lostcarnival | ⇨ EDEN PT. 4 (FINALE)

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⇨ EDEN PT. 4 (FINALE)

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 89
Where: Eden
What: The Mirror is taken by the carnival, and several people from the carnival have been taken by Lilith. As Eden's Architects take sides, the battle for Eden's future is set to reach its conclusion.
Warnings: Violence.

INFINITE↴

When the Silver Mirror is taken, the war truly begins. Lilith had seen fit to take her time, gloating over the enemies she perceived as being no challenge to her power - only to sense the moment that the Ringmaster claimed the Silver Mirror and took the skies in challenge. The Ringmaster has taken on her half beast form, black scaled, winged, and horned, and wielding the Silver Mirror as some kind of shield. Only moments ago, she used it to blast a whole clear through the cathedral.

Lilith, realizing her mistake, has swept up the darkness created by Bezaliel and begun using it as a weapon against the Ringmaster. She has six silver wings that reflect light like mirrors, as well as strange, geometric horns. Ostensibly, part of the Silver Mirror's magic has been taken into herself, which means that even though the Ringmaster has the Mirror, Lilith still has control over it. She scatters the prisms containing her prisoners across Eden while she counters her foe, drawing on their strength to aid her.

Two godlike beings clash in the sky above you. On the ground, a war begins. What do you do?

► FAE VS NEPHALEM: While all of this is going on, the Ringmaster and Lilith are essentially fighting over the Silver Mirror in the sky. It is all very cyclical and unending, and just as outrageous looking as it sounds. They both currently have some degree of hold over the Mirror right now, which means the advantage is wildly vacillating between the two of them. You probably don't want to directly interfere with this, but who knows? Maybe you'd got something really cunning up your sleeve.

► EDEN'S ARCHITECTS: In the aftermath of the Silver Mirror being taken, the Architects of Eden are being forced to choose sides. At first glance, it would appear that Saraqael (wolf), Samyaza (hare), Araqiel (stag), Penemue (raven), and Armaros (spider) have chosen to fight with the Furies of Eden in an attempt to cast Lilith out for good. Bezaliel (bear), Shamshel (tiger), Azazel (crocodile), Chazaqiel (eagle), and Baraqel (stingray) have, alternatively, chosen to defend Lilith, and are attempting to convince as many Honorables to follow in their path as possible. Gadreel (dolphin) and Kakabel (axolotl) seem to be uncomfortably remaining neutral for the moment and seeing how things play out.

Not all Honorables or Scholars have followed the choice of their Architect. Many have been pulled one way or the other regardless of their kind, and are generally being accepted into the fight on their claimed side. You can NPC conflicts with random Honorables, but not the Architects. To interact with those guys, you need to do an investigation.

► PRISM BREAK: All of the carnival members that attended Samyaza's garden party (except Herbert) have been captured by Lilith after falling prey to a trap set by Bezaliel. Each of them has been trapped inside mirrored prisms that are now scattered around hard to access areas of Eden, defended by both Honorables supporting their maker and by mirror eyed dopplegangers. The infinite reflections of the characters inside the prisms are being fed on by Lilith, and she is tearing out as many of those reflections as necessary to do her bidding in the meantime. Each reflection is functionally a magical clone with no true will of its own, but will be able to fully mimic the emotions and powers of the characters they're taken from. They serve Lilith above all.

Each reflection spawned from a prism take a fraction of their host's spiritual energy with them, meaning the more clones that are spawned, the weaker the real version will become. The more powerful a character is, the more energy each reflection takes to make - so if you have a character with lots of powers, they will probably have something like 1-4 dopplegangers spawned, while characters with few or no powers will be going completely quantity over quality and spawn potentially dozens of mirror clones. Clones shatter and vanish when destroyed, though the prisms will keep spawning new ones until the captive is set free.

Captives, it's your job to NPC these clones. Captives will have no idea what's going on outside of their prism besides the abstract idea that these reflections are being harvested from them, and that's bad. The mirror clones will be attempting to protect the source prisms from disruption, as well as generally trying to destroy all enemies. NOTE: all captives will have returned to their natural forms by now (IE are no longer animals) and their clones will reflect this. Those missing "darkness shards" from their chest will also have had those returned.

► EDEN'S FURY: The Furies of Eden are striking back against Lilith at last, and it turns out a lot more of them have lingering rebellious ideas than previously though. Those that take up the cause of the Furies will be fighting on the carnival's side, so you are free to NPC some allied Honorables as well. You can also use the Investigations section to interact with named rebels, if you want, or to get an idea of what they are generally doing. Another potential avenue of investigation is trying to get the Serpent out here, as she'd be undoubtedly a powerful ally if cured of her curse.

You might need it. Now that they know of the fae, the Honorables and Lilith-supporting Architects have no qualms using iron again you! They will be utilizing iron in all possible weaponry.

► NEW, CONFUSED, OR BOTH: Did you just get here? Did you fall behind and now you're terribly lost? Don't sweat it - let your character be as confused as you are. Take the opportunity to make top levels asking other characters what's going on in-game, or check out the original setting info post to catch up. The short version is this: the carnival wanted to steal a powerful artifact called the Silver Mirror from Lilith, which was stashed in her realm called Eden. They did just that, and now Lilith is back and she's pissed!

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While he is hardly in Critical Condition, Gongenzaka has seen better days. Not being faeblooded does not spare him the pain of being shackled with wrought iron- the prolonged contact left not only a crippling fatigue and weakness upon him, but a burning rash along the points of direct contact. His shallow stab wound- cooresponding to a curious gash along his side in his reverted state- might not have been bleeding, but it was certainly something that needed cleaning and treatment all the same.

But for the most part when the iron is removed, Gongenzaka is out of the woods. Bed rest, is what Doctor Herbert's orders (and quite likely the goose, who Gongenzaka himself will recognize once conscious) are. Rest and fluids, and within the hour Gongenzaka is finally able to blearily open his eyes and cough somewhat hoarsely. He still feels a little sick- but it is not the severe nausea that came from the iron, so frankly he feels far better than before.

As it is, his sacrificial robes have mercifully been removed, though he does realize that he's under some sort of blanket. Opening his eyes- now framed with a completely different fur mask, he blinks himself into wakefulness.

"Mnh...where..."

Once Yuya has the clearance, he's quick to dutifully sit by Gongenzaka's side. It's a position that's become uncomfortably familiar to him, waiting for him to recover and awaken and remind Yuya that he's here and he's fine. He wrings his hands together tightly, but otherwise he's still during what feels like an eternal wait.

And then he coughs, and Yuya at once springs to motion. He leans forward, wide-eyed as his gaze meets Gongenzaka's. And he finally smiles, relieved. "Thank goodness... Gongenzaka, can you hear me?"

"Nhh....Y...Yuuya.." The answer is yes. Yes he can. Gongenzaka half wheezes his reply, weakly raising what is notably his metal arm rather than anything organic. "Yuuya, you're still here..."

Still is the key word.

So he remembers him being There at least.

Yuya breathes out, his gaze awash with a sudden rush of tears. He stands and reaches to grab Gongenzaka's metal hand as it's lifted, tightly, to anchor both of them. Or maybe mostly himself. This is so much more promising, and Yuya can believe that things are going to be all right.

It's such a relief. His heart feels lighter. His head feels lighter.

"Yeah. I'm here! I'm here." A faint laugh bubbles in his throat. "Guess I'm your knight in shining armor today."

It doesn't occur to him how completely ridiculous that sounds out of context. Hell, it sounds ridiculous with context.

From the blank expression of surprise on Gongenzaka's face, it takes a moment for the words to sink in. When they do however, Gongenzaka chokes, and then coughs, before a short laugh breaks from his throat. "H...Hah..! S...So you are, Yuuya," he wheezes, clutching the other's hand tightly as well.

It's not so tight as he typically could, but he is doing what he can. It's a firm grip either way. "I..."

"...I, the man Gongenzaka...am eternally grateful, to have deserved such a knight..."

Yuya laughs in return, ducking his head as he leans his weight against the edge of the bed to remain steady, his hands shaking a little. He's been so afraid, worried, and they're not out of the fire yet... but he has this much. He's done this much.

He hasn't lost Gongenzaka. "Well, you're always protecting me... I had to return the favor someday."

There's more than that, and Yuya says it with a sort of heaviness that underlies the joke. But for a moment he doesn't let himself be weighed down by his feelings, whatever they are, and clings to the innocent lightness. Like the stakes weren't just death between them, like things are normal. Just for a minute.

"Aaauh...and so it seems you did..! Aside from what was caused by the iron..." he admits, glancing at his wrist, "I, the man Gongenzaka..."

He sighs, relaxing a bit under the blanket. "...Feel far better now, thank you. I... ...Cannot recall much of what occurred but... ...it would seem I, the man Gongenzaka, owe you an apology for leaving you in fear..."

Yuya winces a little at the mention of iron. When Gongenzaka apologies, he shakes his head.

"It's not your fault! I should have been the one to go looking for you, because nobody was suspicious of me. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"Aah, but if I, the man Gongenzaka, had simply opted to perhaps escape to the Barrens, and communicate from there..."

Well. They will go in circles like this. So instead he releases the other's hand, reaching to try and pull the other near. "...It is over, Yuuya. ...Perhaps there are things we both must apologize for, but to me at least, I, the man Gongenzaka, owe you my life."

Yuya looks ready to argue, but then Gongenzaka lets out of his hand and draws him in. When their chests press close enough to feel the hole in Gon's, all of the fight drains from Yuya and he stares off in the distance from over Gon's shoulder, tense.

And then he falls limp, one arm sliding to tuck under Gongenzaka's shoulder in an awkward hold. At least he was already crying, before he had to feel it.

"Of course I was going to come." He chokes a little on the words. "Of course I'd save you."

"And I, the man Gongenzaka, did not even realize saving was necessary until it was too late," he laments, sighing.

"...I do mean it," he adds, not yet realizing the difference in how they're pressed together. "...When I, the man Gongenzaka, was taken... ...I was 'speaking' to you, was I not? ....In those last moments..."

He doesn't think his final feeling got through. That final one was at least 'nicer' if he did but...all the fear before it...

"I felt you." He felt the fear, he felt the urgency... and he felt it again, when Gongenzaka was trapped. He realizes it's probably not the first time Gongenzaka's felt so trapped. So helpless.

Yuya shifts and uses his other arm to prop himself, as much to put some distance between himself and the hole as it is to look at Gongenzaka. "I'm not saying I don't think you're grateful. But I'd save you no matter what."

More than thanks, what Yuya wanted was just his presence. Just to stay.

"Aauh," he replies, assuming that the final emotion was indeed missed. One fleeting, panicked realization of something that could never be said again, a hurried warmth and closeness that conveyed the strength of their bond.

And then he'd been gone.

"...My fear, and my confusion... To save me is one thing, Yuuya," he insists. "...To inflict those feelings upon your very soul however...That was truly unforgivable on my part..!"

The depth of Gongenzaka's implications have certainly been missed, but hearing him talk like himself about it brings a softer smile to Yuya's face and he shakes his head.

"I told you before, didn't I? I want you to rely on me, even about things like that... because I want to be strong enough to support you when you need it. And if it weren't for that, I wouldn't have known I needed to save you to begin with."

Or at least, not until it truly was too late. And look at the damage Gongenzaka's sustained, even from as much as this?

His gaze drifts down, to where he knows the hole is beneath the blanket.

Gongenzaka isn't dumb, Yuuya.

"...You are worried about something still," he observes. "...Something that is not whatever battle is occurring outside, I should note." His ears flick back, and he frowns.

"Yuuya... ...What is wrong?"

Yuya is worried. They still don't know what it is, and he won't bring his gaze back up now that Gongenzaka's called him out. His whole expression freezes.

"... Your heart is gone."

wat

"..............................." Gongenzaka's ears draw back entirely this time. "......................no.....it is not..?"

He can hear his own hearbeat...it's still there...

Yuya looks up at that, suddenly alarmed that Gongenzaka hasn't noticed. His eyes widen and everything stops within him for a second.

And then he shifts back, pulling his arm free from under Gongenzaka's to grab the blanket, pull it down, and then press his fingers to the smooth surface inside the hole in his chest. It's autonomous, he doesn't even think about what he's doing to show Gon what's happened to him.

For a moment Gongenzaka is simply confused.

Then his eyes look down to where Yuuya's hands are...Definitely not just on his chest. No that's in his chest, and he can feel it, except it feels more like...stone? Maybe?

It takes a full second or so before it sinks in enough to panic. "NHHH- H-HAUHH!? Wh..."

So thanks for that bomb, Yuuya. "What happened..!?" He knows what that hole is- or at least, what it looks like anyway. And that's not possible.

"I-I don't know!" Gon's panic only makes Yuya panic more, and he jerks his and away and quickly reels back to sit up on the bed and away from Gongenzaka. "We found you like that, after they took you and locked you up in some prison! There were copies of you, too, and they tried to stop us..."

He hasn't seen anyone else rescued yet, so maybe it's because of that? Was this going to be permanent? Yuya doesn't have any of the answers to give to Gon, and his expression looks just as lost. "It was just... gone, when we got you out."

"A-Auuh...Copies?! The most I, the man Gongenzaka, even recall seeing is a series of mirrors...and prior that, Bezaliel certainly seemed to be doing...something..."

He frowns, and lays back down as he tries to calm himself. Calm himself, and remember. "...I, the man Gongenzaka... ...recall last, being upon a pillar of shadow...however, Bezaliel began to cry for Lilith, and in that moment the shadows covered my form entirely... ...it was cold. ...Cold, and dark, but that was all..."

Gongenzaka swallows. "...It is all that I, the man Gongenzaka, can recall before passing out however... But there was certainly no hole before that point..."

Yuya forces his gaze away as Gongenzaka settles back down and explains what happened from his side of things. But he reminds himself that's not a good way to support him, when he's probably hurt by this so much more than Yuya, so he forces himself to look back at Gongenzaka and grabs his hand, the one that wasn't lost, in both of his again.

"When we get back to the carnival..." When, not if. "Let's ask the Ringmaster. We'll find out what it is and what to do about it. I won't leave it like this if it's hurting you, okay?"

"Mhn..." Part of him wishes to point out that Herbert obviously would have said something if it was...harmful.

But then again Herbert might just find it neat, and not be saying anything. Who knows. He sighs.

"Hahhh...a...agreed. It certainly doesn't hurt, but..." He tentatively pokes a finger inward, before frowning. "...It is certainly unnerving... I, the man Gongenzaka, wonder if this is how Zangetsu feels..."

"... I think he was wondering that too." Yuya turns to look at the door, as if he expects him to show up right then. But no--he must still be out helping people. Yuya knows he should, too, and that Gongenzaka is probably safe here in the temple. But...

Absently he squeezes Gon's hand, still staring at the door pensively.

Edited 2018-08-17 05:36 (UTC)

Ah, yes. This place... Gongenzaka looks around, frowning. "Auh...come to think, is this not the healing temple of Eden? ...Just what has happened, that we are here now..?"

Says the one who, in his feeble moments, patched the image of this place to them as a destination,

FOR YUUYA (And anyone else visiting Gon I guess)

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