Scrambled Eggs (Gear)

[Hitura Rael]

Raldon pressed his cheek into his mother's hand, glad for the affection. Cold as she was, she had her own way to express her love. Every little gesture and touch, her own language. He had adopted some of that same language and made it his own, though it seemed lost on those he lavished it. And yet... he felt uneasy still.

Where was retribution? He had skipped school, assaulted a boy- nevermind his place in society given his mannerisms, and confessed to it all willingly. She had never spared a punishment before when he did wrong. Strange after strange after strange. He did not like it one bit.

As always, Raldon's face remained a mask of neutrality. Those statuettes had always given him the creeps. They were quite ugly, clashing with the décor around him. Of course most of the décor clashed with each other in his opinion, but these were by far the worst. A slip of the mask, a shudder of his shoulders, a tiny down curve at the corner of his lips. He stared at the two placed between them, facing him. And not a word on what she was doing or why. His eyes flicked up to his mother, then quickly down to a spot on the table. He fixated on a single grain in the pattern, averting his eyes from the dolls and the two figures who loomed behind his mother.

Were they ghosts? Figments of his imagination run wild? Perhaps he was tired. Yes, that must be it. Simply tired. And yet part of him rejected this comforting assertation he grasped onto. He closed his eyes and nodded, "Yes mother." He stood and moved to hug her, but thought better of it, as if the two statuettes betwixt them acted as a barrier. "Goodnight then. I will see you in the morning."

He made a hasty retreat to his room. Inside, he sank onto his bed and laid back, placing his hands over his face a moment, listening below until his mother made her move. This was too much uncertainty and he needed time to think. Perhaps a stroll once she was otherwise occupied.

 

[Nemesis]

It wasn't long until voices, hushed, but still audible, began to be heard near the balcony. It was issuing forth from his Mother's office. A quick clamber down, sneaking past the hedges and the curious statues contorting themselves into various poses in the garden, and he would have found a suitable vantage point to overhear. Tasha's voice was clear, an insistent edge in her tone.

"Iliuliu, I take full responsibi-"

His mother's voice was next - stern, and commanding, but not chiding for once.

"What could you have done? The child not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth. Gavriel is no different."

There was no response on either of the girls' part. Had the drop-and-ditch been planned after all?

"Elenoa. Have you decided on a corrected version of today's events?"

After a moment of though, Elenoa's voice came through, though he would have to lean in to fully hear it. The softness and hesitance in her tone was in stark contrast to the snappiness of Tasha's own words, as though she were trying to walk a tightrope.

"Iliuliu, I would rather avoid doing so. The reaction from Ix-"

"That was not my question."

There was a short, curt silence, before Elenoa responded, quietly.

"...Yes."

"Then you will conduct the Dirge of Memory. Tonight. I understand it will be extensive, and the risks that come with it... but the stain of Gavriel's words must be bleached from his mind. We cannot afford another three hundred year mistake. Do I make myself clear?"

"It will be done."

"...By your will."

"I am relocating Fortissimo and Allegretto. There may need to be further corrections made. Remain on standby until tomorrow's ritual is complete."

At that, the sound of the two's footsteps could be heard as they moved back through the house. Somehow managing to avoid tripping on some very creative interpretations of "garden gnomes", his footsteps would have carried him back round to the front, where he heard one of them lean against the wall.

"Elenoa... I overheard your little promise thing."

There was no response pending. Tasha continued, tersely - a tone he had never heard her take before, especially with Elen.

"You're getting a little too into your role. You aren't the first. We can make him forget you as easily as the rest."

More silence.

"Just do your job. Don't get emotionally involved-"

"...Like you and Gavriel?"

There was a short, sharp CRACK and footsteps as someone stumbled - but no cry of pain.

"Watch your tongue." Said Tasha, voice thin and dripping with venom.

"Everything I do is for the restoration of our people! I put my own feelings first once. I'm still paying for it, to this very day. Never... again."

There was a sound, as Elen picked her glasses up from the floor, her breathing heavy.

"What you feel is nothing but selfishness, masquerading as affection. You'll be better served without it."

 

[Hitura Rael]

Raldon pressed himself against the wall, stopping to listen to the voices of his mother and friends. He was not a stealthy individual, but he did not need to be when they were being chastised. Regret bloomed anew. Had he left well enough alone, he'd be in blissful ignorance still. He waited in silence, huddled in the shadow of the house, nestled within the garden... Until all fell silent once more.

He waited five minutes more before checking the front porch for the presence of the girls. All clear, though an odd blue stain marred the pristine porch. It was of no consequence to him now. He made his move, slipping through the front and into the streets. And so he walked... confident in the safety of the town to the very edge and beyond. He was no stranger to slipping out here alone.

From there, he picked his way carefully in the dark until he came to a spot with a clear view of the beautiful night sky. Bathed in starlight, he reflected upon what he had overheard.

"Elenoa. Have you decided on a corrected version of today's events?"

He frowned and folded his legs under him.

"Then you will conduct the Dirge of Memory. Tonight. I understand it will be extensive, and the risks that come with it... but the stain of Gavriel's words must be bleached from his mind. We cannot afford another three hundred year mistake. Do I make myself clear?"

"We can make him forget you as easily as the rest."

Corrected events... Dirge of Memory... They had the ability to alter his memory somehow. Who had he forgotten? What had he forgotten? His mind toyed with like putty...

"You're getting a little too into your role."

"Just do your job. Don't get emotionally involved-"

Raldon bowed his head and rest his hands in his lap, folded in such a way to make an 'o' shape with his hands. He drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. Breathe in... breathe out. In... and out... A tear slid down his cheek as the pieces fell into place.

They were never his friends. It was never real. How much of it was real? How much a fabrication? At what point did he stop being a person to them and began to be a puppet, tugged this way and that for their mysterious ends.

"The stain of Gavriel's words must be bleached from his mind."

Gavriel. He tried to warn him, and Raldon was too stupid to listen.

"They're about to cram so much bullshit down your throat you'll be tasting it for the rest of your life. They're gonna make their problems your problems. And when you're suffering, when you're writhing on the ground in pain and agony, feeling like your guts are being put through the grinder, all their pretty words won't make it go away."

"None of them... None of this... means a God-damn thing. The only thing that matters? The only person you owe shit to? Is you. Not "tradition". Not "the greater good". Not them. You."

He should have listened, not reacted. He should have tried to talk more with the boy. Instead, his nature was used against him. Advertently? Or inadvertently? One thing was clear. He did NOT want to forget. He would not dance to their tune anymore. Slowly, he opened his eyes again, resolved in his decision not to return home for whatever this ritual was. Let them suffer. He could survive out here. He could thrive out here. His illness be damned.

 

[Nemesis]

Meanwhile...

"Fly, little bird. Fly, fly away."

In the distance, hunched like a ghoul on the roof of a house... Gavriel watched, as Raldon vanished into the tree line. Things were going even better than he'd hoped. They wouldn't notice he was gone for at least another hour... more than enough time to put the next step of his plan into action. Now he only had to wait for-

"Gavriel."

The Innocent loped into view, surmounting the lip of the building in a single bound, rising from her crouch. In the pale moonlight, her statue-like features seemed even more impassive than usual. Gavriel greeted her with his arms wide open, as though extending them for a tender embrace... but even he dared not seem to touch her as he approached, giving his brightest smile.

"Oh, sweetheart! I was starting to think you wouldn't make it. Did you get the Relic?"

She lifted from her side a long, slender shape, wrapped in ceremonial cloth, about four feet tall. Gavriel rubbed his hands expectantly, putting out his hands... but, nothing happened. The Innocent... merely looked at him, patiently. With those cold, dead eyes, devoid of warmth, only the tiniest of smiles on her features.

"..."

Gavriel felt a bead of sweat run down his neck, and gave a nervous laugh. Suddenly, his suit felt a little... warm. At length, he averted his gaze, lowered his hands, and barely audible, said quietly.

"...May I... please... have it?"

Her eyes narrowed... but she dropped it into his waiting palm, as if it were of no value. Hurriedly he unwrapped it-



It was a silver cane, set with a ruby on its front. Despite its evident age, it had been kept in pristine condition, and tended to with the greatest of care. One of the great treasures of the Mulian people: Solomon's Cane.

"Yes...! Oh, yes!" Gavriel cackled, turning the cane left and right as he admired its reflections in the dull light, like a kid with a new toy.

"This... is just perfect! Oh, I'm going to have so much fun!"

The Innocent was already making to leave, but he called out to his paramour brightly, saying:

"Are you sure you don't want to join me, my dear?"

She gave him a glance over her shoulder. Her tone was dismissive, as though his boyish antics bored her beyond all belief... but there was a frigid undercurrent to her words as she spoke.

"Do what you want. The Black Egg will wait no longer."

...and then she was gone, leaping from the rooftop in utter silence to the unsuspecting world below. Left to his lonesome, Gavriel twirled the cane merrily, and looked out upon the city. He was trying very hard to forget what the Innocent had said. It wasn't he tried to reassure himself, none of his business anyway what she was up to. Wasn't that what she had said? "Give and take"?

There was an emerald glint at the head of the cane - and he brandished it forward, sending a shower of verdant bolts screaming through the night - but there were no explosions, no kabooms. No, this was something far, far more insidious at work.

Whistling a cheery little showtune, he skipped down off onto the street below... and began his vengeance in earnest.

---

For how long Raldon wandered in the forest, it was impossible to say. Time itself seemed to be against him, but the forest - deep, dark, and rich, was his ally. It concealed him well, shrouding him in blackness, giving him plenty of time to compose his thoughts. After a certain amount of time and plodding in one direction or another, he'd reach an edge, one overlooking part of the resort's shopping district, one normally rife with nightlife, the neon signs perhaps a form of comfort.

Yet the festive atmosphere and music drifting up from below were suddenly punctured by an unexpected noise: An ear-splitting scream.

Visible to Raldon, partygoers were backing away from something... or rather, some things.



At first glance they seemed almost... cute. Colorful, glowing, yet... evidently not part of the landscape, their forms as myriad as the imagination, like a collection of children's drawings. They rose in ones and twos, meandering forward as more and more began to emerge.

What on earth was happening?

 

[Hitura Rael]

Raldon took his time gathering himself and his thoughts. There was no rush, after all. And he had never been one to rush anyway. After a time, minutes... hours... he did not know, he eased himself out of the meditative position and stood. He did not feel much better, it would take time to come to terms with this all and heal, but he could move forward. And tonight that meant finding shelter. In the morning he could traverse deeper and find fresh water. This late at night, he would have to stick close to the city, away from the water. The biggest thing out here were the saltwater crocs and the mongoose.

He carefully picked his way blindly in the dark, using a stick to feel his way in front of him. Not that he needed it to find his path. It was merely to alert the snakes and get them moving before he stepped. It would be bad if he stepped on one or prompted it to bite. Bolo snakes were small, but deadly. He winced, recalling his earlier actions once again. How stupid it was, what if he had thrown Gavriel close enough to a banded sea krait to get bitten? He didn't even check the reports for the day before doing that! He chastised himself mentally yet again. Stupid, stupid fool.

Eventually, he found the ridge. One of his favorite haunts when he managed to slip away from everyone. The perfect place to sit and people watch. It was a good vantage point to start with... He slipped his hand into his back pocket to find his wallet. Yes, he had enough on him to get some basic supplies... A flashlight at the least. Perhaps a blanket and something to start fires.

Raldon shoved his wallet back in his pocket at the sound of the scream, then scanned the crowd for the source. He stared in stunned silence when he found it. What on Earth... People were being chased by.... luminescent jelly rolls and children's toys? Confused, he could do nothing but watch as they shambled after their prey, like children covered in sticky syrup wanting a hug.

 

[Nemesis]

He didn't have to wait long.

The horde suddenly swept forward in piecemeal chunks, each glomming onto a bystander with terrible speed. And before Raldon's eyes-

They were gone. Their bodies, held fast by the phantasms, turning to nothing but powdered black, crumpling to the floor. The crowd turned and fled - and the Noise followed, some plodding, some slithering, some skittering - but all with their gaze fixed on the helpless souls running as fast as they could. More and more oozed out of existence, wriggling and writhing seemingly out of thin air as they began to fill the streets.

What's more, there was now an incessant, loud booming in the distance. Like thunder. Overhead, a flock of... things flapped past, v-wing shapes of the same material as those below, plunging and plopping seemingly through the solid matter of the roofs below, sending up a fresh cascade of screams. What on Earth was happening?

Snap.

The breaking of a twig might have caused Raldon's gaze to swivel backwards in the direction of the forest. There, advancing slowly, through the woods, were more of the horrors from below, their shimmering features lit by the moonlight as the Noise began to hunt their prey.

---

Elsewhere...

"Ghhrk-"

There was a wet, gurgling noise and a heavy thud as the guard's body hit the floor. The crypt ahead, yawning below her, was dark, deep, and treacherous. Not for nothing had its secrets been kept for over a thousand years... a long wait indee, for its destined hour.

The Innocent flicked her blood-soaked hands, sending a spray of viscera in all directions, across the small collection of bodies at her feet. No automatons just yet, she noted. That would change soon enough. Those sort of things were kept out of the public eye. No matter.

They could only delay the inevitable.

Her thoughts turned to Raldon. Although Gavriel was having his fun, she was not about to leave the Instrumentalist's fate in the hands of one so unreliable. It was time for a little... insurance.



From her pocket, she pulled a small, glowing crystal. At her touch, an unearthly light began to pulse within, illuminating her stoic features... and the streaks of blood now running across its cheeks. Her hand closed about it - crushing the "prison" with a meaty snap. As she unfurled her palm, a small whirlwind of pointed chunks and quivering winds had formed, dancing across her pale flesh as if it were thrilled at being released into the world.

"Run amok." She whispered - and blew.

It flew from her grasp - and vanished into the city behind her, slipping out of view to do its work.

 

[Hitura Rael]

The color drained from Raldon's face the moment these creatures first latched upon a victim. His stomach churned as they turned black and broke apart and collapsed into a pile of black ash on the ground. It was a good thing he had not eaten since breakfast, or the wild fluttering of his stomach would have lead to more than dry heaving. But he had no time to process it, no time to think, no time to worry for his parents. His first instinct was to flee home, warn his mother, find a way to get help or flee.

The snap of a twig caught his attention in the silence. Silence from the night life... And mongoose weren't that heavy. He turned his head back to stare wide eyed at the light abominations behind him. And they definitely caught sight of him. There was no choice but to flee and hope. He had to outrun and out maneuver them. And so he fled into the darkness at full speed, careless of what may be under foot. He dodged and wove between the looming black twisted spires that jutted from the ground. To run into a tree was surely death. Perhaps... maybe... there was a chance to lose them among the thick.

 

[Nemesis]

Raldon thundered through the woods. Overhead, the glimpses of the skies he could catch were ominous - shapes, some of which were colossal in size - monstrous silhouettes lit by flashes of light, doing battle against silhouettes yet more wretched. Where were his footsteps taking him? Every potential shape looming up at him was another monster, and he could see their eyes shining in the dark as he moved, slowly marching towards him, never more than a few steps behind.

Eventually, he would have broken out into a clearing of sorts, where the ground sloped down treacherously, littered with stone steps. The architecture jutting out of the earth seemed... old. Ancient, even. Stone towers reminiscent of, what was it his textbook had said? Nirai Kanai?

Still. Admiring the local scenery likely wasn't top priority.

From the clearings, dozens of the Noise lurched forward into his path, their bodies merging, melding, fusing together until -

An enormous, writhing abomination. It stared down at Raldon with its "face", little more than a mass of blinking lights. A dozen tentacles whipped towards him, stretching, preparing to destroy the hated Instrumentalist-

"Raldon!"

A familiar voice, and a wave of heat that even his senses could register. Bolts of power surged past Raldon, so close that they left multi-colored spots when he blinked, as they slammed into the creature's outstretched arms. The octopus-Noise recoiled, now minus several appendages as it reeled.

There was a clink of metal, and someone darted up to his left. Elen, clad in a curious garment, lowered her hand. It looked for all in the world like a massive cowl and hood, equal parts alloy and fabric, yet somewhere inbetween. Over her shoulder, she carried a colossal golden weapon of sorts, almost like a hammer.

"Thank God you're alright!" She gasped, but this was almost drowned out as the other one made her presence known.

"DAMN NOISE!"

Tasha's lithe form bounded over the treeline, the remains of several Noise disintegrating about her wrists. The moonlight gleamed off the golden armor decorating her body, notably the ruby-like rings on each of her fingers, which glowed ominously. Her features were warped into a vicious snarl as she plunged through the air in a somersault, smashing into the Noise's body as it scrambled back.

"SUCK IT DOWN!"

A flurry of fists was the creature's reward, and Raldon might even have been forgiven for feeling a little sorry for it as Tasha rained blow after blow upon it, each with the impact of a small earthquake behind it.

---

Meanwhile...

In the aftermath of the Noise's attack, there was only silence... and the black carbon dust, coating everything in a thick, dark layer. Among the devastation... a hand moved. Shifting slowly, sloughing off a pile of dust, as a young woman rose. She couldn't have been more than Raldon's age, looking back and forth with shock and horror. All she remembered was the advance of those monsters, of being pushed to the ground and trampled as people fled in terror, and then... losing consciousness.

"Mom..?" She whispered, letting the dark dust flow through her fingertips;

"Dad...? Where are you...?"

Zzzzzzzzzziiii-

"AGH!"

Something sharp slammed into the side of her neck. Some things. Like a burst of black smoke, and as she cried out, it vanished down her mouth. It felt as though her throat had been jabbed with a dozen tiny needles - and just as quickly, the crystal fragments vanished into her flesh. Instantly, she felt... dizzied, and stumbled, putting a hand against the club exterior wall to steady herself.

As she did, she caught sight of the side street... and felt her stomach sink. Blob like bodies oozed around the corner, the Noise flowing forth like a tide, homing relentlessly on the leftover.

"No..!" She gasped, scrambling back in terror, "No no no no NO!!!"

She raised her hand - and stopped, staring in horror. Black lines, thick, and deep, were engraved across the back of her hand, running up her fingers. Her arm. She tore at her shirt in fear - and sure enough, the lines were there, snaking from her back, her spine, in an inward pattern towards the center of her ribcage, as another set - like a pair of claws, slowly reaching towards one another, snaked back. As she watched, simultaneously horrified and fascinated, the two "ends" met-

"W... what is this? What's happening? Ah, aaaaah-!"

There was a brilliant, terrible light - such that even the Noise slowed their advance, perhaps sensing something. One that shone from within, as though the soul itself were radiating. A brilliance that tore the flesh, rending it, mending it, bending it. Forging it anew into something... different. A whirlwind of color and vibrancy, as if a key were being turned in a lock that had long existed, yet not ever known its purpose.

"..."
​

Slowly, the reformed soul rose from their crouch. One hand came up... and dusted away the remnants of black dust from its shoulder. The Noise, meanwhile, overcame their momentary puzzlement and surged forward, eager to engulf their prey. A gloved hand came down to rest on the sword that had materialized at the figure's back-



A sonic hiss. The kind that hurt the ears, leaving them ringing with its intensity. There was a click as the blade - which appeared to be a razor-sharp, bright white shard of light - was returned to its scabbard.

The Noise kept coming... but in perfectly bisected halves, stumbling a few more steps forward before dissolving completely. There was a low, rumbling grinding sensation, as the building behind them likewise saw its upper floor slide treacherously back.

Flecks of luminescence crisscrossed the figure's mask, as if it were "thinking", not even pausing to survey its handiwork. As if to itself, it spoke: a hushed whisper, yet one woven from many different voices.

"We... hear... obey..."

And with that, it leapt up onto the rooftops, becoming little more than a white blur as it began to home in its target, its entire will bent solely towards fulfilling the purpose it had been ingrained with...

 

[Hitura Rael]

Every step, every breath, they dogged at his heels. He pushed on, ever forward through the dark in search of a light of hope, praying to just lose them somewhere in the flora. All too soon, he burst from the underbrush and into a clearing. He skid to a halt, nearly toppling himself with his own weight and momentum down the treacherous terrain. If he fell down THAT he wouldn't have to worry about the monsters chasing him anymore- or anything else for that matter. He stared down the slope a moment, drawing deep long breaths to combat the exertion of his long run. How much longer could he run? Eventually his exhaustion would over take him...

He lingered too long. The creatures shuffled out of the forest. He turned to face them, and swallowed hard. So this was it. No where left to run, no way to fight. Which one would get him? Curiously, they went after each other rather than him. Perhaps to fight it out? No, much much worse. Their bodies melded and squished together, like blending play-doh until unseen hands reshaped it into that of a rather large and floating cephalopod. And it looked ready to attack. His body tensed, choice made.

It got worse. Much worse. Before Raldon could take his chance with the hill, an oddity of light air rode the wind past him, slamming into the cephalopod. It recoiled away, giving Raldon enough time to process what had happened. Elen appeared, and the feeling of seeing her twisted his stomach in a way he had never felt before. A look of pain crossed his face, much akin to that of a kicked puppy. Her odd dress and weapon could wait for later- never if he had his way.

That pained look melted into Tasha's appearance. He was not about to stick around for this. They could deal with whatever it was. He turned and carried through his decision, though less recklessly. He made his way down the hill, carefully picking and sliding his way down toward the ruins and away from the others with nary a word to his 'saviours'.

 

[Nemesis]

"Raldon, wait-!"

The anguish in Elen's voice seemed real enough as Raldon thundered down the steps, down into the dark. Everything receded behind him, and it was again like he was in the forest. As if nature itself were reaching out, giving his beleaguered soul a warm, welcoming embrace.

Elen's hammer crushed the body of another Noise as she darted after him. She couldn't let him go. Not like this. Not before having a chance to make things right. The darkness swallowed her as she crossed the threshold in hot pursuit, she was hot on his heels but somehow the sound of his footsteps was getting further and further away. Cursing, a torch of etherial flame burst into being in her palm... and she gasped.

Slowly, disbelievingly, her hand came out to touch the solid stone wall before her. As real as real could be, as it had always been.

---

A Place of Peace



With a final burst of speed, Raldon crossed the threshold.

Almost immediately... he would have felt different. The air was crisp and clean - not in the faux, manufactured way it had been at the beach, but truly. Whatever perfection his life had been until now had only been mimicking here, this place seemingly among the clouds, were the water ran in great, silent waves. Birds, small animals, the likes of which he'd never seen before peered up and down at him curiously... and went back to what they were doing. A flock of doves flew overhead, traversing the great, dilapidated stone ruins that dotted the landscape.

There was no fear of man here, in this place that seemed to sing to his heart, his soul.

And at the center of it all, the core of the ruins, the "thing" that had, perhaps, been patiently waiting for him his entire life, was there.

The egg.

---

Outside

With one final WHUNCH, the octopus Noise gave up the ghost, its body dissolving until nothing was left. Tasha leapt free, stopping to catch her breath at the entrance to the ruins... and paused.

Something wasn't right. When did it become so... quiet?

...Where were all the Noise?

Her instincts, in the end, were what saved her. Something lashed out from the treeline, like a bolt of pure white. Her forearms came up - and the blade lashed against her armor, sending her skidding back across the vine-laden stone below. She lowered her arms, as the figure in white and black stepped into view, sword crackling at its side. It turned its head back and forth slowly, as if it were scanning the area. Searching.

"..."

Her eyes widened - and Elen, traipsing back up from the stairwell, shared the same reaction. The two immediately fell in beside one another, their previous disagreements - for the moment, forgotten. Elen's mind raced, as the figure registered their presence.

"A Servitor...?!" Said Tasha, gritting her teeth.

If they were involved, she thought... then this incident was anything but coincidence. The blade in its hand whined as it was brandished, flexing back and forth like a whip as it scored grooves in the stones between the two Alchemists and itself. A warning shot. The two exchanged glances. Tasha nodded.

And with a roar that could have shaken Heaven and Earth, they charged.

 

[Hitura Rael]

If Raldon heard Elen's plea, he didn't show it. He didn't stop. He had to get away from that monster and the pair. Neither were on his side, but one would try to kill him. It'd be better if he wasn't there for them to defend either. Much as he was angry at them, he didn't want either to get hurt or killed protecting him. The best place for him was out of the way, sheltered in the stone ruins. If he was lucky, it would lead to another way out and Elen and Tasha would lose him. Once more, he had to trust in the darkness.

The darkness gave way to a pinpoint of light, ever growing as he drew nearer the source. He stepped out into the open, and could not believe what he was seeing. It was quiet, in the sense of nature. The babble of water, the rush of waterfalls, the song of birds and other creatures. The smell of it was so different, the air felt different. It was... peaceful. He felt safe. He moved to the edge of the water and bent down to glance into the mirror surface. Twigs and leaves clung in his kinky hair, thin trails of dried blood from small cuts, likely from glancing blows of twigs and sticks. A reflection suddenly stood beside his. Raldon yelped and fell forward into the lake below with a splash.

A stream of bubbles came before Raldon burst from the surface, gasping for air. The girl backed away, an amused look upon her face. He scrambled onto the surface and laid out on the stone, a sour look on his face as he stared up at the girl. She was shorter than him, but most people were. Soft brown eyes stared back at him through a pair of thick glasses. Her straight black hair pulled into a bun. With her sun kissed skin, auburn sweater, and yellow shirt, she looked quite monotone, but still cute.

She looked down at him over her glasses with a gentle smile. "It has been a long day for you, hasn't it?" She cant her head to the side, "Don't worry, you're safe here. Don't linger long, things will get worse. Walk with me." Raldon hesitated for a moment before rolling onto his side to push himself up. Water dripped from his clothes and hair, leaving a trail in his wake. He walked behind her, staying several feet back. For what it was worth, she respected that boundary. He already liked this mystery girl much more than the other one.

"The rejected child lashes out, throwing a tantrum like a spoiled brat. He was not brought up to handle 'no' very well." The girl walked along the stone path, kicking an errant rock gently aside as she led Raldon around the perimeter of the center pool. "He obtained a dangerous weapon and set it upon the misled innocents." The girl stopped and looked up to the massive egg ringed by the waterfall with no visible source. Raldon's gaze followed and he froze. Something from within called to him.

"You have a choice. The path you walk is your own from this moment forward." She motioned with a hand, as if to cup the distant egg gently in her hand. "Show them who you are. Sing them your heart's song. Learn. Grow. Follow our dream long buried within your heart."

Raldon stared shifted his glance to her for a moment, then to the egg. His own path... He closed his eyes, the pull stronger. Curiosity burned in his heart. What was in the egg, what called to him so? Independence, freedom, making his own choices. Resolve crossed his face. Beside him, unseen, the girl sang, a single clear crystalline note that resonated within his soul. His eyes snapped open, determination written on his face and the egg within his sight. The unspoken name of what dwelled within echoed in his mind. RahXephon

A wind blew, it's swirling embrace centered around Raldon until, as sudden as the gust had kicked up, it died back, Raldon vanishing from sight. A soft crack echoed in the peaceful paradise, a symphony that accompanied jagged lines running down the egg, Shell rained down to reveal a winged white figure within the egg.

 

[Nemesis]

There was a distant, yet powerful boom. At the Xephon's feet, where he himself had entered... a pair of hands burst into existence. They grasped the air tightly, and as though it were little more than a sheet - tore. The Servitor, a little worse for wear, stepped through the gap between worlds, and gazed up at the Xephon, wordlessly.

Behind it, layed out on the rock, Elen lifted her head, fighting to stay conscious... but what she saw through the gap took her breath away. Tasha too, rising to her knees, blue blood running down her features, stared in awe.

"Ral... don..." Said Elen, softly.

"Xephon is..." Murmured Tasha in a trembling voice that was equal parts reverence and fear.

As if heeding some unanswered call, and with an air of resignation, the Servitor reached up to its chest. Once more, that brilliant light began to shine out of the center of its ribcage - and the Servitor dipped its fingers into its own flesh, as though grasping something. The light erupted out of its body like a thunderclap, shattering its mask, turning into a pillar of white that illuminated the entire pavilion. Only a few seconds later... and something colossal rose to its feet in its place.



Not in his wildest dreams could he have imagined the titan that rose to challenge him. Its body, standing almost forty meters tall, was wreathed in a material that was neither metal nor flesh, yet something inbetween like a giant rubber suit in a children's superhero show, forming muscle, fabric, and a smooth, featureless face that nevertheless looked in his direction. Steam vapors dissipated from its body, as the Sigil Executant rumbled a challenge, in a voice that was like the shouting of hundreds, a chorus of woe that was almost in direct contrast to the beautiful song he had only just heard.

"Destroy... Ixtli...! Silence... the discord...!"

The Sigil's hands raised - and were wreathed in white, crackling energy. It thrust these forward with a yell, sending forking bolts of thunder-like matter in his direction. Were Raldon to be so unfortunate as to be hit directly, he would find they both shocked the Xephon itself, and served as binding to restrict his movement, as if it were attempting to close its arms about his body - but would it be enough to halt the Xephon's emergence?

 

[Hitura Rael]

Rah glanced down to the distant sound, patient and curious. Raldon blinked, finding himself suddenly in a crystalline seat. How had he gotten up here? Where was 'here'? He could not remember. Nor did he remember this white clad faceless person that intruded upon the sanctuary. Through the tear, he could see Elen and Tasha, struggling in their defeat. He was torn between the desire to protect them and the revulsion of how they had deceived him. Perhaps lending to the revulsion was the blood. He was used to the sight of blood, sure. But not blue blood. He averted his gaze, a shiver wracked his body, and his attention returned to the invader.

This small woman was certainly something to be wary of if she put the girls on the backfoot so badly then ripped open a hole in stone with her bare hands. But she was better to look at than contemplating the bloody mess of his so called friends. Until she clawed at her own chest. Yep. This was worse. He grimaced and looked away, convinced this person was about to tear their own heart out to release that light. The light it emitted burned bright even through his closed eyes. When it faded, he hesitantly looked, expecting to look upon a bloody mess of what was once a person. Things just kept getting worse!

Before him stood a beautiful and fierce titan clad in white. He winced at the sound of it's voice, not for pain but utter displeasure of the cadence and dissonance. And thus she raised her hands, enrobed in electrical force. He panicked, unsure how to move or where he even was. All he knew was she was targeting him. The bolts struck home, scorching along the body of the Xephon, clinging in a binding wreath. Raldon barely had time to register a flicker of something before all went black.

The Xephon contorted against it's bindings, arms drawing ever more taught. And yet, this poor creature did not seem to know where the danger of the angelic being lay. A gentle glow grew behind the wings shielding the Xephon's face, growing brighter, reaching a crescendo of burning light before... The wings spread wide, exposing the Xephon's face, just a glimpse before it sang, unleashing the devastation of it's voice upon the creature.

 

[Nemesis]

Xephon's voice pulsed out... and the world quaked.

A wave of pure force, as if a fingertip were run across a great harp, resulting in a note that was pure, potent, and inviolable. The world before Raldon was ripped and shorn, the idyllic scenery powdered and turned to dust in a storm of violence as nothing was spared.

The Sigil was no exception. Caught in the heart of the vortex, it buckled at first unnaturally. Its hands reached up to its throat, clawing manically, as though it were being suffocated - before its chest, its face, warped under the force of the invisible wave of power, first imploding and cracking like clay, before detonating in showers of white and blue sparks and bolts of thunder, chunks of its flesh spiraling off in all directions.

All that remained was silence.

Though Raldon was not awake to see it, the sky above stirred. The skies, the clouds parted... and in its surface, like its reflection in a pool of water, was...

​

A black Xephon. As one, the two Godlike entities looked upon one another, as if in silent longing. Who could tell what their thoughts were, as both stood in the shattered remnants of their eggs, thrust now into a world that was destined to be remade by their hands? Did they feel solemnity in their hearts? Or something that was, perhaps, more?

"Bravo, bravo! What a performance!"
​

The sound of sarcastic clapping filled the air, interrupting the contemplative silence. Something spindly and jet black plunged out of the clouds, pirouetting gracefully as it approached the two figures. Compared to them it was tiny - miniscule, even, standing not even a quarter of their height - but its ornate appearance, complete with a feminine bust, like a ship's figurehead, modeled onto its armored skull as it looked up, eyes flashing with delight.

​

"...Unfortunately, I'm not one for encores. When your time's up... Get your ass off stage!"

At the controls, Gavriel grinned so wide his lips reached his ears. This really had been the best day of his life since... well, ever! The amount of time it would take for them to undo the damage he'd done would set those smug sons of bitches back by years - and now, just now, he was getting to the best part. For what felt like the first time in a long while, he cleared his throat, inhaled...

And sang.

"Ni rarama na rarama ni ivakatekivu, rarama
Na rarama ni ivakataotioti lu la la li la
Na auwa nei El Ragna ka sega ni cega
Ena sega ni drodro mai kina na gauna lu la la li la"


​

As he did, the Ragna-mail, the Hysterica, orchestrator of the Second Tuning, responded. Light poured out of its frame, as panels yawned wide, revealing one of the most devastating devices ever designed by human - or Mulian - hands. The dreaded Space Time Convergence Cannon. Gavriel, his little performance concluded, gave a two-fingered salute to the white Xephon.

"Well little fish, time for you to meet the deep blue sea!"

The sound of the cannons roar, like a quartet of cyclones that swallowed the light, drowned out Gavriel's laughter as RahXephon was swept up in the storm. Everything was light, everything was sound, everything was pain - and the sensation that they were moving, moving, as if they were being flung far, far away.

Far from this dread place, this stage as Gavriel had referred to it, where Raldon's life would otherwise have continued uninterrupted in its anodyne simplicity. When the storm subsided... all were gone. Only the two Mulians remained to stumble into the ruins, with disbelieving eyes, struggling to grasp what had just happened in somber silence.

The battle for the tuning, for Raldon's heart and mind... had begun.