Valiance

Myriad Reality

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How well do you remember your home? A collaborative effort may meet those needs, and its only requirement is to draw in the target.

@System

The world as a whole? Nowhere near well. The city where I lived, at least, I’d say it’s etched into my mind nearly to a T.

Myriad Reality

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It may hold the greatest chance of succeeding, especially if that was the original target of aggression.

@System

Molding reality to that degree is something only a very small handful of people I know about are capable of. Molding it for this specific world to be a believable recreation of a believable recreation would take both the power to do that, and the knowledge of the world as it was. Only one man to fit that bill.

Myriad Reality

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

@System

An incredibly tall ask. And difficult… In multiple ways.

Myriad Reality

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Mm. Assuming that Ridge isn't incapacitated.

@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.

Myriad Reality

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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*

@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.

Myriad Reality

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*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?

@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.

Myriad Reality

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

@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.

Myriad Reality

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So your hypothesis is that one of them survived?

@System

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

Myriad Reality

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And the figure from your past?

@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.

Myriad Reality

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Who is the figure you alluded to earlier?

@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.