The goddesses were calling for him. Clairins entered the shrine, whatever fear he felt the previous day replaced with an overflowing sense of purpose. The whispers of old, half-remembered memories rustled past his ears. It should have been unsettling, but instead it filled Clairins with the sense that he was not alone, and that, for all his posturing and proclamations that he was better than his brethren, filled him with an inexplicable comfort. He smiled, not only for himself. He was not alone.
Neither, it seemed, were the goddesses. All three of them awaited him today in the form of statues. Still unseeing, Clairins paid no heed to the words on the plaques beneath them, and circled them instead, awaiting his orders. "Goddesses?" He called.
They answered. Their voices reached him through the fog. Coiling around him, the heavy white smoke reduced his already poor vision to nothing, and so he followed those voices as his only guide.
Great black coils stretched out from the fog, wreathed with faint spots of color. He heard rather than saw the last task laid out for him, another whisper past his ear: Offer to us your Heart.
That gave him pause. Everything he had done (almost everything, he amended, remembering those brief moments of treasonous freedom) since he awoke had been in service to the goddesses. For every memory stolen from him, he received power in return. But was he prepared to make such a sacrifice?
They had promised him. He would become greater than he was. To Clairins, that meant everything, and he had faith in that promise.
He opened the door.
The room waiting for him was almost a disappointment.
It was the same as the one before it. Almost exactly the same. Almost. The goddesses were alight with color. Watching. Waiting. He no longer wondered about what they wanted him to do. The room was silent until the whispered memories grew louder, louder, until it was a chorus of voices in his ears and colors flashing past his eyes, and he fell to the ground, shaking, trying to sound out the only noise he could almost make sense of...
Nothing came. Over the din, the goddesses spoke:
"Yet, you are still so little." "You cannot escape forever." "Or so it goes."
Clairins saw red. His eyes snapped open to see nothing but red. It tore into the world around him, consumed him, filled him with agony and such blinding hatred he wanted so badly to turn his eyes away from it -- but there, in the sky, in the moon was a face, terrible and angry and demanding his attention.
Every word was a raw ache, sliced away as if from his own throat. But then, just as Clairins felt himself slipping, losing the ability to think of anything else but how badly he wanted to scream, two new colors burst into the sky. They too said something. At this point, Clairins didn't care what it was, too overwhelmed by gratitude when he realized he could feel himself again.
He remembered. There was more than this. He had a name -- a real name -- it was...
The sky shuddered and the world shifted once more. The gray was replaced by such bright bursts of color that Clairins had to shut his eyes. When he could see again, he dragged himself to his feet. There was a beautiful castle waiting for him. It would be nice to see it up close...
He dragged himself to that opulent castle. This castle was meant for him. Made for him. This was the greatness he deserved. He hardly had to think as he made his offering, plunging his hand into his own chest and pulling out his Heart -- the screaming in his ears sounded more like applause. Cheering. They were cheering for him. He had wanted so badly to hear that again.
Smiling, dazed with an empty, distant sort of ache, Clairins held up his offering to Pride, and he did so with triumph, like it was a prize that he had deigned to give them. In his last scraps of consciousness, he fancied that obtaining his Heart would surely be the greatest victory imaginable...
OOC
Character name: Clarins Character appearance: A grey shadow with yellow eyes and heart. His eyes are narrowed into slits, as if he has trouble seeing. Link to Heart Log:Here Current HP: 40 Current weapon equipped: Simple Pride
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:42 pm
The moon was getting larger. She kept meaning to ask about that. Even now, as she entered the shrine not entirely sure what she had done the day before, she knew that she had yet to mention it. "Have you seen the moon lately?" She inquired as she neared the goddesses. No answer. Because these weren't quite the goddesses, not really; just statues. It had been awhile since she last saw them all together like this.
Though they didn't answer her, they spoke through the plaques below them. She bent down to get a better look. "So... this is it, huh?" She said. Her fingers lingered over the Goddess of Longing's words. We love you most. She smiled. "Love you too."
She stood, expecting to feel comforted, but there was a lingering feeling in her Heart that pulsed, white-hot, like a warning. Soon, she realized why. A door loomed not far from her, drawing her close. Etched into it were the words: Offer to us your Heart.
Her Heart raced faster, fearing for its existence. No! She thought frantically, remembering the pain, and worse, the emptiness that took its place. It was the only sacrifice she could remember. No. She had lost it once. She would not lose it again.
Solliette turned, looking for a way out. Her path had been utterly eroded by fog. The goddesses' words came back to her; this was the final task. There was no turning back...
Do not falter. You will not be forgotten.
She summoned up her courage and hoped that would be enough.
The next room was the same, yet not. The goddesses were much more colorful, but in different shades than she remembered. Solliette searched for their plaques, hoping to find more reassurance there, but they all said the same thing: Sacrifice yourself for us.
No. Solliette thought. No, I don't want to. I want to stay here. I want to stay here with all of these people and their pretty Hearts. I want to learn what they saw, I want to talk to them, I want to get to know them... I don't want to lose anymore.
It was as if the goddesses heard her. All at once, they returned the memories they had stolen. A smile, a giggle, candy, the smell of bread and butter, and a name: a name that slipped out of her grasp as soon as she reached for it. These things should not be hers, and yet they felt as if they belonged to her and always had.
The ground shook and Solliette raised her eyes to the moon. It was coming closer, much too close, like she knew it would. Its ghastly smile painted the world in red, that bright red that made up her eyes and the biggest part of her heart, and red -- shouldn't look like that --
Colors cut through the sky in streams of gold and green. Solliette gasped, clutching at her chest. The world was changing, building anew, and there were structures she had never known in that land of seemingly endless gray.
Solliette staggered to her feet. The further she walked, the more those buildings faded, and she was once again surrounded by ruins. As if it had destroyed them all. The gray was broken only by red.
"Fine. Just take it." She whispered. "It doesn't matter anymore, does it? Even if I fight... there's nothing left to fight for. I'm done." She thought knowing what it felt like would be enough preparation. But it hurt, every ounce of her body resisting until her Heart pulsed in her hands.
It fell on the altar of Destruction. For once, Solliette's near exhaustible supply of energy wasted away. She felt so very, very tired.
OOC
Character name: Solliette Character appearance: A grey shadow with wide red eyes and an even redder heart. Link to Heart Log:Here Current HP: 40 Current weapon equipped: Simple Destruction
Vethrfolnir
Timid Cat
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Raja
Kawaii Shoujo
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:47 pm
He could hear it, or just feel it. Tugging at him to enter the shrine. A feeling no one could defy. Lanaom sighed, eyes closing a moment as he stepped inside. What would they have of him now? Yet as he approached the silent room, slowly moving along, he found no goddess waiting. Merely their statues, plaques now bearing new statements as he paused, briefly, to look at them.
A wall to bide time, promises of not being forgotten, and saying they loved him? How strange. Almost eery. As if to say this might very well be the end of him. But they had said it was the fourth, the final task. So soon the new goddesses would be born? His eyes briefly shifted, looking to the empty places, then back to three statues. How curious. But they'd always known it would come to this. Didn't they?
He sighed again, briefly shaking his head and then opening his eyes once more. It was then he noticed it, the pale tendrils of fog sneaking around, twisting about him with a familiarity he couldn't entirely understand. He was still coming to terms with the odd whispers, and yet there were none. Perhaps it was all in his head. An odd silence hung around him as he realized what it all was. A distraction. A distraction as a door appeared, standing before him strong and firm. Simple words engraved on it. Words that chilled his very being.
Offer to us your heart.
He... was to die for this? Certainly he had no choice, there was no turning back, but... he flinched, shaking his head a few times. No, did he truly want to? But there was no choice, he had no other place to go. Denying the goddess a request was as good as death, was it not? He... had no choice.
Defeat showed on his face a moment before he worked to regain some composure. Even if he felt hope draining inside, he had to keep going. He lifted a hand, slowly, carefully, and opened the door. Stepping within. If he was to die, he would die with dignity. The room he was greeted with remained similar to the last, long and simple. The statues watching at the end as he moved along. They were a bit different, not much though. He couldn't say... but now all three plaques read the same thing. Demanded he same request. So he really was to cease to be.
He recalled then, some rather odd things. Figures, voices, things he couldn't quite remember. They didn't seem to fully click in his head even as he saw them play out. Pieces were missing, fragments so key that perhaps they were the sole reason he felt so little meaning in them. Or perhaps it was the fact he knew an end was coming that caused them to hold so little for him. Even a name, he knew was not his own. He wasn't who he thought? Or was he? It was ever a mystery, questions eternally left unanswered.
Yet... even as the voice spoke, speaking of how he couldn't keep running. He still felt part of him wishing to rebel, to stop it all. He still wanted to know, to get an answer... for something more than what he was. Couldn't he have asked for that much? Yet...
He shook his head, eyes closing. Was it worth trying to recall it all, to remember it? All of that effort for nothing?
Then the resounding crack as the world shook. Lanaom found himself staring down at the twisted expression on the moon's fact as he stared up, listening to the painful words that twisted through him. No. He didn't want to go... he... and yet... he was merely returning what he borrowed. He'd lived on borrowed time. Yes, this was not his own. Even as the dreadful reality of it all seemed to sink in he felt hesitance as he moved a step forward. Then another, easier, smoother this time. He didn't want to, but he had to.
And then new voices, inquiring from the heavens as new colors, a splendor of gold and vibrant greens began to fight their way along the sky. Then toward the surface. The world was an odd sight as brilliant regalia appeared beside the ever glowing life of greenery. And still there was the red, torn and broken amongst it all. He couldn't truly understand it, be a calm, a great acceptance to things seemed to fill him. Yes, it was an end, but one he could accept?
He wasn't entirely sure, but even as he realized that, perhaps, he wasn't that person. Lanaom... no it wasn't his name. He didn't know what his was, just that... he wasn't who he thought he was. Perhaps he was no one as they voice said. That only made this right, more valid. Or perhaps it was merely that he could choose what he desired. Something beyond destruction, pain, and revenge for some other force. Yes, perhaps that was for the best.
Silence. Lanaom paused as he stared at the three choices, listening a moment. He felt no need to destroy any. He knew answers would never come. False promises. Perhaps all three were false. Even so, to not be forgotten. That alone seemed to resonate. Maybe there was that chance.
The walk as the life and ruin began to fade from his sight was an odd feeling. Moving toward the ever radiant throne Even as he reached it he felt his hand raise to his chest, as if by a force not his own. This was what he'd moved toward from the start? All he was to become. How odd, what a strange sense of nostalgia. To die as he had once before, his heart torn away twice. He closed his eyes at the sharp pain that came from his own actions, his own hand moving to tear out his heart as the voice echoed in his head. A wise choice? Perhaps. He vaguely saw it, his own core, now a multitude of colors as he felt himself fading, memories vanishing as he did. Right. So this was his end. How odd. But it didn't hurt so much now, nothing was hurting nearly as much...
Though it was odd, seeing those figures as they called to him, even as all light faded. What was it they were shouting? He... it didn't quite reach him as he felt his eyes close. No. It didn't matter.
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:49 pm
Thean entered the large room. There were seven pedestals. Three were filled with familiar figures. She walked up to each statue in turn and read the plaques carefully. Fog rolls in around her. Something calls. Voices whisper. But from where? She feels it in her soul. It calls from the inside. She feels welcomed into it. The fog is silent. Nothing comes through, no memories, voices, nothing. She sees a door in front of her.
Offer to us your Heart.
She must. She has come to far to go back. She is empowered by the Goddesses. She opens the door and enters another large room. The Goddesses stay the same, except colors have shifted. Her Goddess is now blue and Longing is now purple. What could it mean? The other pedestals are empty, like before. She notices something odd at this time. There are shadows with her. They are like her. Their hearts aglow with warmth. She is emanating that warmth. Thean looks at her heart. It is a mix of colors patterns shapes. It is filled with emotion and.....memories. Suddenly all the memories come rushing back. She gasps at the feeling of all that floods and weaves together. but this isn't right...the Goddesses have taught us differently... but she couldn't care about that. Her memories. And there right there. On the tip, the tip of that precipice. The one thing that would make her fall. She cannot remember though, no matter how she tries...... Now is not the time though. Urgency fills her like a shock of adrenaline. She hears cracks, searing burning eyes.
The sky is blood. No not blood, but so close to it. The moon, the moon is blood, filled with chaos. It inches closer and closer. Thean hears a voice, she feels its malice. It burns into her, she feels what that voice feels, the anger of being torn away from what was rightfully hers. hers to begin with. Hers for eternity. She steps forward. She sees the sky split with green and gold. It weaves together, locked in a eternal battle. She sees clearly now. red is not the fullest. She has a true name, she knows this. But she cannot remember. She is faced with a choice now. She had seen destruction first hand, she felt that it would be a wrong choice. Pride? She had nothing to be proud about nor did she want to be. But the third. Knowledge. That sounded promising. Thean walked towards the crown, overwhelmed by green. She knows what she must do. Offer her heart. She started to grab, instantly regretting. But why couldn't she stop? She felt awful, but return what they gave she must. She heard a terrible ripping, her heart. She pulled it free hearing he had made the right choice. Did she really? Everything fades around her. She hears a name being called in the distance, but it didn't matter.
She entered the room and looked around slowly it was large and wide open the columns and pillars and the seven pedestals. Three statues loomed large and familiar, she approached the first and read the plaque. Her fourth and final trial was near…but how would her fragments be tested? how could she avoid failing? It was a small consolation that she would not be forgotten. Slowly she approached the next statue, Paranoia. She looked down at the plaque and shivered, about the wall she now knew, now understood. Moving on she stopped and read the plaque under Longing, her fragments? her memories? She found it hard to understand, harder still to believe in the love being offered, she didn't feel very loved at this moment. She turned and looked at the other pedestals, empty, waiting, they were waiting for someone to stand up, to fill them.
She turned and blinked at the fog it was back and she shivered, she did not want to relinquish control yet, but someone called. She placed a hand over her heart trying to steady herself moving slowly towards the calling, slowly towards the door. She looked at the inscription.
Offer to us your heart.
She longed to keep it, longed to surrender it, feared this moment, yet she was ready to embrace it to see what lay beyond. She opened the door.
It was quiet, the room was large and wide open the columns and pillars and the seven pedestals. Three statues loomed large and familiar yet different somehow, a shifting of color. She approached slowly and examined the plaques, identical, they wanted her sacrifice. The other pedestals were empty still and as she looked away she noticed the shapes, the figures. She couldn't see the sharper details of them, but she could see their hearts, their power, it pulsed in her vision and filled her with a strange sense of familiarity. These were the hearts that her own had been shared with. She looked down to see her heart pulsing and she almost gasped out a word, not just any word, a name, it caught in her throat and she floundered.
Little? Escape? How did it go?
She opened her mouth struggling to find it, she closed her eyes and tried so hard to remember, but suddenly the floor shook beneath her and red was everywhere even piercing behind her closed lids. A loud crack, smaller crackling noises and suddenly the sky was deep red, the fog was gone. She stared up at the red moon, it was so large, so close, and it moved closer still terrifying, confusing, she didn't understand and it was sucking her in grabbing at her! She heard it then a voice a terrible rasping voice declaring itself.
"I once would have been a Queen. The most beautiful Queen, the Greatest Queen. Yet my throne was torn from me, without mercy, without justice. False kings and prophets, wise children and brave knights will bow to my wrath and crumble until they are no more. I will give you all that you deserve until I, we, become once again, rightfully, a Queen. Your memories we gave to you to create far greater memories. Now, return your Hearts to us in this last and final task."
She moved forward, her heart, her memories, after this final task she would be more, and these weren't hers were they? Yet in that moment two new voices broke through.
"Will you give up so much-
"-when you have experienced so little in return?"
The sky split and suddenly she looked up and saw not just the blinding red, but green and gold brilliant colors breaking through. Branches curled upwards and golden borders formed the outline of a crown the colors clashed. It helped to clear her mind the red being pushed back to give her a little space. Memories, they were there for her and suddenly she remembered…
I am not Nerrisa…
I am not Nerrisa I am…
Yet the memory of her true name was still too far away for her to reach, she struggled to find the memory that would tell her what it was. The sky was quivering, the earth was shifting, morphing, changing, and she knew she had to make a choice. A choice like…oh! The memories were there and with the clear ones came the murky ones, the ones that were memories of memories things that might have happened, things that did happen. She remembered the struggle, the way she had reached out, the green all around, and her loyalty…she knew what to choose.
She had so many questions and so few answers, and so she chose knowledge, she chose creation because it was better to see things made then to see them destroyed. She saw it then the thick greens and the branches the beauty of vines and leaves, and the crown. She reached out towards it and then reached deep inside touching her heart, she knew what had to be done. She wretched it slowly out and gasping with the sensation she tore at it.
Memories flooded her and her vision blurred with tears, finally she yanked and her heart was…was not for her, it was for creation. She stepped forward her steps a little less controlled and she surrendered it.
"You have made the correct choice. This is the end for you, but the beginning for me. Your sacrifice will not be in vain."
The voice was a small comfort, somehow she felt as if…but the memories were trickling away and things were a jumble now. There were voices some happy, angry, sad, she was being shouted at. Why were they shouting? They ran to her shouting and shaking her and screaming something…a name.
Sin Err
She closed her eyes and felt herself fade
OOC
Image Not Available Character name: Nerrisa Character appearance: A shapely grey female figure with a yellow core and long dark grey hair. Link to Heart Log[X] Current HP 30/30 Current weapon equipped N/A (weapons are found in the battle arena!
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:16 pm
The call was hard to resist. But honestly, there was no resisting when the Goddesses called. She tried to scratch at the wall and now here she stood once again. The still statues and empty pedestals. Something deep within called to her, something inside her. She could not place it but it drew her forward. Heading towards the fancy door on the other side of the room.
Upon opening it she entered the same room before, but it's not the same. Subtle differences are easily picked up. The colors more vibrant, less dull. Even still it's quiet.
But that silence is short lived.
Around her familiar shapes. Familiar hearts. She could not place them but she could feel a sense of friendship, or perhaps just an acquaintance. A sudden wave of memories crashed against her shore as the room began to spin. Ganximei could not make heads or tails of anything as images, scents, sounds engulfed her. She felt as if she were going to puke everything was spinning.
A name. What name? Her name? Yes! She could taste it on the tip of her tongue but her brain could not grasp it from the darkness. Ganximei had a name, but the name she went by currently was not her name. She scratched at the wall violently. Take it down, let what was on the other side in.
But then the floor began to tremble, the sky ripped apart as the red moon lifted into the air. It was larger, redder. It had a wicked feel to it and it made her cringe. As that happened more colors split the sky. Gold and green wrestled with the red as it tried to take over everything. A fantastic light show if it did not fill her with such dread.
As gold and green touched the ground, she saw glittering palaces, green foliage and red ruin.A voice split the noise the colors produced. Before she knew it Ganximei was in it's grasp, she struggled to fight it but could not get her body to respond correctly.
Give up her heart? Was this how she would become a goddess? But without her heart....
The choice was soon lain upon her. Red...green...gold....one of these three she must choose. One of these she must give her heart. The gold is what drew her as all other colors began to dull. It was an easy decision, or perhaps she just wanted this whole experience to be over with. She quickly moved towards it, grasping a hand to her chest as she began to rip at her own heart. The pain! It hurt! But she had to do this. She had to choose.
After a bit of a struggle she finally managed to rip it out. Grey spilling from her chest as she could feel the memories and herself slowly slipping away. All her memories, old and new were leaving her. As she offered up her heart, Ganximei slumped lightly to her knees.
OOC
Character name: Ganximei Link to Heart Log:[x][/rul]
Yayoi
Super Sex Symbol
Offline
Nothing Yet Crew
Obsessive Stargazer
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:16 pm
Key picked pride and someone a lot of worlds away picked a nap.
Quote:
Name of Character: Key Special Ability: Bishop's Blessing Species Ability: Demon Current weapon equipped:Simple Reflection
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:23 pm
The room Marati entered was the largest she had seen, and yet it was as familiar as the others had been. The pedestals were there, the plaques under them. As always three had statues, but the other four were blank. The Greyling found herself staring at the empty four with a strange sense of longing, whether it was a fulfilment of a whispered promise or simply to have the answers to the plethora of questions that surrounded them. She read the plaques as she passed them out of curiousity.
Your fourth and final Trial is near. Your fragments will be tested, do not falter. You will not be forgotten.
It was a comforting thought; she didn't want to be forgotten, nor did she want to forget. Both options were terrible.
A wall does not protect, a wall can only buy you time. A wall can only give you what you need to carry on.
Sometimes, all you needed was that little bit of time to recoup, regroup and plan. So long as you didn't fall into the false sense of security that they could bring, there was nothing wrong with having them. Or so she imagined; she couldn't recall ever needed to put a wall between herself and others.
Your fragments, your memories will guide the way. Sacrifice them for us. We love you most.
...Well, it was nice to be loved, at least.
As she wandered she noticed something else; the fog was rolling in, bring a sense of impending doom. Along with it came a voice calling to her, and yet she couldn't pinpoint who it was from, or, more disconcertingly, where it was coming from. It seemed to radiate from herself, but that was impossible, wasn't it?
There was a door ahead of her, and she moved closer towards it as if beckoned, reading the inscription just below it.
Offer us your heart.
Her...heart? Marati found herself looking down at the glowing yellow thing in her chest - no, it wasn't just yellow anymore. It was a swirl of colours and yet, somehow, always yellow. How strange. Could she give her heart? More importantly, did she have a choice? It didn't seem that she did, and it didn't seem she minded the idea. What was a heart anyway?
Marati fearlessly threw open the door to the final room, stepping in to find a quiet room that was suspiciously like the one she had just left, but the changes were obvious from the start. The Goddesses were different now, more pronounced and a couple of them in alternate colours...not only that, but their plaques were different.
Sacrifice yourself for us.
Sacrifice yourself for us.
Sacrifice yourself for us.
If that wasn't ominous, she didn't know what was. A shiver ran through her as she moved through, glancing at the empty pedestals that had yet to be occupied, and then realizing, however slowly, that she wasn't alone. There were others here with her, separate from the fog and yet a part of it. Ones that she recognized and remembered, and ones that made her heart's colours twist and glow brightly. Memories, these were the beings that came from the memories, the very same creatures that had created them with her. There were more, she could see them. Just out of reach, and something that she felt, in one shocking moment, should have been hers. Could have been hers, too.
A name tried to come to the surface, but just before it formed in her mind it faded, leaving a gap in her thoughts that couldn't be explained away. Yet another thing at the tip of her tongue, so close to being known and yet so evasive... A loud crack broke her free of her thoughts and yearnings, making her turn with a shocked stare at the sky. It was red, a bright, vibrant red; it hadn't been that way before...right? She wasn't imagining this? The voice tore through her consciousness, silencing any thoughts of memories or names and replacing them with the razor-sharp words and threats. It was a malice she had never heard before, and she couldn't even plead for it to be over...
It faded with an urging promise, and Marati found her feet taking her forward, automatic and obvious, towards an epiphany that who she thought she was, was in fact a farce. Marati was not who she was, and yet...she couldn't produce an answer to the obvious question of 'Well, if not her, then who?'. A shrine opened up in front of her, and she found herself faced once more with a terrible, terrible choice.
Destruction, Pride, and Creation. Each vied for her attention, and each seemed promising in their own way. One kept drawing her gaze no matter where she looked, and so to her, the choice was obvious. She chose Destruction. The scene around her cracked and broke, weathering and fading until everything was in Ruin, both in form and place. There is a crown waiting for her, and she finds her hand pressing against her chest, over her glowing heart.
A part of her screams against this, thrashing against the cage of her memories and begging for her to stop. No, it says - This is wrong, and you know it! Wake up, WAKE UP! - and yet she continued on pressing her fingers into her chest. The internal struggle began to break the form that made up 'her', loosening memories and experiences with each shift of thin, pointed fingers. It hurt, at least she was vaguely aware of the pain, and yet she didn't seem to outwardly care. With one final tug her heart tore free, and for one final moment she looked down at the pulsing thing, the fragile little piece of her that meant so much despite it's minute size.
How Strange, she thought as she took one step, then two, and finally a third to the shrine. Her gaze never left the fluttering core as she offered it up, until the end. She heard someone screaming for her, a name she knew was hers. No...it wasn't one person, it was many people. They were trying to talk to her, to convince her otherwise, and worse they were reaching for her like they were trying to save her from something terrible. She found herself giving them a baffled stare, looking through them as opposed to at them.
One of the figures had their hands on her upper arms, shaking her...but she was too far gone. Her eyes closed, and she faded away as easily as she had come to this life.
There was a light, hesitant smile on her face as Theia stepped into the Shrine. She'd... hung back. Stayed in the cracks. Enjoyed battles, but didn't... move on. She'd been content.
Standing among the pillars and pedestals, she smiled to see the goddesses. Trials? Buying time? Guides? Sounded like trouble was brewing. She let out a gust of a sigh, hands on hips as she pursed her lips. "...guess I can't keep hiding then, can I?" Not even she could ignore the calling now. That force that pulled her towards yet another door.
Offer to us your Heart.
Her smile was soft still, though the edges were strained. She stepped through alright. But every nerve in her body wished she could just... stay.
The silence bothered her for only a moment--the other figures in the room relieved her. She searched, instantly, for one particular figure. Searched for another specific red core. She'd already taken in what the goddess had to say: Sacrifice yourself for us. Could she at least see him one more time? If she could at least have that, she'd be willing to make that final leap.
And she got that chance. He was ahead of her. Past the burning red that scorched her eyes and made her cringe. Past the trembling grounds. Past the glimpses of him--brother--she spotted him. "Andie!" Her voice carried barely further than her nose. She didn't care about some voice booming in her skull about being Queen--even if it was fused into her, alive in her, killing her--and she ran forward.
Oh she paused all right, when the green and gold began to spiral down above her, around her. She watched in awe as foliage bloomed into life. Her wings twitched and ruffled. An echo whispered at the edge of her mind. Something that did not want her to follow him. That hissed, scorched, and stood as stone. Theia no longer felt like Theia. But she had no name for what she did feel like.
She pushed that smile onto her lips as she pushed her feet forward. towards the foliage. Towards the green. Towards life-- and knowledge? Hearing that sweet voice in her mind, she felt her body relax.
"Choose Creation, and you will obtain greater knowledge."
Knowledge was power. Something whispered that to her, and she accepted the logic. She felt at home amongst the greenery. Vines and trees made her body hum. Her hand was pressed to her chest. Peace.
The peace didn't last long.
Ripping through metal and cloth and flesh was not an easy task. But she pushed, pressed, clawed, and finally.... she offered the warmth towards Creation. Pieces of her shattered, faded, melted into the abyss. Everything that formed her--was it really so little?--was lost to her and became nothing. Someone was shouting the name of what she felt. The name she couldn't place. Could almost hear. Could just barely grasp. If she just took that last step--
Her eyes slipped close. And Theia fell.
OOC
Character name: Theia Anca Character appearance: A slender figure with a red core. Feathered wings hang low at her back. Link to Heart LogHere Current HP 40/40 Current weapon equipped Simple Pride
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:39 pm
Quote:
He recognized her.
"Ah...Rostym?" said Agile, giving her a slightly hesitant smile, almost as though he were shy to see her. "And..." he squinted at the one with her, a look of bemusement on his face. She seemed...oddly familiar, and yet he had the distinct impression that he had not seen her here before.
He glanced towards the gold door.
"I think we should be going, don't you?" he said, and took a step towards it, one hand pressed over his chest, fingers gently digging into him as though he were reaching for something.
The other stretched back towards Rostym; an invitation, should she wish to join him.
[ Pride ]
OOC
Character name: "Agile" Character appearance: Greyed out version of himself (minus the gun). Link to Heart Log:♥
Ol-j-man
Nyxtsuki Moon
kuropeco
Dramatic Marshmallow
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Raja
Kawaii Shoujo
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:49 pm
Mylisp's pace as even as she strode into the shrine, eyes curiously roving along the building. Curious, it was so quiet even as she moved along. The statues greeted her as she reached the end. A final task? The tapped a finger against her lips as she peered at the plaques curiously, looking between the three. It was kind of odd, that they hadn't come to see them for something so important. But if the goddesses were asking, it was best to do it. The toyed with a few flecks of hair before tossing it back over her should. "I can finish it, whatever it is they want." She chimed lightly, standing at her full height again just as the fog began to roll in.
A strange, welcoming... yet frighteningly quiet thing. She stared only a moment before she noticed it. The door. Calling her, drawing her to it. It was an interesting sensation of being pulled as she moved forward. Staring at the door a moment. "My heart... huh?" She murmured, frowning a moment. Her core? That was an odd request. "Didn't the shadow take it once already?" Was this to be the same? She shrugged slightly at that point before pushing the door open. It was easier not to worry about it. She had to do it one way or another, the goddesses asked it.
And they loved them most. They wouldn't do something so terrible.
Though as she moved on, it seemed the message remained. A sacrifice was to be made. Such was what everyone saw, all of the figures gathered together in the end as she looked between the shadows. Each their own unique color at this point, how as well a variety of shades as she toyed with it. Briefly pressing a finger over the glow from within. It was then she began to recall, still unclear, jumbled in a mess, the things she'd seen. PEople, smiling, horrors... all of it. How confusing. They said things she couldn't truly comprehend as she stood there, listening as the goddesses spoke.
Incomplete? Running? She... was she doing that? She wasn't sure really. Even so, the more she thought about it, the more confusing it became. It would have been so much easier to leave things be. Or so she thought, hoped. Until the world seemed to tear itself apart. She flinched at the crack, shifting to keep her balance as she looked around confused. Everything was now bathed in red, the moon bearing down on the gathered group as it spoke, ever inching closer. Yet eve as she felt herself being drawn to it, to her own destruction. To being no more than an instrument of revenge, it seemed hope still lived. To some small degree.
Voices, new ones calling out as color flourished in the heavens above, then began to work on ground below. It was no longer merely red that dominated her vision, be green and gold now. Mylisp watched, looking about as it spread in a frankenstein mixture of the three contrasting themes. Then, even then she was given a choice. A choice of her own demise.
What did she desire? Pride? Destruction? Knowledge? None of them seemed that important. None of them so pressing that she wished to die for it. But a choice was to be made. She didn't care about being remembered or hurting anyone. So knowledge was enough. To understand why those memories were familiar, yet so foreign. That would be enough, wouldn't it?
She stepped toward the greenery at that point, making her way among the plants as the other offerings faded away. Her own hand betraed her, moving to her chest as the voice whispered to her. Whispered of her making the best, the wisest choice. Perhaps. She wouldn't know. It said it itself, that this was the end for her. So even as her hang tore her heart, it's multitude of colors mixed from her chest, she couldn't really wonder much. Maybe those answers would never come, it seemed that was her her memories slowly faded away, a few last images flashing in her eyes as they did.
They were shouting something, something different than what she was. It was hard to make out... but... that was right. She had been someone else at some point, perhaps that was who they called for. It was hard to say. Hard to know. All she knew was that she was fading away. Slowly... surely. Into a darkness. It was alright though. She'd helped.
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:56 pm
He stared at the moon in wide-mouthed horror as the blood red eye in the sky gave way to green vines, golden metallic ornamentation and a pointed red crown that toiled and consumed the sky around him. He could feel the energy in the atmosphere almost cracking with discontent-- threatening to tear the sky apart. He watched as the plain pillared room gave way to wide expanse of land, and develop in to a ring of 3 distinct landscapes: a jungle-like temple entwined in vines and foliage, a shining golden palace with towers reaching for the sky, and lastly, a series of grey dilapidated buildings, reminiscent of the devastated region he found himself in when he first awoke in this world.
Stepping forward into the ring he knew he had a choice to make, but he had to listen to the voice inside himself to choose.
He remembered the plaque’s words: “Your fragments, your memories will guide the way. Sacrifice them for us. We love you most. “
"Sacrifice your heart to Us"
Stepping toward the vine covered temple he felt a great burning in his chest, his heart churning and swirling with memories and…life.
The temple spoke to him from within, " Choose Creation, and you will obtain greater knowledge". Looking to his left and right he could see the grey misery cloaked buildings of Destruction and the cold metallic glare of the golden castle's gates of Pride in the distance. He felt no pull toward either of the lands, only the one in front of him. It felt real, it felt …natural. Stepping closer he approached the entrance to the temple and a sense of knowing stirred inside him. His name, Nicheas, was not his true name but as he searched is heart, his memories for answers he found only chaos. Maybe he had not sacrificed enough, maybe, he thought, there was one final choice to make. Pulling back the thick vines he felt an opening and pushed inside...
The door to freedom, the door to creation.
Through the door he is consumed by vines and leaves and greenery. Placing his hand onto his heart he knew what he must do, and sunk his fist around the swirling glowing orb --the only living aspect of his existence. Ripping the heart out against a crackling defying force the pain of memories and experiences flash before him in an instant--so few there were to cherish. With one final forceful tug he rips the glowing mass from all ties with his physical form and slowly…hollowly steps forward to place it before it's new keeper.
"You have made the correct choice. This is the end for you, but the beginning for me. Your sacrifice will not be in vain."
Staring into the hovering, pulsating, detached heart his memories and feelings slip gradually away into the cocoon of vegetation--when he hears a name. Someone calling a name. The voice is not his, he barely knows it belongs to someone he once knew-- but the name they speak rings loudly in his ears and it is the first real true sense of belonging he has felt for all his time here. Closing his eyes he felt all uncertainty slip away. Whether right or wrong he suddenly felt there was only one choice to have been made and his fate was the same from the very beginning.
All that remained was the fragments of memories gone by, drifting, one by one into the abyss.
OOC
Character Name: Nicheas Character Appearance: A patchwork of grays and darker grays , wherein lies a glowing blue heart Link to Heart Log: LINK Current HP: 30/30 Current Weapon Equipped: N/A
Paynes Gray
Tipsy Flatterer
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Seiana_ZI
Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:59 pm
Zanna had not once become ... embittered the way others had seemed to.
She felt like she was doing exactly what she needed to do.
She was a Candidate, after all. It was her job to serve the Goddesses and please them, doing as they wish to elevate herself. One day, she would become like then, and then she could return the good will of becoming like them in droves, helping everyone she could and making even the most desolate places off on the World's End a ... pleasant place to live. She would cure the Anguish. That was her goal, was it not?
She returned to the shrine as obediently as ever, observing the changes carefully. None of the goddesses seemed to be present to greet her, this time. There were only statues, all three of which appeared to have different plaques this time. Wishing to know what the Goddesses had to tell her, Zanna walked over, reading each one one at a time, taking in the advice of the Goddess of Ruin, and the warning of caution given by the Goddess of Paranoia.
Yes, it seemed it was about time for her final task. She was going to prove that she deserved to sit with ... --
Sacrifice? She needed to sacrifice again?
Zanna faltered, for a moment, but knew she had to be resolute. She advanced to the door, walking through the fog that gathered around her. She used to be part of that fog, but no longer. Now, she was there. It was quiet, here. It was peaceful. She traced her hand over the door, pondering briefly over the shape, before reading the inscription.
Offer to us your heart.
It was too late to turn back, and Zanna knew inside her that she had to advance. Internally, she screamed, not wanting to go just yet. Had she failed? Why did she need to sacrifice her very being?! Why was this room so different? The goddesses had shifted, and their colors were not the same. Her blue did not match the color of paranoia previously. The plaques looked different again, too. Advancing, despite the fear that was tearing at her heart, Zanna read all three.
Sacrifice yourself for us
For them? Was she to make them more powerful? Her eyes lifted from the plaques, looking around frantically for some kind of answer. She did not find it, only others just like her, shadows in the fog with hearts that glowed. They were glowing many different colors, swirling inside them... swirling inside her. Despite the terror that may be occurring soon, Zanna felt the wash of memories returning to her head. An argument with a lover she had lost, the thoughts of a brother she once had, the entrance into a world she did not understand... Did she have to give that up?
The crack made her jump, and Zanna could only stare as the moon inched closer and closer, leaving her shaking and wide-eyed. She should not let herself show fear, but the malice she felt coming from the red moon was unlike anything she could recall feeling, and it immediately repelled her. She did not care if this woman, this Queen, had lost what had belonged to her. There were better ways to go about getting it back than using pawns and making them think they were worth something. What about all the others, she had met? Did they face the same fate as she?
When the world broke open, the tense feeling that Zanna felt began to melt away, even if the dread she felt was still there. There were other options, it seemed. There was a throne in a hallway in a distant castle, promising her that she would always be remembered, the same thing that Ruin herself had once claimed. There was a forest of ... creation, they said it was. To create. To foster. The choice seemed clear to Zanna before she even put another thought into it.
With determination, she got up and set off in the direction of Creation watching as the colors all around her began to fade into the forest.
Even though she was determined to do this, every moment hurt, from the moment she stuck her hand in her chest to the moments after her heart was set on the throne.
"I would be happy to help a fellow sister of Death."
"I did it!"
Zanna Kosa was not her name. She knew it was not her name. Her name was--
OOC
Character name: Zanna Kosa Character appearance: Grey toned, humanoid with a blue heart. Wearing a colorless pendant. Link to Heart Log[X] Current HP 35/40 Current Attack 2d8-6 Current weapon equipped Simple Grief Special Ability Rook's Ambition: You may select three turns in which you do not take auto damage from the opponent per battle encounter. [one two three] Species AbilityDeath Horsemen: If you miss with the attack dice, you can reroll again without penalty. Once you equip a weapon this is invalid.
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:03 pm
Rostym pulled at her hair a little self-consciously. "I guess you're right," she told Vaneda with a soft laugh. "I blame Longing's blessing . . . Oh! Um, Vaneda, Agile; Agile, Vaneda." It was important to make sure they knew each other, because they were at world's end after all.
Those three words felt funny. Like they belonged somewhere in her little shadowy brain.
She was hesitant to hear his response, though, because while she knew they had to go, she also didn't want to . . . Did they have to keep sacrificing? Did they always have to give more? It was frightening, because instead of just bits and pieces, the goddesses wanted all of them. What if they didn't come back?
Rostym paused just a little bit more, mind whirling with just returned memories and odd feelings, and then took Agile's hand, reinforcing her grip on Vaneda's at the same time. Wherever they were going, if i meant separate paths or not, she needed to know they had contact before the fall. Or the rise.
Or the disappearance.
"Thank you," she found herself saying with a little smile, though she didn't know what for. Maybe it was too vague or too big or too small for words to identify.
She would take her heart in a moment. For now, the little shadow closed her eyes and thought on her decision, and the humdrum of her mind began to die down. Her memories had been such painful ones . . . and there was such a disconnect. Here she was a predator, someone who had been lucky enough to be successful in all of her tasks. Not lucky, no, skillful. And yet she was rewarded time and time again with the sight of a broken little girl.
What she didn't need was power, because she knew she already had it in her--maybe the potential for more. And what she didn't need was knowledge, because in a way she knew and in a way she didn't know, and in yet another way she didn't want to know; maybe it would only make things worse rather than better.
What Rostym felt she needed, however, was a sense of pride: to not be forgotten resonated almost painfully with her. If others knew her name and what she did, she would live on even if she faded into darkness . . . And that was more powerful than any amount of creation or destruction.
She squeezed their hands tightly, however, and felt small as ever as the green and red were chased away, as she found herself walking slowly down a marble hallway, to an impossibly glittering throne.
At least the white here didn't offend. At least here she wasn't pursued and felt, if for a moment, safe.
OOC
Character name: Rostym Character appearance: Shortish waif of a gray girl with a multicolor core and a blue pendant Link to Heart LogHere Current HP 50/50 Current weapon equipped Agony’s Twin (2d10-6, can reroll one missed attack per battle)
Nyxtsuki Moon
kurotomato
medigel
Anxious Spirit
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revenant aria
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Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:10 pm
Eyasa stared forlornly at the goddess. She didn't remember what she sacrificed, only knowing she had gone to the altar, seemingly, countless times. They whispered, she answered. But she could only feel an endless tiredness.. and the last thing she had left, a heart. The only thing she could give up, for equal value.
So she went in.
When she opened the door, she stoop a few uneasy steps. Several goddesses stood before her, hitting her all at once. The memories seemed to penetrate deeply within her heart, clasping her hands to her head in a painful fashion. And then her world was clouded in red--
Character name: Ganximei
