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seasonsrpg2025-03-21 09:15 am
seasonsmods) wrote in seasonsrpg2025-03-21 09:15 am
Event #13: Who Are You, What Could You Be?
Who Are You, What Could You Be?
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION
March 21st
Nightwake is buzzing with excitement. The Dragon Lord, Opallios, has sent a proxy to Nightwake. This young dragon is an ivory colored, medium sized dragon, perfect for mingling with regular people. After a meeting with the guild leaders, the dragon addresses everyone with a booming voice, almost like it's coming from loudspeakers throughout the city.
"Otherworlders", he says. "My name is Einnainth and I'm here on the behalf of the Dragon Lord. You have been invited to the Abandoned Castle by Lord Opallios. We have worked hard to repurpose the place into sanctuary for all dragons and power holders. There, you may participate in a ritual to unlock completely new powers with our help. If you wish to hear details, I will be at the Solarpeak Beach."
The same message is also send to each device, just in case someone missed the announcement.
Those who come to meet Einnainth can see him enjoying affectionate pets from the local children. He will be explain that it was finally time to entrust ancient power holder magic to the otherworlders, as well as the four guild leaders. Dragons have always been the guardians of the powers so it was their duty to pass it on when the time was right.
He also requests to get some supplies for the castle, such as wood and stone, if they're able to spare them. They still have a lot of work to be done in the castle. While they can fix most things with magic, just conjuring materials from thin air is very taxing.
(March 22nd onwards)
New teleport crystals have been installed near the Abandoned Castle. All of the four guilds have counterparts for quick travel. Of course otherworlders are allowed to travel to the castle however they want. The crystals lead to a gazebo; those arriving from the summer and spring guilds end up near the summer side entrance, while autumn and winter arrive at the autumn side. It doesn't matter which side someone ends up in, as both entrances lead into the same area.
Those who have visited the Abandoned Castle before can notice a huge change. The walls that separated the two sides before have been knocked down. The only thing separating them is the way they're decorated and their general architecture: summer side is made more of stone and has no furniture or decorations left, while the autumn side has warm, wooden tones and plenty of dusty furniture and decorations in autumn colors.
Dragons have brought in plenty of moss and other soft natural materials for people to sit on. Their own sleeping quarters are in the rooms or outside on the roof. Peeking into them will reveal some of them have started hoarding different things in the middle of their rooms. Leaving them something they collect will result in the dragon becoming their friend.
There's plenty of time to socialize with the dragons before the main event begins. Plenty of berries, vegetables and fruit have been gathered for anyone to eat. Some dragons even have meat and fish.
Once everyone is gathered and settled down, Opallios makes an appearance. He's larger than most of the dragons present, white with gold accents. Many might remember him from the Frozen Falls.
"Welcome, everyone. We have gathered you here to help you unlock ancient abilities that we have been safekeeping. These powers are more difficult to master and some of them are even dangerous. However, we have full fate in you, hence why we are ready to pass the powers back into your hands."
He explains that the ritual will happen in special mindscapes, shaped by their minds. It will done in pairs and there's no rush. They can work on the unlocking as long as they need. No one has to do this right now either, as the dragons will remain here and help them anytime they want.
After that, he conjures very old-looking parchments from the air for everyone. They have a list of abilities they're about to unlock, written by the people of old.
The ritual to unlock the powers starts off simple. There are several small fires in the main room set up. Otherworlders are tasked with finding a partner and then sitting with them by one of them. However, the dragons warn that the more familiar the partner they choose is, the more dangerous the ritual would be. It's better to pick someone who they aren't so deeply bonded with for this.
Once the pair has settled down, one of the dragons approaches them. Next step is to hold hands or otherwise form a physical contact and close their eyes. The dragon will then breathe out a veil of mist that surrounds them. It feels comfortable, making it easier to relax. Slowly, the physical world starts feeling more distant.
Suddenly the pair will feel like they're floating. If they open their eyes they will be greeted with clear blue skies and a vast meadow they're about to gently land on. However, the moment they land the scenery changes; the scenery shifts according to what fits their states of mind. It splits neatly into half, one side for each person.
The state of mind can be visualized in different ways. Someone who has no problems or burdens may just have the same meadow with the blue skies while those with heavy burdens may have an approaching storm on the horizon. The meadow could also be withered and gray instead of the lush bright green, or even on fire.
Even if the two would have similar minds, there are still obvious changes. However if the pair is very close to one another the scenery will seem like it fits together seamlessly, no matter how different their minds are. They even have the risk of melding completely together, which can end up with both of them dead. They have to be constantly focusing on their sense of self to keep the two mindscapes separate. Whenever they stop doing so they will feel it as an ache all over their body.
Several different colored energy lines travel across the mindscapes. All of them have a different purpose. The bright golden ones are their touch energy, which are currently actively burning. Other colors vary between what season they represent; blue for winter, pink for spring, green for summer and orange for autumn. They have several different shades, representing all kinds of different abilities. Those with special powers from home will also notice an energy line for them.
The pair must follow the right colored lines through a variety of different landscapes; forests, mountains, rivers, and so on. Their lines follow the same path; straight in the middle of the two mindscapes. There's even a chance of enemy counters (representing enemies from home or from Ellipsa), depending on just how dark their state of mind is. All of their powers, seasonal or otherwise, work here so they are able to fight the enemies off. Dying means failing the ritual, injuries will reflects as unpleasant pain for a while after.
At the end of the lines they will find a wall with a gate. Only by touching the gate at the same time will it open and behind it they will find several illusions of themselves. Approaching them will have them tell them something that is either a complete lie or the absolute truth about the person.
Their next task is to find the ones that tell the truth. Accepting the truths, no matter how unpleasant, will the the person absorb energy; this energy will feel like they're unlocking something new. Denying the truth will break the mindscape around them, causing cracks. Too many cracks will completely break it down, waking them up from the mindscape and ending the ritual in a failure.
Accepting a lie as the truth will also result in absorbing energy, but this energy will result in a minor injury in the real body and feels unpleasant.
The amount of accepted truths needed to unlock the abilities varies between each person, but there has to be at least five different ones. These can be just simple things like "he has brown hair" or "she sucks at karaoke", but also truths they necessarily don't want anyone to find out.
Optionally, characters can also capture a floating ball of energy inside the gate that will unlock the ability to do emotion magic. However, this can either be completely ignored or just unnoticed.
After the pair has gathered all the possible energy, they are ready to wake up again. To do this, they must join their hands together and focus on the physical feeling of their own bodies. Their mind starts feeling more distant and eventually, they can feel like they're sitting once again.
The dragons congratulate them on their success and offer to tell them all about their season's abilities in more detail. Some even enthusiastically tell them all about emotion magic that may become something like a wildcard for them in battles.
People can redo the ritual with others, should they wish to help them unlock these abilities as well. However, they do not gain anything by doing it (unless they missed the emotional magic part) - other than possibly a deeper connection with the other person.
With all this excitement, don't forget that all around the city, the End-of-Winter Festival is in full swing! Ever since long ago, this festival has been a cultural mainstay to say goodbye to winter and bring in spring (on the calendar, at least, since the seasons all stay in their places).
In every district, there are bonfires set up here and there. They're all in places far from the centre and away from anything particularly flammable, for the sake of anyone uncomfortable with fire -- but they're all festival hubs for people to gather. Just like last year, all the traditional activities are back: dressing in costumes and masks to symbolize winter and spring; singing and dancing around the fire; dramatic improvised plays where people are asked to act out a battle between winter and spring; and, of course, the pancake breakfasts! Thanks to the recent quests, most of them even have real maple syrup instead of the cheap golden corn syrup in the packet. Or berry syrup, if you're not into maple.
The jellycats (cats that have jelly-like shells protecting them. The shells wiggle everytime they purr and they can retreat back into them whenever they're uncomfortable) also make another appearance, staring at anyone eating pancakes and hoping they'll share a bite. They come in various colors and scents (each jellycat smells different to different people). The scent becomes stronger the more a jellycat likes and trusts a person.
The traditional festivities aren't the only festivities this time around. After a very successful showing at last year's Arts Festival, the fanclubs of assorted otherworlders who have become minor or major celebrities through quests, missions, or even just plain social media presence are back. Not just that, but they've gotten serious and have opened an Otherworlder Fan Merch Store down a side street in Nightwake near one of the festival hubs.
They've certainly gone all out, even compared to when they just had festival merch booths. Otherworlders can find themselves on all kinds of merchandise like buttons, keychains, mugs, art prints, acrylic stands, and even 3D mouse pads and body pillow covers. Further back in the store are more esoteric goods. How many people are buying collector plates with the city's heroes on them? Who would buy a wallet with their face on it? Pasta shapes in a can?! Someone's gotten creative.
Past a curtain (wait, no, that's a shower curtain with life-sized images of characters, also available for sale), there's a section advertising "Unauthorized Biographies." Flipping through the comics and novels, one thing is clear -- this is the doujin section. How much of a market is there for RPF of the otherworlders? It's not even all dirty; at least half of these are coffee shop AUs shipping people with their friends or overly personal gushing about the time the subject of the story saved the author during a quest or a time monsters got into the city.
The Amberfall Library doesn't have a bonfire (for obvious reasons), but it's also running as an event hub of a different sort. Following the Dragon Lord's announcement, they've brought up some archived books for people to peruse about the old days of the now unsealed season magic.
There aren't very many, owing to how long ago it was, but a few still remain. The biggest feature is a book of short stories, where two specific stories are bookmarked.
In "The Tale of Spring and Autumn," two lovers on a mission, a Spring and an Autumn power user, find a massive and powerful monster beyond description that threatens their home. Pushed to the brink, the Spring mage increases her own magic over and over, disregarding her own safety, to wound the monster gravely, but the overuse of that ability turns her into a tree, and the monster knocks the tree down. The Autumn mage breaks down in a fit of grief and uses her wood powers to kill the monster with the wood of the tree.
In "The Tale of Winter and Summer," a Summer power user is guarding a Winter exorcist when they come upon a spirit searching for help. The Winter channels them to fulfill their last wish to save their town from the pirates that killed them, but the spirit turns out to be lying and is actually a ghost pirate themself, and the Winter struggles and ultimately fails to take back his body from the ghost. The Summer, seeing the rest of the ghost crew gaining on them, causes a landslide with a magical explosion.
Thankfully, they're not all that depressing. Any would-be scholars can read gathered information about their new abilities, though these ancient sources might not always be the easiest to parse.
And as a festival activity, the library has also provided paper and writing utensils for attendees to write about what season magic means to them. They can be anything the writer wants and will be posted up in the library for the duration of the event!
Summary of the prompts [ Click to Expand ]
SECTION 1• The proxy for Dragon Lord Opallios arrives to Nightwake
• Dragons are ready to bestow new powers for the power holders
• There is a request for wood, stone and other materials for the dragons
• Quick travel has been unlocked to the Abandoned Castle
• Dragons have redecorated the castle and provided natural cushions to sit down on
• Some dragons have started hoarding and will become friends with people who contribute to their hoard
• Opallios explains the ritual
• He also provides lists of abilities they're about to unlock
SECTION 2
• The rituals begin with holding hands and dragons breathing mist
• They ascend to a mindscape meadow that will take shape based on the pair's state of mind
• Those bonded closely together have to focus on their sense of self
• Several different colored energy lines appear
• The pair has to follow the right ones through different sceneries
• Enemies may appear
• They encounter a gate that has illusions of themselves inside
• They have to find the truths from the lies and accept them to learn a new power
• Waking up means holding both hands
• Characters may help others to unlock these powers as well
Do You Remember When Days Were Like That?
•Nightwake City is celebrating the spring equinox with bonfires, festival games, plays, dancing, and costumes
•Pancake breakfasts pop up around the city, and stray jellycats appear more often trying to get people to share
•Fanclubs open a merch store for unauthorized otherworlder fan merch
•Fan merch can be anything from common types (think artist alley/fan shop offerings) to weirder things that have been offered as merch (anything from pasta shapes to ice cube trays or fancy plates)
•A section in the back of the store sells fanfiction and fancomics written by Ellipsan fans of otherworlders
•The Amberfall Library is participating in the festival with a display related to the ancient powers in the dragon ritual
•Some old short stories are tragic cautionary tales about the risk involved with the stronger powers
•Nonfiction also exists to figure out things about the new powers
•A related activity is for attendees to write what season magic means to them
• Ask event related questions here
• The new abilities can be learned by anyone, even those who have just started learning their regular ones. They're separate from the original powers, despite both being seasonal abilities.
• The ritual can be done anytime after the event as well and it can be handwaved. However, NPCs can't help with the rituals in this one so everyone should have a playable character to plot with.
• Characters are free to help the dragons repair the castle and otherwise just hang out with the dragons.
• Smut is not allowed on the event post, so if your thread is heading that way, please move it to a separate entry (like to your musebox or characters' journal).
• Remember to content and spoiler and content warn as necessary!
• Reminder to players that this month is Activity Check-in month and check-in ends on March 31st, at 23:59 PST.
IIRC this was never explained, but I just imagine the titan worm crawling into a cradle...
It's alright. It... hasn't been easy, but... someone responsible needs to hold these powers. I don't mean to flatter myself, but if I hadn't taken them from my uncle, they'd have chosen a random person - at least, that's the warning that's been passed down the generations.
[How, she couldn't say - if the current holder's spine has to be devoured by their successor, how could the titan powers find their way to a random Eldian baby? But it's a risk the Reiss family couldn't take.]
imagine it running through the night on its little nerve-legs to slip into some random child 😭
[ It sounds incredibly cruel, to put something like this on the shoulders of someone who doesn’t even have the support of a family who knows about it — or so she imagines, at least, based on the admittedly limited amount of knowledge she has to work with. ]
Wait, is that…?
[ Something off to the side distracts her. Far in the distance, some buildings can be seen through the trees, and she squints, trying to make out their shapes. ]
I think… Could that be the village I grew up? But… [ She glances ahead of them, at where the lines of magic are leading. ] We probably shouldn’t veer away from this path, should we?
/craughs
Following her gaze to the distant town, she can't help but think of the smaller settlements within the Walls, especially the outermost Wall Maria. One wouldn't think that a walled nation would have much uncultivated nature left, but the Walls' forests and mountains prove otherwise.
Likewise turning back to the energy streams, which seem to move in loops and circles as if waiting for and beckoning them rather than streaming out of sight, she likewise hesitates.]
We probably shouldn't, but in the worst case, won't we be able to find the magic again? If it's gone when we return here, I can always transform again to give us a vantage point.
[Will that really be enough? She has no idea. But she badly wants to see Falin's home, to get a sense of how similar her life has been to her own people's.]
no subject
You’re right. Let’s go, then, just for a moment — we’ll just take a peek and then we’ll keep moving…!
[ For all her previous doubt, she’s as spry as a doe when she takes off in the direction of the settlement, all but skipping along on the forest floor; she’s not in a rush, but she’s clearly excited, and it’s not long until she emerges from between the trees at the forest’s edge and pauses, maybe ten steps ahead of Frieda at most. ]
Huh?
[ When Frieda catches up with her, what she sees outside of the forest is a medium-sized village, not unlike one she could find somewhere within Wall Maria, probably in the north — judging by the architecture, the original village must be located somewhere cold, where wood is abundant and protection from the elements is the main concern. The houses look sturdy and comfortably lived-in — there is laundry hanging outside a few of them, there are stables and dog houses and chicken coops, there is even smoke coming from all the chimneys…
Just no people. ]
Oh… I, well, I suppose it makes sense, I can’t imagine there would be anyone here except us — it’s meant to be our dream, after all…
[ Despite that, she still sounds a little disappointed. ]
no subject
The disappointment of finding the village without its inhabitants is all the greater. (For Frieda's countrymen, who've seen similar sights back home under the direst of circumstances, this would be a far more eerie moment.) She puts a sympathetic hand on Falin's shoulder.]
Yes, it seems to be that way. Even so... this is a lovely place to call home, Falin. We have villages just like this where I'm from.
[She hopes that her people are happy, she truly does. The Walls may not be the paradise her ancestor wanted them to be, but she hopes that if nothing else, they're still a safe haven from the hate of the world in the mundane, modest, down-to-earth joys they provide, until the Eldians' judgement day.]
Which house is yours?
no subject
Thank you. It’s been years since I left, and my parents and I trade letters often, but… I still miss it sometimes. Come, I’ll show you the house!
[ She leads Frieda through the village, otherworldly in its silence. It’s not just the people that are missing — there are no animals to be seen either, even though faint birdsong reaches them from the nearby trees. They soon arrive at the centre of the settlement, where one house stands above the others; it’s not particularly ornate, but it is larger than the rest, hinting at the inhabitants’ status. The door is unlocked, and Falin walks right in, gesturing for Frieda to follow; from how comfortable she seems with it, this must be the house she grew up in.
The atmosphere inside is much like in the rest of the village — the walls and floors are stark wood and stone, but the woven rugs and comfortable-looking furniture give it a warmer, more lived-in appearance; evidently, real care has been put into making this rugged space feel welcoming. Falin wanders through it with a wistful smile, touching things as she goes — a shelf here, a dish there, all clearly used and well-loved. ]
I haven’t been back here in years… It really is quite big now that it’s just my parents and the dogs…!
no subject
It has to be strange for them to have you live so far from them. I live with my family, back home, and I couldn't imagine it otherwise.
[She had no plans of leaving. Rather, whatever partner she might have chosen would have been brought into the tight-knit family fold. Of course, such considerations feel moot now... and even before she came to Ellipsa, her mind was occupied with other things. While holders of the Founder are permitted - encouraged, even - to have families of their own as much as anyone else, near-godhood and the heavy weight that comes with it puts a distance between them and everyone else.]
no subject
[ There’s some tension in her voice, hinting at unresolved feelings, but she doesn’t sound resentful, mainly just a little sad. She lingers in front of the fireplace for a moment; the wood inside is still burning brightly, spreading warmth across the room. ]
I’m really glad you’re close with your family, Frieda. I have my disagreements with mine, and I think all in all it’s better for Laios and I to live apart from my parents, but they all still mean the world to me. [ She sighs quietly, then turns back towards Frieda with an apologetic smile. ] I was hoping to show you the dogs, but I guess they’re not here… And there’s no point in me showing you the room that used to be mine, because I think they’re using it for something else now… Let’s go, shall we?
no subject
Stepping back outside (not without a glance back at the peaceful, quiet rooms), she speaks in a gentle voice.]
I think it's this way for many families, whether they live together or apart. It's the same for me, too. There are things about me that my parents and siblings don't understand, and that I can't explain to them.
[Physically, and it drives me insane.]
Much as we may love each other, there will always be barriers between people, even if they're of the same flesh and blood. Someone who can feel fully and wholly understood is a very lucky person.
no subject
I think I know what you mean. It’s… complicated, isn’t it? You can understand your own self perfectly, but as soon as another person is brought into the mix, everything gets so messy, even if you’ve known them your entire life — and words can only help so much…
[ As they walk through the village back towards the forest and the lines of magic leading them to their goal, she thinks back to when she and Laios first started adventuring together, and all the misunderstandings she helped smooth over for him when he inevitably put his foot in his mouth — but also all the times she herself felt helpless in a conversation, unable to get through to someone despite trying her best. She’s gotten better at it since, but it’s taken time and effort, and she often found herself wishing there was a way to just open her mind to someone and show them her thoughts and feelings without the imperfect medium of words and facial expressions getting in the way.
Then again, that’s kind of what we’re doing here, isn’t it? Just a little bit…
The thought makes her smile. ]
Oh! There they are.
[ She points to the magic lines, visible through the trees now, waiting for them exactly where they were before. ]
no subject
I don't know how time works here, but I wonder how far we'll have to follow them... I have half a mind to assume my titan form again so we can cover more ground.
[The break they just took has given her sufficient time to rest that she feels ready to give it another go! But if Falin prefers to walk normally, she fully understands.]
no subject
[ Something in her resists the thought of having Frieda transform again. It’s not that her titan form is frightening — it’s strange, that’s for sure, but Falin knows now that it poses no threat to her since Frieda is in control of it — and she is still curious about the titans and wants to find out more about them, and yet… She frowns, struggling to put a finger on what exactly is bothering her, then decides to go against this vague feeling of unease. If she can’t even tell what the issue is, it’s not worth bothering with, she figures. ]
Alright! Let’s do that. If you get tired, though, transform back, okay? It wouldn’t do to wear ourselves out before we reach whatever it is that’s waiting for us at the end of these.
[ “Ourselves,” she says, but truth be told it’s Frieda that’s been doing most of the work so far, leaving Falin wishing there was more she could contribute. Then again, she supposes it’s mostly been a peaceful journey — aside from their brief encounter with the titans — and so there hasn’t been much need for her skills, whether healing or combat-related… Either way, she resolves to do her best to pull her weight as well. ]
I, um, I’ve never done it before, but I could try transforming into a bird later — you know, to fly ahead and see how long we have to go…!
1/3
Nevertheless, Falin agrees, and she smiles and shakes her head at her follow-up suggestion.]
Animal transformation requires practice - for most people, at least. If you've done anything like it before at home, it may come more easily to you. But for now, let me carry you once more.
2/3
As soon as it's whole, though, the titan picks her up with care like the first time around, and with no pure titans pursuing them, it falls into a more leisurely run once Falin is secure on its shoulder. The wide landscape ahead of them continues to be a blend of what they both know, with the bipolar sky marking the separation where ground and foliage might seem almost harmonious.]
3/3
Something she didn't really pay attention to happened quietly alongside them, already in progress when they made the detour to Falin's hometown: Bit by bit, the darkness of the sky on her side of the plane eased up. When they set out from there, the clouds were still dark and heavy, but it no longer sounded like a storm was brewing, and by now, they've turned a light grey, almost ready to part and let the sun shine onto the land.]
no subject
The gentle way the titan picks her up, though — that makes a difference, and so does knowing that it’s because Frieda is inside it, unchanged, still herself, her mind still her own even as her body becomes something else entirely. There’s no discomfort or revulsion as she settles on the titan’s shoulder again, ready to keep an eye out for anything interesting or dangerous. She’s glad to see no pure titans pursuing them, and her own side of the mindscape seems free of monsters as well; as they leave the village behind, the landscape just turns to a forest again, pines and firs slowly giving way to deciduous trees more suited to temperate climes. She takes note of the sky on Frieda’s side lightening up a little, the clouds no longer seeming quite as dark and oppressive, and she smiles, hoping it might be a reflection of some change happening inside her friend’s mind. Wouldn’t that be nice?
As they arrive at the gate, she hops off of the titan’s shoulder and helps Frieda get out of the nape of its neck. ]
Are you okay? [ Picking up on Frieda’s tiredness, she can’t help but feel a little worried. ] Should we rest here for a while before we go through?
no subject
No, I'm alright. I just hope that no battle will wait for us behind this gate!
[She laughs weakly. She doesn't believe that that'll be the case... but then, who knows? She feels the need to issue a warning:]
It was over half a year ago now that we liberated the fairy kingdom far north in the Spring Segment from the Darkness, and... we had to master numerous trials there. Something similar happened again about three months ago when we explored the ruins in the Summer Segment's Desert of Illusions. We must be prepared.
[And that's easier said than done when trials can take so many forms.]
no subject
Liberated the fairy kingdom… Gosh, the otherworlders have really done a lot in this world already, haven’t they? That, and the mermaids you told me about…
[ The mention of trials has her a little ill at ease, though. It’s one thing to overcome challenges that present themselves spontaneously, but the thought of facing trials purposefully created to test their mettle makes her a bit nervous. Then again, in a way that’s what the entirety of a dungeon was… ]
What, um, what sorts of trials were they? Just so I have some idea of what I should possibly expect!
no subject
When Falin asks about the trials, though, her brows furrow.]
The trials... they were very diverse. One had us cross a river covered by a thin sheet of crystal, and if it broke, the aquatic fae monsters in the water would attack us. Another had us turn into porcelain and make our way through a labyrinth full of traps.
[Her eyes wanders over her own hands, but the lines where Rinku used her kintsugi set to glue her broken fingers back together are so thin and faint, just a tinge lighter than the rest of her skin, that Falin would have to look closely to notice them.]
There were many more in the fae kingdom, but I... I only completed those two. In the ruins, we were magically transported into different trial locations. One I faced featured a huge swarm of aggressive birds. I intimidated them with my titan, and we later learned that we'd have failed the test if we'd harmed them.
[There were so many more trials in both locations that she heard about from the others, but those are the ones she can give first-hand accounts of.]
no subject
It sounds like you were tested very thoroughly all around — your finesse, your prudence, your ability to keep a cool head and come up with solutions other than the obvious…
[ She follows Frieda’s gaze to her hands, but doesn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Still — the trials sound arduous, and she would not be surprised if they had left a mark on her friend, or indeed on anyone who has gone through them, be that a physical mark or one that’s only in the mind. ]
If these trials are anything like the ones you’ve faced before, I think we need to be prepared for anything. [ She gives a little laugh suddenly, a bright sound cutting through the heavy atmosphere. ] Which is not really very helpful, is it? If you’re supposed to expect anything, you might as well expect nothing… So let’s just both do our best.
[ She might sound carefree, but in truth she’s taking this just as seriously as before, she’s just decided to not worry overmuch about things that she can neither predict nor control. ]
Shall we try?
[ Only after getting Frieda’s approval does she approach the gate, already expecting a trap or a puzzle of some sort, but as far as she can tell, the gate is completely ordinary, with one exception — it does not budge whatsoever when Falin tries to open it. She frowns; it did not seem very heavy to her, but maybe it’s made of some metal she’s unfamiliar with that’s heavier than it appears? She makes another attempt, but again it refuses to open. ]
Ugh! Could you try it?
no subject
Let's try together. Otherwise, we'll have to think of something else.
[She's decently proficient at floating by now, so perhaps she could make her way across the wall carrying Falin - but before she can mull on further options, the gate swings open easily at their joint touch, and the streams of magical energy that had been circling overhead fly ahead of them.
On the other side, people are waiting - copies of both of them. While they're all looking at them, they don't attack, nor do they necessarily seem hostile. They're just standing there, loosely scattered around the place. It's honestly eerie.]
...
I didn't expect this, I have to say.
no subject
[ She’s not entirely sure what she expected to see past the gate, but this sure isn’t it. ]
M-me neither. Are these… us?
[ It’s a rhetorical question, really, because there is no way they could be anything but — they look identical to them, to the point that Falin’s first thought was that they had just walked into a hall of mirrors. They do not copy their movements, however; they all stay still as Falin cautiously approaches one of her own… reflections? Clones? She’s not even sure how to think of them; the closest thing she’s ever encountered were shapeshifters in the dungeon, but those were always imperfect, being based on other people’s perceptions, meanwhile these really do seem like mirror images.
The moment she gets within arm’s reach of one of her own copies, it opens its mouth and speaks, stopping her in her tracks. “You wish your family could all get along again,” it says, addressing Falin in her own voice; the sound is identical, but the cadence is all wrong, flat and monotone, lacking Falin’s usual emotional intensity. ]
I— Huh? I mean, I do, but what does that…?
[ She cuts herself off as the mirror image gives her a solemn nod, then dissipates into a handful of glowing lights, like a smattering of distant stars or a small flight of fireflies. They hover in the air for a short moment before flowing towards Falin and disappearing, seemingly inside of her. She gasps and touches the middle of her chest where they seemed to enter her body. ]
Oh! This feels… strange… I feel like I just — gained something?
[ Her voice falters; she’s not sure what just happened, but it didn’t seem harmful, indeed quite the opposite. ]
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Are you alright? It doesn't hurt..?
[It doesn't seem to have caused her any harm... is this how they attain their new powers, or at least the potential thereof? It seems far too easy! But when Falin confirms that she's not in pain or discomfort, Frieda takes heart.]
If this is how it's supposed to be, then..!
[She approaches one of her own copies, which looks her straight in the eye and states: "You know that all Eldians must die". It's a familiar mantra, one that's played out so many times in her mind, yet to hear "herself" say it out loud in the presence of a friend - an innocent who doesn't know about the full extent of the Eldians' cruelty - gives her a painful pang. For a moment, her voice falters, eyes avoiding Falin, then she half-whispers:]
That's right.
[The false Frieda closes her eyes, inclines her head, and turns into light particles that enter her body. She understands now what Falin meant by "gaining something" - there's a new power inside of her, still slumbering but present.]
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[ Now that the first moment of surprise has passed, her endless curiosity has been awakened, and she drifts towards Frieda just as she approaches one of her copies. She keeps a bit of a distance, not wanting to impose, but too interested to stay away entirely. The words spoken by the fake Frieda mean nothing to Falin; she only has the vaguest understanding of Frieda’s world, and knows nothing at all about Eldians, or Marleyans, or their tragic, bloody history. She can see, however, that this is a truth her friend struggles with, and once the light motes have entered Frieda’s body, she lays a hand on her shoulder and squeezes lightly, hoping to reassure her. ]
Frieda… I’m not entirely sure what that, um, that reflection of you just said, but if there’s anything you’d rather I didn’t hear, I can stay away. They can clearly reach into our inner thoughts, and… well, I have nothing to hide, but if you do, that’s okay. I won’t take it personally. So it’s your choice.
[ They’re friends, and she hopes Frieda knows already that she can depend on Falin anytime, but she’s also aware they’ve only known each other for a small while, and she can picture someone having feelings or thoughts they might want to keep to themselves or only show to their very closest friends. Shuro would absolutely hate this, she thinks with a touch of melancholic fondness. ]
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That might just be for the best - for both of us. Even if you have no secrets, these doppelgängers may say... upsetting things.
[There's an incredibly deep abyss in her mind, reaching down 2 millennia, but even in one human life, such sad and awful things can happen. She wouldn't want to inadvertently witness Falin being reminded of painful moments in her personal history.]
Let's split up.
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