Beginning

[thecastle]

One moment you were elsewhere, surely speaking to your friends, fighting in a battle of your life, dying, or even in a state of non-existence in its entirety. It doesn't matter now, since when you open your eyes it’s become clear that not only is everything around you foreign and unfamiliar, so is everyone. And there seems to be a fair lot of you, at that.

It's easy to discern a few things upon a cursory glance, once you pick yourself up from the field of grass you're resting on. The place you've awoken in seems to be fairly tranquil, for the first few moments at least, and the view of a newly budded sakura tree is among the first that will greet you. In the distance, is a towering castle that manages to look all at once both imposing and welcoming at the same time. There's also an odd pendant around your neck, which you'll find won't come off despite your best attempts. In your pocket you'll find a room key, engraved with a number.

The weather is currently cool, with the sun brightly shining in the sky, though there are a few too many clouds to make it a completely clear day. While most of them appear rather normal, every so often you might spot one that looks just a bit off— like a storm cloud that's completely lost it's way. Lucky for you, it doesn't seem like you're going to have to worry about any inclement weather anytime soon, as they'll vanish from your vision as quickly as they came.

A large stone wall surrounds the entirety of the castle, though it's anyone guess why that is— maybe it's for your safety, maybe it's to keep you trapped, or maybe it's for another reason entirely. The only breach in the wall is a single gate that looks like it certainly led to the outside at one point, but that too has been cordoned off by solid stone.

Fortunately, there's nothing to stop you from entering the castle itself, where you'll find it's pretty grand all things considered. The lighting inside is provided not by electricity, but by magical flame that adjusts to the time of day or night. Actually, if you're looking for anything electronic anywhere, or even a simple power outlet, you'll be sorely out of luck.

For now, it might be best to explore and make some sense of where you are and why you're here— maybe one of your fellow travelers might know something? There are some plaques in the Great Hall that might catch your interest given their focus, in addition to one ridiculously large golden one that seems to bear rules.

Welcome, fellow warriors, to your very long stay.

Comments

[coinflipped]

[A]

[Time is a weird thing to Eizen, but he usually doesn’t get to a point that he doesn’t know how he ended up somewhere. Especially since he was on the mast of a ship with his crew. At least watching over them. Being stationary and waking up on the grass was not in the order, let alone in a place he’s never seen.

It doesn’t feel like an Earth Pulse here, then again he can’t feel much, which is disconcerting in and of itself. He reaches into his pockets and immediately starts to panic when he only pulls out a key and not the items he wanted. Two items he always carried with him are gone. One being a very important gift, and the other? Well, he fears for the others here if he doesn’t get it back. So he’s around the courtyard frantically searching and approaching anyone he sees.]

Have you seen a gold coin engraved with the Demon King Dhaos on front and the Goddess Martel on the back? Also have you seen a locket with a drawn portrait of a girl in it?

[B]

[After he searches around the area, he goes to the great hall and sees the profiles. H-how…

…what’s going on? His… little sister isn’t that old. Let alone why is her profile up here? Perhaps confusion and anger will be varying depending on if he’s personally spoken to her or not by the time your character approaches him, however, one thing is for sure: he’s confused by this and not happy with this. She shouldn’t be here, she should be safe on her mountain where he left her!]

[C]

[Then he’ll look at the rules after he’s seen the profiles to see what’s going on. He’s totally okay with the violence against others. In fact, he’s all for that. However, the talking of killing and immunity—that’s what gets to him. This almost sounds like a coliseum of some sort with the talk of warriors. Come interpret these rules with him and try to figure out what the hell’s going on.]

[D]

[His last stop will be room 10 just to see what the room his key unlocks looks like. It looks like a living headquarters, but... he doesn't recall signing up for this.]

A

[presomnia]

[Eizen isn't the only one looking for something—Tiki's scrambling about the courtyard in search of her dragonstone, and while she's not on the ground right now, she is kind of covered in dirt and grass stains.]

No, I'm sorry... [Her face scrunches up a little in thought.] Did you lose something, too? I can't find my necklace...

[coinflipped]

So you're not the only one with your possessions taken...

[Eizen takes a deep breath, not happy by that finding at all. Given he always has those two items mentioned on him, he's not a very happy camper.]

I'm guessing your item you 'lost' isn't something you'd generally misplace.

[presomnia]

It's very important. I can't be without it. [She pouts a little, the points at her own head.] My hair accessory is missing, too. [Less important, but she's sad.]

[coinflipped]

Same here. One of the items I'm missing I can't be without.

[Or bad things could happen, but he stays calm.] The other is a locket with a drawn portrait of my little sister. [THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HIM AND HE WANTS IT BACK.]

May I ask why you need your item? Is it required to live or for another reason?

[presomnia]

It's my dragonstone. I can't transform without it.

[she just. says that. she definitely just expects it to make total and complete sense right off the bat]

Your locket sounds like it's very important, too. We could look together.

A

[irrationalities]

[I mean. He might be more helpful ...nah what am i kidding but some of that stuff flies over his head, particularly that stuff about the Demon King and the Goddess and shit. That, and Eizen's fairly unusual get-up is pretty hard to ignore, which brings something else to mind?!]

What, do you think you're in some sort of roleplay or something? Give me a break, you look too old to be doing that.

[coinflipped]

[Right, he's just an overgrown chuuni here... Except he has his arms out like he's shrugging and trying to figure out what the hell this kid is talking about.]

What exactly am I too old to be doing?

[The fuck is 'roleplay'? If he means his job as a first mate, then he's pretty sure he's... okay he's 1000 but that has nothing to do with it?]

[irrationalities]

[How does someone get into a hobby not knowing what it's called...! It's silly, that's what.]

Roleplaying. You know, dressing up and pretending you're in some weird fantasy game or shit. I don't care what other people do on their own time, but this is a dumb place to do it unless you know where we are already.

[coinflipped]

What do you think I'm dressing up and acting as?

[Say a pirate. He fucking dares you!

Okay, no not really, he just has an eyebrow raised as he's figuring out what on earth this accusations are for.]

[irrationalities]

[No way, pirates have a hat and and eyepatch and go arrrrrrrr at every opportunity...! He actually doesn't play video games and watch anime that much so.]

Hell if I know what you're going for. It just looks like you're trying to look cooler than you really are.

A

[bratsitter]

[Yukimi had been Taking a brief pause in his searching to try and regroup his thoughts when Eizen came up to him.

He rolls his eyes at the desperation Eizen is showing before turning out his coat's pockets and spreading his hands away from his body.]

You think you're the only one who doesn't have their stuff here?

[Never mind the fact that he never actually stored things in these pockets--too easily pickpocketed on top of being too obvious a place for weapons.]

[coinflipped]

No, but I'm rather sure one of my missing items not only puts me, but everyone else here in danger.

[Right... between a locket and a coin he's missing, everyone's in danger...

...except he's downright serious about this.]

[bratsitter]

[Right, Yukimi totally believes that. He's gonna shove his hands into his now-righted pockets.]

What, you have a bomb stached in your locket, Blondie?

[coinflipped]

It's not the locket that I'm worried about going missing.

[He's upset he's lost it because it's something absolutely dear to him...

...but yes, it's the coin. He's worried that he doesn't have his coin.]

[bratsitter]

You want me to believe a coin puts everyone into danger?

[He thinks you might just be the most dramatic person he knows now, and he's known Gau for quite a while.]

A

[godinsolitude]

[And this boy.... looks like he just woke up, actually. A little on the drowsy eyed side.]

I haven't seen anything as weird as that coin you're talking about. No lockets, either.

['Demon King Dhaos'? Really?]

[coinflipped]

[Eizen crosses his arms as he hums to himself.]

This isn't good...

[Well, he sounds ominous, but the items he's missing sound... normal enough?]

[godinsolitude]

I don't think any bit of currency is going to be useful if we've been kidnapped, anyway.

[Unless the coin was incredibly rare and expensive, but even then, their kidnappers probably had taken it already instead of allowing any bartering for freedom.]

[coinflipped]

It's less that, and more that without it, I worry for my and everyone else's safety here.

[Riiiiiiight.]

[godinsolitude]

....How is a coin going to keep us all safe?

[.....Eizen is getting such a deadpan look right now. Is he one of those superstitious types who carry good luck charms--]

B

[breakingthrough]

[Memory is a funny thing. The brother she remembers from before he was a dragon was taller. More intimidating. It's probably her image of him that doesn't really match up, but it feels unnatural. She can't believe it. Doesn't trust herself to believe it.

Yet at the same time, even though she didn't trust it-- if it was a trick, the person responsible could die a hundred thousand times before she'd be satisfied, just for making her feel this uncomfortable pain her chest.]

You can't believe it, right? It's only natural such a beauty would leave you speechless.

[Right. Act cool. Don't let on that you'd rather die than actually look this impossible figure in the face. Just looking his back is enough.]

[coinflipped]

[He's disturbed by reading Edna's profile and her age... and what is a 'sublord', that he doesn't know she's approached him yet. Instead, he's thinking about finding whoever brought her here and smashing their face in, especially if they've put her in danger. Everything he's done for her is to protect her. Everything.

Then he hears that voice. One he hasn't heard in years. The only thing he's been doing to communicate with her is corresponding via letters where he's found it difficult to express his feelings. But he did once! Somehow.

So he turns around to face her.

Ah... she's grown. She matches the profile, but she's grown. For a Malak that's over 1000 years old, she doesn't look very old. Usually by this age they look to be a human adult. He wonders why she's like this...

His first reaction is to want to keep distance between them. Not because he isn't happy to see her, but because he fears his curse. He's going to hurt her-- that's why he left. However, he can't stay separated for long before he walks to her, placing a strong and gentle hand on her head to ruffle her hair.]

It's been a long time, Edna. You really haven't changed all that much, have you? Still the same beautiful self I remember.

[His voice is fond, loving, caring... the big brother in him just pouring out affections that he's wanted to tell her. Ones that he's spurted on and on about to his comrades as they sigh that such a big scary pirate and angel of death is fond and doting of his little sister.]

[breakingthrough]

[For Malakhim... or Seraphim. Whatever-- it's mind over matter. Same as it was with food and gaining weight. It wasn't like she didn't want to be the kind of beautiful woman that Lailah was. Without a doubt she was absolutely jealous of the figure that made guys everywhere putty in front of her. So why was it that after all that time she never changed? The answer was simple, if not painful. First her brother ran off on her, leaving her to her own lonely devices. Then he got himself turned into a dragon...

That whole time she could only think of protecting that place-- of keeping things the way they were so he'd always have a place to come home to. If she'd changed... if he couldn't recognize her when he finally came back... Even the dragon who's mind was gone...

For a long time she'd been plagued with thoughts like that.

Only recently had she been freed from that fear, albeit in the most painful way. And now-- and now, like salt in the wound, everything came back to haunt her. This shouldn't be real, couldn't be real. Yet she couldn't move. She was frozen in place until his hand landed on her head.

It was just as warm as she remembered...]

I wonder who's fault that is.

[She wants to call him out for the fraud she knows he must be. But... the words get caught in her throat. This kind of horrible illusion-- yeah she knew someone who could do it, reasonably but. Why? And why all this?? What the hell...]

So I guess you've seen-- a lot's happened.

[coinflipped]

Hmm?

[He smiles at her snark, recalling the many times she's treated him like this. However, when he tells stories to his comrades, that's one thing he mentions that she's surprisingly put together and smart for her age. Back then... she was young, but now it seems she's matured quite a bit, even if her looks don't say it.

He doesn't know she remained in this state for him, but there's a sense of comfort that she's still the same Edna he recalls. The one in his imagination when he read her letter. Letters. Even though he was never upset when he never got a response. He was happy enough just sending her letters about his journey.

Even if they were rarely about his feelings...

Though she says that last part and he removes his hand from her head.]

Yeah, I imagine a lot has happened in a thousand years.

[His... voice goes a bit dark, but it's not sad. Just that he may know something. He imagines he can't be alive by now. The malevolence should have easily taken him by then.

If a certain person kept his promise, then he should be dead.]