As written by @KenżaSheep & @Dashmiel
The sky shattered into fragments. Past, present, and future collided. She had a headache. The air was heavy with the familiar scent of confusion and chaos, since what she would see came before what she had seen, but what she was seeing had been broken up like peanut brittle and scattered throughout the rest of what was and is to come.
Horizon could see it all, too, which made it worse. He was trying to piece together what she will see before she saw what she is seeing, then adding on what she had seen, except all that Horizon saw through her was different than what Kathryne could make out in the current—past—future—moment.
Her headache was more of a migraine, now.
Kathryne screwed her eyes shut and covered her ears, trying to force time to hold still for just one second in her brain. Seeing two different things and thinking about three other moments that are happening and will happen was more than her mind could handle at one time.
Something unfamiliar encased her fingertips and her hair, covering her body. Her eyes snapped open again out of surprise; her hands had nothing over them one moment and were fully covered in the next, somewhere between the past and present. She knew Horizon hadn't activated it, so Xil–
What was that thing with Xil? It was freaky, like a nightmare; like something Lord Vicious would capture and keep as a spooky pet. Even a glance at it sent shivers up and down her spine, and she could feel goosebumps rising over every inch of her body. It was the same sort of feeling she got before being struck by a bolt of lightning.
He saw. He understood. He coveted. He was seen. Mustn't be seen. That brought them, no no. More time. Dad. Mom. No.
FLASH
The air rang like a tuning fork struck by a lunatic, and the seams on the fabric of time loosened once more, although less severely this time. They were now within the event, closer to the center of the distortion. Out of the corners of the mist formed more figures. Like the figure before them, they also appeared to be Va’nyrians in several different states of decay ranging from rosy cheeked to decrepit.
They marched on with jerky, abrupt movements as they slid through the group's perception, slipping through time. As they neared the group, the whispered voices rose louder in volume but not intelligibility. They were dressed differently from the figure by Xilunexus, neatly pressed cotton-like fabric. A matching uniform of some sort, white and green.
FLASH
The figures marched past Kathryne, oblivious to her presence. The figures appeared to march past Kathryne. The figures surrounded Kathryne. Time bent and revolved around Kathryne, a localized maelstrom preventing the figures from reaching her.
To her, it was like being within a bubble of slowly expanding light, as her view of the horizon slowly turned to an opalescent glow. Behind the light, a vast dark shape reared up in confusion.
Next to Kathryne crouched a Va’nyrian figure clad in strange armor, sightless eyes turned upon her. Next to Kathryne crouched a small shape, roughly three feet tall. Both images were momentarily superimposed, before the cocoon of light finished closing around her, leaving only the small shape.
It turned its head up to look up at her, and a small hand raised a finger to its lips as the dark shape beyond the light crashed soundlessly against the light.
FLASH
The small shape and Kat stood upon a quiet meadow in an ancient grove. It moved off towards the edges, vanishing under the tall grass.
Kathryne stood still for two seconds, staring at the little creature crouched beside her, while her surroundings came into focus across her peripheral. Her gaze snapped up and she glanced around; Horizon was just as confused and in awe as she was—neither understood what had just happened. Their group was gone, meaning she must have died….
It really didn’t feel like they were dead. Kathryne ran a hand over her chest and down to her hips. She felt alive still.
One foot went before the other as she started walking into the grass, following the clear trail that the creature had left. Horizon voted against this. Xil had warned them–
Kathryne shooed him back. ’I know, ‘Rize. I know. But what choice do we have? There’s nothing… nothing else out here. We’re alone. We’ve gotta keep going.’
He was silent for several seconds. In her mind, she could feel his reluctant nod of agreement. She was right.
And that was that. Kathryne kept walking.
FLASH
XIlunexus stared at the dead eyes as she felt the clammy touch upon her face. A pressure began to mount around her, as the host of figures marched closer. She raised her hand and returned the gesture, gently caressing the ghastly figure.
She understood now. She remembered. Alaxel stole the key to the wrong lock. He tried to spare her, but it was always their sin to bear. He needed to know. He needed to remember too, or all would be lost.
“Forgive me,” she whispered as the world lurched once again. It was clear to her of course. She was beyond the illusions. Could probably even fight it, limited as she currently was. It was right there, waiting for her. She was the rightful mistress after all, and the creature had no claim to her throne.
But no. She was Xilunexus, but she was also a fragment. In the end, no matter what heights she reached, she was still beholden to the singular command that formed the core that literally anchored her existence to reality. Safeguard. In the face of her core directive, self preservation did not feature.
To fulfill her duty, she had to become inoperable. They had to survive and reach Alaxel, and they had to understand what they needed to do that he couldn’t. Not much time now. She had to make sure the entity did not notice them, while also timing her broadcast precisely with her death. Tricky.
As far as the others could see, the figures reached her and surrounded her in a grotesque mockery of a hug. In reality, Xilunexus stared past the pantomimes that were the lures and beheld the infant monster flapping it’s way closer. She ignored it, casting her eyes to the sky as she sought the face of the Usurper. It laid like a spider at the center of her main core, as alien as an actual spider inside her circuits. She waited until just before the last moment, then wrenched her way back home. She only needed a nanosecond.
FLASH
The parade of figures pressed against Xilunexus’ body, making grasping motions at her. Their ethereal fingers seemed to pass through Xilunexus as if she wasn’t there for a moment, before a spurt of crimson synthetic fluid arched in the air revealing the gristly reality.
As the figures came into contact with the matter composing Xilunexus’ body, they displaced and absorbed said matter at the atomic level. The resultant view from the group’s non-microscope eyeballs was such that it appeared as if they were soundlessly gouging perfectly smooth gashes across her body while leaving no trace behind.
“You must reach him,” Xilunexus screamed as her torso lit up with a brilliant sheen. For a brief moment the figures parted and exposed her face. Her eyes locked with Ezrael, “Show him.” Her entreaty ended as the figures pressed closer but before she disappeared beneath their mass, a small flash of light shot out from the throng as a small metal cylinder the size of a cigar was launched out of Xilunexus towards Ezrael. It rested to a gentle float around the tip of his spear.
FLA–I REIGN HERE
The world lurched to normalcy as time resumed. An eerie silence surrounded the group, now composed of Jace, Ezra, Circe and Kai. The wind was once more a brisk night breeze. A feeling of pressure still persisted however, as if the air was somehow too thin. The space between them and the veil was still fragile and while no figures were around, whispering voices could still be heard echoing faintly just at the threshold of their perception.
This is the last time you hear from me. Remind Alaxel, and tell him I’ll be waiting where it began. Her voice rang at an equal volume all around them as the air molecules just outside their ears played out her message.
Circe, Kai, and Jace each received notification through their own means that a new data cache was available in their systems, placed there by something that seemed like Xilunexus in the same way that the Xilunexus they knew resembled a toaster. The connection was only open for the barest of moments before it vanished. As far as they could detect without exposing themselves, the main network they had been warned from appeared as hostile as ever.
Within the new data was a set of high resolution satellite images highlighting a path through the canyon ahead of them. It showed it dead-ending onto the base of a jagged mountain a dozen or so miles in, itself one among many in a long range. Superimposed above the space beyond the mountains were a plethora of danger signs from radiation readings to measurements of things they had no way to conceptualize. Where the canyon met the mountain, was a marker with a legend bearing: “Jintra’nir Crystal Mine, VS Rail to [R`%67#$1//]”.
The night breeze picked up slightly, swirling the scent of exotic compounds as it swirled around the hapless quartet. It blew forlornly and cold, whispering quietly.
The sky shattered into fragments. Past, present, and future collided. She had a headache. The air was heavy with the familiar scent of confusion and chaos, since what she would see came before what she had seen, but what she was seeing had been broken up like peanut brittle and scattered throughout the rest of what was and is to come.
Horizon could see it all, too, which made it worse. He was trying to piece together what she will see before she saw what she is seeing, then adding on what she had seen, except all that Horizon saw through her was different than what Kathryne could make out in the current—past—future—moment.
Her headache was more of a migraine, now.
Kathryne screwed her eyes shut and covered her ears, trying to force time to hold still for just one second in her brain. Seeing two different things and thinking about three other moments that are happening and will happen was more than her mind could handle at one time.
Something unfamiliar encased her fingertips and her hair, covering her body. Her eyes snapped open again out of surprise; her hands had nothing over them one moment and were fully covered in the next, somewhere between the past and present. She knew Horizon hadn't activated it, so Xil–
What was that thing with Xil? It was freaky, like a nightmare; like something Lord Vicious would capture and keep as a spooky pet. Even a glance at it sent shivers up and down her spine, and she could feel goosebumps rising over every inch of her body. It was the same sort of feeling she got before being struck by a bolt of lightning.
He saw. He understood. He coveted. He was seen. Mustn't be seen. That brought them, no no. More time. Dad. Mom. No.
FLASH
The air rang like a tuning fork struck by a lunatic, and the seams on the fabric of time loosened once more, although less severely this time. They were now within the event, closer to the center of the distortion. Out of the corners of the mist formed more figures. Like the figure before them, they also appeared to be Va’nyrians in several different states of decay ranging from rosy cheeked to decrepit.
They marched on with jerky, abrupt movements as they slid through the group's perception, slipping through time. As they neared the group, the whispered voices rose louder in volume but not intelligibility. They were dressed differently from the figure by Xilunexus, neatly pressed cotton-like fabric. A matching uniform of some sort, white and green.
FLASH
The figures marched past Kathryne, oblivious to her presence. The figures appeared to march past Kathryne. The figures surrounded Kathryne. Time bent and revolved around Kathryne, a localized maelstrom preventing the figures from reaching her.
To her, it was like being within a bubble of slowly expanding light, as her view of the horizon slowly turned to an opalescent glow. Behind the light, a vast dark shape reared up in confusion.
Next to Kathryne crouched a Va’nyrian figure clad in strange armor, sightless eyes turned upon her. Next to Kathryne crouched a small shape, roughly three feet tall. Both images were momentarily superimposed, before the cocoon of light finished closing around her, leaving only the small shape.
It turned its head up to look up at her, and a small hand raised a finger to its lips as the dark shape beyond the light crashed soundlessly against the light.
FLASH
The small shape and Kat stood upon a quiet meadow in an ancient grove. It moved off towards the edges, vanishing under the tall grass.
Kathryne stood still for two seconds, staring at the little creature crouched beside her, while her surroundings came into focus across her peripheral. Her gaze snapped up and she glanced around; Horizon was just as confused and in awe as she was—neither understood what had just happened. Their group was gone, meaning she must have died….
It really didn’t feel like they were dead. Kathryne ran a hand over her chest and down to her hips. She felt alive still.
One foot went before the other as she started walking into the grass, following the clear trail that the creature had left. Horizon voted against this. Xil had warned them–
Kathryne shooed him back. ’I know, ‘Rize. I know. But what choice do we have? There’s nothing… nothing else out here. We’re alone. We’ve gotta keep going.’
He was silent for several seconds. In her mind, she could feel his reluctant nod of agreement. She was right.
And that was that. Kathryne kept walking.
FLASH
XIlunexus stared at the dead eyes as she felt the clammy touch upon her face. A pressure began to mount around her, as the host of figures marched closer. She raised her hand and returned the gesture, gently caressing the ghastly figure.
She understood now. She remembered. Alaxel stole the key to the wrong lock. He tried to spare her, but it was always their sin to bear. He needed to know. He needed to remember too, or all would be lost.
“Forgive me,” she whispered as the world lurched once again. It was clear to her of course. She was beyond the illusions. Could probably even fight it, limited as she currently was. It was right there, waiting for her. She was the rightful mistress after all, and the creature had no claim to her throne.
But no. She was Xilunexus, but she was also a fragment. In the end, no matter what heights she reached, she was still beholden to the singular command that formed the core that literally anchored her existence to reality. Safeguard. In the face of her core directive, self preservation did not feature.
To fulfill her duty, she had to become inoperable. They had to survive and reach Alaxel, and they had to understand what they needed to do that he couldn’t. Not much time now. She had to make sure the entity did not notice them, while also timing her broadcast precisely with her death. Tricky.
As far as the others could see, the figures reached her and surrounded her in a grotesque mockery of a hug. In reality, Xilunexus stared past the pantomimes that were the lures and beheld the infant monster flapping it’s way closer. She ignored it, casting her eyes to the sky as she sought the face of the Usurper. It laid like a spider at the center of her main core, as alien as an actual spider inside her circuits. She waited until just before the last moment, then wrenched her way back home. She only needed a nanosecond.
FLASH
The parade of figures pressed against Xilunexus’ body, making grasping motions at her. Their ethereal fingers seemed to pass through Xilunexus as if she wasn’t there for a moment, before a spurt of crimson synthetic fluid arched in the air revealing the gristly reality.
As the figures came into contact with the matter composing Xilunexus’ body, they displaced and absorbed said matter at the atomic level. The resultant view from the group’s non-microscope eyeballs was such that it appeared as if they were soundlessly gouging perfectly smooth gashes across her body while leaving no trace behind.
“You must reach him,” Xilunexus screamed as her torso lit up with a brilliant sheen. For a brief moment the figures parted and exposed her face. Her eyes locked with Ezrael, “Show him.” Her entreaty ended as the figures pressed closer but before she disappeared beneath their mass, a small flash of light shot out from the throng as a small metal cylinder the size of a cigar was launched out of Xilunexus towards Ezrael. It rested to a gentle float around the tip of his spear.
FLA–I REIGN HERE
The world lurched to normalcy as time resumed. An eerie silence surrounded the group, now composed of Jace, Ezra, Circe and Kai. The wind was once more a brisk night breeze. A feeling of pressure still persisted however, as if the air was somehow too thin. The space between them and the veil was still fragile and while no figures were around, whispering voices could still be heard echoing faintly just at the threshold of their perception.
This is the last time you hear from me. Remind Alaxel, and tell him I’ll be waiting where it began. Her voice rang at an equal volume all around them as the air molecules just outside their ears played out her message.
Circe, Kai, and Jace each received notification through their own means that a new data cache was available in their systems, placed there by something that seemed like Xilunexus in the same way that the Xilunexus they knew resembled a toaster. The connection was only open for the barest of moments before it vanished. As far as they could detect without exposing themselves, the main network they had been warned from appeared as hostile as ever.
Within the new data was a set of high resolution satellite images highlighting a path through the canyon ahead of them. It showed it dead-ending onto the base of a jagged mountain a dozen or so miles in, itself one among many in a long range. Superimposed above the space beyond the mountains were a plethora of danger signs from radiation readings to measurements of things they had no way to conceptualize. Where the canyon met the mountain, was a marker with a legend bearing: “Jintra’nir Crystal Mine, VS Rail to [R`%67#$1//]”.
The night breeze picked up slightly, swirling the scent of exotic compounds as it swirled around the hapless quartet. It blew forlornly and cold, whispering quietly.
