "How are you feeling, Armory Knight?"

edited 23rd Apr '17 5:07:35 PM by ladytanuki

[Yukijou-minato ~ Snow Castle (Main Keep 1st Floor ~ Parlor)] (Megumi, Rin, Gwenafer, Gliosem, Phantom, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick)

Megumi repressed the urge to roll her eyes at the bickering boys. Together with Gwenafer, they were able to maneuver the paralyzed Admiral over to the other set of pillows, and gently set her down. With her master in a more comfortable place, Megumi took a step back, mentally going over the possible means of curing Rin. "Thank you," she said offhandedly to the others.

The maid turned to Gliosem, "If you don't mind, I shall be using that medicine you have to brew some tea for m'lady." She then placed the first aid kit she had brought with her on the table, "Here are some medical supplies, if you need them, sir," she said to the Phantom.

[Field of Souls] (Ruka, Tagui, Ferisen)

Casting her gaze towards the library, Ruka nodded slowly. "I'll be fine as long as I can find my body, wherever it went off to." This wasn't the first time she had been separated from her body before, though it was the first time being separated in a dream world, and being separated across an unknown distance. Tapping her, or rather Ferisen's, fingers together, she glanced back and forth between Tagui and the phantasmal Ferisen. She nodded once more, taking position behind the cart to begin pushing at Ferisen's request.

"Don't worry about me, I won't be easily dislodged from your body," she said in an attempt to reassure the sumiri. She then raised an eyebrow at what the woman had said, "Third... eye?" She felt around her face, stopping when she found the soft spot in the middle of her forehead. Widening her eyes, she let out a soft "oh" before dropping her hands to her sides.

Ruka resigned herself to manually pushing the cart, deciding that attempting to use skills she wasn't familiar with would be an unwise course of action.

[San Francisco Docks ~ Warehouse] (June, Lauren, Amiluet)

June tapped her chin in thought as Amiluet expressed her desire to find a peaceful solution to the conflict of her home world. "Sometimes, things can only be solved with violence..." she said, before crossing her legs (in midair!), "on the other hand, diplomacy can work too."

The redhead smiled, "Instead of going back in guns blazing, we should show up with a big enough stick that they won't think about trying to kill us. They did shoot first, you know." Snapping her fingers, she flipped to her feet, "Lauren and I can do all the fighting, and you" she pointed an emerald tipped finger at Amiluet, "can do all the talking. How about it?"

She beckoned for her dog to come over, the green hound clambering off the couch with a huff before galloping over to June's side. The woman then turned back towards the sumiri. "So, got any ideas on how to make these sunestre to not attack us all on sight should we go back?" she asked, tilting an ear towards her.

edited 23rd Apr '17 10:02:39 PM by WillDeRegio

Snow Castle - Parlor (Gwenafer, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick, Gliosem, Phantom, Megumi, Rin)

"Gwenafer," Gwenafer said matter-of-factly to introduce herself to the knight, gesturing towards herself after standing up. "Phantom", huh? She hoped that name wasn't too literal; her earlier encounter with the strange revenant things beneath the ruins had been more than enough for one day. This fellow seemed friendly enough though, at least for now.

"Fancy armor," she continued. "Are you part of some kind of knight order, or the personal guard of some rich noble, maybe?" The black metal with the golden embellishments made her think of the Penitent Hunters from back home - and of Lucinda... - though they'd never wear something so heavy. "How... did you get here?"

Waiting for an answer, she let her eyes wander between Phantom and Megumi. "You need any help with that?"

The Eldritch Factory - Heart Forge (Noire, Ashleigh, Emriel)

Watching Emriel very closely, Noire breaks out a snarl as the apparent angel doubted she could defeat her. Noire's gaze flickering over to Ashleigh, the white-eyed girl looks frustrated and confused. Strange, you wouldn't think Brittles would be frustrating in their ridiculousness. Though Noire lets go of her massive sword, it continues to remain aloft despite nothing visibly holding it up.

Gesturing rather wildly, Noire calls out in a tone like sad frustration "I can see why the elders stop trying to educate Unawares. Of course humanity knew about magic, we invented our own! What those traitorous bastards did was suppress the mystical to keep them from affecting the magically inept or slothful humans... Something you can't just brush aside!"

Looking back over to Emriel, the air- or perhaps light- around Noire begins to noticeably distort. Clenching her fists tightly, Noire scratches out with dark passion "So pompous, thinking I can't defeat you!? I've dreamed of the day I'll make you braggart 'angels' pay! Do you even understand the things we had to deal with?"

The visual distortion starting to wrap around Noire's body as her sword segments into numerous blocks, she continues speaking. "Global wars were allowed to wage despite us having the capacity to stop them. Because interfering would of 'disturbed public society'- What the hell you call mass genocide!? The Servants are a blight on our world!"

The distortion starting to look specifically like a cloak while the segmented sword begins turning into spears, the guro lolita speaks up yet again. "Prove to me your people aren't responsible, aren't responsible for such hypocritical monsters getting to play shadow king. They nearly threw my mom into the Nightmare Normalcy you know, just for working with the true members of Eldon. Do... Do you even understand how horrifying it was worrying she'd be trapped in that hell forever?"

Though clearly feeling distressed, upset, confused and angry the visual distortion around Noire doesn't stop. In fact, it almost looks like a white reaper outfit is trying to form. The enigmatic girl herself calls out one more time.

"My rival is The Servants' Diablo Girl, you know. Those raging flames, they've yet to best me, and she can casually destroy an entire intersection just by having a breakdown. So, as a show of good faith, I'll be honest first: The revealer of secrets, I am Eldon's Reaper of Light. To purify this world of the Servants' lies, I exist for nothing else! To make a world where fantastic and mundane are allowed to be one..."

Snow Castle - Parlor (Rin, Megumi, Nick, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Gwenafer, Gliosem, Phantom)

Gliosem just had to giggle when Nick mentioned Magdalene jabbing a specter in Jackson's face. But that quickly faded to seriousness. "Goodness... she didn't try to possess you, did she?" she asked Jackson. "Having a foreign soul up in your face must not be pleasant at all. And thank you by the way..." she added to Marie as the girl set her down on some pillows.

Speaking of souls, she turned next to the aptly-named Phantom of Light, who somehow had a soul himself. "I can see why they call you that. Though I am impressed that you were able to seal your soul inside a suit of armor like that. It is a skill usually reserved for the most powerful of sorcerers... or the result of a transfiguration gone horribly wrong. I almost feel ashamed asking for help with my body when you seem to have lost yours. Speaking of which, my wounds are due to my foot being impaled with a needle and by wings and back being whacked by thorny vines. I'd be more concerned about my wings than anything else-aah!" She felt a blunted, but still apparent, twinge of pain in one of her wings as she involuntarily tried to move it. Though her wings, foot, and back had already been bandaged and her pain dulled with that strange "opioid" tincture Megumi gave her, she hoped he would have a skill that would actually help those wounds heal.

Speaking of Megumi, when the felinoid maid asked Gliosem for the remedy for Rin, she took out the jar she had summoned forth before, withdrawing a small palmful of the thick white leaves. "This should be enough for a single cup of tea, though I would use as little water as possible so that Rin can actually drink the whole thing." She dropped the leaves on a clean scrap of blue cloth that had remained of her torn and removed cape, neatly closed it up, and handed the little bundle to Megumi. "If you have a proper infuser, that will work better than..." She lost her thought for a bit as she felt a dizzying sensation within her. "...than this cloth."

And indeed, as she lay face-down on the pillow, she felt a sense of detachment, not only from her body, but from the surroundings. And yet she felt calm and relaxed, perhaps even with a mild sense of euphoria... and for a moment, she thought the walls of the tea parlor were singing to her. She did pick up on something of a melody... one that she pre-emptively hummed while trying to think of words to put to it.

((Heart Forge coming tomorrow hopefully...))

Snow Castle - Parlor (Rin, Megumi, Nick, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Gwenafer, Gliosem, Phantom)

The Fae, Gliosem, had been wounded on her back, feet and wings, the latter in particular seemed to be causing her a great deal of pain. Once she was set down on some pillows, he took a look at the bandaged areas of her body and took in all the comments and questions that were being tossed his way.

It was odd, how they seemed to be so... clueless about some things that should've been common knowledge by that point. It made him wonder if, perhaps, he wasn't merely in an unfamiliar land, but rather a different reality altogether. However, he had to focus on what was important right now and that was treating the Gliosem's wounds.

"I need you to make sure to not move your wings, my apologies if this causes you any pain" he said before beginning.

Deciding to go for the wings first, Phantom gently placed a hand on the bandaged area, merely touching it. Then, his palm began glowing with a golden color, which spread to the area under and around his hand; soon enough Gliosem would feel her wing slowly healing. It would have been faster if the bandages weren't there, but rattempting to remove them would likely cause more pain than doing it this way, especially as he wasn't sure about how frail her wings were.

"Those like me are known as Guardians," Phantom began explaining to Gwenafer, "we were made by the Fae, who extracted and attached the souls of willing human warriors to suits of armor as a way of creating better soldiers for a great war that happened long ago. Those of us who lasted to see the end of it were reintegrated into society and either live as part of the king's army or as family bodyguards as you've suggested."

He kept his focus on his current task, only talking in order to not be rude to those who were talking to him, one of them being the very person he was currently helping. Provided everything went well, once he finished healing her wings he would move on to her back and then her feet, repeating the same process.

"I, however, awakened after the war was over, alone in an abandoned building. Our memories stay in our old bodies, so I have no recollection of any events that happened prior to my awakening. I do not know for what purpose I was put inside this armor, so I have spent the last century wandering the world, searching for answers and trying to make good of this body that was given to me" He further explained, his tone of voice remaining calm and very neutral, to the point of sounding almost monotone.

[Snow Castle (Parlor)]

Jackson shook his head. "No, thankfully. I don't think she would be willing be to do that to me."

Nick quirk an eyebrow. "She still tried to kill us, dude." He sighed, "Look, the important thing is that at least we're all alive. Let's hope if she ever comes back she'll forget all of this."

As they listened to the armor, Adam's dizziness suddenly returned. In Jackson's pocket, the gems, once again, gave a dim glow. Rather than make a scene about it, Adam tried his very best to pretend that nothing was wrong. They had to take care of Rin and Glioslem after all; he didn't need to add to the stress.

"S-so," he said, "Maybe you dreamed this place...cause you're trying to find a connection to your past. At least, that's what I think."

"Why would the Fae not give you your memories back?" Nick asked, "That seems a little cruel. Then again, I don't know how Fae's do things. We don't have Fae or anything like that in our world." He crossed arms, "Man, why does almost everyone we meet have far more interesting shit than we do?"

Jackson chuckled. "Who knows, we might run into something someday."

Marie giggled as well, then quickly calmed herself down. "On a serious note, have you had any luck remembering anything?"

edited 28th Apr '17 12:43:39 PM by Masterofchaos

Eldritch Factory - Heart Forge (Ashleigh, Emriel, Noire)

As Noire went on and on about the so-called "shadow war" she mentioned before, Emriel grew more visibly annoyed. Clearly this young lady was looking for an excuse to lash out at anyone who bore even a faint resemblance to those she wanted to avenge. It became even more ridiculous when her aura suddenly brightened and something of a white cloak began to form around her. And the part at the end... was that a threat? Regardless, it was now clear that if this did escalate to a fight, there was no way Emriel could win it. Dodging attacks was one thing... actually fighting back was another, and she dared not bring bare fists to a knife fight.

While Noire spoke, Ashleigh took out her Scanner and let Meade out. "We might need you soon," she whispered to the little walking sapling.

"You don't mean..." Meade whispered, to which Ashleigh nodded back.

Patiently, the two waited as Noire's anger pitched. After her proclamation of being Eldon's Reaper of Light, Emriel looked briefly to Ashleigh, raising an eyebrow at the tree creature with her, and then back at the so-called reaper. After a short while of trembling in her spot, she positioned herself against the wall with one foot pressing on it, again ready to leap away... this time to flee. "Prove it? How the raekra am I supposed to prove I'm not one of these 'angels' of which you speak? You're already convinced I'm one of them anyway!"

Ashleigh stomped her foot on the meaty ground. "Stop it, both of you!" She looked to Meade, the two exchanged nods, and then Ashleigh held her Scanner up. "By the power of Earth, I invoke the goddess Vertilia!"

With those words, Meade turned to soil and vanished into the ground. Then in between Noire and Emriel, a sprout poked its way out of said ground. The entire room began to shake, sending the blood in the nearby river sloshing all over the place and simultaneously draining out of it. As the river shallowed out, the sprout grew taller. A ring of massive roots, firmer than stone, broke out of the ground. A greenish-brown trunk, equally firm, thickened and then split into what could have resembled legs firmly planted in the ground. Branches rose to the ceiling and sprouted leaves, and later, several different kinds of fruits.

On the trunk, a pair of knob-like eyes materialized, pointing first at Noire, then vanishing and reappearing on the opposite side to look at Emriel. Vertilia, this newly-invoked Earth goddess, moved a set of thick and stubby roots over to surround Noire, ready to strike at her if she launched an attack. On the other side, vine-like roots wrapped loosely around Emriel, preventing her from running anywhere.

"Listen," said Ashleigh. "Noire, I am very sorry to hear about what happened to your mother. On Earth there is..." a place called Hell, she wanted to say, but it was clear to her now that Noire would dismiss all religious references as the work of the Servants of Humanity. "...In Mystrica there is a place called Misery Manor which induces a similar torment," she decided to say instead. "And I would not wish its horrors on anyone. Your frustration is understandable, but that is no excuse to lash out at someone who may or may not be involved in your so-called war."

"Let... me... go!" Emriel muttered in Vertilia's grasp. "All I wanna do is get out of here! ...Oh, and Orenya also has the Field of Souls which causes another similar torm... eh, no, actually, it just traps your soul in a crystal."

"I am keeping you here so that Noire is not tempted to chase after you," said Vertilia, the clear and almost ethereal voice echoing out from the broad hollows at the bottom of her trunk and the knobby eyes materializing to face Emriel. "And because there is still a possibility your people may have accidentally incited a conflict."

Emriel bowed her head, before peering around to try and get a better look at Noire... though Vertilia's trunk was blocking her view. "Oh and for the record, I am totally for the union between the mystical and the mundane. Heck, the name Orenya means 'magic is in the home and the heavens'. If the ancient races did teach Earth about magic, it would have been with the intention of setting up that harmony. At least three of the songs my sisters and I perform are also about that harmony! That proof enough for you?"

Mental Ocean

There were no real options left... False reassurances, offers devoid of salvation, a request to destroy everything he is... The unnatural being that looked so much like gold merely waited for whatever misfortune would come their way. The exalted one 'glancing' across the Sentinel, he snorts weakly. "You needed to narrow yourself to willingly help? I feel so reassured..."

Looking at the visage of his host, the Golden Being's somber gaze lingers... His brown skin, his messy brown hair, those green eyes flashing as he recalls his sister's death in that endless nightmare of his... Compared to the armored beast he became, his original form was so undeniably human.

"He is broken, not cursed... I want him restored, not some barely stable abomination with agony and suffering waiting to strike him down... There's no arguing with Progeny of Existence, so I reluctantly play along. You not destroying him is all I can do for him now..."

Stroking a 'hand' made of pistols, knives, and brass knuckles through his knight's hair the impossible thing speaks. "You are the greatest of all living things, my Chadwick. Though other humans boasted like they were gods, you behaved like a real one- Righteous, kind, caring... Though you did not obsess with fixing that flawed world, you never wanted to accept the agony you saw. I am forever your servant and tool, to be used to deny the evil of those pretenders to your throne. Never let such flith overwhelm you, and from here on strive to become the truest thing anyone would find to a god."

Though as the exalted one focused on his precious knight, each moment more dreadful, the Gift of Royal Heart perked up. Before his 'eyes' stood his sisters of lightning, force and motion. Tendril-like hair of telekinetic energy flowing gently... Wings of pure force held softly against the 'back'... Electricity jutted like as downward blades from the thighs' behind...

If the Golden Being could cry, it would at the site of his sisters arriving in that form made of his knight's loves. Yet... Though they wore the albino stranger's fragmented face, possessed the brown lower right arm of the sister, the upper left leg of the dark beloved... Their nature was still incomplete.

Golden eyes upon eyes serving to bridge those scraps they inherited, there were still gaps that had yet to grow spiritual matter to fill them. Those eyes representing his sisters' unique soul analyzing him, the Golden Being sighed as he spoke to her. "You still do not see me in full... At least this moment is ours, none of these beings can observe us complete unless we allow it. Progeny of Existence... Why are we drawn to them my sisters?"

Though indeed the Golden Being spoke true and none unqualified could witness Patches(?) in this place, he was surprised when his sisters spoke. "Like attracts like, we're all impossible things. Being impossible together feels very... Pleasant." The Golden Being watching as his sisters advance towards his precious knight, he observes them- Interest marked by sadness nonetheless.

The composition of spiritual matter and Gifts that is Patches, in a fugue-like state she/they hold themselves over the broken soul before them. Hands placed above his shoulders and knees just next to his own, Patches(?) leans in to kiss his forehead. With that kiss memories began surfacing- Fragmented or not, they were memories of his beloved little sister and his precious girlfriend.

Thus, as the necromancer Sinistrina drew upon these memories brought forth by Patches(?), the Golden Being couldn't help sighing in sad relief. Watching as Sinistrina laid her hand on his knight's left arm, the Exalted Gift looks with curiosity as a golden crack forms in this space. Examining it and seeming notably unsure of what it meant, Sinistrina once more began to work her magic-

-And the golden crack widens, widens, widens as she began trying to extract the shadowy anchor. Thus as Sinistrina completed her spell, more and more of these cracks began forming. As she spoke unaware of this strange phenomenon, the Golden Being looked around frantically trying to understand. Then, mere moments after the lich asked the Armory Knight...

The Graveyard

Lines of pure force spiraling outwards from the Armory Knight's body, condensing into a sphere enveloping him, it suddenly erupts as a pillar of this force shoots upwards from where the sphere and thus Armory Knight were. Shooting up with incredible speed and possessing a radius twice of the knight, the sheer size of the pillar would be unknowable to those without the right senses- Yet the sheer glow of its thereness would make it observable to anyone in this entire realm that happened to glance in the pillar's direction.

However, abrupt and powerful though it may have been, the pillar cuts off after a 'mere' few seconds. The Armory Knight nowhere to see at the bottom, only a crater caused that pillar... It would seem he's- He's alive!? Oh my god he's still alive! W-wait, but what happened? I, I can't... We should probably catch him, yeah?

Wearing a disorderly combination of red, blue and gold, the young cloth-enveloped girl looks upwards with a look of determination- Quite impressive given the mask. Bending her legs slightly, she shoots off into the sky, dust sent flying by her incredible jump. Bodyhugging the figure falling out of the sky from where the pillar shot up, Patches twists them both around so she's the one facing downwards.

Holy shit what do we do!? I never done this magic before Goldie! Right, okay, action action action... I'll deaccelerate our fall, Royal Blue'll create a forcefield! That okay? I do have a name, probably, but alright. How did Patches activate my Gift though...? Patches herself, as the wind rushes past her and Armory Knight(?), clearly begins panicking. "Why did you betray me brain!? I have no idea what we're doing!"

Blinking from underneath her mask as their speed begins dropping, the both of them finally hits the ground- a gentle thud, and Patches looks around visibly confused they're both suspended about a foot off the ground. Beginning to sit upright, the invisible forcefield disperses shortly after doing so. Falling onto her rump, now that they're both on solid ground Patches finally begins examining the boy she has hugged against her.

Messy silver hair, a light gunmetal skin tone, a crystalline left arm with small spikes of dark gold... Yet as his eyes groggily open, Patches doesn't understand why her heart felt like it skipped a bit. Looking at her with a green & black right eye and a golden left one, the young man groans as he sluggishly stands onto his own two feet.

Glancing over the area with a vacant expression, his 'clothing' seems to consist of something resembling jeans and an open hooded jacket. The 'shirt' underneath looked more like form-fitting underarmor, a crown of some kind emblazoned over the location of his heart. Yet, as he seems to gain his bearings, an embarrassed brush forms on his face.

Hurriedly looking back to Patches, the boy bows apologetically as he cries out in a similar tone "I-I-I'm sorry miss! I-I didn't mean to touch you, and, oh god I'm such a freak!" Turning away from Patches and running his hands through his hair, the boy stops as he examines his crystalline arm. As Patches looks at him confused by his apology, the boy shouts out "What happened to my arm!?"

edited 29th Apr '17 12:16:46 PM by Kkutwar

[Yukijou-minato ~ Snow Castle (Main Keep 1st Floor ~ Parlor)] (Megumi, Rin, Gwenafer, Gliosem, Phantom, Adam, Jackson, Marie, Nick)

The maid shook her head, "No, that won't be necessary. You’ve done enough already," she said to Gwenafer before turning towards the others.

"These Fae... they sound like youkai. Aloof, mysterious, always planning something," said Megumi, before pausing and rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance, "some of the time, at least." She then headed to kneel beside the injured sumiri.

Megumi bowed after taking the bundle from Gliosem. "Thank you, I shall do as you suggest," she said, gently holding the precious bundle of tea leaves. "Is there anything in particular I might be able to get you?" she asked Gliosem and the Phantom.

Getting up, the maid made her way towards the side door that she had frequently used earlier when bringing out tea, before turning around. "I shall be busy prepping this tea for m'lady. Would anyone else care for some more while I'm at it?" she asked of the eclectic group.

Megumi then narrowed her eyes at Jackson. "Please refrain from flicking anyone else, young sir," she snarked as she slid the door open.

Field of Souls

"So stay close and keep your eyes on the path ahead. I have greater things to pay attention to.", Tagui said still focusing on the latria, still adding his tone to those of the wicked mist and of Ferisen's soul, focusing on the constant chill in his spine, on the tiring effort of walking with a single functional leg, and even on the brightness that devoured his vision.

But he did not think of his destination. He counted his steps, measured his breath and kept in mind what lay ahead, but did not think a thought about it. For what seemed like days he kept on his trance, cold sweet dripping from his face and his vision being further comsumed by the whiteness as he walked step after methodical step. And on he went as his mind wore away, as his eyes were blinded by their own light, and as the chilling mists became all he could feel.

Until there was nothing he could do but collapse to the ground, resting his head against the granite of the Library's steps as his mind drifted to a dream within a dream, finally finding somewhere safe from the power of the Field of Souls.

Eight Wings Library

Under the lights of a strange sky two masked watchers with holstered pistols descended the ash-covered stairs between the emerald and turquoise wings of the Library, flanked by lampposts, stone sphinxes and white leaveless trees whose cracked wood irradiated a subtle orange glow reminiscent of the embers that floated so softly in the air.

It was small at first, the view of the end of the path between the curved wings, but it only grew as they approached the unearthly sight of the plains and their binding crystals, growing wide enough to give an idea of the vastness of the plains to an onlooker... and to prepare the two troubled souls who came there for the grandiosity of the structure they were about to enter.

"We will take His Excellency so he can be tended to. Follow us.", one of the blood-red uniformed guardsmen said behind his blank brass mask, while the other grabbed Tagui and carried him over his shoulder up the rightwards curving path. If any attempt to penetrate the men's thoughts was to be made, only a strange sequence of numbers would be returned, and if Ferisen or Ruka tried to peer into the curved halls through the tall thin green windows to the right, or the turquoise ones on the left, they would see nothing but empty corridors and bookshelves.

In the end of the staircase, between the large wooden doors of the entrance room waited a fat person in also red robes, with a golden mask that showed the expressionless visage of a bearded old man and seemed to fit him perfectly. He merely tilted his head as he saw the new guests' arrival, curious if they would even notice him or be distracted by the six-stories tall main spire the curved wings were built around.

edited 29th Apr '17 7:53:23 PM by EternaMemoria

Cathedral of the Four Swords

Somewhere off in a section of the grand Dream Forest, night fell. Trees parted to a starry sky, in which a full moon shone from its zenith. A clearing formed, and several bushes bearing red roses sprouted out of the ground in neat circular rows, where the surrounding trees darkened yet retained their dreamy mists. An archway of white thorns, glowing bluish in the moonlight, formed at the edge of this garden, casting forth a straight dirt path lined by quartz stones that glistened with the starlight as if there was no moon.

As the path advanced, the roses began to wilt, until their leaves had shriveled and fallen, their petals drying up and turning black^note Red roses do in fact look black when they are dead., yet the flowers themselves remaining intact, perhaps immortal in a sense. Yet, this all lent an air of sorrow to the place, which only became apparent with the dark mass materializing at the edge of the garden.

This mass was a building, a cathedral crafted out of black marble. It was modest in appearance, decorated with stone spires along the outer walls, some of which bore little sculpted dragons. A single dome sat on the ceiling, in which sat a ring of pillars. If the moon was not present it would have been invisible among the dark landscape, but with it it reflected that bluish glow as sort of a beacon. The faint sound of bells issued from within, and the melody it echoed across the surroundings inspired both a calming joy and a peaceful sorrow in all within the clearing. And along with that sound, it rang out a thought, a most sincere invitation for anyone to enter.

And one did enter just then. A cloaked woman carrying a broom-like staff and a basket of candles was walking along the path through the dead rose garden. As she approached, she watched the old-fashioned clock hanging above the entrance expectantly, as instead of properly moving, the hands randomly faded and re-appeared at seemingly random spots on the face. Then she looked at the stone sentinels flanking the entrance. There were four of them, all angels of a sort, bowing their heads while clutching a sword planted in the ground. With a nod of affirmation to each one, the woman ascended the wide marble steps leading up to the entrance, where the heavy wooden doors parted without a single creak.

Inside, she took a look around, noticing that the stained glass windows all around the perimeter had lost all their color and the images in each one had arranged themselves into a meaningless web. Through them, moonlight filtered, and even more strongly through the gaps in the pillars in the dome where the spectral bells rang. On the floor, the pews were broken and battered, though a wide aisle splitting them into two sections allowed easy access to a raised platform at the far end, where three swords hung on the wall above a semicircular stained-glass window (again oddly unstained like the others) and a particularly ominous pipe organ. On the sides were two pools, the one on the right perfectly mirroring the moonlit starry sky above, the one on the left containing a foreboding black mist in its waters.

As the woman walked down the aisle, she placed several candles, some white and some black, on its edges, and several more on the altar at the front of the platform. She paused at this altar covered in black velvet cloth, stopping before a wide and shallow bowl containing completely still water (next to which a fourth sword lay). And, setting the basket down on the altar and leaning her staff forward over this pond, she spoke.

"Lacriment, Maiden of Sorrows, Mother of Forgiveness, Crone of the Void, I invoke and crown you Mistress of the Four Swords. Awaken from your slumber so that the cathedral may be open to all."

As the invoker stood back, a light shone from within the bowl, as it too reflected the moonlight above, despite the top of the dome physically blocking said moon from view. Bathed in this quiet light, a winged figure flew out, sending black feathers flying all around where thereafter they vanished. Once this figure landed on the platform behind the altar, she straightened up, where her wings retracted their feathers and became part of her hooded cloak. Inside the hood, a white owl mask contrasted it, and a human face flanked by strands of straight black hair could be glimpsed beneath it. Beneath the cloak, she wore a blouse of deep blue velvet whose long sleeves flared out and showed her tiny black-gloved hands, and a long black skirt which flared out and showed her long black-booted feet.

Stepping forward and clasping her hands as if in prayer, she spoke, where her low, ethereal voice seemed to come more from the walls than her mouth. "I, Lacriment, hereby declare the Cathedral of the Four Swords open. May this place be a shelter for those with sorrows to lament. May this be a shrine to the Sacred Darkness for all to appreciate. May this be a silent space where one can surrender to their own inner void and let go of the toils of the mundane. May this not be a place of judgment, but of acceptance and forgiveness even in the face of cruelty, shame, and prejudice."

Lifting her cloak where it briefly transformed into feathered wings, she sent many small flames, white in a way and black in another, floating throughout, where they rested in the candles the invoker had placed, as well as several other candles on four simple chandeliers hanging at the corners of the hall. Instead of bringing warmth, they drained it, but yet the space had a welcoming (if solemn) air about it that inspired a warmth that defied heat.

Finally sitting cross-legged behind the altar, Lacriment sighed and gazed up at the bells, which, though they were ringing, could not be heard inside the cathedral, such that those in here could embrace the surrounding silence. "This place has been closed for quite a while. I had almost forgotten the feel of moonlight on my face." And with that she sat, still and calm, while her invoker vanished along with the now-empty basket.

edited 30th Apr '17 8:16:03 AM by ladytanuki