Welcome to Gaia! ::

Oscuro did a double-take upon realizing that she's hearing another voice in the void she conjured, aside from the whispers of the souls she's examining. Making a small part in the cloud of souls around her, she stared at him with a sharply raised eyebrow. "How the hell did you slip past the filter?! The ritual usually shuts out everything!" She did another perplexed expression at herself upon realizing that the void and the souls weren't disappearing either. "For that matter, how is this also not breaking my concentration?!" e_Ó

After a sigh, she continued, "Isn't it obvious from the incantation? We haven't gone anywhere. The darkness has obscured everything else from my—well...your senses too, somehow...so that all we could see are what we couldn't before. That is, all these souls in their purest form." Returning her attention to the cluster, she swept her glance around and mumbled, "Hrm. Quite a load here, I gotta sort them out faster..." She continued to wave away a great many that were not suited for her tastes, and popped a couple that were into her mouth.

Oscuro turned her stare back to Rhone for a moment with a rather serious expression. "It's Azriel, I guess...of the three of us, she's the most soft. A word of warning, though. You breach that and...you're not gonna be facing me, but Chiaro. And I'm not joking around when I say she's a horrifying sight at her worst."

Azriel quietly twiddled her fingers and stared at the floor of her mindspace a little nervously as she remembered such instances she had seen in Chiaro and Oscuro's memories. Chiaro merely kept a stoic expression and an intent stare on Rhone through the eye-shaped windows and narrowed her eyes.

Oscuro played with a soul in her fingers as she started to explain. "Anyway. You ever heard about the Seven Deadly Sins? Yeah, yeah...it kinda comes off as religious propaganda, but there is something solid in the lore. Each sin is associated with a color. Green is associated with Envy; gold with Greed, a deep magenta with Lust, purple with Pride, red with Wrath, blue with Sloth, and orange with Gluttony.

The deeper the color, the more prominent such sin was in their lives, and the more grave their crimes. Likewise, lighter variants mean the opposite, and it means they deserve more of another chance. Some seems to be a mixture of the colors I mentioned—that means two sins were equally prominent in their lives. Three or more, and the souls are varying shades of black. Like this one right here!" She held up the soul she was toying with to Rhone's eye level, grinning. It could clearly be seen as a deep black. "This one's five outta seven! The ones he hasn't got are Sloth and Gluttony."

If Rhone would stare at the soul as intently as Oscuro, he could start hearing a malicious whisper. "Ha ha ha. Do your worst. I'll sooner throw myself into Hell before admitting I had a regret in my life."

"More like lives, buddy. Six cycles of reincarnation doing the same things. You've become especially delectable." With that, she stuffed it whole into her mouth with a pleased expression.

Oscuro scoffed. "What, you think I can't hear that? Who did you think I was talking to for a bit, there?" ;P She held her hand out before her, summoning the souls Rhone indicated closer. "Hahahah! The lusty ones are a riot, aren't they?" And with the following remark, her tone went a little more serious. "And that's all a dead giveaway. That they can say these things with pride and without hesitation and regret. But if there is even the slightest bit of remorse, it would be their saving grace."

Now, she began to wave away the rest of the soul cluster to release them, leaving only her comparatively small collection close by. "Bleh, I gotta wrap this up. Must be pretty damn close to sun-up now." Looking up to the souls that were fluttering away, she continued, "Whoever's got the luck to escape me this time...don't hold your breath. I'll be back someday; you can count on it." ;D Then, with a few motions of her fingers, she made the souls she kept align into a single-file, curvy line. She then proceeded to slurp them all in like a long noodle. After swallowing, she patted her stomach and made a content sigh. "Ahhhh....I've had better sessions, but at least I'm satisfied."

Oscuro was about to end the soul collection ritual, but she noticed a single white wisp that had stayed behind. It was also slowly floating toward her of its own accord. Noticing how small of a flame it appeared to be, she remarked concernedly, "Your persistence to remain in this world is threatening to wear you down to nothing....how long have you stuck around, and why? Who...."

When the little soul was quite close to Oscuro, she quietly stared at it for a few seconds...then her eyes practically popped wide in shock as she did a double-take, accompanied by a shrill gasp that left a gape in her mouth. Then suddenly...tears were streaming down her face. "I-It can't...! Is it...is it really...?!" She couldn't finish her sentences because she was starting to get all choked up. She gritted her teeth, fighting back sobs but still letting sharp whimpers escape. And she started to look weak in the knees.

In the mindspace, Chiaro remained quiet, but she also had an expression of sheer shock of her own. She was starting to cry as well, but more silently than Oscuro. The familiarity that her dark counterpart was feeling was reaching her as well.

"...Chiaro? ...Oscuro? Wh-what's going on?"

Azriel made the most confused noise at Rhone's insinuations. "Ehhhhhhhhhh??" OAo

Oscuro kind of just glossed over Rhone's remark, lost in her overwhelming emotions. "Fffff...four thousand years...it's been over four thousand years... I-I can't believe it's really you...m...m...Master Eloysio!" After shouting out his name, she dropped to her knees, unable anymore to contain her sobbing. She cried the kind of cry a lost child would make when they've finally found their parent.

It was now Azriel's turn to express surprise, her eyes widening even more. "Master?"

"Master Eloysio Donovan....our creator!"

Gasping, Azriel turned her stare back out the eye-shaped "windows" of her mindspace to watch things unfold.

In that moment, the soul began to project the image of his true physical form, like a hologram. He appeared to be a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man in his mid-30s, though his pointed ears were a sign of being of the Elven race, and he was just a little shorter than Rhone. He was also dressed quite fancy, donning a white cravat and a twin-tailed coat of a dark yellow ochre shade with brown trim. Beneath that, a matching brown vest and slacks set, and plain black shoes.

"Well...it is only polite to let Oscuro finish her meal, is it not?" he replied, smiling solemnly. His voice sounded rather airy, like it was distant.

Eloysio drifted to be even closer to the dark woman, to put his arms around her head. She proceeded to rest her head upon him and hold to his coat like he were solid. (And this was unique to Oscuro; if Rhone would try to touch the image, his hand would just pass through.) He felt cold, but the embrace was comforting nonetheless. Quieting down, she proceeded to ask, "Master...wh-why have you stayed so long that you're nearly...d-dissolving from existence?" Her grip tightened.

After a pause to gather his thoughts, he began, "For you and Chiaro. All this time...I had tried to keep track of where you'd go and what people you'd end up with... It was truly a long and hard search without success...and the more I would exert myself, the more of what remained of me I had to expend. So I had to move...quite carefully. I did not desire reincarnation, for that would mean erasure of my memories. And obviously, moving on to where I'm supposed to go meant no return." Pulling away, he held Oscuro by the shoulders at arm's length. "But at long last, I have found you, and with a successor who has received you very well, at that. And...and...I want to be alive again, to properly aid her. I'm close to a breakthrough, but it cannot exactly be done right now. There are things that still need to be done, but..." He started to seem a little uneasy about saying what he wanted to say.

"But...?"

Pulling his hands back, he started to fidget with them. "B-but you see...well, obviously, I need help doing these things, but my c-current state...yes, I'm close to fading away and I may very well, er, once you end this ritual, but to stay around m-much longer..." sweatdrop

"Awwww, out with it, Master Eloysio! It can't be that bad! We'll do anything to help you stay, and I'm sure Azriel won't be opposed to it!" gonk

"Oh, don't try to speak for her, Oscuro! What I need to do to extend my stay...is take refuge within someone. Share their energy to rekindle mine and buy me some time. At least until the proper preparations can be made." He intently stared straight into her eyes, as if he were trying to look at Azriel herself. It was clear that he was pretty nervous about what he was requesting. "That someone I prefer is you, Azriel. If you would allow me, I sincerely promise I won't do anything unsavory or become a nuisance or make you move against your will. You have my word."

In the mindspace, Chiaro turned to her host and looked at her pleadingly. "Take it from us, Azriel; Master Eloysio is an honorable man."

Bearing a pleading expression herself, Oscuro added, "Azriel, please...you heard me. With this last effort, he's about to dissolve from existence...please don't let him fade away like this..."

There was just a second of silence before Azriel spoke up with a warm smile. "There's no way I can say no to that, now. Your feelings for him are also coursing through me and...I can tell that you miss him very, very much. I shouldn't deny you this reunion, and he doesn't deserve to die off like that." ^_^

Oscuro gasped and looked so elated that she sprung back up to her feet and threw her arms up in the air. "F@#% YEAH! Thank you, Azriel! THANK YOU!"

Oscuro shot a sort of dry, unamused look at Rhone. "What made it look like we wouldn't stake a lot of trust in our very own creator?" neutral

"Well...to be fair, you hadn't mentioned that yet..."

"I called you Master! Is that not implied?" O_o

"...Not really." Eloysio then turned toward Rhone and made a nod of acknowledgement. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid if I took you up on it, I'd be imposing on you too much. In my current state, were I to stay outside of a body, I'm sure I would be consuming energy too voraciously. Staying within a host, on the other hand, allows me to take it in at a more stable rate. Furthermore...I would not pass up a chance to catch up with Chiaro and Oscuro.

Anyhow, Azriel won't stay a host for too long. If all goes right, we're going to create me a new body." ^_^

"Ahh, so that's the sequence of things you wanna run through? Then I can't wait to start! Ready, Master Eloysio?"

He turned back to Oscuro and nodded. "I'm ready." The image of his physical form faded, leaving the white wisp behind once more. Oscuro cupped her hands out before her, and after the soul floated to rest upon them, she carefully drew it closer to push it into her heart. Azriel's permission guaranteed no resistance, so it was easy for him to enter. It would have been difficult otherwise.

He appeared in Azriel's mindspace in his physical form again, only more opaque. Before he could proceed to do anything else, Chiaro swiftly glided over to him to silently give a tight embrace. It was almost as if she wanted to make sure he was really there.

"..." >-<

"Ahaha....I've missed you too, Chiaro. Of course." ^_^ He patted her comfortingly on the back and smiled warmly. As Azriel walked over and watched on, she lightly giggled in amusement. "Oh! Um...Chiaro, if I may...?"

"Yes, Master Eloysio." She pulled away and stepped aside.

He went on to stand before Azriel and give a deep, gentlemanly bow. "M-Miss Azriel. Erm, yes, I-I'm sure you've heard...I am Eloysio Donovan, the creator of the collar you now bear, and consequently, of Chiaro and Oscuro. I-I must express my most sincere gratitude f-for allowing me to take refuge within you."

Azriel blushed, feeling a little awkward at how formal he was being. "O-oh! Please, just call me Azriel! It's not a problem at all, uh...Master Eloysio!"

Straightening himself up, he smiled back. "If that is what you wish, then it is only fair I allow you the same luxury. From now on, there is no need for you to call me 'Master'. ^_^ Smiling as well, though keeping her blush, Azriel extended her hand to offer a friendly handshake. Eloysio hesitated, because for a second, he was the one starting to feel awkward and unsure of what to do. "...A-ah, right." He placed his hand in hers, giving one between firm and gentle.

"Well, that's that," Oscuro concluded, grinning. Picking her scythe back up, she proceeded to draw a slash across the circular glyph on the ground she had carved out, making the dark abyss that surrounded them disappear. And apparently, the sky was starting to look lighter. "Will ya look at that. Finished up right on time, and that means it's time for Azriel to come back. Until next time~♪" And right there on the spot, Oscuro ended her manifestation, transforming back into Azriel. She was in quite a hurry to catch up with her Master Eloysio as well.

Azriel turned to look at Rhone, and it now was apparent that her left eye had turned blue. "Looks like we've picked up a new party member, Rhone. I...guess we should head back to camp! I don't know where to start explaining about this, though. Or everything else, for that matter. Ahh....the others'll have to know about Chiaro and Oscuro sometime..." sweatdrop

"Ah....thanks. If I do get to stay with the group...I'm also concerned about how they might take the soul-eating thing. I mean, it's routine for Oscuro! She's gonna wanna do it every night." sweatdrop

Azriel laughed a bit at Rhone's next question. "Yeah. The saying that 'the eyes are the window to the soul' is very true. When I'm up in the mindspace, I can see what's going on through eye-shaped windows. And sounds come in as omnipresent." 3nodding

Azriel found herself quite stunned at the thought. Her face turned quite red and her eyes went very wide at Rhone. In the mindspace, the expression Eloysio made was practically matching. Or was it more the other way around?

"Th-th-th-that's absurd! Of course I can―and will―give her her due privacy!" Her left eye, the blue eye, twitched. "I-I-I'm terribly sorry! I honestly didn't mean to do that on purpose! I-I don't mean to be shouting either! Aaaack! Oh heavens, I shall cease right this moment! I'm sorry!" D8

Azriel cupped her hands to her mouth for a moment, until Eloysio calmed down. "Oh my! Ahaha....it's okay! I'm...kind of getting used to that...I think! Ahahaha...haaaaa...um...well! Whenever I ask them to, Chiaro and Oscuro could shut themselves in little 'rooms'. Eloysio can do the same. I mean...it's a mindspace, I'm sure imagination has free reign in there." sweatdrop