Zeal

Myriad Reality

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*Waves my hand*
Insubordination aside, you'll be working with Grace on this job. She dealt with the subject the first time.

@Techspert

What’s the sit rep?

Myriad Reality

@Zeal

Gajeel, I have a job for you. We have a repeat offender that needs to be taken care of.

@Techspert

*sighs*
Fine, old man.

Myriad Reality

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Hm, it might work. I guess it depends on whether it's as easy as "add curse" and "remove curse" or if there's some kind of complex mechanism underneath.

@Etcetera

Its worth a try.

Myriad Reality

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Second's ability is to manipulate the Strings of Fate. Everything in the world that interacts is connected with a series of string-like paths. When I walk forward, I'm following one of these paths. When some beings use their abilities, though not all, they use these paths to interact with whatever it is they're doing. Even gravity has its own strings that pull all of us toward the ground. Likewise, this enemy's ability entangled us with its own strings, so he had to untie those like a big knot.

@Etcetera

What if we can find someone who has the same ability?

Myriad Reality

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Second, or the one who caused this?

@Etcetera

Yeah, but what does Second do that allows him to work with the tangle?

Myriad Reality

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Maybe! But it may be too tightly wound to transfer it at all anymore. Second really had to work hard to put it on me to begin with.

@Etcetera

What was it that allowed him to do it? Power? Magic?

Myriad Reality

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Sorry, I didn't mean to spring that on you. The soul of the original now resides in a digital being known as X.exe.
*Looks at my wrist*
We tried. It can only be transferred between those who had it to begin with.

@Etcetera

What about those who share DNA?

Myriad Reality

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Star miscarried. Data is a clone made out of that DNA. Second's wore off, and Star's is gone, but we have no idea why. Ever since Lance's seal was broken, she's been entirely free of the entanglement, but we don't know where it went.
*Whispers*
There's actually a recent lead on where it went but you didn't hear that from me.
*Normally*
Mine is still functioning. Second can pause it temporarily, but to remove it entirely would be suicide.

@Etcetera

What?! I didn’t know that!!
*takes a drink*
Man, thats a lot...
*ponders*
What if we transfer it to someone else? Maybe someone who could hold it and possibly die. Sounds bad, I know but just hear me out.

Myriad Reality

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So he took their young daughter Technology Demonstration and infant "son" and placed them in stasis until the effect wore off or they had stayed in stasis for too long to not be injured. He couldn't talk to them without risking triggering the effect, so when they woke up about 6000 years ago, it looked from their perspective like Second had just abandoned them. But he did look out for them; he put their stasis chambers on a planet full of friendship, where they could be happy even on their own without him or Star. Similarly, The Hero, who had been retitled The Legend after the Great War, took to raising the newborn Legend and Luke while I left to avoid causing them any pain.
*Says nothing, but takes a breath*
I'm afraid I haven't been a very good mother to Luke or Legend.

@Etcetera

Waitwaitwait....what do you mean “son”? What is wrong with Uncle Data? And don’t you think the effect wore off?

Myriad Reality

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Second couldn't undo it, but he could transfer it. He, First, and The Hero had to be able to interact for the sake of Tier Five. So I received The Hero's, and Star received Second's, so hers had twice the intensity. But she said that wouldn't matter.
*Smiles sadly*
The Nobility, who were before my time, weren't sealed well enough after their downfall, so the Tier Fours discovered and used this opportunity to weaken Lance's seal further and degrade it. Star sacrificed herself to patch the seal, and took the entanglement with her. It devastated Second, and worse is that he had lingering effects of the entanglement because he was exposed to it for too long while untangling the others. It meant that any interaction with Star's likeness would cause the effect. And they had just had children.

@Etcetera

Oh...