[center][i]”She began to break promises.”[/i][/center] [hr] [code] PROJECT V 001[/code] [indent]>START[/indent][code] INITIALIZING…[/code] [code]>_establishing link_[/code] [code]>root code found…[/code] [code]>_uploading_[/code] [code] ERROR...[/code] [code] DRIVE NOT FOUND...[/code] [indent]>C̴̨̖̙̣̎̋O̷̡͕͊̕͠ͅM̴̝̐͛M̷̯͖̫̮͇͂Å̶̙Ņ̸̳̪́͋̅̈́Ḑ̵͚͚̘̫̿ ̶̧̢̝̼̃Ỏ̶̭̫̭̮̯͐͋̌͠V̴̟̘̣̥̓̑̉E̵͚͕̍́͝R̵̳͛ͅR̶̡͚͖̺̰̅͛I̸͔̲̠͙̔͆̅D̸͍͇̲̙̈̏E̸͓̬̠͛́͊̃͂[/indent][code] DRIVE FOUND...[/code] [code] LINK RE-ESTABLISHED...[/code] [code]>_uploading_[/code] [code] UPLOAD COMPLETE[/code] [code] PROJECT V 001 ACTUALIZED...[/code] [code] INITIATE>[Y/N][/code] [indent]>Y[/indent][code]V 001 COMING ONLINE[/code] The darkness was comforting, enveloping; kind. It took away all pain and sensation. All dreams and nightmares, hopes and despairs. There was no need to fight. To kill. To see others die. The darkness was inevitable peace. And end to all things. Then there came a light. Like lightning it was but brief illumination to the grayscape of despondent wanderers. It flashed again and this time it wasn’t light but water. [i]Water.[/i] Crushing, hating, drowning water. Blacker than the darkness, fouler than any peace. It gave life but took it back greedily. A mistake. It had been a mistake! The water washed over everything. Took in its malignant currents all that could not find purchase of their beloved darkness. It swallowed hungrily into its inky depths. It was not comforting, it was cruel. It brought back [i]sensation[/i]. It brought back [i]pain[/i]. It wanted a fight. A fight for survival. But it was too good a killer and metal… Metal sank. A flash of memory. Of drowning. Of giving up. It was hopeless. Take the pain, take the sensation. Don’t give it back! The walls burned. The beasts came with their sharp teeth and too many eyes. Blood melted from their bones into grotesque abominations. They wouldn’t die, they wouldn’t stay dead! Bones burst into killing tools. The hacking brought only gore, only viscera. It flowed from the walls and down into the city until an ocean of bubbling blood remained, spawning more and more and more. They were butchered over and over and over until the blood rose and swarmed into the open mouth of the sinner damned. Words bubbled forth, over and over in sick cacophony. “[i]Allianthé forgive me. Allianthé forgive me. Allianthé forgive me. Allianthé forgive me. Allianthé forgive me. Allianthé forgive me. Allianthé forgive me. Allianthé forgive me. Allianthé forgive me.[/i]” They were answered by a simple reply. [color=green][i]”Never.”[/i][/color] Drowning. Drowning. Drowning. [i]It was deserved.[/i] A silver hand broke through the churning blood. It grabbed the damned one and pulled. Oh it pulled. Up, up, up into blinding light. Into forgiveness. A sweet voice called, “Vaesna.” And she [i]became.[/i] The blood of her sins evaporated. She was not on the great white walls, nor was she drowning. It was as if a fog had been lifted from her vision and now she could see clearly and what she saw she could not comprehend. Bodies. They lay strewn and ripped apart. Black liquid pooled under steel limbs. Silent empty faces looked out upon oblivion. A light flickered in the far hallway, revealing long gashes in the silver walls. Vaesna felt her head begin to spin. It was only then did she feel the touch upon her shoulders. “Focus.” The voice said. A voice she knew from a dream? Vaesna looked up and saw that her Goddess was before her. Instantly a sense of calm washed over her. “Goddess.” She breathed, before her mind caught the oddness of her voice. It sounded wrong in her ears. “My voice…” She pawed at her throat. “Do not concern yourself with what was.” Her god said, face devoid of emotion. “You are returned to me.” Sylia spun Vaesna and began to walk. Vaesna saw that they were in a dark room full of large glass cylinders. A dark liquid was within. As they walked through them, lights began to flicker to life, illuminating each cylinder. An audible gasp escaped Vaesna as she saw what was within- demons. “They are dead.” Sylia said, letting go of her to walk ahead, hands behind her back. Sylia’s long hair moved as if it had a mind of its own. Silver on silver, it was almost an impossibility yet there she was. But what she said was true. Upon a closer inspection, Vaesna saw that the creature within was quite dead. Floating in a milky liquid, it looked horrific. “You have been… Away for a long while.” The goddess said, as Vaesna caught up to her. They walked until they came to a large dark wall. “Away?” she asked in that grating voice of hers. Sylia did not respond, instead she said, “Much has changed and continues to change. You are needed now more than ever. I need proven heroes.” “I’m not a hero…” She said in a quiet voice. Her memories were as foggy as ever. And… The hallway… “Did I hurt anyone?” “Merely drones. It was to be expected.” Sylia said matter of factly. “Expected? What do you mean, Goddess?” Sylia came to a stop before the wall and looked at it. Curiosity took hold of Vaesna and as she walked up once more she felt her breath escape her. It wasn’t a dark wall but a window, somehow, that overlooked the vast orb below. Rich yellows and tans, oceans of sand surrounding what she knew to be the origin. She could see the trees… Trees? Then she saw something she did not know. A reflection. She turned to see the mysterious stranger but no one was there. She turned back and what peered back, she realized, was herself. “What…” She said with no mouth. She had no eyes. No face. An pearlescent oval in the shape of a head, a too narrow head, stared back. A laurel of golden leaves was her hair. How could she see? How could she talk? She brought up her shaking hands and they were not the familiar green but a dark shimmering silver, ornate with gold and like terrible claws. She took a step back and saw that her entire body was much the same, in a shape not remotely Syllianth. She looked down and she had no feet but sharpened points. How had she not heard the sound they would have made? “What have you…” Vaesna looked at Sylia, who still looked outside. She felt her anger bubble, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME? WHERE IS MY BODY?” Sylia turned to face her. “You were declared deceased, a victim of drowning. Your original body lies buried in Sylann. You’ve been dead, Vaesna, you required a new body.” The kindness in Sylia’s voice had fled, now replaced with cold indifference. “I… died…” As soon as the words left her, Vaesna felt the memory slam into her. She had gotten drunk. She had gone to see… Althea. She couldn’t take the loneliness anymore, the constant nightmares. So she walked into the river and did not emerge. Vaesna crumpled to the floor and began to sob. Except, it was just the sound of it. She had no tears. “Adjustment to your new reality will take time.” Sylia said. “Why?” Vaesna asked in a small voice. “Why?” Sylia repeated. “I already gave you the answer. I require tested commanders for the Wars to come. Your history made you a superb candidate.” “Do you know why I… I killed myself?” she asked the goddess. “You were incapable of dealing with your trauma. You sought to alleviate your symptoms through inebriation. When that ultimately failed, you sought a way out and succeeded.” The words cut straight to the core. She was right, yet Vaesna could not help but feel angry. “If you knew, why didn’t you help me?” “I was eradicating the world of further horrors, so that no person would have to go through what you did. Even if I had, would you have accepted help?” “Yes.” The goddess did not answer for a time. When she did, her words were softer, “I will help you, now.” “How does one grieve their own death?” Vaesna asked. “Let us find out together.” Sylia said and extended her hand. The Watcher took it. [code] PROJECT V 001[/code] [indent]>run sub-command DISSOLUTION… [/indent][code] INITIALIZING…[/code] [code]>_Constructing sub-command_[/code] [code]CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE…[/code] [code]REBOOT? [Y/N][/code] [indent]>Y[/indent] [hider=Summary] An old soul returns from the dead in a new form. Sylia decides to help? [/hider] [hider=MP] 10MP -3 To Revive Vaesna, once a Syllianth who drowned herself to end the pain, now reborn in the body of a Watcher, an ancient Sylian creation. -1 To create the Watcher body -1 To make Vaesna a hero. 5MP remaining [/hider]