abraxaslogs | EVENT #2 IC POST

EVENT #2 IC POST

Event #2

On July 11th, all of the prisoners and honored guests alike will be marched outside of the castle grounds, to a lightly forested area with a bright blue portal shining in the distance and flanked by a group of four Thornean mages.

Ambrose's Speech

"Good afternoon to you all. I suppose this is a little overdue and on that note, I am sorry. There's a lot to get done, and a lot at stake, and I find myself trapped between my duties to the crown and what I owe to you. I thank you all for your patience, save for one individual among you," he says, shooting a glare to Jon Sims, who is heavily guarded to an extent that the other prisoners are not, "But in light of a recent altercation I think it best that you all know what's going on."

"What you're about to see is an ancient artifact known as the Singularity. It has existed, as far as we know, since the dawn of time. Not only is it the source of all magic in this world, it is the life-force which sustains all other universes. If you've ever wondered why our magic seems so terribly powerful compared to yours, or why some of you have no magic at all, it's because the magic in this world sustains the Singularity and the Singularity, in turn, sustains every other universe that has ever existed or will ever exist."

"However, that does not mean that the Singularity in inherently good. It exists, and sustains your universes by random happenstance, not by design. In recent years the Singularity has begun to turn, and weaken, and for the first time in recorded history the amount of observable universes attached to it has decreased in number. If we cannot find a way to harness and re-energize it, we fear it may devour all that is to ensure its own continued existence."

"It is a known fact that we - natives of Abraxas - cannot approach the Singularity ourselves. We would be torn apart in seconds if we tried. People from other worlds have no such limitation. You may get close enough to touch it. So, while you may be upset that we have pulled you from your worlds without permission - an act for which I do apologize, and I truly wish there was a better way - you are here to save not only this world but all worlds. To understand the Singularity, we need you."

"We thank those among you, our honored guests and the prisoners we've chosen to release, who have behaved themselves and even aided us throughout the last few weeks. I caution you against becoming so smitten with our prisoners that it distracts you from what I have just said: for the sake of all universes, we must contain all threats. I've seen a great deal of possibilities, and there are times when even the best of intentions leads to disaster. To those of you who have been welcomed, you are a boon to us and we will accommodate you as much as we can, but you are still guests in this world, unwilling though you might be, and trust needs to be earned. Given your situation we want to treat you all with a certain degree of understanding and offer you some leeway that our own citizens would not receive. That does not, however, mean you have free reign to do whatever you please."

"Case in point, I regret to inform you that an honored guest, Jon Sims, did attack me and use a particularly intrusive form of magic in an attempt to extract confidential information that could have endangered my world and yours. This is considered high treason, and he will be executed by hanging on the twenty-third of August. Good day to you all, and I hope that what you are about to see impresses upon you the gravity of our situation."

The Horizon

Everyone is marched through the portal and when they emerge on the other side, what they'll see is a huge desert with a perfectly circular crater a few miles wide. At he center of the crater is the Singularity, and although it doesn't seem too imposing at this distance a certain power radiates from it. Some of the mages avert their eyes, as if they can't bear to look at it. Some of them seem almost drawn to it and they have to be held back by their fellows to prevent them from crossing the line and being torn apart. Ambrose stares, and though he doesn't approach it there's a certain amount of melancholy in his expression.

The newcomers are allowed to soak in its majesty for only a minute or two before they are yanked forwards and into the crater by something that feels like a rope coming from the inside of their chests. They are at once overwhelmed, and without exception they all black out...

...and awaken in the Horizon, where they will spend the next few weeks without memories of any world but this one, constantly aware of the Singularity and its power.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"'Uni-horn'?"

Something about that feels...almost familiar. Like it's close. So close, but just slightly to the left on the sidewalk where you sideswipe the curb rather than hit the street properly. But it's close enough.

"Hmm...I suppose it does roll off the tongue, doesn't it?" She taps her chin, then smiles. "It will do! Hello there, new friend. Are you also fond of apples?"

Hemera produces another, holding it out to the unihorn.

"I wonder how many have created something similar in their own land. Mayhaps we have more in common than not?"

The 'unihorn' does indeed like apples, and immediately comes over to start taking eager bites. Estinien crosses his arms, observing with a half frown.

"Mayhap so... and yet you travellers seem most fixated on what I've created. Particularly the karakul." He is working very hard to sound put upon. "Nary a day passes that someone doesn't stumble through to gawk at my flock, as if they've never seen a grazing beast before."

Which... maybe they haven't? The phrase sort of rolls off his tongue and then hangs in the air uncomfortably.

Hemera is happy to watch the unihorn eat its heart out. Feeding these creatures brings her a sense of contentment, even though it's clear they are not the sort she is used to having in her own domain--not just in appearance, but behavior. The moogles and dragonets in particular are quite the chatty bunch.

"They are quite cute, wouldn't you agree?" she says rather matter-of-factly. "I imagine some of the creatures in my own would attract similar attention if they were able to exist outside of the crystal."

He does agree, but he's not going to say that out loud. Instead, he just stares at her, slowly tilting his head as she mentions her crystal. He'd seen the thing when she brought it over the mountain tops, but he hadn't considered there was anything inside of it.

"You have... creatures within your crystal?" he repeats, expressing his lack of understanding with his dubious tone. Admittedly, he is interested in seeing creatures, and he hasn't explored that much. What might someone else have been inspired to create?

Hemera nods as if such a thing should be self-evident. And why wouldn't it be? They can create anything and everything they want here, can't they? Though in a similar sense she could also make them exist outside of the crystal by whim alone, except that would make them much more difficult to transport around.

It's a balance of priorities.

"Several, in fact." She tilts her head to the side, eyes narrowing slightly in mirth. "Would you like to see for yourself?"

He does want to see, but he's still nebulously suspicious about it. He crosses his arms, considering the idea for a few moments longer.

"...Fine," he says, at last. She's really twisting his arm here, obviously.

Oh yes, she's savagely demanding it. It's almost as if she expects his eventual agreement for some reason. She claps her hands together with a widening smile.

"Then let's head back to where my crystal is settled. She won't catch up with us any time soon. If you don't mind me borrowing your mount again, Sir...?"

"...Estinien."

It takes a moment for it to come, not being something he's given out often here. Without him having to do anything besides nod, the chocobo will nudge her with its beak, hunkering down a bit to let her upon its back. Meanwhile, Estinien takes to the sky without another word.

Finding the crystal isn't difficult, given that it's large and glowing. He's the first to arrive, and when she catches up he's already at its side, touching the surface with his claws, showing curiosity that he may have been more inclined to conceal when being watched.

"Estinien, then."

And since he doesn't ask, she doesn't offer her name in return. At least not yet.

She's unsurprised to see that some of the karakul have likewise taken an interest in the crystal rotating gently above them. Something about that image strikes her as amusing though she can't put her finger on why.

"Oh, so you're familiar with these sorts of things?" she asks as she dismounts the chocobo. No one else she's shown this to has known how to activate it, and yet it still takes her touch to begin. She stands beside him--a congenial distance, showing no fear of his otherwise monstrous appearance--placing her hand on the side as well. It begins to glow, from her hand to the top of the crystal until a waterfall of light trickles down around them like a fountain.

Soon, the images of the green valley and blue skies fade to old stone and a starry sky above. A gentle breeze flows across the landing, up from what appears to be tall mountains peaks in the distance, not entirely unlike those that seemed to hold in the valley, though long since depleted of green trees. Snow begins to fall despite the fact there are no clouds in the sky, and the combination of the stars and the lights of a sleepy city keep a warm glow despite the veil of darkness.

Hemera, though, is a little intrigued.

"Hm...I wasn't planning on this one."

She generally likes to show people something that is far removed from their own lands as a contrast. Curious.

Oh.

He pulls away at the same time she reaches forward, feeling sort of uncertain. He did feel like he knew how to interact with it, like it should be something natural. Was it because this crystal feels similar to the ones growing in his mountains? He takes on a small frown as he watches her activate it.

Whether she planned for it or not, the surrounding do end up surprising him. The mountains in the distance may be familiar, but being in the presence of such massive architecture feels far less so. Or does it? He's never seen this before, he couldn't have... but aren't the edges and curves of these buildings somehow familiar?

Though it's a casual gesture for her, Estinien is staring forward, dumbfounded. It's almost as if he's seem some manner of ghostly visage. Without saying anything, he spreads his wings again and takes off, as if he's planning on exploring the landscape...

...Only to fly right through the barrier on the outside. Suddenly, he's back in the valley. He pauses, startled by the transition and the splash of cool water running over him. Below, his feet and tail are still protruding through her side of the dome as he tries to reorient himself.

Edited 2021-08-12 00:51 (UTC)

Ah--should she have warned him about that? She can't blame him for wanting to take off and exploring, through truth be told, most of the people she invited inside her dome didn't have the ability to fly up and out. A first time for everything, isn't there?

And apparently she isn't the only one who finds it mildly amusing. The denizens of this world (and many) appear, looking around Hemera and then up towards their guest.

"What's it doing?"

"It stuck?"

Without waiting for her reply, several dragonets fly up and start inspecting the feet and tail poke through their sky.

"It almost looks of our kind. How strange!"

That doesn't stop them from poking at his feet and trying to playfully nip at his tail.

Estinien is real spooked by the sensation of several things touching his feet and tail, his wings missing a beat as he jolts in surprise. He snarls softly, curling a lip at the watery barrier blocking his view, only to lift himself up and swoop back through it again, resubmerging into the wintery seen.

Around him are dragons. Little dragons. He knows what they are without having to ask. They are the same thing he is, or at least they sort of are. He's thought about making things like this a few times now, but felt wary about the idea.

But they're here now. Once he's returned, they resume poking around, and he whips his tail away from them, curling it closer to himself. His follow-up question sounds almost accusatory.

"These are... Why did you make these?"

Hemera crosses her arms, watching with an amused quirk on her lips. The dragonets have always been a curious and nosey bunch and she really does nothing to ebb those instincts. It just feels right that way and since they cannot leave the dome (as far as she understands), she should allow them to investigate as they see fit, shouldn't she?

Even if they have poor manners regarding their guest.

"Why?" A fair question, she supposes. "Likely the same reason that you made your flock."

The largest of the dragonets cocks its head to the side.

"Why shouldn't we be here? We live here!"

Another one chirps and does a spin in the air.

"We live many places! And will for many years to come."

Estinien shakes his head, feeling as if she isn't quite understanding just how strange this is to him. He's often thought about the idea of having a 'brood', of there being other creatures like him. Yet, he somehow knew that if he attempted to make something like he imagined, they wouldn't be complete somehow.

They wouldn't really be like him. They'd just be reflections of him.

Or maybe, in this situation, reflections of her.

Despite his troubled look, however, he can't help but feel attached to the creatures, as if he could have hatched and cared for them himself. He reaches out like he wants to touch one of them, but doesn't actually know how to engage properly with them - which isn't entirely separate from how he acts around his animals.

"They aren't... real. Are they?"

They are a friendly bunch at the least, though they have enough wherewithal to look a little offended at their existence being questioned. (Rather, she has instilled them with the sort of compunction to look offended, since it seems like the sort of thing they would just do. Capricious things they should be.)

"As real as anything we create is," is all she says, feeling she does understand the weight of his question this time. Hemera lowers her arms as one of the dragonets circles her own head before landing on her shoulder.

The one he reaches out to reaches out back with its head, allowing him to pet it if he wishes to do so.

"You seem troubled, Estinien."

He slowly lands, coming closer to her, frowning deeply as she offers the dragonet to be pet. Seeing these creatures has definitely put a name to the anxiety he has felt at the notion of creating broodlings. While the animals he made could behave easily as animals do, for something like this it's a lot more complicated.

He touches the scales of the dragonet's head, carefully avoiding hurting it with his long claws. It feels strange, to show affection to it this way, like there should be some other kind of gesture. A bumping of heads, perhaps? Yet, with the particular shape of his body, that doesn't feel right either.

"I have felt the absence of creatures like this," he says. "Yet... I know that no matter what we build, we cannot create more of... us. Beings like us."

He exhales.

"It pains me to see them and know they are not like the ones I feel should be here. That they cannot grow and change without me."

The dragonet closes its eyes and makes a trilling sound, something that would be undetectable to the ears of most men. Its tail swishes behind it happily as well as another floats overhead to observe before moving to inspect Estinien's wings.

Indeed, what he says is more than familiar to Hemera. Though each of her inner worlds within her crystal's dome have a variety of creatures to make merry with, were she fully content with it she would not seek out others. Beings like them.

"I know that feeling," she says simply at first. "That is why I have been wondering why so many of us strive to create barriers between our lands. I understand the need for privacy, of course, but it strikes odd that we should settle to be so disconnected. Are we not of the same ilk no matter our appearances? Are not all creators in this world?"

He can't help but feel like it's a direct critique of his own behaviour, even though he's been more welcoming to her than he has been to others. Admittedly, actual encounters with the other creators of this realm have mostly eased his more aggressive doubts, but there have been a few others that have equally kept him on his guard.

He doesn't know exactly why he's been so distrustful, why he's been so focused on his creations rather than others. He hardly paused to consider those waking up around him before taking off to stake his claim. Having the domain made him feel less vulnerable, and that was important, somehow.

He lets the dragonets inspect him, growing more comfortable with their presence, even if he knows their limits. They can't be true family to him, but it's a nice feeling, all the same.

"I came to existence with a feeling of ill-ease," he eventually says. "The idea of other beings, ones that I could not control, ones that might take action against me... I wanted to be secure against them. I wanted to act on my own terms."

And that means not being bound to the wills of others.

He was not unwelcoming to her, she thinks--then again she has essentially let herself in and left him there to deal with her sudden appearance. Had she set him likewise ill-at-ease when he first discovered her? Entirely possible and entirely likely, though mayhaps the sheep accepting her so quickly had helped with that.

(The sheep would accept anyone, she feels, but she won't worry on that.)

"And yet the existence of these creatures that cannot act if it were not for us causes you distress all the same."

Hemera frowns, just so, thoughtful but not upset. She reaches to stroke the dragonet on her shoulder who reacts as one might expect--pleased, gentle. How she would want it.

She raises a point he hadn't really thought about - that ultimately the thing he hadn't liked about the other residents of this place was the quality he wished he could bestow upon his creations. He glances aside for a moment, not even sure what he thinks of it.

"...Regardless of any discomfort I feel, it does not feel savory to create lesser reflections of the Singularity's chosen just so that I might feel empowered," he says. "My children would be owed better than that."

"As such, I have focused my energy on beasts that would find such an existence natural and comforting. In the absence of a brood, I will care for my flock."

For someone who wants to keep others at a distance, he still feels the need to have those like him close by, something to care for--or saw as much in the dragonets, as it seems. And given his appearance she really can't deny the resemblance.

"So that you might feel empowered?" she echoes, raising a brow. "A very...pointed way of phrasing that. Is that what you believe these are?"

Hemera motions to the dragonets--not necessarily accusatory, but it is clear that is an appraisal she won't let slide.

He glances back to her, realizing what she is asking - truthfully, he had not been thinking of her, or any of the others, when making that statement. He pauses for a moment, and then shakes his head.

"I can't speak for your intentions - only my own. And in a state of desiring control... how could I not consider that aspect of my own wants?" He doesn't sound as if he holds ill will towards her for what she's made, even if he finds her creations uncanny.

"Do you crave power over your creations?"

A fair question to turn back around on her. But it is an easy one to answer nonetheless. Hemera shakes her head, folding her arms as the dragonet on her shoulder takes to the air instead to chase snowflakes that gently float through the air.

"I want companionship, not obedience."

She watches the creature play about in the air as the others come to join it, making up some sort of game of tag.

"...But it is as you say." It's not the same.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT #2 IC POST

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject