Whoever they were, they hadn't a clue. A strong sense of nostalgia washed over them as consciousness flickered back into existence. Breathing and moving again felt so good. Again? Had they stopped? Wait. What even was 'breathing'? Or movement? If they had eyebrows they would have been furrowed in confusion...especially since they didn't even recall what eyebrows were.
The small wisp tried to recall something, something seemingly important but nothing came. Whatever memories they had - if they even had them - were trapped beyond a thick wall of fog. No straws to grasp to. Nothing to cling too. Only a sense of loneliness and strange emptiness where they were certain memories should have been. What were those, though? They couldn't even recall that. Everything felt so fragmented...like something had been taken. Extracted. Stolen. Had those memories been taken? By who...or what?
The wispy creature glanced down at their body.
Surprise. This was...this definitely wasn't what they always looked like. They were certain. It lifted a wispy 'hand' to their face. Long wispy trails falling off of it as they tried to recall something lost, but once again failing too. Lowering the hand, they inspected the rest of their body, trying to find some semblance of what they were. Or rather, who they were. Curious.
Ruins. Whatever the place, it was only a ghost of its former self. The pale stonework was absolutely wondrous, and awe filled them. As they stared upwards, they were greeted by a stilted, red sun. It was odd...it shouldn't look like that should it? Another emotion was felt. Something akin to wanting to know more. Why was it like that? Before it could ponder it long however, a voice greeted them, echoing in their head like a bell resounding inside of a cathedral.
"Welcome to our dying world..."
They turned their wispy body towards the sound of the voice. What they saw, was unexpected, though it didn't know what it even expected to begin with. A tall, beautiful pale girl with silver hair and massive horns like branches of an ancient tree. She had been looking at the sun as well, solemnly, almost seemed sad. Mourning?
The wisp took looked up at the creature, wanting to know more.
"You may be confused, scared mayhaps. But do not worry. You are safe from danger, little one, so long as you are here in my domain. I am what you call a deity, a Goddess. The last, in fact...You may call me Nera..."
Despite the words from this person...Nera, they called themselves, the wisp didn't feel anything strongly. It simply existed. Confusion? Perhaps a little. Curiosity as to what was going on? Yes, that was there. That sounded like a fitting word. Scared? Not really. Nera was a goddess? They didn't particularly have a clue to what that even was. It sounded important...but they didn't particularly care too much to ask to elaborate.
Huhm...perhaps...Nera jumped down from her perch. She then explained so many things. They were a lost soul. A creature that had long lost its purpose. Seemed fitting. Curiosity again. Lost soul? Implying they had died at some point? To many questions, not enough answers. As such, they didn't have any intention of not accepting this task. It was oddly exciting. Was that an emotion? Probably. So the wisp stuck out its pale, wispy hand towards the goddess. Immediately the goddess took off towards the west, beckoning for them to follow.
Excitement and Curiosity. These emotions were somewhat overwhelming for the lost soul who didn't even recall their name. Quickly the lost soul bolted after the goddess, not wanting to be left behind. They kept a quick pace, as quick as they could to make sure they didn't lose Nera. Still, the large, daunting and powerful goddess proved difficult to keep up with. The words she spoke whilst traveling revealed very little, but the lost soul could surmise that the goddess thought it was a 'chosen'.
A chosen of what?
Whatever it was, the goddess wasn't giving them time to answer. They had to focus on keeping up, not letting their mind wander, even though they wanted to learn and explore the rest of these ruins. They had to focus on the road ahead, and eventually Nera led them to a large Atrium. It was beautiful...but Nostalgic, just like the rest of the place. Perhaps it felt different? Nostalgia seemed somewhat different then what they were feeling.
...sadness? Perhaps that was the word. Forlorn, seeming.
The goddess then left, fetching the 'others', leaving only ominous words behind. Others? It didn't entirely want to meet others. Something felt wrong with meeting the 'others'. Not that it wasn't curious about others, but...something drove it to be somewhat hesitant. Acting upon those emotions, it moved quietly across the room behind one of the ruined pillars. It would...observe first? That seemed fitting.
Observation, and then acting.
Several others were quickly brought into the room. Seemed they had been the first of quite a few. Hopefully they hadn't noticed it quietly observing the others behind the pillar. When Nera had seemingly finished bringing the rest of them, things changed...quiet drastically. Her white eyes met the wisps, one by one. The first inclination was to flee, but it felt like moving might shatter their entire moves. Besides...if they ran, that would be bad. They weren't so weak as to do something such as that. So they stood their ground, next to their shattered pillar. If anything - it brought out another emotion in them. Fear? Perhaps that was the word that Nera mentioned earlier...perhaps a test of sorts? Did that mean they were in danger? Nera already hinted at that much. Curious. What sort of danger were they in? Hm.
Thankfully it didn't last long, and when things died down, Nera offered to answer questions.
Questions, though? Hmm...
After a moment of quiet observation, It decided it didn't really have any. Whatever came next, it would deal with then. It would let the others deal with any questions they had. It would listen, and observe. Perhaps offer words only if needed, or if it thought of a question extremely important. But for now, listen and observe.
It was afraid. Or at least it was very sure it was afraid. It seemed an appropriate word for the sensation the wisp felt. Had it been afraid before? It couldn't recall - only that it was well and truly afraid now. It wanted nothing more than to sulk off to one of the corners of this labyrinth and fall back into nothingness. But it couldn't will itself to do much of anything, not while this "Nera," dominated this place.
Those terrible moments were all it took to turn a budding affection into dread. The wisp was ready to follow, to obey and listen. Now it knew it must; that was the only way Nera would have it. To refuse certainly meant death, or worse. But that gave rise to another sensation. This one, it decided, was curiosity. Was it, in fact, dead? Trapped in some terrible afterlife? It had no true body to speak of, no pounding of a heart or sweating of palms. But the thoughts and feelings were all there. It only grew more afraid.
It risked a look at the others Nera had summoned. They, it was convinced, knew nothing more or less than it. Like this wisp, they were also probably buzzing with their own questions and feelings. And like it, they had no discernible body, but dancing tendrils of matter, unconfined to form or function. Who were they? And why, like it, had it ended up here? It concluded they must have something in common. If only it knew.
Nera probably did. She was the only being it had found so far that seemed like it knew anything. What did she demand of them? How had she brought them here? But the thing that troubled it the most was,
"What are you?"
The wisp would have gasped if it could have. Covered its mouth and shy away. But it had already involuntarily spoken. If there was any doubt, it knew it could speak now. And some things might be better left unsaid.
"S-sorry," it stammered, "I didn't mean to be so blunt."
Nostalgic. Comfort and revulsion mixed together as its thoughts struggled to grasp at the ethereal threads that were its memories. Its mind was empty, opinions and memories stripped away by what it presumed to have been itss death, but still, the imprint was there. Like footprints covered by snowfall, the phantom was remained. A father, a mother, a lover, a daughter. No passion followed the faceless shadows that melted away in its thoughts, but it offered it some solace.
At least it once had such things. Though it may not exist in this ruined world, it must have existed somewhere before. There was a trace of its past self in the land where it once lived. That imprint, that mark too, was enough.
It wasn’t a lost soul, it decided, unseen eyes gazing over the self-same companions that the Goddess brought in two at a time. It once was something, someone. Not just a lost soul. Not just forgotten, abandoned, left behind by time. Nor fated and chosen, a mere slave to an identity placed upon him by this horned deva.
It was simply wandering.
The void above threatened to swallow it up in its enormity. Its ethereal nature was absolutely mind-boggling, its own hands passing through its misty form. The wreckage, organized as it was, tore at its still-soft heart with its terrible beauty and wondrous desolation. So many sights to brand into its nubile mind, but it was the words of the Goddess that caught its attention. The Grand Journey. The First Challenge. The fragrance of nostalgia overcame its senses once more, the wisp shuddering in a mixture of delight and horror, pleasure and irritation. Like an itch it couldn’t scratch, photographs rolling in their abyssal grave.
It was something that was removed instantly by the pagan Goddess’s sudden transformation. A sword of silver. An ivory aberration. A gaze that promised death once more. Countless irrational thoughts squirmed within, a thousand deaths flashing before its eyes regardless of rationality. Bones that did not exist, turning into powder at the slightest twitch. Brains that did not exist, crushed into pulp at the thought of fighting back. Flesh that did not exist, bursting with goosebumps. A desire for a weapon, even though its ghostly strength was lacking, even though a rock meant nothing against a Goddess. In the face of the eldritch abomination, the wisp’s fear was first and foremost, but a rebellious undercurrent ebbed beneath, oozing different thoughts.
Violent thoughts.
It vanished like morning dew as the threat of extermination subsided, her charming appearance overriding the lingering dread, her promise that they would face greater predators than herself lighting that spark within it once more. A spark that illuminated the one meaningful question within his strange mind, discarding the value of practical knowledge.
"Oh my..." she gasped, seeing the fear that gripped one of the little souls. "Ah, I apologize... It was not my intention to frighten you. Though I suppose I must appear terrifying in your eyes..."
The towering Goddess got up from her seat and moved a few steps towards the gathering of them. She looked at the questioning wisp, who didn't dare look her in the eyes, in a remorseful way. She seemed deeply distraught at their own discomfort. Slowly, Nera crouched so all of the wisps would be at a more even eye level, the pale metal-plated pieces upon dress clattering faintly against one another. She was still rather giant, nonetheless, but no longer would she be looking down upon them. From this close, they would be able to see the swirling essence in her eyes, the faint carvings in her great horns, even the strange coldness that radiated from her ivory skin.
"I truly am sorry..."
The Goddess reaches out a hand, hoping the timid soul would show forgiveness to her. It would help settle her troubled heart.
"But please, do understand. I was merely presenting a glimpse of the danger in your trials ahead. I would not be able to forgive myself, if any of you were to befall harm that I could've aided to avert. It is best you go knowing of the threat, than not. Even if I must show a horribly regrettable side of myself... As I mentioned earlier, on your journey you will come to face things similar to me. I assure you that, though no less addled than they are, I have no intention of harming you. Maybe a past me, but not the current me. On the contrary, my dearest ones, I wish I didn't have to send you out there. That way, we could just stay together forever." she says with a wistful gaze, "Alas, your fates are much greater than that..."
Nera had spoken those words with a soft cooing, as if trying to calm a scared child. Indeed, her great size alone, and her demeanor would elicit feelings of great disparity like that of an adult to a child. But the way she spoke, was of long-lost mother or caretaker, warming and pleasant, but also when necessary, firm and maternal. Despite her youthful and sometimes childish acting, she held an oldness that, despite her best efforts, was unable to hide now that the wisps were this close. Within the enchanting eyes, while full of love and care, swirled a great sense of urgency and weariness. Much of it had been hidden earlier, aided by distance and behind a knowing and practiced smile. But now it was all laid bare to see. Much like the semi-cleaned atrium surrounding them, it was impossible to keep things maintained forever. It was obvious her elegant dress was one of the things she also kept in utmost care, but the waning of time can easily be observed. The hems of the white fabric has been tattered over constant use, threadbare even at the very worst spots. Bits of the metal plating can also be noted to have weathered away, some of the markings and paint becoming faded due to constant exposure. It was impossible to tell just how long she waited there for the each of them to show, and despite the difficulty, she had continued done so.
She speaks of many things, but the weight of their fate has never been taken with any lightness. The Goddesses eyes enlarge in shock when the second question came upon her ears, the long points perking up. It must not be often someone uses such a tone on her. She nearly laughs aloud.
"My, my, how bold you are! Though I suppose it can't be helped. My pittances have gone on long enough... Your questions will not be delayed any further." Nera says, her soft tone becoming sullen, her eyes drooping downwards in contemplation. It seemed to be a difficult subject matter, as she remained this way for a while, but eventually she pushes through her hesitation.
"...As I said before, I am a Goddess. To you, that might mean nothing. But in this world, me and my kin were rulers over the greater aspects of the fundamental existence and function of all life. We lived alongside the lesser races of this world, to whom we would watch and care over. It was not perfect, such is the way of things, but we knew how to forgive and let go. Through it all, there was peace. However one day, that all ended. This world started to shiver and die, overcome by a great sickness. The reason, I do not know. Perhaps it was a failing on our parts? Despite what you might think, it was no the blight itself that over took us. But our trifling ego, our pride, from which we had been engorged. Those guarded feelings fooled us into the arrogance that made us weak enough to succumb to the darkness."
Her tone then shifts, her eyes landing on the wisp who regarded her so boldly, "It is quite sardonic, I feel, how Fate decrees our destinies. Back in that age, one of light, I was seen as a minor and unimportant God. A nurturer and reaper of Dreams, a living 'Dreamcatcher', you might even say. But now, I am the only one left... and in a time where barely any dreams exist, no less. Here, in my realm, I have been kept safe from the darkness below. For a long time, I was alone and hopeless, and so very bitter. I was soon left an eternity to consider my own purpose. It was then, that I realized this is where I am most needed. In a place of no hope, dreams will rekindle the flames. Fate, itself, has granted me an opportunity, twisted as it may be. How I felt regarding the past, it was irrelevant compared to the pain I felt from the current emptiness. And so I poured my prayers and essence into the ever-flowing, cosmic divine, waiting these long ages for you, my chosen, to finally arrive.
Nera then looks at each of them, "I find it somewhat humorous, don't you? How two things viewed with such insignificance and disregard, are now the ones who bear the greatest destiny..."
She smiles, fully and with hope, tilting her head. "Anyway. Does that answer please you, little ones?"
There had been little to say since their arrival in the atrium. The change was overwhelming, and the words spoken by their guide difficult to absorb. Not to mention the pain so suddenly inflicted upon them as they tried to understand their situation. It turned its gaze towards the woman once more, eyes looking up to her towering height as she tried to make things clear to them.
Nera, she called herself. A creature of great power, it was apparent. The pain she had wrought on them had faded, and yet it was apparent she could tear them in two should the mood have taken her. A sense of uncertainty that hung over them all. It was all so very unknowable and something about that didn't sit well with the being-- If it could even be classed as such. Humming, quiet at the back of its mind. His? Her? Unclear, as was everything in this current state. So much it should have known, replaced with empty space.
Her intentions were just as unclear. She appeared to care for them, even when there was little of them to care for, but something was saddening her. The weight of a burden she did not wish to carry, the same sickness she so described perhaps. Or perhaps she was about to set such a weight on them? There was certainly something that the goddess wanted.
There was a feeling of discontent that accompanied the lack of clarity. Was it familiar, perhaps? No. Yes. The unknown, this. All unknown, and for some reason, the being found that distasteful. As though the unknown was something it despised, wished to erase. Wished? A strong word for one that felt so little, but appropriate. As though some hint of lost desire broke through the emptiness that had replaced most everything.
Foreign. Disorderly. Uncontrolled. Yes, there was something faint, a hint of emotion that riled against such a thing. But the creature before it offered guidance. Order. A thread to cling to. Faint and fading. Yes, purpose, that was important. Perhaps things would make sense, were they to sit in place. Be regulated, organised, correct. Organised according to logic, to law.
The disorder was perhaps intriguing to some, but it was difficult to understand. Curiosity, but there was no purpose to which it could be turned. Purpose. Again, a comforting word, the idea of meaning. Emptiness as it realised it had none. It was nothing. They were nothing. Nothing. How could they be hope, when they were nothing? Yes, the confusion could be felt now, muted though it was. There was so much that it didn't understand, that it couldn't even come close to understanding, and yet the emotion was still faint. Everything was faint, as though it barely existed at all.
But looking at Nera, her claim of divinity had been accepted without question. There was something timeless in her appearance, something that spoke of millennia lived and a thousand lives passed by. It seemed right that such a being would be divine, and for whatever reason that thought silenced the dissenting voice at the back of its mind. The proper order of things, that such a creature should be granted authority over them. Only right that they should obey.
Below the surface, fainter than faint, there was fear but not of her. Rather, it was the news she brought that so unnerved the wisp, as though something fundamental had been torn away from its being. So many beings as powerful or more than the woman before them. How could they be gone? The gods that supposedly governed their reality, reduced to one single reaper of dreams? That slight comfort from the idea of purpose swiftly disappeared.
Despite that, there was a spark of something after she spoke of the world's sickness. Reverence. The instinct to kneel. But at the same time, the feeling of confusion intensified. More questions, and even as the words escaped, the wisp felt a pang of regret. Not fear, despite her power, but rather a sense that to question at all was somehow arrogant. Better that they had an order to follow.
"You are more powerful than us, surely." A shake of the head, or what approximated such in its current form. Apologetic, almost, for its need to speak out of turn. "What would you have us do that you yourself cannot?"
Eh? Hm? What was this? The wisp like entity that currently made up itself was entirely lost, in terms of time and space. It remembered... nothing. No not a failure to remember, rather actively remembering that there was nothing TO remember. It wasn't a wisp though. It shouldn't be anyway. It was missing something... but what? It looked around to find no help, in fact it just raised more questions. The red sun. The wisp stared at the infernal light confused and for some reason feeling afraid. Then a quiet voice seemed to ring out, it turned to face the source.
A girl like nothing it had even seen before... or at least it thought it hadn't, was the orgin. It started at the girl as it continued to speak. Thoughts raced through its mind like a snowstorm, everyone thought questioned as to where it came from and what it meant. She was called Nera. What was itself called? It could not find the energy to voice the question. She understood it's questions and answered them at least in part. A lost soul. It looked down at it self. An apt description, it almost felt like smiling if it could only remember how. In response the goddess's question it managed to make a quiet reply, nearly more question than statement, "yes."
So the little wisp followed Nera, doing it's darn best to keep up with her ground devouring strides. As they moved along it felt more and more out of place. Lost souls did not belong here, of that it was sure. That fearful red light still cast its dreadful radiance on everything. They arrived as was evident by the slightly different state of the area here, filled with purpose and more upkempt seemingly than what they had been walking through. Then Nera left to gather other lost souls. In the brief time she was gone it felt even more afraid of that peverase hungering light. It was not long however before she came back with other souls. Of course that didn't mean things got much better.
It only an instant Nera became a terrifying reaper, holding a piece of metal that that seemed cruel and unrefined. In that moment it was sure Nera had simply brought them here to kill them, to devour them for some sinister purpose of her own. Then it stopped. It shuddered as it was finally able to move and Nera kept talking. It seemed they could ask questions and some of the other lost souls take advantage of the opportunity. It thought. She seemed apologetic for making them afraid, although that seemed a little insincere in light of what she had just done. However as Nera spoke it became slightly more reassured. When she came down to talk to them it became aware of more details.
How old she must be. Though it's understanding of time was rough at best, it could somehow understand that forever would not be long enough to describe how long this goddess had waited. It formulated it's thoughts into a question, but another soul spoke up, asking what had been its own thoughts. This Nera, she was surely infinitely more powerful then any of them, so what could she possibly need them for? For what reason had she gathered them. Nera had said she was a dreamcatcher once, were lost souls then just dreams? Perhaps... they could become something else? Something more than just... "It"s? A phrase popped into it's head. Tabula Rasa. That's what they were. They weren't nothings, rather than just hadn't become somethings yet. Because they hadn't become something could they become... Anything? Nera said she was once weak yet she seemed so very scary now.
They were going have to fight. Nera had said they'd have to kill things. Kill things like her. It would be dangerous, she had said so. It did not know how to feel. It didn't want to kill things but... It was perhaps not opposed to the idea either. After all, Nera had brought it here, without her help it would have surely wandered aimlessly, until perhaps it came across a thing like Nera but not as friendly. Troubling thoughts, or at least they should be. How was it supposed to feel when it barely remembered what feelings were, or how they worked? It would simply have to do the best it could to understand as things happened.
Being. It was suddenly struck by a sensation. Not not a sensation… sensation itself. The wisp did it's best to put together all the new information it was being giving. Gods? Lost souls? A journey? All of this seemed surreal, as though they had just entered a dreamscape. Was that what this was? A dream? The wisp felt as though that was wrong, as though whatever was actually going on was somehow more grand than a dream, grander than it had the ability to comprehend.
Had it just came into Being? What was it it had Lost? Had it ever been? So many questions and it seemed there was not enough time to answer them all. One thing it was sure of, this presence in front of it standing in the form of a giant, was terrifyingly powerful. It filled him with both hope and dread. Hope that maybe this wasn't a dream and it could go on existing, that this wasn't just a flickering of being in some sort of cosmic play. Dread because maybe it was. Dread because maybe existing was harder than whatever or wherever it had been. Dread and hope for so many things.
The wisps and the Goddess stood in a room that seemed to be illuminated by a large ball of fire higher in the air than it could imagine. Something about it set it's nerves on end. Did it even have nerves? Nonetheless it was unsettling. As it examined the Goddess it felt an odd attachment to her, as though she was fulfilling some kind of purpose it had not know it had longed for. A dream it wasn't sure it had ever had. It knew this was where it belonged, where it had been pre-destined to be.
It listened to the others questions and her responses absorbing all that it could, though it had no questions of it own. It had come to realize something that had replaced it's earlier curiosity and that was that no matter what it would follow her unquestionably, would lay down whatever life it was given to protect here, for it would not exist without her. It would be let loose as an arrow from a bow, striking the heart of anyone she wished it to strike down.
It then realised it had began a form of worshiping her. But something told it, somewhere deep in the corners of it's being, that that was what Goddesses were for. This wasn't love, then again what was love? It was too complex a question to dwell on. This was loyalty. And it was ready for whatever tasks or tests it was given to prove that loyalty.
The first question asked...which wasn't going to help them in the slightest. At least the second question bought a smile to the wisps thoughts, but kept its silence as Nera quickly answered the first question.
Nera said they were a 'goddess'. That was pretty much all the information they needed. They could discern the rest for themselves, could they not? She was a goddess, and for whatever reason she called them here for some reason. At least she elaborated further about what they were doing here, with the question which only caused more questions to be had from this particular wisp.
Blight? Sickness? Sickness could be healed, couldn't it? It seemed silly that some sort of sickness could cause such ruin, unless it was some sort of...something else. Especially if it caused the ruin of beings seemingly as powerful as Nera were. The Wisp had no concrete evidence for why it thought this, but it seemed compelled to think something else was going on here. How could something as powerful seeming as Nera fall victim to a simple Illness? How? That seemed completely silly.
"You are more powerful than us, surely. What would you have us do that you yourself cannot?"
The third question brought it back from its quiet thoughts, even if it was more ridiculous than the two questions before it. It even elicited a yawn from the wisp. Nera obviously brought the wisps here because she thinks they could do something. The better question here would be to ask how could they help. Though, the wisp supposed that was what they were asking, in a sense, but there was no need to be so...apologetic? Morose? Ill-tempered, sounding about it.
The wisp scanned the others present, lingering on them and the goddess for a few seconds before looking at the ground, eyes following a crack in the ruins floor towards some of the carvings and engravings present on the walls. What was this new feeling? It made them want to...do something. Sitting here for so long had made it...twitchy? Impatient. Agitated. For the most part it didn't seem like too many others had questions though...that was both good, and bad.
That said, it wanted to get moving.
"...Can we leave?" It spoke in a somewhat agitated manner. Its voice was not what it expected, but again, it didn't know what to expect in the first place. "Or at least, may this nameless soul go explore this place? This one sees no reason to linger here. Learn what we can from these ruins, and move on." It seemed like there might be something important here among these old bones, but they couldn't be sure.
At the question of her strength, Nera looks over with a sad expression, "I... I am bound to this place now... Moreover, my control over reality is not nearly as strong as it is in this realm. You are this old world's last hope..."
Pointing at the wisps, specifically at their bodies, she spoke again, "You may be no gods, but you have the potential to become great... Unlike me, who is bound to the great 'Edicts' of this world, your forms, neither dead nor alive, have long broken your shackles. Your coloration is an example of this. Blank, therefore accepting. They may not see the potential, but I have. Lost and forgotten, your souls drifted in the darkness... Despite losing all of you past self, your reasons and ties, you have waded back through the void, drawn to my dream. A desire burns in you, whether you know it or not. Perhaps some of you already realized this. Whatever the case, that 'emptiness' in yourself will act as a siphon for power."
Her smile then waned a bit when one of the them showed their impatience. This one had been quiet this whole time, watching the others with a growing annoyance until the emotion burst out. They definitely seemed to have an air of determination, almost as if it understood itself more than the others did. Or perhaps they just wanted to learn for themselves?
“Not everyone awakens with the same knowledge, dear. Nor do they accept it the same. Even if you are ready, others might not be. If you are to hunt the old gods, you must stand together as one, not as one in many. Otherwise you will fall to their overwhelming might.” she says, softly chiding.
“But yes, I agree, I have been enjoying this company too much. I cannot withhold you anymore from your true destinies because of my own selfishness and weakness... Follow me."
Nera then gets back up on her feet, the talons clicking on the floor as she moves over to the ornate stairway at the center. The flowing pale form, though giant to them, stood like normally against the setpiece. It looked like something that was pulled out from a storybook, not a touch of rust or grime can be seen upon it, with swirling designs on the railings and stepstones. The ornate frame seemed spirited, appearing in great contrast to the gloomy structure around, emanating a similar cold glow to the Goddess. Though incredibly faint. Even the way it seemed burst out from the stone flooring seemed uncanny and natural, sprouting out like an overgrown white shard. Looking down the sinking steps, however, an abyss of shadow rested at the bottom, at what can only be considered a 'bottom' at least, It was an eerie force, swallowing even the red aura of the dying sun above. It fills you with a deep dread.
"This is where you will descend to the real world...”
She speaks in warning, the pale eyes gazing at the blackness with knowing fear. Although more accurately, what lied beyond. "This realm is connected to reality, like a mirror. Once you go down, you will reach a place, from which this I have separated. At an infinitesimal point in time, this was once a temple of my worship. But now it lies a great darkness. I was never a deity favored by the predominant populous, but my few followers were devout..." she says with a lamentable tinge, "For those who seek comfort in dreams, are souls truly forlorn. In my absence, I sense it, many of them still loom down below. They wait for me, thinking that I will return to take away their pains. For a time, I granted their pitiful wish... But there is nothing I can do now. How much, I wish otherwise, there is no reasoning with what remains. The blight has overtaken their hearts, a plague that even the Gods cannot heal.”
She then glances with over, almost teary eyed. “Please, release them. Free them of their suffering. Absorb their sorrow, and also that which haunts this world. This is the first step in your destiny."
Nera then quietly steps up to each of you, reaching out with a black clawed finger. “My dearest, while I have the utmost confidence and hope in you, I will not fabricate a false delusion by which to fool you. This journey will be difficult, requiring great sacrifices. Some of you might not even return after this preliminary hurdle... Fearing such a thing, though I should resist, I wish to know the names of my beloved chosen. So that I may treasure it forever...”
Nera then closes her eyes, a pained look crossing her face, as if she is letting go of something, before she taps each of you on the chest. A faint black mark appears where the long nail touches, filling you with an uncanny chill before quickly melding away. Suddenly, a surge of power will explode within you. It feels absolutely crushing, like a jolt of lightning crashing through you. You feel as though everything around is pulling towards you, the lines of reality melting away for a brief second as it coalesces with your very being, the greatest draw being that of the Goddess herself.
You feel bound to this place now. To this deity.
This bond manifests in different ways for each soul, as you may notice from witnessing those around you. It might simply be a black tattoo somewhere on your body that swirls into shape, like a blotch of ink dropped into a pool, a physical manifestation such as a whirled horn, or in converse, odd-shaped pupils. Along with receiving the strange quirk, you feel your wispy form begins to recede and fade, as though your very nature is being altered. It condenses and turns into layers of flesh then into bare skin, the flowing pale essence atop your head stranding out to become bushels of hair.
Among all of this, somewhere deep inside, you feel a familiarity rise. Like a bubble rising from the depths, containing a piece of yourself. One lost long ago. You can feel it trying to tap into the boon of power, desperately trying to resurface, to make you whole again. But the magic does not fight back, as though giving you an option. You can reject it, to allow the gifted power to manifest fully in your empty vessel, though you would be 'incomplete' and left frail due to your ethereal-like form. Or you can accept it, allowing this desire to consume the surge of magic. You would uncover this missing memory and will become more 'complete', the magic molding you more physically as an attempt to return some of your lost experiences and strength. Both have their own burdens, and choosing one will have consequences, you feel. But in the end, the choice is yours to make alone.
At the end of all of this, you will receive an indication of your name.
The ivory Goddess watches the transformations of the innocent white wisps with a quaint smile, trying her best to hide the tears welling in her eyes. She stands there by the entrance of the ornate stairway, patiently awaiting to receive her newly transfixed chosen.
A new start then. Or maybe not. It was hard to say whether or not it had lived any sort of life before. It probably had though. How else would its first breath invoked such a familiar feeling? How else could it be so certain that it had once looked different from its current form? Well… several ways came to mind, but it could neither prove nor deny any of them. Best to not dwell on them and fall further behind Nera who was already slowing down so it could just barely keep pace.
Same with the vague flashes that came when it tried to remember anything else about itself. They revealed nothing and only elicited a deep sense of loneliness that it did not enjoy in the slightest… so dismissed. No more thinking about what might have been, time to only look forward!
Looking around the room, it’s not the vast expanse with ominous red light above that catches its attention, but the sight of other wispy figures. Were they any different from it, and if so how? Why did it care? It cocked its head slightly at the thought, and thought about why…
Muttering something, it seemed surprised at the sound of its own voice and began to experiment with the sounds it could make before moving onto actual words. Hm… how odd. It had no memories of ever holding conversations, or learning the language it currently spoke. It simply inherently, apparently, knew that words were associated with meanings and this was one of the ways interaction was possible. What other things did it simply inherently understand?
Well apparently the flight or fight response it mused quietly to itself after the terrifying demonstration by Nera. Or how that response could go right out the window.
It felt itself freeze up for a moment as Nera began to change. Its metaphorical hackles rose as something cranked her features past charming, and then the mind numbing terror set in as she was warped and twisted into some bestial horror. She hadn’t become some eldritch abomination that was unrecognizable, and that just made it all the worse. It only realized the comfort her presence offered when it was turned into crushing despair and blinding pain. Thoughts of resistance crumbled in moments, but more than the wish for this to end was the small desire to see more. How would she use that strange blade she grasped? Would she simply watch as her presence scoured them from existence? Morbid thoughts perhaps, but unsurprising given they were born mostly from terror.
Remembering to breathe as the immense weight simply disappeared like… well it couldn’t really think of an apt comparison, so as abruptly as Nera had warped. Cocking its head, it felt a fresh surge of interest at her words. They would face more things like her in the future? And be powerful enough to defeat them?!? It tried to imagine what that would be like, but considering its only experience with anything like her had been terror and near crippling pain… Well, it couldn’t really envision such a future all that well.
Questions though? Oh yes, it had a lot of questions. Many of them likely unimportant save for satisfying its own desire to know more though… It seemed some might not appreciate it spewing forth every question it could think of at the moment, and the most useful question had already been asked, in a way, it supposed.
Leaving though… it supposed there might be some meaning to explore around, but it felt… dubious at that? Surely if this was Nera’s realm like she claimed, then the Goddess was well aware of what laid within it? Would it not be faster to ask the Goddess if there was anything to know, or any place she was not yet familiar with? Although asking for permission might very well have Nera point out such places in need of exploration it supposed.
Wandering off alone though? The idea of wandering through this ruins brought the unwelcome lonliness it had tried to forget about back up, and it shivered a bit at the unwelcome feeling. No, being alone in a strange place was not going on its things to do list any time soon. It would wait for the others.
Well that answer hadn’t been terribly surprising. Her realm, her rules, but ultimately hiding away from the darkness outside. It wondered if allowing them to leave her realm would invite some of the darkness in in return though. Maybe hurling them out wouldn’t allow for a connection to form? Well she probably thought of such things already, and it was only a question for its personal satisfaction, so best to ask later if it got the chance.
It followed after her, and though the staircase was grand, it had already gazed at it for quite some time. What interested was what laid below, hidden by the floor when at a distance. It almost wished it hadn’t been so curious as it stared into the abyss that swallowed all light. It wasn’t anything like the crashing wave of fear that had paralyzed it when Nera had warped and twisted, but the unease it felt looking downwards was just as gripping.
If it weren’t for Nera’s voice, it might have kept staring until it simply decided to tip forward and fall in. It doubted the experience would have been very pleasant, and focused on the Goddess’ voice instead as she began to explain things and fill in some of the things it wanted to know. If their colorations were blank though, would absorbing the sorrow of those below not affect them adversely? Or would the desire Nera mentioned twist and bend whatever they took in to best help them?
It wanted to ask these things, but the Goddess was not yet finished, and simply interrupting her at this point felt inappropriate. There was a gravitas to her actions, even if it tilted its head in confusion. She wanted to know its name? Was it supposed to think of one right now? How did one go about choosing a na-
Its thoughts were frozen for a moment by the chill of her touch. Then washed away by the undeniable power that seemed to course through its wispy form, coalescing it into itself before giving it definition and form. It was aware the power it had been granted was miniscule compared to the Goddess’ own, but even a fragment was infinitely more than it had moments ago and something to be desperately treasured.
It became aware of the fact it had eyes when it blinked and felt eyelids shut and open. There wasn’t much time for it to marvel at the change as it was only the first ripple of changes caused by Nera's. It felt like a shock raced out from its eyes, leaving it more complete where the sensation passed. It reached up as the sensation raced down its neck, and though its wispy hand could not do much, it marveled at the light sensation on its face for a moment. Looking down, it watched as the thin beam of light override the indistinct silhouette that had given it shape and left a body of flesh in its passing.
The light didn’t disappear when it had a new body though, leaving it briefly confused before it swayed unsteadily. A familiar face it could do nothing but stare at as they got further away, ignoring the pleas to stay that poured forth. Soft laughter filling its ears that faded to a steady beep, one among many others. The sensation of a small hand held in its own, fragile and weak, but so warm. An overwhelming sense of loss that forced it to its knees more effectively than Nera’s terrifying appearance.
There was a dull thud as it slammed its head against the floor, and the light at its feet sputtered before flowing over its body once more, wrapping it in a fairly heavy cloak. A heavily scarred hand reached up and drew the hood over its head before it finally dared to look up and around at the others. Three red orbs glowed faintly from within the shadowed hood and they stopped to look at each of the souls before it finally stood, albeit a bit slowly. Turning around and walking towards Nera was done carefully as it got used to its more solid form, but it managed a bow to the one that had gifted all of this to it.
“Ihosha,” it eventually murmured before raising its head to look at Nera, “thank you for giving it.”
The wisp felt diminutive at the edge of the stairs, peering down into the veiled depths below. Nera spoke of slaying gods and overcoming challenges and saving worlds. What power did it possess to do any of these things? Below those stairs, it was certain, only waited a miserable end. It tore the void from its sight, looking instead to the goddess that eyed the small throng. There wasn’t an ounce of deceit in her voice, just a sincerity that she was well and truly expecting the impossible of them.
“…I wish to know the names of my beloved chosen. So that I may treasure it forever...”
The deity reached a hand towards the wisp, who again felt a pang of terror. It found itself unable to move, despite its predicament, could only watch a black talon ascend and fall at the center of its mass. Rather than a shot of pain, it felt a coolness radiate from the touch that seemed to permeate throughout its being. Nera retracted her hand, and the wisp looked down to see an inky sigil where it had been touched.
It began to lapse back into a calmer state, still at ease, but assured that Nera had not just consigned it to a very short and painful demise. But the next moment it felt a great jolt from within, an immense pressure trying to wretch itself free. The wisp writhed in the air, tendrils of light flailing. There was one, two, three, and then a forth extension dancing outward from the center of its mass.
While the wisp convulsed, new sensations began to fill what passed for its mind. Visions, sounds and other senses fired off one after another: memories it realized. Scenes played out like a dream: the shouting of men, the roar of waves, the sting of a fist to the face. It felt immense fatigue and pain wracking its nerves, hunger welling in the pit of its stomach. It saw bolts of lighting and heard the crash of thunder. It’s wrists and ankles were heavy with the weight of manacles and the flesh was red and raw where they bit into it.
No, it thought. Not again! You can’t take me again! No, no, no, no!
And then, the memories subsided. They were still there, but the wisp was no longer forced to watch them play out. It heaved, and felt the rush of air in its lungs, and could feel its fingers flex and its toes planted on the ground. It blinked, remembering what it was like to see with real eyes. It looked down at itself, and gasped.
It was acutely aware of its form. A tangible body and all the parts that it had once possessed. But there was a faint translucency to it. It could see the blurred form of Nera through its palm, the grey of the stones through its feet. It didn’t feel heavy, either. Bending its arms and turning its head had a weightlessness to it, almost like being underwater. As it moved its hand, left a soft glow through the air, like an afterimage.
The wisp was about to open its mouth to speak, but one final revelation unfurled in its mind, one that tied all the rest together and gave it a sense of purpose.
Pain. Utter blinding pain ran through the wisps being. Unimaginable agony racked it's body as it felt like it was being turned inside out by the Goddesses touch. The worst of it was the heat upon it's eyes, as if hot pokers had burrowed into his soul. He screamed as he fell to a knee, wondering how he had failed. Surely he had done something wrong. Failed some sort of test he had never intended to take. But the pain, as quick as it had come, was no gone.
It had felt to him like years of torture, but had only surely lasted but a second. He felt his body coming into form, bone hardening and muscles growing tight over them. As he watched scars developing over his forearms and legs, seemingly scorched by fire, images flashed behind his closed eyelids.
A young boy, light blond hair like tendrils of silk and eyes as blue as the oceans, laughing and throwing his arms wide as he fell into a pile of forgotten leaves. A woman with the same hair but deep emerald eyes staring as if into his very soul, a strange sensation washing over him as he glanced at her perfectly shaped full lips. The reflection of a man with long dark black hair and a tattooed symbol below his left eye, he knew it was a rune meaning light. The feeling of touching his own face where a scar ran just next to it from the same eye to the corner of his mouth, a jeweled crown atop his head. This was him.
A city burning searing the image into his memory, the boy dead in his hands, the woman ran through on the steps to a castle. Raklorn. His castle. He wept deeply as the cities wooden structures blazed, and the screaming of innocents was heard. Soldiers being slain, as they ran towards him. More soldiers coming to his aid as he torn them apart inhumanly.
War. Years and years of war. Blood coating his body until he could no longer see the color of his skin. Until his vision was the same red. Smiling men growing silent as he approached their camp in a vast array in camps. More war. Capture. Torture. Pain. Torture. Torture.
He pulled himself out of his own mind, finding himself weeping where he kneeled. Seeing his reflection in a crystal he approached it. His now white hair falling in his face over his left eye as his other deep blue eye took in his surroundings. He brushed his hair to the side tucking it behind his ear and stared at his reflection. Just above his tattoo his right eye was now a white orb which he could still see out of, shining with a dim glow. Orpheus. That was his name.
“Not everyone awakens with the same knowledge, dear. Nor do they accept it the same. Even if you are ready, others might not be. If you are to hunt the old gods, you must stand together as one, not as one in many. Otherwise you will fall to their overwhelming might.”
Then they are weak and not suited for the task.
The thought crossed the wisps' mind with a certain sense of certainty. It cast a glance over to its brethren again. Stand together as one? The thought of working with others caused the ethereal, wispy body to shudder slightly. The very thought seemed abhorrent to the wisp. Perhaps it had some sort of natural aversion to others? Maybe it had something to do with its past life that it couldn't remember. Whatever the case, the wisp was not entirely looking forward to relying on others.
Still, it remained silent. It had gotten its answer and drew its own conclusions. Nothing else was needed for now. The wisp followed Nera towards the staircase, paying it little mind. It was more curious as to what the main attraction to the stairs were. The wisps eyes followed the staircase downwards to the inky, black, abyss at its base. It filled the wisp with a deep sense of dread...and curiosity. As if it wanted to know more. Gaze into that bottomless seeming abyss and lose itself. It took a few steps towards it, peering over the edge of the precipice before Nera's voice caught its attention once more.
"This is where you will descend to the real world...”
It turned its head towards Nera. The real world? That was all that was at the bottom of this pit? It was slightly disappointed there would be no secrets to delve into. Things to uncover and bring to light. It was quickly replaced by curiosity again, however, It had no real recollections of the past. Studying the 'real world' again would prove interesting in some fashion at least, wouldn't it? The wisp listened to Nera, only seemingly half-heartedly as the goddess continued. 'Release them'? What a boring end. Though, it supposed it had no current methods to really go against that request even if it desired too.
Hm.
It was completely lost in thought when Nera approached her, thinking of the various things that might await it below. It flinched slightly as Nera tapped it on the chest. First, there was a coldness. Like its entire body had been dumped head first into a pool of ice water. Something I never want to experience again what? The thought came unbidden. Thankfully the unpleasant feeling didn't last long...unfortunately, it was replaced by something else. A jolt of energy akin to lighting coursed through its body, threatening to momentarily cause it to fall to its knees but it managed to stay standing somehow.
It felt like its entire body was going to be crushed. Everything around it started to pulse, convulse, bend in impossible ways towards it in the edges of its vision. Reality itself seemed to bend, twist, and coalesce into some odd energy inside of it. The goddess, being the greatest draw of them all. Suddenly, it felt bound. Somehow, someway, it felt completely bound to this place and the goddess.
And in that one, agonizing instant...the wisp knew it could not trust this goddess. The thought was quickly consumed by memories, visions, quickly flashing through its...her, mind. She blinked, aware of the fact she now had eyes in some manner, trying to process the few, precious memories fading quickly through her mind. Suddenly, the floor fell away from beneath her as the visions of the past consumed her mind. The scenes played out like some sort of blissful, fleeting waking, dream.
The smell of the gardens....white flowers, her favorite kind. Someone was standing there with her. She reached an arm out, but the ream dissolved right through her hands as she tried. Sermons of some kind followed next. A feeling of boredom, idleness and disbelief as she opened a rough, old, leather bound book. As she did so, the book completely sucked her in, as if it was some portal to another realm.
The feeling of amazement. Wonder. Followed by dismay and panic. Voices.
"Heretic! Traitor! Godless witch! Murderer!" Pain, right through her chest. Panic. Disbelief again. Confusion. Why? Why? She had helped. Why? Were they that afraid? Warhielth. Her home. Eyes glanced down...a large, thick spear right through her heart - red blood spilled from the wound.
Why?
"Promise me,"
A voice, rang loud and clear through the echoes of all the hateful ones.
"...Isabella."
She couldn't make out what it was saying before that. She desperately wanted to know. What did she promise? She needed to keep it. It was important. But it was so...painful...the feeling of dread, as if she hadn't been able to keep it filled her. Then silence. Blissful silence. She was left alone with her thoughts. Something was tugging at her, pulling her towards those memories. The want to know and learn more. She had made a promise, after all, and that promise seemed important to her. Or at least, someone.
...but then, that was likely so, so, very long ago. Would it matter? She supposed likely not. She could resist it, it would be easy enough to turn her back on it, but is it what she really wanted? This goddess offered something she had likely never experienced before. It would be interesting, no? Even if she didn't entirely trust this goddess. She got the distinct feeling, a primal urge from somewhere deep within her mind to leave her past behind.
For what seemed like hours for her, was only seconds for everyone else.
~Isabella~
When had she lost her balance and fallen right on her face?
Before anyone could say anything, she stood again, quickly brushing away such thoughts and returning to her usual passive self. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, she looked a the others gathered and then to herself. Bright, flame red hair fell from her shoulders, and it seem she had been dressed in a simple luxurious looking robe of some sort with golden embellishments. She raised a hand to her eyes, vertical pupils studying them intently. Huhm. So that's what she looked like before the whole wispiness thing happened.
"...I am Isabella-ath ow ow I bit my tongue..." Did...did she just bite her tongue?! Her tongue ran along her teeth. Fangs?! When did she get fangs? or did she always have them? Nice way to make a first impression, eh? "Ahem...anyways, I am Isabella." She studied the rest of her supposed companions intently before giving a somewhat unimpressed sounding humph.
Well...this was going to be quite interesting, no?
So even a Goddess could misunderstand the intentions of a mere wisp. Or perhaps Nera merely thought too much about such a simple question. Nevertheless, indirect as it was, it decided that a minor sovereign of a once insignificant aspect would indeed be small in stature as well. Dreamcatcher, was it? A blight upon a corrupt world, and the darkness that had taken over the purity of the divinity. In the unending night, they, remnants of a forgotten era, were to relight the dying ember of the sun, bringing back the daylight in order to scour away the black plague that had ran rampant.
A Great Journey, truly. It felt it, even in this whimsical, ethereal form. Not just the assurance that accompanied ‘purpose’, but a jolt of energy invigorating its entire form. It could understand now, the impatience of one of the other wisps, its desire to explore and do something. Purpose provided an outlet for the aggression that clung stubbornly in its mind, turning energy into action. And this time, when the pagan Goddess strode off, the wisp kept pace, trailing just two steps behind her.
They were lead to a staircase, ghostly steps leading to an abyss that called to it. Fathomless, it offered yet another challenge to the wisp, one that involved both holding its gaze and yet resisting its grasp. There was fear once more, that whiteness filling its mindscape with blank space, but it was nothing compared to the heaviness of the Dreamreaper. So the wisp gazed on, staring down the gate to the blighted world, imagining the innumerable horrors that laid past the veil.
It twitched at the thought.
And it twitched once more as the goddess branded it as her own, a black claw digging into the cavities of its essence. Ah, how wonderful. A touch of agony that finally affirmed its sense of pain, its sense of life. The wisp trembled, flickered, mind trembling both at the agony of death, a foreign power invading its own body, and at the joy of life, the torturous sequence lighting up the millions of nerves that it didn’t even realize it had. The quicksilver of purpose was insignificant compared to the high that corporeality gave, ten thousand bolts streaking through his vision as ruined flesh wove upon white bones, ethereality tore apart. It felt it once more, the imprints of a lost past slowly filling up, a mold filled with a different, yet similar material.
The half-formed fleshbag tumbled over upon the steps of the staircase, spasming horribly as a kaleidoscope of half-thoughts and once-dreams blossomed in its mind. Purple hearts harvested. Processions of double-clowns. Past-stones oven-cooked. Wet flames against the ears. Twin moons rotating down the rainbow. It spun spun spun spun spun and bodies filled up every inch, squirming squirming squirming squirming. And the passages that didn’t close, grinding wombs into dust. Elbow deep in grease and blood, cracking bones in the black mud, until it…
A kindly face nudged his own, a salty wetness as she spoke his name.
A loving smile forced him to reciprocate, a plum aroma as she spoke his name.
A violent grasp pulled him out, crimson violence as she spoke his name.
A hesitant touch pulled him in, scarlet ignorance as she spoke his name.
Bring it back. Hold it in his hands again. The ether, the past, the regrets, everything that he once was, he reached for again, his hands grasping at the ephemeral transience that still slipped so easily from his fingers. Like granules of sand, the meaning escaped him, leaving only incomprehensible images. Incomprehensible images and a name all too short and all too long. The nameless faceless that tore at his heart with such yearning, they all called him that one thing.
And so, it was not for the Goddess that had conscripted him, but for those more lost than himself, that he crawled up, legs shaky but eyes firm.
“Aiv.”
Many titles must have accompanied that name before, but whatever past exploits he may have sought before were meaningless in the face of his current directive.
A fight to save the world. A fight to regain the past.
A fight to reclaim their names.
He clenched his fist and bared his teeth, both a smile and a grimace.
“Are we to save their souls unarmed and unclothed? Or have you prepared such things during your eternity of patience, Nera?”
“Fuck! What the fuck is this dump and where I am?” Were the immediate thoughts upon seemingly materializing to this alien landscape. However, the confusion then subsumed be the feeling of intangibility as the wisp was now distracted at the ability to float around. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a feeling of liberation and exhilaration at being able to move faster and vertically, rather it was a rather a suitably appropriate boring pace.
The surroundings were dreary and weird. There wasn’t enough immediate suffering for it to be called a hell. So either it was like some sort Sheol-type dreary underworld or an incredibly obtuse purgatory. Or alternatively a really boring Blake poem. Such thoughts were interrupted by this animal person girl with large horns.
The spirit didn’t really pay much attention to the introduction as he was busy floating and flipping around to occupy the time while moving very slowly. However there was something that did catch attention. “I began to think the chosen would never come, that my precious world was doomed..." was what this alleged goddess said.
“Now we’re getting somewhere… The fuck?” The spirit thought to itself as it followed her to this area. What happened next was odd. He found himself borderline terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. What was the point of being killed, did she not need their labor for saving the world? Or was this part of process. Soon it wondered about if it was already dead what would happen after being, but then again it wouldn’t matter since this form was feeble to the girl’s and if she desired to kill, that would be that.
“Just kidding… Any questions, my little chosen? I know you at least have a few"
Unfortunately, the spirit was still recoiling from the overwhelming force to ask a question. A claw grazes the body and with that action a new sensation was felt. Visions of a distant past came forth and suddenly he found himself no longer floating feeling as the pitiful body solidified to something stronger than it. Within his mind a peculiar set of images lingered in his mind. A jade bangle that transforms into a handle, it was seemingly nonessential but he felt that it was something important to him. This sensation was overwhelming and he found himself devoting his energy to fighting the urge to buckle from the sheer force. He slowly strained to shift posture to stand up straight. The images in his mind then shifted from the bangle to almost a thousand different weapons running in quick succession.
A sensation of something warm accompanied with pain and a salty metallic taste made itself apparent. The force subsided and he found himself fully materialized with the pain slightly intensifying, as he realized he ended up materializing with his teeth biting into the lower lip. After spitting out blood he then looked at the goddess and said, “Well before you made us all solid, I was gonna ask ‘And if I say no?’. You said we all had were drawn to this dream, whatever reason it may be. But for all I know you could be lying. Even if you're not, the only solution is venturing forth and so and so on which still carries the risk of getting killed making the whole damn thing moot. It's a pain in the ass on my end of things but it seems pretty easy for you, all we got to do is fight and try not to die and that's pretty much it. The only real thing to worry about is if everyone dies, but surely you got a contingency for that?"
The wisp frowned, troubled by the goddess's answer. Bound to a place, unable to leave or have an effect beyond it. The thought brought a sense of pity, though it felt undeniably odd to pity a self-proclaimed goddess. A bird in a cage, no matter how powerful, would be unable to escape. Such fates were not unusual, but often restricted to a select few in society - the rich and powerful, royalty, which the wisp certainly did not feel it had been. So why, then, did the situation feel so familiar? Why was it not sympathy, but empathy that sparked?
As for the blackness that lay beyond, it seemed both great and terrible. Something about it called to the wisp, to change it and bring it back to light. Maybe it was naive to hope that it was not lost yet, but that was of no concern. Nera had called them chosen, given them a task, and it was their duty to carry it out whatever that may involve. Besides, to free the world, to end the people's suffering... It was the type of noble calling many could only dream of.
Even the wisp's borderline unquestioning obedience was tested, however, as Nera's nail tapped on its chest and the world seemed to explode. At once, it was everything and nothing, and their fates became undeniably linked, bound to each other. Images of a life it once knew flashed by almost too quickly to grasp their meaning.
First was the face of a man, stern yet kindly, the shake of a head on a cold winter's day. Hesitation as the girl before him continued in her pleas for who knew what, a sword in her hand a little too large for a child with far more growing to do. A twinkle of amusement in blue eyes as he handed over a practice weapon to the child's utmost delight.
Second was a hall, functional rather than gaudy. Vibrant carpets that were frayed at the edges, armoured men and women stood smiling as the same girl, older but not by much, knelt before the same man. There was a sense of comfort, of purpose, of meaning as the girl's face aged, undercut by indescribable loneliness. The swearing of a long-lost oath, though the words were not yet known to her. A squire, not yet a knight.
For a moment, it seemed there would be a third vision as the girl stood, having aged into a young woman, but the hall remained the same as it faded away. For a split second she thought there were sounds she didn't understand, clattering metal and a high-pitched scream from someone she couldn't see. But it all faded far too quickly.
She dismissed those few seconds as unimportant. A quirk in a dream, nothing more. The rest made sense, and brought her comfort. It was only right that she had had such a purpose, and dedication to such a noble cause could only be a good thing. Yes, such an order would last through the ages, she knew that now, and embraced her past with pride. Yes, that was her. A holy warrior, a protector of the natural order, what could be greater? Even in training, it would be a small matter for her to fight the darkness that supposedly blighted the world below.
The young woman that stood in place of the wisp had strength in her gaze as she inclined her head to the others in a friendly gesture of respect, silent until they had finished speaking. Almost appearing contemplative, as though feigning wisdom of some sort. There was something about the way she carried herself, however, that indicated she wasn't anywhere near as knowledgeable as she appeared to think. If anything, the squire, softly smiling, seemed far too idealistic for the blackness that lay before them.
Though it was difficult to fully see it, it seemed that her left arm was branded with runes that wrapped around it like vines, line upon line snaking over otherwise unmarked flesh. The marks glowed softly, the light seeming to shift in hue as though there were a thousand different colours trapped under her skin. The unnatural effect unnerved her and she quickly looked away, her discomfort obvious and brown eyes sparking with anger for the briefest second.
"You--" It seemed for a second that she was about to voice her irritation, but she held her tongue. It wasn't her place to question the brand she now bore. Petty rebellions and selfish desires only brought disorder. Such things could be put aside for the common good. "You honour me, my lady. My name is Dwyn."
It listened carefully as the Goddess continued to explain. It was as the wisp had first suspected. They had the potential to become something else, something stronger. Perhaps even the strongest? Yet they were warned to fight the old gods they must be together. Perhaps not the strongest then. Nera then moved on, the assembly of wisps inevitably following her, to a stairway that seemed to lead into the abyss itself. The darkness called to some deep memory that it did not remember. Nera explained what lay below and it felt a twinge of sympathy, and some sort of kinship, as though it had felt the same before. Furthermore she explained the rigors they would face, it already knew they would face such things, for it was easy it would've already been done in the eternity Nera had spent waiting.
Then she marked them. It watched the others get marked before it was the wisp's own turn. Still it was not prepared. A glacial chill filled it's chest before vanishing. Was that it? Suddenly everything shattered and the wisp was unable to perceive anything other than the crushing vortex that tore at it. Just as quick as it started it ended, leaving it with a black mark on its soul, body? The two were much the same at this point. The mark curled up and spread across his body in the form of stiches as though it was holding him together.
Perhaps it was. It seemed to pull slightly towards Nera, marking him as forever attached to her in someway. More importantly were the things surfacing inside him. A small bubble inside the swirling power. It came closer, pushing through everything else and it paused. The bubble was what the wisp used to be. But the power around it was tantalizing. It shook it's head. It needed to know what it was. The small bubble of who it was swelled up and it was overwhelmed.
Death. From the very start he was surrounded by death. It got better, at first. Death in childbirth. Then for a time it was fine, close to happy even. Memories of book and studying but also work to pay for it. A girlfriend. Until the death returned. At first it was far away. Then it got closer, racing across the continent it seemed. Plague. He ran. They died.
Books did not stop the plague. The secret didn't lay in the bodies of those he killed. In the failed cries to heaven. In the desperate rituals to below. Heretic. Cut apart and burned. He shivered at the faint recollection. He died like the rest. Powerless. His best efforts and every power that existed had not helped.
Solomon
Solomon's body finished coming into existence and he shook his head. A troubling experience preceded by a troubling life. He was him again. He felt a pang of regret at the unknown power he'd given up but banished it quickly enough. Perhaps he could regain his memories later, perhaps not. Power however, it had been made clear enough they could get later. "Solomon" He uttered, as if testing the name out. It suited him. He would've spoke but there was enough speaking already. Instead he did some stretches to make sure his body was working as he remembered it.
Nera, or the 'Dreamreaper' as it were, looked upon the gathered with a weak smile, some more whole than others because of her magic, and more broken because of this as well. She had foreseen this happening, therefore tried to guard her own heart of their pain, despite this, watching them suffer caused this waver in her demeanor. Still, whether or not it was their destiny to embrace their new or old nature, she waited intently, lips quivering as though trying to remember each name before they were even uttered.
"Yes... such beautiful things..."
One after the other, the commotion of their transformations faded and the chamber was returned to the red glow of the dying sun above. Wiping her eyes, she quickly moved up to greet the new forms.
She gave the more solemn ones, such as ‘Ezain’, ‘Dwyn’, and ‘Solomon’ a dignified nod, speaking their names and giving them a few approving words.
“The old world was not easy on you. Unfair and ruthless was the darkness and what it brought out upon our kinds. But may you make things right with this new future… I have faith in you, little ones.”
The Goddess needed not say or do much more, they did not seem like the type to like wasting time on such trivial things either, quickly moving down the row. Though as she passed Dwyn, Nera mutters something to the young woman.
“Care not to hide your true self… I can see it clearly, your true feelings. Your disgust. But this is not a brand of ownership. See it as a marking of our fellowship. Only by working together, can we hope to vanquish the darkness...”
Progressing now to the newly emerged ‘Ihosha', she greeted the reclusive one with a shake of her head, “Now, now, hold your head high, little one. I do not deserve such praise.” she says, “I may have granted you a chance to connect to your past yourself, but I’m afraid you might come to hate the truth more than you can ever imagine…” she signified a deeper meaning to the hooded figure, but pushed the issue no further.
Nera then went to stand beside ‘Orpheus’, who stared deeply into a shard of black glass decoration hanging from the wall. The man seemed to be processing what he saw, accepting his new and old self. She placed a tender hand on his pale cheek, and spoke with a hushed and endearing voice. Her fingers moved underneath his chin, lifting his little face up to her own in an attempt to console him.
“Orpheus, I can feel your pain… I understand it more than anyone, to lose everything. Do not think you should bear it alone. I will help to bear your pain, as it must be... And the others too, I'm sure they have their own pain to share.”
She left Orpheus to dwell on those words.
Next was ‘Isabella’, whom seemed a complete adverse development than what they had intended to play off earlier. Despite acting all tough and overbearing, what emerged was a cute little girl. She coos and admires the petite form with large moon-disk eyes. It was like the Goddess had taken a whole new nature, as was seen briefly before, one free of the deliberateness she seemed so intent on keeping when conducting herself and answering questions.
Crouching down low, the Goddess attempts to pet the petite head of lush fiery-hair, giggling at the little slip-up of speech. “My, my, how precious. Who would’ve known my impatient little spirit would turn out to be quite the clumsy one~”
Perhaps she singled this one out, because they seemed the most appropriate for a reaction. Or that she knew, deep down, felt they needed such comfort. Either way, it seems Nera will find any sort of defiance they would surely show to be even cuter, earning only more childish pampering from the Goddess.
“...Nera?”
A rough voice soon roused the lighthearted act, causing the Goddes to to perk upright as she was yanked back to reality. The red glow of the dark world seemed to burn dangerously for a moment.
“Ah, my deepest apologies… Ahem.”
Nera lets out a stiff cough as she reestablished a more serious role, turning around to face the offender. Though having been regarded at with such disrespect, Nera didn’t seem angry or annoyed at the blatant rudeness. Rather, she gazed at this ‘Aiv’ with something of a strange knowingness.
The towering woman moved quickly to the side, looking down at the smaller form as she beckoned now to their alterations, the black stigma upon their bare body.
“A curiosity, indeed. Did you not remember an outfit? The magic would’ve made it so, as it did the others. Probably the thought did not cross you. There was much going through your head. In any case, it is an easy matter to fix.” she said, abruptly swooping down and grabbed the tip of their neck skin. Her clawed hand was held in a threatening manner, her black fingertips like daggers being held at his throat. If not for her sweet expression, it might have seemed she allowed the beast within herself to break forth, to devour the poor soul. It was almost like time stood still as her swatches of glimmering hair bellowed in a non-existent breeze. Her pale eyes crossed his own for a brief moment, almost in amusement, before she yanked her arm. From his bare neck, not a flow blood, but this cascade of pale dust spilled forth and began to form a layer of fabric around them.
What would result is a simple white robe. She would do this for others who also lacked clothing, though without the stark ferocity.
“That should solve our little clothing issue…though it is a shame you find it necessary to hide your beautiful bodies…” The Goddess gave Aiv a sly grin of her sharp teeth, as if she found his petty complaint to be amusing, before turning, on a coin, to face the very last.
...
Again, the red tone intensified in her silence.
The whole time the Goddess has allowed this certain soul to shout profanities, get whatever mangled thought it was out of their head. They were her guest, and though they acted quite rude, she would tolerate as much. But what seemed to break her composure was the spit of blood upon her cleaned floor. Her eyes gleamed at the droplets on the ground, which shortly dissolved in a black smoke as her eyes shone back upon them. She seemed to show no emotion, just a coldness that seemed quite odd to her usually kind nature. Perhaps this was her true angered state.
"You would be terribly misguided, if you think that 'Gods' have no price to pay for their power. There is a price to pay for everything. I thought my offer of a second life is quite worth what I ask in return. Or did you wish to remain dead? Forgotten? Is what you came here not worth your life?" The white eyes then narrowed as Nera stepped behind this person, circling them like a predator while her talons clicked the stone, "From what I hear, you seem ungrateful for this gift. Was a millennium in the void not enough lazing around? Or is everything too much of a pain now? If you truly wish to return to the nether... then I can make it so."
She whispers to him, "I'll let you ponder your next answer."
Breaking from her entrapment, the Goddess then faced the others with a sweet smie, as though none of that had just happened. “Nonetheless, I’m sure you’re all more interested in exactly what I just did to all of you.”
All of her unrefined airs were gone at this point, the Goddess now speaking in the usual noble manner that projected with a slight reverberation within the empty chamber.
"As I’m sure all of you are aware, I have bestowed each of you with a small boon. A piece of my very being. This ‘Stigma’ will mark your allegiance to me. Normally, re-entering a dream is impossible, as you may already know, or tried in vain once before. There is a separation between perceived realities, a universal law that cannot go unbroken. But with this, you have become part of this dream. Merely tread back up any stairway in the physical world with the wish to return, and you will come here again…”
Nera looks down, stepping between the newly awakened souls.
“But that is not all the Stigma is capable of… Not only will it help take the burden of the darkness you must absorb, but it can help channel the power of your very soul.” she says while moving through them, giving each a soft look as she passes along.
Their innate essences suddenly flare into vision, as if invoked by this little gesture of hers. This spark lasted only a brief moment, like the afterimage of a firework in the darkness. Just momentarily, they were able to see. No longer was their essence purely white, but deep at the center of it was a tint of color, with a differing tone for each of them. A change that reflected the growing strength that flowed through them.
“As the ‘Dreamcatcher’, my magic works most effectively in tandem to your desires. I would not dare twist your hearts. You choice is your own. As a ‘Lost Soul’ you had two ways to accept my power. One; to embrace your emptiness, thus the magic empowered your vessel, your spirit. Or two; to seek ‘wholeness’, and in returning your form and memories, you were granted strength to better bear such burdens. Neither is better than the other, mind you, as neither choice is wrong. Already, I’m sure some of you feel a special power surge in your veins, my magic having rekindled your faded soul. And to those who do not feel this touch of liberation…” she says, stopping now, “Instead, you must feel a certain weight deep inside you. These are the burdens you have since reclaimed…”
They were left in the dark red glow once again. The Goddesses white light dimmed as she gazed coldly from the other side of the chamber, as though allowing them to feel the weight of their choices.
“They say a sin remains eternal, regrets that cannot be undone... scars within a soul.”
At this point, Nera brandishes herself back alongside the stairway, leaping across the party in a white blur as she lands in a pivot on the tips of her talons. The silvered shard-blade formed once again in her left hand, brought forth in splash of pale dust. It is a graceful move now, as she swung the blade in a twirling fashion, causing it to hum in a melodic ringing. There was none of the brutal intent from earlier, merely a polished and refined sword-dance. Almost as if such a creature was just a figment, a cruel nightmare of an alternate existence.
Around and around she continues the dance of the humming blade, like she was playing an intricate song, until it finally stands on end.
Suddenly the blade flies from her grasp, whisking through the air like an arrow. No, much faster. It threatened to pierce Aiv, all within a split instant before anyone could even hope to react. A flash of bright light leads through the group as it heads straight towards him. But it did not finish the merciless act. The silvered edge was stopped dead in its track, defying all laws and logic, the point touching the mark that lingered on his body. Not just one. A handful of these silvered shards hovered similarly over all members of the party, both ‘whole’ and ‘empty’, appearing as if from nowhere.
“And since you wished to carry this burden. I will bring light to what exactly that means...”
With a flick of her hand, the shards enter through all your chests.
Odd enough, there is no pain, just a bizarre and fleeting vertigo. For a moment, it feels as if all your emotions are taken away. You feel nothing. A weightlessness, a sense of vastness. As if you can be anywhere and everywhere at once. But your feelings promptly return as you begin to regain your bearings.
A strangeness now lingers behind you, like a presence peering over your shoulder. Having exited through the other side, the shards of metal lay embedded into the stone floor behind you, appearing as completely new shapes and forms depending on who they entered. Some were the same, simple blades, but there were clear anomalies. To those who chose to become ‘whole’, the beautiful silvered shards have grown to grotesque sizes, now dripped and bubbled with a eerie blackness, warping into grotesquely until they settled somewhere in between a weapon and a beast.
The black forms suddenly reach out, latching onto their owner.
“You might find them terrifying...” she says, “These are your sins laid bare, nightmares that you have long forgotten, made forgotten. Made manifest through our greater bond, your stigma, this is your pain made into a weapon. The burden of ‘wholeness’. Use it to strike down your enemies, but it will also serve as a reminder. For this is the price for remembering..."
Straightening the frilled dress, Nera comes back forward with a faint smile, moving towards the mouth of the ornate stairway once again with the clicks of her talons. Those left with silvered blades are allowed to dispel their weapons peacefully, knowing how to do so with a strange instinct, while those who possess the black-dripped weapons will find themselves unable to. Not only that, but they are quite heavy and cumbersome, though lighter than their grotesque size might’ve suggested. They might just be heavy enough to be unwieldy for the user, but not too light to stow idly to the back of their minds. It would be manageable enough as a weapon, though swinging them carelessly will prove to be quite taxing. It is unclear if this had been a gift or a curse, but like always, the Goddess acted as though this is pragmatic.
This time she stands at the side of the winding white steps, allowing any of them to pass.
“That is all I am able to offer to you, my little chosen.” she says, extending an arm, “All that is left is for you to take the first step. Do not let me delay your grand journey any further. Greatness awaits you. Oh, but make sure to return every-so-often, you will find a dream is not only a place of rest and restitution… but of revelation.”
She smiles, “Regardless of success, I open this place with open arms to you, my little ones. Always, and forever more.“
Isabella simply watched with mild amusement as the other wisps regained some semblance of their memories. Ezain, Dwyn, and Solomon. The redhead's snake-like eyes watched them with mild interested as Nera spoke to them. The old world had been less than kind to them? Heh, big deal. Everyone had problems. At least, that felt appropriate to say in a situation like this. Maybe a bit harsh. Depending on their attitudes, she got the feeling she was going to get along with them the least.
Big surprise there.
Isabella's eyes followed Nera as she met each of them individually. Ihosha. Odd name. She had never heard such a name sounding quite like that before...but the world was vast, she supposed. Nera seemed to keep some measure of...distance with all of them. Appropriate, for someone such as a god to do that. Not to sully their hands with dealing with lowly mortals like them, wasn't it? Heh...the thought crossed her mind at least, though she couldn't rightly say where it came from. It felt right, though.
Which is why when Nera approached her, she was completely caught off guard.
“My, my, how precious. Who would’ve known my impatient little spirit would turn out to be quite the clumsy one~”
"C-clumsy!?" She stuttered out, trying her best to shoo away the goddess. "I'm not clumsy! I was just...testing my fangs!" She replied to the goddess, perhaps a bit too defensively. She was quite glad when the Goddess' attention turned elsewhere, to another wisp by the name of Aiv. As she did so, Isabella gave the Goddess an annoyed glare, straightening out her hair and readjusting her robes.
"...though it is a shame you find it necessary to hide your beautiful bodies…”
"...is Nera pervert?" She asked quietly in a somewhat deadpan fashion. Not that she would erm, particularly mind being unclothed in this situation. Or would she? Didn't feel like she would. It wasn't likely Nera would have heard her considering the last of them seemed to have actually earned the goddess Ire. What a fool this nameless one was. She wouldn't have done anything if Nera just offed him then and there for such foolishness, but it seemed the goddess was more merciful than she'd have been.
She went onto explain what exactly the mark she placed upon them was. The 'Stigma' she gave them. Oh good, that was nice. She was going to ask about that if she hadn't explained. Perhaps this Nera was at least somewhat trustworthy...but she wasn't letting her guard down around her. Not yet, no. Or any of her so called allies. So this 'Dream' was to act as their home of sorts? The Stigma marked them as part of the dream, and meant they could easily return here simply by traveling up a flight of stairs and desiring to return.
Then her 'essence' was brought into her vision. It was no longer a pure white. In the center, was a tiny speck of color. A deep, beautiful green color that reminded her of a beautiful emerald. Isabella reached a hand out, as if the color seemed somewhat...familiar, though she couldn't fathom why. Before she could touch it however, it vanished as quickly as it came.
As Nera continued, Isabella remained quiet. A weight? It was odd...but yes, it was there. A weighty thing, that if she tried to focus on it threatened to consume her entirely. She shook her head, dispelling the thought. Sin? Was that what this weight was? She couldn't remember what sins she could have possibly committed, but it felt so...heavy. Oppressive. Made it difficult to breathe if she focused on it too much. Once again though, she suppressed her desire to know more and focused Once again on Nera. She started some sort of...dance. It was, well, to put bluntly alluring and beautiful, but dangerous. Just like Nera herself seemed. It was quickly over, however.
As the blade hovered in front of her chest, something happened. Her eyes widened, remembering exactly how she had been killed. Before she could do anything however, the silvery sliver of light pierced her chest. Thankfully, there was no pain. Just vertigo and the momentary panic had been entirely taken away.
Weightlessness. Vastness.
She could have lingered in that blissful state for eternity, but she quickly returned to reality.
First, she noticed like she was being watched. Like a monster peering over her shoulder, threatening to devour her if she looked at it. Of course, she ignored such a feeling and turned to look at the silvery metal embedded into the ground behind her. The silver metal twisted, growing to obscene and grotesque sizes. An eerie blackness oozed from the weapons, warping them further until they looked something more animal than weapon.
In particular, hers reminded her of something between a spider and a serpent.
The blade was longer than most of the others, though not quite as thick looking. It was as tall as she was, and while she may not have been too tall it was still impressive. It was completely black, with a green gem of some sort embedded in the hilt. Eight, serpentine looking eyes laced themselves in the guard, still for now, but she could have sworn she saw them curiously moving about a few seconds ago. The guard was shaped like four spindly spider legs, four sharp points jutting out from the sword. Where the blade met the hilt, it seemed to mimic a serpents maw, four fangs meeting the blade on both sides of it.
Then the blade itself seemed to quiver. The blade shifting, quivering as if alive in some manner. The eerie blackness reminded her of some sort of insect carapace almost, but before she could ponder further the blackness shot out like some sort of black silky threads and latched onto her right arm, pulling itself into her hands.
The first thing she noticed was how heavy it seemed to actually be. Nothing she couldn't lift with some degree of difficulty, but it would take at least some manner of dexterity and physical strength to wield this thing with any modicum of skill. The next, was the fact the blade shifted once again in her hands. The blade wavering, rippling and making wave like motions along its blade as if it was excited, or perhaps waiting for something.
Huh. Curious.
She gave the weapon an experimental horizontal swing. The blade seemed to hiss or screech as it did so. In hindsight, that was a bad idea but she had never wielded a sword in her life, from what she remembered so her skill with them was rather lacking.
The large blade elongated as she swung it horizontally, extending to almost nearly five yards in length - nearly almost cutting the heads off of a few of her comrades in the process had they not dodged, ducked, or done any other method of avoiding being beheaded by what was objectively someone who never even touched a sword before. The weight of the sword combined with the length of it meant she had no fine control over it. The weight of the sword carried her, spinning her a few times as she quickly lost her balance from not being able to use the sword in a precise manner.
"E-eh?" Her foot hit the edge of something, teetering over the edge of the abyss they had been introduced to earlier. "...Whoops, well this was silly of me~" Was the final words she spoke before losing her footing completely, and tumbling into the hole leading into the real world head first.
She got the distinct feeling that was not the first time she had uttered that phrase, nor would it likely be the last.
Nera, seeing the red-head barrel forward, quietly side-stepped the body as they flew right past her. A visceral scream then erupted behind her as the Isabella's body was swallowed by the abyss at the bottom of the giant white steps. It might not have been her own, as it sounded like a combination of many different voices, though all in manner of pain and anguish.
That whole time, her bright smile did not change at all. "My, my, eager as always, that one~" she says, turning at the others, "So, who is next?"
The Goddess glanced back, a little more serious now. "I don't think she'll be in any real danger, being as she is protected by my magic. However, it certainly won't be pleasant for the poor thing. Though I love all of you dearly, I have to let you experience the sting of your mistakes once in a while~" she says, with an out-of-place giggle, "I was going to explain, now, to one less of you-" Another loud screech cuts the Goddess off as it was Orpheus who suddenly plummets into the abyss.
"Er, make that two less of you... In any case, the layer between your known reality and this one is... to put it lightly, made up of nightmares. Quite nasty little things. All the nightmares that have ever existed dwell on this middling layer, lured since the beginning of time. I can't get rid of them, you see. But I have properly contained them. And I have made some use of the twisted, rotten things too, as they serve to protect this realm from any unwanted trespassers. If not for the charm, your stigma, you would be tortured by horrible a thing for millennia until your body is consumed by the utter darkness below. Still, though safe as you may be, it will feel... unsettling. I deeply suggest keeping your eyes closed for the duration of the fall."
Her eyes then narrow, "And don't accept any 'candy' anything offers you..."
