Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Then do something for me. Quickly." Tolin pulled in the gem with his scythe. It's powers allowed his psychic to grasp it easily, though whether it was due to it's ability as a focus point or an amplifier he couldn't say. He briefly thought to research it, just in case he should ever kill an Espeon. If the difference was as extreme as Solaris had said, then it would allow him a full-fledged psychic as opposed to the meager utilitarian one he had. He quietly dismissed the thought as he placed the gem just in front of Neon. A small coating of blood leaked off his scythe and coated the exterior. "Take this. Hide it. Somewhere far away."

He stood back up, stepping around Neon but maintaining a certain closeness to her. It would be bad if Orion got past him or teleported around to retrieve the gem. "Orion, if you know what the handle and pendants can do then you know that end laid out for us isn't the only option. Creaus can be purged and Suecra can be kept safe. Even if there isn't a solution now, there's nearly a century to solve this. Alfred isn't a worry and the Lopunny can be dealt with." He shook his head. Would this even get through to the Espeon? He seemed to be even less intelligent than his grandson lately. "There's other options, too." He glanced briefly at Sasha. After what Archer had said about the original pendants, he had his guesses. You didn't become that skilled with such a wide array of abilities in your thirties.

Well, it was a bit of a sappy speech. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but... That handle was dangerous. If it were made of Arceus's hooves, he couldn't afford to make a bad step. One wrong attack and he might get smashed to bits along with half the tower for all he knew. And Orion was a beneficial ally if he could be turned.

At the very least, it might aggravate the much weaker Espeon into making a foolish attack. Tolin's scythes were more than sharp enough to take a paw, a back, a jaw or a head...

Hm, maybe I should have asked for two buckets. Ah well, it can wait until after. He did not speak for a moment, taking the time to collect his thoughts. Where to start and what to say. Well, maybe the beginning was best.

"I'd like to apologize before I start. In many ways, I invaded your privacy and I kept vital information from you. I don't regret what I did; I feel even now that it was my best option. But, I have still wronged you and for this I apologize." He shifted slightly in the chair, repositioning his scythes to sit idly on the rests. "I ask that you let me tell you what I have learned in it's entirety before asking questions."

He sighed. This was going to be complicated. He spoke quietly through his whole speech. He did not want an eavesdropper. If Sasha heard, she might very well kill him before he could finish. "As we know, the balance is tipping violently. It's spiraling out of control, as is the world. Arceus is trying to hold it together, but he's failing. In the hospital, when you left, Orion spoke to me. He told me a few things. Alfred, you should have died a decade ago. Your blood should have killed you... Archer's blood should have killed you. And with your death, the world would follow. The same goes for Creaus. If either of you die, then the sudden shift will destroy the universe. This would not normally be a concern, but there's only one way for a mortal body to hold a god. They need the blood of a legendary in them. The problem is is that at around twenty years of age, any mortal body will cease to function. If the body does not die, then the mind will simply destroy itself. Orion was born of Arceus; his mind was lost instead of his body. That's why Orion has been lucid. Arceus's attempts to hold the world together have weakened him, which have in turn weakened his influence over Orion. That's what transpired in the hospital while you were missing."

He stood and began stretching slightly as he continued. The adrenaline still hadn't left his body and the sudden stop was making him... weary to say the least. "So, I began investigating. I spoke with Solaris first to find a few legends. I tracked down Jasper and coerced him into letting me talk to a Jirachi he knew. The Jirachi told me much. The Jirachi confirmed most of what Orion said, as well as told me about a possible solution. She didn't know the full truth of the mirror, but she knew of the handle. It's carved from one of Arceus's hooves. If used, a stab in the heart can remove any illness. Any problem. Even the soul of a god, she said." Of course, the information wasn't to be trusted entirely. Alfred was smart enough to understand that.

"So, I said my farewells. I left for Lady Neon--the Espeon from before--and spoke with her. We drew out Archer. He told me quite a bit. He told me why you house Suecra. Why the pendants exist. Why he sent you to the moon guild. He told me of a necessary source of information, as well as something that may slow or stop the problems. Those three pendants, Alfred. They stop the degradation of the body. Although they have their side-effects, wearing one would prevent, say... legendary blood from overriding your body and killing you. They were based off of an original set that he read of in the journal called the 'Beginning'. It's what Orion came here for." He paused for a moment. "You likely have quite a bit to ask me. But, there's something I need to know first. Does Sasha seem much... older than she appears? Do her actions and speech ever reflect something far beyond her years?" Her pendant was too similar to Orion's. Orion's which had frozen his mind without curing the illness. Orion who, even in his 80's, had a surprisingly young and spry body as if he had not aged as long as he had lived.

Well, he hadn't expected Alfred to know for certain. It was a gamble at best that he would have noticed anything, but it was worth a shot. His face twitched to a slight frown at the sight of Alfred's eyes... He was tired. Probably too tired. He nodded at the comment on the balance and merely shrugged at the concern over his mind. He ignored the tears that streamed so readily down his friend's face. Acknowledging them would be a show of pity neither of them had the time or concern for. Alfred would probably be more frustrated than happy to see the stoic, intellectual figure show concern. "I can't say. Children like you are taboo, Alfred. They were never to be born, never to be created. Orion said at twenty years of age, but that may vary. Does stronger legendary blood affect oneself faster? Is Orion basing it off himself, or is it a set number? Likewise, would your compatibility as a Gardevoir help you accept the blood of another, stronger psychic? I don't know. If you want to find out, then you should have a chat with Suecra." He chuckled slightly at the thought ahead of him in spite of the grave atmosphere. "In a way, he's been your guardian your whole life. He's what has kept you sane so long. He might have an idea of how long you have left."

He mulled through what Archer had told him before. What the father had done for his child, what could be still done. "Archer did as much as he could to prepare you. His no doubt harsh training was to help you contain and channel Suecra, as well as your blood. Everything was to buy you as many years as possible. It might only be now that it starts to affect you, or it may not be for some time." He let on a sad, concerned smile. "With how tired you look, I'm not sure you can tell yourself." One's mind tended to slip before all else when they needed sleep. If Alfred thought he was losing his mind, it may simply be a symptom of long-term sleep deprivation.

"If he had told you, things might be worse now. He was likely trying to push the balance back together before we even knew it was an issue. He trapped Arceus, he limited Suecra... he might have been working on Creaus when we killed him." He thought slightly ahead, trying to pick what to say. Alfred was in a fragile state, it was clear. He had had no sleep, had just been attacked and has had his entire history and future spilled in front of him. It wasn't easy to confront. "I think he wanted you to hate him. Perhaps he even wanted you to kill him. I don't think he ever wanted you to know who he was to you. He wanted you to live blissfully for as long as you could, blissfully unaware of what was to come. Befriending you would mean telling you the truth. He loved you so dearly he was willing to sacrifice everything for you, you know. His friends, his time, even his own life."

He finally shook his head, having finished his thoughts on Archer. "You need sleep, Alfred. Call the meeting and send out some preliminary investigations, then get at least a few hours. You need to be aware and functional for this. You can't afford to deprive yourself any longer." He glanced back at the hole in the wall that Orion had opened up. "I'll pour over the journals myself. It may be dangerous for you. I've been told the more I find out, the more likely Arceus himself is to try and kill me." He smiled at the thought. Waging war on a god... it wasn't something he had thought himself to do.

Tolin nodded, letting a quiet whisper go. "Sleep well, Alfred." He waited until he was certain the Gardevoir was well-asleep before taking the bucket over to the far side of the room. A slight push of his scythe and a bit of a psychic tug had his vomit reflex moving in full force. The pendant spilled out easily, with the plate following after some effort. Luckily, he hadn't been able to eat the entire day.

He pulled them out with a small psychic and cleaned them off the same way. He sat down at the table, placing them both on his lap. He would pour over the journals left to him for now and discover whatever he could. When and if Neon returned with a copy of the Beginning, he would start with that. The original pendants were the keys, he felt. They were something dangerous enough to put him on Arceus's hitlist, which meant they were powerful or important. Did they allude towards something even Arceus himself was afraid of? Did they corrupt the balance with their existence? Were they strong enough that, if used, they could fix the balance at some great cost? He didn't know. He wanted to know, even if it meant damnation from a half-god who sat loftily on an apparently useless throne. He'd gladly go to hell if it meant saving the world.

Well, at least he would have Jasper for company.



Serrin walked in quietly. He had managed to get minor medical attention early on from a nurse who had noticed his bleeding. It still stung, but the bandaged ends of his vines served well enough.

He looked at Alfred, who lay draped across the couch and Tolin who sat at the desk reading page after page. He quietly hopped up beside him and sat on the desk. "Everything's fine, then?"

Tolin nodded. "I need to look these over. We need a way to restore the balance, as well as the original pendants. Neon should be back with the true journal soon. We'll read these until then." Serrin quietly nodded and took a book of his own to read.