Universe of Ken

A universe that on the surface appears separate from the Standard Universe, but in reality is the cognitive world of Shinwa Dragonclaw, whose consciousness serves as the residing Divine Power, however, due to certain events, she either does not possess the ability to wield any power over this plane, or is simply unaware of her own influence over it. 
Acting carelessly here can lead to severe damage to Shinwa's overall psyche, which is why it is normally impossible to access. However, select few may be granted access, in order to provide maintenance should something go awry.
Only by accessing the Core of this plane can memories and emotions of Shinwa be directly accessed, this also applies to telepathic communication, unless she consciously allows it in the first place.
== Outer Ring - Visitation ==
Luciel watches as the figure solidifies into a man in a red robe with rose floral designs throughout the robe, with a hood over their head and a red veil obscuring their face. The others, at the city, while alarmed, can still sense Luciel is in the same general 'realm', but seemingly in an isolated place too far to reach.
Luciel watches as the being spawns a campfire and two logs on either side of it, and seats themselves. "Be seated, young one. You're in no danger, so long as you're an ally of Shinwa's, and you speak honestly. You can call me... ...the Lord of Roses. Consider me... ...like a guardian of this place. I have a few questions, and potentially help, if you'd listen." The man's voice is young, at least in the twenties range. His general disposition and 'air' feels at peace, and she senses no ill will as he bids her to seat herself.
Luciel takes a seat and looks at the man. "Unless absolutely necessary, mother surviving and remaining in a single piece is my preference... Rose," she says bluntly, the sigil she was drawing before dissipating in the air. "If you would help my mother, then I'd be willing to answer some questions, depending on the subject matter. There are things I'd rather not talk about, but I imagine you'd be able to tell that before you field any questions."
"..." Rose seems to tense up at the usage of 'mother', almost immediately. "I was going to ask how you got that Eye, for starters, but it seems you're either lying out of the gate, or the fact you preempted my question means something. I will ask a related question, however. What is her real name?" Rose asks simply, but she can tell that there's more to the intent of the question than he lets on.
"You mean her true name, not her common name," Luciel sighs. "In our brief time together, mother only mentioned one such name but never revealed it, only that she was born under the full moon and as a descendant of Nyusatsu. I could 'see' the name if I chose to, but I'd rather not reveal her true name to one accusing me of telling an untruth without evidence thereof." Luciel's eyes glow faintly as her expression hardens.
"...You wouldn't be able to see it. Plus if you tried, you'd see what lurks within the depths, and it would bridge its way into your core. For all the suffering you've experienced, I promise you, that malevolence would shadow it like few else can." Rose seems to relax, as though something she said satisfied him, if only faintly.
"There's a reason she didn't tell you that name, but unfortunately it's not within my power to tell you why she choose to, only that she had reasons. Plus, I know what it is. After all, besides her sister, brothers, and her mother and father, I am the only one she ever told it to. <[][][][][][]> wanted to tell you and your father, but there are... ...complications behind that."
When he speaks a certain phrase, Luciel feels an unnatural distortion on the same power level as her Eye distort her ability to understand what she heard, making it utterly impossible to understand the word. She gets the feeling that if he was lying about the name, such an effect wouldn't be possible otherwise.
"I hope that is proof enough that I am an ally, and not an enemy. I will show you more proof, for I have things that you must see. It's clear that you wield the light like I once did in this world, but I don't think you realize what I mean by that, so I must inform you of the proper nature of this place. If you would stand, I have a place to show you." Rose stands quietly.
"Very well," she says, rising as well. "Lead the way."
As Rose turns towards the darkness, it ripples in multicolored waves. "Rule. Do not leave my side, be it to run or to chase after something. You'll be lost in the depths, and subsequently consumed by the corruption. No matter what you see, stay by my side, only beings appointed by her can walk through safely."
Luciel nods, following, eyes occasionally flickering to black and amber but nothing comes of it.
When she follows, she stands besides Rose in a thick pine forest. The scenery moves on its own, while they remain motionless. There's a clear motive behind the movements, and Luciel soon sees what it is focusing towards: what appears to be Shinwa, in her usual garb, walking through the forest. She seems to be not well, from a mental state, as her eyes look incredibly weary. Luciel can hear faint whispers, traces of Shinwa's thoughts and feelings. What she can hear isn't good.
If he could see you now, and what you're about to do, he'd scorn you forever.
No man could love a monster like you.
What am I doing?
And yet she keeps walking. There is a feeling of suspense in the air, like something bad is going to happen. The scene keeps moving, and Shinwa soon emerges in a small clearing, with a simple house. A male shapeshifter with brown eyes and the trademark eyes of a shapeshifter is busy cutting wood. A group of three children, two made of ice, and one of flesh, the one of flesh being around ten, are busy playing together. Supervising on the porch, is a tall woman make of ice, quietly watching the three contently.
The man is the first to see Shinwa, and defensively raises his axe and gets between her and the family. "Who are you?!"
"I am White the Eighth. I come seeking the one by the name Aoi. I command you to turn her over to me at once, so that she may be trained by Phoenix as the next Ice Slayer." The weary expression has been masked by a cold, unfeeling face, with cold silver eyes gleaming in the light.
"Are you insane?!" The man yells. "I refuse to let you have my daughter! I know of you! You monsters subjugated the other Terrors, you're after her too, aren't you?!" The man has a wild look in his eyes. "Caess, get the children out of here!"
Luciel sees Shinwa's hand twitch, and she remember's her own mother's tells before an attack. Her eyes have narrowed ever so slightly. "I won't ask again." A cold, dark aura comes off her, as the silver begins to mix with an ominous red in her eyes.
Rose says nothing, and does nothing, aside from fold his arms quietly.
"So these are memories of hers, memories of her worst moments I take it," Luciel notes. "She did what she believed needed to be done, but her hand is... forced? No..."
Shinwa draws her sword, and painfully slowly, as if moving through molasses, she advances forward, though the others present move even more slow. As her blade begins to encroach upon the father's neck, the scene begins to tint red, cracking and crumbling, filling with red fog.
You're a monster!
To think I believed you could rise above the rest of your accursed brethren in Phoenix... I should never have taught you...
You turned your back on us, cast us aside, and threw away your own name. You're not my sister anymore. You'll never have a family again!
How could you let me die, sister...? I thought you loved me... I should have killed you that day...
Murderer!
You toyed with our lives! Thousands of people have lost their humanity, and many thousands more are dead because of you! I'll never forgive you for what you did to my sisters!
The screams of rage, accusation, and hatred roar into life with the fog's coming, which lashes out at Shinwa's now petrified form, unable to run from the screams, the voices, and the fog's assault on her mind. Without warning... ...it all stops, and there is blackness. Rose and Luciel stand alone. Luciel can still hear the echoes of the screams echoing faintly, until true silence wades in.
Rose silently looks at Luciel. "...Could you tell? The voices of all those she has wronged. On that day, she slew Kien, the father of Zetsubo, Kiyona, and Aoi, and husband of Caess. She captured Aoi and Caess, enslaving the latter, while training Aoi to serve her cause. Aoi's siblings fled into the wilderness, where they remained til recent history, when the king of Endlos came to find them, and to find their tormentor. Your mother, in this world. ...So... ...do you know why you were shown such things?"
"This is her guilt, the pain she smothered behind that mask of hers, the strain of it and the toll it took... it's why she's as broken as Zwei, isn't it? I'm to understand her actions to help her?"
"...I have a single, last question. Once you venture toward her core, you will be exposed to this and many other dark things within her. Not just guilt... do you think that you can stand strong, and overcome? Or will you not be able to make it through the Nightmare? I do not fault you if you lack the ability to outlast the darkness in her heart, but if you would save her, you must venture forth, to the very depths of her soul. ...Where the Titan of Blood resides. You will have to bare witness to the full cruelty of the Nightmare, see how it has distorted her soul, and find the truth buried beneath the lies. Do you think you can do it, after what I have shown you?" Rose asks with a serious edge to their voice.
"Then I will," Luciel states, "Her well being is my priority, regardless if what I have to face to do so. I'm willing to brave the deepest depths of the Abyss and the furthest layer of Hell once more, and beyond."
"...Ahh, a relief. You pass. I knew who you were the moment you were dragged in here. I was watching you, making sure you were safe when your brother left. I had to make sure you had a will strong enough to brave the danger ahead. Forgive me. I couldn't accept anything else than the best, I care too much about her." Rose fully relaxes.
"It is time I explained the situation, so you understand. This realm, as you might have guessed, is composed of Shinwa's memories, emotions, and thoughts. But most importantly, her soul, and her will. All of these things drive the order of things here. Her will is absolute, and is what grants me power. This place is a cognition. A representation of how Shinwa views herself. But as I explained, it has been distorted by a force she refers to as the Nightmare. It was planted inside her long ago, when she was a child.
This corruption is not like one you're familiar with, like the ones suffered by your Aunt and future father. It persists, even through the most powerful of purifying rites. The reason is simple. It distorts memory, emotion, and thoughts. It transforms her cognition into a perversion of its true self, but cannot replace it. It merely rots it, makes it untrue to itself.
However... it has a weakness. A shift in cognition. It feeds off of what Shinwa feels. In essence, as things stand, if Shinwa's current true feelings are not changed, then nothing can be accomplished, even if her corruption is purged in the now, it *will* return. But if the basis of its existence is removed, it cannot regrow. To help her, you must help change her. Both from within... ...and out. To that end... you must be able to see past the corruption, the lies. ...But you already have the means, and I don't mean your eye."
Rose swipes their hand through the darkness, and the logs and fire reappear. "The power I wield is the same means that would let you see through this Nightmare. And you already possess this power. ...Because you are a precious existence to Shinwa. And so is Volmond... ...and myself. ...The three of us... ...have power here that stems from deep within her. I think you know what I refer to."
"We can bring change to her cognition... Auros," there's a mild hint of annoyance in her voice as she notes something. "But yeah, I've an idea or two."
"Right. I will teach you something simple and important at once. Your connection with her. If you call upon it, she will listen. You will not be able to remove the Corruption itself... but you can see past its lies, force your way past its obstacles, and create new paths forward." Rose walks foward to Luciel, and extends a hand, and places a crystal rose flower in her hand.
"A token. It will protect you with my power, even in my absence, you will be able to walk the path forward, without fear of the Corruptions' influence. Now, use your connection, your ties with Shinwa, to return to the others. Once you do this, you will be able to make your way to Shinwa's core, and potentially catch up with your father. ...But be warned. The mere road to her being proper is guarded. Now, go. She's waiting for you." Rose says, and then turns his back to Luciel.
"...Good luck. ...And take care of her. ...Make sure you don't fail her, like I did..."
Luciel nods and focuses on her her mother, willing her to allow her return.
Luciel feels an odd twisting in her stomach, and suddenly she appears amid the group once more, albeit in a less flattering way than she imagined, landing on her face. She makes a mental note to be more specific so she can avoid landing on her face again.
It's around this time that the Child seems to wake up again, albeit slowly and passively, none of the energy from before.
"That smarted," she grumbles, rising to her feet. She looks over to Elstia and Auros. "We've work to do."
"I take it you learned something," Elstia ventures.
"Aye," Luciel nods. "Zwei's doing something in parallel with us currently, hopefully helping. Auros, Elstia, when Drei is awake have him and auntie look for a way out and Fyryg. If it's possible I'll need you to escape and help uncle Nana while Fyr-"
"Hold on, you want us to leave you here," Auros starts.
"I'll be fine, especially if you can find Fyryg. If not, I'll need you Auros, but you'll need to drop that minor resentment you hold for mother. It is literally making things more difficult."
"I hadn't noticed," he replies. "You need a Purifier."
"Aye and it's either you or Fyryg on that front if Zwei and Elstia are going to keep the little one bound."
"Why is my sister actually making sense," he sighs. "I'll try in the event we can't find Fyryg."
"Good."
== Outer Ring - Infiltrate ==
Kyomu, who had been staring at the sphere in the horizon for a while, speaks up.
"I can help with your friend and getting out." Kyomu intones, not looking away. "Scanning is my specialty, aside from True Purges."
"That'd be grand, thank you," Luciel says.
Kyomu turns, and faces the city itself, her eyes glow a brilliant, intense blue, and a ripple of blue energy flows from her in all directions, out into the city.
"Any ideas," Auros asks. "You'd probably notice another Purifier."
"Either I'm being blocked, she's in reality, she's dead, or she wasn't in the city at the time of the incident." She continues scanning, looking for oddities within the city that could match the first criteria.
She notes that there is a very faint presence of burning purity, but it abruptly vanishes as if something is masking it.
Kyomu looks at the group. "Who can go fast?" She says, notching an arrow.
Auros gets up. "Me or Lu, but I'm faster."
Elstia chimes in. "If I've encountered an item, place or being before I can displace myself to that area."
"Decide, I've locked onto the general area. It'll be up to you to keep up with the arrow. I'm not waiting for the target to move." Without warning, she fires a pale arrow which streaks off in the direction of the signal she picked up.
In a flash, Auros vanishes and Elstia streaks after him in a flash of blue tinted light.
Kyomu turns toward Luciel. "You changed since you were taken away. Who did you talk to?"
"The Lord of Roses."
"...Right. Don't know who that is. That can't be their real name though. ...Unless it's just a cognitive being...?" Kyomu drifts off in thought.
A teal shockwave erupts from the area of the city where Auros and Elstia went, accompanied by a putrid aura permeating the area, but just as quickly it is gone.
Kyomu sighs. "This isn't a good time for that... regardless, no use complaining now... shall we go? One of us will have to take the Child."
Almost immediately after a pink wave of burning light washes over that part of the city.
"You carry the Child," Luciel shouts, white demonic wings sprouting from her back as she rockets forward, leaving a shockwave in her wake.
Kyomu looks at the Child. "I hope you realize how annoying you are sometimes..." Kyomu grabs the Child, disappearing and reappearing close by the scene of battle. Meanwhile, unseen from far above, a yellow cloaked figure observes the dreamworld below...
Kyomu and Luciel arrive at the scene of pink and teal flashes striking at each other, scores and pits in the ground appearing when a clash is near the ground. Briefly, the clashes stop and the pair are able to make out Auros holding Fyryg, eyes steeled and a raven haired woman with silvery black eyes, clad in a mix of ebon and static armor meshed with some sort of body suit. Elstia is nowhere to be seen but her presence can be sensed from the mysterious woman, nonchalantly brandishing a crystal tipped great spear and a simple buckler. She turns to Luciel and Kyomu, the latter sensing extremely concentrated amounts of pure evil as the woman simply smiles.
"My time is up," she says, dodging a wave of pink energy from Auros, "We'll meet again dear boy and perhaps you'll make use of that sword of yours... the *real* one. Until then." And like that she vanishes in teal flames.
"..." Kyomu's eyes glow a strong blue, before fading back to gold. Subroutine: memorize. ...In case that becomes a problem again, I'll see through that in the next encounter.
"Any of you injured? If not, explain what happened, and quickly. My routines are telling me to deal with Shinwa and be done with it, so time wasted not reaching her core and preventing it from incubating and escaping into reality is preferable. Current levels indicate we have only a few more days." Kyomu speaks frankly and with steel.
"Managed to find Fyryg," Auros growls, aura of Purity radiating off of him like fire. "Then she appeared and drew Elstia into that spear of hers and toyed around with Fyryg until I managed to get her back. By then you arrived." Kyomu notices sickly black veins slowly receding from Fyryg as her own fiery aura sputters to life around her in Auros' presence. "I'll be blunt, I need to go after her. We NEED Elstia."
"What do you mean 'need'?" Luciel asks.
"Simple, without her, mother aside, we'll be screwed," he snarls. "Mother is strong, but Elstia is necessary to support her if you want to save Unc- father. I'll stay until Fyryg awakens and then you need to save mother."
”...” Kyomu places her hands on Fyryg, and an odd burst of energy emits from Kyomu, through Fyryg, and back out, seemingly both healing and cleansing.
“While I feel you will be needed, if you insist. But I will warn you: if you leave, you won’t be let back in. If you are ok with that, I will let you go.” Kyomu says, standing up from Fyryg and sparking with static.
"Since this happened now, I HAVE to go," Auros states. "Send me."
"..." Kyomu flicks her hand, and Drei and Rosalind appear before Auros.
"You're taking them with you. I'm not doing this twice." She then turns in a particular, and starts looking toward the sky. For some reason, the area grows dense with corruption, and this time, there's a persistent burning sensation in effect. In addition, her voice has deepened and distorted, becoming more akin to that of a creature's throaty growl.
Kyomu's form abruptly shifts into a faceless white being with vaguely reptilian features, with dragonic wings and a short tail. She extends one of her bulky clawed hands toward the sky, and a bony spiral like spear begins protruding from her palm, at the same time that blue circuits of energy begin flowing towards it as it glows a brilliant blue, and then a sterile white.
And then... ...an explosion of sterile blue light dominates, but it is quickly followed by colossal shaking, and the entire area being illuminated blood red... ...and the ear splitting inhuman screaming of what could only be Shinwa and a horrendous monster mixed together, filled with utter agony and rage.
The explosion Kyomu caused has punched a hole in the sky, leading to the real world outside.
"Make sure you won't regret this... ...because you can't come back to say sorry." Kyomu says, before flicking her hand, and thrusting Auros, Drei, and Rosalind out, as the searing wound closes, leaving her, Luciel, and Fyryg as the distant sphere now seems larger, only the flaming surface is practically broiling, and a constant, ominous air and shaking can be felt, the burning now clear- -pure unadulterated fury.
From the ground seeps a ring of 'soldiers' with full plate armor and spears, no flesh, but dense, oozing corruption fills the armor. Glowing red eyes peer out from the helms.
"Kill..." They inhumanly growl throatily and repeatedly.
"I'm beginning to hate my luck," Luciel sighs, noting a vague presence left by Auros as he left. She draws a pure white blade from the air and notes that there is a black sword sheathed at her side. "I take it we either avoid these or dispatch them." Her clothing shimmers as her armor replaces it and her eyes shift to amber with black sclera.
"Tell me about it," Drei says, looking at the soldiers and Kyomu. "I sleep to recover some energy and wake up to being pushed towards the sky without my consent. The Star of Misfortune had to arrive then... ah well, this'll be more tedious but if it helps your mother, little one, say the word." He doesn't seem bothered really.
"Drei shouldn't you be with Auros?"
"He doesn't need me as much as you will. He wanted to make a two pronged assault on the outer world more viable, but then that happened and that got nixed. Rozalind needed to make sure he doesn't off himself."
Kyomu has already jabbed her blade into a soldier‘s neck. “Kill them, they’ll kill you. They’re spawns of Eutir. It seems his layer is encroaching into this region. That means the Doctor will be in immediate danger.”
Kyomu hears the faint ringing of bells as a swathe of soldiers are smashed into each other before a pure white stake is driven through them as Drei swishes his tail. Luciel briefly flashes and three of the soldiers fall to pieces as her blade steams.
"We should be moving," she says.
"I'd love to hear your suggestion on getting into the giant broiling sphere of unadulterated fury." Kyomu says, soon after a faint red figure appears.
"Can anyone explain to me why Shinwa is in a frenzy?" The voice of Rose echoes, sounding very annoyed. "No, doesn't matter now. You need to deal with Eutir before he gets any stronger and kills the Doctor. Luciel. Remember what I told you before, how you can call to Shinwa? There's a way forward, but you need to get her to let you in." Rose says, as a storm of rose petals begins slicing any soldier that gets too close.
By that point Luciel is glowing, asking Shinwa for safe passage to the sphere as she focuses.
Rather than an immediate effect taking place, instead, everyone sees the scenery change. Where they stand, Atlantis becomes far smaller, and a ring of different locales and places, such as a run down village in a thick forest, a multi tiered stone fortress, and a grand city of temples and gardens all appear. Between them and the sphere is a huge, gaping endless chasm.
Go away. She hear's Shinwa's voice, but distorted. You only want to hurt me.
Were that true I wouldn't be taking any action, mother, Luciel returns, observing the scenery. She takes special interest in the chasm. "Old home... base of operations... and place of supposed rest. All of these are places of great turmoil..." She focuses on the village first.
Luciel's vision shifts, and she is among the village, but it is different. The buildings are in their prime, and two figures stand on the forest path. A young shapeshifter male with wavey, soft brown hair, wearing red robes with floral imprints on them. He has a shocked, saddened face, as blood pours from his mouth and his chest, Shinwa standing in a dress similar to the ones she has been seen so often in, with an odd, abnormal blank expression, as blood drips all over her.
As the male falls dead, Shinwa turns away towards a vast field, as a young male with similar cream colored hair to Shinwa's and simple village robes, with a determined look, charges her, only for her to stab him in the heart, and cut off his head, again with the abnormal look on her face. She turns away, yet again, as a group arrives on the scene.
By the time the elegant woman with golden eyes, gentle face akin to Shinwa's, and flowing radiant hair, the younger woman at her side, whose expression is a mix of rage and horror, with ornaments decorating her horns and hair, and a man with facial features similar to the boy who had been beheaded, but grey hair, and darkened eyes all run to intercept Shinwa, a chasm forms in the earth, separating the groups, yet Shinwa remains expressionless the whole time, and she doesn't even look back remotely, as the separated group seems to call out to her, in spite of the ceaselessly growing divide.
Luciel focuses on her mother and opens her Eye.
While this has been going on, another wave of Soldiers appears, and one goes to strike Luciel with a spear, who up to this point, has been pulled out of awareness by the visions, but before it can stab her, a sickle blade attached to a chain embeds itself into the chest of the being, and it is pulled away and is destroyed in a burst of red light, and a white haired male with negative spirit markings and yellow eyes jumps down by Luciel's side.
"I heard there was fighting to be done, so I couldn't resist... hope you don't mind the extra help, fuzzy britches," The male says to Drei before swinging his dual chain sickles in a wide arc, dispatching a whole slew of the enemies. One manages to get past his guard, but a glowing white sword impales it, causing it to dissolve. On a nearby building stands Nobuyuki.
"I thought to augment our fighting force with someone a bit... shall we say, familiar to Shinwa." Nobuyuki flickers, and takes a position near Luciel.
"Drei, would you mind watching our yellow cloaked friend up in the sky? They're watching us, and they'll probably try something eventually." Nobuyuki says as he summons a swarm of blades.
When Luciel opens her Eye, the scene resets, only as Shinwa stands before the brown haired male, the horror and grief on her face could not be more apparent, and she practically writhes at the sight of the blood of the male on her body, a look of total madness on her face, and unlike her uncaring gait before, she practically tears herself away as the male's lifeless body reaches out one last time, falling to the ground, covered in their own blood.
When the white haired male arrives, an intense argument between the passionate male and a deranged, distraught Shinwa takes place, and words are said, before a frantic, mad battle begins, though Luciel notes that unlike when she saw her own mother fight, there is no grace, dignity, or skill, all that tossed aside in a blind brawl that results in her dispatching the male, dropping to her knees as his head rolls.
She remains there for a time, until the arrival of the three before. When she sees them, fear, shame, and panic set in, and she runs away, the ground tearing apart behind her, separating them. As they call out to her, on the other side, she curls up in a ball and weeps, trying to block out their cries.
Something tells her to look toward the sphere, and she sees on the other side of the chasm, a similar Shinwa over there, and she can feel radiating shame, fear, and despair... ...and something else. ...As though Shinwa is trying to hide something about herself. To keep herself as far away from everyone as possible...
Luciel notes to herself. "She wasn't cut out for that, nor did she want to do that. So she created a mask to handle it. She wasn't cold and dispassionate there."
Drei watches the yellow clad figure, tail swishing through the air as more and more soldiers are batted around and impaled. Fyryg begins to stir as he does so.
So why is it that the chasm exists? The voice of Rose echoes in her mind. How might you reach across this chasm and convince her to allow you forth?
"The chasm is the distance she put between her true self and her actions..." Luciel closes her eyes and focuses on the chasm, willing Shinwa to see that she wasn't an emotionless being when she took action, that she did not WANT such a thing but was guided to do so. She wore a mask to hide her true feelings but the mask was not and is not her true self and that it is fine to feel emotion.
For a moment, there is silence.
No... I don't... I don't want you near me. I want... ...what do I want anymore...?
While it doesn't seem like what Luciel said was accurate, it seems to have an effect, as some of the distorted air to her voice has shifted.
Distance... away... ...from you. ...But why...? I don't...
Luciel realizes that what the chasm represents, is in fact her trying to distance herself from everything, including those she loved. The fear she sensed... ...was from Shinwa being afraid of Luciel seeing the depths of who she is... ...as well as protecting her... ...from Shinwa herself, because she is afraid of harming her...
Luciel gets the impression she needs to push Shinwa a little more, as she seems on the fence, but with the right persuasion, might be moved just enough.
Luciel focuses more relaying to Shinwa that regardless of what she believes is at her core, she would accept her nonetheless and that distancing herself from those she loves only serves to harm them both.
...I will believe... ...your actions. Without warning, she snaps out of her trace, and immediately has to duck as a soldier's hand attempts to grab her, but a white haired male stabs the soldier in the heart and kills them, then casually dusts Luciel off. He looks almost exactly like the male that Shinwa... ...cut the head off of.
He gives her a coy smile. "Ah, finally woke up, sunshine. Now let's- -WOAH!" He panics as the whole area begins shaking, and the red glow from the sphere disappears, things turning greyish in color. On the edge of the rift, a stone bridge is slowly rumbling into formation, made of a white, cracked marble. When it is finished, the ornate bridge looms for what looks like miles, with a massive ornate gate at the entrance to the Sphere.
"Look at that, nice work." The male says, sheathing the chain sickles he wields. The last of the soldiers in the city scape seem to have been defeated... ...for now.
"Oh, name's Kake. You can call me Uncle Kake if you really want, I suppose." The male says, before walking toward the bridge.
Luciel nods, picking up the still stirring Fyryg as she makes her way towards the bridge. She seems somewhat distracted however. Drei notes this briefly but remains silent.
Kake's head seems to faintly tilt as though sensing something. "Lucy, if you don't mind me calling you that, mind walking beside me?"
=== Lord of Malice, The Stealer of Faces, Eutir ===
Before Luciel can respond, a faint quake is felt ahead of them, and the burning sphere quickly glows ominously before a figure is thrust out of the sphere, with a much larger, malevolent being pursuing them. When the first figure is seen slashing at it with Caladbolg, to everyone's bewilderment, while it sparks against the being's head, no harm befalls it, and instead, the figure is thrust back and slammed into the bridge, breaking it and cutting off access further ahead. The taller, malevolent entity lands on the edge of the broken bridge, blocking the path.
The creature could only be described as massive and hulking, wearing armor over its entire form, with faint red cracks of light glinting from the seams. Its helm is featureless, yet an intense pressure exudes from it. The amount of raw force being emitted is comparable to an extremely dangerous Avatar. More over, a horrid sense of hatred burns all present, oozing from the being, but not originating from it. No, the inhuman, nigh primordial level of hatred and rage bellowing from it seems to actually stem from Shinwa herself.
It takes a single, towering step towards Volmond, and Nobuyuki scowls faintly. "Eutir... the First Guardian." He looks towards the others. "Do not. Do anything. Rash. For some reason, it has been extremely empowered, more so than I thought our actions so far would account for. Luciel, See if you can figure anything out, but be very careful. If it could twist Shinwa in this manner, it wouldn't take much for it to try and get inside your head too."
"Right." Luciel begins to focus as a compulsion to draw nearer to the doctor fills the area. Motes of burning light have since formed around him and his blade seems to have changed, now glowing with an orange light arranged in multitudes of crosses. He seems to be more mellow, but at the same time there seems to be a strange shadow behind him.
Luciel notices immediately the red cracks in Eutir's armor intensify and spout hellish flame when Volmond gets anywhere close to it, followed shortly by increases in Eutir's strength. It seems that the Doctor's presence is directly contributing to its rising power, and it becomes clearer to her that the intense, inhuman levels of rage flowing through Eutir originates from Shinwa's will, while being enhanced by the Avatar, some level of it is her own, and directly in response to the Doctor's presence.
Furthermore, the cracks are a weak point in its armor, but a haze of power shrouds the armor, a manifestation of Shinwa's will directly interfering with the Doctor's strikes and attacks, preventing him from causing damage. The focus seems to only apply to the Doctor and... upon thinking about it, is able to determine that Drei would also be affected by this defense, but she and the others currently present are not yet the focus of its attention.
As if sensing this, Kake narrows his eyes in the direction of the Doctor, and Volmond finds he can't get any closer anymore, something is blocking him.
"Hey, you. Back off a moment, you won't be helpful right now. I can feel the animosity from here, and that thing clearly feeds on that like a battery." Kake steps foward, in front of Luciel.
"If you need to keep yourselves useful, do something about the horde of fragments appearing behind us, you and the cat. I'm sure the four of us can handle it." He gestures to Luciel, Fyrig, Nobuyuki, and himself.
As Eutir goes to attack the Doctor again, Nobuyuki parries it with a plain looking sword. "I'll lead, Kake, harass while protecting Luciel, Luciel, you need to focus on dampening its connection to the currents of wrath, and chip at its armor. You'll have to attempt to pacify Shinwa, which will be hard, but you're the only one that's going to be able to do that. Fyrig, either boost her or stand by." With that said, he pushes Eutir back and holds out his hand.
"I'm going to have to call on her... ...Beloved Winds of the North, I beseech thee, return to my side and return me mine strength. I call on thee... you five who sweep gentle rain to the plains, who blow through after the savage storm, I call you... ...Romelous, the first..." Nobuyuki has closed his eyes, seemingly chanting something as a faint wind picks up around him, along with the faint form of a fox like spirit with a single tail circling him.
The doctor simply looks past the group and his eyes flash orange, the aura that draws things towards him intensifying towards the hundreds of corrupt fragments as more and more motes of burning light form around him. A simple buckler manifests on his free arm and his blade shrinks as a visor forms and covers the upper half of his face. Black and indigo feathers seem to drift from him as he seemlessly glides towards this opponents while Drei looks on.
"He's no need for my aid," the cat says as his stripes glow a vibrant cyan. "Not in a way obvious to you at least."
That which lies beyond the realm of reasoning...
The cat begins to float, halos of cyan energy forming around his paws.
Birthed in the world between worlds as a sign things coming to a close...
Drei's stripes begin to swirl as his eyes radiate a severe grey light.
Ancient Scion of a star gone dark, I invoke thine name and channel thy steength to purify mine enemies and rend their flesh from their bones...
Drei flickers as wings of light grow from his back and a single horn manifests from his brow.
Forgotten Lord of the Starry Expanse, □□□□□□
The aura around Drei shifts as his stripes swirl more and he grows to the size of a tiger. Arnored plates and scales replace his fur while the wings of light are replaced by feathered wings akin to those of a dragon in shape and musculature. The single horn vanishes and is replaced by a mane orange tendrils of light while his eyes take on the appearance of grey flame. His claws and fangs become as blades while the halos of energy become ghostly flames that coat his limbs. His tail extends, a crystal of the purest blue tipping it.
In the meantime Luciel reaches out to Shinwa, imploring her to remember the good things and those who care for her even in the present, those without a grudge or deep seated resentment. Fyryg ignites, a powerful blue flame billowing upwards into a pillar as she places her hands within Luciel's.
Nobuyuki continues to call forth names of beings, until four spirits circle him. Finally...
"Shirubā, Fifth Wind, return to me." Abruptly, the Sword Sage is encompassed in a whirlwind of white and black gusts of energy, his nigh unnoticable presence becomes intense, as well as a genuine glimpse at his power opens up. When the winds clear, a figure stands in Nobuyuki's place.
Composed of this white and black energy, the figure appears to bare a fox mask with blank eyes, a long but thin ponytail trails behind them, bearing an overall humanoid figure, they appear to wear armor, but more part of their form than material. A single sword rests in their hand, briming with a soft glow of power, pure white with the faintest edge of shadowy black with a swirling of blue motes through it.
The weapon could be described as simple yet beautiful, with its only true feature being a black ink like circle in the middle of the guard, with lines extending from it to smaller, similar circles along the blade and handle. With every movement, positive spirit brands flow and change positions across their body, while black tendrils flow from their back, ending with blade like structures with the same symbol as on his blade, four in all behind him.
The figure places both hands on their handle, and half of the area explodes into pure light, with many of the symbols appearing on the blade manifesting almost in a vast globe around them, forming a complex orbital structure around the spirit. Its then that those observing realize they are in fact seeing the vast, innumerable Spirit Hands, the Blades of Nobuyuki. 
The half of the battlefield under Eutir's control flares with wrathful fire, as it only briefly hesitates before lunging at the positive spirit form of Nobuyuki. While this happens, Kake looks back on Luciel as she runs into a bit of a brick wall with communicating. She can't feel her way to her mother's will like before, Eutir's presence is jamming her efforts. Instead, she feels a place where all of the intense force doesn't block her, but flows toward and into Eutir. Paying attention to this lends Luciel a brief insight...
Shinwa is seen walking through the interior of a well decorated tower, wearing her usual garb, walking into a room. She then sees her showering, until a throb of pain causes her to collapse, her vision blurring red. Luciel sees Shinwa's perspective, drenched in crimson blood, her heart throbbing and aching with guilt, horror, and fear, trauma suppressed reemerging in a violent maelestrom of emotion that leaves her unable to do anything but collapse and scream, listlessly rubbing her hands in the water, as though trying to wash out the blood coating her body.
She sees the doctor coming to her side, cradling her, the two falling asleep. When they wake, words she doesn't hear are spoken. Eventually she begins to hear their conversation, as the Doctor explains parts of his life to her, eventually saying... "White, I will not let what happened to me happen to you. I will protect you, I will fight for you... I will comfort you as best I can, but I will never leave you."
The vision ends, but Luciel thinks she hears a deep, dark, malevolent growl from deep below the group, and the ground she stands on heats up sharply.
Luciel implores Shinwa to focus on more moments like these, some past, others yet to pass in this world while Fyryg wraps an arm around her and leaps backwards, aura spreading. In the meantime the doctor silently cuts through the the fragments as volleys of the burning light pierce those out of his range. Drei roars and deathly pale stars fall atop the remaining fragments as he appears to simply dash through others, those shattering moments later.
As Nobuyuki and Eutir separate from each other with a massive exchange of power throwing each other apart, Eutir notably looks toward Luciel, and begins laughing after a blade of pure malice erupts from the ground in response to the growl where the two once stood.
"You still don't get it, what naivety. To think a tramp like you thinks to challenge my dominion..." It rumbles, before its countenance begins to glow red, flickers of corrupt flame issue from it.
"Indeed, what influence could you truly have, when you are no different from that pathetic nothing, that liar. You pathetic lot lost long ago..."
Eutir raises its hand, and a massive burning sphere of malice manifests above it, before quickly roaring toward Luciel with the intention of wiping her out utterly. A flash of light momentarily forms a large wall like gash in space in front of Luciel, and soon after one of the Spirit Hands fly by her, and she sees in the center of the circle formation the word 'Protection' as a glyph inside of it. Soon after she realizes it represents the very concept of Protection, as opposed to merely carrying powers akin to it, the sphere is shattered into pieces on contact with the area.
Eutir and Nobuyuki clash again, but Luciel is now acutely aware of Eutir's attention being more on her. Paying enough attention, she notices the cracks are spreading and widening on Eutir's armor, glowing more acutely as flames constantly are spewing from them. Currently, Eutir's power is on a plateau, but it had been previously rising.
Suddenly sweeping its hand, blasting an attack from Nobuyuki and Kake away, it is enveloped in flame. When it emerges, its face is blank, save for a red frown like line where the jaw should be. Eutir is bare chested, but comprised of hyper dense Malice. The head is enshrouded in black metal, either its real head or protecting what's beneath. Flame bellows like a wildfire from its back, while four long serpentine necks ending with draconic heads for arms on each side twist and weave, each spewing malice imbued flames that form giant great swords.
Its draconic tail ends whip like, but the tail's swaying cuts whatever is nearby, it seems incredibly sharp. It bears a twisted crown with a flaming jewel at the front, and most notably, the soul blazing with fury is gone, its presence now emitting from the crown.
When Nobuyuki goes to attack it, two of its arms lash out at Nobuyuki and block him, while Eutir leaps forward, four heads bringing their blades down toward Fyryg and Luciel. Kake parries them, and then helps get Luciel and Fyryg a bit more distance. Kake then lashes his sickles at Eutir in tandem with Nobuyuki, and while it blocks most of the attacks or disregards them, a sword gets dangerously close toward the red crack on its helm, and Eutir flinches, jumping back and growling.
Kake noticing this, swings his next sickle under one of Eutir's arms and into the crack, barely nicking it, but causing a massive pulse of force to blast from Eutir, accompanied by a frenzy of retaliatory swings, which Kake has trouble dodging until Nobuyuki forces it back again. There is now a fair red scar where Kake nicked it's 'face'.
Kake looks toward Fyrig, eyes starting to glow red. "Hey, do me a favor, and shoot that motherfucker where I nicked him with the nastiest strike of purity you can hit him with. He'd *really* like it if you did that."
Fyryg nods as the pillar of blue flame compresses upon itself then compresses further upon itself into a marble sized sphere of purifying heat and light. She narrows her eyes and takes a deep breath, energy gathering around the sphere before she exhales and releases a beam of pearlescent concentrated purity at the marked area with pinpoint accuracy.
The doctor looks over to Eutir and, though space briefly distorts, it hears the words "I did not forget, Shinwa. Sometimes things get in the way."
The blast hits Eutir dead on, and it almost looks like its whole top half is blown away, before it warps and appears beside the beam, initially appearing to have done nothing, until its figure begins violently distorting and glitching, the sphere reappearing in its original place.
With a savage growl, its eight arms fire multiple large blades of malice toward Fyryg in retaliation, quickly shrinking back as Nobuyuki presses the attack.
Luciel opens her eyes and manifests a sphere of light that Scatters the blades on contact before focusing again on Shinwa, this time displaying a memory of her own of her mother.
"Luciel you could have been hurt! What would have happened if your father and I hadn't arrived before those men tried to hurt you?"
"I'm sorry mother, but I couldn't let them insult you so. You worked hard to fix the world and they spit in your face, it's unfair!"
"I know, but if it were fair, me and your father would not have met."
"Yeah, you're too good for him, what with him disappearing a tonne."
"He's a much larger help than he appears to be Luciel... he's just shy."
"'Kay, but that doesn't mean I won't get upset if he forgets important days, mother... Happy anniversary by the way."
Even as Eutir's empowered form starts to crumble and revert to its more base form, Eutir seems to only laugh in response.
"You truly know nothing... Tell me, if you truly understood her, any of you, then surely you could tell me *why* she fell so easily... no, perhaps I'll just save your fragile brains the effort then... sure, you said pretty words... but that's all they were. She'd been tricked and lied to with those after all... I wonder what that makes you, doctor. Can you truly consider yourself trustworthy when you bring everything to bear on her shoulders, and yet you've considered nothing of how fickle your heart seems to her?"
Eutir just mockingly laughs, and becomes a wispy fog, before swiftly fleeing into the sphere, which upon doing so, the hellish flames that had surrounded it seem to become feeble if not barely register-able. Eutir seems weakened, and in its place, dark storm clouds loom around the sphere. Ahead, the Gate inside awaits across the bridge chasm.
The doctor looks on, his expression unreadable behind his visor before it splits in half as cracks run through his form. Barely a moment later does he shatter, revealing a black haired youth with piercing blue eyes and a tanned complexion. Their garb is that of the doctor's coat in its original state over a simple long sleeved shirt and beige pants. The still transformed blade hangs at their side, while the buckler from before shrinks to fit their new stature. Their expression is clearly one of annoyance, but they sigh as they tie their hair back and continue forward without a word. Fyryg begins, but Luciel stops her with a gesture. 
"Leave 'em be. Seen that state enough times back home to know that he's finally fully focused," she says. "Let's go."
Nobuyuki noticeably doesn’t move, seemingly noticing something. Without warning, he slashes at a unseen force, which manifests as a yellow cloaked figure. Beneath their feet is a faint magic circle nearing completion. Meanwhile, the sphere‘s dark clouds rumble ominously, with flashes of light blue energy that gives Volmond a distinct, uneasy feeling, as though something dangerous, especially with concern to him, was manifesting from deep within the core. Luciel meanwhile notes it as incredibly similar to Kyomu‘s Purger, if not many countless times stronger. Both realize at the same time ‘Muru‘ takes priority, but the energy is increasingly growing ominous.
The doctor looks at the yellow cloaked being and shakes his head. He then readies his blade, tilting it somewhat to the right as he inhales deeply. Luciel sighs.
"I imagine fighting halfcocked isn't an option," she says dryly as her horns grow and her hair fades to platinum. Gauntlets form around her arms and greaves form on her legs as her eyes go icy. "Hey uncle, gonna need you to let me know if my hair starts turning red." Sigils and symbols begin to float around Luciel as she warms up a bit then dashes towards Muru.
Kake nods. "Gods I hate this asshole..." He mutters under his breath.
Muru's response is to levitate up off the ground, while magic circles begin appearing below them in ring patterns, rapidly spreading outward toward Luciel. They quickly dodge a flurry of blades from Nobuyuki, and then swish their wrist, as nine giant red crystals appear in a circle far above the scene, and soon after pulse with power. Shortly after this though...
Father is sleeping.
He forgot what is most important to him.
He's gone astray...
We want to help, but we are confined by their power.
Sever their control, and we can wake him once more.
We're the only ones who can reach him now...
Please, endure this, just a bit longer.
Hillia will lead the charge...
...
One of the red crystals abruptly pull out of formation, and begins emitting a strange aura. This seems to jam part of the energy waves the others are transmitting, which seems to dull the group's power.
Nobuyuki narrows his eyes, before continuing his next assault, managing to briefly nick Muru before the circle completes itself, though it's bought them precious little time. As Muru goes to retaliate with a wave of red lightning, one of the swords 'Cut' the control between Muru and one of the crystals.
As this happens, the newly freed crystal hums with renewed energy and emits a aura like the first. As Muru begins casting a complex spell, a flash of its exact target, Volmond, as well as the necessary counterspell to disarm it, flashes through their heads, soon after a wave of renewed determination and strength seems to flow through them, as though the second crystal was encouraging them onward.
The doctor aptly counter the magic, hurling his shield at Muru in the process as Luciel launches a barrage of jabs, straights and crosses at Muru with the accuracy of person trained to disrupt casting.
Muru more warps than dodges the shield, but actively begins dodging Luciel, warping from the harder attacks to dodge, but Nobuyuki enters the mix, making it all but impossible for them to keep avoiding the attacks, a continued push seems to be the key. Meanwhile Kyomu, who had been guarding the Child, begins aiming at one of the crystals.
"Let's get faster, then," Luciel breathes, then proceeds to strike faster with greater intensity. Runes flare along her gauntlets before she starts adding in wide sweeping kicks kicks that pivot into aerial kicks or kicks from the back leg to her flurry, each strike fluidly transitioning into the next while smoothly interacting with the sword strikes rather than impeding them. The doctor meanwhile, beckons for something to come his way with a single finger a moment before his shield halts and rockets back towards Muru. In that sane moment he seems to draw out movements in the air as he approaches a separate crystal.
Muru begins to take minor hits, weakening the circle first faintly, then more noticeably as they start getting hit more and more. As Kyomu manages to break the hold of another crystal, Muru suddenly pulses with incredible power and causes a pressure wave that interrupts Volmond, who gets attacked by a large magic volley.
The doctor mutters something and Muru notes that the spells seem to tear themselves apart once they get near him, only to reform as magical circles and fire off a volley of the same power, but with far greater intensity as the doctor continues onwards. His shield strikes at Muru again and again, curving, spinning and all but dancing back towards him. All the while Luciel begins to grow faster with her assault, burning trails and images of faded light now following her moves in an off-tempo yet synchronized manner. At that point, however, Muru hears a bell ring.
It is at this time the cloak disappears, revealing a raven haired woman with ominous red eyes, dressed in black, with tight curling black goat horns adorning her head, with small hooved feet. Her presence can now be felt, incredibly thick and heavy, however, along with this, a heavy pressure upon their minds, that of a constant corrosive madness being emitted by her presence.
A dark aura cloud looms off of Muru, who seems to be agitated. Along with this, her form appears blurred, and Luciel stops feeling her attacks landing, though the magic circle being cast is now gone. Muru's mood seems to have shifted.
"I saw it fitting that you should bare witness to my moment of ascension. But I see that there truly is no place for you in the world I shall inherit. Therefore, be vanquished, without delay." She intones, cruel and dark.
Their surroundings violently warp for a moment, and they are no longer within the sphere, but instead, a strange, vast technological chamber that oversees a view of Earth, Fantasy, and the remnants of Echo. In a giant clear window, a view of a gigantic black sphere, one that Volmond saw in one of the visions Shinwa had granted him. From this sphere, the heavy onslaught of her spirit's corruption can be felt.
They are on the outside of the soul. Above them, Muru floats, behind her is an energy that violently continues to warp the surroundings immediately around her. What hasn't changed is the crystals surrounding them, though below each of their assigned positions, they see chambers containing vessels and portions of fragmented souls.
They are in Eien's Inner Sanctum. At the very center of everything he had built.
== Into the Realm of Origin - The Shattered Garden ==
Volmond and Luciel warp into the other side of the broken bridge, but both can tell things are not right. The gate has formed glowing blue chains protected by a lock, the energy it gives off gives that same burning sensation that Formindor gave him.
"You're here," Isshun pops into being in front of them. "Good. Luci, is the Doctor caught up on matters concerning the effects one has here if not careful, and how you two impact this space?"
"More or less, mental bond and whatnot," she says.
"That saves me time. I hate tutorials. Right so, you could try to communicate with Shinwa to get rid of that lock, but she wouldn't even hear you right now, so instead, we're going to have to dig... a bit deeper. Lucy, you should have at least some level of awareness of this, but since the Doctor probably hasn't been clued in on this, I might as well explain.
You've known her as Shinwa, and you wouldn't be wrong in calling her that, as it is a name she has, but it's not her first name. As in, it's not her birth name, but the name given to her in common tongue. No, in the traditions of the old ways, she has another, more important name. One akin to a True Name, with very similar effect. In the Royal Family, a tongue of magic unique to Echo exists, and a select few families adopted it as a way to name their children under the light of the moon or sun."
Isshun eyes Volmond. "You've told her your name, Legna, but she hasn't told you hers. It should occur to you that there's a very substantial reason for that. In the old ways, you never shared it, save to the most intimate of friends, family, and well. One you would bond your very soul with for the rest of your days. The one you'd wed. Well, lovers works too, but traditionally, it was counted as equivalent to a ring. But the power over one like that of a True Name.
That is what we're here for. The only name she has stronger than Formindor that still spares her from a True Name being invoked. I knew Kiiwan's Name, but we had the advantage of a substantially longer time to know each other in our relationship before and after that point. Any questions, or shall I get to the how you will get that name in the first place?"
Category:Dungeon