yoshua171

Divinus Mk. 8: The Eleventh Cycle (A God Roleplay)

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Vast intractable emptiness, a void, the cosmic womb. That endless vacuum of space--the Unrealm--it was begging... begging to become a crucible, begging to be anything.

Then...it happened.

A flash against the black.

A spark of Azure light and the faint iridescence of an orange-white flare. Then the very fabric of space warped and twisted around that solitary point, and pent up energy became a brilliant white-hot singularity.

The world snapped and from that release of tension, something pure was borne into the world.

Two, four, eight, nine appertures opened, and they gazed upon the world, the eyes of a formless god. The Is to its Un.

"Mae-Alari"

Thunderous were the first words of that deity and from them Power emanated, scorching the empty heavens in a brilliant nebula.

Then the coalescence, the gathering of subtle energies and raw etherium. The eyes closed and like a hurricane-force inhalation, all that power was drawn up into a shape, and that shape was his silhouette, and that silhouette was his form.

So formed the True Shape of the Cosmic Breathe upon the Empty Waters of the once-still Void.

"Soon," Alari whispered.

Soon it would be time.

Sooner, in fact, than she’d believed. Gaze turning as pulsing waves of intention washed over her from afar, Mae-Alari’s shifting faceless visage caught the impression of a blazing light in the distance.

A gasp of arcana spilled from her form, vibrating through the emptiness and then she was an iridescent lightning bolt, flashing from her birthplace to that blazing light in the darkness of the nascent cosmos.

In an instant she arrived before what—instantly—she knew to be the Khodex of Creation. While she sensed other powers nearby, Mae-Alari found herself utterly entranced by the shining pages of the codex. It was begging to be filled, calling to her, beckoning the power that writhed and sang within her.

She barely knew herself, yet somehow Mae understood what it called her to do.

She touched the Codex and as her body made contact with the Khodex, the world around them changed.

Her power spilled forth, writhing and becoming sigils upon the parchment most divine. At the same time fissures of power spread like cracks in glass across the cosmos. Glowing with prismatic light, the Veins of the Cosmos were born into the world by her Will and the power of the Codex.

With this, she felt the writhing power within her form begin to still and as it did her form slowly began to change as features resolved upon her visage. Still, it would take time for them to fully resolve, and so with great patience and curiosity, she waited.

Summaries

Narrative

Mae-Alari is born from the Great Expanse of the Void and is called by the Codex. Touching it, her will and the power of the Codex bring forth the Veins of the Cosmos.

Might

Starting: 4MP

-4MP —— Add to the Codex (Create the Veins of the Cosmos)

Ending: 0MP

Divinus Mk. 8: The Eleventh Cycle (A God Roleplay)

^{Mistress of the Mists⇂↿↾⇃Zenith⇂↿↾⇃The Arcane Source⇂↿↾⇃Nadir⇂↿↾⇃Keeper of the Well}

^{“I am the Source and the Catalyst.”
Theme I ♦ Theme II ♦ Theme III}

---

---

Hider

^{M A Y A H L A H R E E}

Domain
^♦Arcana♦

♦
♦

The Arcane mysteries of Power both Personal and Cosmic, flow through us—giving life and consciousness—and around us, imparting motion and action and change upon the world. Arcana is the force that changes, that transforms, empowers, creates, and in equal parts destroys—always paring away at the world to reveal truths deeper still. With dominion over—if not mastery of—this power, Mae-Alari threads themselves through the world, desiring to understand it and herself as well.

In this way, Arcana is the expression of these ideas and ideals. In the living, Arcana exists primarily in the form of the Soul, whereas within the world it exists as the driving force for change, manifesting as the numerous energies that flow in and through the cosmos. This allows Mae-Alari to draw upon, manipulate, and manifest the many energies of the world by harnessing the potential energy contained within them. This potential energy can then be transmuted into any other form of energy or even new varieties. However, as a caveat, Mae-Alari cannot directly create, destroy, nor manipulate matter—instead they must influence it through the lens of energy. Where another god might create stone from their very essence whole-cloth, Mae-Alari must take pre-existing substance and mould its form and nature with energy, coaxing it into a new state. Though it may seem strange, while matter may not be created whole-cloth, more of existing matter can be propagated.

Tl;dr: Mae-Alari’s prime domain gives them power over the energies of the world, above all others being Potential Energy, Quintessence, the Breath, and the Soul. However, as a caveat to this incredible power, matter is beyond them. Stone must be coaxed by heat and pressure to become steel. Water heated or cooled to become gas or ice, whereas another god might simply bring these spontaneously into being.

Aspect
^{♦Curious ♦ Enigmatic ♦ Wise♦}

♦♦♦

Mae-Alari is, first and foremost a being seeking understanding of itself through interaction with all else. Through its interactions with other deities and their myriad creations--as well as the reflection of its own expression through such objects, places, and peoples--the Arcane Source is always on the search for further aspects of itself. In this way its curiosity is clear as it finds a fascination with all things, particularly those it does not understand. Yet, despite its obsession with the world's workings, Mae-Alari is unquestionably wise, capable of drawing unexpected knowledge and insight from almost everything it encounters. In this way they contain both the aspects of an ancient sage and the overflowing enthusiasm of child-like curiosity.

As Mae-Alari's purpose is ultimately to understand themselves in all their vast and incalculable complexity, it follows that they are prone to change and--furthermore--difficult to fully grasp even for others. This often makes their intentions opaque and the reasoning behind their actions sometimes inscrutable, leading others top an enigmatic impression of their character. Still, despite their seemingly malleable and indiscernibility, Mae-Alari can always be relied on for their perceptiveness and willingness to assist others. Still, not everyone is wont to risk seeking them out given that often the true reasons behind Alari's giving nature are--at best--difficult to ascertain.

Visage
^{♦True Form♦}

♦
♦

Nested within the beauteous vessel of the Goddess dwells a singularity most sublime, its churning patterns the sum total of all Arcana. It is a sigil, an evolving pattern of energy catalyzing itself into yet greater forms. It is the eye and the heart and the mind as one, bound and unbound, endless yet circumscript. It is the Arcane Source, the Unseen Wellspring and it devours and blooms in equal measure.

Additional Art

Primordial Form

Upon her conception in the Great Void before the World was born, Mae-Alari took in a wholly different shape, one far more alien and strange.

Incarnation

A more worldly manifestation, pared down from her full divinity for the sake of the mortal mind.

Contemplation & Intensity

Fury

More will be added.

Divinus Mk. 8: The Eleventh Cycle (A God Roleplay)

There's always room friend.

Yoshua's Character Storage Mark VII

⇂↿ NAME GO HERE ↾⇃

⇂↿ “QUOTE GO HERE” ↾⇃

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[+]

⇂↿↾⇃ Bio ▼

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⇂↿↾⇃ Name:
⇂↿↾⇃ Race:
⇂↿↾⇃ Age:
⇂↿↾⇃ Height:
⇂↿↾⇃ Affinity:
⇂↿↾⇃ Soul Strength:
⇂↿↾⇃ Social Standing:

⇂↿↾⇃ Appearance:

⇂↿↾⇃ Personality ▼

---

⇂↿↾⇃Interests: TEXT GO HERE

⇂↿↾⇃Persona: TEXT GO HERE

⇂↿↾⇃ History ▼

---

[+]

TEXT GO HERE

⇂↿↾⇃ Belongings & Equipment ▼

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^Name:

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⇂↿↾⇃ Capabilities ▼

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[+]

TEXT GO HERE

Divinus Mk. 8: The Eleventh Cycle (A God Roleplay)

^{Mistress of the Mists⇂↿↾⇃Zenith⇂↿↾⇃The Arcane Source⇂↿↾⇃Nadir⇂↿↾⇃Keeper of the Well}

^{“I am the Source and the Catalyst.”
Theme I ♦ Theme II ♦ Theme III}

---

---

Hider

^{M A Y A H L A H R E E}

Domain
^♦Arcana♦

♦
♦

The Arcane mysteries of Power both Personal and Cosmic, flow through us—giving life and consciousness—and around us, imparting motion and action and change upon the world. Arcana is the force that changes, that transforms, empowers, creates, and in equal parts destroys—always paring away at the world to reveal truths deeper still. With dominion over—if not mastery of—this power, Mae-Alari threads themselves through the world, desiring to understand it and herself as well.

In this way, Arcana is the expression of these ideas and ideals. In the living, Arcana exists primarily in the form of the Soul, whereas within the world it exists as the driving force for change, manifesting as the numerous energies that flow in and through the cosmos. This allows Mae-Alari to draw upon, manipulate, and manifest the many energies of the world by harnessing the potential energy contained within them. This potential energy can then be transmuted into any other form of energy or even new varieties. However, as a caveat, Mae-Alari cannot directly create, destroy, nor manipulate matter—instead they must influence it through the lens of energy. Where another god might create stone from their very essence whole-cloth, Mae-Alari must take pre-existing substance and mould its form and nature with energy, coaxing it into a new state. Though it may seem strange, while matter may not be created whole-cloth, more of existing matter can be propagated.

Tl;dr: Mae-Alari’s prime domain gives them power over the energies of the world, above all others being Potential Energy, Quintessence, the Breath, and the Soul. However, as a caveat to this incredible power, matter is beyond them. Stone must be coaxed by heat and pressure to become steel. Water heated or cooled to become gas or ice, whereas another god might simply bring these spontaneously into being.

Aspect
^{♦Curious ♦ Enigmatic ♦ Wise♦}

♦♦♦

Mae-Alari is, first and foremost a being seeking understanding of itself through interaction with all else. Through its interactions with other deities and their myriad creations--as well as the reflection of its own expression through such objects, places, and peoples--the Arcane Source is always on the search for further aspects of itself. In this way its curiosity is clear as it finds a fascination with all things, particularly those it does not understand. Yet, despite its obsession with the world's workings, Mae-Alari is unquestionably wise, capable of drawing unexpected knowledge and insight from almost everything it encounters. In this way they contain both the aspects of an ancient sage and the overflowing enthusiasm of child-like curiosity.

As Mae-Alari's purpose is ultimately to understand themselves in all their vast and incalculable complexity, it follows that they are prone to change and--furthermore--difficult to fully grasp even for others. This often makes their intentions opaque and the reasoning behind their actions sometimes inscrutable, leading others top an enigmatic impression of their character. Still, despite their seemingly malleable and indiscernibility, Mae-Alari can always be relied on for their perceptiveness and willingness to assist others. Still, not everyone is wont to risk seeking them out given that often the true reasons behind Alari's giving nature are--at best--difficult to ascertain.

Visage
^{♦True Form♦}

♦
♦

Nested within the beauteous vessel of the Goddess dwells a singularity most sublime, its churning patterns the sum total of all Arcana. It is a sigil, an evolving pattern of energy catalyzing itself into yet greater forms. It is the eye and the heart and the mind as one, bound and unbound, endless yet circumscript. It is the Arcane Source, the Unseen Wellspring and it devours and blooms in equal measure.

Additional Art

Primordial Form

Upon her conception in the Great Void before the World was born, Mae-Alari took in a wholly different shape, one far more alien and strange.

Incarnation

A more worldly manifestation, pared down from her full divinity for the sake of the mortal mind.

Contemplation & Intensity

Fury

More will be added.

Yoshua's Character Storage Mark VII

^{Mistress of the Mists⇂↿↾⇃Zenith⇂↿↾⇃The Arcane Source⇂↿↾⇃Nadir⇂↿↾⇃Keeper of the Well}

^{“I am the Source and the Catalyst.”
Theme I ♦ Theme II ♦ Theme III}

---

---

Hider

^{M A Y A H L A H R E E}

Domain
^♦Arcana♦

♦
♦

The Arcane mysteries of Power both Personal and Cosmic, flow through us—giving life and consciousness—and around us, imparting motion and action and change upon the world. Arcana is the force that changes, that transforms, empowers, creates, and in equal parts destroys—always paring away at the world to reveal truths deeper still. With dominion over—if not mastery of—this power, Mae-Alari threads themselves through the world, desiring to understand it and herself as well.

In this way, Arcana is the expression of these ideas and ideals. In the living, Arcana exists primarily in the form of the Soul, whereas within the world it exists as the driving force for change, manifesting as the numerous energies that flow in and through the cosmos. This allows Mae-Alari to draw upon, manipulate, and manifest the many energies of the world by harnessing the potential energy contained within them. This potential energy can then be transmuted into any other form of energy or even new varieties. However, as a caveat, Mae-Alari cannot directly create, destroy, nor manipulate matter—instead they must influence it through the lens of energy. Where another god might create stone from their very essence whole-cloth, Mae-Alari must take pre-existing substance and mould its form and nature with energy, coaxing it into a new state. Though it may seem strange, while matter may not be created whole-cloth, more of existing matter can be propagated.

Tl;dr: Mae-Alari’s prime domain gives them power over the energies of the world, above all others being Potential Energy, Quintessence, the Breath, and the Soul. However, as a caveat to this incredible power, matter is beyond them. Stone must be coaxed by heat and pressure to become steel. Water heated or cooled to become gas or ice, whereas another god might simply bring these spontaneously into being.

Aspect
^{♦Curious ♦ Enigmatic ♦ Wise♦}

♦♦♦

Mae-Alari is, first and foremost a being seeking understanding of itself through interaction with all else. Through its interactions with other deities and their myriad creations--as well as the reflection of its own expression through such objects, places, and peoples--the Arcane Source is always on the search for further aspects of itself. In this way its curiosity is clear as it finds a fascination with all things, particularly those it does not understand. Yet, despite its obsession with the world's workings, Mae-Alari is unquestionably wise, capable of drawing unexpected knowledge and insight from almost everything it encounters. In this way they contain both the aspects of an ancient sage and the overflowing enthusiasm of child-like curiosity.

As Mae-Alari's purpose is ultimately to understand themselves in all their vast and incalculable complexity, it follows that they are prone to change and--furthermore--difficult to fully grasp even for others. This often makes their intentions opaque and the reasoning behind their actions sometimes inscrutable, leading others top an enigmatic impression of their character. Still, despite their seemingly malleable and indiscernibility, Mae-Alari can always be relied on for their perceptiveness and willingness to assist others. Still, not everyone is wont to risk seeking them out given that often the true reasons behind Alari's giving nature are--at best--difficult to ascertain.

Visage
^{♦True Form♦}

♦
♦

Nested within the beauteous vessel of the Goddess dwells a singularity most sublime, its churning patterns the sum total of all Arcana. It is a sigil, an evolving pattern of energy catalyzing itself into yet greater forms. It is the eye and the heart and the mind as one, bound and unbound, endless yet circumscript. It is the Arcane Source, the Unseen Wellspring and it devours and blooms in equal measure.

Additional Art

Primordial Form

Upon her conception in the Great Void before the World was born, Mae-Alari took in a wholly different shape, one far more alien and strange.

Incarnation

A more worldly manifestation, pared down from her full divinity for the sake of the mortal mind.

Contemplation & Intensity

Fury

More will be added.

Divinus Mk. 8: The Eleventh Cycle (A God Roleplay)

@Dark Cloud no problem fam. Don’t forget that you can join the discord and come chill ^_^

Divinus Mk. 8: The Eleventh Cycle (A God Roleplay)

@Dark Cloud, dear sir, each god is meant to start with one domain ^^;

The Hourglass Order

【The Uncertainty of Truth】

【 Valerian & Golden Monkey】

~A Collab by @Force and Fury & @yoshua171~

---

They entered the hedge maze from a little ways back, and it was immediately and abundantly clear that the place was gorged with energy that should not have been there. In a word: magic.

Golden Monkey was wordless, the air swollen with an unspoken tension between the two men. His steps were light and ripe with the potential for action. His motions even craved it, perhaps. In a nutshell, however, it did not come to pass, at least not at such an early juncture.

"A good enemy you were," the yasoi admitted both suddenly and offhandedly. "You struck me. You figured out my gimmick." He let out a low, unsettling chuckle. "Not often that happens, and not from..." His face became a momentary sneer. "Someone like you."

There was an extended pause. Save for their magical senses, they were well and truly lost to the maze now, and perhaps that had been the intent. Perhaps there was something nefarious at play or perhaps it was merely the innocent wandering of a yasoi who was, after all, still just a person, much as he was a monster as well.

"Be honest with ya, I'm gonna." He nodded as if resolving himself to it. He scrunched his nose up in distaste and peered down at the shorter human. "The Twins wanted me to ply you with riches." He almost laughed as he shrugged. "But you're already rich and you don't care anyway." He sniffed the air. "They're a necessary evil, or this country becomes chaos and you get someone like the Jiang, who commit genocide twice and blame it on us." He snorted. "A black legend doesn't much bother me. I know the truth. I'm a killer, but with purpose I kill. "

His body language was antsy as a tamarin peered out from the hedges. "Fight you again I wanna. You fucked up the last time and you know it. Damn near killed your whole group." He shook his head. "Most of them are weak or don't really know fighting. Must've rankled to be the scapegoat instead of the hero. The whole lot of you might've even won, but you fucked up. I want a fair fight. No interlopers. You want another crack. I'd do it right here and now. Thing is, I'd squish you, one on one." He twisted and grinned with impish malevolence. "I don't brag, of course. I state facts."

The pathways between the hedges were bathed in deep cool shadow and a different set of animals took up the background chorus as sunset loomed. "Make you a sanguinaire, I wanna. Give you your grandfather's power. Now he was a legend." Golden Monkey shook his head eagerly.

"You're nothing compared to him, Valerian Remi Leclere, but you could be. Paragons, you could. You help us take out the selfish dragon. What makes him any better an option? Because he bows before the ogauraq for his betrayal and then throws them at us like chaff into the fire? Because he'd murder every sanguinaire for the crime of existing? And Ash? He'd force his religion on this country like they forced their religion on my people." For a moment, his voice turned bitter. "And don't think that's some weakness you can exploit. I'm over it. Make no mistake, the Twins are tyrants, but Ash would be even worse. And the Nikanese? They seek only the ruin of a peaceful neighbour." He shook his head tightly and snorted into the golden air. "No. Those are all bad plays. Help us take them out. Then you gain power. I don't care what you do with it. Have all the time you need. Go change the world. Learn about it what I did." He twisted on the spot, walking backwards now, in front of Vel. "The weak don't rule. Not because they shouldn't - because they can't. There's no one here worthy of your blood and sweat. Help us. Get something. Then fight me."

Though the tension between them was palpable at first, things began to ease as Golden Monkey spoke. He was surprisingly honest and straightforward, all told, not that Valerian trusted him.

However, while Vel might have been amicable to some agreement, the yasoi made a critical mistake. He mentioned his grandfather. While Valerian hadn't had any particular relationship with the man, he knew that his father had only treated him as he had because of the sanguinaire's lingering influence. Had it not been for the way Marius was raised, Vel's brother would still be around.

Nonetheless, Valerian managed a smile, well used to having to display false emotions in court. As they walked he didn't meet Golden Monkey's gaze, even as the man walked ahead of him--facing him by walking backward. Still, it wouldn't do to dismiss the Blackguard off-hand, so Vel finally met the yasoi's gaze and tilted his head slightly.

"What's on offer?" He queried with a look of faint amusement. At the same time, Vel noted the strange abundance of energy in the hedge maze. He kept such senses sharply focused on every little detail, keeping track of the movement of energy all around them. If there was to be an ambush or an attempt at a sneak attack, he'd be aware of it well beforehand.

"Power," the yasoi said simply. "Made that pretty clear, thought I had. Same power as your grandfather. Not all legends are good. Maybe you can use it better than he did." Golden Monkey shrugged. "Power and membership. Be one of us. You'll never achieve anything by slamming your head into a brick wall again and again." He shook his head. "A monolith us sangs are not. The more decent people we have among us the more decent we are as a group."

He'd halted now, forcing Vel to halt as well, and his expression fell oddly between scowl and a knowing grin as he took in the boy's paranoia. "A bloody demon that Progenitor is. Uses places like Vossoriya and Retan to farm people. For five thousand years, he's gone unchallenged on the sanguine council, but now the Twins have risen." He shook his head earnestly. "Now the fucker's scared. That's what started this whole mess and now you have bandwagon jumpers like Wu Long, Ash, and the Nikanese. He's trying to take the Tens out because they're something new. They're something novel. They work together. They care about their people, in their own way. It's harsh. It's oppressive, and they ain't half as nice as they act around that table, but they do want the best for their nation and they're building a power structure independent of the Progenitor to do it."

He spread his arms. "Listen: I could've killed you the first time that we fought. I could do it right now. Fact that I haven't should tell you that it ain't my goal. Changing this place the right way - bit by bit with the eternity I have to live - is. You know they're going to marry the Jiang girl? End the dynastic strife? Offer pardons to Jiang supporters? Liberalize our trade?" He shook his head. "A generation ago, never woulda believed it. Now, with the ten of us and the exemplars in the Twins' ears, it's happening. Ain't flashy or exciting, but it's happening. Other things we've got for excitement, like dealing with all of Retan's little problems." He traced a dragon in the air with a brightened fingertip, leaving a momentary burning afterimage. "And the big ones too. Those fuckers ain't good, and definitely not any better than us. You fight alongside them, I'll waste you. I don't wanna just yet, but I'll do it all the same, and you'll have died for nothing instead of lived for the chance to really achieve something."

He let his hands fall to his sides. There was a great deal of ambient energy in the air, but it fast began to evaporate. "That's it. My peace I've said, kid." His eyes said the rest: 'Now what's it gonna be?'

Valerian's smile slipped as a more thoughtful expression took hold. There was a lot to consider here and foremost among those considerations was whether or not he was being shortsighted. Further, was his decision based on a narrow view of things? One that was too idealistic, naive even? Was he moralizing a situation too complicated to be put in simple terms such as right and wrong? What did the history say? Retan’s history, the history of Perrence, or the other major powers.

The precedent did dictate that the larger a nation was, the harder it was to maintain order and quality of life without certain sacrifices. At the same time though, what did his morals mean if he couldn’t honor them just because things got complicated? Vel frowned, his eyes on the ground even though his senses were still stretched to their limits–just in case. Was it better to allow the Twins to continue their reign if it meant that–in the long term–ReTan was stable and that its people slowly gained an improved quality of life? Was it worth the terrible sacrifice of certain freedoms, and the not-so-quiet atrocities of oppression? Furthermore, what message did that send? Besides, what had his mission been? To let an oppressive regime persist?

That wasn’t what Ersand’Enise would want, they desired the freedom of magic so that such things could be further advanced and shared throughout the world. What of his fellow students? What if some didn’t accept the offer and he did and they then had to work together in the future? Would they trust his judgment? Then again, did they even trust it now? He had almost gotten them all killed….

Valerian sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, his magical senses nonetheless focused. Could he, a single mage, do enough good to offset him making the selfish choice? If all of them made that choice, could they offset that harm collectively? If he made the choice…could he live with the knowledge that his selfishness had caused very significant harm? Could he live with knowing that his words to Wu Long–to the Ogauraq–had essentially been empty?

“What of the Ogauraq?” As he asked, he opened his eyes and met Golden Monkey’s gaze, his own expression serious, but otherwise unreadable.

"What of them?" the yasoi replied. "Those who fight against us will be treated as enemies. Those who don't have nothing to fear." He shrugged. "I'm wary of them, to be honest. For hundreds of years, they've logged our northern forests to create more of the tundra they prefer. They've outright exterminated my people, who used to live there. There aren't many of us left these days."

His nose scrunched up and he scowled. "I'm sure they shared their thought-pictures about how they were the innocent, oppressed victims. In their minds, I'm sure they are." Golden Monkey shook his head. "Unlike any of the Ogauraq you 'spoke' to, though, I was there. I saw how they marched on the capital and occupied it, first in our name before turning on us. I knew of their demands: how they wanted the yanii to cede the north of Retan to them alone - to forsake the right to a land where they had both peacefully coexisted for thousands of years before the Jiang."

He settled into a crouch, gazing up at Valerian in the burgeoning gloom with reflective golden eyes. "I was part of the army that stopped them, that freed our capital. We were being held hostage. They were so smug and morally superior." He leaned to the side and spat. There was an antsiness to the yasoi now. His fingers drummed the air idly. He bounced lightly on his haunches. "The straight answer is that we'll leave them alone as long as they leave us alone: same as we've always wanted. They fight against us, though, they die." He shook his head. "I'm not about to repeat history's mistakes." Finally, he rose.

Listening to the yasoi, indeed watching what must have been a somewhat visceral emotional response from the man, Vel found himself somewhat at a loss. He was usually better about this sort of thing, able to sort through people’s motivations and the influences that had brought them to a situation. From there he could usually do what he felt was right. This though, this, was different. The circumstances he’d navigated before this were part of what he hated about the world. It all smelled of the duplicitous, complicated, fraught nature of decades of politics and conflict.

Openly unsure now, Valerian raised a hand and rubbed his temples before shaking his head. If he chose not to accept it could mean his own death and perhaps the death of his comrades. He couldn’t do anything in the future…if he didn’t have one. Further, every side of this conflict had goals and positions that made some degree of sense and while many actions were indeed deplorable, the motivations behind such actions were no longer so clearly vile and unacceptable. These things were not so black and white anymore, not even close. Further, he could not tell if he was being lied to. Every decision seemed the wrong one in that moment and in that moment a frown formed on his face.

“Very well,” Vel said even as he felt a deep sense of personal disappointment settle in his stomach. Was this a decision wrought from fear? Perhaps, but he had to admit…he didn’t want to lead, it just had never been where his aims led. Furthermore, who would replace the Twins? The Dragon, perhaps one of the many factions that were gunning for the dissolution of Retan as a stable country. Was the instability and horror of true war and revolution really what was best for the Retanese people? He couldn’t see how it was. As to the minority of Yasoi, and of course, the Ogauraq, the reality of things was simple. Even if his decision was wrong, both decisions were wrong. Thus, the only thing that made sense was to improve himself so that he could make better decisions and help more people in the future.

At least, that’s what he was telling himself.

Vel met the Blackguard’s eyes, a certain grim–resigned–determination in his features.

“I accept.”

The Hourglass Order

【A Flash Against the Black】

【 Valerian & The Ogauraq /|\ Lucky Dragon & Golden Monkey】

---

Night’s embrace, darkness, sleep, then noise and golden light. Valerian shot out of bed like a bullet, his body reacting before his mind could fully process having gone from asleep to awake. Yet, when his bleary eyes focused on the carnage unfolding around him, he felt the surge of adrenaline tear away the comforting grip of sleep. Though Dragon Smirk had healed up fine before they’d returned for the night after their unexpected and violent encounter with the Black Guard, Vel had never quite shaken the deep-seated sense of dread in his stomach.

Now–like bile–it rose up his throat and threatened to cloud his thoughts as a downright feral mage armed himself and lunged. It was at that moment that fear crystallized in his veins, and for a terrible instant, he was too stunned to act. The mage hurtled at him, terrifyingly fast and clearly far beyond his own skill or potency, yet Vel knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had to fight him anyways.

For a moment the figure’s countenance was that of another, of someone familiar. His brother.

Vel clenched his teeth, jaw popping as all his muscles tensed for in the next instant he’d remembered what had driven them to such conflict. Though it often left him uncertain, he had vowed to never be so powerless again. Four simultaneous actions happened in rapid succession. The first was the drawing of energy from every possible source around him.

Snow became ice as it and the air around it became absolutely frigid in the absence of heat; light dimmed dramatically as it pulled inwards towards his person; and the mountain winds died utterly in an instant as he drew upon the kinetic energy that fueled them.

He didn’t bother converting the energy but instead shunted some of the kinetic energy to his left in an attempt to avoid his adversary. At the same time, Valerian wreathed himself in a storm of fire, light, and force. If the man wanted to hit him, he’d just have to make that as painful as possible.

It didn’t seem it would matter as the yasoi grinned gleefully, arresting control of his own movement with kinetic magic, even as he turned the now icy ground into an advantage. In a brutal strike, and with a laugh, the figure swept the tent pole through the ice and sent a wave of force flying through the cloud of sharp shards.

Evaporating into steam as it collided with the storm of magic around Vel it blinded him during a critical moment. Instinctively several barriers of force sprang into being around his body.

Then he was hurtling back through the air, the breath knocked out of him entirely. Gasping, Vel stuck to his training and clawed at the air. Planes of forces manifested beneath his fingers, and he redirected his momentum, curving himself violently to one side even as a lance of force–then a blur that could only be a body–rocketed past him. Regaining some of his composure, Vel managed to reorient himself just as his assailant was striking him square in the stomach.

The air left his lungs once more as the yasoi’s fist slammed him backward. Vel tried to swear, but no sound came out. He tried to retaliate, with daggers of kinetic energy, but the man spun the tent pole and deflected them before aiming a wicked-fast strike at his temple.

This, Vel just barely avoided, the metal pole ruffling his hair as it slipped overhead. Drawing upon some of the energy he was pulling, Vel converted it into a single point between them, but it immediately blasted apart. Flying downwards and striking earth, Vel tumbled a moment before he could bleed off momentum with magic.

Eyes darting about as he realized that he’d been thrown into the nearby grove of trees, Vel tried to sight his opponent. It was fruitless, the man was simply too fast as he darted between pines, apparently waiting for the first sign of weakness–or perhaps just a particularly amusing moment. Vel gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, closing his eyes. They wouldn’t be enough to help him. Focusing, Vel narrowed his attention to his surroundings, honing in on the moving goliath of manas and their gathered energy as it flitted around him.

There!

Vel released kinetic energy, creating a series of forcefields at precise timings as his adversary’s energy approached at speed.

Somehow, his timing was off for most either missed entirely, were batted aside, or simply shattered.

Vel’s eyes flashed open as his second spell completed–the backup plan–creating an energy-dense series of interlocking planes of energy. A thunderous crack echoed out, though it was likely no one else heard it.

“Hah!” The man laughed, his improvised staff–the tent pole–having met with an invisible object at that last moment. Vel was already releasing all the heat energy he’d gathered earlier in a tight thermal beam. The yasoi’s eyes widened as the beam blitzed past their weapons and magics and landed a searing blow across his side as the more experienced mage turned sideways to minimize his profile.

He flicked the pole and the force in that attack was enough to throw off Vel’s defense and force him three steps back. The Blackguard capitalized on every mistake, his weapon spinning back into motion in a whirling dervish of strikes at Vel’s person.

Some he could stop or redirect, but a great many turned into glancing blows, his assailant’s manic grin widening for each blow Vel took. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Vel knew he needed to change tacts, but wasn’t sure exactly why.

His timing should’ve been enough, but for some reason, the bastard’s strikes just kept slipping past his defenses. He tried adjusting his timing as blow after blow came in, each from a new angle and with greater force than those prior. Then—during the tiniest of instants between strikes—Vel struck at the Blackguard’s weapon from below with a series of kinetic spikes.

Only one of them did the job, and the yasoi only gave Vel an instant to realize the strange discrepancy that had caused his failures to defend.

Temporal warping.

Vel’s eyes narrowed and he threw himself into the air with a pulse of force to avoid the yasoi’s next strike. In that tiny window of respite, several thoughts crossed his mind in rapid succession.

Should he surpass his limit, risk everything today and be useless in the coming fights? No, the Twins had to fall.

What could he do then, how to survive, not to mention save his allies if at all possible. He wasn’t fast enough to slip away, he had no talent for the schools that might allow him to teleport elsewhere, let alone account for the exact nature of his adversary’s attacks.

So what did he have?

His eyes widened slightly, then his face transformed into a resolute mask.

He had his blood.

For once in his life, Valerian silently thanked the gods for his father’s obsession. After all, he was a Dualblood and while he couldn’t risk overclocking his manas, that was hardly the only benefit his unique situation afforded him.

As if to punctuate his realization, a sudden surge of energy beneath him tipped him off to the Black Guard’s next move. His senses screamed, but he didn’t panic.

Instead, he reached out with his will and pulled. Immediately he felt his adversary’s resistance, but for once it didn’t matter, while the Blackguard was certainly more powerful and more experienced, Vel had something that he didn’t.

Two mana colonies and the tremendous focus it took to micromanage and control them.

His will honed to a narrow point, Vel at once altered his orientation so he was parallel to the ground and pulled energy. Shaping his draw into a precise cone, Vel parted a veritable inferno around his person as it erupted upwards from the ground like some fell god.

Still, the air was almost hot enough to burn, but he persisted nonetheless, reaching out his senses past the flames and latching onto the moving target that was the Golden Monkey.

The Blackguard did not let up, the flames turning from red, to orange, then blue. Valerian gritted his teeth as he felt the beginnings of burns touch his flesh, yet he did not relent, traveling down and through the column with abandon as he drew as much energy as he possibly could. That power became like searing, crackling lightning in his veins, but he persisted anyways, even allowing some of the energy to saturate the air around him as light. Then, locating his adversary, Vel abruptly sundered the Black Guard’s magic, not by coopting the energy, but instead by using a typically defensive binding technique, and his understanding of Chemical magic to convert the very air the flames used as fuel into energy.

The inferno guttered out, the sky darkened, and Vel unleashed his attack as he felt hesitation in the Golden Monkey’s casting. The Blackguard tried to breathe, and drew only the tiniest amount of air from his surroundings, revealing that Vel hadn’t just drawn from the air in the column, but in a vast web, creating an entire network of spiderweb-thin threads of air. Momentarily stunned, the yasoi nonetheless shot into motion, but Vel tasted the beginnings of doubt.

Unable to help himself, a tiny smirk formed on his lips, and then all that energy he’d stockpiled was suddenly–and violently–converted into two separate charges as he called on what little knowledge of the Magnetic school he had.

The air exploded in a single, tremendous, rolling thunderclap as lightning arced wildly outwards from Valerian, channeled through a vast web of conductive air surrounded by utter vacuum. The Yasoi threw up barriers of force, drew heat from the bolts, and evaded a great many bolts of lightning, but no one could escape the wrath of the heavens forever. Little by little arcs of coruscating light closed in on him and while they did, Valerian fled at speed, propelled by Kinetic energy alone as he flew through the air and rejoined his allies.

He knew he’d not won, not even close, in fact, he’d likely only tied up the Black Guard for a brief time, and in exchange he’d burned, bruised, and battered himself both body and manas alike. Still, he hadn’t boosted himself, hadn’t let the careful balance of his colonies shift enough to collapse. Still, as he looked back at his work he noticed a terrible truth…the other Blackguard had intervened.

“Fuck,” Vel swore, but in the next moment, he felt the familiar touch of chemical magic and the particular sort he’d only experienced from the Ogauraq.

An image of something swiftly falling towards the camp, then an impression of space twisting, and an image of somewhere else far away.

Vel didn’t hesitate, didn’t think, he just redoubled his speed and hurtled towards the earth, before bracing himself and slowing to a halt just in time. Couldn’t stop all at once after all, ‘falling’ to one’s death was something of a misnomer after all…as it wasn’t the fall that killed you, but the sudden stop.

As he slid into camp, erecting barriers and slinging pairs of force lances and fireballs, he caught sight of his allies engaged in fierce combat. For a moment he understood the terror the patrolmen had likely been experiencing as he saw the Ogauraq–few in number though they were–tear both physically and magically through the Retanese shock troops. Still, they were outnumbered and Vel did his part to free up enough of them so that a pair could rig them a tunnel out of dodge.

Senses finetuned, Vel erected barriers, superheated metal armor, and generally unleashed a storm of mayhem amongst the enemy soldiers until a hole twisted in space behind him. Gritting his teeth, Vel’s gaze flickered back to the cage of lightning that was beginning to dissipate some distance away from them. Then he watched in horror–eyes widening, as that very lightning began to gather together and arc towards them.

“Portal, now!” he yelled, managing a few frantic disorderly illusions as he grabbed several Ogauraq with telekinesis and pulled them into the portal with him. Eyes widening further as the others leapt in after him, Valerian screamed out as an Ogauraq who was a moment too late light up in a conflagration of azure lightning a mere instant before the portal slammed shut behind them, spitting them out in some other stretch of wilderness nearby the capital.

Heartbeat drumming in his ears, blood pumping as if a dam had been broken, Valerian collapsed onto his ass, breathing hard and filled with a cold terror.

He hoped the others were having better luck than him.

Vel looked forward to finding out.