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  1. #11
    Viator Mundi

    EXP: 155,108, Level: 17
    Level completed: 18%, EXP required for next Level: 14,892
    Level completed: 18%,
    EXP required for next Level: 14,892


    Shinsou Vaan Osiris's Avatar

    GP
    7,753

    Name
    Shinsou Vaan Osiris
    Age
    34
    Race
    Telgradian
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone

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    Felicity had spoken words of desolation and love. Waves of dark emotions reflected in her face. Regret clung to her. Torrents of need for validation. Tides of self-loathing. Blood and pain. Sorrow. Despair.

    The young girl was an absolute hurricane of emotions.

    I never taught you anything?

    That thought pounded into his heart with the force of a thousand hammers. It seared his mind with the heat of a dozen volcanoes.

    No. That’s not it. We all want to believe in something bigger than ourselves. To escape the pressure of that trust, those in whom faith is placed in turn look for someone higher than themselves. And then those people in turn look for someone even stronger. That is how all kings are born. That is how all gods are born.

    Something stirred in the depths of his soul. Something not dark, not ugly, but fiery and passionate. Something that burned as a teacher.

    The things I taught you can’t be quantified. They can’t be touched, or read, or studied at will. Even as we fight now, you’re learning from me about life. There’s a reason I’m showing you these powers of mine, ones that I wouldn’t even show Storm. Even if you can’t see it from your perspective, Felicity, this is the ultimate trust i can give you. Because…

    Conviction soothed Shinsou’s mind.

    …I’ve placed my trust in you to take all of that resentment, and loneliness, and hurt, and use it all to beat me in this place. I want you to beat me. I am trusting you to take everything you think you are, and discard it, knowing in your heart that you are so much more. So, surpass me. Grow beyond me. There is no trust higher than that, from a teacher, to a student. To a friend. That is what I have taught you. That is what you’ll learn, even if you have to learn it the hard way.

    The hard way was how Felicity wanted to do things, so it seemed. It didn’t grate on Shinsou that she was relentlessly pursuing direct, physical confrontation with the Telgradian, as that was his expectation. No. What annoyed him was that she wasn’t thinking, and that was something he had tried to teach her. Everything Felicity did had either been advertised or predictable; and she was even prepared to go to such lengths that she would even try to rush him from the front, seemingly with no plan other than “hit and hope” with some sort of new, unarmed combat stance he had never seen before.

    Shinsou shook his head as she began her very deliberate, very brusk approach across the rubble strewn foyer.

    Clearly, I'll have to teach you that you'll never touch me by approaching me head on. I won't let you. You’re too full of openings.

    He reacted instinctively and with the proper timing, drawing Enpera from next to his cloak and bringing it across his body just at the right moment. In a blink of an eye, the Telgradian had used his Shadowstep to slip behind Felicity at eight times his normal speed, his magically augmented movements sinuous and unreadable as her fist connected with nothing but air. In his right hand glinted the thirsty sword of Enpera, drawn from where it had been seeded next to him.

    Golden eyes flashed as the stroke fell for the kill.
    Last edited by Shinsou Vaan Osiris; 03-22-2021 at 07:54 AM.

  2. #12
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
    Level completed: 99%, EXP required for next Level: 52
    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone

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    Silence.

    In reaction to my outcry, he only gave my silence. In the void room, no voices echoed. There was only silence. Even the candles died out, failing to fizzle as no noise could be heard. Silence. My anger, already intense, doubled.

    Stop ignoring me!

    I dashed forth, ready to elbow him and follow up with several punches. My attacks only met thin air.

    "Huh?"

    I heard the shling of a sword behind me. It was dark, but I had to move. I turned, or at least tried to. Had Shinsou moved so fast he was behind me?

    I had not even finished turning, my arm was the closest thing to his sword when it sliced past my speed of comprehension.

    I felt no pain as my arm was separated from my body. At least, I felt no physical pain.

    Shinsou had found me. "It’s clear to see that you are sharp, but you have more potential than I think you realise. I want to help, if I can. Sharpen you up, teach you a few things and hopefully get that form under control. What do you say, Felicity?"

    Memories flooded my depleting sanity. The blood flying in the air burned a dim glow, rapidly brightening a sickly red.

    Shinsou had not been harsh to me. He praised me. "You did well, today. That beast was as dangerous as they come, and you punched a hole right through his defences. I had to throw everything I had at him to keep the big bastard down. Get yourself checked over, and come to my quarters when the surgeon gives you the all clear."

    My veins burned inside my body. Through my clothes my arteries, veins, and heart were visible as my bloodstream glowed. My eyes widened as my mind raced.

    I had tried to save him. "I still won't let you kill my mentor and take my town! I won't give into a demon, a monster, like you! Every time you even bat an eye towards Shinsou, I'll stand in the way again! So go ahead! Try to stop me!"

    Arius Mephisto stood in the way. "Did you think you were the only one capable of sealing your power? Fool! I'll send you straight to hell!" I had failed.

    Putrid radiation spewed from my injury. A deadly poison reflective of my shattered heart and rotted mind.

    "I need to go home!" Salvar's bitter winters fluttered around me. All the traveling, all the evading, just to get home. I needed to return to my teacher.

    A burning glow emitted from my open wound. The illumination of my blood was brighter closer to my injury. Blood splattered on the boiling floor, steam rising from the crimson droplets.

    "Captain, if we ever need some more wind, just put her at the aft of the ship, that forehead of hers will catch enough wind to get us to Corone in a week." Then, oh, I had met Leoric. Even on the ship from Salvar to Corone, he confused and conflicted me so. "Your hair reminds me of when I was a little kid, helping my mom pick oranges in the forest. When life was simple, easy, and I actually felt something."

    Brilliant energy swirled around me, from my wound. It circled as it encased my entire body. The red cloak of nuclear power was overtaking me. In the dark, the bright cloak burned like a massive candle.

    Leoric and I had been through a lot. We had grown... close... Even when duty to Whitevale called me, I stayed with him. I spent time with him. Ate with him. Trained with him. Fought beside him. Slept under the same roof. I fell for him... And when I finally left for Whitevale, tore myself from that man, I had been too late to save my home.

    Searing heat exploded from the cloak of energy. The marble floor itself was changed. White powder arose as it reacted to temperatures more insane than my cloak had ever reached before.

    When I returned to Leoric's home, everything I had fought so hard for lost, he had one suggestion. "Hey, I know what makes me feel better when I'm upset. Want to try it?"

    Drunk and devastated, I had made the mistake of saying yes.


    The marble shattered around me as I saw in red. Through blurry scarlet vision, through the powdering marble, I saw Shinsou. But I also saw the memories, terrible and sweet, replaying inside. I screamed. Like all screams, it was rooted in my enhanced spite. I did feel unrelenting destruction, but I felt something else too. Everything I had gone through had taken its tole on me. Even in my Nuclear Rage, I roared in emotional agony. Tears flooded my intensely enraged eyes, then immediately turned to steam from the heat.

    "Felicity!" Leoric smirked, ready to throw another quippy one liner at me. I loved him. I loved him. I loved him. I still loved him. I hated myself for loving him.

    I gave into insanity. I gave into the rage. I let the anger flood my brain as my thoughts died out.

    I don't know about Leoric, but I know this, Shinsou is just within reach! Reach out! Touch him! Just touch him! Go!

    She bolted for Shinsou Vaan Osiris. Her mentor. Her savior. Her traitor. Her only remaining friend.

    The blind rage still controlled her, but this detonation was different.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 03-22-2021 at 08:51 AM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  3. #13
    Viator Mundi

    EXP: 155,108, Level: 17
    Level completed: 18%, EXP required for next Level: 14,892
    Level completed: 18%,
    EXP required for next Level: 14,892


    Shinsou Vaan Osiris's Avatar

    GP
    7,753

    Name
    Shinsou Vaan Osiris
    Age
    34
    Race
    Telgradian
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone

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    After a few testing rounds, the serious fighting had truly begun in earnest.

    It had been a part of Shinsou’s plan all along to activate Felicity’s nuclear rage, but now that power flashed in thick, sickening crimson around her, he wondered if he had made a mistake. Whatever this was, it was something very different to the last time he had seen her, and served as yet another reminder to him of what releasing even a fragment of her true potential could do. Even in a place of promised immortality like the Citadel, the force of the magic provoked a mote of fear to rise within him.

    It was then, as he hesitated in the marble foyer’s rubble strewn centre circle, that something clicked within his mind. A feeling that he had not explored; something he had never confided in anyone, including his own consciousness. It rose to the surface of his soul and bubbled as his apprentice Neanderthal stood, shaking with the force of her own frightening power.

    “I know why I didn’t bring you to fight Arius; This power of yours is overwhelming. Spectacular, even,” The Telgradian said as he started to feel the intense heat bite into his skin, “But look at you. Look at what this costs. Here, in the Citadel, we can indulge the cycle of life and death to our heart’s content. But out there, in the world? Your powers extract a heavy toll, Felicity. The burden, the risk of killing you, is too much to bear. That is why you have to learn control. That is why I have to be harsh. Even when I don't want to!”

    Felicity’s cloak of radiation was devastating in its application. Already, Shinsou’s skin was starting to peel, burning away under the intense nuclear fire. The priority suddenly changed by sheer necessity; that of pure survival. Although this seemed absurd due to the immortality the Citadel promised, it was about staying alive here so that the Telgradian could teach her. It was about pride. It was about determination. Even if it seemed to be a tough task to ask, the Telgradian needed to beat the Neanderthal and make her understand the fiery power that ate at the shadowy recesses of the hallways beyond.

    Breathe…

    His reaction was to close his eyes for a brief moment, reaching deep inside his soul for the absolute calm required for the fine control of his powers. Drawing deep upon Enpera, Shinsou found the sensation reassuringly familiar to his usual seal breaking, only on a far grander scale. He could sense the very finest of magic in the sword he held, even the minute whispers of its voice that somehow filtered down to him. His head throbbed painfully with the sheer pleasure of the raw power that flowed through his body; it took all of his willpower to only siphon off as much as he needed and no more, lest the consequences cremate him alive.

    “Senkai: Shin no Kotei! 4th Grade!”

    The results, on the other hand, were nothing short of spectacular, and his mere intentions took care of the rest.

    From the chamber floor to the embellished ceiling above, the shadows cast by the brilliance of Felicity’s flare-up started to converge under the Neanderthal. Some of the darkness unfortunate enough to be caught in the flames of her ability as it was called upon were incinerated almost instantaneously, but sheer momentum allowed the pool of darkness to push through to get at their prey. With the shadows now firmly under his command, a puddle sat underneath the Neanderthal’s feet.

    This was a battle to the “death”, and they both knew it. Shinsou grit his teeth as his skin started to become extremely painful, and moved his arms to engage the puddle into forming a solid seal around her remaining arm.
    Last edited by Shinsou Vaan Osiris; 03-22-2021 at 08:57 AM.

  4. #14
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
    Level completed: 99%, EXP required for next Level: 52
    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone

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    She was intent on her target. She was so close! Trapped in the tight lobby, he was only a couple footsteps away. The nuclear fueled beast hungered to feel his flesh torn in her hands. She craved to drink his blood and rip his innards. Felicity Rhyolite had left the body. Only a feral, mindless husk of rage remained.

    Barks of wrath were flung from her mouth as she took a step towards Shinsou Vaan Osiris. She was kept from him yet again. Shadows curled around her frame, physically binding her like cruel chains. Yet could any chain hold this beast? Shadows hugged her remaining arm like a whip, she extended it towards him. Her arm shook as raw power fought the shadows holding her back. The mindless creature struggled to take another step forward, hand outstretched the entire time. Hair in her face, body lacking any fine motor skills. Her gambeson had slipped off her shoulder and hung by her arm, draped against the dissipating floor. Her veins glowed through her thin white shirt. Her heart was visibly, rapidly beating. Glowing blood pulsed through her body, leaving through the open wound of her sliced appendage. Her black pants made the veins look like lava flows in the dark. Her body suddenly convulsed, shaking and twitching as madness caused her to fight her bounds, being drug further away from her target. Once she realized it in her fit of temper, she outstretched her hand again. Her desperation to reach and slaughter Shinsou was fueled by her turning wish to touch him.

    The shadows found it hard to pin her against the ground. Piles of white marble powder flew up as she scuffled with the shadows. The being of wrath skidded in it like it was sand or dirt. The monster was steadfast, refusing to be pulled down. Another spasm overtook as she once again fought the shadows in vain. Her hand was still outstretched, bruising, turning blue from the shadow hold. She refused to lower her hand.

    “Ah!” The creature shook, uneven eyes locked on Shinsou despite the sheer insanity in them. Her voice was hoarse, harsh, and sounded like gravel. “Gah! Eck!”

    Another pull managed to get her half a step closer to Shinsou.

    The fumes of marble spewed around her, the shadows greatly contrasted the burning veins and illuminating cloak. She entered another fit of tics as the shadows pulled her back again. It further infuriated her, she yanked harder than ever. She was losing blood flow where the shadows wrapped the tightest. The light of her blood diminished in those areas and her skin turned unnaturally cold shades. She jerked, she tugged, she screamed. She took another step forward, slowly, and the floor crumbled from the weight of her boot.

    Her hand was always outstretched, always reaching.

    She was hell bent on being close to this man. Breaking him, touching him. Whatever it took.

    However, her time was running out. Her tier four Nuclear Rage had a limit of sixty seconds, and she was drawing close to the final moments.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 04-23-2021 at 10:46 AM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  5. #15
    Viator Mundi

    EXP: 155,108, Level: 17
    Level completed: 18%, EXP required for next Level: 14,892
    Level completed: 18%,
    EXP required for next Level: 14,892


    Shinsou Vaan Osiris's Avatar

    GP
    7,753

    Name
    Shinsou Vaan Osiris
    Age
    34
    Race
    Telgradian
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    Male
    Location
    Corone

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    Long moments after the shadow seal had been cast, Shinsou watched hopelessly as Felicity defiantly struggled free of his powerful binds amongst the rubble strewn chamber. He gasped as her intense radiation forced him to crumple pathetically to his knee amidst the unbearable heat and waves of sickness sweeping over him, and looking up through watery, blistered eyes, the warrior damned it all. He lamented the fact that this uncontrollable beserker power his apprentice wielded had just carved through all but one of his most dangerous and well trained magical abilities with barely an afterthought. Even without an arm, tearing through his Shin no Kotei, she still tried to reach him.

    As Shinsou simply looked on in stunned stillness, shocked by the absolute and terrifying inevitability of what was to come, he didn't know what to do. Part of him was still reeling from the fact that it had all been so quick. Part of him didn’t want to acknowledge that a trained, skilled man – who had moments before been on his feet and confident - now lay fallen and burning in pools of his own blood and melting skin. All that was left in the wake was his approaching apprentice.

    Citadel be damned. If she loses control like this, out there...

    His words echoed in his mind through the shimmering veil of faintness that obscured him from reality, harsh, sibilant, final. They only served to emphasise Shinsou's helplessness in the situation, the fact that from start to finish he had thought himself powerful enough to be able to contain her, should Felicity lose it. Now, though, the truth was dawning. He could only be a bystander in a confrontation.

    ...Like Arius.

    He who prided herself on speed of thought and swiftness of action. He who had hoped to avoid the very situation out there that had just played itself out in here before his very eyes. The thought sped powerlessly through his mind as he tried to focus again, his Enpera held like a club in his peeling hands, his white coat forlornly burning at the seams. He felt instantly sick for the fact that getting her to control her power seemed such a hopeless proposition now. This time, there was no-one else who could see the dangers. But what was he to do? Shinsou could not abandon her, not out here to the mercy of whoever wanted to rid the world of her threat, or to the elements that would certainly claim her if he gave up on her now. The Brotherhood’s leader had risked a great deal to help her.

    Helping her, now, meant exerting control over this situation. Which, in turn, meant dealing with the girl who was now within reach. Her immensely powerful rage could be seen pulsating through her glowing veins, pushing her forward with every beat of her heart.

    Her heart.

    Shinsou could see the luminous organ through her skin. He was far more skilled than her at hand-to-hand combat, but he couldn’t even be sure that he could move any faster than she could in this cloud of radiation. Pale slender hands quavered faintly as their raw, blistered fingers outstretched. Felicity’s heart was palpitating wildly within her breast, a trapped songbird struggling all aflutter to be set free. Then, she lunged, her arm clenching his right shoulder. The grip was surprisingly cold but immensely strong, and a wave of agony swept through Shinsou’s stomach as her fingers dug in and shattered the bones in his shoulder.

    He would never know how he managed to maintain an exterior façade of strength, but Shinsou did the only thing he could think to do against the mind-melting power of her abilities. Willing his dark matter to his left hand, he commanded a blade of the magic towards the enraged apprentice’s beating heart. Tremblingly it obeyed, the solid, volatile magic making no sound whatsoever over the top of the chaotic deluge as it lanced forwards.

  6. #16
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
    Level completed: 99%, EXP required for next Level: 52
    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone

    View Profile
    It was like waking up from a deep sleep. It was like emerging from the hot waters of a bath after resting so long. It was like tasting freedom from my long post traumatic stress disorder episodes, discombobulated and hazy.

    Pain. Excruciating pain struck me like lighting. Oh, this was a rude awakening. My disconnected arm was somewhere on the floor. As the remaining energy from my Nuclear Rage dissipated, I heard blood pounding onto the floor below in a puddle. I looked down, confused, to see that one of Shinsou's dark matter tips had crashed into my heart. Oh, oh it hurt... Broken hearts always hurt the most.

    I gasped as I teetered, noticing splotches and puddles of blood on the half obliverated ground. I realized that an arm laid there. It was not mine.

    I Iooked up.

    Shinsou Vaan Osiris was right in front of me.

    His skin was peeled, his clothes tattered and leathers melted. And he stood right before me. I could feel his vibrations of pain, I could taste his blood. The distance between us was closed. We stood face to face. The battle faded into the background of my mind. I no longer paid attention to the dark halls we fought in. The surroundings faded like mist. We both had a limb torn off, I had been stabbed in the heart. His body was wrecked from my radiation. Yet, all that did not matter. I collapsed. My knees thudded against the half solid floor. I was shaking in pain, shivering in anticipation, for the moment was here.

    With my remaining hand, I reached up. Past the dark matter spear in my chest, past his burns and scorches. I sputtered, feeling life fading from me. No, I could not die yet. My goal was finally at arm's length. My anger for him was still there. I still felt the hurt and betrayal. Yet, my joy overturned it in this moment. I was angry because I loved him so much. My shaking hand hovered over his face. A strange sense of delight overcame me despite the mutilation of my body. He was here.

    I touched his face.

    Gently, I brushed my blood splotched hand against his burnt cheek. Softly, I caressed his cheek as I felt myself smile for the first time in so long. I was in too much stress and pain to laugh, but I smiled. There he was. As blood slipped from my mouth, I parted my lips. I tasted foul iron, my throat gurgled before I could form words. Then, I was able to speak.

    "Finally..." I heaved, struggling to speak as my vision began to flicker. I could barely breathe, but I spoke, "... Reached you..."

    My balance was wavering. I gave Shinsou a final, tender touch before my hand fell limp. As my blood continued to fall, I found myself strangely comfortable. The physical pain was a distraction from the worse pain inside. I was in physical agony, but I eagerly welcomed it as I smiled in precious, sweet joy. Shinsou...

    I gripped my sword, Heart, and tore it from its sheath. Still smiling, I fell forward as I used my dying energy to thrust the blade for his chest. Whether or not it succeeded, I could not tell as my perceptions faded to black. I slipped from consciousness, my end goal completed.

    After five long, spanning months, I had reached my mentor at last.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 04-29-2021 at 10:48 AM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  7. #17
    Viator Mundi

    EXP: 155,108, Level: 17
    Level completed: 18%, EXP required for next Level: 14,892
    Level completed: 18%,
    EXP required for next Level: 14,892


    Shinsou Vaan Osiris's Avatar

    GP
    7,753

    Name
    Shinsou Vaan Osiris
    Age
    34
    Race
    Telgradian
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone

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    A silvery white orb cast a blanket of light down upon Shinsou, its luminescence chasing away the shadows of his surroundings. He lay in state, bathing in the magnesium radiance, able to hear his own heartbeat. It beat louder, and louder, until suddenly everything quietened completely. The next thing he knew, his eyes opened. After sitting up, Shinsou noticed his surroundings and realised he was in back in the Citadel. What was he was lying on could only be described as a stone slab, and a glance to his right revealed one of the Ai’Bronne monks attending to him with mystic healing magic. A flickering torch sat in its cage-like mount on one of the walls, casting weak light onto the moon-like surface of the healer’s pale face.

    I must have passed out or died, although I don’t remember a damn thing. The Telgradian concluded, still feeling groggy. It was the same feeling every time he came here and met death; the kind of sensation associated with a long night of drinking but with a very distinct hangover.

    The feeling of his feet the stone floor shook him into life. It was then he realized there was a second person in the room with the otherwise disinterested monk. Shinsou’s first thought was that it was Felicity, who had perhaps been healed quicker than he and had come to smooth over their issues, but the shape and sway of the body gave him some pause for thought. The place smelled sort of like an odd, sweet perfume, one that he was familiar with but actually wasn't sure of the precise brand of.

    “You’re a hard man to find, Shinsou Vaan Osiris. Did you have fun?”

    Remy Krystanthia’s voice was unmistakeable. Although Shinsou was shocked to hear it, given that he had last left her on Telgradia, he worked a knot out of his collar with his now restored arm and waved his surprise away.

    “Well, Arius burned down my cards den and my art studio, so…” Shinsou’s dry retort was met with a glare, “…This one wasn’t exactly a leisure exercise, Remy. More of a “checks and balances” kind of deal.”

    Remy walked towards him from the shadows, the light turning her hair into a golden caramel shimmer. Her eyes started to show interest in his situation.

    “I saw the whole thing.” The woman walked another two feet, standing now in front of his face with as dim light of the candle reflected on her silk, royal blue Councillor robes. “I also know the story between you two, thanks to Telos. I know you’re worried about her. Well, don’t be. Clearly you were holding back in there, so I doubt she could truly kill you outside of these walls. This was a fight without consequences. There are bigger issues at hand.”

    “There are always consequences, Remy.” While searching for the door, Shinsou kept thinking how much he wanted to leave. “And I held nothing back in the Citadel. Neither did Felicity.”

    “Not so, though, is it? Otherwise, why you didn’t use your fifth grade of Shin no Kotei?” Now, Remy’s curiosity was starting to set in, and Shinsou had to work hard to convincingly suppress his surprise that she knew about it. “Yes, I know there are more than four grades. You don’t get to where I am without knowing a few things. But, I’m not here to chat about what you may or may not be hiding.”

    Remy finally turned to reveal her prosthetis; a false left hand that Shinsou had given her. She didn't mince her words this time. "Telgradia is about to be invaded by the Jal Shey."

    Shinsou looked up slowly. ”What?!”

    "Emperor Tadius has amassed forces in the Kratas Outlands in the last weeks." Remy’s fist squeezed tighter, but her expression didn't change as the news assaulted Shinsou’s senses. “We think they’re going to try and take Madiaha, and then, from there…”

    “The Temple of Luxor.” Shinsou already knew what she was going to say. The Jal Shey’s only goal could have been the temple where he had sealed Temperance away into an eternal slumber. “They’re going to try and re-activate Temperance. That’s the only reason they’d take Madiaha first.”

    “Correct.” She said nothing further, although she was clearly interested in something else.

    Shinsou cocked his head, "So, this is why you came here, to tell me this?"

    Remy’s eyes widened, "Telos wants you in. Full pay general, all the perks. We have to stop them.”

    "He means to give me a commission in the Telgradian army?” Shinsou asked, almost bemused. "A globally condemned traitor at the head of his forces, doing his bidding?"

    “A pardoned hero." Corrected Remy. "He wants the Brotherhood too, if you'll spare them."

    Shinsou snorted. "Does he now? Well, Storm's his own man, and I'm not going to drag him halfway around the cosmos on a forlorn hope mission if he feels he has better things to do, like live."

    "And the girl?" Remy asked, eyebrow raised.

    It was then the door creaked open, and light filtered through the crack.

  8. #18
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
    Level completed: 99%, EXP required for next Level: 52
    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone

    View Profile
    Hangovers from dying in the Citadel? Exhaustion? Meh. The moment I had woken up I had thrown my bedsheets off and demanded to know where Shinsou Vaan Osiris was. Now, I was opening the door to the room he was kept in. I had hastily thrown a heavy green shirt and loose pants on. I had no care for if they were crooked or sloppy. My unkept hair half hung in my face as I flashed my candlelight into the dark stone room. Dismay flooded me when I saw that Shinsou was not alone. A blonde woman in blue garb stood beside him, and they seemed to be talking about something that was oh so important.

    Jealousy. I felt jealousy.

    No longer did I care about hiding my dark, ugly side. That sweet kind girl died when she laid with a traitor on that fateful night.

    Jealousy.

    My heart struggled free from its chains, heavy with dense baggage. I felt my face flush. I scowled. For a moment, the candle shook in my hand and I shot daggers with my eyes between the two. I stepped in and threw the door shut. A powerful thud resounded as the wooden frame bounced in its metal hinges, struggling to hang onto the stone wall. I did not look back to see if it had been broken. Flames flickered from every, tiny light source. Islands of light within a sea of darkness. I stomped across the stone floor feeling like a cat with its hackles raised. I felt the anger that had receded when I gently touched Shinsou resurface fully. Despite the pounding in my head from Citadel magic, I was empowered by rage. For a moment, it felt and probably looked as if tier one of my powers had switched on. Of course, it had not.

    "Um, excuse me." I nearly vibrated in emotion as I marched up to them. I was far shorter than them, but I was strong and mighty; though the heavy shirt hid my muscles. "Who is this and why is she here? Shinsou needs to pay attention to me, you hear! Me!"

    The metal candleholder's handle was creasing from the pressure I clung with it to. "I have tried being patient. I have tried to be understanding. Other things, like tracking down some audacious traitor and saving an organization, are more important than one person. But then it was that sword. An inanimate, unfeeling, hunk of metal sword! And now this?"

    It felt wretched as I repeated words Leoric told me, but this was my philosophy now, "I'm not going to be some selfless hero for a world that has done nothing but ignore or scorn me anymore. This cold cruel world can burn for all I care! Life's too short to live for something else! I'm doing what I want now!"

    I turned to Shinsou with all my intensity, all my agony. I was different than the last time we had been together. I was going to have it my way this time. No more generous hero who was patient and understanding. "No more waiting eternities between my five second turns. I will not be a little side project that gets sidelined for anything and everything else anymore. For all I've been through it's about time I demanded better."

    Then, I crossed my arms. Wax dripped to the floor as fear gripped me, "Unless I was never that important to you. Nothing but the random side project to turn to when bored." Bitterness dripped like venom from my lips, black and putrid from loneliness and abandonment. "I never meant anything to you, didn't I?"

    I scoffed, taking a staggered step back, "You're the reason I'm alive, but if I don't matter then I might as well just get out of your hair and die..."

    The monks had slipped from the room to evade me. The candles flickered in the dark room, awaiting response.
    Or explosions. This tension was bound to release at least one explosion.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 05-04-2021 at 12:41 PM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  9. #19
    Viator Mundi

    EXP: 155,108, Level: 17
    Level completed: 18%, EXP required for next Level: 14,892
    Level completed: 18%,
    EXP required for next Level: 14,892


    Shinsou Vaan Osiris's Avatar

    GP
    7,753

    Name
    Shinsou Vaan Osiris
    Age
    34
    Race
    Telgradian
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone

    View Profile
    Shinsou had no time to answer before Remy spoke for him, between light breaths for air. Her words were ever so slightly slurred by her Telgradian accent, and her remaining hand remained primed on the hilt of her sword, Koro Kogo. Osiris was already cringing inside; Felicity was not to know, but Remy was no bored official. In the wrong mood, she was a warrior itching for blood. The Telgradian knew that his apprentice had to choose her words with great care.

    “I am Remy Krystanthia, the leader of the Telgradian Council of Five.” The caramel haired woman spoke, her eyes narrowing to slits. “And I know fully of your situation. If you won’t listen to Shinsou, then listen to me.”

    The contrast between the two could not have been more pronounced. Felicity was heavy-set, muscular and bandy-legged; Remy was slender and of middle age, her complexion not as ruddy as the Neanderthal’s. Felicity was only just entering womanhood, and as pale as a dying blossom, the product of too much exposure to her powers, no doubt. Felicity spoke with brash purpose and blatant challenge; yet Remy’s voice was calm and but authoritative. Even though the physical differences were telling, Remy’s power was far beyond anything even Felicity’s abilities could touch, and the Councillor knew it.

    “This one is not particularly good at conveying his feelings.” Remy gestured towards Shinsou, who grimaced ever so slightly. “But I know what he is trying to do. He is nurturing you, by getting you to control your abilities, and by keeping you out of harm’s way. That’s why he hid you from Arius, and took the brunt of the punishment himself. That is why he came to Telgradia, to re-forge Enpera to try to unlock the parts of his power that stopped him from dealing with Mephisto properly. No-one in the Brotherhood was safe whilst Arius lived. So, you weren’t ignored, girl… ”

    Remy inched closer, her straw sandals scraping on the stony path. Her blue eyes focused hard, and her hand remained attached to the hilt of her sword.

    “You were saved. And he’s trying to save you still, from both others and yourself. Even if you can’t see that, it’s the truth. I-”

    The uneven shuffle of the Telgradian on Remy’s right indicated Shinsou’s discomfort with the situation. He kept most of his attention on the Neanderthal to his fore, and Remy’s katana that remained as yet sheathed beneath a layer of malevolent blue lacquer. He recognised the subtle stance, the specific set of the feet and poise of the torso. It was defensive, as if she were expecting Felicity to explode.

    “Remy, stop.”

    The woman paused for a moment at Shinsou’s request, before sighing, reluctantly pulling her hand away from her own weapon within the folds of her robes. The expression on the Telgradian’s face changed as he settled to his feet, his golden eyes finally settling upon the faces of his companions, both equally shocked.

    “Felicity,” Osiris now addressed his apprentice directly, “I’m sorry. Remy is correct, but that doesn’t excuse the method behind the means. I should have told you what I was doing and why. I just assumed that you would understand that what I was doing, I was doing for a reason. I see now that assumption was a mistake, one that has caused you significant distress. For this, I apologise, and I hope now you understand why what happened, happened.”

    Shinsou could see the anger and frustration clouding Felicity’s vision like a fog, compounded by the effect of too much emotion. He needed to give her time and space to calm down, but he also needed to put into practice exactly what he had just preached.

    “The news that Remy has brought me today is personally significant for me. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but it boils down to this; Telgradia needs my help, and I owe them a debt. The bastards that put me in that position in the first place are planning to rain fire down on my world, and re-activate the weapon that turned me against my people. I won’t let that stand.”

    “Remy,” The spellsword spoke, suddenly calm again. “Tell my father he has his general. I have a score to settle.”

    The woman sighed gently as he replaced her hand out of her robes, to her side. “What of this one? She is Brotherhood, is she not?” Remy squinted through the ambient light at Felicity.

    “She is Brotherhood.” Shinsou confirmed, tucking Enpera away within his white coat, and then looked at Felicity with a smile. “But this time, the choice is hers alone.”

  10. #20
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
    Level completed: 99%, EXP required for next Level: 52
    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone

    View Profile
    Already emotional, already jaded, I had been rammed into with tons of new information and explanations. This Remy had a lot of nerve speaking to me in that tone, trying to tower over me as if she were above me. I was a free individual who had just lost it all. More than ever, I was unwilling to put up with any kind of crap from anybody - especially a stranger who immediately thought herself higher than me.

    Yet, her words caused me to hold my sharp tongue, for now. I was given an explanation of protection and nursing. I was told that everything Shinsou had done, he had done in my best interests.

    At what cost, however, had he done this? If I had been facing Arius at his side, instead of floundering until I met Leoric, would my fate have been any worse or better? My uncle had done his best to protect me, long ago. I had not nessesarrily agreed with his methods. When he had died alone after I ran away from him though, it had crushed me. Regardless of our disagreements, I had loved him; and I never took the chance to prove it before his passing.

    Even as I lowered the candle more, dripping more hot wax onto the cold floor, Shinsou interrupted Remy. I turned to see him... apologize. He apologized. Just like in the letter I still had with my belongings, he apologized. As opposed to just brushing it off, however, he showed true remorse for the miscommunication and methods. Repentance. Was it all just a misunderstanding? A misjudgement of my true needs? Had I, in my raging dark emotions, misjudged as well? Should I be sorry to?

    No chance to try and figure it out, however. Even more information slammed into the frame of my mind. I was told of war, the past, and favors. Then, in respect to my proclamation of selfish independence, I was given a choice. He gave me the choice, join or stay.

    A struggled to maintain balance. I felt hot and pale. The candle finally slipped from my hand. As it thudded on the floor, the flame fizzled out. After so long, my anger truly was burning out. Just like before our meeting, I was feeling drained and apathetic again. I was in the side of the room bathed in darkness. My heart was in darkness. I did not have the strength to care for this war, but I cared about Shinsou Vaan Osiris. I cared for the man who was so different from me, but ultimately cared even after I had just screamed at him with unknowingly false accusations. I knew, despite everything whirlwinding in my head, that I would not give him the same treatment as my uncle. For once, I was learning from the past. For once, I had a moment of sanity in my unhinged mental state. For everything that had happened, for everything happening, I had one answer.

    The past was still there, the past mattered, but for the first time I felt like I was taking a step ahead of it. For the first time, healing seemed possible. Soft tears flooded my eyes.

    My mentor and the councilwoman were bathed in the light of candles and torches. From the spanning darkness of my side of the room, from the shadows of my isolation and grief, I stepped into their light. I had purpose. This purpose, I would follow to sweet victory or the icy jaws of death.

    "Where you go, teacher, I go."
    Last edited by Flamebird; 05-06-2021 at 05:55 AM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

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