Welcome to Gaia! ::

Batrias stood in a field of white flowers. He was knee-deep in the petals that shifted in a breeze to his left. He looked to his right, and the breeze came from his right. He was aware that there was someone else with him, someone whose voice he could hear, and whose face he could not see.

Batrias, I have brought you here to understand. This is the other side of existence. It is not the afterlife, for none such as I have been granted the privelege to look beyond death. I am only a messenger, one whose has seen the world- your world- end and begin many times. I have perceived the cycle your planet is caught up in, and I bring you here to arm with the knowledge to end the cycle.

Do you mean about the repeating events?

I do. This does not occur naturally in nature. Time flows one way, it is like a stream whose course cannot be changed. However, you can change its shape. There are already events set in motion for those warriors whom I have selected, whether they know of it or not, to change the shape of the river of time. It is my hope that by doing this we may avert the repeated catastrophes your world suffers under. You, Batrias, are the keystone to all of this.

The voice, which spoke from nowhere, grew closer, Batrias thought. He looked around, trying to figure out who was speaking to him.

Explain to me how there are others who are trying to change things.

You must first understand that I see time for the whole. I do not see one bend in the river; instead, they all appear to me. There is one called Dani from what you know of as the year twenty thirty-five, who has gone into the past. I have attached a unique object to her. She bears one end of the tunnel of time, which spans over five thousand years of your history. The best way to explain it would be to say it is a wormhole, or a shortcut. By using this tunnel, visiting other eras becomes possible. I did not anticipate Dani following you into what you think of as the past, but, when she did, I did not miss my opportunity. I foresaw that another might use the tunnel to travel as well. It appears I was not mistaken.

And what is my role in all of this?

You are uniquely equipped, Batrias of Holy, with an armor that understands revenge. You may forget injuries, but your armor does not. Your armor understands how to redress old wounds given to you. This is why you are needed. Your conscious mind does not comprehend how your have been assaulted, but your armor does. Another force, one in your world, has negatively affected you, causing you to lose your reason. Your armor, in an attempt to protect you, drove you to stab yourself. I do not know why, but your armor knew that I would bring you here and tell you this.

The flowers shifted, as the breeze seemed to come from above, rather than to the side. Batrias looked up, and saw the same nothing as before.

I am to trust in my armor, then?

You are to trust in the instincts you have that you do not understand. Your conscious mind is not advanced enough to perceive what you armor already knows. Your armor will tell you what needs to be done. It is only up to you to do it.

Tell me about this force, this thing that has assaulted me, you said.

I can only tell you that if you are true to the nature of your armor, it will seek out its revenge. It will lead you to who you need to destroy.

Batrias suddenly had an idea. Why is it that I am to trust you, even though I cannot see you?

If you will only believe with your eyes, then...

Something materialized above Batrias. He saw wispy, grey robes. The face of a woman, half of it which appeared to have been eaten away by acid. The woman's left eye socket was empty, and her right eye stared directly through Batrias, as he stared directly through her.

I know who you are.

Suddenly, Lynn's eyes opened wide. "Why didn't I think of this before? Stupid distractions..." she murmered under her breath. She pulled a small bottle filled with liquid out of her pocket. She poured a few drops of its contents on Batrias's face. "Hopefully that'll wake him up." she grunted. "Chamoka...? What are you doing?"

Lynn grinned a very cheesy grin. She looked similar to the Cheshire cat the way she was grinning. "A little something I got from some stupid store one of my clients took me to." She looked down at Batrias. "Any minute now, old man." Only then did she look at the label. " 'Warning: Do not use on badly maimed men unless you want them to wake up, bleed on your nice and shiny shoes, and act cranky.' Oi. Now he's going to be all grumpy when he wakes up!" gonk "That's what I get for going to a shop called 'Ye Olde Shoppe of Strange and Foreign Medicinal Herbs/Liquids.'" she groaned.

"Stupid specificness." Lynn groaned. Suddenly, she sneezed on Chamoka. "Sorry, Chammy." gonk