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Beginning
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.
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.
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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.]
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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.
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[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.]
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[It's been such a long time since she's heard that voice, yet she quickly recognizes the dark implications in the way he speaks. If this was somehow really her brother that she understands-- she knows what he's saying.]
I should have known.
[At first her eyes are dark. But then-- she decides to test him. And okay maybe she's seeking a little bit of revenge but it's hard to tell when she continues with such a straight face, shrugging nonchalantly.]
I knew he didn't really get your blessing when he asked to marry me.
[Does she really want him to get the wrong impression...? Maybe.
Probably.]
we'll just mark this for bears and zesty spoilers since we've hit both at once.
He said he'd only make a move once... he's kept his promise.
[Not the exact words Zaveid said. Specifically, he said once he killed Eizen, but if what happened did happen, then Edna knows what he means.
Once he's stopped being himself... then Zaveid was supposed to kill him. That was the promise.]
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A promise between men, huh.]
No wonder he was so eager to die. Idiot.
[They'd barely won as a team. Did her brother really think Zaveid could take a dragon on by himself? She's... admittedly kind of jealous. The relationship they had, that trust... Even though he was up against the impossible, Zaveid never gave up even though he'd never asked for help--
Ugh. Maybe he was a little cooler than she gave him credit for. Never admitting it, but. Maybe. Just a little. But just to put the record straight--]
That guy would have been eaten alive if it wasn't for the rest of us.
[There are many things she'd attack him with. Harsh words she'd throw. But this... this is as close as she'd come to saying that he'd put her in a position where she had to fight him herself. That's one fault she's too kind to lay on him. Because it had been her choice.]
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Guess he couldn't be as strong as me and take a dragon down singlehandedly, huh?
[A boast? Who knows, but it's not a lie. Still, he's not surprised. Maybe Zaveid got soft and couldn't do it. Though he doesn't think that should be a case. While they had respect for each other, at the time they weren't really friends yet. Unless that was something that happened. He saw Zaveid with Theodora, and how he tried to save her.
However, they both found out her only salvation was death, even though it was against his creed to kill...]
I suppose once a softie, he's always a softie.
[Insight into the Zaveid that Eizen knew. Not that he knows the Zaveid that Edna knows.
So yeah, Zaveid's not cool at all. In fact, Eizen would argue otherwise. Anything that Zaveid learned? Was from Eizen himself, probably. But if there's one thing he had to say about Zaveid that he admired, it was his dedication to those he cares about.]
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[No one would ever really compare to Eizen in her eyes, simple as that. Well-- no one had the odds so stacked against them the way he did. There's a reason she's not surprised by his power.]
You seriously don't know your own strength. For the record, it took six.
[She wasn't alone anymore. In fact... she'd made quite a few allies. She doesn't know how long this weird moment in going to last so, she might as well make it clear-- he doesn't have to worry about her.]
Soft, huh...
[Not a word she would have picked but then... Zaveid conveniently chose not to say too much about himself.]
Are you sure that's not just part of that pervert's act?
[She loves her friends so much.]
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Did you and Zaveid make some friends then?
[If she mentioned 'six' that means four more were involved. Not a bad thing. He's not sure how he feels with Edna around people and away from her domain, but Phoenix should help with that.]
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A human climbed all the way up that mountain to ask for my help. After he almost got himself eaten by the dragon there, I felt too bad for the poor thing to turn him down.
[Isn't she just the most gracious being you've ever met?]
I fixed his problem, but I already knew he wasn't going to make it anywhere without me. So I joined him.
[Yeah that... still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Like. All of them.]
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[Maybe he should have eaten this kid. At least he assumes this dragon is him. He will show his siscon in his own way.]
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A nerd. Real goody-two-shoes. But he knows how to treat a lady.
[Listen, it's not totally a lie. Armatizing is it's own kind of first base.]
He's... different. But then again, he was raised with sera-- malakhim.
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[Because that's really the only way. Given that the general public can no longer see malakhim and daemons.
...He still doesn't like it.
Who wooed lil' sis?]
Also, what makes him different?
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[Okay so that might have been slightly her fault for not helping things but. Sorey. Right.]
The boy would probably take on the problems of the whole world if you let him. It doesn't matter if it has nothing to do with him.
[Edna shakes her head.]
By far the stupidest human I've ever met. But probably the nicest-- [Pause...] as long as you don't get into an argument about interpreting old stuff.
[She still can't believe that was a thing. Who cares who that old guy was??? Meebs and Sorey apparently. She doesn't get it.]
1/2
So was he interested in things like history, artifacts, and architecture?
[Edna, your brother may be a pirate, but beneath it all, he's a goddamn fucking geek. Probably why he likes being a pirate because being a pirate means finding treasure, and finding treasure means finding ruins and history and--!
Though he's found himself to be often wrong, sadly. Thanks Eleanor.]
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Never mind that, I suppose that's... good. At least I'm hoping it is that you found someone like that-- I mean, someone nice.
[Mrrr, he still feels like he's marrying off Edna or something to this guy the way she talks about him...]
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[Nerds and their books ugh. That's why even she can't believe her ears. Really? Her and Sorey? It takes a lot of effort not to laugh. It's not that he's the wrong traits. But--
How to explain it.]
But more than that... he wanted to help make a world where humans and malakhim could live together.
[It's noble, probably, not that she doesn't have her doubts. But if anyone could show the world that humans and seraphim could love one another-- heh.]
I'm pretty sure he still hasn't realized that he and Meebo are the ones that have a really weird and progressive relationship. But I'll be there to tease them both when together they figure it out and have their weird nerd wedding.
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So he's happy. He's happy... as much as he's unhappy... that she's found someone who believes that.]
One day a world like that will happen, but...
[If he had his coin right now, he'd be flipping it...]
...the reality is most of us can't handle living among the humans.
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[She's not hedging any bets even now. She's seem too much to fully buy into that kind of optimism yet. But... it makes her happy that there are people who believe in that.]
Humans can't handle living among humans. But still... they haven't self-destructed yet. Because there are some good ones who are willing to fight for those changes. I don't know if they'll succeed but... at least they've got a chance. It's up to them to take it and make something of it.
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[You know, like that one time the Lord of Calamity technically helped save the world when the Shepherd was trying to turn humans into mindless beings. That was fun. It was great. Awesome...
...amazing...
Except it wasn't.]
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[It's funny when you realize how wise she is, considering most of her experiences with people until a relatively short time ago was watching from the outside. But then-- maybe that was why she had some insight that those people themselves lacked. The couldn't see themselves.]
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[Edna's probably seen it, then. And eventually decided to help someone...
Someone with resonance...]
Did you aid a Shepherd?
[It... almost hurts to ask given his most recent experience, but not all Shepherds are like Artorius and the Exorcist Guild used to be better...]