Multiple Settings New Oasis: Four Heavenly Kings [Season 2]

[Elenion Aura]

MILO NAGISA

CS Link

SCENE:

New Oasis Season 2 - Arc 4: Scene 1 [The Fourth Seal]

TIME:

February 28th, 2023 || After Midnight

LOCATION:

Center District Purification Chamber, Lower Central — "Purgatory"

PARTICIPANTS:

Daigo ( joshuadim ), Jericho ( angel doe )

THE FOURTH SEAL

What the fuck?

...

WhatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefUCK!?

His mind was on fire. The world might be on fire for all his addled faculties could tell him right now. What... What was that? A vision? A daydream? A psychotic break? It was lucky he was low to the ground already. His legs felt like wobbly jelly beneath him. His flesh tingled. His fingers flexed on instinct, as his mind turned over (and over, and over) the memory of that strange and alien place. Of those strange and alien things. What did it mean?

It only started to occur to him that this... Experience, if that was what it was... Seemed to have affected the others around him as well. Numbly, he turned to Daigo and Jericho beside him. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth as he worked the words out.

"... Are you guys okay?"

 

[Elenion Aura]

RETSU KUSANAGI

CS Link

SCENE:

New Oasis Season 2 - Arc 4: Scene 1 [The Fourth Seal]

TIME:

February 28th, 2023 || After Midnight

LOCATION:

Center District Purification Chamber, Lower Central — "Purgatory"

PARTICIPANTS:

Various Dragons

THE FOURTH SEAL

“Atta girl," Retsu said, leaning over, raising a hand, and then—pat, pat—placing it squarely atop the girl's horned head, ruffling her hair just enough to throw it into mild disarray. She had already loaded up another snarky comment in the chamber, hammer pulled back, when all of a sudden everything changed.

Eggheads would've called it an episode of mass psychogenic illness. Epidemic hysteria. People seeing things—the same things—that weren't there. People moving as one, thinking is one, believing as one. A fever that spreads across the mind.

She'd seen it. Up close. Once.

It was years ago, on a mission far from the sprawling concrete and flickering neon of New Oasis, in a rural village in a country most couldn't point out on a map. It was supposed to be a simple job. Get in and get out before anyone knew she'd been there.

But she hadn't expected the plague.

She remembered standing in the middle of the square, pretending to haggle for a bag of rice, when a boy—couldn't have been older than ten—collapsed. His body stiffening like a corpse. His mouth opening in a silent scream. A woman rushed over to help, but the moment her hands touched him, she dropped, writhing alongside him.

It spread like wildfire. One by one, villagers fell to the ground, their eyes rolling back, their limbs twitching. Some clawed at their throats like they couldn't breathe. Others screamed at nothing.

Retsu froze, the sack of rice forgotten in her hand. For a long, terrible moment, she was the only one left standing.

She'd never seen anything like it before. Or since.

Until now.

Standing in the dank, reeking depths of Purgatory, surrounded by gangsters from every corner of New Oasis, Retsu felt a strange sense of déjà vu. One second, the room was alive with chaos: shouts, laughter, the metallic clang of chains, the hum of clashing egos. And then, like someone had flipped a switch, it all stopped.

Hundreds of bodies, frozen mid-motion. Faces twisted in shock, fear, awe—expressions she couldn’t begin to parse.

It was the village all over again.

As quickly as it had happened, the phenomen faded. People woke up, and time continued on as if nothing had happened.

“Well.. Shit."

 

[joshuadim]

DAIGO ASANUMA

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 4: Scene 1 [The Fourth Seal]

LOCATION:

Center District Purification Chamber, Lower Central — "Purgatory"

PARTICIPANTS:

Various Phoenixes

THE FOURTH SEAL

"Haven't heard from him for a week, ain't doing so hot after-" Daigo started to say, until he found himself on his hands and knees. He felt nauseous, like a gaping hole had appeared in his stomach and was spewing out all sorts of bad shit. His mind felt it, something had violated it with its presence and in turn had created a disorienting episode that made him feel as though he was pulled between where he was and where he wasn't. The world around him spun for a moment as he felt himself lose his orientation, before coming back to reality through sheer force of will; gritting his teeth, Daigo took a deep breath and dug his fingers into the ground - nearly causing them to bleed - while pushing himself upwards.

He stumbled a bit when standing upright, but managed to ultimately steady himself and take a few more deep breaths as he looked around in confusion. What the hell was that? Daigo thought to himself, his mind racing. He saw something, but he couldn't possibly know what it was - nor what it entailed. Instead, he focused on the now as he leaned onto the wall nearby for additional support.

"...think so." Daigo managed to get out, clearing his throat afterwards and wiping his mouth. "The fuck was that?"

angel doe Elenion Aura

 

[AriAriAbabwa]

ALICE

CS Link

SCENE:

Arc 4: Scene 1 [The Fourth Seal]

LOCATION:

Purification Chamber, Lower Central — "Purgatory"

PARTICIPANTS:

Alice, Akira

The Fourth Seal

She thought they were close. That change would come, and once Ryutaru had taken Markus' place, things would settle down. Was that hope, or just blind naivety? Alice wondered if she really has changed enough for this world. If she still wished for impossibilities. Because Ryu's plan to take the throne worked. What came after was disarray. The police, who were supposed to repel the gangs, changed their operations. Scorched earth.

Passeri Park's sentiment rang louder than ever. Ryu had years to do anything for her, and only did when it was convenient.

So this was it, then? There was no such thing as "the good side"? When fairy tales painted imagery of knights in shining armor, fighting for nothing but the benefit of others, was it a lie?

Alice smiled, a warm blush creeping on her face. No. It wasn't a lie. Because Charlie is that knight in shining armor. A spark of hope desperately needed in New Oasis. And by her. She needed to keep going, for both of their sakes.

For Alice, part of that meant discussing with old faces. Those she once thought of as friends—family, even. Those who in reality were complacent of her manipulation, and others who spun the wheel of capital. This face fell into the former category. Akira was running some gladiatorial arena and collecting bets. Typical Tiger. This was the first time she'd seen him since Markus' fall, and after getting past her initial shock, Alice decided now was a better time than ever. "Akira." Alice spat the word with a newfound lack of emotion. No pleading, no anger, just a stern, determined call. "We need to talk."

gxxberkit

 

[AzaleaWonderland]

Boba LaVeau

http://www.google.com

CS Link

SCENE:

New Oasis Season 2 - Arc 4: Scene 1 [The Fourth Seal]

LOCATION:

Center District Purification Chamber, Lower Central - "Purgatory"

PARTICIPANTS:

Numerous Members of Every Gang

The Fourth Seal

Boba listened to the crowds, swinging her head around and slightly shifting her wings to get a glimpse of the crowds around her while trying to hide her eyes behind them. So far, it seemed like things were under a relative state of control. Most things that caught her attention didn't seem to be any unsanctioned fights that'd break the truce. She was worried about that betting ring that'd form, though, from the behavior, it seemed more like it was leveraging the average gang member's boredom in this purgatory for cash instead of betting on a real fight that broke out. Once they had gone far enough away from the large groups, Christina spoke up. It was a thanks.

This sucks, how does she respond to this in a way that portrays her as humble?! Boba racked her mind for an elegant yet simple response but came up empty-handed. Oh well, any more dead air and it'd feel like she was ignoring Christina. With a small chuckle, Boba started her sentence, "Don't mention it. It was my pleasure. I'm glad I didn't misread the situation. I'd rather avoid having anyone testing the limits of the truce on these grounds. Major conflicts breaking out here would damage any possible truce before it's even established."

Her movement stopped in its tracks. Boba had returned to her senses, but how did she even become separated from them in the first place? Her wings lifted from in front of her eyes so she could examine her surroundings. Judging from everyone's reactions, this wasn't just her seeing things. Something had happened, but why? She remained quiet for a moment, fiddling with the word stuck in her mind before speaking, "Christina, would you happen to have... had a disorientating experience just now?" Boba questioned as her mind scrambled to regain composure. That experience prompted so many questions that had no easy answers.
@Infab

 

[King Crimson]

AKAMOZU JUN

CS Link

SCENE:

Phoenixes Arc 4: Scene 1 [The Fourth Seal]

LOCATION:

Center District Purification Chamber, Lower Central — "Purgatory"

PARTICIPANTS:

Hiyma @Peckinou, Henry Coyote Hart [/USER], Numerous members of every gang

THE FOURTH SEAL

"Beach party!~" came Jun's ecstatic, immediate reply, as he nearly bolted up from his prone position on the floor, like a young, slumbering puppy that had just heard it's owner say the word 'walk',
"I wanna listen to music, and bask in the warm summer sun! I wanna play beach volleyball with Bolty, Charlie and Henry, and swim in the waves!"
His eyes were glimmering with unrestrained excitement, reenergized from the prospect of feeling the sand between his toes. But then, after a second's thought, the spark in his eyes suddenly departed, and like a balloon without air, he sank back onto the ground, a cruel realization having dawned upon him.
"...'Cept we can't really do that, huh~?" Jun wistfully sighed, tracing little shapes in the dusty tile with the tip of his finger.
That's right, they were stuck here, because of the whole 'manhunt' thing, and because the dumb 'new new boss' had to meet with the equally dumb bosses of the other gangs to figure out how to deal with it.

Also, it was the dead of winter.
No beach parties anytime soon.

Rolling onto his back, and tucking his hands behind his head, Jun sighed once again in defeat, staring longingly up at the ceiling above.
How long were they going to stay here? What's taking them so long? Were they ever going to get out?
A barrage of questions nagged at the young phoenix's racing mind, the sound of his own pulsing blood thrumming in his ears.

Jun wasn't sure when exactly he had closed his eyes. And he wasn't aware of when he had opened them.

He found himself in a strange place, unfamiliar, alien, yet comforting, sublime.
A warm feeling wrapped around him like a blanket, or the caress of that which he never knew, prickling pleasantly at every single nerve of his skin, and sinking into the core of his being.
It was a sound that enveloped him, one that assimilated him heart and soul.
A voice, whispering in his ear, yet seemed to fade far into the valley when he craned his head to listen, leaving a familiar, cold emptiness in it's wake.
He wanted to hear it speak again, feel it's touch. He wanted it's pulse in his hand, feel it grow weaker and weaker, until it fell silent, living within him as an echo that would finally mend his mangled, shattered heart.

"--Hah!!" A sharp inhale escaped him as he awoke, his breath having caught in his throat during his stupor, the thrumming in his ears telling him that he was, in fact, alive, and back in reality.
His hand unconsciously was reaching out, upwards, towards that which he could never reach.
Hesitantly he drew it back, scratching at the back of his head as he sluggishly sat back up.
"Uuugh~..." he started, drunkenly rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his other hand, before loudly asking,
"Henry~! Did you slip me one of your weird drugs again~!?"

 

[Haze-]

Hades // Cerberus

SCENE:

Season 2 - Arc 4: [The Fourth Seal]

TIME:

Feb 28th, 2023 || After Midnight

LOCATION:

Lower Central District; "Purgatory"

INTERACTIONS:

Takakazu, Hiachi, Charles Hughes IV

Fate Drags The Unwilling

“Nope. Haven't seen her.” — Dante sighed, scratched a pinky finger above an eyebrow, absentmindedly, while his other hand tapped an index on his pocket. Arrhythmically, obsessively; it was possessed— the exorcism came when that same hand dung into his pockets to yank out a pack of cheap red stars, thumbing the plastic lid up and pinching a cig out of the packet.

He was fidgeting with his lighter while Tak mumbled on excuses, focused on both getting a flame and guarding it from the night’s chill wind, cupping a hand over his mouth. The lighter clicked, dryly, his eyes went up from his work to follow Tak’s raised finger with a quirked brow. Another click, satisfactory, then a sizzle that birthed a sprite of smoke, waving up behind his cupped hand. He scoffed, his words half-muffled by the pressed lips trying to keep the cigarette dangling from his mouth — “Meh, you’re saying it like they’ll kill ‘er over a call or somethin’. I bet she’s fine. Ryutaro likes to keep her close, that fucker, but not that close. She’s probably hanging around close by outside the meeting room, not necessarily inside it.”

“Girl’ll prolly die from a fuckin’ heart attack if her phone even buzzes while she’s at the meetin’.” — A clawed, shadowy hand backhanded Dante’s suit, scuffing the neat shoulders on his blazer, leaving a blotch of retracting darkness as it hovered over his face to gesture at him, demanding. The wolf already had a cigarette hooked on one of his fangs, hanging from his snout. Reluctantly, he passed the lighter over.

“Fair enough…” — He sighed, blew out a ring of smoke.

It was a bad habit they’d both picked up after one long, tedious job. A lot of waiting and surveilling drives a man into terrible vices, and he just so happened to have lungs that healed over-night. They could quit it at any moment. When they felt like it.

“Let’s go see if we can bump into her then. She’s—”

A pause, the words stalled out of his mouth, breathless. The world froze, he blinked in-and-out of it.

He drifted.

Endless. Slow. Without purpose.

He floated; in a twisting nether of stardust, adrift in a cocktail of constellations and nebulae; he floated— until he finally bumped into it, heard it. Acknowledged its lack of understanding, felt its unending love for him.

He felt like a fish swimming in the big blue, suddenly frozen still as it felt the passing of a cargo ship above, the steepling, sharp bottom of the hull brushing against his dorsal fin, incapable of comprehending, only gawking as the shadow of the metal beast enveloped him in its darkness. Then he felt himself getting caught, torn apart, jammed up against the rotary blades once it finally passed, his brain leaking out of his ear, liquefying in the blue stream.

Then he was water; he was nothing at all.

In his nothingness there was absence. Absence of thought. Absence of presence. But not absence of feeling. No, something permeated while he drifted in the waters, staring into the visage of God. Breathing through him, blazing, raw, hateful— in those waters, looking up at God and all of his 'love', Dante felt a complete and utter void of apathy. Silent, yet loud, like a hollow, echoing space, where he was left with nothing but the notion that he was nothing before the eyes of that…thing. Before it’s superficial love, he was an ant, an exotic pet, an exhibit.

Not even a speck, not a grain, not an ounce— he was nothing.

And then the waters drained, the void cleared, he came back to himself. Drenched in sweat, bug-eyed, frozen still, like a fish in the big blue. Feeling the sting of the already burnt cigarette between his fingers, clinging to the pain, trying to anchor himself back to reality.

“Be…come…?”

It was the same as when he had first built-up courage to run away from the north. Fight or flight, heavy and consuming his every thought. But he couldn’t fight this thing, couldn’t run away from it. The mere thought of it made him feel like an ant all over again.

“Hey,” — Another bump against his shoulder. He didn’t turn to it this time, didn’t even flinch, only turned an eye at the wolf. The hound wasn’t smiling — “We should look for the girl…”

“Yeah…” — He shuddered out the breath he’d been holding, finally blinked, composed himself — “Yeah, we…we should. Go on ahead. We’ll catch up.”

Without another word, the wolf disappeared, Dante was left with only his own, rushing thoughts and Tak. Roach’s face told him all he needed to know, what he didn’t want to hear. It wasn’t just another one of his hallucinations. No, he’d seen it too.

He patted Tak’s shoulder, drew in breath before letting it go in a long, already exhausted sigh — “Let’s go. Whatever’s happening…I don’t like it.”

---

A bloodhound; he sprung onto her scent before the gloominess, the damp atmosphere, of the room had even settled in.

The horde of gleaming, bloodshot sets of eyes that had been crawling and lurking along the walls turned, fixed their sights onto one single spot. Singled out a wall from the many of Purgatory. They shifted, churned inward, disappeared and reappeared inside the wall. Watching unblinkingly at the two eavesdroppers.

Strings of shadow began to rise from within the wall, forming, basting into shape, brushing lightly against the girl’s leg as if politely asking for space. Unhurried, without trying to startle her. He had grown some tact. It didn’t suit him at all, really — ‘Yer’ always hiding aren’t you?’ — The hound rang a familiar voice inside Hiachi’s head, as if knocking on the walls of her skull to grab her attention.

‘I like playin’ hide n’ seek.’ — The wolf cackled, the top of his head brushing against the ceiling while his back and neck bent impossibly, uncomfortably, like an expert contortionist as he tried fitting in beside Hiachi. His neck cracked, stretched, head leaning over one shoulder as he side-eyed Hiachi with a snout tugged into a sneer.

'Y’ saw that too, didn’t you? Dante n’ that meatsack ‘re out lookin’ for you. It has ‘em worried.'

His tone softened for a spare moment, a buff of resigned breath leaving the hound’s nostrils, losing itself into the darkness between those walls.

‘You have them worried.’

‘You wanna come out? It’s up to you, really…’ — His shoulders sagged, he shrugged, brought his hands into his pockets as that twisted grin came back onto his furred factions — ‘I’m just ‘ere lookin’ out for ya’ in case somethin’ goes down, since Dante’s bein’ such a bitch about it…’

Without warning, all of the blood-red eyes along the innards of the walls snapped into the same direction, pupils dilating, zoning in on the third rat inside the wall. It had a long and luscious blue mane, was small enough to fit neatly in his pocket. Cerberus scoffed, gave the unknown mobster the privilege of hearing his voice booming loud and clear inside his head.

“And who’s this fuckin’ leprechaun?”

thebigfella miki Roda the Red

 

[simj26]

BIBI

CS Link

SCENE:

New Oasis Season 2 - Arc 4: Scene 1 [The Fourth Seal]

LOCATION:

Center District Purification Chamber, Lower Central - "Purgatory”

PARTICIPANTS:

Bibi, Pei

The Fourth Seal

Was it the explosion? Was it the surge of funny colours that upset his sense of balance? Was it the joy of having been able to beat the gamemaster at his own games? No, it couldn’t have been. This was something else entirely. An intrusion into his mind. He did not like it. Whatever it was that invaded his mind will have to die. That was a simple enough fact.

As he recovered from both that invasion and the explosion, he rubbed the back of his head. Still whole and hale. Unfortunately, no extra scars on him to show off to Rude or Vita. “Blackened stars, swimming in eternal dark,”* he remarked, frowning towards his new friend. It didn’t take long for the frown to revert to the innocent, air-headed smile. “Burning flames swallow all, what is left rots in mud.**” His eyes sparkled with curiosity. This one was interesting. The black butterfly wanted to see more of what this chaotic mess could, or wanted to do. Unpredictable, unbidden, unfettered. Such fun, such excitement!

*(Well, that was something, huh?)
**(So what are we playing next?! )

thebigfella

 

[Kameron Esters-]

K̴H̸Y̷D̷N̶A̸H̷

CS Link

SCENE:

The Fourth Seal

LOCATION:

Center District Purification Chamber, Lower Central - "Purgatory"

TIME:

Arc 4

PARTICIPANTS:

The Kings and their Inner Circles

The Fourth Seal

Khydnah’s eyes gleamed beneath her hood as she observed the chaos unfold, her gaze unflinching as Sura unleashed his theatrics. She sat still, her hands loosely clasped on the table, her body as still as a shadow. When Sura finished his tirade, the faintest smile crept across her lips—a sharp, unsettling thing that seemed more akin to a knife’s edge than an expression of amusement.

“̶A̴h̸,̶ ̵S̷u̶r̵a̸,̴”̵ ̷she finally spoke, her voice smooth, a velvet cadence that carried across the room. “̶Y̴o̸u̴ ̷s̸p̵e̶a̷k̶ ̴o̴f̷ ̷e̶g̴o̷ ̶a̷s̵ ̴t̸h̷o̷u̵g̸h̶ ̴i̴t̶ ̵i̵s̴ ̴s̶a̷l̴v̸a̸t̸i̶o̴n̷.̷ ̷A̸s̸ ̷t̵h̸o̴u̷g̸h̶ ̴i̷t̵ ̷i̸s̸ ̵s̷t̶r̶e̵n̴g̶t̸h̷.̴ ̵A̵n̴d̵ ̵y̴e̴t̵,̷ ̷t̸o̴ ̸m̷e̶,̶ ̴y̵o̷u̷r̷ ̴p̵e̵r̴f̸o̶r̶m̴a̴n̸c̵e̷ ̵s̶u̶g̴g̶e̶s̵t̶s̴ ̸s̸o̸m̸e̶t̸h̴i̶n̶g̷ ̵f̶a̶r̵ ̵m̴o̴r̷e̷ ̵f̴r̵a̸g̴i̵l̵e̷—̵s̸o̸m̷e̶t̵h̷i̷n̵g̵ ̷f̴a̷r̷ ̶m̵o̶r̶e̴ ̵d̶e̴s̸p̴e̸r̸a̵t̸e̸.̴”̴

Her fingers unfolded, each movement deliberate as she traced the rim of the glass before her. ̵“̶D̴o̶ ̸n̷o̵t̸ ̷m̶i̸s̸t̴a̸k̸e̷ ̸t̵h̶e̶ ̸l̷o̴u̶d̷n̸e̷s̷s̵ ̴o̴f̶ ̴e̵g̷o̸ ̵f̴o̴r̶ ̵i̷t̶s̷ ̵w̵o̸r̵t̴h̴.̵ ̴T̷h̵e̸ ̴l̶o̴u̷d̵e̴r̷ ̵o̶n̴e̵ ̴s̷h̵o̸u̴t̷s̶,̷ ̷t̶h̷e̴ ̶e̵a̵s̶i̶e̵r̴ ̶t̵h̴e̸y̵ ̶a̸r̵e̶ ̷t̸o̷ ̷f̶i̸n̸d̶.̸ ̴T̶h̷e̸ ̶m̸o̶r̴e̶ ̷t̸h̸e̵y̷ ̷f̸l̴a̷i̴l̴,̸ ̶t̵h̶e̵ ̵m̵o̵r̷e̴ ̴t̴h̷e̴y̷ ̵b̸l̸e̶e̸d̴ ̴w̷h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̷h̸e̶y̴ ̶a̷r̸e̷ ̵s̸t̸r̵u̶c̴k̷.̶”̴ She tilted her head slightly, her eyes now flickering toward Ryu, and then Lars, before settling back on Sura.

“̷Y̸o̷u̶ ̴s̸a̸y̸ ̷y̴o̸u̶ ̸w̴i̸s̷h̸ ̵t̴o̵ ̷w̶a̴g̴e̸ ̷w̸a̴r̴—̷o̴n̴ ̷t̸h̵e̷ ̴p̸o̴l̴i̴c̶e̶,̶ ̷o̵n̸ ̴t̴h̸e̶ ̴S̵l̴e̶e̵p̶e̴r̷,̵ ̵o̶n̷ ̴e̷a̶c̴h̶ ̶o̷t̷h̸e̴r̸.̷ ̸I̷ ̸f̸i̵n̸d̷ ̶t̴h̷i̵s̴ ̷a̵m̸u̴s̸i̵n̴g̵,̴ ̵c̵o̸n̵s̶i̷d̴e̵r̸i̸n̷g̷ ̵y̴o̸u̵ ̴c̶a̷n̴n̶o̴t̶ ̷e̷v̶e̸n̵ ̸w̶a̷g̷e̸ ̸p̷e̵a̶c̵e̵ ̴i̴n̶ ̸t̴h̸i̴s̸ ̸r̴o̵o̶m̴.̴ ̸T̵h̷a̴t̵ ̷y̷o̸u̴ ̶e̴q̴u̷a̵t̴e̵ ̷s̴u̶r̷v̷i̸v̵a̶l̸ ̶w̴i̸t̴h̶ ̷d̴o̶m̷i̸n̴a̷t̴i̸o̸n̴ ̸s̴h̷o̴w̶s̷ ̷h̷o̸w̸ ̵d̷e̵e̷p̴l̴y̴ ̵y̴o̶u̵ ̸m̶i̴s̷u̴n̴d̸e̸r̵s̶t̵a̵n̴d̵ ̴t̴h̷e̶ ̷s̷t̵a̵k̴e̶s̴ ̵w̷e̸ ̴f̸a̶c̷e̶.̵”̴ Her voice grew colder, sharper, like ice forming beneath the surface. “̶E̴g̸o̷ ̷i̶s̸ ̶t̶h̶e̸ ̵m̷a̶s̴k̷ ̵w̷e̶ ̷a̵l̸l̴ ̴w̸e̸a̴r̸,̸ ̵K̵i̷n̷g̵ ̸o̴f̶ ̸A̸s̵h̸e̸s̵.̵ ̴B̸u̸t̵ ̶t̴h̶e̶ ̷w̷i̶s̶e̸s̵t̵ ̸a̷m̸o̶n̴g̴ ̸u̵s̸ ̷k̴n̷o̸w̸ ̵w̸h̶e̶n̶ ̷t̴o̷ ̷r̵e̷m̵o̶v̶e̶ ̶i̴t̴.̸ ̴W̶h̸e̶n̶ ̶t̸o̵ ̸l̷e̷t̷ ̷i̸t̷ ̸f̶a̷l̵l̵ ̶a̶w̷a̵y̶.̴”̷

She leaned forward slightly, her tone dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. ̷“̷Y̵o̷u̷ ̷s̶p̵e̶a̷k̴ ̶o̸f̴ ̵t̷h̵e̵ ̷S̵l̵e̴e̵p̶e̷r̸ ̷a̵s̶ ̶t̸h̸o̴u̸g̵h̶ ̷i̵t̸ ̷i̴s̷ ̵o̴u̴r̵s̵ ̵t̷o̵ ̷c̷o̸m̶m̷a̶n̴d̴.̴ ̴T̶h̴a̴t̷ ̷w̶e̴ ̸a̵r̶e̴ ̴i̷t̵s̷ ̸i̴n̴h̸e̸r̶i̷t̵o̸r̶s̸,̵ ̴i̶t̶s̷ ̴c̴h̸o̴s̶e̶n̶.̵ ̶A̷n̸d̸ ̸y̴e̴t̶,̸ ̷y̴o̸u̴ ̴h̴a̴v̷e̷ ̴n̶o̷ ̸i̶d̸e̵a̷ ̸w̶h̶a̸t̸ ̴i̵t̵ ̵w̸a̶n̵t̸s̶,̴ ̷d̶o̶ ̴y̶o̵u̶?̸ ̷W̶h̵e̸t̶h̶e̶r̸ ̷i̸t̷ ̷w̴a̴k̵e̶s̵ ̵a̷s̶ ̵a̶ ̸f̴r̶i̵e̴n̴d̷ ̶o̷r̶ ̴a̷n̶ ̵e̵n̴e̶m̷y̷—̵o̴r̶ ̸s̵o̵m̵e̸t̷h̷i̷n̶g̷ ̷f̸a̶r̶ ̴w̷o̷r̷s̴e̶.̵ ̶D̸o̴ ̸y̵o̸u̶ ̸t̴r̷u̵l̸y̴ ̴b̷e̵l̴i̴e̷v̸e̴ ̶i̸t̵ ̷w̵i̶l̶l̷ ̵l̷o̴o̵k̵ ̶u̵p̴o̷n̴ ̴u̷s̷ ̵a̷n̴d̷ ̸s̶e̶e̷ ̸k̵i̵n̵?̴ ̵O̷r̷ ̴w̶i̸l̵l̶ ̴i̸t̷ ̷s̵e̵e̴ ̷p̵e̸s̷t̶s̸—̸s̵c̷a̶v̶e̶n̷g̵e̷r̵s̶ ̵g̴n̸a̵w̵i̵n̷g̶ ̵a̶t̷ ̸t̴h̸e̸ ̷r̴e̴m̵a̸i̵n̵s̷ ̶o̵f̸ ̸i̵t̴s̷ ̷f̶o̶r̴g̷o̷t̴t̶e̴n̵ ̷g̶l̸o̷r̴y̷?̸”̸

Her smile widened, the knife now unsheathed. “̷S̸o̸ ̸I̷ ̷w̸i̷l̵l̸ ̸t̶e̵l̵l̶ ̷y̶o̵u̵ ̸t̵h̵i̵s̸,̴ ̸S̴u̵r̷a̸.̴ ̸Y̴o̷u̵r̶ ̶w̴a̵r̵ ̴w̶i̵l̵l̶ ̶m̶e̴a̶n̴ ̴n̸o̷t̶h̷i̴n̵g̸ ̸i̶f̴ ̶y̴o̵u̷ ̷c̷a̴n̴n̸o̶t̶ ̸f̵i̸r̵s̴t̵ ̵u̴n̴d̷e̶r̵s̴t̸a̸n̸d̵ ̷w̸h̷a̷t̵ ̵y̸o̵u̶ ̷a̵r̷e̷ ̶f̴i̸g̷h̷t̴i̵n̵g̶ ̶f̴o̴r̵—̸o̶r̴ ̸a̴g̴a̷i̸n̶s̵t̵.̴ ̶U̵n̸t̷i̶l̷ ̴t̷h̸e̵n̴,̶ ̸y̷o̷u̷r̷ ̶w̴o̵r̵d̴s̷ ̵a̶r̶e̴ ̴a̸ ̸b̶o̵n̶f̵i̸r̸e̴ ̸o̸n̵ ̴t̸h̶e̸ ̷w̴i̵n̶d̸.̴ ̷B̸r̴i̶g̴h̴t̶.̷ ̸L̸o̶u̵d̵.̸ ̴B̷u̸t̵ ̵d̵e̷s̷t̸i̵n̵e̶d̵ ̴t̸o̵ ̸d̸i̸e̴.̶”̸

Khydnah leaned back in her chair, folding her hands once more. “̸N̷o̶w̴,̷ ̸s̵h̵a̷l̶l̴ ̸w̴e̸ ̴g̵e̴t̸ ̶t̵o̷ ̴t̸h̷e̵ ̶b̵u̸s̴i̸n̴e̵s̷s̵ ̴o̵f̸ ̴e̶n̸s̷u̵r̴i̸n̴g̸ ̵w̸e̸ ̵s̸u̴r̸v̵i̸v̸e̸ ̵l̴o̵n̴g̸ ̷e̷n̵o̵u̵g̴h̶ ̵t̵o̶ ̷w̴i̸t̵n̵e̷s̶s̴ ̵w̶h̵a̵t̴ ̷t̶h̵e̴ ̶S̸l̵e̶e̸p̵e̶r̴ ̵t̸r̶u̸l̵y̶ ̶i̵n̴t̵e̷n̷d̷s̶ ̶f̸o̶r̸ ̸u̸s̷ ̸a̶l̸l̸?̷ ̵O̶r̷ ̵s̶h̸a̶l̸l̵ ̷w̵e̸ ̷c̴o̸n̶t̵i̶n̶u̴e̸ ̷t̷h̶i̶s̶ ̷d̴e̶l̷i̶g̵h̵t̵f̷u̸l̸ ̷d̷a̶n̴c̴e̴ ̴o̷f̵ ̶e̶g̵o̸s̸,̷ ̶a̴n̵d̸ ̷m̴a̷k̴e̸ ̵i̷t̷s̸ ̴d̷e̴c̵i̷s̴i̷o̷n̷ ̷a̸l̸l̴ ̵t̵h̴e̶ ̴e̸a̸s̷i̴e̸r̶?̶”̷

joshuadim FabulousTrash Elenion Aura Doctor Llamabean