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 Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 9:17 am
Throughout his many adventures in Gaia, KenoTao had come to know one warrior with unmatched evolutionary qualities. That same man lived in a realm that time had forgotten. That made his age indiscernable at this point as he had vanished back to that world long ago. However he had found another world similar to his own, with enough differences to separate the two. That man had no use for two worlds and had gifted Keno with one of them; the newer one.
When he first encountered this world, it was an endless metropolis; a city of skyscrapers that expanded forever in all directions. It was perfect for a battle royale, but not quite to Keno's taste. In the state he had found it in, it was ineffective to serve his purposes. It had too much...stuff. He had spent enough time learning how to live in this world and had completely forced it under his own will. It was a reality he himself controlled making him a god in this lifeless world. He didn't look at it in such terms, but little could describe such power.
Nothing here happened without his wanting it to. Even sound was in his control. The footsteps that carried him into the infite white about him, the sight of his own body as though he wasn't shrouded in all penetrating light, this was but a small example of what he was able to do in this place. Perhaps he had too much power over this world - the world he had decided to called Tera.
He came to a halt as though he had reached his destination, which physically hadn't changed since he first stepped foot in the place. He had left the old world behind and now he was to engage in the next step of his life. He hadn't expected it to come to this, but there was little to be done about it now. A heavy sigh parted between his pursed lips as new footsteps were approaching from behind. There was no need to turn around to address his companion, a figure who had a couple of inches on him, clad in the same baggy red pants, an identical black, form fitting sleevelss T-shirt, a matching pair of gloves and shoes, even the same headgear and scarf. He was build like Keno to the very T. That is to say, he would have been were it not for the sapphire eyes, the fur patched scars, and the snow white hair tha cascaded down his back.
The familiar stopped on his right, the two looking very much like fraternal twins, solemn expression on what could be seen of their faces. The blood the flowed in them, the heart that beat, the lungs that inflated and deflated with air were all perfectly in sync with one another. Two beings of equal existence, except one was a mere copy of the original. Flesh, blood, its own will, but still just a copy. A shell for a consciousness and an ideal to inhabit to serve the purpose he needed.
"It begins now doesn't it?" the calm voice does nothing to conceal the wild nature of the speaker. He had always been in sense of the word the more childish of the two, though he had slept for the most part up until now. Nothing could hide that aspect of his character regardless of his mood.
"Indeed it does." The hollow echo of his words. The emotions he doesn't allow to be encoded in his speech. The god given right that he has to hide his feelings, his thoughts, his very nature from the world. He was truly the blessed one among the two. To him though, that would hardly matter at this point.
"I can't imagine this is what you had in mind, but I doubt you'd argue there's another way about all of this." He knew that his old friend wanted to argue that point, but to say anything against it would have been just for the sake of saying it. Neither of them were convinced the opposite were possible, let alone true. "So how do we start this?"
His eye scanned the area before him. In this world he was able to see whatever he wanted at any given time, but it served only as a way of stalling, distracting himself from what he really meant to do. The question was so simple he thought it needn't be asked, but since it was on the table he might as well pick it up. Slowly he turns to face his partner. "...same was we were trained to start."
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:32 am
There was darkness. Also...water. All around. It was warm, inviting, nurturing. He was surrounded by it, wrapped in it, from every direction. He was at ease and had not a care in the world as his body lie curled in a little ball trying to fend off the calls of slumber. Of all his challengers, sleep often proved to be the greatest. His record had a long running losing streak thus far. This time might be different. He enjoyed the struggle.
Somewhere he could hear screaming. It was muffled, but he knew that sound anywhere. However it wasn't fear generating the scream. No fear probably meant no danger. He had no reason to worry...no reason to move. Why was there screaming anyway? He ignored his battle against sleep to listen for a moment. Not fear, not panic, not surprise, nor anger. It was pain. Someone somewhere was hurt. What an odd thing. Who could be hurt in these waters? It made little sense to him.
Before he knew it he was swimming. He wasn't really trying, but that was exactly what he was doing. He didn't care though. This water seemed to go on forever and his body did feel rather weak. Probably numb from resting so long. He wasn't aware of how long he had been there, but all of a sudden his body seemed to come to life. His blood was racing, his heart pounding, his head spinning. Frantically he was flailing as the reality of this world came to him. He was underwater, he couldn't breathe, and he was almost out of air. He was trying to escape.
He couldn't see anything, feel anything but water, dared not to open his mouth, and could only hear the same panicked screaming. Maybe someone on the surface? Where the hell was the surface? He didn't know up from down and no matter how he tried his mind wasn't leveling thigns out. Fortunately, he had come upon a current. This wasn't very comforting to him, but he hoped that if he couldn't rise over the surface, perhaps he might be carried off to a waterfall of some sort. At least that way he might be able to catch a breath...
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Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 9:38 am
It was still inexplicably dark. All of his senses seemed to be impaired. He could not see, could not feel, and since there was no nourishment around, he couldn't taste anything either. He wasn't even sure if he was breathing because there wasn't the faintest of scents around. Yet he could hear, just like last time. There were no distinct words, as though someone were speaking in gibberish to him. Try as he might he could make no sense of the words.
Focus as he might he only learned that there were two different voices addressing him. This only presented him with more concern however because he was unable to discern masculine from feminine. More toubling still was the fact that neither voice alone made anymore sense than when he thought they were the same. He looked back and forth in confusion, seeing darkness to his left, and more darkness to his right. This was indeed troublesome to him, but what could he do about it?
He continued to peer forward, letting his practically useless eyes lose focus as his ears sharpened. He was receiving a message. At first he thought perhaps he were eavesdropping on a conversation, but it became obvious that he was undoubtedly the center of attention. The more he listened, the more he learned. Whatever was being said was being repeated. In fact he was able to isolate about four or five different phrases that were stated and restated in randome succession. He was being told to do something, he was being encouraged, and his party was being patient.
He came to, feeling as though he might have just returned from an out of body experience. He had no concept of time so for all he knew, this could be more or less true. He tried moving, but his body seemed more or less confined to something. His arms were free to fling about as they might. In fact his upper body was more or less free. He was strapped to a chair then. What the hell could anyone want from someone stuck in a chair. Maybe he was being tortured, someone wanted information. He was all of a sudden glad he couldn't feel anything. At least regardless of the outcome he wouldn't have to suffer through it.
Something was coming up his throat. It wasn't matter. It felt like he was trying to talk. He didn't want to talk though. He wasn't going to give in to torture. He must be at the breaking point. It sucked not realizing it. He fought with himself, trying to keep his mouth closed. Air whistled through his constantly parting and sealing lips. His mouth would open wide, and he'd lodge his tongue back into his throat to choke on the words. This wasn't something he could keep up though. Apparently his will was losing to the greater demand of his desire to preserve his life, or whatever. His mouth opened wide. He tried to lock his tongue, but it was no longer obeying him either. He felt tense as he spoke, but...he didn't understand what the hell he said. Everything was silent for a moment and then he heard a shouting from one of the voices. Was it a good shout or a bad one?
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 9:40 am
There was nothing much this time. The silence, the same darkness, the same absence of scent. There was pressure on his back though. He was pressed up against something, but as always, he couldn't tell what it was. It was soft though, so maybe it wasn't so bad.
All of a sudden there was a new sound. Not a new voice, but some sequence of tones. Hypnotic they were, but they weren't all that euphonous. He didn't have as much time to make sense of this one. He was drifting off to sleep, and was all but helpless to stop it.
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Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:01 am
Another noise. It was loud and shrill, his ears splitting as the sound of it. It was screaming again. A different kind of screaming though. This wasn't pain. He couldn't hear any anyways. There wasn't even the fear of danger in this voice. This sound was demanding attention, requesting assistance. The owner of the voice was unable to do something for itself. It needed help. It wasn't screaming, it was crying. The type of cry that only inarticulates delivered their audiences. An infant maybe?
He looked about dumbfounded, as though he himself were not old enough, too immature to be of much use to the child. Of course he couldn't see or feel, but his body still ridiculously reacted as though such would make a difference. He tried speaking, maybe to call out for someone, but apparently he lost this ability at some point. Speech was worthless. He gave up after several failed attempts at something he thought shouldn't be so difficult.
What was he to do then? In this world he couldn't see, couldn't smell, and probably couldn't taste. He heard things, and whatever images he saw were generated from his own imagination. When he did feel things, it wasn't from him touching them. It was as though the sensation were merely stimulated. Half the time he found himself immobile anyway. His entire experience seemed to be involuntary. So what was it he was supposed to be doing? Maybe he was trying too hard. If he gathered his thoughts he would surely figure it out.
A pressure in his arms. Something weighted. He was carrying something. The sound...a baby. He was carrying the child? It couldn't be a child. Whatever...whoever he was holding was near his own size and he was a grown man. Well whatever it was, it grew silent. He felt nurturing holding the creature. It seemed all it needed was a warm touch, which was just fine by him since he didn't seem to have anything else on him. Holding it was fine. Holding wasn't hard.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:09 am
A soft cooing sound in his ear. He was awake now, slowly brought back to reality from the lull of sleep. That thing was still with him, wherever he was. He thought there was another sound in the background. It wasn't a voice this time. It was rhythmic and soothing in a way, but also disturbing. He felt as though if he could move, he shouldn't. Wherever he was, the sound couldn't reach him and for the sake of the parasite now with him, it was best left that way. He'd have to wait until it was gone, but where would he go? He couldn't see to guide his legs anyway.
He didn't have time to really think things through anymore. Even though he was practically impaired, it seemed that most of his brain functions were occupied as well. He found himself moving, thinking, even breathing mechanically. He was nothing more than a vehicle with someone else already in the driver's seat. So much for making sense of all of this.
The sounds were dying away. He knew the entire world was at rest. All but him anyway. That made about as much sense as anything else. It was much like him anyway. Never taking a moment to call his own. Always doing something, whether it was for someone else or preparing himself so that he could later do something for someone else. He could feel himself moving again, arms behind his back, gently cupped under something. So he was carrying it on his back. He had no idea where he was going, but he was carrying it on his back.
The sounds were becoming sharper. He had realized that hour ago. No longer trying to make sense of noise, just having to remember sounds. Sound wasn't that hard to remember at all. In fact, he knew where he was as soon as he heard the grass that should have been under his feet. What he was doing in the woods though made no sense. No need to make sense of it. He couldn't stop himself anyway.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 4:47 pm
Shade. He could feel it. It was hot. Humid, but not very. That didn't mean anything though. Heat was heat and even he was finding it unbearable. He felt himself leaning against something. If he was still in thw woods, it was likely to be a tree. The silence of nature was all about him. He could identify it almost immediately. Something about the civilized world, even when your senses were at their optimal, left a certain ring in your ears. In this place, this heavenly serene place, there was no ring, not even a faint one to remind him of the sins of his race.
He loved it. Were it not for the heat, he might have opted to sit thee and let himself drown in it, but he did not have that choice. Even if there were no heat, he could sense alarm. His body was on edge, his senses were sharp, what he thought were his senses anyway. Something was wrong though. If he had felt such a danger near him, he'd be on the defensive almost instantly, but he actually felt, confused. His body wasn't preparing to protect itself at all. Before he even looked up, he knew that whatever was on him was on him and that he was at its mercy.
All the while there was still silence. There was a collosus before him, and dependent beside him. And he realized that within him wasn't the mental capacity to comprehend what was going on. How he realized this was beyond him, but the whole thing was an out of body experience anyway. The silence was deafening to him now though. All that was between him and an uncertain fate was silence. That was indeed a horrifying experience. The kind that didn't make your heart pound merely because it was too risky.
Suddenly and without warning he felt a rush of air about him, the pressure on his body seeming to reverse and throw him into the heavens rather than force him to the earth. This meant nothing to him. He had been in the air before. Plenty of times in fact. Flying was second nature. Why he wasn't doing it on his own though. That was a question to ask.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:48 am
Silence again. It was the kind of silence that involved people. He could feel them now. Not physically, but feel them he did. There was a lot of tension, something he couldn't quite understand. Even more surprising was that he was beside himself in not understanding there was even tension. His body was hosting his third party consciousness. While he was wondering what he could do to relieve the tension, the rest of him wasn't unaware of it. There wasn't to be much progress apparently.
There didn't seem to be any words exchanged. He was dragged off to a world of giants and they seemed all but mute. That is to say, they haven't spoken yet, but he was sure they could. The events transpiring were ignoring his very presence and it irritated him. To be in such a place and not even be recognized was unnacceptable, but rather than complain he merely sat until any such opportunity to act presented itself.
Suddenly he was lifted up once again, although this time he was resisting. He didn't like this new carrier and his level of discomfort was remarkably high. Rather than fight though, he merely squirmed about, like a helpless worm on a hook, hoping that maybe the notion of one's dislike of the situation would be enough to make an improved change of circumstance. Though it often failed for the worm, it was working for him. He wasn't put back down however, he was merely exchanged, from one titan to another. This one though offered promise, protection, and comfort. Whatever he was doing, he was in better hands now.
He was confident he could rest now. Not that he hadn't rested before, but his mind was at ease now. He didn't seem to have any concerns this time and he relished in it. A sleep without troubles was the best kind of sleep there was. Before he could fall asleep though, his position was be changed again. He liked this spot though. It was his nook now, and whether prisonaer or guest, he would fight for it if he had to. The threat seemed to work well enough and he was let alone. With that he shifted back into his place, where his body had already warmed the area very well, his head on a something that felt much like a cloud. A pillow he felt it was safe to assume. Convinced he was a guest, he rested and let his mind drift off into slumber.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:57 am
He was still lying down. How long had it been? He couldn't worry about such thing now. He had wasted too much time he felt and had to get back to his duties. However, try as he might, it was proving more difficult than he thought. It seemed impossible for him to rise. What was this? Perhaps his body was still numb. It had happened to him before. He had woken up, but his body was still asleep, leaving only his consciousness to struggle desperately as he assumed command of his limbs. Of course, the last time it happened, he had a dream that he was drowning, and in that fatal state of semi consciousness his lungs were frozen.
He didn't have that concern this time and, had he actually been reflecting, he was grateful for that. It was still disconcerting however. He'd rather not have to work harder merely because he wasn't dying. After successfully moving his arms and legs, he began to move forward, only to walk straight into a wall. It wasn't solid, but felt more like a cage. A cell perhaps. Maybe he was a prisoner after all. Or worse, maybe he was considered a pet. He was miniscule compared to his captors, so maybe they thought it a good idea to tame him, as though he were some sort of animal.
Well that didn't sit well with him at all. They gave him no reason to attack, but he would be all in all insulted to be looked upon as an inferior creature. Maybe it was a just a safety precaution. A guest maybe, but still possibly a threat. Exercising caution with hospitality, afterall he slept rather comfrotably, was well fed, and was all in all in a usually good mood. It was just this little cage he was in that bothered him so much.
He had things to do, but he was certain that if he weren't confined, he wouldn't be doing them right now anyway.
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:09 am
Silence. Warmth. Peace. As his mind came together, he realized his sense of being was expanding. Things were coming together nicely it seemed. He heard nothing, saw nothing, but it was okay. He could still perceive. At the moment, that was more than enough.
Then all of a sudden he felt something in his lap. He was sitting down, so he assumed a small animal or something. He knew it wasn't an animal, and to himself he smiled. So he had a companion and a place to stay and most times he was left all and all alone. Gave him lots of time to think. Losing track of time though, he had no idea how long he had been in this place. Too long perhaps. Too long to still be considered a guest anyway.
He fell on his back slowly as the warm mass of existence began crawling all around him. It was rather uncomfortable in some places as the creature seemed to have little understanding of how to exert its energy effectively, causing more pain than comfort. Still he didn't mind. He could take it. Otherwise he would have thrown the thing off by now. Besides, it had stopped now and seemed to be at rest again. It slept a lot he noticed. Together, the two of them were just one cluttered mass on the floor. Maybe not the safest place to just fall asleep, but he was awake.
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:38 am
Fresh air. Spring breezes. The euphoria of the season. Finally he was moving like someone who actually knew how to move. This pleased him beyond anything else so far. Nothing like knowing your body wasn't completely useless to make your day that much better. From the looks of it, he wasn't the only one to master his body either. He heard too many footstepes too sporadically to count the people around him. Some were heavier than others. Some were almost too faint to catch. Some he knew weren't human or even sub-human. His perception was increasing. Excellent.
He wondered to himself where he was going. The problem with being outside of his body was that he could only try to understand his body's motive. He personally wanted to move, but when he moved, that didn't mean it was by his conscious choice. The only way to make his mood any better would be to regain bodily control. He could only do so much with that though.
His feet felt cool all of a sudden. That would indicate he was bare footed, and that there was a shift in terrain. Water or cool earth. On the plus side, it wasn't warm. That would be much less comforting to him. All of a sudden he felt a change in his position. There was too much weight on his back and his head was thobbing with pain. He had fallen. This enraged him, but he could feel himself laughing. He wanted to strike, but instead he laughed. He was playing. Now was not a time for playing. What was he not thinking?
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 9:30 am
His breathing was heavy. His heart was lodged in his throat. Beads of sweat began to form as his body temperature rose. His feet were moving rapidly across what sounded like grass, dead leaves, fallen twigs. His bobbing and weaving, sprinting and jumping, indicated he was feeling. He had escaped, but apparently hadn't left unnoticed. He was sloppy. He could hear something behind him, but didn't know how far away it was. As he turned to check, he tripped over a root and toppled painfully down a hill, his body rolling and tumbling like a pair of jeans in a dryer until he reached the bottom and crashed upside down against a tree.
He quickly scurried about and hid behind the sturdy bark, correcting himself as he went around. His breathing was even harder now and he struggled fiercely to calm it down. The pain of the fall introduced, or maybe reminded, him of older injuries. Apparently his entire body was on the verge of going numb. It felt severely bruised and sore, especially around joints. His legs seemed to have been spared from most of whatever assailed him, which was good seeing as he was running.
Why was he running though? He should just get up and face his foe. He'd be able to take it down easily he was sure. That's not was his body was saying though. Unfortunately, his body was more in tune with his survival instincts than his pride. So for now maybe running was best afterall.
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Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:56 am
Angry. Determined. Focused. Prepared. Aggressive.
Still scared though. Horribly afraid, terrified beyond anything up until this very moment. He couldn't stop the shaking in his legs if he wanted to, but he didn't care. Once he realized there was nothing to fear, it would stop. Then he'd show them all. There wasn't an ounce of cowardice in him. At least that's how he wanted to feel. He knew better though. The bruises, the sore joints, the aching muscles. He was all too aware of what it was he was facing. Chances were he was only alive out of mercy, not inadequacy.
His body was moving again. Moving forward. Moving fast. He was on the offensive. He was taking the upper hand. He was taking initiative.
He was taking a rather painful blow to the crown that sent him slamming into the ground. Whatever he thought he was doing, he failed. He failed miserably. So now he had a head injury as well. This didn't seem to be getting any better for him. At least he wasn't running away. Still, running away was less likely to result in a headache. Running wouldn't end with your head imbedded in the earth. Running wouldn't make breathing and blinking this painful. At least it wouldn't unless you were clumsy.
He didn't even realize he had gotten back up, but he could feel his heart rate increase. That's usually what happened when he was on the defensive. His awareness and desperation increased, even if just a little as he tried his damndest to protect himself and maybe gain the high ground on the situation. Apparently nothing was coming to mind though. Not in time to stop a hit to the gut and another to the side of his head which resulted in his body feeling as though it were being forced hard to the right. He couldn't even move from the pressure on his body. That's okay though, the ground would break the spell. The wonderfully hard ground that numbed his entire body for about three seconds.
He hadn't taken a beating like this since he was young. He was screwing up. Not even a little, but really screwing up. What the hell was he doing?
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Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 11:59 am
It was cold. It was dark. It was wet. He was dry, but it...it was wet. Rain again. The sound of water splashing on the tree leaves, crashing to the earth. A fire crackling close by. He could feel its warmth running through his body, but it wasn't near strong enough to defeat the biting cold. His body fell victim to several shivers as it had to produce its own heat. A bit closer was still safe, or so he hoped.
He was alone and miserable. How fitting. From the feel of things, he hadn't eaten either. He wasn't in any pain, but he was hungry and it haunted him as he tried to sleep. Hunger always haunted him. It was pointless trying to rest without first eating. It would be a long night for sure.
He was certainly being a fool. First he lets himself get tossed around and now he's trying to go to bed without having dinner. He probably didn't have lunch either. It was almost as though his body were torturing itself. He'd have to be sure to kick his a** for this later, not that it would be in any way productive. Still no will of his own. He actually missed the systematic training day in day out. He was certain that this was nothing more than appreciation for the sensation that he had complete control over something.
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Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 8:59 am
This was a light day, a happy one, a fun one. He had forgotten exactly how abandoned he was. Then again, he wasn't so abandoned this time as he was before. He had a companion to share his isolation with. So he was playing again. He was sure this wasn't what he should be doing, but that wasn't exactly stopping him at the moment.
At least was free again, able to go wherever, do whatever, whenever and however he wanted. The air was so cool, so fresh, graced with the dew of what still felt like morning. He even felt fed, which was a blessing among all other things.
A moment of disorientation arose. His head seemed to have been shaken rather violently all at once. He must have tumbled in his inhibited joy, but fortunatley he hadn't hurt himself, instead he had landed on something warm. It took him and his playmate a while to realize it was a breathing thing, a living thing, and most importantly a predator. Apparently precuations still needed to be taken in this place. For a moment he was afraid as he slowly backed away. He could feel eyes on him, inhuman, and powerful. It was a hypnotic gaze that threatened to swallow him whole if he wasn't careful. Tread slowly. Every ounce of his will focused unnecessarily hard on his feet, moving him backward, hoping they didn't lead him against a wall. It was because of this he found himself in the air moments later.
He almost didn't have time to land as he started running. The fear was now replaced by adrenaline. It was the most intoxicating force he could ever feel, but also the most dangerous, for adrenaline gave him power, speed, confidence, but not necessarily control and that always left a drop of fear coursing through him, but such was adrenaline. He was moving faster than he otherwise might have, which was fast enough to begin with. He was prey and he responded as such; running, hopping, leaping, ducking, bobbing and weaving. An increased sense of self and an expanded awareness of the entire forest around him.
The sound of laughter. Not his own, but laughter nonetheless. Innocent laughter. It resonanted without a trace of fear or even an awareness of the situation. To his friend, this was entertaining, a game, another way to pass the time. When he thought about it, he was enjoying this, so he laughed too, to acknowledge the fact. And the two ran and ran, laughing at their predator and their danger.
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