- Zodiac - [Inactive]

[Father Voltaire]

|Hierophant's Manor|


|Limbo|

​

​

"Humph." Hierophant pouted towards Cecelia. While keeping the balance of existence is a noble focus, he knew Cecelia wasn't without her sins as well. He almost felt like being lectured by a hypocrite. Though, Hierophant wasn't being totally honest himself... It all goes full circle. The manipulator let the child speak her mind until she was finally without words to roll of the tongue. "Don't brood over my musings. You're just giving your young face wrinkles." Hierophant turned his back to Cecelia, letting her take her leave. When the teddy bear apparition had abandoned Hierophant to his lair he grew more vexed than he did prior to Cecelia's visit. From the looks of things, not only is everyone on to him but they seem to slowly becoming an obstacle. One he does not feel like conquering. "Luckily... I have a precaution for this. I didn't think I'd want to employ it so early though." Hierophant thought out loud to himself. He crossed his arms and took a minute to think over his decision... "...Use and abuse." Hierophant said before opening a wormhole around himself and vanishing into thin air...

|Location Unknown|

​

...Reopening with the hard cackle of raw energy, Heriophant emerged. He appeared in a gray, misty, empty space. It appeared to have gone on forever... Just as limitless as the space that envelops the Earth. A plane of nothingness. Hierophant stepped forward, kicking the mist that coated the endless gray floor of this new dimension. As the Zodiac sauntered, he could hear imperceptible voices. Confused voices, scared voices, angry voices, lost voices... The incoherent calls went against Hierophants deft ears. There was nothing he could do for these poor, adrift souls. As Hierophant looked up into the aether he found himself at the foot of a large congregation of fog. It looked almost unnatural. As if it was hiding something. "Found it." Hierophant lifted his hand and slammed his palm onto the ground. Letting lose a huge current of energy. It jumped and danced around the pillar of fog until...

Fwoof!




​

...The pillar dissipated! Revealing an actual pillar. The pillars architecture was odd. Something that didn't follow human ingenuity. This structure was made from a different kind of craftsman. The pillar stood tall, piercing through the gray sky beyond the eye could see. The towers infrastructure was peculiar and unorthodox. In the middle was on main tower, and outside were multiple pillars donned around the towers perimeter. Kept up by concrete disks. The pillars themselves had windows, barred windows. This tower served as a prison. A prison awaiting those who are sentenced to whatever afterlife they are chosen. Whether it be heaven, hell, or something else entirely... Hierophant walked up the steps to the entrance of the tower, passing through the ginormous openings. As soon as his foot entered within the interior the fog returned to protect this prison once more. Hierophant looked behind him as the fog closed in, sealing off the dim light from the outside. The tower interior was dark, blindingly dark. An average human's eyes would strain at having to develop at this deep of a darkness. This was no exception for Hierophant. His Zodiac powers did not grant him any extraordinary sight, any that could allow him to see in this abyss. Hierophant turned his head about, looking to find if there was any available light source he could use to navigate the prison. Generally, the Warden would have shown itself, it being a light source. A mobile one. "Warden. Reveal yourself and allow me to see. I'm here to make a visit." On cue, five blue orbs of fire lit up in front of Hierophant. One at a time placed in an ark. "Finally." Hierophant snapped. The Warden was a cloaked entity with a wide brimmed hat and a eyeless mask. Where the eye holes would be carved only two painted symbols were present. At the forehead of the mask was a strange slip of paper with black colored kanji scribbled on. The ink fumed and bubbled, giving away that the tag was active. Strangely enough, the tag looked out of place for the Warden... The Warden stood there, mindlessly. Awaiting another command from Hierophant who was taking a good look at the tag on its mask. "Mm-hmm... Still here. Take me to him." The Warden raised its bony hands and the blue wisps floating behind it spun onto the ground and formed a flaming seal on the ground. The seal erupted a column of fire that stretched into the air and snaked about in midair. The flaming "snake" slithered and wriggled through the long corridors of the Prison. Raising upward and taking many passages that lead to the epicenter of the tower. Where the Zodiacs were contained. Shooting through the cells like a firecracker the Warden and Hierophant finally came at their stop... His cell. A large, dark cell whose only interior was the dark. But in the back sat a long, red haired man. Dressed in prison rags and seals spinning around his ankles and wrists. He kept a deranged grin on his face as he saw Hierophant stand before his cell. He got up and slowly walked towards the front of the open cell. The seals activating a now active barrier that he could not tamper with. Despite Hierophant being free of these shackles he could not fiddle with the wall either. The long haired man snickered to Hierophant. "Come to take my shadow tags again? You used all the ones I gave you?" Hierophant nodded, not needing to warrant a worded response. He wanted to get this transaction over with. "Fiiiii~iine, fine. Don't go wasting all these. These are the last I can muster while in prison." The man pushed a wad of blank tags towards the barrier, and peered up at the Warden. "Give them to him." The Warden knelt down and pushed his hand through the barrier and handed Heirophant the Shadow Tags. Hierophant pulled the wad of tags back and let them run back together like a deck of cards. A sinister grim came over the collected face of the Zodiac. This response only fueled the read headed prisoners amusement. "So. Have you apprehended the book? Found a host yet? You never filled me in." Hierophant eyed the prisoner and chuckled. "Ohoho yes. I have both the book, I'm gathering the Hollows, and I have a Host doing it for me as we speak. And your remaining sentence?" The prisoner giggled as if he was tickled by something. "Not long at all, Hierophant. Not long at all. Once I'm out, all of this will flow into motion flawlessly. We're invincible. A God, a human puppeteer? Surely... But, be on your way. As I'm sure you wish to return to the physical word and wrap things up." Hierophant nodded, and was taken by flames once more. Whisked from the prison by Warden and came back out with just what he wanted.

 

[IAmEnzo]

->


| Evening |


| Wednesday |


| September 25, 2014 |

​

Eventually, as the game neared it's finish, the sun declined behind the hills and trees that surrounded the fields. The floodlights were switched on for the remainder of the game. The match itself came to a close with the opposing team failing to even keep up. It wasn't a surprise to the veteran Ghoul players, seeing as how the Bears were known for their weak play.


With the other team beaten into submission, the home team was free to relax and listen to the cheers of their fans and school supporters. It was a good five minutes of fame, honestly. Dominic could already see the team as well as the viewers pack up and leave. Even out-of-town visitors knew not to hang around Brookfield at night.


Eventually, the team itself retreated back into the gym, where the players changed into their original clothes and stowed away team equipment. All the while the team were sharing moments they had within the game, both good, bad, and frustrating. Dominic was overall tired - perhaps disappointed that he hadn't seen many familiar faces at the game. The only ones being Alice and James, and strangely enough, one of which really only wanted to interrogate him.


As the team departed from the school to head home in all different direction, it left Dominic standing outside of the school's front entrance with a strange lingering feeling. Now that his rush was over, Dominic was prone to his thoughts. Instead of heading straight back home, Dominic decided to just.. sit. He took a spot on a bench outside of school and waited. His legs were tired enough from running all day, a few minutes worth of stopping wouldn't do him any harm.

 

[TerraBooma]

Bleachers


Talking to James/Akira

​

Sam cheers with the rest of the fans as the game comes to a close with a crushing victory for the ghouls, the bears' fans are saddened but now that there's always next time. He closes up his laptop. putting it in his bag and standing up. "Nice seeing you two, I've got to run, see you guys around!" He waves as he leaves the bleachers, and they were one of the few people left as the sun started to fall. He takes his time on the way to the school entrance, enjoying the walk as the team enjoys their victory.

Front of School


Talking to Dom?

​

Sam's surprised to see Dominic sitting near the front of the school entrance, he waves and calls out. "Hey! Its Dom right? Good game, you kicked them in the teeth huh?" He grins. "Mind if I sit down? I'm waiting for Alice." He remains standing until Dom says he can, if he does at all. "I'm Sam, we met the other day when you guys finished with...whatever happened yesterday." He holds up his hand. "I'm not asking any questions, not right now anyway. But I'm going to help you guys out my own way, if I can anyway." He shrugs. "So you been here long?" He asks, trying to make small talk while he waits for Alice. "I was one of the kids who got transferred late, paperwork problems you know?"

 

[Dead]

-School Gates-


-Interacting with Sam and Dominic-

​

The game was over. It was a good one, Armstrong High winning by a long run. It seemed that they really sucked more than Alice thought they would, being pat on the back by one of her teammates made Alice feel a little closer, giggling softly to herself at how excited and cheerful everyone was. This really was new, so bright and happy, a world that Alice so needed but she couldn't join in too much since it would only make her crave more. Distanting herself from the group, she went to the girl's locker room where it was quiet and more cooler than out there, stripping down from her jersey and taking a quick shower.


Once she got all the muck and sweat off, she changed back into her oversized shirt and her white shorts. Tying her converse, she let her hair down to let it dry, still wet a bit from her shower. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she quickly left the quiet locker room and out into the cool air of the night, her eyes sparkled under the moonlit night. It was pretty nice, being under the stars after a good game/ exercise along with seeing a fun sight, Alice felt warm as if she was being caressed in her mother's arms.


About to walk out the gates, Alice froze when she heard voices, walking over to the gates to see who it was, she saw two familiar boys sitting on a bench together. Walking over to them, she waved and tilted her head slightly,"Hey guys, what are you guys doing sitting here?" Alice asked confused why the two were even here still.


Then it hit her, she was suppose to do something. Trying to remember what she was suppose to do, she looked over at Sam and gasped,"Oh yes! The library!" Alice gasped now remembering what they were suppose to do and mentally smacked herself. Looking at the time, it was pretty late to go now, Alice grumbled,"Sorry Sam but can we go tomorrow maybe? I'm pretty tired out and it's late." Alice said, feeling bad that she couldn't help him to the library even forgetting their deal but she had so much fun that she totally forgot.

 

[storm3510]

♦♥♣♠Walk Home♠♣♥♦

​

Victory in and of itself was a wonderful thing with games like this. Especially when it was for the side of which one was a supporter. Soon, Akira stood, seeing everyone now taking their leave. For this to have been such a crushing victory, everyone didn’t seem as excited as they could have been. Were they perhaps not surprised to see the game’s results? She looked over to the cluster of students from the other team taking their leave, not catching their reactions as well as she could have had she have been closer to them. The victory on behalf of the Ghouls was a crushing one, but good sportsmanship was still in high display. Hearing Sam’s goodbye, Akira waved him off, and proceeded down the bleachers, ready to take heed to the undertaking unto which she’d assigned herself earlier.


“They won. So I suppose now would be a good time to give Dominic his umbrella back and ask him a few questions about what occurred yesterday. He seemed to be himself, but still. There are things present here that even I don’t know about just yet.” She thought, stepping down to ground level and looking around. From the looks of it, everyone had in fact gone back inside the school by the time Akira was anywhere near the area where a relaxation party could have been held. Looking to the now setting sun, Akira pondered with question: “That’s strange. You’d think there’d be a bit more people here at the aftershock of the game’s outcome. It was, after all, a drastic win…” She stood in place and then looked at the umbrella. “Then again, as hard as they were all playing, perhaps everyone’s rather exhausted. It’d be rude to bombard him with all the questions I have right now. Perhaps it’s for the best if I… just go on back to the dorms for the time being. He’s a growing boy and needs his sleep. Yes. I’ll just do that.” She wasn’t entirely satisfied with this thought. It was safe to assume that given the fact that the blonde haired Alice girl was likely here to practice before the soccer game, she and the Sam boy wouldn’t have time to complete their conversation about yesterday’s events either, should it have even occurred at all. If her guess was right, Akira met Sam here because he wanted to wait to question Alice as well. Otherwise, if this wasn’t to be true, then his next target was Dominic, whom he’d seen the previous day, witnessed by both Akira and Alice. Based upon his reaction, Sam and Dominic didn’t know each other as well as they both knew Alice, for Sam was the one who asked for Akira’s help to search for her, and yet she was found lingering about with Dominic. Not to mention… she was the one who seemed more intent on fixing the “stolen movie” idea mentioned earlier, yet it was at Dominic’s behest that it be put off to help search for the library with Akira.


“I believe I’ve just uncovered yet another person to speak to…” She spoke her thoughts aloud, walking toward the gates. By the time she exited, she was focusing on her empty parfait cup that she’d left the café with. Only now was she realizing that she’d accidentally stolen a glass cup from Café Maria, which she’d likely have to return. By the time these thoughts ended, she was a good enough distance from the gate that she could look to the orange and purple tinted skies, calmly walking home as the dusk loomed ahead.

 

[IAmEnzo]

->


| Evening |


| Wednesday |


| September 25, 2014 |

​

Dominic didn't know why he never expected it, but someone did approach him. A familiar face he had only seen once or twice. Nodding to his request of sitting done, Dominic returned the smile. "It was quite easy, a good win for the team." At once, the boy spoke his name, memories of him during the thief incident came back to him. Oh, Sam-.. that's right. He was the boy who tried to introduce himself while Dominic was holding down a purse-snatcher. No wonder he didn't remember.


"I'm not asking any questions, not right now anyway. But I'm going to help you guys out my own way, if I can anyway."


Dominic stared back at Sam, at first he was confused as to what he was talking about, but it quickly sunk in. Zodiacs. He knows about it too? Dominic stared forward as his smile was quick to fade. Just like James, another poor soul who wants to put his two cents in. If word was traveling around this quickly, bad things were to happen. Things like the police or even the FBI learning of the spirit's existence. Dominic was so in trance of worrying, he hadn't even toned into the other questions Sam had asked.





Even as Alice approached, Dominic was in a different place mentally. Eventually a sigh escaped him and he was brought back to reality. "Sorry Sam but can we go tomorrow maybe? I'm pretty tired out and it's late." Something's going on? Dominic was so out of the loop that he had temporarily forgotten about the people right beside him.

 

[Flabbysaurus]

Bleachers


Leaving to go home

​

Clark had been tempted to leave after the first two goals. It became clear to him that the Ghouls were easily the better team and the Bears didn't stand a chance. However he knew a comeback was possible and stayed to the end of the game in case one did happen but alas, the Bears didn't seem to stand a chance. At least that's what it looked like to Clark. Clark stood up and clapped his hands, along with the rest of the people in the stands. He gradually made his way out of the stands, the large amounts of people slowing him from getting to the exit but he eventually made it out.

Outside the front doors of AHS


Swarming Dom Talking to Alice




​

Clark walked home at a casual pace with his hands in his pockets and his head facing up, staring into the starry night. Clark found himself smiling at the relaxing walk home as well as getting another day off of school, shame he had to go back tomorrow. He let out a sigh at the thought of going back tomorrow, not only at the thought of going back in general but also remembering that him and his group had made minimal progress on the group project. It seemed they also were ones to procrastinate. Although it seemed too many things had gotten in the way and Clark was sure he saw Alice among the rest of the boys. Clark's head snapped back down to normal level and turned to his right at the sound of some people talking. Clark recognized the voices, two of them being Sam and Alice and walked over, hoping not to interrupt.


Clark gently tapped Alice on the shoulder and waited for her to turn around. "Hey...um Alice I don't mean to interrupt but what are we doing about the group project. I don't care for it but I'd prefer not to get an F." He calmly said. Addressing Alice since she seemed to be leading the group.

 

[TerraBooma]

School Gates


Interacting with Dom/Alice.

​

Sam raises an amused brow as Alice asks to go to the library tomorrow. "Let me guess." He says with a smirk on his face. "You were having so much fun you forgot?" He laughs. "That would be like you." He then notices Dominics confused expression. "Like I said earilier, I'm new to town and only got to the school the other day, Alice was going to show me the library and in turn I'd help her actually know the rules to Soccer." He looks back to Alice. "Yah, it is a little late, so I guess we can put it off till tomorrow, I really need to get my books though...I wonder if there's an electronic one?" He ponders aloud. "I'll check when I get home...I've got a few other things I need to do tomorrow as well, mostly look for a job." He laughs and turns towards the dorms. "I better head off to my room, might as well get some sleep while I get a chance."

 

[Dead]

-Front of the School-


-Being a Player Interacting with Clark, Dominic, and Sam-

​

Alice grumbled and tried to hide her embarrassment for not knowing about soccer and to let Dominic of all people to hear, she wanted to smack Sam for saying it out loud but she didn't, Sam was a nice guy and he didn't even do anything bad to deserve such a thing. Keeping her hands at her side, she just nodded,"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow Sam." She said,"Oh, and we can look for a job together since I'm in need of one as well." Alice added, adding more things onto her to do list.


Waving Sam off, she jumped when she felt a gently tap on her shoulder, turning to see Clark there,"Oh Clark." Alice mumbled, again feeling the urge to smack herself, just from the sight of Clark, she was reminded of the project. Trying to keep her cool, she tried to think pf a day to do it, seeing that she was gonna go to the library with Sam, Clark and Zage could tag along and they could work on their project, high fiving herself for her quick thinking,"How about tomorrow we all meet up at the library? If you can Clark, try and find Zage and bring her over please? Thanks." Alice said before Clark could protest against her pleas.


With that done, Alice patted Clark on the back quite hard since she had been holding back her strength the whole day,"You have my number so call me whenever." Alice reminded him. Though Alice didn't have Clark's number, she didn't mind as long as Clark understood what to do tomorrow.

 

[Kiosk]

On the way home.


Alone

​

Knowing that the sounds weren't as bad as they were before eased her soul just a bit. The voices gave away to the sound of the tree leaves rustling together and softer noises; but her heartrate still kept beating faster. She knew the fear was looming just above her head and the possibility that she could be afraid of death was still fresh in her mind. Nikky stuck her books in her totebag and took the ukelele in both hands; she just needed a distraction. It was light weight, plastic and bright pink with a few stickers on it. It seemed more fitting for a child than a 17 year old highschooler. But Nikky was never one to be too concerned with appearances, at least, not anymore; she tried not to be. She played with the chords, making awkward mistakes here and there. But she wasn't really concerned with the slip-ups so she kept playing. Her fingers remembered her mistakes and improved each time she made one. She had memorized the chords and how each one responded to how she strummed them, as she kept fiddling and experimenting it wasn't soon after that she was playing a song. For a toy, it didn't sound all that bad.


A satisfied smile formed onto her face as she began to play. She was a bit proud of herself honestly, she had never been good at any instrument or anything for that fact, at least not good enough to gloat about. Not that it stopped her from gloating every now and again.The music allowed her to relax and let her mind to wonder, since her fingers played on their own accord. She dropped her totebag and leaned against a wall in front of the convience store closing her eyes to sink into her thoughts...


Mysteries, supernatural beings, hollows... was there anything this town didn't have? Although, she wondered if she would be properly prepared now. Ready or not, fate would do as she pleased; Nikky knew that. Where exactly did these entities come from? And how? They all must've been human at one point or alive, how did they obtain those powers? and this 'other world', limbo, what was it? Questions, she felt that would be answered in due time. Elijah for once was pretty quiet; she was greatful but still felt a bit lonely. Her mind wondered back to what the Zodiac had said and she had a point, she needed to be prepared for anything. It was like she was some kind of heroine preparing for her first adventure towards saving the world. Her stomach churned, she thought she was ready, but, it was normal to feel scared right? There was nothing wrong with being nervous.


Nikky came back from her thoughts as she strummed out the final note. A woman approached dropping a few dollars onto her totebag. She looked up and blinked to see a few people clapping and were watching her play. She grinned and cleared her throat, she really didn't mind being in the spotlight, it brought a warm feeling having people listen to her.


"Thank you!" She gave a bow to her audience.


~~~


She walked off holding her totebag close, a crazy grin stretched across her face as she made her way back home. She took a deep breath and sighed, her smile refusing to go away. She was happy, and she saw no point in hiding it! Knowing better than counting her earnings in public she just stayed content with just having it or even knowing something she did could earn money. She considered the possibility of making a living just playing a ukelele. As she was walking a black, expensive looking car slowed down stopping the window slowly rolled down and a woman called out,


"Nikky?"


The girl stopped to look at the driver and immediately recognized the woman, her aunt Emilia. For some reason when in her presence Nikky automatically stood up alittle bit straighter.


"Auntie?"


"Ah Nikky, I was just on my way to deliver your father's gift, want a ride?"


Nikky eyes lit up and nodded, running up to the car and just as she reached towards the passengers door her aunt stepped on the gas jerking the car forward. Nikky sighed standing there for a moment before getting in. A sly grin sat on Emilia's face as the girl buckled herself in. No one could say her aunt had no sense of humor, she certainly had one under her strict exterior it was just one that revolved around others expense. Something her Aunt and biological father had in common, their humor sucked. Nikky leaned against the leather seat cool to the touch, she rapted her finger against the arm rest. Emilia eyed the bright pink ukelele in her lap.


"You play?"


Nikky smiled, "Turns out, yeah, I do."


The car ride was quiet, there was still a bit of tension between the two it seemed. Her aunt finally spoke up."Her name is Yazhi, it means little one."


For a moment Nikky didn't have a clue what the older woman was referring to but it came to her she glanced behind at the back seat to see a cage, covered with a cloth.


"He really did get me a ferret, huh?"


"I know you'll accept her out of courtesy, but if she gets to be too muc-"


Nikky waved her hand,"It'll be fine, Auntie. I'll take care of the little one."


"Alright." Her aunt went quiet focusing back on her driving. Another day in Brookfield...


Love, Tapatalk

 

[AbraxasNine]

Abraxas Nine


? Settlements ?


? Unavailable ?

​

Time flowed without a break as she walked along the streets. Finally, she was capable of enjoying these minor luxuries, and at her own pace even. If the room was not her realm of freedom, then perhaps becoming lost within this city could be. To have the ability, or even the simple pleasure of being allowed to explore by her own terms, was an amazing thing. Though one might eye the girl as a type of apparition, or frighteningly weak individual who stood out nearly plain as day, the girl loved the unknown feelings that came with it. She loved to run, she enjoyed exploring, and she found the arts of music completely intoxicating. For other's to brand her as 'weak, fragile, or ill', wasn't it too cruel? "I want to walk more...." She broke the silent air around her, that single ruby eye staring ever so slightly to the side as if attempting to grab the attention of a certain individual. "Walking like this.... I like it" , upon continuing her eye averted once more to the front, knowing the topic was achieved. Without an apparent reason, the girl would nod, non verbally confirming a question unheard by the world. Soon after her eye would trail once more to the spot beside her, "Track?". Now that she thought about it, she never did get to partake in school clubs, and the way it was offered made it sound ideal.


A sudden diversion of attention, force of a third kind drawing her eye to the orb as it began to sink over the horizon. That's right, even if she wished to live in a separate world, night would always come to this one. "We have to go back.... Don't we?" Her eye did not budge from the setting star, longing for it to rise once more as to avoid going back. The girl's footsteps even came to a stop as she simply watched the fading light. The dorm room no longer felt like a sanctuary, but a prison. How she managed to keep herself within the room was beyond a mystery even to herself, perhaps it was the will of.. No, there was little will to hold them within that room, if anything it was a fear. A fear that even showed within the physical world as she began to shake. Hands clenched, they formed into fists as she attempted to subdue the fear, perhaps by allowing herself to think in denial. She didn't want to return, not when she felt free out here, not after what happened in there! "I don't want to! " , her voice cried as her head began to excessively shake out the other voice, " They are waiting for us... ". Abraxas's mind, now scrambled, simply wished to seek that escape. She was convinced that upon returning, 'those people' would take her back. "They want to separate us! " Her final words froze the air, only her trembling remained as her eye was forcefully shut to black out the world. She was at her limit, the fear of losing the one thing that held her to this thing called life. That intolerable pain that she forced herself to endure, it was..... annoying?


"Idiot "

Abraxas Nine Alter!


? Settlements ?


? Unavailable ?

​

Her voice, angered, snapped through the air in an agitated whisper. Tension released from her body, and another step was taken forward beginning the repeated motion. Her eye held confidence, rage, and perhaps even a mild madness about it. Every step she took, though awkward, was more pronounced than the last. The frailness in her figure seemed to completely dissipate with this change, a massive reconstruction of character occurred nearly instantly to the outside/physical world. "Do you honestly think the trash can alter us? You think they can separate us? Ha! As if I would even allow them the chance. " The girl did not even mind her vocal levels as she proceeded her rant, taunting the world around her to attempt to strike her down. "They may hinder our freedom, but they will never take you away." Her strength was being underestimated by the one person that could begin to stand on equal grounds. The situation was vexing, leading her thoughts askew before she looked behind her, more annoyance taking to her expression. The object of her attention was not so much as the other, but the situation, and the cause of all these twisted feelings.


The girl paused once again, ceasing to move forward, but instead raising a hand as if to forcefully gain the attention of another. Her movements were somewhat rough, but a peculiar gentleness followed their steps. These wretched emotions flowed through the air as they pleased, and she hated them deeply. It was not because they existed, but rather, their direction. "I will protect you, even if it costs another's life. So allow me to hold these vexing emotions." Her voice lowered to that of a comforting tone, shutting away the world once more. "They will not take you from me." The girl left no room for a response, turning on her heel and continuing onward to the dorms. Determination radiated from the girl, a rebirthed emotion that desired nothing more than to uphold her words. Freedom was already a blessing they were deprived, so why did they have to carry those negative emotions as well?


The image of that manor passed through her mind, forcing the girl to hold herself from bursting in laughter. Those two ripped in half, perhaps pale of color as they were drowned, or perhaps they could be strapped to a chair and tortured for hours on end for everything. She took delight in this imagery, almost mistaking it for a memory of reality by her depth of thought.

 

[Crystalline]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/57a8bf5f322dd_HoshinosSecondNewPowerIcon.png.bc3139765b888c4337398f9b4f4423e6.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="19760" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/57a8bf5f322dd_HoshinosSecondNewPowerIcon.png.bc3139765b888c4337398f9b4f4423e6.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>


.::Hoshino Shiromiya::.

​

~Streets~


~With No One~




​

Hoshino walked casually down the streets, making her way towards the Brookfield Settlements slowly. The sky was darkening, but it still held a subtle evening glow. It's so beautiful, she kept repeating in her thoughts. The view before her was stunning, and, as she held Gom close to her torso in a childish fashion, she couldn't help but admire the gorgeous array of threads before her. Everything - even the people around - are made of these things. When Cecilia called them the threads of existence, she wasn't lying, Hoshino realized, amazed by how everything around her was composed of them. She kept her eye out for the 'rare' ones that Cecilia spoke of, but Hoshino wasn't too sure which ones she should collect or not. I should experiment in my room later with these things, she decided internally, get the hang of these powers. She smiled at the thought. Though she knew it may end in her losing a few belongings, she figured it would be worth it in the end.


Her thoughts were immediately cut off by the sound of her phone ringing, however.





"Hello?"


"Hello, is this Ms. Shiromiya, Hiroshi Shiromiya's daughter?"


"Yes, this is her."


"I'm Mary Simmons from Brookfield Hospital. Your father has been admitted--"


"What happened to him?!" Hoshino cut her off, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk in shock.





"He was in a meeting when he began to cough up blood. It has been concluded that he has stomach ulcers."


"Thank you for telling me," Hoshino spoke quickly, and then immediately hung up. Rude, yes, but the thought of her father having any sort of health problem worried her incredibly. Now, she pulled out her map and began running in the direction of the hospital. Only thoughts of her father were in her mind as she rushed, sprinting as fast as she possibly could. Hoshino's father is prone to stress due to working all the time, so Hoshino knew something like this would happen eventually. Still, if he was coughing up blood, it must be a serious case. It made Hoshino wonder if her father has had them for a while, simply not informing anyone about it. Her father was like that; taking so many loads of stress unto himself to avoid putting them unto others. It hurt Hoshino to even think like that, though that was probably what was going on. Dad.. Why take all of this upon yourself? She wondered, picking up the pace on the path to the hospital.

~Brookfield Hospital~


~With Her Father~




​

Hoshino sat at her father's bedside, glaring at him with her bright ruby red eyes. He questioned their color earlier, but she managed to pass them off as contacts once more. She could see his threads - including the one she recognized as the ulcers in his stomach. "Why didn't you tell me?" She questioned him, and he chuckled at it, though winced in pain upon doing so. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. "Stop it," she stated with a small frown. "Tell me what's going on."


"I've had them for a couple years now," he finally stated, and immediately Hoshino's heart sunk.





"And yet you still overwork yourself? Ulcers only get worse with stress, Daddy! You could die!"


"Now that I've been promoted at Takumi Co., I need to earn my keep. There's a lot of work to be done."


"Take a break, Dad! Everyone deserves a break every once in a while. You need to rest!"


"Honey, I can't. You know that."


"But, Dad--"


"Hoshino!" He suddenly raised his voice, shushing Hoshino's own immediately. Silence fell over them for a moment.





"Daddy.. I'm just worried about you.." She broke it gently. He was simply all Hoshino had.





"I know, honey," he sighed with a pained expression, "But you know I can't stop working. I have responsibilities."


"Please just promise me that you'll take it easy, at the least?"





After a moment of tense silence, her father nodded at her. "I promise I'll take it easy."


She didn't believe him, but she chose to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Thank you."

 

[Azukai]

~Dorm~


~Shun, Ashlei, Daichi~

​

Shun gave a satisfied nod upon the completion of his painting which portrayed the seven zodiacs he held knowledge about. Given the rise of hollows in their world, it was a logical conclusion that Brookfield was being negatively affected as a result of the increasing influence of the spirits; however, intuition pointed Shun toward the possibility of another factor hidden behind the shadows.


In comparison to the zodiacs themselves, hollows appeared to be on par with mindless animals hosting a desire to destroy rather than intelligence to relegate their existence. The zodiac spirits, through their power and host, were easily capable of traversing the bridge between Limbo and the human world, yet under that assumption, how could the appearance of hollows be justified without the factor of a third party?


Perhaps it was his intuition, suspicious nature, or even a simple coincidence, but Shun couldn't help but feel that the existence of Heirophant played a much larger role than even the zodiacs themselves believed.


Bastion, I can feel it the unease from your presence, and I know you pay attention to my contemplation. Something is going on in your world isn't there?


You may believe this to be a problem limited to you spirits, but Limbo's issues are rapidly spilling into this world even to the point of having a third party investigation on your existence.





Tossing his brush aside, Shun let out a deep sigh that reflected the mental fatigue he had experienced from the day as a whole. With school being out, Shun had expected a day of rest, yet Ashlei's declaration had sent both parties through a whirlwind of emotions and left them beaten by their words which were powerful enough to crush one's soul


The sound of his ringtone distracted himself from the trance he had entered as he reached to answer his phone and silence the incessant sound that annoyed him in the current setting; however, it was the voice on the opposite line that brought upon an even deeper sigh followed by the internal rise of his anger.


"Well, well, it seems it had a better effect than I had expected.


Whoops, I accidentally spoke my mind; I meant to say how has life treated you, Shun?"


The silence from Shun's end brought about a fit of chuckles until the eventual rise of his voice cut off his father's attempt at mockery.


"Life has been quite busy preparing for my future. Though, I must thank you for helping Ashlei support me in the past few years."


"Ah, its good to hear you two are still on good terms as I can now present an invitation to the both of you. We will be having dinner tomorrow night, and I expect both of you to attend. I'll have Geoffrey bring you to the place, so rest assured in that regard."


With a click the phone was silenced and Shun was left to his emotions once more. Throwing the phone into his bed, Shun rose from his chair and walked over to punch his pillow out of frustration. With the fatigue draining the existence from his body, Shun fell onto his covers with the intention of drifting to sleep; however, it was several knocks on his door that gave him a sudden burst of energy as he rose to meet the guest. After swinging the door open, Shun was instantly enveloped in a hug as a familiar pink sight filled his line of vision.


"Shun..."

|Limbo|


|Lance's Dead Forest|


|Cecilia|

​

Cecilia's destination upon her departure from Heirophant's Limbo was not her own home, but rather that of Lance's. Having obtained what she desired from the previous spirit, the small girl was in a cheerful mood until she arrived in the dreary setting that comprised of Lance's Limbo.


Extending her arm toward one of the nearby dead trees, Cecilia attempted to revive its life through particular green threads; however, as soon as her leaves began to sprout, they instantly withered away and fell to the rancid ground in joining with their past fallen brethren. Cecilia was hardly ever surprised, yet in the present time, she couldn't help but blink several times upon witnessing the failure of her power of existence.


"No wonder your hollowing."


Lance's limbo was hardly a welcoming existence as every aspect seemed to negatively affect the girl in one way or another. The mist obstructed her already limited vision and dampened her hair, while the very land itself seemed to reject her design. Using her sight of the threads to guide her toward Lance's existence in the Limbo's epicenter, Cecilia arrived with a curious gaze upon her face as she inspected the opposing Spirit's existence. Gom, who was in her arms, jumped out, ran over to Lance, and began inspecting the shadow with a slight tilt of its head, as if it were truly curious.


"Well you seem to be in more turmoil than I expected, Shadow boy--"


Creating the ever famous tattered chair before her, Cecilia paused her words to lean back into its comfort before continuing with her purpose for unexpectedly intruding on his world.


"Now its no secret that certain someone is hiding his intentions from us all. As much as I respect that spirit, even I have been wary of his existence in relation to the balance of our worlds.


You are a good spirit, shadow; I can see it in your threads which is why I come to you today."


Holding out both hands for Lance to see, Cecilia, in one hand, manifested a small representation of the spirit in the form of a doll; while, in the other hand, she created a similar doll representing his human host.


"You are hollowing, dear spirit. Given how your existence is tied to your host's, as your life begins to wane, surely you don't expect the boy to remain unaffected by such a dramatic shift in balance. When existences are tied, there is a direct relation such that as one begins to falter, the other will soon follow."


Clenching her left hand, the spirit's doll vanished into nothing while the doll of his host followed soon thereafter by similar means. Reopening her hands, the dolls slowly began to reform themselves, and it was now with a sly smile that Cecilia gazed upon Lance in between her giggles.


"I can give your host life, something I would assume your other offer fails to guarantee."

 

[storm3510]

♦♥♣♠The Walk Home (continued…)♠♣♥♦


♪


​

♪




Time passed slowly through the lonely walk home. Time and time again, Akira questioned her decision to forget speaking to Dominic about what happened, each turn of thought delving further and further into the different possibilities behind his disappearance and its involvement with the destruction of the school’s property to such an extent that an entire day, if not more, was dedicated to the completion of the repairs. She’d seen some of it with her own eyes. The floors damn near appeared to be uprooted, and in the most literal of expressions, uprooted, as though an earthquake of some kind pushed it together from both sides, causing it to contort and rise. Water pipes were broken, wetting the area greatly. The only areas where there were no damage was to the walls and to the ceilings. The damage was, in fact, so extensive that Akira herself had even heard the commotion it caused, even having been an almost whole two floors above and half the building’s width away from where it all had occurred. It was a wonder that no one had arrived there before she and Sam did!


“Although… even if this were to have been some strange happening and somehow students were involved, why am I so worried about it? Is it because that Dominic boy is involved? Do I care for his wellbeing that much all because of a little ‘help’ that he provides to me, every now and then? No. I just met him, and besides, if I gave a damn about every random boy that I met in this town, Sam would’ve come to mind a lot more. At least he took consideration for my feelings even amidst the entire blackout. A man’s self-pride surely comes to mind more than a man’s irregular appearances.” She spoke her thoughts as clearly as day, provided she understood well that while she was alone in such a night as this, she needed some type of noise to keep her from suspicion. To prevent any strange looks from passerby, she pulled out her phone and held it to her ear. A bit extensive, but she didn’t want to be labeled “town lunatic” for talking to her lonesome self while roaming the streets at night. Besides, this could also ward off any creeps who could possibly grow the gall to approach a young girl after dark. She lowered her volume and spoke again, facing the phone to herself as though texting, while she was in fact recording her thoughts in the Notes app, compliments of her iPhone: “Say that I did care, though. Chances are, it’d likely be more about the fact that Dominic is involved in this than it would be for his well-being. Sam wants to know just as much as I do, so it can’t be helped. And that Alice girl definitely seems to be involved somehow. All of it is connected, and it traces back to her—…” She suddenly thought of the Zodiac Movie billboard, images of it flashed through her mind without a moment left to her to blink. “That movie…" She thought, "... is probably what puts them together more than what happened yesterday. Could they have been only bystanders to it all? Hm… at this point I sound more like a nosy little teenager than an informed citizen. However, if at any point this is possibly related to the Brookfield killings, and the possibility existed that yesterday, I could’ve come face to face with the murderer of several students here, carrying little more than my phone and an umbrella… I believe I have a right to know.”

♦♥♣♠Dorm Unit #416 (Akira’s dorm)♠♣♥♦

​

Eventually, the girl made it to the dorms, headed up the stairs, and entered her room, locking the door behind her. She walked over to her bed and pulled the AP Biology book from her bag and laid it on her bed. Shortly after, she reached for her laptop and opened it, listening to the Windows 8 tune play as it powered on and typed in her password, opening the web browser and checking her emails. What a way to pass the night by, researching further into the ominous Brookfield Killings...

 

[Father Voltaire]

|Dark side of Limbo|


|Lance's World|

​

​

Lance could hear the sounds of feet crushing into his Limbo's poorly kept soil. The ground was gritty like gravel, and gray like iron sand. Most likely uncomfortable for Cecelia's feet as she sauntered about Lance's "No Mans Land." While Lance wasn't too keen on her intruding so suddenly, he didn't feel like arguing. Ever since the fiasco with Damian and his presence reminding the other Zodiacs that he does indeed exist he's been getting visits left and right it seems. In Lance's head, this is something completely out of the ordinary. He was still getting used to the new faces appearing from the abyss and greeting him so passively. This friendly approach was new to Lance, while Cecelia appeared to be here under positive circumstance, he still carried an aura of caution. When the girl sat down in some defaced throne, Lance peered up with her at eye level. If his appearance wasn't going to driver her away, it may as well been his haunted voice. When he finally looked up at the little lady, a tree had finally withered to the point of snapping in two and capsized behind Lance. The creaky thump broke the silence before she began speaking to the dark spirit. She talked of his state, how it would affect his host, how Hierophant is seemingly about to go AWOL. It kept his attention seeing how she appeared to care. If care was the right word. Perhaps just doing her duty as a Zodiac, rather than caring. It all didn't make a difference to Lance. He sat up properly, deciding to give her that much of a courtesy. His white, glowing ellipses for eyes narrowed and slanted. Giving off the look of frowning. "Whomever you are." Lance echoed. "I appreciate your... Concern. If I can even call it that, over my Hollowing disposition. Thing is, how am I to trust the either of you? Hierophant attempted to steer my poor Host astray when he was at his mentally and emotionally weakest. As for you, I've never seen or heard of you. You even claimed to be on even ground with the man. So what's stopping me from assuming this is a ploy made by him? My best interest is my Host currently, and keeping myself sane best I can. Hollowing comes for us all. No power can revert that. It's an unbreakable cycle that occurs for us dead. The only gimmick is, some are luckier than others. And I'm not the luckiest bloke. Then again, I suppose remaining undead and still having something to live for is something lucky. I'm rambling. Why are you here to offer me the same thing he did? Other Zodiacs never aid me. Or even pay me any mind." Lance complained.

|Streets of Brookfield|


|The brooding youth|




​

It was getting to be the late evening. Today was more or less a waste of time. Damian walked home from the schools soccer field, hands dug into his pockets and face angled at the ground. He missed out on meeting up with Dominic because he was so absorbed in his thoughts over the potential other Zodiac hosts. The whole thing bugged Damian. It wasn't like he wanted to be the only one, but... How many are actually going to remain reasonable and not antagonize themselves with this newfound power? "Jesus... I'm 18 now, worrying about supernatural occurrences. First time I'll say I WISH I was doing schoolwork." Damian allowed his feet to carry him along home through muscle memory, while his mind did all the thinking and worrying.

 

[IAmEnzo]

<-


| Evening |


| Wednesday |


| September 25, 2014 |


| In front of ASH |


| School Grounds |

​

The group beside him continued to converse. The topic reminded Dominic that he too, should be focusing on the group project. Hoshino, Ben, and Damian. He would hate for them to receive an F due to his own forgetfulness. And with that, Dominic made a mental note to contact them tomorrow. Seeing as how Sam, Alice, and Clark were off planning with their own group, Dominic decided to take his leave. He parted with the bench and gave a wave toward them before leaving school grounds.

 

[TerraBooma]

Walking Home

​

By Himself

​

Sam starts the walk home with a relaxed feeling in him, he's not quite sure what's going on, and he'll try and learn with Akira yes, but that doesn't mean he'll start to interrogate people. He keeps an eye on the stars as he makes the quickish walk towards the dorms which aren't too far away. He can't help but like the night, to him it brings a sort of pleasant quietness you can't get anywhere else which gives him a chance to think. He's not as good at detective work as Akira seems to be but he feels he adds a sort of reason to the duo that provides insight on things she'd overlook, he's not sure what kind of insight yet but he'll find that out later, if she still feels like investigating with him anyway.


He's not sure how he feels about whatever's going on, he knows Dominic and Alice are involved, that's for sure but there must be others...right? There was that grumpy looking kid who was with them when they appeared again, he must be in on it too, at least to some extent. The most he can sum up is worried for his friends, as much as he wants to help he doubts learning some first aid and carrying water will do much, but until he knows more its all he can do. He sighs as he finally reaches the dorms, this was too much to think about.

Dorm #359

​

By Himself

​

Sam throws his head back in frustration as the laptop screen glared back at him with an uncaring shine. After researching for a few hours he discovered any respectable first aid courses would be expensive, and while the price was never the same it was normally a lot more then the $30 of spending money he actually had on him. He sighs and starts to think, it only takes about two minutes for him to know that finding a job is really his only option. He's not exactly a work enthusiast but he can do what he needs, hopefully that café needs a janitor, the only thing he really considers himself good to do at this point. He brings up his resume off his computer, its decent, but is it enough? He feels that familiar worry of job searching going through his head. Beyond training simply getting the things he intends to carry around would cost him about $20, which is almost everything he has. He sighs and flops onto his bed, he can go apply tomorrow after the visit(or maybe on the way) to the library. He doesn't even bother to change as sleep takes its embrace for another night.

 

[AiDee]

• Hotaru Nakamura

• 
  
  
  
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    <p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/upload_2014-6-2_17-35-26.png.7fa9b7ad5f7148f63365ec7323a22902.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="19689" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/upload_2014-6-2_17-35-26.png.7fa9b7ad5f7148f63365ec7323a22902.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>
    
    
    
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    Happiness
    
    
    ??
    
    
    Health
    
    
    ???????????
    
    
    Strength
    
    
    ??????????????
    
    
    Emotional
    
    
    ?????????
    
    
    Mental
    
    
    ????????????????
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

| Hallways of a desolated High School |


| Being carried by Farra |

​

Before Hotaru could even say anything or even try to escape, she was lifted into the air by Farra. She was a bit confused as to why she was still talking to Nexus when he had left the scene. Hotaru trashed around trying to get out of her grip, she groaned and decided not to inflict anymore physical injuries on Farra.


Her blood rushed to her and made words for Farra to read, "Put me down, please. I want to leave." She couldn't do much but just watch the passing windows. The girl could see the heads of soccer players playing a game with another team. For a moment, she could see a girl with golden hair on the team. Alice? She felt even more down for some odd reason.


She gave a last jerk to get free from Farra's grip. Quickly slipping away from her grip, she falls onto the floor. The blood floated to her and lingered around Farra as a goodbye message, "Thank you for the concern, but...I just want to be left alone." Hotaru headed for the ends of the halls. Once out of her range, the blood would fall on to the floor waiting to be

| Heading for the dorms room #666 |


| No one |

​

She had quickly averted anyone's gaze upon her and managed to head for the dorm building. The sun hung low and the clouds were darkening the crimson sky. Keeping her neck stretched up to the sky. The clouds moved slowly along with her. Birds fled from the passing cars. Hotaru suddenly wished she had something to cover the clothes. She realized that the dark fabric and rushing cars would make the blood hard to see. Hotaru tried to pick the blood off of her clothes. Only flakes of red flew off. The girl blew off stands of her hair from her face. The day was long and quiet. Hotaru watched as leaves fall from the yellow and green trees. In due time, it will all be a bloodshot red.

 

[Crystalline]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/57a8bf5f54813_HoshinosSecondNewPowerIcon.png.5d00c4003bfbc68bbd853179906172c2.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="19767" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/57a8bf5f54813_HoshinosSecondNewPowerIcon.png.5d00c4003bfbc68bbd853179906172c2.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>


~Hoshino Shiromiya~


At Brookfield Hospital


With Dr. Johnson




​

Hoshino waited until her father fell asleep before leaving the room. Now that she was slightly calmer, she decided to confront the doctors on the severity of his ulcers. She walked outside of her father's room, her red eyes beaming as she searched for a nearby doctor. There just so happened to be one heading to her father's room, so she decided to confront him about it.


"Are you going to see Hiroshi Shiromiya?" She wanted to confirm before questioning him. With a nod, he responded.


"Yes, I'm Dr. Johnson. Are you a relative?" He questioned, and Hoshino nodded back at him.


"I'm his daughter. Can you tell me how severe his condition is? He told me he's had them for a couple years, and.. Well, I'm worried."


"You have every right to be. Ulcers are created by more than just stress and bad diets; your father has traces of H. Pylori in his system. This was most likely caused by taking pills like Aspirin, Ibuprofen, and the like too much. Is he prone to headaches or other pains?"


"Yes, he tends to overwork himself sometimes.." Hoshino admitted, not liking where this was going.


"Well, he was showing signs of internal bleeding. Vomiting or coughing up blood is an obvious symptom, and this is why he was admitted tonight. Things he'll have to do is change his diet, as well as relax a little. If not, his condition will only worsen. We're hoping his body will simply heal itself, for it's not too serious as of yet."


"I told him to take it easy, but--well.." She trailed off, her eyes wavering. "What's the worst case scenario?"


"Worst case scenario, he'll have to have surgery to prevent him from developing a more fatal condition." He said, though Hoshino knew what the other possibility was.


Death.


Hoshino wasn't stupid. She knew enough about ulcers to know that, when a serious case of them is found, it's quite possible for people to die from them. Knowing her father, she knew his chances of survival upon this discovery were slim. She knew he wouldn't relax and take it easy, and she knew he'd continue to overwork himself. His diet was never exactly healthy, and who knows? What if he's been throwing up his food due to the evil things eating away at his stomach and intestinal walls? She pursed her lips and stared at the ground, holding Gom close to her chest. He better take it easy.. She thought to herself, though her hopes were fading as the facts came in. Dr. Johnson gave her a comforting, gentle pat on the shoulder.


"For now, your father is going to be okay. Don't worry too much," he spoke in a soothing fashion.


She simply nodded and took her leave.

At Brookfield Settlements


With No One

​

Hoshino made it back to her room soon enough. It was a bit of a walk, and the sky was dark by the time she returned home, but she returned home nonetheless. Her entire mind was boggling with thoughts of her father, wondering whether he'll keep to his promise or not. Hoshino's father was the only person who supported her art, her dreams, and her in general. Sure, he may not have always been around, but he made it count when he was. He didn't show care or affection properly - in fact, he mainly just spent money on her as an act of love - but, Hoshino could understand. That was the only way he knew how to care for someone; to support them through wealth. Out of all the things her father ever gave her, Coco was by far her favorite.


That night, she held both of her teddy bears close until finally drifting off into blackness.


((Sorry if this post isn't exactly accurate about the medical stuff. I'm not a doctor, okay? xD ))

 

[Azukai]

|Limbo|


|Lance's Dead Forest|


|Cecilia|




​

Lance's words widened Cecilia's smile as she keenly listened to his reply, even going as far as breaking into a fit of laughter in response to the suspicions he held toward her existence. It was Lance's denial of her power, however, that broke the girl's cheerful nature as her alter cold disposition overtook her expression and tone.





"Never underestimate that which you hold no understanding of, Shadow."


After growling her warning toward the shadow, Cecilia extended her arm toward the surrounding area causing the nearby trees to begin decomposing in existence while even the ground itself began to slowly fade in some degree. Halting the usage of her thread decomposition, Cecilia quickly stuffed her arm down Gom's throat to retrieve an extraordinarily large amount of threads that she scattered in the area. In place of the desolation that once existed, green began to sprout in the form of young trees reaching for the sky and grass creeping along the ground. Although their existence was short, it was a miraculous sight to behold in the several seconds of life she managed to sustain in the dying Limbo of Lance.





" I am Cecilia, the Couturier of Existence. I hold the power over every the existence of both worlds, and it is through this power that I can boldly offer you salvation. "


With her display of power complete, Cecilia re-seated herself into the chair with her former cheerful appearance just before she began stroking Gom's head upon his jumping into her lap.





"Whether you choose to put your faith in the unknown is a risk on your part; however, my motives are far different from what that man desires through his power. We are on even ground through similarities in manipulation of the very world around us, yet ideals and purpose are what truly set us apart.


Balance is what I desire, Shadow, balance. The hollowing of spirits such as our selves is as you say a natural occurrence for our life; however, the effect it holds on the hosts cannot be guaranteed. Every soul, both living or damned, have an expected time where their existence would naturally whither to dust, yet in the case of the host-spirit relationship, the hollowing of the spirit would cause an untimely death in the case of the host which in turn disrupts balance."


Holding out one hand, Cecilia began recreating the dolls from before, yet rather than existing in both hands, the dolls seemed to meld together in one as if Lance was the watchful protector hovering over his host.





"Indeed no power can revert the process of hollowing, but even so, there are ways to manipulate every aspect of existence. While you are quite the hopelessly pitiful existence, I can still see that you care for your host deep within your darkened self and that is what I need. The details of my proposition can be saved for later, as my secrets are in fact my secrets, and as for my purpose...Perhaps between the two of us, we could say curiosity fuels my existence, and you are in fact the perfect existence to test upon."


After hopping up from her chair and decomposing it existence, Cecilia gave Lance a small curtsy and wink before turning to depart from his world, satisfied with the progression of her plan.

 

[Father Voltaire]

|Dark side of Limbo|


|Lance's World|

​

Lance watched as Cecelia bore a hole through Lance's Limbo. He wasn't shocked or put in awe by Cecelia's ability but he was wondering where she was going with her demonstration... Until she managed to grow new, healthy life from the decomposed soot of this world's soil. Seeing thew green grass, healthy brown bark rise into the sky put Lance into a heart tugging trance. He hasn't seen life grow in his Limbo in... Let's say in a long time. He missed this life. The feeling of being able to keep something preserved. Like he wasn't the shadow of death that the other Zodiacs thought him out to be. He slowly rose from his stump, captivated by the newly grown foliage. He scuffed his way into the small, but living patch. He fell to his knees, shifting his fingers through the fresh blades of grass and caressing the trunk of the tree. The shadowy areas around his eyes began to steam up, a lot thicker of a bog rising from underneath his soulless gaze. This bog represented his evaporating tears. His dotty eyes fell sullen and his back slouched over as he almost allowed himself to fall to the ground to re-familiarize himself with the feeling of grass against his body. But as he moved his free hand towards the trunk... It all died again. Right before his eye. Helpless to stop it. As the withering bark fell to splinters, Lance opened his palms to catch the falling driftwood. He clenched it tightly and held it against his black chest. Attempting to cherish what little solace he felt while it was still alive. Cecelia had continued to explain herself as Lance had a moment of weakness. Her gesture was enough to bring Lance a ping of happiness, even if it was for a few seconds... He was grateful... No other Zodiac had ever attempting to fix what he has lost before. Lance's evaporating tears had finally ceased and he furrowed his face. As Cecelia stood up to leave Lance to his hell, he inhaled deeply attempting to regain his composure to speak again. "This is something I'll have to talk over with my host. Just... Leave me, for right now. ...And thank you." Lance hasn't thanked anyone in centuries. Getting the spirit to say it again was a little nerve wracking.

 

[zombifiedkitt]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/57a8bf605e12c_EditedFarraIcon..jpg.7be433afbbf633fb6340fa2f9e43bed5.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="19819" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_06/57a8bf605e12c_EditedFarraIcon..jpg.7be433afbbf633fb6340fa2f9e43bed5.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>


{Farra Rei}


|Interacting with Hotaru Nakamura in the school hallways.|


As Hotaru plopped onto the floor, Farra frowned. "You can't be a sour puss for the rest of your life," she sighed. The blood shifted to form another sentence; "I just want to be left alone." Farra sighed again, scanning Hotaru's face. She frowned, hen shook her head. Why should she disturb Hotaru any further? She had obviously ruffled the girl's "feathers" and Hotaru just ended up severely...ruffled. Farra decided to leave her be; after she asked one more question. "Fine...but I need to know something." She paused for dramatic effect. "What do you think Nexus is? A Zodiac? A creepy thing from the FUUUTURE?" She wiggled her fingers sarcastically on the word future, holding it out. "I need an answer, like, today. I know you kinda just got attacked by one of those Hollow things, but.." Farra's voice trailed off. "If you don't tell me, I'll interrogate every single one of you, " she threatened halfheartedly,referring to Alice, Dominic, Damian, the like.

​

 

[Kiosk]

On the way to the dormitories


With her Auntie

​

The world flew by in a blur of fleeting street lights. Besides the soft sound of the car running across the pavement, or the breathing of the sleeping creature in the backseat and the irregular heartbeats of the woman sitting beside her.


"Hm...?"


Finally they had arrived at the settlements, the woman pulled into the parking lot. Leaving the engine running meaning she had no intention of staying. Nikky unbuckled herslef and got out being sure to pick up the covered cage with her.


"Thanks."


"Anytime, and are you still planning to come over my house and do that thing you said you were?"


Again, a confused expression drifted onto Nikky's face before she recalled what she was referring too.


"Oh the baking? Actually, now that my room is all furnished I don't have to worry about that."


"Ah, I see."


Nikky pressed her lips together,it wasn't like her aunt to show her emotions through her tone and she began to feel a tinge of concern.


"I'll visit you some other time, alright?" She smiled, hoping her worry was nothing.


"It's fine, hurry up and get a job, you dead beat."


And with that, her auntie drove off leaving the girl holding the cage in arms. She looked down noticing the little beast was starting to stir and wake up underneathe the blanket.


"Well, time to show you your new home!"

Up in her Dorm, (room # idfk, 537?)


Chattin' with a ferret




​

Nikky sat the cage down and removed the blanket to reveal a small creature, Nikky stared and it stared back with its beady eyes.

​

"Hiya."


Yazhi's nose twitched and then darted its eyes about the room, it turned around in its cage begging to be let out.


"Alright alright, c'mon." Nikky opened the cage and the furry monster hoped out and began running around, the girl grinned watching the little one explore her domain. It was adorable. She picked up the beast and it immediately squirmed out of her grasp to crawl up her arm and seat itself on her shoulder, the girl smirked,


"Yeah, me and you are going to get along just fine."

 

[Flabbysaurus]

Walking home


By himself

​

Clark apologized after seeing Alice jump in surprise at the sudden tap on the shoulder, he felt a small pang of guilt from scaring her slightly. Clark listened to her plan to meet up and was about to protest against him finding Zage but she thanked him before he could even get a word out. Clark sighed. "Well I'll see you tomorrow Alice. Bye." He said to her as he waved goodbye, walking back to his dorm room. As he made the journey back he guessed Zage would be in the same class as him. At least he hoped she would be as Clark really didn't want to go searching around the school for her, he could always say he looked for her but Clark didn't trust himself to lie to someone well so decided against it.

Dorm room


By himself

​

Clark yawned as he closed the door behind him then locked it. He was surprised at how tired he was for sitting down for the most of the day but he didn't complain. It just meant to him that he'd fall asleep all the more quickly. After changing into his nightwear, brushing his teeth and getting a glass of cold water Clark finally collapsed onto his bed although he decided to lay on his side. His back still hurt a little from where Alice hit it. She could certainly pack a punch if she wanted to. Even so, once Clark found himself in a comfier position to sleep in he quickly drifted off to sleep.

 

[IAmEnzo]

| Arc 2 |


| Episode 2 |


"Answers?"


-->


| Morning |


| Thursday |


| September 26, 2014 |


| Dominic's Room |

​

The sun rose over the horizon like any other start to a morning. The darkness being exchanged for light and allowing the regulars and commoners of Brookfield to roam free. This also meant school was back in full swing, after having an unexpected day off yesterday. There was already a stream of students surrounding the school and flooding their way in with their usual noise of gossip, laughter, and loud social groups.


Speaking of groups.


The group project dawned on Dominic's mind as he glanced outside of his window, his body still donning his striped night clothes and his hair still stuck in all different directions. "It seems I'm leading this group." Dominic confirmed to himself. With no sense of initiation from the other three participants, it left him to wonder if they were waiting on his signal for something. After taking his shower and throwing on his school uniform, Dominic was out of the house and on the path to school.

| Settlements |


| On the path to ASH |

​

Dominic held his phone out with both hands, his fingers quickly tapping upon the buttons in an effort to send out a text message to the one person he had in his contacts list. The message simply read:





From: Dominic


To: Ben


Re: Group Project ._.'


I know, you probably hate me for reminding you, but there IS a group project we need to do still. If it's possible, can you meet me at the school gates RIGHT after class?


He stuffed his phone back into his pocket after sending the message. He even sent a copy to Damian's Skype, since the boy didn't own a cellphone. Even though Dominic stressed about the project and feeling like a complete nazi on the subject, it was a lot better than worrying about supernatural spirits threatening lives.

| ASH |


| Front Entrance / Announcement Board |

​

Right off the bat, Dominic noticed something concerning for his behalf. Just as he waddled through the clumps of uniforms, his eyes caught sight of another poster that stood out from the rest. This poster, however, wasn't about movies, or Zodiacs, or even clubs for that matter. This was an official school announcement. It's decor and overall appearance far surpassed that of it's neighboring threads.


"A school camp-out?"


Dominic read the headline out loud in a questioning tone. The poster stated that the school would be having a survival class, where several groups would spend their weekend in the forest and mountains miles into the wilderness of Brookfield. Of course, they stated it was optional at the very bottom, but the mere thought of a survival class sounded like an adventure in itself.


Dominic crossed his arms and let out a chuckle at the thought of the excessive amount of bug spray that would be needed to guard the tents. It was warm enough that the insects would prey on human flesh and blood. "I'll make a mental note to sign up for this." And speaking of mental notes, since when did Dominic start talking to himself?

| Dormitories |




​

As the morning came, Sam and James would have found a package at their front door, wrapped with the trademark Armstrong Logo and all. Inside, the contents consisted of an alternative uniform, the same uniform used by the Committee with their red band tag on one arm that spelt the club name. Along with that was an acceptance letter by the school. It stated that they were to meet in the gym after class for club training.

​