TURN THIRTY-FOUR: TOXIC PARABLES (END OF CHAPTER THREE)
My word count on-screen right now is currently ~6,600. Adjusting about 1,000 for the quotes and formatting, that's about ~5,000 to ~5,500 words that I've written. Woo!
Also, I have decided that the Intermission will be overlooked in favor of the entrance of the new chapter. I feel that it will be a better entrance for the newer people, as well as helping to move the plot further a bit.
Without further ado, here is your story.
I hope you enjoy it,
Artemis.
The Survivors
Jack Weasly (high tyrol)Three, two, one, fire charge!Instinctively, you cover your ears as a loud boom flares its way from a tunnel two cross-sections away. You know it's your turn this time. It hasn't been that long since you started working here, but it already feels like your spirit is being taken and dragged face-first across the floor. The general melancholy of the tunnel systems seems to be sinking into you already. It won't be long before you're broken in like the others. At least, that's what they would want you to think.
The real question for you is, how long will you survive in these tunnels with the
acelium ore?
You already know what follows the smoke. After not long, your team manager will direct you into the deepest tunnels to cut out the acelium ore and dump it into the tunnel trucks, taking it back to the surface. You know that the ore may be toxic, but it's not like the Theyin Empire really cares.
acelium has proven to be an efficient source of fuel for military vehicles and ships. The only problem is that it is very hazardous in its ore form due to the poisonous gasses that are released when the ore is displaced. Of course, you are provided with gas masks to mine, but the overall safety of the entire place is shabby at best. You're no architect, but you're pretty sure that the structure of the tunnels is already pretty unstable, coupled with the fact that there is no ventilation for these gasses.
If one fool decides to take off his gas mask at the wrong time, it's game over in no time. The gas will start burning the respiratory system and the person will be finished in a few minutes if they're not given proper medical treatment immediately.
This is the danger of working in the mines that you currently know as your workplace. Why? It's quite simple: you're considered disposable. You have no family left alive and you live in one of the worst places in the entire Empire - the heart of the mining facilities for the Empire itself. Since you have no legacy to really leave, the state decided that your strong and young physique could be put to use in the mines. In return, you're provided a small group house with some other displaced orphans, along with some meager, tasteless food and drink.
"Ore Retrieval, Team Six. Please move to tunnel section 4D2 for new tasking. Ore Retrieva.." The same message is repeated once again over the speaker system. It signals your team's turn to move into the mines to retrieve the ore.
You're currently located in a cut-out storage and equipment room made of stone near the upper floors of the mine. There are some metal lockers on the other side of the room from the bench that you are currently sitting on. One of the lockers contains your uniform and your mining equipment.
You fear for your life, but you will not let this get the best of you. One day, you will be able to escape from this routine. One day, you will make your own life and be able to form your own path, independent of the Theyin Empire's will.
One day.
THE FIFTH GUARDIANS AND THE SURVIVORS
Follow their directions.
Alex RamanYou decide that the lack of action by your powers has indicated that you might not want to mess with these people at this time. At the very least, it gives you time later to find the layout of this location and to further plan out your time of revenge here. Because of this, you slowly raise your hands in a show of surrender to the local authorities here. The two soldiers who had approached you accept this gesture and bring out a coil of black fiber. The younger of the two soldiers moves to your back and brings your hands down, tying them together with the fiber and securing your hands together in a tight bind. The two of them then begin to lead you around the right side of the wall. You can hear the shouting of different men as they call to each other their orders.
You can hear the creaking of the large, dark wall, as a twenty-five meter-tall gate, pentagonal in shape, opens two doors outward and allows the exit of two more armored vehicles. You can see their slanted walls, the secure locks on the outside doors, and the exhaust within the cold, hostile air. Various soldiers make their way out in columns, hurriedly moving into the blackest night. You hear minor conversation from the soldiers as they pass you by.
"Hurry it up! There's only so long before we have to go into lockdown tonight. You know the drill," a grey-haired soldier shouts from the side of the gate. One of the two soldiers who is leading you begins muttering to his partner.
"Bloody hell. This again? Dammit, we've had three lockdowns this month alone, and they won't tell us a goddamned thing about it!""Keep it cool. You don't want to blow it all in front of the Captain.""Damn it all if I don't know what's going on. They're giving in to some bullshit superstitions draw up by the damn Jaceys."The older soldier quickly hushes the younger one as they pass through the gates. At the other side of the gates, a soldier in light dress with an open folder addresses the soldiers that are leading you.
"Identification, rank, business?" She drawls out in a bored tone.
"0706 and 1130, Pirmai and Pirmai. We are detaining this outsider who was found crawling around in the snow outside of the gates.""Good enough for me. Pass on. Remember that lockdown is in forty-five minutes. You will no-" "Yeah, yeah. I know the bloody drill. Thanks, 'dam." The older soldier shoots a stern look toward the younger soldier, but neither seems to really care too much at this point. The guard simply rolls her eyes and motions them through. You turn back to look at the giant, foreboding doors closing behind you.
For some reason, it also reminds you that this is now your fate. There is no going back to the Atis you once knew.
This is your fate.
Warren Drake
Hide. Climb a tree if there are no better spots.
Warren DrakeAround you, there is plenty of foliage that would provide cover from whatever is out there. However, you do feel that, should you successfully climb a tree, that would be much better of a hiding spot than simply hiding within the bushes. With your amazing intuition, you decide that it would be a good idea to stay away from that girl's tree for now. Something tells you that it might not be the safest spot to be, and you can always return there if you need something else. You move about a hundred meters away from the tree and find a decent-looking, elder tree that should be able to support your way. You don't think that you're particularly heavy, so you find a good spot to lift yourself up and begin climbing the tree. It takes a bit of work for you to gain your footing due to the lack of branches on the lower portions of the tree, but you manage to scramble yourself up and hoist yourself up to the upper parts of the tree with the larger branches.
Now that you have seated yourself in a good nesting of branches that extend out to support the leaves above, you focus on trying to pick up what you heard before. The breeze of the cold night rustles many leaves, which does not help you to hear whatever is moving out there. Still, you keep your eyes and ears open in order to find out what's going on within the forest.
It is very hard to see with the darkness of the trees and the night above and hard to hear due to the whistling of the trees and various underbrush; However, after a few minutes or so you begin to hear something out of the ordinary. Yes, it's that murky sound again, as if someone is sloshing their boots through mud. You can't determine its exact location, but you know that it is approaching ever closer to your position. Yet again, it mutters in low, growling tones, like a predatory animal on its search. You begin to track its position in relation to your own - it appears to be to your right, near the edge of the clearing. You wait a few more moments, holding your breath in, before you see the freaky creature come into view.
The best way you could describe it is an anthropomorphic being covered in an ungodly load of black, vile sludge. It shambles around in an erratic matter, not seeming to look for anything in particular. It is turned away from you, but you can tell already that this thing does not appear to be anything you've ever seen before. It hunches over in a labored manner, as if it is perpetually struggling for every breath it draws in and lets out. You cannot make out any of its detailed physical features due to the overwhelming amount of sludgy substance absolutely coating the creature.
It doesn't appear to notice you, but you'd better be careful nonetheless.
"Yes, my good sir, thank you. By any chance, may I ask what your specialty drink is this fine morn? Also, what seem to be the popular subject being discussed within this fine establishment?"
After questions, have a seat and enjoy a drink
Cat SchrodingerThe host gives you a warm smile and replies to your query.
"Ah, of course. Would you be interested in the Juumith Blend? A sweet mixture of several tangy fruits found from the tropics down to the south. Quite the taste, if I do say so myself.""Also, what seem to be the popular subject being discussed within this fine establishment?"He chuckles softly before responding.
"I'm not one to usually keep up with this sort of news, though I have heard recent concerns about the state of conflict concerning the Jaunatne Coalition and the Theyin Empire. Also, the regular folk tales seem to be doing their circulations this morning." After responding to your questions, he motions behind him and puts on his smile again.
"I hope you find your morning wonderful, sir."The scene is just as described before. You don't see anyone you know at any of the tables at this time, though that could change as the morning progresses. However, you do notice that there is a peculiar group of people standing and sitting at a table near the far side of the room. They seem to be dressed rather well, and seem to be focused on a couple of folders and small books that they have brought with them. Other than that, the people sitting at every one of the tables seem to be pretty common and unassuming.
((You're open to doing small actions before the next major update, or simply engaging in dialogue.))
Step through the shadows to be right in front of them
"Follow me, or die."
then walk off in search of others.
Be ready for them to attack in reaction to me, but try not to show it. if they panic and run away, let them, their panic reaction will probably be exactly what they need to do to survive anyway.[/b]
LirianYou try to minimize the noise coming from your footsteps. It is very important that you keep your advantage of vigilance and surprise at this time. You don't know where these monsters are going to show up from - that is, if they show up in this town at all. At the very least, you may be able to scope out the surrounding areas and gain a vantage point over whatever threats may come this way. Currently, the only thing you can hear (besides the wind and the night ambience coming from various insects) is the shuffling and small chatter coming from that boy from earlier, who sounds like he is not too far from you. He appears to be the only one talking at the moment; If someone else is nearby, they are not conversing with the boy right now.
You weave between various residential buildings, trying to triangulate his position and looking for a way to spot him before he spots you. You do, however, realize that time may be of the essence - there's not too long before the deep night gets underway, and that is when things get really interesting. You pick a nice building with an awning on the front roof as your concealment for now. At the very least, the shadows there will help you to avoid detection for now. Slowly, you creep up to the side of the building, including more and more of the small walkway into your vision. Near the side of the walkway, about fifteen meters to your left, you see the lanky adolescent and his accomplice sitting atop some old, rotting wooden boxes.
"Bah, tastes like freaking water. The old man cheaped us out here with this drink. Hey, what do you say we go back to him tomorra' and shake him up a bit? Maybe we'll get somethin' a bit better for our troubles, y'know?"That's definitely him, what with his ragged voice and snotty tone.
"Whaddaya think?"You observe his accomplice. He doesn't seem to give off a very noticeable reaction. He simply shuffles his feet and grumbles out a low
"Mhm.""Mm? What's up? C'mon, dude, you been acting like this for almost a week now. Somethin' up?" You have trouble seeing in the low light of the walkway, but you see the other teen shake his head slowly.
"C'mon. I know what'll cheer you up. Let's go to the river and see if we can't catch a couple of merchants from-" "I would advise against that, my friends."You see a figure slowly striding through the darkness on the other side of the walkway. You duck behind the building and peek only just enough of your head so that you can see still. As he approaches closer to the two teens, you manage to recognize his voice and his overall figure. Yes, it's Artemis, the leader who visited the Kito Complex earlier. What the hell is he doing here in the middle of the night?
The talkative one of the two boys stands up abruptly and backs up a foot or two.
"W-who the hell are you? Get out of here before I cut you!" You manage to see him draw out a rugged knife from his pocket and wave it in front of Artemis, trying to ward him off.
Artemis chuckles with a playful tone, obviously not fazed by his actions.
"Oh, I'm not sure if I'm the one you should be waving that knife at. After all, your friend does not seem to be of whole mind and body at this moment.""What the hell are you getting on about?" the boy with the knife asks nervously. He quickly glances towards his partner, who is still sitting on the crate with his arms crossed. Remaining silent, he simply gives a blank stare towards Artemis. You can almost
feel Artemis' sly smile from this distance.
"Now, judging by the look in your partner's eyes," Artemis says...
"He's been dead for about a week now."
Rest. In my dreams, try to retain control of the golems, and have them continue the exact same task.
RuneYou find a somewhat-covered part of the cave that you're currently in, using it as your hidey-hole for sleeping tonight. Just in case, you direct two Creator golems to the front of your cave and on a slightly higher level. If some damned creation of nature decides to sneak its way into your cave, you will at least have a barrier to defend yourself and regain your bearings. The magma bed provides a warm, soft glow tha\t makes the place a little less lonely. The golems also provide you a sense of satisfaction in your work: for what it's worth, you learned about your hidden talents fairly quickly, and put them to quick use. With this, you find the consolation you need to slowly drift off into the world of the unconscious. Your last thought is that of controlling your golems - hopefully, your powers will extend into your sleep and offer you the power of manipulation through your sleep.
Yet this would not be the case. Your unconscious world instead forms a long-running nightmare - a particularly odd one, at that...
You open your eyes to find a field of black soot surrounding you. You are prone on the ground and your hands emanate pain, as if you were forced to writhe your hands for hours on end. The sky is alive with a blood-red tint and the sight of meteors flying across the atmosphere. You can hear the enormous booms as the meteors land somewhere on the horizon. You slowly bring yourself up to your feet, brushing black ash off of your hands and knees, coughing all the way. After you finally settle yourself, you look forward and see the sight of the same volcano that you've known for the majority of your life now. You assume that this is still Atis, but you don't remember being aboveground, nor do you remember seeing this much ash in the area. You trudge forward a couple hundred meters, observing the bare, dying trees and the ruins of past houses. Your eyes burn with irritation and the air smells of sulfur, like if you were standing on the edge of an active volcano.
You move down into a depressed valley below the volcano, looking at all of the dead vegetation and the remnants of civilization all around you. The meteor landings appear to be getting louder and louder now, as if they are progressively getting closer to you. In the corner of your vision to your right, you can see a girl with semi-bleached blonde hair staring at the sky. She appears to be wearing messy jeans and a shirt and jacket, both cut at the midriff. She doesn't seem like she's happy to be here at all.
Slowly, she turns her head to you and speaks.
"Well, whatcha gonna do, dwarf? You gonna fight this world off or what?" She then turns her view back to the sky behind the volcano and begins climbing up the valley and toward the volcano. You feel like you've either met this person before or she has some other importance to you. Reluctantly, you take one step forward to follow her, and the ground shatters into a million tiny pieces below you. You fall through the ground into a void of nothingness, the world falling apart around you..
You jolt up from your sleep, groggy and heart beating. You look around you and find the cave just as you left it. The Creator golems are still standing at the entrance, lifeless yet looking as if they are vigilantly protecting you.
((It is interesting that you brought up that ability; However, you aren't experienced enough in your skills to venture into that field of the Mind yet.
Keep at it, however. You're still getting closer to some newer things.)
((Oh, by the way, his hand is not completely gone, it was just out of view. As in, he still has both hands attached.))
:O
Eleri
The red trail could be from a multitude of things. Be it animal, human, or.. something else. Something more dangerous. You shake your head and put that thought out of your mind. It can't be too bad, you think to yourself. The red trail appears to be somewhat dry and faded, so maybe whatever was here before is gone now. Still, you have a bad feeling in the back of your head. There's no use worrying about something that you can't change now, however. Might as well investigate and see what this leads up to.
Cautiously, you begin heading diagonally up the hill, near a grouping of trees that provide good cover from whatever's out there. You make sure to take light, quiet footsteps. As far as you can hear, you don't notice anything out of the ordinary: the occasional rustling of leaves by the wind and nothing more. Just in case, you look around for a suitable branch to use as a tool or, heavens forbid, a weapon. There are plenty of branches nearby, but one branch that has a smooth end and a fork on the opposite end catches your eye. It seems to fit in your grasp pretty well, too. With the branch providing a little more confidence for you, you make your way through the trees and closer to the running spring.
You look around you for anything that seems odd in your environment. Nothing really noticeable so far, except for the red trail itself. As you follow it and examine it further, you're pretty sure that it is indeed dried blood. This worries you a bit, but you're nearing the spring now. As you approach the treeline that merges with the rocky boundaries of the spring, you look to your left and to your right. Once again, nothing is really heard except for the running of the water. The trail of blood leads its way up near the other side of the spring. Carefully, you move around the edge of the rocks and come up to the spring.
The first thing you see is a hand. You flinch back a bit, realizing that it looks like a human hand. You peek around once again and let out a slight gasp. Near the edge of the spring itself, an emaciated man - or adolescent, you can't really tell from here - lies motionless, his blood tainting the spring and the surrounding area. He has a light coat on, but it's been ripped and cut away in large parts. You can see deep, gleaming wounds in his back where the coat was torn. His right hand and both of his legs are also scratched and bloody. His sky-blue hair is matted down and messy, and you can see several scratches on the right side of his face. His eyes are closed and you can't see him moving from where you stand, a few meters away. By the looks of it, he's been here for somewhere from a few hours to a day or two. At any rate, he's definitely not in any shape to move anywhere. In the back of your mind, you try and think of anything that could've assaulted him. You haven't seen any animals that would be much of a threat and you doubt that any humans would really interact with him.
The wind picks up a slow breeze, moving the trees around you in a soft, dancing motion. It's as if nature is recognizing what a tragedy must have happened here.
((I guess I parsed the 'peek' part wrong. Oops! 
Now I look extremely silly putting his hand--attached to his arm...in my bucket. Hmph.))
Alright...quit panicking. Where to do. What to go?!
Eleri noted her mistake as a feeling of nervousness and embarrassment hit her, slowly removing the hand from her bucket.
Prone and dying. I can possibly lift him out but I'm unsure if he has any spinal injury. Though obviously he didn't burn or fall from a height, the wounds on his back show no injury to the spinal cord, though the muscular damage looks deep...oh...oh dear.
Presence of threat-minimal. Though as to the extent of damage, it may not be a natural creature--or it may be one yet is not a carnivore...or something that'd directly kill and leave. I better aim for either the village or get him safe before nightfall. Home? Maybe.
Now where is that darn moss.
Eleri felt sweat form on her hands in the distress of the situation, and cruising through the multitude of thoughts in her mind, began to focus on the floral species closest to the idea of aid.
Look around for yon plantlife and begin improvised methods of aid and treatment, also ascertain the best way to carry him back! Also carry him to a direction where I can best calculate his safety:
> Head to the nearest village if I can make it there before dark.
> If not, head back to my place.
Eleri The clock is already ticking. Although you haven't been on this island for too long and don't know much about the various herbs and other plants spread across the island, you can at least rely on the physical traits of some of the plants to help you to keep him alive for now. You move over to the grouping of stringy, long-leafed plants mentioned earlier, a little ways down the hill next to a small pond. This most likely won't be the most comfortable bandage ever, but it'll keep him alive from now. You manage to pull off several bunches of the stringy leaves, just enough to form a long band. Next, you move back up the hill and search for the moss once again. You find a nice amount of it on one of the rocks that is being washed by the movement of the spring's water. With this, you figure that you can use the moss as an impromptu bandage, with the stringy leaves as something to hold the moss with.
Once you have these materials, you hurry back to the wounded person and begin to examine his injuries in detail. Now that you have examined him, you notice something odd. A sort of thin, black liquid is very slowly seeping from his greater wounds on his back, as well as some of the deeper cuts on his arms and leg. You're not sure what it could be, but it doesn't look like anything that would come from the normal human body. Unfortunately, you do not he enough moss to cover all of his injuries - that would be quite encumbering, at least - but you can still cover up his chest and keep him from bleeding out and/or healing improperly. You stretch out a sizable band of the leaves and cut it off roughly using your hands and feet. Using this band, you pick up a clump of the moss and begin to place it on the greatest injuries on the center of his back.
Before you can arrange the moss correctly, however, you hear a small, sharp cry. You instinctively flinch back and look around before realizing that the sound must have come from your patient. You move around to the right and draw closer again, trying to get a better look at his face. Finally, you are able to see his eyes, only opening very slightly. His breath is quickening and shaky. He seems like he would be on the verge of panicking if he only had enough energy left. His entire frame shakes as his eyes search around wildly, finally locking on to you. You can see that his powder-blue irises are clouded with a dark sort of fog and fade. You also find it hard to even see his pupils. Whatever the state he may be in, he seems to only be slightly holding on to reality.
After a few seconds of gazing at you weakly, he manages to get out a few words:
"Help.. th.. the water.."He exhales sharply and tries to stretch one of his hands over the rim of the spring and into the water, but he can't reach. He looks back to you and mouths the word "help" again.
"Th-they.. can't t-tak-ke me.. don't.. l-let t-them.." His breathing ramps up again and he starts nearly whimpering as the pain begins to return to him.
You're going to have to be quick with your decisions, or this doesn't look like it will end well for him.
Well Sir, I don't quite feel like I fit in in this town, and it's all a very new experience for me. If exploring has me out past sunset, so be it. Unless there's... A curfew in effect I'm unaware of?
Cecil G. Palmer"I would't call it so much of a curfew," he begins.
"I mean, 's not like it's enforced by the law here. But talk to any of the folks 'round here and you'll get the same old warning about tonight." He laughs softly and points out to the sky.
"Do you notice many stars out there? No, right? Only one single star up there tonight. No moon, no stars, no light. Why do you think this is?" You're hoping that he would say something like "the clouds are fairly heavy today" or "looks like we have a storm coming."
Unfortunately, that would be far from the case.
"You see, you might not have been around for long, but even the lowliest life-form around here knows what goes on in the night. You don't want to be around when the monsters from old folk tales come out to play. This is the time where you can't tell dream from reality, mind from matter. No, this night is where the borders between our mind and our body are diluted. You shouldn't be here tonight. Go find a building somewhere, maybe the Residences on the other side of the city. Ask for somewhere to sleep, and ask for it quick. There's not much time left, and after the night comes out, I can't guarantee your safety here."The sudden influx of information leaves you a bit dazed.
"But, sir, if it's so dangerous, why are you still out here?" You're starting to question this man's odd behavior, but you still need to gather some answers from him before you leave somewhere else. He's starting to make you uncomfortable with his weird talks of the night and these "monsters."
He sighs and puts his right hand on your shoulder. You flinch for a moment, but calm down.
"Look at me. Look me straight in the eye and tell me what you see." You abide by his words and stare into his own eyes. The low light of the dock makes it harder for you to see, but you do manage to lock vision with him. That's when you see it: his eyes seem to be almost completely composed of black hollowness. Only the outer rim is made up of the whites of his eyes; the rest of his eyes are completely blackened. You shake his hand off your shoulder and back away, not understanding what this means.
"Yeah, you see it, don't you?" he grumbles.
"I wasn't able to outrun them. I was a fool. I went out topside of my trade freighter, looking for some dumb blokes to haggle with. And they chased me. Those freaks of nature chased me down. Look, kid: all I'm telling you is to RUN. Find a place to sleep and do it now. Immediately. Or else you'll be locked in this world and there'll be hell to wade through before you see the sun again."He grunts one last time and begins walking to the opposite end of the dock. It gets harder and harder to see him as he moves away.
You're still trying to comprehend what the hell is going on right now. You take more notice of the chilly breeze of the night and the lack of ambient light. If he really was telling the truth, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a move on.
"But it does not really explain anything if you say it is a metaphor for something, does it? As does calling something an expression. All four colors mentioned - aqua and emerald most egregiously - do not seem like they would be familiar to the average Atisi, and seem distinctly out of place. They sound as if they were deliberately placed there to sound more mystical, giving off a vibe of romanticized addition, similarly to the wholly confusing word 'vibria'. A definite air of purple about these particular words I am sensing, if you catch my meaning, which strengthens the impression that they were put down by more of an Aecrocian rather than an Atisi in terms of sensibilities. Folk tales tend to focus on deeds and numbers for easy digestibility, and most often they are without linguistic filler of this sort, since it is more the domain of an individual mind rather than a group consciousness to produce such convoluted things."
"As for another story, erm.." He scratches the top of his head and mumbles while trying to remember what he was going to say. "Ah!" he exclaims. "Well, there is one about the Brothers of the Dusk and Dawn. It's a rather small story compared to the one I just explained to you, but it may have some significance, what with the events as of late. Would you like to hear it?"
"Certainly. The more, the merrier."
Eh AhHe simply shrugs to your first statement.
"The adjectives are something that have stuck with the symbols for longer than I've been alive, at least. If you wish, I may take you to the Community Center tomorrow to look at a few of the older compilations of literary works and visual depictions of these creatures. Of course, Aecrocia and the Atisi village may have had parallel growths for some time, and may have even shared some cultural influences. I don't think that would have really changed the end result, though. The idea is the same: these creatures formed the world, with the center point being the Atis island. However, the evil being spat out of the volcano is the part that really interests me." He waves his hand in the air, making a dismissive motion to conclude his story.
"Well, on to the next story then, shall we?" He coughs a bit and enjoys another sip of his tea before clearing his throat and beginning.
"The story of the Two Brothers isn't one that comes from Atis itself. In fact, its origin is rather murky, but it's though to have originated somewhere in the Tiah province of the northeastern portion of Survatas. It is the tale of one boy and his bastard brother who perpetuate the same cycle over and over again, like the rising and setting of the sun. The first boy is one who emanates leadership and perfection - a whelming voice, tremendous power, and courage to withstand the fiercest storm. He was considered the embodiment of the sun itself. The other - the bastard child - was a bitter, unstable, and extremely powerful being. Overshadowed by his brother, who would be referred to as the Dawn, he sought out ways to break the order of the natural world and create it anew. He would be referred to as the Dusk. This notion of dualism between the two brothers purports that the brothers fight eternally over their reign of the sky. The Dawn brings the coming of the light of the world and the Dusk brings the fall of the night and the rise of the lesser lights, the Moons.
"But, you see, some people believe that this extends beyond the cosmic realms. Some believe that the two brothers do exist physically, and that they are eternal and immortal. They are not immortal in the sense of physical indestructibility; They, instead, are reborn into new bodies, but retain the same souls, continually fighting against one another through the different empires, sovereignties, and nations that arise during their lives and deaths. And it was believed that, although the Sun continually rises over the darkness of the night, that the Dusk would eventually prevail over the Dawn and freeze the world in a never-ending plight of darkness. This would be the end of life, unless humans had the wisdom to keep the two forces in balance. Dawn must never triumph over Dusk, and Dusk must never triumph over Dawn; For the eventual victory of either side would mean either the stagnancy or death of life across the world, and all would be lost.
"Just like the constant motion of the waters of the world and just like the rising of the sun and the coming of the night, the balance must never be upset. If so, it is up to the children of man to restore that balance and keep the order and chaos circling each other once more. So goes the legend of the Brothers of the Dawn and the Dusk."He sits back in the chair and takes another long gulp from his tea. He seems quite content to have delivered that story to you.
"Interpret it as you wish," he says cheerfully.
"The sense of right or wrong doesn't exist in my house, so have at it."
Author's Note: I apologize for the delay, but I wanted to take the time to make this as quality of an update as possible. Future updates (save for the Chapter and Intermission ones) will probably be shorter, but I just wanted to make up for the time lost during the short break.
Thanks and have a wonderful week,
Artemis.
Author
Topic: Roll To Medium: Awakening [Chapter VI] (Read 145577 times)