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 Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 6:12 pm
{ ATE : The Broker ~ Case of the Researcher : 3 }
{ The Broker : Realm of Darkness : Cragged Path } "Look around you," they said, somberly lifting their arms and gesturing to the scenery. "You walk the path of a broken world. From here there are only greater depths of darkness, steeper spirals descending..."They paused. "And all sorts of other tainted things, metaphorical and literal," they finished, sounding much more casual than before, their stance less rigid. "But you know how it goes; careful what you wish for, if you seek darkness you often find it, et cetera et cetera."They crossed their arms. "So, my turn. Do you enjoy the idea of being groomed to become another vessel for the Dark Will and Xehanort?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 8:52 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 2 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } Where, was the first question that rose to their mind. They stared around at the endless expanse of drifting grassland with some level of astonishment. As memories slowly drifted back to them, their next question arose. Why were they here, wherever here was? Those memories were... hazy, yet clear. No real answer but hypotheses based on overwhelming evidence. He was... dead? Ah, he... yes, he was killed. The results of compounding circumstance. Games of mortals amidst the machinations of gods. Mateus, that abhorrent creature raised to deification. The goddess, that pathetic woman more ancient than her name could survive. And he... but... Who was he? A name rested close enough to the surface, but it held no meaning... he reached back, but grasped at only smokey strings. Slipping between the fingers of his mind. A childhood that should have been clear as day, murky and dull. Parent's faces that seemed more akin to strangers than to family. A home that seemed as familiar as a placed he'd visited only in passing. This wasn't normal... What happened? He'd been there, he'd held his fate out to those who would judge him. He should have... it should have been enough... and yet. This wasn't quite the afterlife he imagined. His bare toes dug into the paved dirt, testing the feel, course yet soft, welcoming. He breathed in deep, the smell of grass, of earth, of fresh air that felt a millennia departed from his memory, how long had it been since he'd been outside... free of his demons. At last, the first step. The first in what looked to be a long, endless path starting both figuratively and literally, here. Wherever here was...
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 9:58 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 3 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } Then the second step. Then the third, and the fourth.
As the young man walked down the beaten path, none of his questions received answers, but the memories rang clearer; the various shattered pieces of his heart, what bits of others they experienced, what Scion schemes went into keeping those parts separate from the stronger whole...
In retrospect, with a tapestry complete, the twisted life of lies he'd been led to lead was...
Before he knew it, he'd come to a crossroads. The beaten path was suddenly uncertain, less traveled, and three different forks presented themselves. And there, at the center, was an individual garbed in a long, flowing cloak, their face obscured by the drooping hood; the fabric was held around their chest by a silver clasp of simplistic design, an upside down triangle with lines from each point meeting in the center. Their limbs, and most everything about them, was obscured by this cover."And so he walks again," they said, tone neutral, if somewhat curious. "But do you have a destination in mind?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 10:10 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 4 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } Destination? He wasn't aware there was a destination. Where was he going? Had he planned to walk along this path endlessly? All thought of destination, thought of going anywhere had been expunged long before he'd arrived of this solitary plane. He'd thought to die. Thought it was over, with that final act, his part in everything was done. Now with this simple question he was forced to imagine where he wanted to go after and his mouth seemingly answered before his mind had made itself up, "I don't suppose hell has any vacancies?"And there it was, his answer and his voice. There's been no reason to speak. No one to hear it but him. It seemed strange to hear it so now, on this path, separate, instinctual, and lonely.
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 10:31 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 5 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } "Rather many, I'd imagine, but filling up more by the day," they said, unmoving, expression unseen, though he might imagine there to have been some hint of a smile at their tone. "Is that where you'd like to go," they asked, "or simply where you think you ought to head?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 10:37 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 6 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } "I don't know," he stated staunchly, "I'm done making blind judgments.""If I'm to burn or freeze in hell, I've done more than enough to deserve it. Yet, somehow I think whether or not I want to go there is of little consequence to who or whatever makes that decision, so I don't care either way."
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 10:45 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 7 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } "Hmm."They stood in silence, as if counting seconds. "Whether to ease or trouble you, I suppose you should know, you're not dead," they finally said. "Technically."
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:00 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 8 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } "Technically," he echoed, but added no more.
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:09 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 9 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } "Would you like to return to the realm of the living?" they asked, slightly tilting their head, showing motion for the first time. "Your existence here is too young to have produced a soul strong enough to slip into the afterlife, I'd imagine. Though perhaps pure oblivion suits your whims?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:25 pm
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 10 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } There was a long, uninterrupted silence then as the question tumbled about in his head. He considered both options. At first he leaned towards oblivion, after all, did he deserve life after taking many? Then he remembered his final words. How he'd pitifully feared death and cried like a child in the face of it, how he regretted everything he'd done under Mateus' corruption. "Fine." he shook his head and crossed his arms over his bare chest, "If you're telling me there's a way to live, then so be it."
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 12:26 am
{ ATE : On the Path of Resolution : 11 }
{ ??? : ??? : ??? } The other regarded him with silence once again, though the air hung differently, tense, uncertain. "You think me playing some game with you? I was uncertain how to approach you," they wondered, some combination of confused and amused. "I shall bare it plain: you are on the brink of awakening. This version of you--that is, the you that you remember--did cease to exist after the events of that battle. Another version of you--the true "you" of your homeworld, before the Corruption touched your heart--was reborn some time later, lacking any and all recollection of the events that have transpired since the Fall of Earth.""And so it comes to be that another seeks to pay a perceived debt. Your memories were pulled from the ashes and sewn back together in order to give your you life, free of taint and enslavement," they continued. "However, as the original you now exists, those memories would have made you unstable, your new heart collapsing into... well, oblivion. So they were pulled away, left for your perusal but otherwise no longer... yours.""And thus you find yourself here. Forward lies the path to reality; should you take it, you shall wake, and our conversation here will be as foggy as a fading dream," they explained, softly stepping aside so that he could pass if he desired. "Or, if you feel you are done with this world and do not wish to risk its trials again, you can turn around and return to the oblivion from whence you were brought. Your heart will collapse before you can fully become, and your story ends.""However, I must bid you be wary," they continued, their voice growing somewhat more somber than before. "The world is changing, and the players are changing with it. Your old allies may yet be enemies, and your old enemies may seek you as their ally. In particular, the one who seeks your awakening is exceptionally driven to loathing the dark forces. Return to the shadows' embrace at your own peril."
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 9:26 pm
{ATE: Good Friend Captain Morgan .:. 31}
{Bobbi .:. Mirage Arena .:. Second Floor Halls} "And miss a chance to watch these weirdos get drunk off their asses?" Bobbi laughed in response to Carbuncle's question. "You bet I'm coming!"((OoC: One day I'll settle on a hex code I like))
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phoenixianCrystallist Crew
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 1:40 am
{ ATE : The Broker ~ Case of the Researcher : 4 }
{ Kai : Realm of Darkness : Cragged Path}
“I feel no enjoyment in anything- since the moment of my inception- but you sound like you already knew that. So why the question?” instead of waiting for an answer- the artist continued-
“Because this is usually the moment when a less cognizant being might plea for information from the mysterious figure, making some fool hearty decision based on what the figure answers.” She turned to look beyond the cloaked being, eyes distant and thinking- as if she could ‘see’ the spirals and depths beyond it spoke of.
“…a creature like me should expect as much to be some pawn in another schemers game. And so a supposed 3rd party appears. “ A flick of the wrist,- a snap of a spine and her sketchbook was aloft, though no attack came forthwith- just a jotting of notes. Copying the visage before her.
“It seems for now I am resigned to walk this path until such time this ‘tool’ is fit to find other ways. Still, call it lack of integrity for better judgment- “ she asked, “what brings a speaker of the obvious to cross my loathsome journey? What is the Dark Will? And is this Xehanort the same thing I see in my copy paste of a memory?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 1:44 am
{ATE: Good Friend Captain Morgan .:. 32}
{Kyla .:. Mirage Arena .:. Second Floor Halls}
Then it was settled, Carbuncle took off with an excited bounce after her partner who followed suit, holding her sketchbook to herself. It seemed she was rarely without it out- like a security blanket-
-or maybe she was just THAT busy or engrossed in her research.
Kyal followed back where the supposed 'festivities would take place down stairs, smiling back at Bobbi as her summoned caught up with her and leaped to her shoulder.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 11:06 am
{ ATE : The Broker ~ Case of the Researcher : 5 }
{ The Broker : Realm of Darkness : Cragged Path } As she cracked open her book to begin recording information, she would find that any attempt at tracing the figure was... difficult. It wasn't impossible by any means, but information was noticeably sparse. No name. No statistics. She might have had a feeling that a full and proper scanning spell would turn up more. "The Dark Will is really just some pompous name for the Darkness. Like... the whole hiveminded entity thing," they said, gesturing vaguely in the air as if to encompass some collection of issues. "Xehanort called it the Great Will... no, Black Will. Whoops. Anyway, they're the ones pulling Xehanort's strings, and all of his fiendish allies, such as Sephiroth, Kefka, Ultimicia, et cetera et cetera..."They had lifted up their hand to start counting off by extending fingers, but after a pause of looking at their hand and messing with a finger, they snapped back to attention. "And if your second question was a peculiarly worded way of asking 'Is the real Xehanort the same thing as what you've seen back home', then basically yes, with a twist of no," they explained. "Still overzealous, but a bit more knowledgeable. Seems like his memory's returned.""If you're under some self-aggrandized impression that I've underestimated you and expect you to just take anything I say for granted, don't worry too much about it," they said, leaning against a nearby stone outcropping. "You're a half-heart, in the realm of darkness, and I'm a shadowy figure literally obstructing your path, and at my very presence your innate link to the 'Black Will' or the Big Bad Darkness, whatever, was suppressed. Of course you don't trust me."There was a pause. "Oh, and uh, if you're wondering why you feel suddenly different again, that's why," they said, lifting their hand lazily. "I don't like unwitting spies feeding information to my least favorite friends."
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