Stravier looked at 17 in panic. He knew not how the artifact worked, only that he could understand every thought racing through 17’s head. He froze, hoping 17 couldn’t hear his thoughts.
“Can you hear me too?”
17 shook his head at the same time the thought “no” popped into Stravier’s head.
He breathed a sigh of relief, causing 17 to become wary of his motives. Stravier was immediately made aware of this fact and began thinking of a way out. He thought about asking why he suddenly didn’t trust him, but realized the futility in that because they both knew exactly what 17 meant. Instead, he attempted to explain himself while reaching slowly for the revolver on his hip.
“It’s not what you think.”
17 indicated that he could hear what he was doing. In one smooth motion, Stravier grabbed his gun, pulled the hammer, aimed for 17’s head, and pulled the trigger. In a sudden reaction to hearing the loud crack of the revolver, 17 tried to protect himself from the bullet by throwing his hands and arms in front of his face. Instead of the sharp pain 17 was expecting, he was pushed back by a powerful force and a deafening boom. He felt the connection he had to Stravier sever as he slammed against the floor. 17 heard the bullet fall to the floor beneath where he had expected it to hit him.
“Run.”
He picked up his bags automatically and ran for the door, only to trip over Stravier’s unconscious body. 17 remembered the headphones, grabbed them, and put them around his neck as he loudly made his way down the metal stairs outside his third floor apartment. 17 heard people opening their doors and shutters, shuffling out onto the streets in search of the loud boom they had heard moments before. To keep from drawing attention to himself, he put the headphones on and kept his head down. Most had seen him before, and knew this was normal behavior.
17’s mind became an echo chamber for his and Echo’s thoughts. Careful who you trust, he was BRF, you have to leave, they know I’m still alive, careful who you let in, he was my only friend, the mind is a fragile place, where will I run, just run, I thought I was done running, run to the temple, what temple, run to the temple, WHAT TEMPLE, RUN TO THE TEMPLE, just walk faster, think harder, I’m tired of thinking, think harder, YOU DON’T KNOW, I KNOW, they tortured ME, they tortured me, we both know that, we both know that, why me?, I don't know, keep walking faster, Welcome echoed through the room. It was warm. It was empty. The floor was cool and hard. The voice of a young man said “Welcome to the temple, Archon.”

Ian walked into the room as the other Archons began to appear. He has already been here for a few hours when the others began to show up and it was definitely a... Diverse group of people. "Welcome everyone" he said happily as all the people began recovery from their first rift. it was a terrible feeling to be ripped out of a universe and dumped into another one with no rhyme or reason. it wouldn't last long and the more they jumped the easier it would get on them.

"tell them I say hi"

"I'm the archon of gravity, Ian Marcus. I can only assume you are all brought here for the same reason I was so the first thing I would suggest is to go explore the temple. This place is alive. It seems to evolve with life in the multiverse. collecting and storing tons of information from all of them at the same time." he told them excitedly, not really sure what else to say to this band of strangers that were supposed to become his comrades.

"from what Lupus has told me there are multiple levels to the temple. we are only on the first. the rest descend down into the earth and apparently get more and more technologically advanced the farther down you go. this place is incredible. our next objective once we have settled in is to begin training and honing our skills. what comes after that i honestly have no idea. lupus hasn't shared that information with me yet. she wants to wait until all the archons are together to explain why we have been given these powers

"tell them I say hi!!"

"i know this is all very strange and new. i don't entirely understand it myself. I'm just hoping lupus and maybe the spirits of your archons will be able to clarify whats going on" he told them with a small smile. he was still getting used to the idea of a new home just like the rest of them and felt it only natural that everyone explore the beauty and knowledge that the temple had to offer.

"IAN! TELL THEM I SAID HI!"

Ian placed a hand against his forehead and winced in pain for a second. "I forgot to mention.. Lupus says hello to all the new Archons and to all the Archons she has known for years"

Maddison hit the dirt floor of the temple, the air knocked out of her lungs temporarily. "Shit," she groaned, rolling from her stomach to her back. She squeezed her eyes shut as bits of dust and dirt flew around her face as a result of her impact with the ground. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she opened her eyes and sat up, brushing herself as she stood. She immediately noticed a room full of other people. Well, some of them were people. Some of them looked more like aliens. And one girl with white hair looked like something out of Lord of the Rings. What the hell?.

"These are the other Archons. They were chosen, like you." Eridanus spoke for the first time since Maddie had entered the temple. Archons. Like me. Right, ok. She backed up slightly, making sure that everyone was within her view.

"By the way, asshole," she whispered to Eridanus, "when you said we were going to book a flight, I thought you meant with an airline. Not through some goddamned portal!" She gestured excitedly, as if he was standing next to her. As she finished her sentence, she heard one of the other start talking. He had dark hair, brilliant blue eyes, and a severe looking expression. Ian, he called himself. Apparently he fancied himself their leader. It's not as though Maddie could complain though. He seemed to understand what was going on a hell of a lot more than she did. Still, it wasn't in her to be a follower. As he finished explaining the layout of the temple, Maddie spoke up. "Excuse me. Ian, was it? Yeah, hi, my name is Maddie. Look, I know you think yourself our leader or whatever, and really that's fine because I have no idea what the hell is going on, but don't you think you should at least start by explaining what is happening? I mean, I have this voice in my head telling me it's my job to train for some end of the world bullshit and now I'm stuck in some Temple of Doom deleted scene with you people, the Legolas elf chick over there, and whatever the hell that is," she pointed to a grey figure with no eyes or mouth. "Can you give me more than the you've-been-chosen and you'll-learn-soon lines that I've heard a hundred times already?" Her eyes went from face to face, locking eyes with everyone in the room. "Do any of you know what's really going on?"

"Oh god," Eridanus mumbled. Maddie swore she could hear him rolls his eyes at her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for an answer.

Brynn stood against the wall away from the group; he was never fond of groups. Not since the facility.
Talk to them, you have to know all of them.
They're all strange. Especially him.
Brynn was watching the strange pale man; for some reason he had no eyes and no mouth.
Does he have to scream?
He knew the man from somewhere, the facility maybe? Or a target. Brynn reached into his pocket and looked at the poster he held. The description matched.
Seventeen; the man with no eyes or mouth. Dead or Alive: $30,000.
Brynn, don't. We need him.
I won't. But I'm not using a damn hypo.
At least introduce yourself.
Brynn walked over to the group.
"My name is...Breaker. I don't know what's going on here. I'm just trying to get some food."
Out of the corner of his eye Brynn noticed that he saw Cale again, pushing on a wall.
There's no trap door or hidden room. This isn't a movie.
You never know.

This, my boy, is the temple, a place of great importance in your future

Fascinating Jacky mused as he inspected the room. A bead of sweat fell from his forehead on to his shoe, perhaps the rift walk had taken more out of him than he had expected. It was a strange feeling standing in the presence of others from different universes, an unprecedented encounter and scientific phenomena that his universe had not yet reached. He observed the people all around him, all humanoids apparently, even with the man of no eyes and mouth, they seemed to be of similar species. One of the other Archons appeared a bit annoyed she seemed to not find the boy who had greeted them, Ian's explanation as sufficient. Her distress was understandable, it did not make a lot of sense and was a bit hard to believe, but Jacky also had a good feeling that there wasn't much to be done about it. In fact, he was feeling a feeling he had not truly felt in a long time, a sense of direction.

Introduce yourself! Time to make some friends!

They all seemed visibly younger than him and even among inter-universal peers he still stood very tall above them. Perhaps his height was a feature of his planet. His knuckles melted back into a crystal as he stepped forward. With a polite bow he spoke, "I am Jackson, call me Jacky it is nice to meet you all." He slung his violin case over his shoulder and faced the door.

Oh! How well-mannered! Also be sure to tell Lupus I say hello.

"As Mr.Marcus said, perhaps this place holds the answers."

He wasn't one to talk and he had already felt as if he had spoken too much. He did not have a taste for idle conversation and was already ready to learn more about this 'destiny', as it was called by Draco. He began to walk into the temple, before he remembered, he spoke, "Draco sends his regards as well.", and without another word he turned and walked out of the room.

If this truly was what fate had decided for him than he would cling tight and ride along until it brought him to ruin.

Watching from the point of which she arrived at the temple, Aella listened to this...Maddie, was it? Anyways... She listened to Maddie give her little speech. From the looks of it, most of the people in the room were humanoid at least, though she wasn't sure who or what the grey man was, but hey, who was she to judge. However, Maddie really was getting on her nerves, especially by calling her...Legolas? Who the hell was that anyways?

"Don't make enemies now, Aella," she heard Sagittarius say in her mind, "These are your new comrades. You'll have to be able to work with them."

'I won't', she thought before, sighing. Looking up at the group, she first said to Maddie, "Look I'm not entirely happy with this circumstance either, but lashing out will not help things. Let's just see where this goes. And it would really help your attitude if you called people by their names." She smiled sarcastically, before moving a bit closer. Her silvery-blue eyes glinted with a slight hidden threat behind them, as she didn't like to insulted like she was, "My name's Aella, got it? Not whatever the hell you called me. I suppose some weird Elven stereotype from your universe. We're supposed to be working together for now at least and if you give it the benefit of the doubt, you'll probably find the answers you're looking for. I'm pretty sure everyone in this room is on edge from having to leave their families behind, well, at least I am, and you're just not helping the situation."

Backing away slightly, Aella popped her neck a bit, not really having anything else to say. So far, other than Maddie, she had no real qualms with anyone in the room. However, maybe that would change as they started their training or whatever. Everyone in the room seemed to have some sort of interesting quirk and seemingly came from different backgrounds. Jacky seemed to have the right idea by leaving as she had already watched him do so.

"Way to go, Aella. That was a sure fire way to win them over...And please pass along my regards as well," Sagittarius hissed in her mind, the first time she had heard some sort of emotion in the disembodied voice. 'Sorry but that really pissed me off,' Aella thought to herself, and she finally said out loud, "Sagittarius sends her regards. I'll be taking my leave as well." And with a slight turn on her heel, the silver-haired elf walked towards a different door than the one Jacky disappeared out of.

Haven shifted on the ground and rubbed her arm. It was a little sore from the landing. To be honest, it was her first time rifting. Corvus thought she’d done pretty well, so she took the minor injury as nothing special. Her eyes moved about the room, looking up at the ceiling and down at the people around her. The joke she had made seemed to fall short, and she guessed that it was just because people were still getting their bearings.

Other people began to arrive, looking either bewildered, unsure of themselves, or terrified. The different species of people in the room didn’t bother Haven at all. She was used to being in mixed-race hotels, clubs, parties, and anything else you could think of. It was just natural. Her interest was spiked when someone walked into the room, looking completely comfortable and at ease. He seemed to know much more than they did.

"Welcome everyone," he said to them. Haven looked him over, wondering which Archon he was and how he had come to be their supposed leader. Corvus was interested in who he was, too. In fact, he wondered about the rest of the people in the room. Can we trust them, Corvus? She asked, listening as Ian introduced himself and spoke about the temple. ”Of course, Haven. The Archons are my friends. Well, except for Thanatos. He is someone you do not want to mess with.” He told her, ending it in a nonchalant tone. Haven didn’t respond to him, ignoring his Captain Obvious attitude.

”I know this is all very strange and new. I don't entirely understand it myself. I'm just hoping Lupus and maybe the spirits of your Archons will be able to clarify what’s going on,” Ian continued, giving them all an attempt of a smile. She could tell that he was still adjusting to life here at the temple, so she could only guess that he hadn’t been here much longer than they had. Ian took his head in his hands and winced, as if he had a headache. "I forgot to mention... Lupus says hello to all the new Archons and to all the Archons she has known for years.”

”Ah, Lupus. Archon of Gravity,” Corvus said with a reminiscing tone of voice. Haven watched Ian curiously, knowing that from Corvus’s tone, Lupus was a good friend. Gravity, huh? She could practically sense Corvus smiling, no matter how intangible he was. ”Lupus was a good friend of mine. Let her know that I say hello.” Haven nodded slightly, even though she had no one to nod to but another soul trapped within her.

Haven went to stand, but when the brunette girl started freaking out on him, she decided to just sit still and wait until things were calm and he could actually have a conversation. When the girl turned to look each of them in the eye, Haven found herself locking eyes with her for a second. Haven looked away. She knew that getting angry and yelling about this situation wasn’t going to help anything. To be honest, the first night that she’d been conscious with Corvus inside of her mind had been a whirlwind. Corvus had warned her against drinking again, but she’d ignored him and gotten drunk off of her ass. Then she proceeded to yell at Corvus while staring into a mirror so he could see how upset she was about it. It’d been a horrible night, with a rough, hungover morning.

All Haven knew was what Corvus knew. She was the Archon of Time, there was an Archon of Death named Thanatos that became evil and ate the Archon of Light, and they were all gathered here to train and defeat this Archon with a god complex. Aaand, that was basically it.

”I wonder which Archon she is…” Corvus thought. Haven scoffed softly and shrugged. She sighed, wishing she was back in the hotel room, listening to her music on the Bluetooth that she couldn’t bring along with her. This was all just a little too stressful right now, and she wasn’t even sure if the temple had a bar, or even a wine cooler.

As the too-stressed girl was being confronted by the elvish girl, Haven looked through her bag, taking an inventory of what she had. Did this temple have bedrooms? Bathrooms? She assumed it was, since it was supposed to accommodate for all of the people gathering here. Especially food and water. She let out an anxious huff, setting her bag aside and hugging her knees to her chest. A few people left the room, seemingly as done with this little rendezvous as she was beginning to be. Corvus was paying close attention to who was which Archon. ”I encourage you to talk to everyone, eventually. You’ll need to get along and know each other well to work as a team.” Haven bit her lip, nodding again. I will… For now, she just wanted to relax.

Eredos lacked the compassion for Gideon to explain to him the rift situation prior. With teeth grit and a tired Gideon pushing himself back to his feet within the temple, Eredos began to explain the situation in a hiss. "You're surrounded by different Archeons. Your goal will become apparent." And in response to spine tingling Eredos, Gideon regained his bearings and walked to the edge of the group. He remembered everyone's face at that moment and the names of the ones who spoke with discrepancy.

Light breathing could be heard through the sound-altering filter within the heavy walls of the corridor, and after Aelia had spoke and left Gideon took his Que to agree with her about first names. "Gideon. Archeon of Darkness." He removed the mask, the sound of steam hissing released, and his mouth was exposed with dirt lines around its parentheses like a coffee ring on a newly polished table. Piercing blue eyes glanced at each one of the people at the circle in quick succession, testing his own paranoia.

- Gideon is a brute. He's quick on his feet, and slow to hesitate. He felt it was nessessary to add an element of intimidation towards the others, in order to make himself appear stronger. And through the force of will he forced his shadow to dance underneath him like flames to a curtain. He felt first impressions were important.

He took a step back, and sat, taking slow and calm breaths of the freshest air he'd ever experienced. His cleaver sat in his lap across his chest.
"Hmm. I find pleasure in your distaste for gentle introductions." Eredos seemed to almost chuckle that dozed into a grave sigh.
Gideon felt strong, confident, and excited to no longer be bound by his unforgiving planet.

EDIT:
He looked to Ian, frowned, and leaned back. He lazily grazed over the rest of the group with his eyes, and spoke. His grave voice trailing within the temple's stone chamber. "Who's who.?" he spoke. A pause, and then he pointed sequentially at the remaining faces and the doorways which the others left.

"Ian of Gravity.
Breaker.
Maddie.
Jackson.
Aelia."

He spun his finger lazily to his face, "Gideon". He dropped his finger back into his lap, "I see some strangers still. But whatever." He then clicked his respirator that had lied in his palm back in. And thus, the feint sound of filtered breathing remained. He wore it from force of habit. His eyes trailed down to his cleaver, which rattled softly.

Now this is a party!
Son of a bitch! Traversing into this realm felt like he was being thrashed by several city guardsmen during an unexpected brawl back home. Looks like he wasn’t the only one that had that experience with rift walking for the first time. Fortunately, he knew how to deal with the pain of being beat up. Before he started stretching though, another Archon walked out and started a what was essentially a soliloquy… Immediately after Ian’s introduction, Virgo began chittering excitedly into his ear about the other Archons and their adventures. Instead of listening and taking note of all that he was explaining, Vanth took a few steps back and leaned up against one of the walls away from the group, his face emotionless, to watch how the other Archons interacted. Each one of these chosen individuals definitely brought something to the table… temple. His instincts took over as he took note of each character’s reaction, trying to size them up, while trying to categorize them into different groups. For example, Vanth planned on steering clear of that Maddie chick for the time being since she seemed like trouble after an outburst like that. This Ian guy seemed promising, at least he was seeing this turn of events as a kind of glass-half-full. The pale dude off to the side seemed to be what most were awkwardly staring at.

By now Vanth felt well enough to expend energy to interact with some of his fellow magical gir- pals.

When Talay-a barreled through the rift, it wasn't quite what she was expecting. She rolled to avoid too much damage to herself and drew her blades, glaring at everyone else in the room.

You did not tell me that there would be more people here. Who are they? Talay-a didn't take well to the lack of knowledge coming from Andromeda at this moment. She was used to being in charge and always having the upper hand. It didn't set well to having neither of those.

They are the other Archons, your new comrades in arms. Please don't kill them, it would be terribly awkward to explain. Andromeda explained, causing Talay-a to stand up slowly and sheath her swords. She watched as this Maddie girl threw a fit, and Talay-a had to roll her eyes.

"Calm down, I highly doubt that the Archons are being any more forthcoming then the one in your own head. Besides, it'll be a pain to explain it multiple times so they're probably waiting until we've all arrived" Talay-a said, waiting for Andromeda to share her input.

Imagine that. It's someone with the name Marcus taking charge. It's almost like that's happened before...oh wait! It has! Don't trust him...don't trust anyone with the name Marcus. Ever.

"Andromeda takes offense with your name. I just thought you'd like to know." Talay-a mentioned offhand as she settled back against the nearest wall.

17 took a seat on the cold hard floor and took off his headphones. He listened as Archon's arrived. The sound of rifts through space opening and closing fascinated him. His attempts to communicate with Ian Marcus didn’t go well. He could communicate his name by pointing to the brand on his chest, but the sign language of W.G.A. was foreign to Marcus.
He listened to Ian Marcus give a short monologue on what was going on. He continued to sit and listen to the conversations of everyone else, keeping tabs on the characters he had just learned about. Everything could be heard with such clarity, as if his sense of hearing had been heightened.

- Ian Marcus. The Archon of Gravity. A woman named Lupus is his mentor. The mention of her name flashed a memory through his head of an eager woman named "Lupus The Patient," an old Archon of Gravity.

- Maddie. Talking to someone in her head. Quite the mouth on this one, with a feisty attitude to go with it.

- Breaker. He distanced himself from the others at first. He could feel his eyes pressing down on him. Silent type. He was occupied thinking something else.

- Jackson, or Jacky. He held something musical in a case. He could hear it’s strings vibrating as he swung it around. He mentioned Draco before walking away. A memory of a large warrior known as “Draco The Strong” was awakened. The Archon of Stone.

- Aella. Apparently the one “Legolas” was directed at. 17 had heard about elves in stories, so her appearance was easy to imagine. She mentioned Sagittarius, which provoked the memory of a guardian known as “Sagittarius The Watcher,” an Archon of Air. She walked off in a different direction than Jacky.

- Haven. Her joke was met with silence, but 17 grinned at hearing her attempt to lighten the mood. She fell silent for now, except for a sigh that seemed to indicate anxiety over the situation.

- Gideon. His breathing could be heard going through a filter. Was this air toxic to him? He uttered only his name and role, establishing himself as Archon of Darkness. He removed his respirator for only a moment. He seemed irritated. He wasn’t friendly.

- A nameless girl spoke up, trying to calm Maddison. She seemed very forward, insulting Ian Marcus’s name. Andromeda reminded 17 of “Andromeda The Siren,” an Archon of water.

There were others who had rifted in, but hadn’t spoken up yet. 17 got up and walked to the man known as Gideon (@J D Jalowiec). 17 thought it would be best to tell him his name, since he announced everyone else’s. He pulled his collar down to expose the brand on his chest. “XVII” was printed in the center, with “seventeen” printed twice in a circle around it. He pointed to it, then to his head.

With a blink she had arrived, standing amongst several others within a stone temple. The severe dissertation and disorientation quickly subsided, and the feeling of another universe completely unlike her own was oddly familiar. Each person standing within the room were unique in some way, with certain qualities that made them memorable. As each spoke, she took time to remember names and traits. Ian was handsome, Madison was fiesty, Breaker was kept, Jacky was ballsy, Aelia seemed to look like an elf, etc.

- - -

Everyone took turns speaking, and she waited patiently off to the side for a more appropriate time to introduce herself. It wasn't lady-like to steal the spotlight, unlike that Gideon that clearly was vicious within the group. However, she had the strangest feeling that most people within the room were inexperienced. However, the faceless fellow, the one who gestures, made Docia incredibly uncomfortable for some odd reason. It could've been because she wasn't used to seeing fellows without mouthes still living.

With her blue sundress trailing gently behind her in the softest breeze from the corridors, she clasped both hands behind her back and swayed on her heels. Casually moving next to a new face, "I'm Docia." She softly spoke in Breaker's (@Jersh) ear with her voice of milk and honey. Gently holding out her hand to shake his, it daintily lingered. Her skin was ice cold to the touch...

Ian watched the interaction between all of the archons, unaware of when to step in to the conversation. Before knew what was going on it seemed that the girl with the black hair had flipped out on him, while some of the others had retaliated and the rest had ignored her. He gave a nod and a friendly smile to those that left to explore the temple. He turned back to Maddie with a concerned look on his face "Listen.. I'm not any more sure of whats going on here than you are.. I just happened to get here first. I wasn't volunteering as leader.. I was just trying to welcome you all and tell you guys about the awesome stuff I found in the temple" He said, pointing back over his shoulder at one of the corridors that lead deeper into the temple.

While Ian was waiting for the other archons to arrive he had spent his time exploring and talking to lupus about the history of the temple and the many rooms and living areas of the temple. Most of the actually accommodations were deeper underground with only this main room being an important part of the first floor. The rest of the temple was rift locked, a kind of barrier set up by the first archons to stop rifting in or out of the temple except through this central room.

"I know this is all very confusing and I'm right there with you, completely in the dark. My first suggestion would be for us all to claim a room in the lower reaches of the temple to get settled in and then we can sit and have a talk about what exactly is going on here" He told them all, trying to keep some semblance of order in the group

"The living quarters are designed to adapt to a person's mind, changing the space to better suit the host that inhabits it. Tell them to imagine the room they want when the step inside and let the temple do the rest"

"Lupus says that if you imagine your room before you enter one of the empty rooms downstairs, the room will adapt to your vision of how you believe it should be. I'm going to find one now. I guess we can meet back here once everyone has claimed a room. If you guys see the archons that went exploring, let them know about the rooms and the meeting please. I want to learn about all this just as much as you all do" Ian said, putting an end to the conversation. He headed off through one of the corridors in search of his own room, figuring if Maddie still had a bone to pick she could follow him and they could discuss it somewhere that wouldn't cause unrest among the others

Haven watched the other archon hosts, but barely paid attention to them. They either seemed too occupied in their own thing, or way too dramatic. A dark, tall man that reminded her of Darth Vader appeared hostile as he made his shadow flicker. "Ah, Erebos the Shadow. Archon of darkness. He was always one to show off." Haven rolled her eyes, but knew to be wary of this intimidatingly large and creepy man. Her attention turned to the scarred ruffian who seemed to be eyeing all of the ladies in the room with cocky eyes. She was used to that look, so she ignored it as she looked at the other people in the room.

Suddenly, a girl was flung out of a rift, blades ablazing. Haven braced herself to fight, but remained calm. The girl soon put her blades away and calmed, but Haven knew to be wary of her, too. Her sass towards the diva and Ian Marcus amused Haven, but Haven didn't show it. She heard Corvus let out a "hmph." "Andromeda. Don't trust her. At all." Haven simply shrugged. She watched as a strikingly pale girl in a flowing dress appeared and approached a young man. Haven liked her heels.

The exchange was awkward at first, and Haven wished she had popcorn to enjoy, but the boy got a call and swiftly disappeared. Haven furrowed her brows, wondering why he would disappear right after getting here. After a minute, though, the boy reappeared in the same spot, covered in blood. Haven scrunched her nose in disgust, wondering what the hell he'd gotten into during the time he'd disappeared. She shook her head and looked away, releasing her knees as she prepared to stand and get out of this room. These people are weird. How can you trust that I'm capable of fitting in with this crowd? I'm hardly the fighting type. She thought bitterly to Corvus, who merely chuckled. "I do admit that this crowd is odd, but the archons within them will guide and train them. Just like I will do with you. Don't forget that you know a large amount of fighting styles, also." Haven let out a soft sigh, admitting that she knew how to defend herself.

Just as she was about to get up, the first man to speak took the floor once more. She remained sitting, knowing that he at least had some sense to him. He had said a little before Haven was paying attention, but she wanted to hear the rest. "I know this is all very confusing and I'm right there with you, completely in the dark. My first suggestion would be for us all to claim a room in the lower reaches of the temple to get settled in and then we can sit and have a talk about what exactly is going on here" At least someone thought about the rooming situation. I better not have to share with anyone.

"Lupus says that if you imagine your room before you enter one of the empty rooms downstairs, the room will adapt to your vision of how you believe it should be. I'm going to find one now. I guess we can meet back here once everyone has claimed a room. If you guys see the archons that went exploring, let them know about the rooms and the meeting please. I want to learn about all this just as much as you all do. With that said, he turned and walked out of the room. He seemed done with explaining.

Haven took this as her cue to leave. She stood and shouldered her bag. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Corvus asked, feeling that she should at least let them know her name. Haven headed towards the door, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room. Nope. Corvus simply sighed, helpless as Haven headed down the stairs towards the lower levels. She felt trapped. Like she was in the basement of some monk's home. Surprisingly, though, the air felt great. It was just the tight quarters that bothered her.

Soon, Haven found a hallway with a lot of rooms. She peeked into the closest one, noticing that it was bare. This is it! She thought, headed towards the very last room in the hall. It was tucked away in the right corner, and seemed a good distance from most of the other rooms. Perfect. Corvus frowned lightly. "You're being pretty anti-social, Haven." Haven simply shrugged and opened the door to the bare room. "Here goes nothing," she said aloud, taking a deep breath before she closed her eyes and stepped into the room.

When she opened her eyes, the room looked just as she had imagined it. Haven's once expressionless face looked happy as can be as she felt the hardwood floor beneath her feet. She set her bag down by the door and kicked off her boots before walking towards her bed. The carpet surrounding her bed felt amazingly soft under her feet, and with a little jump, Haven plopped herself down on the king sized bed. She let out a soft groan. It was the perfect mattress. "I think I like this place, Corvus," she said, her voice muffled by the plush, warm blankets her face was buried in. She let out a soft sigh, melting into the cozy bed.

Corvus wasn't very amused. He gave her a few moments to relax and get comfortable with her room before speaking up. "You should go to that other gathering that they're having. You need to introduce yourself and get acquainted with everyone." Haven let out a soft groan of disapproval. "Not in the mood," she grumbled. She could practically feel Corvus giving her that look and she huffed. "Give me ten minutes, and then I'll go to the stupid meet and greet. Okay?" Corvus smiled softly. "Alright, Haven. You may rest." Haven let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes, going back to being relaxed and at ease.

"Downstairs and sleep."
Eredos the Shadow hissed in Gideon's ear. Soon thereafter, he heard Ian speak, "Lupus says that if you imagine your room before you enter one of the empty rooms downstairs, the room will adapt to your vision of how you believe it should be. I'm going to find one now. I guess we can meet back he-" and before he finished Gideon stood up, cleaver clunking to the floor being held by its chain within his dirt covered hand shortly behind the girl who walked off. Her silloette moved side to side in front of him as she walked to her room, and she turned the corner of a hallway into one of the rooms.

Gideon scraped by, cleaver dragging, searching for his perfect room amongst the mossy stone clad walls. He found one.. the last one on the left. "Why so private?" Eredos sounded pleased at the result. '...'

It was something only he could see. Darkness inhabited the room. There was even an oil lantern lit, but it revealed nothing. It only cowered before the black shadows before the room. The looming shadow that blanketed the senses felt blacker than black, and the hand could physically feel its touch trailing over the body like small fishes would dodge rocks in a body of water.



A bed, nightstand, an oillamp, a wooden chair, and an armoire on the opposite side of the room resided.
---

Basked by the protection of Eredos, they sat together. Gideon recalled the night before the crystal, and of the dream he had concerning him. He felt peculiar and unsure about himself and what he felt he was asked, but he thought and pondered. "Do you feel as persuaded as I do?" The hiss of a mask pierced! And soon the soft breaths of clean fresh air enveloped Gideon's lungs within the darkness of his cozy and warm bedroom.

"Hopefully we meet a like minded individual."..

After leaving the big group, Aella found the temple to be much like her home. There were a lot of empty rooms though, it seemed, as she went from corridor to corridor. Maybe the rooms would be turned to something else as they were needed? Or maybe they were to be empty for some other reason? The silver haired girl couldn't help but wonder as she continued to explore. She seemed to see the one tall man with this sort of breathing apparatus walk into one of them and she turned on her heels. That guy gave her the jitters.

"This place is huge," Aella mumbled to herself, finding the maze like halls of the temple, fascinating if not also intimidating. This temple had to be at least three times the size of the one she grew up in, if not bigger. Who knew how many secret doors and surprises lurked within the structure? "You'll find that its not as formidable as it looks, Aella," she heard Sagittarius say in her head. Seeing a large door at the end of the hallway she was currently in, the elf cautiously went in. The room was somewhat dark, but it seemed to have a large platform in the middle with a lit path to the very middle of the platform.

"This...seems very formidable," the silver haired girl said to herself out loud, walking along the path. Something was drawing her to the very middle, but it wasn't an unwelcome feeling. "Things aren't always what they seem," she heard Sagittarius say to her as she reached the middle. As soon as she stepped on the platform, a strange blue-white light emitted from under her feet, lighting the room. The room was very circular, but as she tried to make out more details, little things started to form from the same light that lit the platform. Soon, a universe was in front of her and all around. With a small gasp, she looked at the multiverse in all of its glory, her eyes lit up with joy and wonder.

"I wonder if I can see my home," Aella wondered out loud and in front of her eyes, a small planet came into view. It zoomed in and rotated, showing her the mountains she grew up on. There was a huge universe out there that she had never even seen and now she had so many new places to explore, if she could travel to each of these worlds. "It's a grand place out there, Aella," Sagittarius said, "Your mission will be clear to you as you explore this place and work together with the others." Saying nothing in return, the elf stepped off of the platform and the lights dimmed as she continued to walk towards the opposite door from the one she came into.

As she started down another hallway, Sagittarius' many voices started to hum in unison. The tune was something she did not know, but...it seemed very welcoming. Aella continued down the new hallway, another force pulling her. She was looking for comfort in her new home, and it seemed that the temple itself was trying to take her somewhere she would like. Walking over a few hallways, she found herself in front of two large doors. Taking a large breath, she pushed them open, hoping what was on the other side would be an answer to her search.

A huge library greeted her, earning a loud gasp. Amoung the many walls and shelves full of books, there were comfortable chairs...desks...and even a fireplace surrounded by cozy couches and tables with lamps. Her heart leaped for joy as she started to look around. Each of the little sections of the library was labeled, making it easy for her to find the history area. She grabbed a book that she had seen in her library back in her old temple but never was allowed to read, since it was a ancient relic in her home. She sat in front of the roaring fireplace, and opened the book.

It wasn’t like he didn’t notice, but Vanth knew when people were staring at him. Another observation was that he wasn’t the only one here that was a loner; all of these other Archons- save maybe Ian, Maddie, and Aella- definitely kept to themselves and preferred it that way. His eyes rolled up towards the ceiling and his head cocked back and to the left. Then again, who am I to judge them? They probably know more or less the same information that I do from their spirit Archons… And it isn’t like they particularly chose this destiny, like me they picked up a stone and were burdened with this newfound destiny of theirs.
Did you listen to anything I told you about my companions?! Wow, rude. Did you at least hear what Ian said? About the rooms?
Vanth made a face. Yes, I did, but what room would I envision? All I’ve known was in that poor excuse for a house and a military grade sleeping bag that I stole so that my parents wouldn’t have to work for another bed.
Well, you could at least pick a room before all of the nice spots are gone. Virgo wasn’t wrong, the room was starting to clear out as the others were going off to explore the temple or envision a room of their own. He started towards the hall Aella had chosen a few moments before since she seemed to take the path of least resistance. Eventually Vanth caught up to her yet still kept his distance with his hand brushing slightly along the passing walls and doors. Almost as soon as he saw Aella, he noticed Gideon cross her path. She spun around and was backtracking towards him to avoid Gideon. In response, Vanth opened the door his hand was on and ducked into the room closest to him.
Not a bad spot, it’s close-ish to the library and isn’t too far from the designated meeting area.
Vanth turned around. This room, now his, was Spartan in its design with everything in the room having a purpose. A sturdy, sleek polycarbonate desk with a somewhat matching rolling recliner was furthest from him. Beside it was a rather cozy looking bed that used bedframe that was made from the same dark polycarbonate as the desk. Adjacent to the desk and along the wall was a series of two dimensional shapes indicating functions of sorts. Apart from those items, there was a dresser built into the wall next to the closet which was directly across from the bed.
“I guess it wasn’t hard at all,” was Vanth’s first comment. He tossed his pack onto the bed and flopped down next to it. From there he took in the sight that was his room. The walls were a metallic gray with differing hues throughout. For carpet- it being the first time he had any- it was a fluffy material that was also gray yet was unlike any that he had seen back home or in the factories. Despite the room looking so bland, it felt as though it was packed with pent up energy. “I could definitely get used to this.”

---

Right after Maddie spoke, it seemed as if many things happened at once. Others spoke up and most seemed to think she was overreacting. Legolas chick is kind of a bitch, she thought.

“Her name is Aella, Maddie. You’d do well to remember it. She can kill you.” Eridanus snickered slightly when he said this.

“But she won’t, right?” Maddie knew she was a strong and confident woman but those traits would do very little toward anyone who had training to hurt her. Eridanus sighed dramtically.

“Well, I’d hope not. She’s here for the same reason you are. You guys need to work together. And by work together, I mean, I’d love to watch you work together,” his voice was heavy with innuendo.

“Oh god,” Maddie’s face twisted in a scowl. “You’re totally a pervert. Besides, I kind of just assumed you were…well, you know…you were…” her voice trailed off, uncomfortable when she realized how ignorant her statement was going to be.

“You assumed I’m gay? Honey, I love every part of everyone. No picking sides for me. Besides, it’s not like I’m corporeal enough to do anything about it. I have to live vicariously through you. And I’d love for you to go be vicarious with Aella.” Maddie felt a tingle up her spine, as if Eridanus was physically moving her.

“Not a chance dude.” Maddie heard Ian mention something about bedrooms and she watched as many of the others made their way out of the main room. She immediately felt guilty about the way she had spoken to him. She had a tendency to get abrasive when she felt out of control and there was no doubt in her mind that it made Ian feel uncomfortable. She watched as he headed to his own room. She wanted to get his attention before he went inside. She reached him and grabbed onto his arm, right about his elbow. “Hey, uh, Ian.” She dropped his arm and intertwined her hands together. “I wanted to, uh, say that I didn’t mean to, uh, make you feel bad.” She paused awkwardly. This was entirely out of character for her and she didn’t like it. She let go of her hands and pushed her shoulders back. She looked him directly into his sky blue eyes and cocked her eyebrow. “I accept that you’re going to be our leader and I wanted to say that you have my support.”