In Newfound UnCertainty

"In Newfound UnCertainty" is a BOTGD 2 Act III thread started on June 7, 2021 and finished on August 31, 2021.
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
Jin Juro: “A favour, Bookkeeper.”
Juro stood by the familiar sapling, lone but strong amongst the wasteland of a battlefield and the evidential scurry of refugees, feeling the pull of fate and magic that always brought him to this place no matter what. He laughed quietly to himself–the workings of the multiverse remained mysterious and interesting. Teal danced with blue and gold underfoot, but it was all faded, distracted, his hand gripping a long wrist under a large sleeve.
“I have a Nokkines story for you, if you will help us… truly help us, against Central,” the dark haired nix had bored her emerald eyes into his. There was an uncertainty in her request; she knew all too well how he functioned as a bookkeeper, with or without the threat of amplification, but the way she asked… it felt more like she was helping him, rather than the other way around. Like she upheld his code for him. He didn’t understand. 
Nevertheless, he accepted, with the same bemused grin and lazy wave of a hand, “Relax. I’m already due for a conversation with the Warden. All good.” And so here he was, only several hours after, not long since the meeting’s end. He surprised himself with how quickly this was progressing, actually, but he felt any later would lose him his willpower.
So he waited. 
The Warden: His first clue to her appearance was not a familiar horned silhouette, or the touch of her oppressive, burning presence. It was a strange effect out in the seidr-blessed fields–teal energy swiftly parting and whirling around circles of amber light with carmine-touched edges. They refused to mix, like a soapy finger touching a film of oil and forcing it to escape to the edges of the bowl. Where their borders brushed, there were small snaps and flares, and they eventually traced up an astral pair of long, feminine figure and down a thick, bushy tail. 
Nalaagura bent over slightly with legs rigid and pointed like a dancer’s, peering at the ground, and sliding her paw in a semicircle around her balanced weight. The seidr reacted accordingly, avoiding the movement while filling in behind in a chiming rush. The demon turned slowly, her tail moving weightlessly around her like a long kite, and her eyes landed on Juro, brightening a little as they did so. She mentally hailed him, while taking her time to approach, observing the phenomenon the entire way. 
You and your friends, she stated matter-of-factly, are an enigma. As her presence neared, the seidr tightened underneath the Bookkeeper’s boots with a low hum, watchful and protective. Two natures of which I will never be able to understand.
Juro: It wasn’t that Juro was trying to put up defenses so quickly and intensely, but the wary apprehension was contagious, as a small gust of cool-coloured wind rose between them, clashing starkly against the warm, dangerous hues of red. It dissipated in the same breath, as he realized what he subconsciously did, sweeping it away with a hook of a leg behind one ankle, and a lazy, lopsided grin up at the astral being.
“To be fair, we have never exactly met properly,” the Bookkeeper said, squinting oddly at her presence, “Perhaps I can provide some clarity, to one.” 
The Warden: Only one, she said, but with some good humor. There was an eagerness to her presence, a slight hunger, and no intention to intimidate or belittle, because she was intensely curious about the entire situation. She gave a short bow at the waist, acknowledging his wariness, and paced around him at a distance, swirls of light following. With a lithe movement, she climbed one, then two stout branches, leaving no weight on the swaying limbs of the sapling as her eyes searched the horizon, where her body was escorting refugees beyond their line of sight. 
You have me intrigued, she finally admitted. To a degree, you always have. You carry impossible weights. Your perfect inner balance is wildly disturbed. You deal in stories and mysteries beyond myself. Nala cocked her head, peering down at him from her perch, like a bird confused by an animal bound to the earth. I find it hard to imagine you have much to do with a demon. Are you here to bargain for such things from me? 
Juro: “Quite the opposite, really,” he hummed with a grin, “Upon another agent’s request, I may have a story for you instead.”
He met her gaze carefully, “You need a sustainable power source, you said.” Again, his eyes narrowed against her colours. They were blurred, and it clicked in understanding for Juro once more, as the dark strip of protective fabric slipped from his face and the Warden snapped into complete focus, power, and higher energy. Of course.
“I–” Bright, horizontal pupils flashed in his mind, Milae being so eager and honest with him, but always, always letting him decide for himself. He exhaled thinly, swearing that he could have heard the softest clink of metal, as he lifted an open palm in mental invitation, “I can give you precisely that.” 
The Warden: There was a strong hum as she moved forward, bracing a foot against the trunk and anchoring with a hand, while leaning out towards him, eyes aflame and curious as they fixed with dizzying intensity on his unusually-colored eye. Her presence billowed around him, but it didn’t invade; she wanted him to make the first move to show her what he meant. 
Surely one mortal cannot sustain the Construct alone, she replied, and now that their minds were much closer, he could feel her reviewing the events of the last month, of her spar with Yun and Milae’s implications beforehand of how best to test him using the Bookkeeper, and asking mysterious favors of her just before Frigga herself went after them for reasons still unknown to the demon. The cascade of memories was painted with inquisitiveness and a certain measure of wariness–not for herself, but for the concept of something so powerful and how it would affect the world around them. 
Juro: Blue locked with red, a myriad of colours colliding and picking up stubbornly around them in a mix of erratic energy that buzzed through both physical and astral forms. For a microsecond, barely a breath and easy to miss, an urge to run from the Bookkeeper suddenly overwhelmed her, but it was like it was never there, disappearing almost immediately as Juro tilted his head in a clearly practiced smile, and allowed the demon into himself.
He was human, there was no doubt, and no match for a powerful demon like her. Or at least… he was supposed to. His mindscape was different and confusing, its imagery a melting pot of darkness and light, undecided in how it presented itself, but it was clear–years, centuries, of desperate, personal effort to pull together this almost oppressive and aggressive barrier that rose above her in cage-like bars. It kept her out in uncountable layers, hiding more and more secrets the Bookkeeper had always held close, in every direction she looked.
And all the while, she felt it–the continuous humming vibrations that pulsed from his very center, shaking throughout the body to the ends of finger tips.
“’A mortal cannot sustain the Construct.’ Then it’s fortunate that I’m not one…" 
Barely a moment for the Warden to get her bearings, as the surroundings rushed past her in almost a sense of urgency, flinging away protective defenses one by one, revealing unending truths to her in a chaotic flurry of images. The coexistence between bookkeeper and seidkonur, from one end of the multiverse to the other, hunted and targeted by a ravenous goddess in search for universal power. The conundrum with a certain half breed–only lightly glossed over, Juro refused to show her everything–, preceded by the isolated journey of emotional suppression, for reasons revealed the further they went. The Library, that reached across timelines and chained him to millions of himself, supplemented by the Helheim contract. His resolve from the fateful day in Hakata, of death and loss and betrayal amongst the Bookkeepers. And his life before his fleeting liberation, in the luxurious lands of Chuugo, an endless cycle of magic, experimentation, and punishment for his existence. His existence that locked him in his fate, with his innate, and shattering ability.
Darkened cages peeled off in layers as they went back in time, then finally came to a full, screeching halt before a young boy, clothed in blood red as he stared out a tiny window.
Shou Lao Jin turned his chin up to look at Nalaagura with the familiar constructed, amicable face, young and alone in his prison, “This is an unlimited supply of magic within me. It would be a waste to not utilize it against Central.”
The Warden: Now deep in both their subconscious, the Warden’s amorphous energy congealed before him, loosely tracing the outline of a young female body with no discernable features other than her silhouette and her bright eyes. Like clouds of flame, brief licks and swirls of her essence surrounded them, as she processed the new information in barely a few heartbeats. Her light intensified his scarlet colors, reflecting in the amber of his gaze, a ruddy color both alarming and comforting at the same time. Young self faced young self curiously. In the background of Nala’s now-overwhelming presence, amidst somber understanding and surprise, there was a yawning hunger, smothered but still present. It was overridden by the satisfaction of something less tangible–information. 
I want to see.
She mentally reached out further, scooping for the things she needed to know as a being that thrived off the energy he promised, and in the present, her clawed hand stretched out to hover in front of his sternum, as though feeling something tangible just in front of him. A new pressure on his mind indicated a request for permission, but with a surety that turned it from less of a question and more into a statement, presented along with a warm promise of safety. 
Juro: Contradiction was the name of the game, she was coming to realize, as the charming, easygoing face no longer matched his younger self within, which crumpled immediately in fear despite her constant reassurance. Way too quick for either Warden or even Bookkeeper to process, she was let in, practically sucked in like a whirlpool of disoriented thoughts, in a gut reaction that felt like this was the only, natural, unavoidable next step, and nothing else. Mental barriers slammed into the ground beside them, then wrenched themselves out in rapid fire succession, a battle of subconscious as Juro’s emotions warred wildly against his actions. 
I already agreed to the favour.” Cuffs snapped around her wrists and ankles that fixed her to a chair, feeling like she was made for the seat, faces that held slanted eyes like the Bookkeeper’s, and sickened, cruel expressions staring down at her.
It’s alright, I promise I’ll help.” A burning, shaking sensation pressed into her chest, that only multiplied the more time passed, filling her up in growing waves until she vibrated with unimaginable power in her very core, in amounts she knew could level a continent and more if she wanted. If she knew how.
I can show you.” The release that came as she saw lines and lines of weapons and soldiers lighting up before her, bright red and humming with endless, replenishable energy. Energy that she amplified.
And tomorrow, the cycle would begin again.
I don’t know.”
As it was in the mind, so it did to the body, as Nala felt the hand that hovered above his sternum be dragged in, like a strong magnet with nowhere else to go but forward. No longer an inner illusion, she was greeted with the same rhythmic bouts of amplification, as astral energy uncontrollably absorbed itself into the Bookkeeper’s chest. 
Juro gasped, doubling over at the embedding, and his nerves pulsed deafeningly as his ability began to do its work. But demon energy was new, just as divine magic and seidr were, and there was no telling how his body would react. Red started to overwhelm him. The harmony between blue, gold, and teal was disrupted. In similar fashion to the Warden’s arrival, the surges of energy began to clash around them, fighting and keeping the seidr further and further away from Juro, as his began to mix with Nala’s instead in explosive bursts of wind and flame. The Warden could feel it–she was gaining more power.
The Warden: She was no stranger to heightened states and massive amounts of magic, but this was something unprecedented. As their bodies and minds intersected, she automatically flung out tendrils of her essence to stabilize everything she could find, writhing electric red looking for bars of iron, whipping and holding them in place with a groan even as her heat turned them soft with amber and glowing gold. 
The concentration of doing so left her physical form in shambles. It stuttered in and out, and every time it did so, jets and arcs of fire began spraying outwards across the dry ground, trailing clouds of embers across ever-growing scorch marks. Energy had to jettison somewhere as it started growing too much for her to handle, if she was going to try to keep both of them from spiraling out of control. The very earth began to tremble as distant swaths of seidr circled the pair like a frantic flock of birds, reaching unusually high-pitched frequencies as they did so.
Bookkeeper, Nala growled. Had she teeth, they would have been gritted. Stop fighting yourself– She made an alien, distinctly nonverbal sound of aggressive exertion, mimicking the cascading of burning logs interspersed with Daemon syllables. This wasn’t possession–it was worse. It was a battle. Please. Phy’rwiq. Release.
Juro: “W-what?”
Another pulse, and the energy ramped up again to a higher level, threatening to overflow from within. There was a slight relief, like an ocean wave receding from the shore, the turmoil of defenses lessening, and it seemed like the deliverance she wanted, but it lasted only for a second. It returned with a vibrating crash, looming bars strong and many, hooking into her essence like an inescapable trap, siphoning energy from her then returning it doubled, and more.
Juro choked on his own breath, struggling against the buzzing muscle spasms, fingers digging painfully into the reddened dirt, vision out of one eye bleary and unfocused, and the other perfectly clear. It made his head spin.
“Why?!” The Construct needs sustained power. “This is–what we need, isn’t–it?” You agreed to help. “I agreed–to help!” You understand your role in this. “I don’t understand!”
Lao Jin gripped bars that encased them, heat searing his small hands, as the colours of amplified energy raged in. His body accepted it without a second thought, just as it always had since the beginning. Fiery colours began to emit from the lines that marked his limbs, creeping their way up to his divine-given sight, its blue slowly drowning in red, until it burst in a channeled streak of magical flame. Primary colours twisted above them, desperate to find an escape.
The Warden: It is, it’s– wonderful, she thought, refusing to say, even though the awestruck sentiment bled through, but it’s too much for us right now. You have to slow down. You have to relax in order to let me go. Translucent red hands cupped a face, young or old, she couldn’t tell, and she continued to stay close to him to reduce the stress pulling on their beings, trying to emanate calm. Seidr billowed in a threatening circle around them, churning like a tidal wave, hellish crimson repelling holy blues. I can burn off this magic, but your death grip is choking us. It may backfire without use. Just trust me. 
Juro: The call for trust sent him through the same whirlwind of emotion as it did before in that same spot. He stared up at her with amber eyes, dry and wretched and confused, as a small hand trembled its way up to hers, the memories of magic uncontrolled and fatal echoing around them. He couldn’t let that happen again. 
The pressure was relieved again, retreating, receding, only momentarily, but that was what they needed. The Bookkeeper released her quickly, with a push of cracked, ink stained hands, and the Warden was flung backwards. Her essence rushed past his history and memories once more as the amplification returned to chase her, nipping at her feet but no longer reaching.
A child’s voice rang in the turmoil of erratic light and grinding metal, and although she didn’t know what the word meant, she somehow understood.
“ごめんなさい.” An apology.
She burst out of him in an explosion of magic, red and gold wings that split the sea of teal in half like a knife on either side, streaking in opposite directions and sending a humming shockwave along with it, as the full force of multiplied demon energy slammed into her again.
The Warden: The wings flamed towards the sky, stretching violently as though in pain, and then they flapped inward with a thunderous sound as the energy generated by Juro was rapidly returned to the demon before him. It warped her image once more, her body dissolving into thrashing bands of crimson, gold, and violet. Her loose form arched backwards, and the hallucinatory image of a bird was visible for a silent heartbeat before it contorted and expanded even larger, as though the amplified magic had quickly changed its intent. The slender crane’s neck bulged and lengthened, long beak hooking into several blazing fangs, delicate feathers sharpening into heavy spikes. With a scream, the astral dragon threw its neck down towards the Bookkeeper kneeling before it, wings stretching above them like the tallest buildings of High Central, rivaling Fenrir’s fangs. The jaws opened, and as the translucent neck slashed through the man’s body, the scene was suddenly covered with blinding banners of scarlet and gold fire, rushing past him like an uncontrollable river, and sheets of heat and light billowed across the Scrublands, setting new grass and soil alight in a psychedelic display. 
It died as quickly as it appeared. The spectral monster shimmered and pulled inward, darkening the area. Around Juro’s kneeling form, miraculously unscathed, he became aware of a lithe, furred embrace, one clawed hand against the back of his head, the other around his shoulders, and a thick tail around the pair of them. Nala’s horns bowed over his back, her face hidden against the silken blue of his shoulder. By her creation, her insubstantial form carried illusionary weight and sight and smell against him. She had shielded him from all danger caused by her energy vent, and she stayed as she was for a full minute, not daring to move until she was positive her excess was spent and the flames had been extinguished.
Juro: They were left an almost unnoticeable pair, under the deepening shadows as the display of light calmed. Juro crouched under her, shivering minutely in spite of the warmth that had roared around him, the sudden drain of energy a familiar feeling. His eyes were wide and staring up at the sky, half of his face partially hidden beneath her arm, as he watched the final licks of flames disappear. No longer a dangerous vibration, he was left with only a small presence of telltale humming beneath his sternum and a weak sputter of blue and gold down one side, an indication of fresh amplification beginning anew.
As his vision settled into the usual janky, unmatched movements, one gloved hand came up carefully, and for a moment it seemed like it wanted to return the embrace, but the intent disappeared and slipped past the Warden’s form instead. Juro leaned back and untangled himself from their huddle, collapsing to sit on the scorched ground, his head bent low and hidden under ink stained fingers. His brow furrowed in bewilderment and distress.
“I’m sorry,” his voice was rough, finally speaking in the present, “I didn’t mean to… I said I would help, I…”
The Warden: Are you joking?
The Warden leaned forward on the balls of her half-breed feet, tail swaying slowly back and forth. Her face curled into a savage grin, the tip of a fang prodding her lip. That was more than I ever could’ve hoped for. The smirky expression lowered a bit. I did not mean to cause distress. I was worried about your well-being. But with the external channel of a vessel like the Construct…ah, the power we wield. She chuckled. Don’t tell Liam. He would be jealous. 
Juro: He carefully lifted his head, peering up at her through his fringe, then sweeping his gaze around them upon the evidence of destructive power left behind, uncertain by her words at first. The more eyes that saw what he was able to do, and the more that accepted and even celebrated it… he couldn’t help but be stunned, but the good kind.
“Of course, I–” he exhaled shallowly, still shaken by recent events, but he was able to return the sentiment with the familiar cheeky grin, albeit small, “I won’t. For a story,” he laughed in jest. He motioned towards himself feebly, “This will take a few days to, uh… recharge.”
The Warden: Well enough, as I do not wish to repeat that anytime soon. However, within the confines of a tool to channel that power, we will do just fine testing under Jari’s supervision, I think. 
Nala’s face tilted at him again, sifting through memories that didn’t belong to her. This was the seidkonur’s idea? she asked.
Juro: “You could say that.” His gaze slid towards the bones that rose high above them, as if the half breed would appear within sight at that moment. The endearment was clear even under the waning light, “He was inspired.”
The Warden: Like a demon to her Catalyst. He is also a madman, she said, a playful complaint. The only kind of madman who would think to take this path. But, in the end, I agree it may be our best chance at taking on the city. With a graceful rise to her feet, she asked, You will let me know when you recover? We will likely continue the experiment with or without you; you may choose whether you are present. The words were accompanied with the reassurance of not wanting to push Juro into harm’s way before he was ready, but also extreme eagerness at being able to see what their combined power could do, and their responsibility to wield it in defense of the others.
Juro: There was a large moment of silence between them as Juro fully returned the attention, unreadable once again on the surface, yet tangibly not as closed off as he always seemed to be. Merely… thoughtful.
Legs crossed beneath with his grip around his ankles to support his leaning weight, he nodded with a small smile. “Yes ma’am,” there was no concrete decision, but it was an honest promise, “I’ll keep you posted.”