“He's acting up again”

Those words are the only things that will leave her in a state of great worry. The blue-haired dragon stood up from her desk, stepping out from her room full of maps.

“Catraoine, don't” the woman stopped the dragon by grabbing her arm. The dragon, Catraoine, sighs at her. “Isca, please. This has been a string of stressful days for me”,

The woman, Isca, shook her head disapprovingly. “He's your family, you know”, she remarked. Catraoine tilted her head down, looking up at Isca in further disapproval.

Not this situation again. I've had enough, Catraoine murmurs to herself.

“Just because he has the same last name as I meant that I must be the one telling him to behave!”

“How can you learn to behave if you died once.” Isca said to Catraoine. Indeed, the man in question died years ago. Catraoine sighed, “I'll get Lórcan, then I'll be down there. I'll ask aunt Pádraigìn to seal his magia”

“Lórcan's resting. That was a genius move to let him mess around with the Albion Forces. Now he needs days of sleep!” Isca responded, as a reminder that Catraoine needs to calm down and handle it herself, “And as for Dr. Pádraigìn, she's downing on bottles of Dooley's vodkas because of it. She hates Dooley's, you know”

”....” Catraoine wasn't able to answer Isca's words. “Fine”, she walked out of her room.

Arriving at the living room, she sees the sight of a tidy room, but it was clear that there were signs of it being ramshacked moments ago. In fact, she knows this as she sees Pádraigìn, sitting with her legs spread, her lab coat on the floor, and her eyes full of downed anger. On the table in front of her are bottles of Dooley's vodka, all empty.

“DON'T YOU STAND THERE, GET YOUR FUCKING GRAND-UNCLE IN HERE!!!” she suddenly shouts as soon as she saw Catraoine. Then she shifted into blank stare. Her wavy twintails looks like it's going to fall down.

Great, she's drunk Catraoine remarked to herself. As she murmured to herself, her phone rang. It was a notification from the phone's AI System, notifying dangerous levels of a burst of magia. It's in the training grounds, just besides the greenhouse. Oh no, the greenhouse! she panicked. The greenhouse would break if he gets loose!

In the training grounds, two people —– dragons, stood facing eachother from a distance. The man menacingly grins at the woman in front of him, with his hands preparing for an incantation.

“I do not think this is allowed, Stanislaw”, the woman warns him, “Your niece looks pissed from what you did”

“PISSED??? Back in the day it was so normal! Ma and Da always gets pissed if I do not train like this everyday!” the man, Stanislaw, gleefully shouted at an excited tone.

“Stan, if you keep doing this I will have to do that”, the woman responded. The man's smile shifted to a teethy frowning grin.

“Gráinne! I thought you're an Ó hEigeartaigh! Whatever happened to “Let all your strength out”?? Don't act like my granda and grandma!!!” Stanislaw responded in an angry tone, but it was clear that he had a panic in his voice “Don't do that!! Your last name isn't 'Mac Duilighe'!!! Please don't stun me!!!!” he continued with traces of tears in his voice. It seems that he felt that the woman, Gráinne, is going to act like a parent forbidding their kid to have fun.

But this isn't 'fun' that they are having.

“Look, there's always another time for this. We are at your home, Goddess Erin knows what'd happen if you——” Gráinne gets interrupted by Stanislaw's sudden move. He fired out shots of Dark Flames, that is fire imbued with Darkness that binds its' targets momentarily, disabling their abilities when hit.

Normally this type of attack would left her unscathed. Even Stanislaw would've needed to try harder to even bring a scratch on her, despite being an heir to the Dullea clan, known for their high-level mastery in elemental-based Magia, with a clan-specific Magistry blessed by Goddess Erin herself.

Ó hEigeartaigh is pretty similar, also blessed by Goddess Erin herself. Instead of Elemental magia, they can modify their bodily strength to surpass the limits imbued by nature. Essentially turning themselves into homunculi supermen. Meaning that Stanislaw's abilities shouldn't even bring a scratch to Gráinne.

But this time, it felt like she's a small target to Stanislaw.

”....the resurrection....” she mumbled. She looked at Stanislaw's fiery eyes, his face full of the excitement of a hunter finding their prey. He has become a wild animal. Nothing can stop him

They are reliving the nightmarish days of their previous lives.

Stanislaw Dullea and Gráinne Ní hEigeartaigh are dead. Or so they were.

They were long dead. Feared by the Normanians, and known as staunch separatists by Tarans. But somehow they joined the Taran Garda, itself not a friend to their beliefs. Taran Garda's only reason to exist is to drive away the Empire of Normania.

Immediately, they rose up among the most powerful in their ranks, and among those with distinct personalities that stood apart.

Stanislaw was laid-back, optimistic, but hot-blooded. Gráinne was a quietly-spoken tactician, only showing her stern and serious side in battles and always shifts into total authoritarian mode under threat.

Naturally, they died from targets killing them. That was supposed to be the final words on them.

Until a few weeks ago where some occultists from the Empire of Normania brought him back to life. But both of them were fighters from the Land of Tara who aimed to liberate the Land of Tara from the Empire, and belief in royalty and nobility in general.

Why would they be brought to life by their enemies? It was a question that all the belligerents in this current situation asks.

The resurrection was indeed, a botched job. Stanislaw has lost his composure and optimism. Gráinne has lost her almighty-sturdiness. And to top it off, both are in unstable conditions to perform magia, being undeads forced to walk the mortal lives once again.

They're not themselves.

The duel abruptly stopped. All sound were gone for a few seconds.

And then everything returns. Sound returns, and senses can be felt again. Immediately, a song can be heard from a close distance. Both Stanislaw and Gráinne immediately knelt into the ground, with their heads in pain. Their hands hastily press their heads, trying to calm the headache, while screaming in pain.

”...Bard....” Gráinne murmurs as she looks at the source of the singing.

A young dragon boy, clad in a robe is singing a song. It is sung in a serene way that the situation is neutralized to an acceptable level. As the premises is located far from the main city of the Gorias region where it stood, the dragon boy need not to worry for the burst of magia affecting the premises' surroundings. This is undoubtedly, the power of the Bard

Both Stanislaw and Gráinne lied down in their backs, looking at the night sky. Gráinne sighed in relief, as the worries are over for now. It is a sight they missed.

Catraoine ran into the training grounds, finding Lórcan sitting down near the greenhouse. He looked tired from using his Bard abilities on the two of them.

“Lórcan, you don't have to do this” she said to him

“Catraoine....I want you to worry less” he responded

“It's fine, just go back to sleep. Aunt Pádraigìn is going to—–” Catraoine responded while being cut by Lórcan, “What'd she do to you? She's a—–”

“GLKARHH!!!” Catraoine felt the tremors of her cheeks from a slap. Shoe sole marks branded itself on her right cheek. She looked down to see Pádraigìn holding her left shoe. She didn't look pissed, but it is clear that Catraoine did it wrong.

“Do not EVER involve that KID in our family business!” Pádraigìn angrily yelled at Catraoine, pointing her shoe against her face. Pádraigìn's face is all red from all the anger. “Stupid Pádraig never LEARN! WE DO NOT LET OTHERS INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN OUR BUSINESS! NOW I HAVE TO SEE A GODDAMNED CHILD MEDDLING WITH US” she continued, cursing on Catraoine's father.

The tone in her yelling isn't all anger, though. As a medical doctor, she definitely felt worried about the safety of Lórcan. As she mentioned, Lórcan is a child, inserting himself in the dangerous business of adults. This should have been solved easily by fellow adults. But alas, all the pain and emotions, as well as confusions led to a child solving this issue.

“I-it's okay Aunt Pádraigìn! Lórcan's fine with this!” Catraoine hastily responded as Pádraigìn once again made angry faces at her, ready to give her an earful.

“D...Dr. Dullea!! It's fine!!! I'm used to this!” Lórcan ran up to Pádraigìn, stopping her and getting her to step back. Her face becomes an idle stern face, befitting of a medical doctor calming themself. She took a long breath and sat down in a bench outside of the greenhouse.

“Lórcan....first off, just call me 'Pádraigìn', will you? 'Patricia' is fine too...you know”, Pádraigìn shifts into a slightly worried face, but Catraoine can hear a tone of relief.

“I don't feel tired anymore....” Lórcan continues, while giving his best smile to a worried Pádraigìn, which made her feel less worried.

“For now.” Pádraigìn said. “You are young. Don't harm your own body and soul with this”

“I'm used to this. Me and Catraoine had been doing this for years...”

“That's even worse”, Pádraigìn continued, “You've involved yourself in many situations unfit for you”

Pádraigìn stood up, and looks at Catraoine. Her face shifted into a face of not only worry, but sadness and fear. As a medical doctor, these faces meant a serious problem that something terrible might happen. She held back her tear, and puts her hand on Catraoine's shoulder.

“Pádraig....your father....he used to be like this” Pádraigìn says to Catraoine, in a sad tone. “He's nowhere to be found now after years of....wandering....I just want you to know that”, Pádraigìn continues as she walks back into the house.

She looks at Stanislaw and Gráinne, still on their backs. Then she remembers something. It is something she always think of before she acts.

“The difference between 'Mac Duilighe' and 'Dullea' is that....the former, our elders....our ancestors....helps others.”

Catraoine looks in a tone of sadness at Pádraigìn.

“The latter, us....we help ourselves” Pádraigìn finishes while she walks away sullenly. The night suddenly becomes quiet.

Catraoine and Lórcan finds themselves in Catraoine's room. The clock is ticking towards midnight. She looks at Lórcan, sleeping in her bed soundly, peacefully, not bothered by anything. Catraoine then walked out of her room, heading to the first floor where she finds no one but a note from Pádraigìn, telling her that she has an emergency that needed to be done on her hospital in Killinatopher, which is far from where they are.

Still content with being awake, Catraoine walked into the kitchen, where she finds Stanislaw. However, he is seen without bottles of alcohol, an oddity considering that he was known as a fervent drinker, especially of Murphy's and Dooley's vodka.

“What? Surprised?” Stanislaw looked at Catraoine. She makes a surprised face.

“Nothing, really” Catraoine looks down in a sullen face.

“What's with that face” Stanislaw humorously responded, “Relax, nothing's gonna happen”

Catraoine remembers Pádraigìn's words about how their family must help themselves. She knew full well that Pádraigìn's words are wrong. If the family helps themselves, how come they haven't resolved these issues that could be fixed easily if it's family issues?

“Geh, I heard her” Stanislaw said to Catraoine, “It's all bullshit, okay”

“I...didn't say anything....”

“Your face did”

“I....”

“Look, that kid will be fine. Don't worry, and don't take her words in a literal sense” Stanislaw said in a tone of reassurance.

“Literal...? What do you mean by that?” Catraoine responded with a question

“You see, it used to be literal after the Carman Radiation broke out. We got hit by it the hardest.....that was when we had the risk to kill others by contact.”

”....Of course...”

“Now that we coexist with it, and with what the Empire is doing and yadda yadda....there is no distinction between 'others' and 'ourselves. That Lórcan kid.....he did a good job'”

”...!” Catraoine responded with a surprised face. She did not think of it that way. But she wasn't able to, as she had just returned to her homeland after a long time of exile, not knowing anything that happened. She had thought that Pádraigìn told her to put herself and the family above others, which does not align with Catraoine's desire to bring help.

“Pádraigìn still think of it in the literal way.....well, she wanted to eradicate the Radiation after all. But this wasn't what Eadaoin....her mother, I mean, want her to think”

Catraoine is at loss for words, she can only listen to Stanislaw, in a calm way, definitely unlike him a few hours ago in the Training Grounds. She can feel an affirmation coming into her way, guiding her back to where she was before she came to Land of Tara to see all the strife.

“Look, our business is others' business. You see Gráinne? Her family's business is our business. And the other way around. Then our business is the Land of Tara's business. There's no distinction between 'others' and 'ourselves'”

Catraoine felt her heart with a lighter weight. She looks out at the window, onto the skies. It is bright, full of stars.

“To be clear, there's basically no distinction between Mac Duilighe and Dullea. That's just a name, what's in a name, anyway? Dunno why our elders changed it”

Catraoine did not listen to what Stanislaw has said. She knows that names don't matter much in this situation full of strife.

“These stars... they are souls. I want to bear their weaknesses...and turn them into strength. That was what Lórcan and I believed in. By helping others, we turn their weaknesses into something they can use as strength to live. And strength to power through”

Catraoine looks at Stanislaw. She has felt affirmation of her beliefs. Nothing can change her goals, her wishes, and her strength. She will continue power on.

“I am helping all of us. All of us, ourselves”

The words powers her on for the next day onwards in her long journey in her tumultous homeland.

Some notes: – The location in this story is located in a fictional version of Aghadoe, Killarney. – Killinatopher is a fictional district located in a fictional version of county Kildare.

#writetober #writing #OCs #valiance #edentrius #SoulMaster #SoulMasterVALIANCE #Catraoine

FLASH.

A flash of thunder exploded.

But it was a strange thunder —— it was not raining. Rain would be a strange thing as well, as this case of thunder flash is in Mars. Things do not work the same way as Earth.

Armed with questions, Shana looked at the photo that Raziel had gave him. Hold on, this looked off, he thought.

This thunder was made-up. Someone out there caused this.

But Why?

For the sharp-gazed man, it is time to look into the Red Planet.

“You have arrived at your destination” the navigator notified. Shana looked at his surroundings. Now in his fifth form, taking form of a tall young man with a short dark blonde hair, complete with a sharp pair of icy blue eyes. He gazed at the sign on his right.

The sign reads “Ward 16”. From the looks of it, the ward is full of dormitories. Dormitories? How could a thunder could've come from them?, he thought.

The photograph Raziel's assistants took does not seem strange....it is just a flash of thunder. But why? A thunder on Mars?

“Very strange indeed, Shana” Raziel said to him, “But the coloration made it look off” she continued. Shana then pointed out that due to the low shutter speed, she was able to point out how it looked artificial. Not in the 'digitally-added thunder' sense of artificial, but rather, the thunder was manually caused by someone

“Interesting, I'll go to Mars right now” Shana responded.

They all looked the same, put on a sleek corridor, but he saw an outlier in the corridor —— a double door.

Shana recalled that this corridor belongs to living spaces for two people, and he pulled out his commuphon. Quick inspection of the dorms shows that the double door is twice larger than the other dorms. Perhaps strangely, he finds that the strange dorm was privately owned, an anomaly in Planetary Branches, in this case the Bowie Branch, as no one is able to privately own these dorms.

Shana's scanner showed that the door was unlocked. Normally, Shana would never bother with open doors, unless it is part of his business, but something tells him to go to the room.

And he did.

The room was messy, full of papers scrambled on the floor. All the window shutters were broken beyond repair. Bottles of Earth-imported alcohol circled the floors, and hard drives were scattered on tables. Shana took all of them to inspect its conditions, and thankfully all of them are in mint condition. No bad volumes, good., he said to himself.

But the whole place is wrecked. It doesn't looked like a place trashed from a party or a bad hangover, as Shana can felt anger through the room. Shana can sense that there were swinging emotions that are responsible for the sorry state of the dorm room. Even the kitchen looked sorry, with the refrigerator door being split into half. What the hell is up here, Shana said to himself, wondering.

”...!” a sound entered Shana's ears. It came from the bedroom.

Armed with caution, Shana entered the bedroom. It is as messy as the living room and kitchen, with sheets all over the place, contents of drawer being thrown, and papers dumped all over the floor. What a mess, Shana said.

“Get outta here, Irishman!” The man scoffed at Shana. Shana makes a disappointed glare at the man. I'm Shana, for Eden's sake, he muttered to himself. He looked at the man, and then he shifted into a big smile.

“Hi hi hi there, Shana-brother!” A cheery voice said to him. It's Mara. No, not the real Mara the deity, but the alien of the same name. Shana recalled that the alien species often names themselves after gods and deities —— Mara is no exception. “Sorry-y! Really thought you were a randoom-y Irishma-n!”

Shana inspected Mara's appearance —— still the same, with his luscious long hair, chest-exposing robe, and snakey accessories. His appearance made him worthy of the real Mara, being able to seduce any mortal into doing his bidding.

But what surprised Shana is Mara's position. Mara isn't standing, he's not even sitting. That's right —— somehow, someone cornered Mara into a wall, and tied him up to a pole. The strange thing is, Mara didn't made attempts to escape. He stayed still, tied up into a pole with his hands on his back. Mara was even smiling all along.

“What....is going on?” Shana looked in shock at the situation. Normally, it's Mara who will get humans into willingly tying themselves up for him, but this time, it's the other way around. What human being is capable of doing such a thing?

“Ahhh....Stephen X, so angry of me-y”, Mara said in a cutesy tone, but quickly dropped it off, “He got mad that I stole his money, hee-hee”, Mara continued on a normal tone.

“Stephen....X?” Shana asked

“That Earth billionaire....or should I say, former Earth billionaire? Haa-haa!” Mara continued humorously, “Well, I sent him here but he failed to bring someone I want to see.”

“How did it come to this....?” Shana continued, while noticing a large paper on the wall. It is a map of Bowie Branch, filled with 'X' marks on residential areas of Bowie Branches, but on the edge of the map, a large 'YOU CAN'T BE HERE' was written three times.

“Oooooh, that-tie! Stevie thinks he's genie-ous!” Mara looked into the map and said to Shana in a cutesy tone, though he dropped it again, “Poor sod thinks he can escape to Jupiter” Mara continued.

Shana and Mara concluded that Stephen was trying to escape from Mars to Jupiter. But it was impossible, Shana thought.

“Jupiter....that's off-limits” Shana said to Mara, “You can't even approach the Kubrick construction sites, let alone the Clarke Outposts, without Choi's permission”, he continues while he looks over papers.

“Yeeeesh, what a drag that Choi lad is” Mara said, “Biometric signatures? Military grade encryption? The hell Choi's thinking, it's like he's some hot shit or anything”, Mara continued.

Shana instinctively attempted to contact Choi, with his commuphon automatically searching for Choi Yeon-woo, director of the Kubrick Branch construction project and a human he knows. But the only thing that greeted Shana was his commuphon receiving connection error. No use, Shana said to himself. Shana then attempts to untie Mara.

“No fucking use, man, this shit is Stephen's own invention” Mara said to Shana, “Fucker added a lock over there, unlockable only with his computer back on Earth”

“Well, shit” Shana exclaimed, while remembering why he was here at the first place. The Thunder, “Mara, what was that? Earlier?”

“Earlier? The Thunder you mean?” Mara responded, “See, that Stephen fucker used my jammer over there,” Mara continued while he shook his head to the corner of the room —– where a jammer device is placed, “He must've been setting the jammer too high to cause an electrical reaction —– which caused BOOM! That” Mara continued.

“The jammer.....it blocks communications systems and shit for 3 hours” Shana said, “He's.....trying to get to Earth without the outpost's permission”, Shana continued.

“Ex-fucking-actly! That shit thinks it'll jam the ATC, but fucker forgot that he needed permission using Bowie's GBR connection to even start the engine” Mara continued.

Shana knew what he meant. It means that Stephen is still on the hangar. “Mara, I need to go. Sorry I can't do anything” Shana said as he hastily ran off from Mara's place.

“Welp, good luck with it, Kiddo” Mara said to Shana. As Mara is left alone, tied, again, he thinks of Stephen's motivations. He fears that he will lose everything and himself, but his desire gets him into this strange journey.

Fear is the mind killer, Desire is the mind stimulator.

Being tied up for hours isn't something to get fussy about, Mara knows this. He is semi-divine, after all. His race can withstand abandonment like this.

Boredom took over his brain, however. And boredom can lead to unthinkable ideas in mind.

“Jupiter.....great idea”, Mara muttered to himself. Yes, Mars is no longer cool. It's been ruined by pesky humans. he thought. The fact that Mars is now an extension of Earth makes the planet no longer fun for him. He can't run around doing his dealings without being noticeable to normal humans.

Jupiter is on the verge of humanization. There's only smart people in Jupiter, hahaha, he continued his thought.

His eyes are now scanning the entire room, to scattered papers that Stephen spread the floor with. One print of paper in particular caught his eye.

“Aha....there you are, darlings” Mara's voice momentarily returned to his high-pitch voice. He makes a curling smile. The paper's contents are what he needed.

On the left of his position lies a paper detailing the schematics of a space station, with the words Clarke Ganymede – Entrance Protocols. That gave him the answer on how to arrive at Jupiter.

Below the paper lies another paper that made him chuckle a little. It is a blueprint of a Satellite, meant to be for telecommunication operators. It is covered with the paper above, but Mara can deduce what it's for. His guess is correct, as he kicks the papers to reveal the full title: Dullea-3 Orbiter – HSD Receiver.

“Kufufu, my new little radio tower!” he chuckled. Now he knows what to do next.

All he can do is to wait for Shana to untie him. He wouldn't notice, after all, what's behind Mara's childish smile.

Lore Compendium: – Commuphon: Smart Watches with Holographic screens. Can be used as cloud computers connected to a main computer. – Branch: Official term for space stations. So far, there are three 'branches'; L-Post Branch (Lagrange Points), Bowie Branch (Mars), and Kubrick Branch (Io, Callisto, Ganymede, Europa). Planetary branches are always named after artists whose works are related to topics of outer space. – Outposts: Space terminals. Functions as 'airports' and transits. Not for habitation. – GBR: ISP of Bowie Branch. An acronym of “Gebura” a.k.a “Geburah” (Sephirot). In the Martian system, the ISP is connected through a series of satellites named Ziggy orbiters.

#writetober #writing #OCs #override #shana

“You know, there's an extra chair in the closet”

“Don't worry about it, Shou. It's nice in here”, said Shirotani, as he sat on the cold floor of my balcony.

“You'll get cold” I responded. He could be some kind of physically superior alien, but that doesn't mean that such things like cold can't get to him, right?

“The coffee is warm, it'll get through my body” Shirotani responded with slight chuckle. Soon enough, we were enjoying our coffee with the sight of starry skies in the window.

I've never seen Friday night skies that are this starry. Well, I rarely notice skies at night anyway, thanks to my afterschool part-time job. But the sight is wonderful, makes me want to take some days off just to see it.

Looking at the skies, I wondered, how many of them are planets, where Earth is nothing but a star in their skies?

“A lot of these stars....are just waiting to be explored by humans.” Shirotani muses, “Do you think someone is looking at us, at the star you are looking at?” he asks.

I began to think about it, but my mind went somewhere else. It's the fact that humanity was able to be in those stars,.

Humans had accepted the fact that they were never alone and has successfully proven it. The milestones I've heard in space travel are nothing short but amazing. I certainly remember how Mikako is planning to participate in one of them because she was so enthralled.

But not all of them were good. My early childhood....I still couldn't believe what humans had done to me. All because that I wasn't born human?

The discovery of other lives......But what was the price to pay? The expense of my life? Why was my life being held at stake for human progress? It certainly did threw me into this whole ordeal that shouldn't even be my business.

I sighed at the thought, and sipped a bit of the coffee, trying to take off the fact of who I really was born as from my mind.

“Isn't it wonderful, to see a sight that beholds us in this kind of space? and time?”, Shirotani mused.

“Sure I guess” I responded with my best attempt to do a straight response.

“When you were six, your mother would always tell me that you loved the sight of stars”, Shirotani continued with a tone of excitement. His spiky white hair, complete with his glasses, made him look like a scientist, happy to share his creations with me, as a spectator of his genius, or whatever.

“Of course. Mom would tell everyone”, I said to him. It didn't surprise me at the slightest. Mom was quite talkative about the things I'd enjoy to her friends, and obviously Shirotani —– basically my former caretaker, would know that.

“Ah, it's like back then at the—–”

”—-facility?” I continued

“Oh, i'm sorry, Shou, i did not mean to remind you of it” Shirotani apologized. He looked at my expression, and shifted his expression into one that is less happy.

”.....it's all right” I responded, “No worries”

I get where he's coming from. I still could not believe that my origins weren't what I have believed. Shirotani might have felt that he was responsible for that, but he did nothing wrong, as I believed. All he did was taking care of me, right? All he did was making me more human, right?

“No one would take you to see the stars, except for your dad, Shouya. We really want to take you up close to the stars”, Shirotani continued.

I admit that it’s a bit of overblown schmaltz, but I didn’t care. He is very nice to listen to.

“i think I still do”, I responded with a small answer, but Shirotani seemed eager to drop the topic. He began telling me about other people from his past, specifically his experience with a Soviet cosmonaut that opened his eyes to Earth and Humanity.

“I have to remind myself that humans are still wonderful, despite everything”, Shirotani muses to me. “Sasha gave me this”, he continued, while handing me a pendant. Sasha was presumably the cosmonaut, I figured.

It was the shape of an apple, coated with gold. I didn't care if it was actual gold or artificial gold, but the pendant was pretty nice. From the way Shirotani talked about the cosmonaut, he seems to be sincerely missing him.

“Sasha....he told me that ultimately, humans are good. Back in his time, there seem to be no hope for humanity, with all the freezing wars or such....”, Shirotani continued, “He said, apples are the source of humanity. This will remind us of our origins, and our destiny”

“Apple of knowledge?” I asked.

“Well, more like apple of progress. Humanity progresses from a bite of an apple. Humans are like apples. There are fresh ones, and rotten ones.”, Shirotani answered. I find that to be an interesting view. But what kind of rotten apple did they have bitten to cause my ordeal? Was it worth it?

I looked away from it, and looked down at the floor. Shirotani seemed to be bummed, but he tries to reassure me.

“Look. As terrible as our situation was, there are still good things in humanity.” he said as he pats my shoulder. I looked at him, and he is giving me a warm smile. The golden apple swung in my direction from his hands.

“Sasha.....Yua...Shouya....they're the ones that keeps me here”, Shirotani said to me in a reassuring tone, “In a pile of varying apples, there are golden apples”

Of course it all comes to this. I know that humans can be good, I mean I love my friends.....still, it's better to hold on. Some rotten apples shouldn't spoil the whole bunch. Whatever that might be.

I gave Shirotani a smile, “Well, I guess we must keep holding on” I said to him, “Don't let all these stench spoil the good, right?”

Shirotani lets out a happy laugh. I couldn't help but to laugh as well. I held the golden apple pendant in my hands, I looked up at the skies.

And in that night, the stars were ever brighter.

#writetober #OCs #writing #OVERRIDE

“Say, that Wilhelm lad is very off....” “What is with his neck??” “I'm not going to talk to him. I don't like his energy” “His hair is red like the colour of my blood boiling from me seeing him” “Why was he chosen to play the princess? He looks like he should be playing the evil stepmother!

The words echoed through the boy's ears. The red-haired boy, Wilhelm, had no choice but to continue walking. He was carrying a dress, and his mind is focusing on one thing: auditions.

Just another day at school. And yet, better here than home, whatever it is.

Wilhelm never understood why the von Strauss clan took him in. For years, all he endured are plain brutalities. There was little love. And when exceptions happened, such as his brother Sigmund and cousin Hilda, they too received plain brutalities.

And yet, despite the brutalities, Wilhelm was allowed to attend the prestigious, upper-class Bifrost Academy —— allegedly blessed by Ymir himself, keyword allegedly.

”.....” Wilhelm stood in silence at the gates of Ymir Academy. His shark-shaped eyes and mournful eyebrows judged the exterior. It looked like the von Strauss home.

“Wim? What is it?” A blue-haired, fresh-faced, bespectacled young man stood besides him. Sigmund was excited to be educated in such an excellent school, but as soon as he saw Wilhelm in a face that disagrees with him, it became clear that Sigmund should be considerate with Wilhelm's feelings.

”...What? Nothing” Wilhelm looked at Sigmund's worrying face. He knew that Sigmund was excited to be in this school. “Stop worrying” Wilhelm continued, then changed his face into a stern look.

Wilhelm then stepped into the school. Sigmund sighs and smiled as he followed Wilhelm. Maybe this will make things better, Sigmund thought.

It was four years ago.

“Ah! Wilhelm! Come, come, it's your turn” A messy-haired middle aged man called. Wilhelm walked onto the stage of the school theatre.

“This is for Princess Christianne, Director Hartmann” the man's assistant said to him. “Interesting!” the man —– Director Hartmann —– continued. “Susanne recommended you for this role, let's see what you can do as the mournful Princess Christianne”

Wilhelm stepped into the most lit part of the stage. Both director Hartmann and his assistant Susanne can see Wilhelm clearly in his outfit and make-up. With a beautiful short red hair, white dress that held his body and clad in soft make-up, the young red-haired mournful-looking boy now looked like a snow white beauty.

“Is this too much, Director?” Susanne asked to Hartmann, after seeing how Wilhelm's make-up looked like on stage lights. “No. It looked just right” he responded, “This boy's features and paleness works well with Princess Christianne's fragility”

Fragile, that was the word that they described for the role of 'Princess Christianne'. But it is also the word that everyone used to describe Wilhelm.

“He looked exactly how I pictured Princess Christianne breaking down in her dungeon” Susanne continued,

“Alright, enough of this looks discussion. Let's see what you can do.” Hartmann said to Wilhelm, “As I've ordered, have you learned your lines for Scene 15?”

“Yes” Wilhelm responded.

“Great, let's start from the beginning” Hartmann continued.

Wilhelm then did his best approximation of a fragile princess mourning the death of her prince. As he was doing his audition, he thought of the word 'Fragile'.

The time was one year ago. As a yearly tradition, Ymir Academy holds “Merchant Day”, where each class forms groups of students to sell unique things. The grouping system was done to include those who couldn't create things, they can help the merchant

“Oi! Oi! This is all oranges, I need apples, lots of them!” A burly boy yelled at Wilhelm, who had just carried two boxes of oranges.

“You...told me to bring oranges” Wilhelm responded, with his face staying in wide-eyed blank stern-ness. The boy's face quickly shifted from annoyance into fear.

”....Oh, yeah, s-sorry...that was a sudden change” The boy apologized, possibly fearing for his safety upon seeing Wilhelm's blank stare. It looked like there's an air of disappointment, sadness, weep, and malevolence in one expression, “W-why don't you go to the cafeteria and ask Ms. Kirschenbaum? No one's at the cafeteria anyway....” the boy continued.

“Alright”, Wilhelm responded, while he walked calmly into the cafeteria. Then on his way to the main hallway, he was stopped.

“HAHAHA!”, a sporty-bodied boy laughed as he shoved Wilhelm into the wall. “Damn, this red boy's sturdy!” the boy shouted in annoyance, “You lied to me, asshole”, the boy said to his friend, also a sporty-bodied boy. The other boy seemed annoyed, until he noticed Wilhelm's bandaged neck.

“Look at his neck”, the other boy pointed. The boy smiled, and shoved Wilhelm to the ground while grabbing his hair.

For Wilhelm, this is one of the less painful things that one can do to him. And as such, he did not utter a single shout of pain. Father gives me worse beatings, this is nothing, Wilhelm thought. But this time, this act of small violence against him had Wilhelm felt threatened.

My neck, I can't let them grab it Wilhelm shouted to himself, then attempted to grab the boys' arms. But it was no use.

“Let's see what this edgy little pussy is hiding!!” the other boy exclaimed while opening the bandages.

Immediately, everything went silent. Wilhelm couldn't hear anything, not even his scream. For a few minutes, everything was nothing in Wilhelm's senses, until he bandaged his neck back. As he regained his senses, he stood up, and was horrified

The two boys was frozen in shock, and their bodies started to crack like statues. The sight of two human beings, cracking, was enough to send Wilhelm into a loud shout.

It was lucky that the school's principal was a Government-licensed magist that he could reverse the change. Miraculously, Wilhelm was not given any form of punishment.

But at home, it is a different story full of scars and pain. Such is life for Wilhelm von Strauss.

Wilhelm's performance for the audition was something that directors always refer to as “spellbinding”, even though it was painful for him to act while horrible memories of pain permeated his brain. I wasn't acting, I was angry, he mused to himself.

“Brilliant!” Hartmann exclaimed while clapping. Susanne's face turned into a smile full of gratitude, with her hands signaling the expression of “Yes! This worked!”

Wilhelm's face shifted into his normal cold face, but with tears running through his cheeks. But his fake tears weren't real tears. Pain had taught him to not cry, as tears won't uplift anything.

“You nailed her.” Hartmann praised to Wilhelm, “You perfectly portrayed her distress and mourning at the same time, as well as her wailing.....you are perfect. I didn't imagine Princess Christianne with a red hair, but now I see her with a beautiful red hair like yours”, he continued.

Wilhelm nodded in agreement, and he was permitted to leave. He could faintly hear Hartmann and Susanne coming into an agreement.

“We found Princess Christianne”

Now Wilhelm can play as a victim while living his life as one.

#writetober #OCs #WinstonSmith #WilhelmVonStrauss #LotusOperetta #edentrius #writing

“Artie.....” A woman's voice called the Knight. In this dream, the Knight's eyes had opened. She is dreaming of a memory.

Her dreamscape began to form a sight. It formed a beautiful forest, with greener grasses, decorated with white bells. The blank, black surroundings turned into the golden hour. What surprised the Knight was how the beautiful white bells would only appear when she walked in the dreamscape. She walked forward.

Immediately, a motorbike appeared on her left, along with a road. The road appeared to be ruined, with rubbles and wounds from grenades filling it.

”...!” The Knight stood in surprise. This was my bike. It was given to me by Gen. Uther.

She remembered from where the details of her dreamscape came from. As she remembered more, the dreamscape began to form more details from her memories. This is....the forest.

“Wait, Andrea!” A voice blared from behind.

”...!” The knight has taken aback from the voice. That's....my voice, she murmured to herself. This is...

“A memory forgotten.....” A whisper entered her ears. *Kuh! What is this?!* The Knight thought in confusion. *“You shall remember”* the whisper continued.

What memory?! I know what this is?! The knight muttered to herself, but the whisper persisted, “You are beginning to forget. Please, remember this memory.”

The Knight fell into her fronts. The voices continue to blare in the dreamscape. As the Knight listened to the voices, she remembered this part of her memory

“Kuh...haah....why are you running? You'll break your lungs!” the voice, 'Artie', said to the other, 'Andrea'

“You said the Golden Hour is the best for my lungs”, 'Andrea' responded. Immediately, a jolt of energy rushes through the Knight that she stood right back up.

This is that time. The forest, me and Andrea., the Knight tells to herself. Right in front of her, two statues begin to form. It formed two women. One woman had the appearance of a striking, fresh-faced boyish woman with a brown bob cut. The other woman was taller, with slightly curvier appearance, with a beautiful face, wrapped in a shorter, messier hair.

The Knight saw in shock. That was me, she looked at the shorter woman, and that was Andrea, she looked at the taller woman. This was years ago. Me, Andrea, and the forest. The statues began to move, and turned into two people: Artie —– the Knight herself —— and Andrea, a woman from her past as a soldier.

“Don't run! You know how hard I tried to get the medics to cure you quickly.....” Artie said to Andrea,

“Artie, the time is short” Andrea responded. She then sat down in an open area, where a view of the hill is visible. “I didn't think it was possible to have views like this.....”

“W-well....here we are regardless.” Artie said to Andrea, while trying to regain her energy lost from all the running and motorcycle-riding.

“This is....the Golden Country, isn't it?” Andrea looked into the view, and said in awe. The air was exceptionally windy, and the sun was uncharacteristically bright in an era of suffering that is the Britannian Empire. The beautiful sight, far away from the colourless, gravelly, bombed-out Area 1 —– what was known as London in the past —– that the two women knew, was enough to heal Artie's exhausted body and heart. She sat down besides Andrea. The white bells has filled the grasses around them.

“It is....real. It's not like what I've seen in my visions....” Artie muses to Andrea. For the Knight, looking at the two women in the background, the irony of dreaming of a woman seeing what she dreamed of was not lost on her.

“This sight was what I have shown to you....” the whisper continued, “I made you come here”

The Knight looked away in confusion, what do you mean, you made me come here?, she asked to the whisper. The whisper only calmly responded with, “Witness”

“Good God, I feel like staying here forever” Andrea muses, then looks at Artie. Artie looked at Andrea.

“There's something I need to do.” Artie said, “This, might be a little strange....”, she continued.

“Nothing is ever stranger, Artie. Go ahead, there are no telescreens” Andrea responded with a smile. Then, she looked around, making sure that there weren't any surveillance devices watching them.

“There were microphones....”, the whisper said to the Knight, “But I destroyed them”. The Knight's expression shifted to an annoyed one, as she realized that there was someone who knew that they were there. What did you do? That was not good, the Knight said in annoyance.

“I....was helping you....”, the whisper responded. The Knight's face returned to a mournful face. She must continue seeing the memory.

“Your injury....I am the only one who could cure it” Artie said to Andrea, with her face blushing red. Andrea gets confused at the sight, then smiled.

Her smile made Artie jump slightly. She looked away from Andrea.

“Hey....come on, we came this far. Do what you gotta do”, Andrea reassures Artie that things will be fine, and not awkward. Artie slowly looked back into Andrea's face.

Andrea...., the Knight gazed into her, by walking towards past Artie. The Knight kneeled down, and gazed into Andrea's eyes. Of course, this being a projection of memory, Andrea won't be able to notice her.

Artie then looked down, “P-please unbutton your shirt....” she said to Andrea. Surprisingly, Andrea happily obliged. “O-only the first two buttons!” Artie bashfully shouted. Andrea could only gave her a happy sigh.

On her chest, Artie could see a marking, branded seamlessly. Her face turned into a fearful look. “Not good.....”

“Hm?” Andrea looked at her chest in confusion. “Is this a bad thing? I didn't feel any pain...”

Artie's face becomes mortified, “No...no....”. But Andrea's face stayed confused, “What is it?”. Artie then sighed, then explained to Andrea that the marking was a dangerous, life-threatening marking. The Knight then stepped back as she remembered this memory in detail.

That was a stigmata. she said to herself, But it was a stolen technique from Lilith that it could kill anyone marked with it at random. Andrea could've suddenly died that day

“But you were besotted with the soul of the King of Knights” the whisper continued, “You were the only one who could cure her”, it continued, “Your magia was made for this”

I was the only one.....so that was why you led us to the country, the Knight finally understood everything. I....wanted to say thank you, she thanked to the whisper, I don't know who you might be, but, please, I want you to have my gratitude, she continued with a single tear, shed down into a white bell.

“She was your trusted partner....you were her ki——”, the whisper continued, but it was cut off in the middle. The Knight becomes shocked, then she looked around to find the whisper. Hey, where are you, she shouted.

Nothing comes up. The whisper was gone completely from the dreamscape. All what's left is her memory playing out in front of her.

“This might hurt, I apologise”, Artie said as she begun her technique. As she chanted in an old language, she closes her eyes, and put her palm into Andrea's chest.

“HAAARGH.....” Andrea exclaimed as the palm touches her chest. Her face is telling Artie to stop. The Knight's face becomes even more terrified and tearful as she witnessed the pain that Andrea had gone through.

I'm sorry...I'm sorry.... the Knight tearfully apologized, knowing that Andrea couldn't hear her.

A long time had gone by. How was she able to deal with this pain?!, the Knight said to herself. But then, it was made apparent that past Artie knew how painful the process was, because the first thing the Knight saw was Artie blacking out as the stigmata in Andrea's chest had disappeared.

“This....is....my gratitude”, Artie said to Andrea as she fell into Andrea's lap. Andrea began to hold Artie in her arms, “T-thank you....for....standing up....for me....that...day” Artie continued as she begun to black out, while she attempts to hold Andrea's cheek.

Andrea grabbed her hand, “Yes, Artie. I know. Thank you”, she said with a smile, “Hey, close your eyes”, Andrea continued.

Artie smiled, then closes her eyes as she shifted into a sleep. Andrea smiled, then lied down on the grass, positioning herself so Artie's face is comfortably lapped onto her shoulder. Andrea then gazed at Artie's face in a sight that signified a pitying, protective feeling.

But there was another feeling in Andrea's eyes. As Artie dozed off in her sleep, Andrea strokes her hair gently. “Hey, the sight is beautiful....I hope you're seeing it in your sleep.”

The Knight was taken aback as she realized that this moment was the beginning of their unity.

But then, the Knight remembered something. This moment was the start of darkness.

All the darkness that tried to break their unity, it all started here. As the two of them formed real love, in a world where love is twisted for eternal victory.

The Knight shed a single tear. Then, everything shattered into ashes.

The entire dreamscape fell apart. It turned into ashes, and the sky turned black.

Everything went black. It was time to wake up.

In a dark throne room full of blood, skeletons, and telescreens, the boy in the throne felt sadness. The boy was sleeping. He shouldn't have dreamed of anything.

But he did. And the dream brought tears into his eyes

The sight of a woman, witnessing a loving moment she had, broke the boy into sadness. He remembered appearing in the reality of the woman's dream, leading her into that loving moment. But the boy did not know how much it meant for her.

“The King of Knights.....thank you.....”

The boy's tears cracked open the skeletons on his nearest position. It all shattered into ashes, eaten by pools of blood in the throne room.

The dream made the boy feel again. And his thoughts on rebellion was fueled even more.

#writetober #writing #OCs #utopianism #edentrius

Time to scoot off on my gear, then, Chie thought. No commute for tonight it seems. The busy sunday night streets of Ueno wouldn't notice her anyway.

She then picked up her trusted Gravigear, a hoverboard with cheery coloration of pink, blue, and orange, plastered with street-styled logos, streetwear stickers, and vector logos of cats. On the back of the gear, a cheery-looking logo “CATSCRATCH” is plastered, along with a pattern that looked like it was stuck in 1998.

As Chie jumped onto her board, she quickly made a hurrying gesture. Get me home already.

It was a Sunday, but she had just been called for an urgent matter at her office. For some weird reason, her office was installing a device that enables people to meet in holographic forms. And no one understood how to turn it on. Chie, being one of the only ones in the office with a no-nonsense, serious approach to work an things, was called in. To no one's surprise, she did the job easily.

In a time where Virtual Reality is a thing, she thinks that it was a waste of money. But seeing as her job deals with interviewing people, maybe it's the only way to keep people meet in real life. Chie does not think like an old person, but at the same time she sees it as a relief that there is still a way to meet people in person.

She remembers her high school friends. High school was when she sort-of-ruled. CATSCRATCH was the last 'cool' thing she did, it was a street-racing turf she made with her gal pals. But the incidents that followed, and the Shouta ordeal made her realize that maybe it is best to leave it behind and continue living normally. Take your life seriously, Chie

As she wallowed in thoughts of the past, her commuphon gave her a notification: One Missed Call

“Good lord, not when I am riding!” she exclaimed, then descends to find a nearby park. As she walked into a bench, she notices that the stars are exceptionally shining well. Then she sees a blue star, shining.

“Oh right, yeah, commuphon”, she returned to reality by checking on her commuphon. The missed call is from an unknown number, from an unknown location. Luckily for Chie, it was still in Developer's Mode, meaning that she could trace the call. She was easily able to trace it.

To her surprise, nothing that she could recognize came up. The number was not from anywhere on Earth, and the ISP that it called from was written as 'HSD'.

“H....S....D? The hell's an HSD?” she muttered, before she jolted in surprise that the number is calling her once again. She automatically picked it up, even though she always remembers to not pick up random calls. But her body is telling her to pick it up.

“Hello?” Chie greeted to her commuphon, only for a familiar voice to respond.

“Chie!!!!!! Finally! I'm so happy that this worked!!” the voice responded. The cheery voice can only mean one thing. It's a friend. A good friend.

“Mikako? Is that you?” Chie responded in disbelief. How come Mikako was able to call her using an unknown number and through an unknown ISP?

“Ohhhh why do you keep forgetting where I am?? Of course it's me!” Mikako responded, “I've been struggling to make a call to Earth for an hour....”

Chie suddenly remembers something. Mikako hasn't been on Earth for a while. Literally

*“I can't believe this worked! Ichigo's been down for one Earth Day and it had to be at Shouta's birthday......huhuhu! Thank goodness I didn't have to go to an Outpost..”

“Oh, right. Europa, Jupiter. Forgot that they call it Clarke What or Kubrick Whatsit now, I don't know.” Chie said, “How's your first six months been?”

“I don't know....pretty nice I think” Mikako answered, “Just felt a little homesick I guess”

“See I told you that space isn't all that nice” Chie said. She can remember the day that Mikako the joyous CATSCRATCH-er tells Chie that she is giving up her dream of writing stories to learn astrophysics. The Shouta Ordeal did not terrify her of space and aliens. Rather, she felt adventurous. As a friend, however, there was nothing Chie could've done to stop Mikako. It's her choice. But I don't want her to get stranded!

“Where are you living in?” Chie asked.

“Uh...this really nice dorm in Kubrick Ganymedia. I mean you can't even own houses there” Mikako answered. The location is presumably Ganymede, “Also, the temperature is what I am working on.”

“Yeah, thermodynamics. Just remembered” Chie said, with a smile, “Wait, Europa's a cold land right? How are you handling that?!”

“I get used to it.” Mikako answered with a sense of pride, “Yeah it's basically The Snow Queen's den, full of lines, ice, and cliffs, but nothing that can freeze me” she continues, “There's no snow though, so it's not the fun kind of cold”

“I can imagine you handling it with four layers of clothing” Chie joked at Mikako, “Maybe that'll make Europa fun”

“Three! Three layers of Clothing is all I need!” Mikako said with a laugh. Chie laughed also. It's nice that they can still share laughs like they used to, “Nah, Europa's fun. Ice Ice Daily! But really though, It's beautiful....like a room with a view. A cold view.”

“So you're staying frosty” Chie responded. Mikako followed with a laugh.

“Can't help it. After all, Kubrick Europina is still an Iceworld now...my duty is to make it so you can handle it”

For Chie, Mikako's words felt like an affirmation. Mikako is no longer the clumsy, clueless follower as she was back in her CATSCRATCH days, “Is it too hard? I mean you did spent nights in my house working on your physics homework...”

“Nothing too harsh. Besides, it's a team effort.” Mikako responded calmly, “I can handle it”

Chie was always there for Mikako, and she had seen Mikako develop in a good way. Hearing Mikako proudly saying that she can handle it in a calm tone made Chie's heart warmer. Although Chie personally disagreed with Mikako's life choice, she still couldn't help but be proud of Mikako's achievement, “You went this far. Still couldn't believe it”

“I still couldn't believe that you're not dealing with science today” Mikako said,

“Hey I still write about it! Last week was just me and FTL Travel” Chie responded, “I mean I courted with FTL Travel.....as they are my 'muse' for my article” them both of them laughed.

“Must be nice, back on Earth” Mikako muses, “I miss everyone”

“Yeah....me too” Chie responded, “But I think Earth's been the same as always” Chie continues. However, she does feel that without Mikako, Earth hasn't been nicer. “Well, wish you were here though”

Chie looked up at the sky. The stars are brighter than ever. The blue star, as she saw beforehand —— that's where Mikako is. The world is connecting them after a year.

“Chie....I could arrange something. We can meet here. There's a really nice spot for us to meet in Ganymede! We can see Jupiter from up close!” Mikako responded in a tone full of cheerfulness. “I want Shouta here too. Everyone. Even Kazuki and her Shibuya girls....”

”...!” Chie gets stunned in silence as soon as she hears Mikako's mentions of their friends and rivals. The Shouta Ordeal was a strange event. An alien invasion, bringing friends and rivals in races around the world —— and ending with a strange stand-off on Mars.

Chie thought it was enough for her to leave strange things behind and to seek natural things instead. Chie's decision to leave the small island that she, Mikako, and her friends was born and raised on for a busy life in Tokyo was a choice to distance herself, after all. Chie did felt regret, as she still cherished those times, and her friends. CATSCRATCH wasn't just fun and games, they were her home away from home. Shouta and his pals too, while they gave Chie a hard time, it's hard to dismiss them as troubles. They were great friends. Helpful, Cool, Fun, Alive, and Joyous.

It's easy to see Mikako's decision as that too, but it's the other way round. Mikako's in Jupiter, hoping that one day they can spend time together again in one place. In that very place.

“Hey, Chie, do you still talk to them? Shouta and others?” Mikako questioned. From the tone alone, Chie can sense that Mikako greatly misses those days. The chaotic days of The Shouta Ordeal, “I feel bad not talking to them, but gee I keep getting less and less time for contact!” Mikako continued, “I miss them dearly, I want them to know that I did not leave Earth to distance myself”

“I miss them too” Chie said, “Well, they're all busy with god-knows-what though, so I don't think they'd be bothered with us talking to them just now”, she continues

“The cold doesn't bother me that much, but I miss the warmth of those days...” Mikako mused,

“It's all heat here, can see where you're coming from” Chie said, “Come on, make it warm, you're the thermodynamicist after all”

“I figured! I'll find a way to message them, shouldn't be too—–” Mikako responded before cutting, “AH! SHOUTA'S BIRTHDAY!” she resumed.

“Shit, I almost forgot! It is today” Chie startled in shock as she remembered that it is currently 8pm. “God I keep forgetting his birthday!”

“I thought I missed it myself! I'm still working out the time differences” Mikako said, “Well, I can't make calls after this. Gotta scoot back to Ganymede ASAP”

“Well you called me” Chie said,

“But I was just going to say hi! Not to talk for this long....” Mikako followed, “Anyway, tell Shouta I wished him a happy birthday. Send him this image”

Chie sees something in her inbox.

A beautiful image gets loaded, it is a view from Europa. A land full of ice and minimum amount of water. But what struck Chie's attention was the sight of Jupiter, visible from the skies of Europa.

“It's beautiful....” Chie said in awe.

“Isn't it? Can you imagine all of us, sitting here, looking at Jupiter?” Mikako said, “Like that day with the shooting stars...” she continued, reminding Chie of the event that started the Shouta Ordeal. A shooting star changed their lives, said shooting star brought them to where they are at now.

Chie looked up at the blue star. “Yes, I can. I see it”

A silence followed. Mikako seemed to have gone silent in the wave of memories.

“Well....I really gotta go now. Thank you, Chie. I missed you” Mikako said in a lower tone

“I missed you too” Chie responded

“We'll talk in a week, OK?” Mikako said, “Providing I can find some time”

“Yeah, stay frosty!” Chie followed with her joke. Mikako laughed. Both then said their see-you-next-times and closed their call.

It was a great one hour. Immediately, Chie's spirits has regained with a smile. This is what friends are for. While Chie might still be distancing herself, at least she knows that it won't separate her from people she cherished.

Chie immediately taps for a call, while sending that number a View of Jupiter. A voice answered her call.

“Hello? This is Shouta”

Lore Compendium: – Commuphon: Smart Watches with Holographic screens. Can be used as cloud computers connected to a main computer. – Gravigear: Zero Gravity gears. Available as hoverboards, hoverbikes, hoveryachts, hover-wheelchairs, etc. Teens often form street-racing turfs around it. – Branch: Official term for habitable space stations. So far, there are three 'branches'; L-Post Branch (Lagrange Points), Bowie Branch (Mars), and Kubrick Branch (Io, Callisto, Ganymede, Europa). Planetary branches are always named after artists whose works are related to topics of outer space. – Outpost: Large terminals that functions as entry points to Branches. On the Jovian system, the Clarke Outposts functions as terminals connecting the four Kubrick Branches. Inter-branch transportation is handled by the Clarke Outposts. – HSD: ISP of Kubrick Branch. An acronym of “Hesed (ヘセッド)” a.k.a “Chesed”. In the Jovian system, the ISP is connected through a series of satellites named Dullea orbiters. Mikako mentions that one of the orbiters, specifically Dullea-1 (nicknamed “Ichigo”) had been down for a day .

#writetober #OCs #writing #OVERRIDE

“What time...is it.”

“Where am I”

“What am I….”

The myriad of questions echoed through the empty hallways of Purgatorio. It is a normal sight. Time, Space, Life, Death….Purgatorio does not register such concepts.

Purgatorio does have an ‘end’, that is, the Den of the Judge. The den of the Judge is where such concepts come back to existence. Of course, the Judge returns such concepts to judge the inhabitants of Purgatorio. For the Judge, he treats Purgatorio as a waiting room for souls to be judged.

One such soul, a man formerly known as Andreyev, who inhabited Purgatorio for ten years, but he did not feel it. Time does not exist in Purgatorio. Until this moment.

“■■■■■”

He heard a call being made in a language he does not recognize, nay, the language does not sound like any human language. But his soul prompted him to walk into the call. As he understood later on, the language is the language of the Gods, that the human soul understood, but not the brain.

As Andreyev walks towards the end of the hallway, his sense of time, space, life, and death returns. He had realized that ten years have gone by since his death. He reached the double door at the end of the hallway, where he looked at the angels guarding it. The angels' form looked off for Andreyev, as they looked more like skeletal remains of human beings, plastered with angel wings, halos, human eyes inscribed on skulls, and floating rings circling around their arms. To him, they looked like mannequins in a costume parlour.

“■■■■■, ■■■■■■■■■■■■” The angel on his left announced, while opening the door. Andreyev finds it strange that afterwards, the angel made an old-school chivalric gesture of letting him in. He guessed that the angel had seen Andreyev’s mind and felt that he was frightened, and needed a warm welcome.

Andreyev entered the Den where he finds a throne made up of skeletal remains, though they were meticulously crafted that it forms a rather regal throne, akin to the old Russian czars. Red-colored velvet graced the entire room, with black being the primary color of the Den. Purple and brown also graced the room, with fancy British-styled interiors wearing the colors, while draping it with skulls and roses. The den looks like the settlement of a British royalty.

The feeling of it all culminated in the figure on the throne himself. It is a God, in the form of a human being. This man is presumably The Judge. One thing that Andreyev has caught from his glimpse of the Judge was pure sadness. His sickly-looking face, crumpled with wrinkles, with double eyebags brings him an image of a perpetually melancholic old man, with his shark-shaped eyes and slanted eyebrows giving him the look of perpetual anger.

The face is packaged with wavy red hair. Beautiful, yet pitiful, Andreyev thought, but his clothing washed away Andreyev’s melancholic thoughts of the Judge. A long leather coat, filled with tight belts hugged the Judge’s body, but the coat itself looked skimpy, as it allowed the Judge to walk with his thighs and back exposed. Am I meant to find him pitiful or….attractive? Andreyev thought to himself. Certainly not the romantic and erotic kind of attractive, but the kind that makes you drawn to him. I feel that I should either pity him or be drawn to him. But he is beautiful. Like a melancholic bride.

‘Beauty’ was the word that Andreyev’s mind had conjured. The Judge’s form did not frighten him, nor did he inspire any forms of rebellious thoughts. He does not look authoritative somehow. To Andreyev, he looked like a groom-less bride in grief, being left alone in the altar. As the thought conjures up, a vision flashes to his brain.

Andreyev sees the man clad in a beautiful Bridal dress. White dress that covered his torso, and yet, exposed his startlingly-thick thighs, only veiled with a thin petticoat. His hair now becomes startlingly-long wavy hair, clad in veil.

Of course, it might be an illusion, but it looked real. Somehow, Andreyev sees the Judge wearing his coat and the bridal outfit at the same time. He registered both of them as truth.

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■, ■■■■■■■■■” A skeletal angel announced to the Judge, however this time, Andreyev was able to comprehend what it was saying, “A nothing person, your honor”

The Judge walked into Andreyev, and the only thing that permeated Andreyev’s mind was that the Judge was surprisingly shorter than him. The Judge must’ve been a tight five foot nine. Another thing he had noticed is that the Judge seemed to be wearing nothing underneath his coat. Andreyev’s vision still sees the Judge as both the pitiful old man and the beautiful bride.

“Ten years….” the Judge began to speak. Andreyev felt a rush of emotions in his soul. The Judge’s voice sends Andreyev into a divine jolt. “Nothing is a long wait in Purgatorio….”

The Judge’s posh, gravelly voice felt like honey, mixed with acid and red wine, that produces an authoritative, yet heavenly sonorous quality. the Judge puts the palm of his right hand onto his left shoulder, and closes his eyes. The Judge’s face, for Andreyev, now turns into a look of mourning. As the Judge inspects Andreyev, he felt a stream of thorns locking into the Judge’s legs. Roses began to bloom. The Judge’s outfit shifted into the bridal dress. My thoughts weren’t playing with me. It was real.

Long time had gone by, and the Judge’s face produced a single tear. The Judge’s tears dropped onto the fancy carpet, and immediately, the roses and thorns returned to its previous position. A strong gust of wind followed, and the windows of the Den opened to let the wind in. Andreyev felt two conflicting emotions —– fear and tranquility, at the same time. And then, everything stopped. the Judge returned to his stern look, and his black coat, with his hands now crossing on his shoulders.

“No grave deeds committed. You were indeed a nothing person” the Judge’s gravelly voice exclaimed to Andreyev. Immediately, Andreyev felt confusion. Is this the end of me?

“I do not understand….” Andreyev said to the Judge, “Am I going to permanently vanish?” he continued.

“You are to return to the mortal plane” the Judge continued, “Sandalphon, bring this soul to Shekhinah”

“Why must I return?” Andreyev questioned,

“You simply must” the Judge answered, “You were nothing. Fill that nothing, you shall”

“Nothing...?” Andreyev answered with a question. The Judge sighed, and turned his back on Andreyev.

“An answer will serve no point” the Judge answered. He stopped looking at Andreyev, “Begone” he continued, in a stern tone, but sprinkled with melancholy.

The Judge ordered an angel — presumably Sandalphon — to escort Andreyev. The angel looks like a human being, with a very long red hair, and an androgynous face, wrapped in exposed torso, with only his bottom parts covered.

As Andreyev leaves the den, he could not stop thinking of the Judge. As Andreyev looks back into the Judge, his vision turns into the Judge, clad in bridal outfit, standing upright. Questions filled Andreyev’s mind, such as why did the Judge shed a tear? And why did he decide to bring Andreyev back to Earth?

But most importantly….why did he see the Judge as a bride?

At the end of the Den, Andreyev glimpsed a possible hint to the answer. A faded name “Wilhelm von Strauss” was written on a sculpture. The sculpture depicts a middle-aged man, tied in rose thorns, kneeling, with his face full of sadness and grief. The sculpture remarkably resembled the Judge —– or was it truly him?

The sculpture strangely produces tears every minute. As he glimpses at the sculpture, he sees what the sculpture is crying over —– a fading image.* Essentially, it is crying over nothing.* *A person who faded into nothingness. A nothing person.

Was it his groom? Was the groom a nothing person? Andreyev thought to himself, as he remembered the Judge referring to him as a nothing person. Many implications rushed into Andreyev’s brain, but as he began to form his concrete thoughts on the ordeal of the Judge being a bride, he reached the end of the den. There was a door.

“Give up your inquiries on this ordeal, as it is useless” Sandalphon said as he opened the door. Immediately after stepping out from the den, Andreyev was cleansed. All memories, thoughts, emotions, even his own name…..was lost. Subsequently, his physical form began to disappear as his soul descended back into Earth.

He is reborn. No longer as a nothing person that he was.

#writetober #OCs #Sephirot #ThroneOfMalkuth #WinstonSmith #WilhelmVonStrauss #Purgatorio #edentrius #writing

The young man, better known as the Soul Slayer, slowly walked into the road. The sand buries his legs, but he does not see it as an inconvenience. For anyone born and raised after the Cataclysm, straight roads are a myth. Though for the Soul Slayer, he rarely walked in sandy environments. Overgrown grasses, dark crowded forests, and toxic swamps are among the places he calls “home”. This are, at a glance, looks like a typical oblast, but he knew that the outward appearance is only there to fool him.

Suddenly, the Soul Slayer felt a strong current of wind blowing into his face, but he kept on walking carefully. No wind is strong enough to take down the Soul Slayer, carrying his trusted sword, known as the Chainbreaker on his back. However, the sand got deeper and deeper as he walked. The Soul Slayer could have sworn that the road is straight. He saw the straight road with his naked eyes. He couldn’t wallow in his disbelief as he finds his legs feeling as if it is being eaten alive by the sands. The Soul Slayer’s face stayed cold. Do not feel anger, concentrate.

“Hrngh!”

He grabbed the Chainbreaker and stabbed it into the sand, and jumped as high as he could. He landed a few miles ahead. The sand is now less deep than in where he was.He felt a strong presence of something in his vicinity.

“GRAGGHHH”

“...!” The Soul Slayer turned to his behind to find an unwashed soul jumping into his face. Immediately, he performed a cross-slash with the Chainbreaker at it, slashing through the unwashed soul’s shoulder, dismembering its right arm.

“Aughhh…”

The unwashed soul did not take long to disappear. It dissolved almost immediately as it was losing its right arm. However, its ashes flew into the air. Water started pouring into the ground.

“Geh!” The Soul Slayer felt a body of water pouring into his hair. It started raining on the road. The Soul Slayer ran as fast as he could. As he was running, he could feel the sands getting smaller and smaller and before he knew it, he was walking on a road. There were puddles from the rain, but now the ground felt like actual ground.

The Soul Slayer stopped running as soon as he felt that the rain was no longer pouring. He knelt down on his knees, putting his sword onto the ground. His stamina waned from all the running. It is unusual, he thought. He only ran for approximately ten miles, but he felt that he was running for twenty miles. He looked around him. The road looked like a distant memory for him, and he found himself in a grimy, open room. As he scanned the open room, he understood that the open room was a laboratory.

“Hffft”

It looks off, he muttered to himself, This looks out of place, But he shrugged the thoughts off. After all, he is in the Northern area of the State. It is called the Wasteland, even though the entire state has been reduced to a mere wasteland.

Even before the Cataclysm, the wasteland was already off, with all the location-related anomalies caused by unstable Magia concentration. The Cataclysm only accelerated said anomalies. The wasteland is known to change itself at its own will, as long as mortals walk into it. The wasteland can sense the souls and existence of anyone who walked into it, and mold itself around the person’s soul. The Soul Slayer has heard of this before, but he shrugged it off as rumours. It was made to prevent others from walking into it.

But it was real. Everything was real. He has felt it. The Soul Slayer is known for being a slow runner compared to people of his caliber. The sandy road was definitely molded from his inner weaknesses. I have to try harder. But he felt that this would be a good chance to face his weaknesses.

His inner thoughts ended there, now focusing on what he is seeing now. The open room is filled with flowers, but the one thing that he felt was the lack of scent. There was no scent, nor stench from the flowers. On his right, he sees a banquet full of flowers. He walked towards it.

It formed a path. The flowers looked like it was guiding him to a place where he should be…...or should not. Nevertheless, he followed the path. It leads to a cave, filled with barbed wires. The strange thing about the cave is how it was mounted with a metallic door, as if it was a sign of rejecting any form of entry.

“Grahh!” The Soul Slayer startled himself. The barbed wires induced a static shock onto his hands as soon as he touched it. He took a step back and broke off an unused pipe a few miles onto his left, and threw it into the barbed wires. It was completely burned. The current must be high.

But that is nothing for him. He could just cut the chains of the current in the barbed wires. Slash. Crash. Bash. Twelve slashes was enough to drain the barbed wires of its blood, that is, electricity. The Soul Slayer cut the barbed wires, but as he approached the metallic door, his body froze. The wasteland sensed something in his soul, but the Soul Slayer couldn’t tell what it was. His life had taught him to ignore his inner soul’s wills and words.

“Guh….argh” He rushed as he tried to move, but his body halted completely. And after he stopped moving, the ground shook. The cave switched into a laboured mode. It immediately released concentrations of ashes. The ashes blocked the Soul Slayer’s vision, but there wasn't any form of pain and discomfort from the ashes. It is covering something, but it wants the Soul Slayer to be aware of it.

A sound of explosion blared from a distance. It was followed by a cacophony of screams. Awful sounding screams filled his ears, and platoons of unwashed souls marched into him from the skies.

“GROOOOAAAAAAGGHHH” The screams pierced the Soul Slayer’s ears, and the Soul Slayer fell to his knees. Just as I have found the place! He shouted to himself.

Focus. You can fend them off. Close your eyes, breathe in.

The Soul Slayer closed his eyes, and he began to breathe slowly. Time suddenly slows down. He immediately opened his eyes in surprise. This isn’t my doing, and it’s not even the Wasteland’s doing, he thought. The time dilation…..it is someone else's ability. It is someone he knows.

“Charge!” A woman’s stern voice barged into his ears. The voice was familiar to him. He could feel the air of the moonlight from her. A moonlight in daytime.

“Kirbukova!” he shouted, “Throw me into the sky.”

“No. Too dangerous, let me handle this” the woman, Kirbukova, responded. She ran onto a tree and jumped on several trees before jumping on the sky. As she reached the skies, she positioned her body into an upright position, and began to clap her palms symmetrically.

“Anomaly —– Chiralism!” she chanted, and a wave of static made its sound to the unwashed souls’ ears. They all shouted in pain, but this wasn’t enough for the Kirbukova woman. She needs to scare them away completely. “Hey, this will hurt your ears for a bit” she looked down to the Soul Slayer and warned him as she positioned the palms of her hands to form a unity. The Soul Slayer could tell what she would do, and covered his ears.

“Anomaly —– Magnetic Resonance!” she followed, which immediately blared a loud static to everyone on the field, including herself.

“HAAArgh” The Soul Slayer shouted as he was unable to feel his soul in his body for three seconds, before falling down on his back. Magnetic Resonance is highly dangerous, as always.

This technique is one of Kirbukova’s “last-stand” techniques, as it releases a loud static sound that combines the positive and negative axis of magnets to shock souls and reject anyone’s magia ability, including her own, for three seconds. A simple technique, yet deadly when used correctly.

The unwashed souls made no scream, and immediately dissolved, along with the ashes and eruption, everything abruptly stopped. However, the steel door now became even more unopenable. The Soul Slayer, as he regained his movement, sighed in disappointment.

“You had no single chance”, Kirbukova said to him, “You cannot go further in this area, your presence was a mistake”

“What mistake? I was close to The Cauldron” The Soul Slayer responded, “It was right in front of me, the entrance” he pointed out to the door as he continued. Kirbukova gave him a disapproving sigh and attempted to open the door.

“Anomaly —– Gravitron” she chanted at the door. This technique should cancel all forms of gravity in an object and its insides, but the door remains tight. “No use”, she said to the Soul Slayer. She turned around and immediately walked, “We must go”

Of course, The Soul Slayer followed her. If Kirbukova says it is unsafe, the general factotum is to listen to her. The Soul Slayer sighed, and looks at Kirbukova in a disappointed look.

“Kirbukova...I…”

“Do not call me Kirbukova. I am Kanna” Kanna sternly warned, “Only self-absorbed earthbound egotists calls me Kirbukova”

Kanna might be of the same age as the Soul Slayer, but she has the experience of a general. Along the way back home to the East, the two did not utter a single word to each other.

A few hours later, they arrived in an alleyway in a swamp-y oblast. As both of them stepped inside their homebase, a dirty semi-underground building full of ripped fabrics, grime, and empty bottles of vodka and cans (some labelled with the name 'Arkady'), Kanna looked as if she lifted a heavy weight.

“Sitnikov is going to hate this”, she sighly tells him, “Gravitron drains me of both magia and physical energy” she sternly continues to the Soul Slayer. He could only nod at her.

“What did I do wrong?” The Soul Slayer asked, in full curiosity and worry as he had been holding back the question for hours.

“You willingly went there” Kanna answers, “The wasteland can tell” she continues, “It rejects those who are willing, and those who are inquisitive”

“Then what should I do?” The Soul Slayer asked for one more time.

“Do not go there willingly”

#writetober #OCs #SoulSlayer #writing

As she looked around her, she remembered the celebrities she had met. Though in her definition, “celebrity” meant any human being, or mortals, who contributed a lot to mortal history. Anyone has the potential to become a “celebrity” by marking themselves in human history, and being seen as important.

Looking to her left, she remembered the day she saw Montgomery Clift in person, in 1949. Looking at the Union Square, she remembered seeing Zelda Fitzgerald jumping on the fountain. Of course, there was no way of stopping Zelda. That was out of the question, Shana! she mutters to herself.

Now 1948, Shana had found herself back in New York, New York. Of course she isn’t alone this time.

“♪ New York, New York! ♪ It's like in Martin Scorsese movies!” A young man shouted in excitement.

“Eddie, be careful when mentioning names from the future”

“Sure, it is a fine day. Though dear lord, New York is too much even in the past!” Eddie muttered as he approached Shana.

Of course, this young man isn’t an ordinary man. Firstly, he is from 2010, secondly, his young, healthy face comes with an athletic body, ready to outrun marathon runners by the standards of his time period, that is, 2010. It was pure luck that Shana had found him for this task.

“Eddie, you better be glad. Enjoy this New York while it lasts” Shana responded with a forecasting tone.

“I’m just saying! Good to be out from that heavenly hole” Eddie says happily.

“Watch your mouth, Eddie. Dainichi Nyorai can still hear us”

“Right, right, we’re from the future and all. Now what are we gonna do today?”

Shana handed Eddie his mission, the reason why he was sent back to the late 1940s. Sending divines from Edentrius is too risky for it, hence the reason why Shana picked up Eddie. It helps that Eddie needed money, and so begins a strange transaction. She recalled the brief with Dainichi Nyorai in Paradiso.

Pay him, take him to 1948, get him to do your bidding, then come back. That was the directive from Dainichi Nyorai. “Okay, don’t forget to tell him to be careful. New York is full of celebrities. All the time”, Dainichi Nyorai added. It could be potentially damaging to human history to interfere with one. “Eisenhower wasn't the only celebrity in that university”

“Understood, I apologize for the difficulties in correcting the Isaac Newton incident”, Shana responded. She still remembered how tiring it was, trying to get that apple to fall as it should after some prankster tied it up so that it couldn't fall.

Well, for now it should be different. Just don’t let the nephilim interfere with anything that will be part of history.

“This nephilim is potentially interfering with time. There will be an important summit with Eisenhower at Columbia University later today. This nephilim looks like it's going to interrupt it.”

“Right, butterfly. Dangerous”, Eddie said, knowing that one wrong move can alter history forever, given that Dwight D. Eisenhower is attending. In this time, he has yet to be known in American history, but if the nephilim disturbed his agenda at Columbia University today, human history will distort forever.

“We must remove it, unfortunately, this one had spiritual disturbance when it was born, resulting in—-”

Eddie noticed that the nephilim in the photo is missing a pair of wings, “Born without it?” he pointed at it, interrupting Shana.

“No, it was it’s soul. Its’ magia is incomplete. It's wings had disappeared and suddenly it has a dislike of divinities such as myself.”

“Y’all and this thing is like fire and ice, got it”

“Exactly. Let’s get onto it. I will bring you to Andy Warhol’s parties if you do it well. 1960s should be easy to go to”

“Ahaha, no thanks. Didn’t like his stuff. Was so confused in art class!”

“Alright, let’s——”

“WAIT!!” Eddie shouted as he glimpsed a strange figure, startling Shana.

Eddie grabbed the photo of the nephilim and ran off at incredible speed as he noticed a strange bipedal being with eyes scattered on its head. Wow, it looked like what Angels looked like in the Bible! He said to himself whilst running. As he noticed the bipedal being’s form on further inspection, he came to understand it as the nephilim.

The nephilim looked back at Eddie in a 360-degree head tilt and increased it’s speed. It had no wings, so it was pure running. Off to Manhattan it goes.

“Oh shit” Eddie worried as he passed through Columbia University. That's where it's going. Shit. he thought.

But strangely enough, it kept running beyond Columbia University. The nephilim kept running as if it's life was threatened. Now both of them approached a crowded Waldorf-Astoria hotel full of people in formal outfits.

“Come the fuck on! Not this!” Eddie screamed as the nephilim ran into a crowded area. Now it's going to hit on a potential celebri—-

“Argh!” Eddie shouted as he suddenly fell as he bumped into someone. He felt a heavy object in his back. It was a camera. Eddie grabbed the camera and turned his body. Fortunately, it was fine. Not even a scratch was seen.

Eddie gets up to help the photographer, who was trying to get up, “Are you all right?” asked Eddie to the photographer.

“I'm f-fine. Camera….”

“Here, don't worry, there's no damage” Eddie handed the camera to the photographer, “I'm deeply sorry for this!”

“Thank you...it's alright” The photographer calmly responded. He then stood back up, one thing that Eddie had noticed is that the photographer was noticeably shorter than him.

“OH SHIT—–” Eddie falls again in shock from the sight of the photographer's face. His face was familiar to Eddie. The photographer's brooding, strongly-gazed eyes….Eddie instantly knew who he was. He was a figure from recent history.

“C-celebrity….!!!” Eddie shouted as got up and ran away, not looking back

“Wait, you left this!” The photographer calls while Eddie disappears from his distance. Eddie seemed to have dropped the photo of the nephilim. It's in the photographer's hands now.

But to his surprise, the nephilim was immobile. It was watching Eddie with that photographer this whole time. With no hesitation, Eddie grabbed the nephilim. To his surprise, Shana was waiting for him.

“That was quite an act” Shana commended

“Shit's fucking mental! Don't tell me you saw that!” Eddie exclaimed seriously to Shana in a rush.

“I did. Don't worry, you can ask questions later” Shana responded, “Great job, Eddie.”

“You….better answer!”

They later find themselves back in Paradiso, with Shana handing the Nephilim to Dainichi Nyorai. He looked as if something heavy had been lifted from his chest, and is now free to relax from work.

“Seems that it ran out of Magia after all that running. And as Eddie is human, its incomplete soul reacted more strongly to mortals than us divinities” Shana explained, “The ordeal was just magia interference”

“Well, I can tell. It doesn't hate us anymore. But I think it's content with not having wings anymore”

“That's a good thing then” Shana responded

“Very well. Finally I don't have any more time-corrections to do. Fuck yeah. Thanks y'all” Dainichi Nyorai thanked Shana and Eddie very informally. “Gotta go real fast, Suryani needs me ASAP”

“Thanks, Eddie. Now get that bread, boy” Dainichi Nyorai greeted as he warped away, while throwing money at Eddie.

“Phew, that was something” Eddie sighed in relief with his hands holding his payment. “But I have a question” he followed. Before Eddie could ask any question, an angel approached them. It was an archangel.

“Raziel, fancy seeing you here” Shana greeted Raziel as she walked into them.

“Salutations, Shana” Raziel greeted, “Good job on the nephilim, we will take good care of it”

“No worries, everything's under control” Shana responded, “Eddie did a pretty good job here”

“T-thanks” Eddie flusters as his face jumps between gratitude and confusion. Raziel can see his confused face.

“What is it, Eddie? Any questions?” Raziel asked, “You look confused”

“Y-yes. Celebrity” Eddie asks, “I….might have interfered with one”

“Interfered? What did you do?” Raziel asked.

“You see...I might have bumped into a celebrity…” Eddie responded, “When I tried to catch that nephilim, I bumped into someone and I fell….that s-someone….he was a photographer”

”....Is it who I think it is?” Raziel interrupted, feeling that she knew who Eddie meant. A late-1940s New York photographer who is recognizable by someone from the 21st century? Then the possibility is certain: it can only be that one specific “celebrity”.

“Precisely” Shana responded, “It was Stanley” she continued, as she nodded to Raziel. Immediately, Raziel’s expression shifted into an amusing face.

To Eddie's surprise, Raziel begins to cackle at him. It was a strange sight for Eddie, seeing an archangel —– a highly respected archangel, certainly one of the highest of her ranks —– laughing to his human face.

“W-wait! It was him! I've seen his face before!! I can see it from his eyes!!” Eddie frantically continues, “Are we...in danger? Because….butterfly, you know. I left an item there. He took it!”

“It was more of Eddie forgetting to take it back from him” Shana continued.

“My point is, I interfered with a celebrity. That's it” Eddie finishes his question.

Raziel then stopped laughing and smiled instead, trying to reassure Eddie that nothing's wrong. Besides, it was a minor inconvenience, nothing cosmically damaging. “I met Stanley. I went to a party in the Bronx once” Raziel explained as she handed a photo to Eddie. The photo was candid, but quite well-done. It was marked with ‘S.K’ in the back, to dispel Raziel's experience being a myth, “He took this picture of me. Great skills he had, that Stanley boy”

Eddie looked in a mixture of confusion and awe, “And yet, nothing happened. Mortal history still went as it should've” Raziel continued. And she tells Eddie that Norman Rockwell had also painted her at one point.

“Got Norman to paint a still life of myself, years after that photo with Stanley. Still, nothing happened. They might’ve forgotten me”, Raziel continued. Guess that humanity's ability to forget the strange is stronger than he thought, though Eddie found it hard to believe that incredible people like those two can forget. Guess they were truly humans after all.

Eddie now understood. Shana then explained lengthily that there are two rules in time travel: Do not change things, Do not spoil things. For an added rule: do not alter the fates of 'celebrities'. As both Eddie and Shana recalled, he did none of those two to the photographer.

“You did nothing wrong, you did not disrupt Stanley's future.” Raziel explained, “He still photographed stuff and made movies after your encounter with him”

Eddie stunned in silence. There's nothing he can say.

“That….sure is something” Eddie responded, “God this was the weirdest day I ever had. Can't believe I bumped into Stanley Kubrick! And almost broke his camera!“

“Trust us, there are stranger things” Shana responded, “And far more stranger things” Raziel followed, “After all, the world isn't as small and narrow as you knew” Shana tells Eddie with a sense of wonder.

Eddie's expression now turns into a laugh that follows with a smile. All that confusion in his mind turns into excitement. He looks at Shana with a curious smile.

“Can we do this again?”

Lore Compendium

Celebrity: Term for humans who contributed so much to human history. E.g inventors, politicians, rulers.

Historical Note: The events portrayed in the 1948 New York part of this story is Dwight D. Eisenhower's visit to Columbia University to be appointed as an important figure of the university. He would later become The President of the United States. In that event, he was photographed by a young New York photographer Stanley Kubrick, who will later become a director who would contribute to history of filmmaking in the western world. In short, both Eisenhower and Kubrick are “celebrities” —– if they are 'interrupted', human history will be different.

#writetober #writing #OCs #edentrius #Shana

The boy in the throne stared in silence on the sight of suffering as the black void on the screen engulfs the right side of the screen.

Projected on the small telescreen in front of him are images of unlife. The man, begging for his life, torn to shreds by the nondescript, beastly black void. The woman, begging for the man’s life, on her knees. Her tears have stopped flowing.

“....” The boy stares in silence. No expression was made, with his eyes gazing into the floor. And then the boy gazed onto the screen once again as he notices that the woman had stopped begging and crying.

“I pray to Great Father to absolve the sins of mine, and the sins of my husband….In Heaven we trust, In Him we serve our lives to. For Great Father. Hail Britannia”

Crunch. The sound of flesh, dismembered, blared from the telescreen. And yet, the boy felt nothing. The boy glared down to his bare feet, standing on the bloodied throne. The throne room is full of blood, dead bodies, cables, and telescreens. It is a throne room for him and only* him*.

For “The Eye” is what the boy is. Always watching, always reporting. He is the omniscient watching eyes of the Empire of Britannia. *Do not let dissidents go. *That is the only purpose for his life. The Boy closed his eyes.

“ARGH!” —– he exclaimed in pain.

The electric jolt was stronger than usual. The Boy sighed, then shouted one more time. The electric jolt gets worse. This is what his life consists of. Eyes wide open, for the rest of his life, while keeping it wide shut at the sight of monstrosity. Showing emotion is a form of punishable disagreement, or worse, dissent. All the boy could do is to stare down.

“...!” The Boy returned to an upright position in his throne. Someone is coming.

The door at the end of the hallway opened. A priestly man, clad in black, with his long, overflowing blond hair walked towards his throne. All that the boy focuses on is the Priest’s flowing long hair sweeping all the blood in the floor.

“My hair? No need to worry.” The priest reassured the boy, which was followed by the priest flipping his hair around, now clean from blood, “Magia. What a wonderful miracle”

“....” The Boy remained quiet.

“Your Little Brothers were on duty, I figured”

“....!” The Boy looked at the priest in shock. Is this a mistake? Am I going to receive worse punishments? The Boy thought in fear. And at the same time, the dead bodies begins to move.

*“I am a priest. I do not have an interest in one’s emotions. Only sins” *The Priest says as he immobilizes the dead bodies, “O Young Krishna, how painful this sight looks to me”

“...” The Boy switched his expression to a disproving one.

“You have gained a sin. It is one you can cleanse yourself from” The Priest elaborated as he looked onto the telescreen showing the woman’s death. “Say, I do not remember seeing a woman on that screen. Did you will her into existence?”

The boy’s expression turned into a confused one.

“Curious, this one little sheep is. You erased an existence”

The boy’s expression now becomes one that demands an explanation.

“Curious, these Little Brothers of yours. You made them. It devoured the woman to void”

The boy now understood what the Priest meant. He manifested an abnormality. An abnormality to end existences. I destroyed the woman’s existence, he thought.

Wait, wasn’t there a man besides that woman? No, there was never a man. The boy had realized that the man never existed. And his memories of the woman are fading. Both of these people were never here.

“It seems that you have understood what you have brought into this world” The Priest followed. “I am here to warn you —— Great Father does not like this”

The boy shivered. A disagreement from Great Father meant that a worse punishment was incoming. His mind is now in shambles, with pools of blood in the throne room boiling. I must erase everything.

Everything is wrong. Everything must not exist.

“You must repent. You have the means to repent.” The Priest ordered the boy. But the boy knew what The Priest meant. Not bending to Great Father.

My Sin was not for erasing her existence. My Sin was to let my Little Brothers kill indiscriminately.

“Great Father has sinned. He must be cleansed”

It was the last word from The Priest to the boy. It had an air of dissent. The Boy now fears The Priest’s life, and it fuels his soul now. The pools of blood had stopped boiling, and the boy could feel black voids forming in the corners of Britannia. Repent.

And the void starts to devour.

#writetober #writing #OCs #utopianism #edentrius