System

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

Given Ridge’s own abilities, it’d be hard for someone to rule out that he’s active elsewhere even while he’s also right in front of them. Even if they think they have his multipresence under control, it would plant seeds of doubt.

@Valiance

Hm... what if you were to recreate that world?

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

The first idea to come to mind would be to create a believable spectacle to give the notion that Ridge is still active. Draw them out.
*Crosses my arms*
Not a feasible thing to do in my skillset.

@Valiance

Mm. Assuming that Ridge isn't incapacitated.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

*Stares in unexpressed interest at the individual weather spectacles*
In a sea of unlikely possibilities, we could say that takes up the largest tiny slice of the pie, yes.

@Valiance

How would you go about tracking such an individual?
*Checks my watch, and as two color-coded points circling the outside rim align, the meadow environment starts to rumble, the ice sheet cracks and begins melting, and a tornado slows, dissipating sand across one side of its sector*

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

More than anyone else? Not at all. Everyone is supposed to be dead and gone.
*Turns and stares out the observation window*
No offense to any of them though. I find it hard to believe most would give Ridge trouble unless things changed. He was always a step above.

@Valiance

*On closer inspection, each of the slices contain a number of cyclic processes including eruptions, earthquakes, and squalls that maintain the weather and climate patterns in their sectors*
Then the going hypothesis is that one survived, secretly acquired the strength to eliminate or restrain Ridge, and then destroyed his imagined world?

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

If it was an attack targeted at a recognizable mirage of the past? I see no likelier possobility.

@Valiance

Does anybody from your shared history stand out as a possible culprit?

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

It could be anyone. Ridge was infamous, back when we still had a people. Maelstrom’s always been a problem wearing my brother’s face, and his face was what everyone always saw.

@Valiance

So your hypothesis is that one of them survived?

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

The common enemy? Whoever it is responsible for the initial tampering in your lab that wrapped you up in a whole lot of trouble.

@Valiance

And the figure from your past?

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

It could. I can’t argue that it couldn’t. But to drop it entirely and also disappear himself, without a word of any kind, in any form, anywhere to anyone is where the coincidences start to tower to suspicious levels.

@Valiance

Who is the figure you alluded to earlier?

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

No. None at all. The only key element I have to go on-
*Sighs*
-is the fact that the location he retreats to that I mentioned prior, was a full world he left simulating in the back of his mind. A planet with an imaginary society that’s just disappeared. And if it’s gone because something happened to it, then someone is out there with more knowledge of our past than I believed to still be around.

@Valiance

Could his mental state have something to do with its disappearance? Simulating one’s past like that would be considered clinically unhealthy behavior.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by System>

Not these days. I was concerned it would be someone related to my line of work, but I feel as though an attack from our mutual enemy would be more obvious, and an attack from Garsun would have more… Theater about it.

@Valiance

Has Ridge indicated involvement with any new controversies lately?