Chapter Two: The Question

Stone steps lead to the kingdom's most powerful possession, the Sanctus Imperium. Three stone pillars with runic markings face one another forming a stone altar.
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Azazel
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Chapter Two: The Question

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Per his fathers advise, Azazel made his way to The Sanctus Alter. He sparred no time, promising to return in enough time to participate in the sparring contest. On the surface there wasn’t much to gain from a sparring contest. No fancy title or prize gems. Fighting was his home, his tempo. The clash of Will and spirit was euphoric.

So he rushed, clearing the miles of distance between Ars Haven and the Alter in record time. He was winded, admittedly. Not to mention his legs had suffered from the intense strain he imposed on them without stretching.

He took a break, resting against one of the stone pillars. He stretched out his shorts, pulling the black cloth over his knees.

“The smell of this forest never gets old. Fresh lavender. Budding roses. The sound of kindreds birds rustling or better said, singing.’’

He finished with a chuckle. Tickling himself in his own glee. He wondered how long it would take for Kurai to show...or did he mean Meridia when he said your mother?

‘Why’d he have to go and call me out. That kid Teralok, was pretty young..I bet he hates kids like me. Rushing me off to train with ‘My mom.

Oh...whatever. It won’t matter when I’m gone.’

-He leaned against the pillars and closed his eyes, resting to the tune of nature’s many voices.-

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Kurai
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

Post by Kurai »

Kurai's mind wandered off as it often did. One moment she would be focused intently on one train of thought and then there would just be darkness and the low hum of a harmonic chorus before something else struck her attention. This time, it was the vision of the Sanctus and a young boy who's hair looked awfully familiar from the back.

Azazel? She thought.

Suddenly her body was jarred awake. Realizing she must have fallen asleep for a spell, she stretched a bit to help her get back into the awareness of the physical realm.

"Azazel." She remembered, yawning a bit as her finger seemed to slice through the air opening a dark slit. Typically a vision so clear implied a present timeline, so she figured it was better to head over to the Imperium now rather than later.

Surely enough when she stepped through to the other side she found Azazel standing on the grounds with a rather curious look on his face.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she approached him.

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Azazel
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

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-He never shared his feeling, no matter how strongly he felt, or hos simple the emotion-he always rushed into a lie.-

‘It’s nothing mom. I’m just passing the time.’

He said nonchalantly. He belittled his feelings until they didn’t exist, and no matter the perspective awareness someone had, pinning him down was impossible- or so he thought. It wasn’t for a lack of effort on their part, nor a lack of skill or talent. It was the pure, unadulterated, strength of denial that gave him his edge.

‘Dad said i’ll need my inheritance for the Arena sparring session, so...can you help me?’

-he poured himself into his lie. Hiding the true vulnerable nature of his feelings...from himself, but in his mind, he hid from the world.-

‘Yes? No? Maybe?

He said with a warm smile, hiding the glint of worry beneath his carefree facade.

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Kurai
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

Post by Kurai »

Kurai's face twisted with suspicion.
Azazel was definitely being weird for some reason, though it was too soon to tell why. However, knowing him to be so much like his father, she was sure there was a plethora of things going on in his head that he didn't want to reveal. They were always shouldering their burdens on their own. She wanted to ask out of concern but...knew it was likely to be pointless.

"Of course, I mean... I'll do what I can. What is it you need help with exactly?"

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Azazel
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

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-He was shocked. Kurai let it go so easily. She didn’t pester into his feelings, even though, she above all knew he was hiding.

She was in tune with the vibrations of others people’s emotion, sometimes even more than her own. Yet, without a bit of fight...she let it go. He wondered if this signaled a lack of interest? Or perhaps she knew he’d never reveal his vulnerabilities until he had them under control? She probably knew.

‘I...don’t know how to use this thing. I’ve been here for a few mins and nothing’s happening, plus...the script on the stones just repeats the same phase From within.’

He sprang from the ground and dusted off his clothes. If his mother, Meridia, found him soiled and lounging lazily...she’s surely assume the worst and make short work of him. The thought of his mother’s tail cracking against the wind, snapped his distracted mind into focus.

‘Is there an incantation?’

He said with a certain amount of forces enthusiasm. He twitched about, trying to keep his mind on his posture.

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Kurai
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

Post by Kurai »

"Hmm..."

Her head turned to face the crystals but her sight was on the memory of her last encounter with them. Her interpretation of the script was "From the core, speak" which wasn't exact based on what Azazel just said but it made sense. Metaphonetics was not an exact art after all. It was developed to translate meaning, not precise script.

For her, the translation and the activation was near silmutaneous but...Azazel had already read the script so... what was different?

She turned back to Azazel, staring into his face as though the answer might appear on his forehead. Her hand raised to her chin, stroking it slowly with her fingers for dramatic effect.

"It can't be an incantation...if it were, simply reading the script would activate it...I assume. Most relics I've seen are like that."

Looking to the crystals again she backtracked her experience in her memory. Trying to recall how it felt brought to light a crucial piece of information.

"When I came here...I wasn't sure how to activate them either. Then I thought back to the feeling that urged me to come here...it was a sound. A kind of...chime..."

Somehow this was making less sense as it came out of her mouth than it did in her head. How was he suppose to trigger a sound that only she heard? Well, obviously there was more to it than that.

"Well...I percieved it as a chime but...the sound...it came from my will I suppose. The raw feeling of why I came to the crystals. Focusing on that must be the key you need. That would explain why it reads 'from within' and...the repitition..."

Her words trailed off and then suddenly she was very excited.

"Of course! When you repeat an incantation it is to the purpose of drawing energy to a particular point. It urges you to focus, to go into a sort of meditation or trance, if you will. But it doesn't work if you just say it. You must emerse yourself in it's meaning. Let it seep into your senses."

She smiled brightly, quite proud of herself as she connected the dots. It was always so invigorating to discover the connections between the unseen and the physical world.

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Azazel
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

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Kurai wrote:
Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:44 am
"Hmm..."
“Of course! When you repeat an incantation it is to the purpose of drawing energy to a particular point. It urges you to focus, to go into a sort of meditation or trance, if you will. But it doesn't work if you just say it. You must emerse yourself in it's meaning. Let it seep into your senses."

She smiled brightly, quite proud of herself as she connected the dots. It was always so invigorating to discover the connections between the unseen and the physical world.
Kurai loved to share and in that way she loved to talk. Her words were strong, much like a breeze carrying a leaf through the forest, carefully guiding you through what she felt. The clarity was nice and he admittedly knew he needed her help. She’d reminded him of something he overlooked. If the pillars didn’t respond to incantations , then...it required a certain willingness- his desire.

‘Oh....Duck, it’s going to judge me’

He shook his head, agreeing with himself before Kurai could form a response.

‘...I’m nervous. I know it’s going to test my fears, it’s going to force me to answer that question.’

-He turned to face the alter and rested his weight on his knees, reaching out for the script engraved into the pillars.-

‘From within.’

-He whispered just before touching the cold stone. He stayed there for a while, motionless, his finger glued to the script.-


[WITHIN]

He was fucking falling? Raging, twisting, and speeding through a tunnel of pure light? It was sudden, damn near instantaneous. One moment his was questioning who he was, the next, falling down a tunnel. His fear turned to excitement and his confusion bursted into laughter.


‘Is this what I am?! Huh! I was afraid f- ’

It started moving faster, much faster! Literally, if not exactly, the speed of terrifying. He blinked. And when his eyes opened. He wasn’t moving anymore.

There was stone everywhere, grey everywhere, Trees...asymmetrical aligned. It was unsettling and unlike anything he’s seen before. Yet, over his confusion he heard someone yelling. He couldn’t understand what they were saying, but knew for sure they were in danger. He could recognize the sound of fear.

He moved, expecting to be upon the source of the panic within seconds, but he was halted? His brow raised.

‘When did you?’

He questioned. Pushing past the person only to realize there were hundreds more of them. They were suddenly all around him, rushing off somewhere. They seemed ignorant of the screams in the distance, perhaps...even apathetic?

The screams grew more gastly and in turn he grew less patient. He leaped into the air, expecting to jump over the distractions.

‘It’s...a youngling?’

He said while dashing through the air, arriving on the scene in a fighters stance. The boy was being threatened by an older man in black linen clothes, some kind of uniform?

‘Pick me?!’

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Fate I
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

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[Within]
-He slowly turned to face the voice that rang out in defiance and triumph. He lifted his fire arm to his face as he stared into Azazels eyes. There was a weeping angel engraved on the barrel of the gun, her hands rested on the mans face and a tear of blood fell from the mans eye, along the guns barrel and down his arm.-

‘Remain calm.’

-He screeched. His mouth growing wider as the pitch grew sharper.-

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Azazel
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

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[Within]
He cringed. The man was deranged, maybe even psychotic and the people who played ignorant are no better.

He felt...oddly out of place and yet familiar with the experience. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but the look in the cowering youngling eyes...was of pure horror. To assault someone...so helpless, what evil.

The screech hurt, could have hurt worse if he wasn’t so pumped on adrenaline.

‘Get fucking...wrecked.’

He said smugly. In a flash. He was behind him, taking advantage of the comfort in safety the man in black felt beside his weapon.

Azazel’s fist was charged, primed with a wealth of naten, more than enough to level a lesser being, a scavenger.-

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Fate I
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Re: Chapter Two: The Question

Post by Fate I »

‘Think again.’

It shouted, contesting Azazels punch with a shadowy mass of putrefied naten. It was black, reeked of decayed flesh and deteriorated naten at an atomic level.

He turned to face him, twisting it’s neck unnatural far to meet Azazels eyes directly. With a deep and ghastly exhale , it coughed a putrid puff of gas and hissed

‘I claim life.’

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