Welcome to Gaia! ::

This was hell in a hand basket. "Lots of people gathered together usually results in arguments," she murmured to Newgrange, having listened in silence to the whole... ordeal with the Code and the Knights down below.

The Negaverse can at least protect its own.

Yet, by the way the Code spoke now, it sounded as if it morned the loss of its knights. It claimed them. So why tell her, one of its knights, to leave to Chaos, where it could no longer reach her?

Unless... it still could..?

This discrepancy in this Code's words--and the implications it set about in her mind--made her skin prickle and eyes narrow. Slowly, she stood, hand resting on the golden chain at her hip. Would it work on the Code? She.... remembered enough about her Artifact. Remembered it was used to tell if someone spoke the truth. But that had been back... in her previous lifetime. Did it still retain any of that power? Would it even work on the Code..?

A few others--Andronicus included--were trying to shift the focus back to the Academy. The Squire of Mars joined in on this, though she did not approach the Code itself. Not... yet. "Code. If you'll take the questions of a Squire of Mars--" She flicked a slightly apologetic look at Kairatos. She wasn't trying to throw him under the bus! "--then please answer me this: What is the good still inside the Rift? None of us can access this place that has survived so much. What good has managed to survive, or even exist, there?

How would we enter such a place to find it?"

Bracing herself, she then added, "You have... made reference to the idea that joining the Negaverse might be preferable actions for... some. Yet, if we were to go to Chaos, you would lose your knights, would you not? Doesn't the idea of losing us, your knights, to Chaos, upset you?" If the Code answered in the negative by any reasoning... she had a few more questions for it then, without a doubt.

Cordo b a rolled her eyes, internally noting the response before internally filing under the sort of thing one could ignore.

It wasn't her wonder under threat and she doubted it could get there. She eyed the others with a look of agitation as well.

Sheep. It was somewhat rediculous, and she was vaguely aware agreeing to disagree worked, but her arms remained crossed and she nodded in Kairato's direction. He seemed to have sense, and seemed less inclined to simply roll over like the wuss woman in white and Mercury Sheep.

She did wonder if knighthood meant not thinking, and she shook her head, huffing for now in agitation.

Regardless, she wasn't happy to see an aetheric ball of something bully them all. And noted to herself to consider finding ways to evade it - whatever it was couldn't be trusted with responsibility.

For a while, the Code was quiet. It let others speak, and ask questions. Perhaps the Code was reassured to hear voices that did not immediately disagree. Perhaps it was soothed with the idea that there were Knights who did not react brashly and without manners.

Perhaps it was simply exhausted.

The Code moved now like water trickling from a fountain; a continual, peaceful flow.

It ignored the worst parts of Andronicus' comments, focusing instead on her questions—and Delphi's, and Themiscyra's.

"The Academy was once home to the great powers. It was chosen specifically to be a safe place for new Knights. To teach candidates from across the Universe. The Power the Academy once had was more than just books or bladed weapons. It was full of more than just ancient relics. It should have been protected. But…It fell with the Knights. And we don't know what the Negaverse has done with it. For all we know, they know about Olympus. They know about all our secrets. About everything. I hold no illusions: to go into the Rift and try to reclaim the Academy would be suicide. It would be a fool's task. But if we could…"

The Code's voice trailed off, and then it sounded almost as though it sighed.

"But there is no way. It might as well be in a different world. The only way you could even make your way into the Negaverse's Realm is by being one of them. To accept the Darkness. Only then could you come and go, but…"

It did not continue, except to respond to Havasu.

"The past is never truly over. For as long as you live, it lives. Many of you do not know, and will never remember the war. A thousand years of death, and still there is a mess to clean. I would worry, if I were you. Think about it—truly think. Many of you have awakened already. You have met Knights and Senshi, some new, some old. You have princesses walking among you—some of which have wonders on them." The Code was no longer rambunctious; it spoke as it often had, in an even, almost airy voice. "Any one of them is capable of great destruction. But imagine a Princess with power tenfold. Imagine the same naïve, foolish girl, with more power than this room combined. And she knows only to use her powers for herself. Imagine that you missed her until it was too late because you only saw Metallia. I ask only that you observe—and maintain the balance. Because, Erebus," the Code's swirling slowed again, like a nearly stagnant pond. "The goal is balance. Observe the balance. Correct the balance. You cannot focus on one or the other. You must focus on both. The push and pull of the universe exists in all forms. Do not blind yourself from one evil because you think Chaos is the only evil. I ask that, if nothing else, you consider the evil around you that is not powered by a shard of Chaos. You must be better than both. Knights can be more than that. A Knight can be…anything."

The Mist was moving oddly, once more, like raindrops falling from a perpetually refilling sky.

"A Knight can be a Knight even with a heart full of Chaos."

The Code fell quiet and donned an eerie lifelessness; it was as if its voice had left it. Its presence lingered, but it seemed once more to slip into the background—a silent observer.

"Then how," she asked, with a soft voice almost more to herself than the Code or the arena full of people. "Then how do we become both?" To anyone who may have heard it, it would have seemed impossible. Hold both Darkness and Light within herself? Wouldn't that be suicide? But if they were to uphold the balance - and could be anything at all...

Then why could they not be something entirely separate from both Order and Chaos?

"Or rather... how do we become neither? If we rip the Academy from the Negaverse, is there a way for us to be neither Order, nor Chaos, but something else entirely?" Andronicus' voice rose slightly, face hard with determination. If that was the way she could become a true third party... then gaining access to the Academy had to become priority. If not... she'd find another way.

She wasn't sure if she'd get a response, though, as it seemed to fade into lifelessness. A set of questions unanswered, as always.

((OMG = finally a chance to toss him in here - granted it's probably more like a solo because I think everyone else is done but whatevs!))

It was probably a good thing that Bimini, chatty squire of the Cosmos, had arrived just as the meeting began. Had he arrived earlier it's almost certain he would have found himself chattering and conversing with others - and likely had a hard time shutting up as the two knights running the meeting tried to draw everyone's attention. But luckily he had arrived just as the two began to talk, so as he settled into a seat he offered but a few waves to random friends and strangers before quietly and dutifully settling in for the lesson.

Most of what they spoke of was stuff he knew. Though that wasn't a bad thing really. It actually made him feel.. not nearly as incompetent as he usually felt about this whole knight thing. And as they discussed this and that he nodded thoughtfully, his mind wandering more so to the Cosmos knight who was talking. He'd heard of her mentioned more than once in passing but never had the pleasure of actually meeting her. And like all of the other Cosmos knights he'd ever met she was both female and beautiful and he couldn't help but muse over how it seemed his 'brotherhood' of Cosmos knights was really just a sea of beautiful woman. Not that he minded. But he couldn't help but wonder if it was the same in the past. Had Mikael too been surrounded in woman? He doubted his ancestor would have minded either.

This first piece of information he didn't know, that caused his eyes to widen and his posture to straighten a bit, was met with the appearance of a ghostly leopard and caribou. Summoning creatures? With powers? How many times did he enter a battle without ever using his magic? Usually instead just sloshing his water around obnoxiously and never 'healing'...

The information about them was sparce: you had to be a knight, you needed to find 'something'. But that was enough. It was a clue and a hint that he could bring up with Mikael the next time he saw him and Bimini filed the idea excitedly away in the back of his head, trying very hard not just to let his mind devolve into a game of guessing what his summon could be. He hoped it was something cool and his mind may or not have been scrolling through RPG summons like Shiva and Ifrit and various pokemon. But like usual in regards to his weapon/power/personal prowness in his knightly fighting, he was also preparing himself for the potential of extreme disappointment. He was, after all, the 'cosmic joke'.

His eyes met the ancient relic plaques with soft interest, looking them over with a strange feeling of.. sadness. Sorrow for friends and comrades lost, even though he'd never met them. And as newer knights began to ask questions he shifted to a comfortable position debating whether he'd have a chance to introduce himself to Hvergelmir as things settled and people began to leave. It wasn't as if he were in a hurry today or anything, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be once the two finally finished dispersing their knowledge.

Or that something very strange wouldn't happen that would kill the mood.

Which was exactly what happened.

Bimini had seen the Code before, had heard it speak before. So it's voice should not have been a surprise. Except it was and as it began to almost... 'yell' and berate the knights around it (if that was possible for a usually emotionless and usually Vulcan-like ball of mist) Bimini leaned forward with curiousity and concern marring his face.

And as certain knights began to yell and argue with the mist he could only stare his eyes like those of a person watching a tennis match.

It didn't surprise him to hear the Code was disappointed, well at the very least not at him. Bimini had always been clearly aware and the first to voice his failures at knighthood, only finally know feeling at all competent as he left fighting and attempted to restore his Wonder. It was actually kind of comforting to hear that the Code didn't want or justify killing.

But there was one statement in particular that hit the knight and a concept that shook him.

"A Knight can be a Knight even with a heart full of Chaos."

He'd never thought of joining the Negaverse before and never would. The group was far too scary, far too aggressive for him in everyway. How many times had he tried to approach them kindly? To try and talk his way out of combat? And never once had it worked, never once had an agent of the Negaverse met him with something other than blood lust and killing intent.

But... if what the Code was saying was true (and why wouldn't it be - the strange power had lived through and seen so much - maybe even everything) well then maybe he shouldn't give up on them. Perhaps there were those out there in Chaos that he could help. Sometimes it was hard to remember what he knew deep down was true. Some were children. And some had to be just as lost as he and some of his compatriots were in this whole 'war' they were thrust into.

Even if it was simply to heal those that needed it, or lend an ear if he ever did find one that didn't want to simply fight or kill.

Erebus didn't know what he had been expecting, probably that the Code would give an answer while addressing all of the Knight generally, but instead when it addressed him directly he straighten up in surprise. He listened to the answer and a confused look crossed his face briefly. While part of what the Code said made a lot of sense, like how chaos wasn't the only enemy which can easily be evident by the evils that people with no affiliation to chaos commit in the world, the other part still didn't make a lot of sense to the Page. So Knight could be anything they wanted to be? But what did it mean? What was the correct way to find and keep the balance? How in the worlds did the Code expect them to walk the line with out giving them information on how they were meant to do this?

He shook his head and let out a sigh when it became obvious that the Code was pretty much done with talking for now and he looked around at the other Knights. He wondered if what the Code had said made sense to them, if maybe the ones who had been around longer then he had as a Knight understood the meanings behind the Code's words. He was tempted to asked but instead held back. He decided to think on the words for a longer time and possibly find a senior Knight later on if he was still confused. Maybe Ashur would know after all. His eyes darted one last time, noting which of the Knights he knew were there and then started to teleport out. The Code had giving him food for thought and he was determined to try.

[Erebus has left the planet]

Hvergelmir put up a hand in Scholomance's direction, in a bid for peace and calm. "Joining the Negaverse in order to bring back information about the Rift is not a decision to be made lightly -- and more than anything, it's nothing anyone should be undertaking without a plan. To my knowledge, no one who's ever undertaken a conversion between Order and Chaos energy has had control over their loss of memory -- meaning there's every possibility you'd forget your powered life and with it, the mission you were undertaking. And even if you were fortunate enough to retain the information you needed, you could well lose what little remains of your memory in converting back. That's not a very optimistic outlook.

"Furthermore," she said, her voice a bit more forlorn, "I have reason to believe that, while many of the old buildings in the capitol may remain intact in the Rift, the building that may be the old Academy may be largely inaccessible even within the Rift, due to its sustained damage. There's said to be a large chasm barring entry to any remaining ruins. There's no reason to believe that gaining the ability to enter the Rift would be enough to gain you access to the Academy. I encourage you all to make the choices you believe in -- but wisely and thoughtfully."

Hvergelmir looked at Babylon. "I think we should end for today. This has been a long night for all of us, and we have a great deal to reflect on. Please feel free to reach out to either of us if there's anything we can help you with, or to one of your other fellow knights, if you're uncomfortable. We'll do what we can to help you."