Estylwen

The Dark Beyond

New post is up! Here's to another beautiful round!

I think @Days is first up?

The Dark Beyond

HiveMind Underwater Research Facility, Sealed Section, Narrow Hallway

@Lexisheeps, @WhiteAngel25, @Days

---

"If you need to kiss and makeup, there's the corner,"

Subject #3 giggled under her breath. Though, being as young as she was, she didn't entirely understand what Stella was suggesting. What did kissing have to do with Nick and Thierry arguing?

"We... Apologize for our recent lack of self control."

Subject #3's head tilted, observing the two. Again, she didn't entirely understand. But she was free to speak now, wasn't she? She looked up at Nick and Thierry, her brilliant eyes shining. "I don't know much, but I think you two really care about each other."

Subject #3 watched in awe as Stella worked quickly, dismantling the drones and procuring a strange rubber component from them. It was only when the rubber discs sank into the electrified water that the solution became clear: Stella intended for them to walk across to the other side.

Subject #3 swallowed nervously as she looked at the water and the imminent death it held as she tested out one of the discs with her foot. Her eyes glanced back at Stella. "Are you sure about this...?"

Not that she doubted her for a moment. Subject #3 owed Stella her life, Nick too. But the prospect of having to be in proximity of electrified water would make any sane person a bit nervous. Despite her initial fear, Subject #3 was surprisingly nimble, and was one of the first to make it across the water. She came to a stop in front of the diver on the other side, not recognizing the Voidlight logo on the sleeve of her diving suit, but relaxed when neither Stella nor Nick seemed to react to this newcomer.

"Voidlight? What's that?" She asked innocently, her pink eyes staring up at the diver. "Did you want to come this way? I uh-"

A low growl emanated from the ducts in the maintenance room, causing Subject #3 to peer nervously over her shoulder.

"-I wouldn't recommend going that way. It's... not safe."

She peered into the darkness behind the diver, past the steel door. She could see the stairwell and the water lapping at the staircase at about the halfway point. Her brows rose, and she looked nervously at Stella, calling out. "Uh, we might have a problem. The way forward... it's covered in water."

She glanced back at the diver. "Did you by chance see a way deeper into the facility from the way you came...?"

That was when she heard a thump, and she flipped back, eyes locking on Nick as he sank to his knees. He... didn't look good. He didn't look good at all.

"Nick!" Subject #3 cried out, watching Thierry try to comfort him, seeing that faraway look in Nick's eye, knowing all too well where he was.

~*~

Thin, pale hands gripped the cloth of her patient suit, curled in the corner of a padded cell. Her breathing was hard and laboured. Her muscles still ached, and her mind throbbed with pain, still recovering from when she had been on the padded table in the contained lab earlier that day.

But what sapped her strength wasn't how she had been tortured as they tried to make oil and water touch.

No.

What hurt was the words the Director himself had said.

"After all this time. I finally know the truth. You were nothing but a failed experiment, Subject #3. Nothing will ever change that."

~*~

To throw the group from the frying pan into the fire, thunderous footfalls echoed from the ducts. Emerging from the shadows was a drooling, sharp-toothed, black and ethereal, 10-foot crocodile. Its skin was scaled in hardened dark energy. Normal bullets would merely ping off of this one. Its eyes locked with Nick, sensing a vulnerability. Its massive jaws snapped viciously, staring for a moment, eying its prey.

Then, it sprung forth, maw unhinged, aiming to devour Nick.

---

HiveMind Underwater Research Facility, Upper Control Room

@Lexisheeps, @WhiteAngel25, @Days

---

A cold, dark chuckle emanated from the glinted, sharp teeth of Von Galloes, seated in the head chair in a systematically organized control room. His eyes were locked on the mega screen before him, showing the feed from a drone hovering in the shadowing corners of the maintenance room. He could see Subject #6425, Nick's true designation, collapsed on his knees, attempting to resist the command word he had sent to his central nervous system.

"Just another failed experiment."

He said. But, as he watched the Louvre director try to calm the sad excuse of a super soldier, Von Galloes noticed something. Subject #6425 seemed to respond negatively, as in, doing the opposite of his programming, to... what exactly?

"Sil vous plait."

He heard it over the loudspeaker. Thierry's abysmal begging. Almost funny, if Von Galloes didn't notice the subtle betrayal at play. He would have never programmed a subject to respond to kindness. This type of programming didn't belong in the superior weapons HiveMind produced. So, who?

Ha. What a funny joke, doctor.

A Louvre rat until his last breath, trying to save Nick from being entirely crushed by Von Galloes' will.

Oh, he couldn't wait to wring every last fibre of Nick's disobedience from his mind, body, and soul. All things had their time, though. And Von Galloes was in no hurry. Nick would see the error of his ways soon enough...

His eyes flickered over to the lovely Ghost, and he beheld her form with near-ravenous, twisted, fatherly love.

"Oh, sweet daughter of mine. Soon, you shall see how blind you've been this whole time. Soon, you shall stand by my side where you truly belong." His deep voice crooned, eyes glinting as he imagined his sweet daughter in his suppressive, unfeeling grip.

At last, his gaze took in the newcomer, standing by the failed experiment known as Subject #3. He sniffed dismissively at the latter, taking in the diving suit, noting the logo, and watching the diver's mannerisms.

He was aware of the submarine that had entered the sunken part of the sealed facility. He knew what organization was playing here. Now he needed to find out who and why.

He leaned back in his seat, watching the scene unfold in front of him as the group tried to save themselves from death. His voice was a soft, disturbing whisper.

"Struggle, my little playthings..."

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree Part. 1

Alizée Altieri

∀ןızéǝ ∀ןʇıǝɹı

"I've been like this since I can remember."

_______________________________________________ Alizée Viola Altieri She/Her | 25 | French/Caucasian | 64 in. | 99.5 lbs. _______________________________________________ Night-stalker _______________________________________________ Skills & Talents "If you see me, it’s already too late." ___________________________________ [+] Trailing ⫻ Once she has settled on a Blind target or weak Apparition she likes, she can follow them at a distance all night. This includes staying out of sight, stalking, and blending into the environment around her. She can also pick up on subtle cues that give an indication as to where her target goes, especially if spooked. For example, she can see a window shutter waving in the wind and deduce that her prey has lept inside. Silence ⫻ She is able to move with the least amount of noise possible, placing her weight carefully so she doesn’t shuffle her clothing or disturb creaks in the wood of the floor, or scatter stones. This enhances her ability to trail a target. Parkour ⫻ The city is her oyster when she takes to the rooftops. Able to maneuver in front and back flips, rolling falls, careful foot placement, and hoisting herself over a ledge, she can navigate the maze of structures like a dancer.

Appearance ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ "Do I look normal?" Stands at 5’4 feet with a slim, leaning on thin, build. Her skin is ivory and freckled, like she doesn’t often see the sun. There’s endurance in her muscles, but it doesn’t show much in her build. This endurance allows her to leap from structure to structure when scaling the city’s skyline. There are a series of scars starting from her right collarbone down to her hip in the shape of bite marks, with scars mirroring on her back. Theses scars are from when she was bit by the Stygian Snake. She has silver rings in her pierced ears. Depending on her mood, she prefers hoodies and casual wear to obscure her face when trailing. When she’s not trailing, she dresses well in silk blouses and slacks.

_{Psychology
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"I don’t think it’ll ever get better."

MAIN GOAL ⫻ She hopes to understand more about her apparition and how she can protect herself so she doesn’t have to night-stalk at its bidding.

PHILOSOPHY ⫻ She believes it’s better to be feared than loved.

SECRETS ⫻ She hides her insatiable thirst for entropy. She tries to blame it all on her apparition, but somehow, the thirst has become her own.

SEXUALITY ⫻ She is innocent, without thoughts of the such.

FEARS ⫻ She fears being alone and being trapped.

REPUTATION IN OLD COVEN ⫻ When it became known that she had fallen into the habit of night-stalking, she wasn’t well-liked. It often led to heated arguments when she refused to change her ways. It is likely that her inability to find an agreement with the heads of the Coven played a part in the dissolution.

ROLE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE STYGIAN SNAKE ⫻ She gripped the Snake in her phantom hands and sapped it of its strength, helping aid the battle and weaken it.

FLAWS ⫻ Her indecisiveness. She doesn’t want to give in to her thirst or her apparition’s demands wholeheartedly, yet she also doesn’t stop herself or seek help.

_{Backstory
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"Being banished was the worst day of my life."

She was very young when she had dreams of walking through a dark place, what she would later learn was the Void. One of the times she walked, a being approached her, dark and smothering in its presence. It held out a phantom hand, and she, unknowing of the consequence of her action, held it.

When she awoke, the same apparition, albeit in a smaller form appeared before her. Ts voice was in her mind, and its desires were grappling with her own. They fought, and she managed to draw a figurative line between them, keeping control of herself and her body. However, its incessant thoughts and whispers continued to try and mold her to its will as time went on.

She was the only daughter of a father who was a wealthy businessman, and her mother had passed from illness early on. With a business opportunity presenting itself in St. Portwell, her father moved the family from Paris to St. Portwell. The change was difficult for Alizée, which her Void Heart took full advantage of.

During one particular night, she was battling with her apparition after she refused to use Void Entropy on a young girl, a similar age to her, who was lost in the city. The battle became rather violent and chaotic, with buildings getting knocked out and glass shattering. Luckily, Ashley Stone and a few others found Alizée before the police did, and managed to subdue both her and her apparition before things got out of hand. That was how Alizée made her first introduction with the Coven, and was soon inducted after that.

During the battle with the Stygian Snake, she sapped it of its energy and worked with her Coven to defeat it.

Tensions raised in the time after the great battle, as Alizée slowly changed. Despite being in a supportive environment, the whispers of the Void Heart were getting stronger and stronger. It was the 12th night in a row she had gone night-stalking when Ashely Stone followed her and uncovered her dirty little secret: Alizée was preying on the Blind, harming them, and causing them weeks in the hospital to recover from Void Entropy.

When Ashley confronted Alizée, she merely dismissed her accusations, trying to gaslight her. As Alizée continued to deny Ashley’s accusations, the room became more heated, and eventually ended in a physical fight where everyone intervened, holding the two girls back.

Ashley banished Alizée from the Coven, telling her Alizée wouldn’t be welcomed back until she stopped preying on the Blind. In hot, angry tears, Alizée swore she'd never return, and stormed out of the room. Little did she know those were the last days of the Coven before dissolving.

In the dissolution of the Coven afterward, more angry tears were shed. The Coven had been the one place where she felt she had family, despite their differences. And now, she was left to wander alone, with the apparition’s will crushing her at every given opportunity.

Without much to go off of, she returned to her father’s side and began learning his trade as a businessman. He owned a factory, producing different kinds of products based on the market demands in their city. She began learning more about how to run his business, even going as far as to become his official Junior Vice President when she turned 23. He had said many times he hoped to entrust her with the family business when she was ready. And if her life would be mundane and Blind, this was likely where her path would lead her.

Alas, life for the paranormal was never so cut and dry. Just a few years later, after her 25th birthday, Auri’s call reached Alizée in the form of a sealed letter, stamped in red wax with the seal of the Sycamore Tree Coven. When Alizée read the contents of the letter, she was in shock. Who was targeting them? Why? And how would the remaining Coven protect itself?

Yes, old wounds never healed, and she still held many grudges. But many of the people who were the source of her grudges, namely Ashley Stone… were dead. And death had a funny way of healing old scars, or at least numbing them, near-instantly.

Regardless, it went without saying that, despite their differences, she knew where her loyalties lay and made her way to the Coven’s lair, the abandoned church.

_{Abstraction
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"It’s not just me in my head, you know."

TYPE ⫻ Aberration (Adjoined)

ABSTRACTION ⫻ Void Light: The seams of the Void that yearn for entropy, sapping strength away.

ABSTRACTION DESCRIPTION ⫻ A purple and dark, smoky light that appears around her being whenever she uses her abilities. Also the main color of the Void Hands. If phantom hands are summoned, there is enough strength in the Void Light to bend steel rebar, which she uses to suppress the struggles of her victims. Both she and the apparition can use Void Light.

Subcategories:
- Void Eyes: Appears as purple irises with a red ring around the pupil. Cosmetic when she uses her Void Hands.
- Void Heart: Her apparition from the Void, usually floating a couple of inches above her shoulder. A ball of void light with Void Eyes. Has a thirst for entropy. Is able to use the Void Hands on a whim, and has been known to use Void Hands on Alizée on occasion when it doesn’t get its way. Being chained to her soul, the Void Heart can immediately take in and absorb any energy she siphons off using Void Entropy. This is how it eats, and it’s always hungry. Being connected to the Void, it has a special affinity for being in the in-between places of things, like dreams. The last time it dream-walked was when it was haunting Alizée before their souls became adjoined. Its haunting desire translates to Alizée’s continuous night-stalking as she ‘haunts’ her victims before siphoning off their energy.
- Void Hands: Claw-like phantom hands, made entirely of Voild Light. Can change in size from regular human-sized hands, to as large as a refrigerator, allowing her to grip humans and smaller apparitions with ease. To be touched by physical Void causes an immediate weakness in the body. Prolonged exposure saps all the energy of the target. Eventually, this is enough to slow and stop the heart, however, due to Emotional-Fields, it does not allow her to stop the heart outright, only bring it near.
- Void Entropy: Any strength that is sapped away by being in contact with her void light causes her to instantly absorb said energy, which can be used to sate the desires of the Void Heart. She must be in physical contact with her victim to sap its strength and energy. This is why her normal attack is to enlarge her hands and hold a victim by their torso with a death-like vice grip. She enjoys it when they try to struggle, but soon enough, white light in the form of energy is siphoned from their being, drawn past the hands, and coalesces through Alizée before being sucked into the cragged jaws of the Void Heart. Due to the nature of their entwined souls, the apparition’s sated thirst translates to her own phantom thirst’s satisfaction.

LIMITS ⫻ Being able to sap a person or thing of its energy does not mean she can outright kill them. The Emotional-Fields prevent her from doing so.

WEAKNESSES ⫻ Accessing the Void Light opens Alizée's eyes to the Void itself... and over time, by utilizing the Void Light, she will begin to see hallucinations of the horrors of the Void. Eldritch abominations and people lost to the Void will appear alongside the mundane universe that Alizée is used to, attacking her mental state and making her doubt what is real and what is fake. The more Alizée (or the Apparition she's adjoined to) uses her abstraction, the worse this effect gets so that she will be functionally blind if she goes all out (as she'll see into the Void). This effect wears off over time, but its effects on her mentally will not. However, sapping away someone else strength and energy also begins to drain away at her - it won't be as dramatic as on the victim, but if she does this a lot, she can stop her own heart. An Abstraction like this will unnerve others and make it difficult for people to trust her.

^{Other
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"I just want to feel in control sometimes, you know?"

- TikTok Tribute
- She also speaks French.

The Dark Beyond

Absolutely love the posts, what a lightning round! I will have a post up tonight, and start the new round. :)

The Dark Beyond

I've added the Beast to the CS tab!

Recollections: Under The Sycamore Tree (Witch/Surreal Urban Fantasy)

Interested!

The Dark Beyond

@Days Right there with ya. xD

@WhiteAngel25 Epic post! The poor drones...

Now, if my sources are correct... I believe it's Lexi's turn to share what Nick and Thierry make of all this. xD

The Dark Beyond

What are everyone's timezones?

@Days

Good question, I'm CST (Canada.) I usually write in the evenings, but am available sporadically throughout the day. :)

The Dark Beyond

@Days

Poor Brenda, lol. xD

@Lexisheeps

Yess, and I couldn't be happier. :>

The Dark Beyond

Sorry, I was blissfully sleeping. I'll be posting then!
I wrote it in docs and am only now seeing how massive the post is. I'm sorry in advance, I promise I won't be writing novels like this every time. A big part is also the amazing collab, ofcourse.

@Days

That was absolutely amazing to read. You are 100% worthy, the attention to detail was intense. I especially liked the mention of Brenda, and the idolizing dynamic between Nova and Dragon.

The collab really turned out spectacular! I feel like I understand Voidlight so much better now.

@WhiteAngel25

Dragon is so cool. :o

My WIPs are finally ready for review! T 3 T;;;;;

@Lexisheeps

I've looked them over, and both look awesome! Approved! I especially like how we get to have a bit of a brotherly dynamic between Aaron and Nick. And Ramses seems super genuine.

---

With Days' intro post all done, I think it's Angel's turn? :)