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 Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 9:32 pm
Another evening on his bench, another letter delivered to Lyndin by way of Lyonesse's signet, thoguh this one was phrased less urgently than the last. This time, Kerberos was waiting with a few Mason jars of samples from his planet; the leftovers from purging the Chaos that had infected it.
Hopefully there would be some answers there. They were certainly beyond Kerberos; he couldn't imagine what it might take to analyze something for traces of magic, or whatever else Lyndin might be capable of.
But that wasn't the only thing--there was also Murikabushi. A Senshi who reported faulty magic, and attributed it to being Awakened late. Kerberos wasn't entirely sure if Lyndin would have any answers, but he was the best and most accessible resource on the mysteries of the greater cosmos--a dude couldn't exactly ask Cosmos to come sit down and chat about the metaphysics of starseeds.
Lyndin was certainly a busy man, and Kerberos didn't intend to trouble him for longer than was necessary, but he trusted that his friend would have answers, or if he didn't, he might know where to start looking for them.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:37 pm
As he had before, Lyndin arrived quietly and without fanfare. He managed to be discreet while never sacrificing the power of his presence. He trusted Kerberos, so when the Senshi came into view he simply made his way over to him. He looked a little tired, like he wasn’t sleeping much, but he seemed healthier. Maybe not as vibrant as he’d been before the battle on the hill, but he had been taking his projects and studying seriously. He was taking his health seriously. Maybe because he knew he needed to be in his best shape if he was going to save Velencya. …Maybe because enough of the Vanguard found convenient excuses to politely nag at him to eat and sleep and rest. “Kerberos,” he greeted, glancing briefly at the jars he’d arrived with. “I hope you weren't waiting long. Are you well?”
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2022 10:24 pm
Kerberos smiled, as soon as he saw his friend approaching. There really was something comforting about being in Lyndin's presence, and it was nice to meet him without the itch of whatever strange corruption there was on his world gnawing at the back of Kerberos's brain.
"Much better than last time we spoke," he said, honestly. "Some friends and I--we handled the Chaos infection on my planet. My world is healing again. And last time I visited, there were bioluminescent rabbits."
He held up one of the jars he'd brought with him. "Samples, from the infection remains, and the First Flower where it was hosted. I don't know how much you might be able to learn from them, but if there's Chaos things out in space that might attach to other worlds--I'd love to be armed with as much information as possible."
He exhaled. "There was also something else I wanted to ask you about, but--first, have you been well? You and your Vanguard?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2022 10:35 pm
“Did you? That’s wonderful, I’m glad to hear it,” he said, partly for handling the chaos, and partly because Kerberos had managed to bring a sample of it all. He held his hand out to accept it, and while he seemed visibly interested in this–and curious to know what he might be able to glean from it–he was still more in tune to what Kerberos was saying. “We’re as well as can be expected,” he answered–simple, but honest. He didn’t like to give unnecessary information, and he supposed Kerberos might only be asking out of politeness. If there had been any major updates, Lyndin might have expressed them, but they were surviving. Not thriving, but they were doing well enough given the circumstances. “What is it you wanted to ask about? More trouble?”
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Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:00 am
Kerberos nodded. Lyndin's answer was simple and straightforward, and honestly, it made sense that he wasn't exactly disclosing operational details.
"I'm glad it's at least as well as can be expected," he said, genuinely. It would be awful to hear that things were getting worse--that they weren't progressing, that things were going wrong on their homeworld.
"Anyway, it might be more trouble, or it might not be? I have this friend," Kerberos began, "a Dark Mirror Senshi--I don't know if you've dealt with any of them yet? They're Chaos, but some,thing different than the Negaverse. Anyway, his magic doesn't work properly--not the way it usually does for Senshi. It refuses to go off at all, or it's too strong, or weaker than it should be--like it's not quite in line with him. And I wasn't sure if you'd know anything, but I figure you have the most experience of anyone I know, so it seemed worth it to ask about it. Have you ever heard of anything like that?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2023 11:46 pm
Lyndin seemed somewhat curious about this affliction, but he didn’t seem particularly surprised. “It isn’t uncommon for magic to malfunction in some situations, especially if there’s a great strain on the starseed. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Chaos was distorting the starseed’s natural abilities. I’m surprised more of the Senshi here don’t have such issues. Being away from your homeworld must be such a burden.” Starseeds were a sensitive topic for him, but not so much that he intended to keep the information to himself. There were too many variations to easily predict exactly what was going on, and he’d been here for long enough to know that it was uncommon for a Senshi to have malfunctioning magic–even if the Negaverse, drenched in Chaos as they were. He had less experience with the Dark Mirror Senshi, but they were not unknown to him. “Without meeting him, I don’t think I could say with any certainty. But trauma can disrupt the flow of magic in a starseed. It might be something on his homeworld affecting how he receives his power. It might simply be an undue strain on his body that he’s having difficulty processing. Is there anything unique about him, anything that stands out as abnormal to you?”
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Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 2:23 am
Kerberos nodded, thoughtfully. That made sense; he'd made great strides with his magic since getting to spend time on his homeworld, and even moreso recently since it had come back to life. It had even altered his magic, when he saved it, given him the power to heal instead of hurt.
The question of Murikabushi's uniqueness made him pause. Ponder, for a moment. There was only one thing that came to mind, really--
"He's older than I'm used to newly-Awakened Senshi being," Kerberos said, thoughtfully. "Most of us--most of the Senshi I've known--we awaken as teenagers. Late adolescence, very early adulthood. But he's my age--well into what our species would consider being a proper adult. I don't know if that means anything, but it is a break in the pattern I've generally observed."
He wondered if it had been like that in the past. If Senshi Awakened young, trained from an early age to be their world's protectors. Perhaps he had the best source for the answer to that question in front of him, right now.
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Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2023 9:28 pm
For a moment more, Lyndin considered his answer, but he nodded as though he’d settled on something. “In my time, I have studied starseeds extensively.” He didn’t need to expand on why, or where he’d gotten the information. He had access to Velenia’s records. He knew what they’d tried to do to Caedus’ starseed. He’d studied every scrap of information he could get on the subject to try and better understand things. “Sometimes, that raw power can remain trapped in a starseed for too long. It grows volatile. It’s why it’s always been a risk to have an unawakened Senshi on a world without Mauvians. I suspect Cosmos must have had a plan, sending so many Senshi here. But then, you have plenty of Mauvians. A late awakening can put undue burden on the starseed. The strain can manifest in dangerous ways. I’ve heard that starseeds can grow brittle and crack. I’ve heard that the magic can warp and become twisted or unpredictable. I don’t know if this is what affects your friend, but I do know that starseeds are delicate and require great care. If he was awakened late, before the magic faded, then I would bet that his struggles stem from that more than anything else. But it’s hard to predict with any certainty.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:52 pm
Ah, good. Kerberos had known that Lyndin was exactly the person to ask these questions of. There was no one else who was half as accessible with anything close to Lyndin's knowledge and experience; Cosmos would know things, of course, but she came as she wished, as best as Kerberos could tell. Summoned by need, certainly, but otherwise, who knew.
The explanation made sense, too. That the power was desperate to escape, and that letting it fester had unpredictable results.
"Thank you," Kerberos said. "I'll pass on that knowledge--it might help with finding a solution. And...I appreciate your help, always. I consider myself very lucky to have a friend like you."
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Posted: Fri May 05, 2023 2:48 pm
Lyndin managed another brief smile; he thought it was kind that Kerberos considered him as much. “If you can find a solution, I hope you’ll let me know. The subject is, I’m sure not to any surprise, of great interest to me.” He didn’t need to elaborate more than that; if he could fix Caedus’ starseed, if he could awaken… It was an option. Not a likely one, given how much he’d already been through. He didn’t want to subject Caedus to more experimental starseed treatment. He could only imagine the ache in Caedus’ chest. Healing it was an option. …If they could just figure out how.
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Posted: Sat May 27, 2023 3:43 am
"Of course," Kerberos said, unhesitatingly. He thought of Caedus's mangled starseed, and for a moment, his own chest ached. "Anything I can discover, I'll be sure to pass to you."
He wanted to help. He was sure he wasn't alone in that. The Velencians deserved a chance to save their home, and Caedus deserved a chance to live, free of whatever pain he had to endure. If anything he came to know was a step towards that, Kerberos would gladly give everything he had to determine an answer.
He would have to speak to more people, ask them if they knew anything about Senshi who Awakened late, who had faulty magic. The more experiences eh could gather, the better. Yet another thing to work towards. But there was always more to do.
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