You all stand on the platform of energy you have created. Brittle, but it will have to do for now. Mistrare flies towards the group, with a warning.
"He's coming! The power's really gotten to him. He's a wreck of his former self!"
Before you, Menas appears, roaring. His mind is gone, and all that remains is madness.
And with that, everyone speaks.
"He looks just like Brother Clarte did in that record!"
"Menas! That's what the Instructor called him!"
"Consumed by darkness, he's a wreck of his former Geo self. He's the same as Eden. I never thought I'd be fighting Menas again..."
"His grief is more than he can bear. Just as the former Clarte's pain was too much for him."
"The pain of a loved one never returning, the need to lash out at something... I know how he feels."
"I feel sorry for him. But that's why we gotta stop him."
You look upon the man that you once served, long ago in a time you can no longer recall—a man in a form that, deep inside, you understand well. "Once in this form, he won't be able to return to his previous self unless he spits out the darkness."
Melina, so young and so strong, steps forward. "Let's give him his final notice. It's the only thing I can do for the man who was once my father."
"He's coming! Get ready, everyone!"
And thus, you fight. It takes a long battle, but in the end—
[ i am so fcken emo right now. me especially looking at the other thread of Clarte listening to Meteion singing. I can't believe this ]
[ how she can only watch on, and even as the memory ends, her breaths are shaky- blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. she reaches for their hand- wanting to confirm for herself they were still here.
I cannot be saved.
it isn't fair. why? why is it always, always like this.. ]
[ and not unlike clarte, a memory plays. but it is not one that belongs to them, it is from a different perspective. a different star.
You remember your sisters seeking to establish a connection.
You remember that piercing, unbearable pain coursing through you as soon as you did. You could not voice it out loud, you could not react visibly, you were left standing there while screaming out in pain through the usage of your emotion-driven energy, dynamis.
It hurts, it hurts! It hurts!
It's so much. It's too much. Anyone else would be on the verge of blacking out from the sheer pain. So hot... so cold... so sad... I don't understand... Make it stop... Please, make it stop... Your unheard pleas cry out, feeling everything and nothing.
So scared... so lonely... The pain... it's too much...
Why...why... why do we... they.... hurt... hurt... hate... HATE!
"This is.. wrong! All wrong!"
You cause that connection to break, the fear and despair of the truth being learned forces you to run away. You run... and run. Trying to stay as far away as possible. I'm sorry. You don't want them to know. You can't. But, you aren't able to stay away. You weren't made for confrontation. Only communication. And understanding.
You've been cornered.
And now, you have no choice but to. Even as your mind is suppressed, so that the sisters can come into contact, all you can do is listen. You cannot move. You cannot speak your own thoughts. It's as though you're underwater, floating endlessly, your body is not yours to control now. That consciousness that makes you.. you, is only but a distant thought.
and this—this is why clarte has always been concerned, ever since they learned of meteion's nature. because they know all too well that those who are artificially created for a purpose are dangerous—because as they chase what they were made to do, in their own ways... unlike the freedom of humans and similar beings, they are so prone to jumping down an unrecoverable hole.
they kneel down to be more at eye level with meteion, holding onto her hand more tightly as the bubble glows around them. they'll wait for her to regain her bearings, before speaking.]
[ she collapses down as far as she can, though her hand still remains gripping their own. there are more feathers of darker shades in her wings compared to the past few weeks, each event- each moment of utter.. despair, adding more and more.
a sob sounds out from her, trembling as tears spill and her other arm wraps around herself as tightly as she can. ]
I... I'm sorry... I'm so... so sorry.. [ it's difficult to tell if she's apologizing to them, for what they saw, for what they know, for what she's been trying to hide.. all this time. that sensation tightens itself around her, every tug at those they've lost, at how they too soon succumb to death.
just like every.. other.. star, before this one... ] A..all of them.. they were always..
[ dead. dead. dead. ] I don't... know.. how much longer, I..
[ hope. she wants to hope. she looks to them, uncertain, lost, in search of something she cannot feel. ] It won't... stop. They won't. Stop.
[ it's the type of fear that eats at you, almost consuming you. how that report will finish, how'll it end, where it may likely lead to.
her hand loosens around herself to rub at her eyes, trying to rid of the tears blurring her vision. it takes her a moment to respond. trying to steady her trembling, her shaky breathing, to try and listen to clarte's words. ]
..Your answer? [ ... ] What... is it that, you live for...? What gives your life.. meaning?
... You see, Meteion, I was actually created as just a prototype. From the day I was born, I was slated to be discarded of, once research for the perfected vessel was underway. In that regard, the only meaning to my life was the act of creating me, not anything within my existence itself.
[...]
I've lost most of my memories since then, so I don't remember everything about my past. I can only know from the glimpses of my old "self" that I have—how "I" felt. I know that I spent my life waiting to die, deprived of any reason to live.
[ her brows furrow, lips dipping into a deeper frown to hear that they were meant to be discarded.. it is the kind of existence that would bring pain to Hermes. to hear that a life created can be tossed aside so easily.
her wings droop, yet she remains quiet, hanging on each of their words. spent their life waiting to die... it hurts to hear.
( how many times have they heard that? life wishing to merely die. lives wanting to look for an end.)
... Someone reached out her hand to me. The girl in my memory, who sung the song, though this goes back to when we met many years ago. She saw something in me worth saving, when no one else did, and so I decided to devote my life to her.
[...]
Our story has not always been a happy one. She and I have both died in different ways, and our deaths undone. I... have been the same as what you saw in my memory. Menas, who brought the end times upon an entire planet.
[that's the irony of this. the tragedies that haunt meteion... clarte themself has been the cause of one such like them. countless people, dead by their hands.]
That is an unforgivable sin I cannot take back—and one I wouldn't, either. But even as someone who was once the embodiment of death and destruction... at the very least, I was then able to use my life to save another land and give them hope.
And that is the meaning of my life, chosen by my will. Though I'm someone who has been corrupted by the darkness, and who has felt despair—I want to be a light for others. As long as I continue to live, I will try.
[the power to destroy, the power to save. both reside within them; it all depends on what they use it for.]
[ she grows quiet, listening, eyes even closing as though to focus more on their words. any emotions... feelings, she can draw from their tone. undone... creatures of Elpis, they too were undone of their aether. ridding them of their lives. but to.. die and undo death?
never has she heard of such a concept before... there were stars where they achieved paradise, only to wish for death, where they achieved immortality.. and wish for death. every star.. had lost their hope.
and here, was Clarte who caused destruction only to then save another. but they've... they've always been strong, in her eyes. Meteion, she... she doesn't have that kind of strength. it's crumbling, falling apart. day by day. if she had a choice... she would protect everyone. however, her shared consciousness... ]
I think, while here... you've always been a light for others. I can.. see that, from the way others look to you. Speak with you.
[ there is no doubt that, clarte is that light for them. that festering despair... does not believe. but Meteion, as herself, does. ]
Thank you, Meteion. [...] There are always two sides. Where hope exists, so will despair. Not everything—or everyone— can be saved.
It must—be so painful for you, who has to experience the ruin of life over time, to see the end again and again. But I hope you can see the smaller picture as well, Meteion, the way that those with finite lives do. Perhaps nothing will last forever, but...
[they grip her hands.]
A flower does not think of its death. It simply tries to bloom and bring beauty to its surroundings. To give more than it takes, as it produces seeds for the future. Maybe one day, there will be a time those seeds die out, but it lives without knowledge of that. It just thrives during the life it knows of, and it is happy.
[ she is only one, against millions. it's like having a single small lone candle lit in a large dark room. it's only a matter of time until the darkness extinguishes that light out.
she listens, and she does take those words to heart, wants to hold onto it so tightly to that hope but. the last thing she has felt, the thing that keeps swimming in the back of her mind is.
that pain, that hatred, that suffering of her sisters. the fate of all those stars... the fate of, this star, too. ]
If, something were to happen... with me, please... please don't.. don't let them hurt.
[ tears fall at those words. she knows there will never be without pain,because there is more to this than that-- so why.. why are they so convinced..? why can they not see it, the way that Clarte does, the way she too sees it? ]
there are some things that cannot be stopped. perhaps meteion cannot stop these feelings flooding into her, any more than clarte could prevent themself from becoming uranus menas once that path had been set.
all clarte can do is wrap meteion into an embrace. that's not a promise they can make to her, so they won't.]
[ were she alone, those feelings, those thoughts- they would surely crush her. snuff out that last bit of hope but-- clarte's words are not for naught. It just thrives during the life it knows of, and it is happy. it's a lot to take, given that she has avoided this memory since her arrival here but... so far, other than the memory, she has not connected to that shared conscious. has not.. felt her sisters' pain since, their suffering.
and in this very moment, what she does have is.. clarte's acceptance, their gentle and kind approach, it's a step. it's a hand that's been extended out to her, full of understanding, and she wants to take hold of it. wants to try for it. try for them.
so, she eases in that embrace, taking a breath, trying to calm down and focus on their words. their feelings. she nods after a moment, wings fluttering as she focuses on their voice. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
w3, monday
The animals are cute, aren't they, Meteion?
[unfortunate this fun happy time with the animals is about to be ruined by.... a bubble sneaking up on them]
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They are! So many cute creations... Squish is happy, too. [ yeah look at that lil pink creature wiggle at a goat, truly oblivious of this bubble ]
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I'm glad Squish has more friends, too.
[friends it'll NEVER SEE AGAIN
because suddenly everyone here sans zoo animals are swallowed up by bubble]
—Oh!
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Wah-! What.. What is this? [ girl help.
me also opting to go second with memory because i have picked. a doozy for you. a special treat for clarte ]
Clarity, are you alright?
[1/2]
I'm fine, yes... Are you okay, Meteion?
[they reach out to touch the bubble—]
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"He's coming! The power's really gotten to him. He's a wreck of his former self!"
Before you, Menas appears, roaring. His mind is gone, and all that remains is madness.
And with that, everyone speaks.
"He looks just like Brother Clarte did in that record!"
"Menas! That's what the Instructor called him!"
"Consumed by darkness, he's a wreck of his former Geo self. He's the same as Eden. I never thought I'd be fighting Menas again..."
"His grief is more than he can bear. Just as the former Clarte's pain was too much for him."
"The pain of a loved one never returning, the need to lash out at something... I know how he feels."
"I feel sorry for him. But that's why we gotta stop him."
You look upon the man that you once served, long ago in a time you can no longer recall—a man in a form that, deep inside, you understand well. "Once in this form, he won't be able to return to his previous self unless he spits out the darkness."
Melina, so young and so strong, steps forward. "Let's give him his final notice. It's the only thing I can do for the man who was once my father."
"He's coming! Get ready, everyone!"
And thus, you fight. It takes a long battle, but in the end—
Victory comes at a price, though it is one you're willing to pay. (1:54:00 - 2:00:33).]
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[ how she can only watch on, and even as the memory ends, her breaths are shaky- blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. she reaches for their hand- wanting to confirm for herself they were still here.
I cannot be saved.
it isn't fair. why? why is it always, always like this.. ]
Clarity, I... [ she's trying hard not to cry. ]
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they're immediately reaching to grasp her hand back.]
... I was resurrected later. Please don't be sad, Meteion.
[it's fine? they're fine.]
1/2
[ it's a firm grip, trembling. resurrected.. is something like that, truly possible? a blessing, she thinks. a blessing like Clarte.
whatever this bubble is... she can't make sense of it.
but she doesn't want to think of death. she doesn't want to lose another person, even if it is inevitable. if they can just escape-- ]
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and this—this is why clarte has always been concerned, ever since they learned of meteion's nature. because they know all too well that those who are artificially created for a purpose are dangerous—because as they chase what they were made to do, in their own ways... unlike the freedom of humans and similar beings, they are so prone to jumping down an unrecoverable hole.
they kneel down to be more at eye level with meteion, holding onto her hand more tightly as the bubble glows around them. they'll wait for her to regain her bearings, before speaking.]
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a sob sounds out from her, trembling as tears spill and her other arm wraps around herself as tightly as she can. ]
I... I'm sorry... I'm so... so sorry.. [ it's difficult to tell if she's apologizing to them, for what they saw, for what they know, for what she's been trying to hide.. all this time. that sensation tightens itself around her, every tug at those they've lost, at how they too soon succumb to death.
just like every.. other.. star, before this one... ] A..all of them.. they were always..
[ dead. dead. dead. ] I don't... know.. how much longer, I..
[ hope. she wants to hope. she looks to them, uncertain, lost, in search of something she cannot feel. ] It won't... stop. They won't. Stop.
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again, they squeeze her hand.]
... May I give my answer to the question you sought, Meteion?
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her hand loosens around herself to rub at her eyes, trying to rid of the tears blurring her vision. it takes her a moment to respond. trying to steady her trembling, her shaky breathing, to try and listen to clarte's words. ]
..Your answer? [ ... ] What... is it that, you live for...? What gives your life.. meaning?
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... You see, Meteion, I was actually created as just a prototype. From the day I was born, I was slated to be discarded of, once research for the perfected vessel was underway. In that regard, the only meaning to my life was the act of creating me, not anything within my existence itself.
[...]
I've lost most of my memories since then, so I don't remember everything about my past. I can only know from the glimpses of my old "self" that I have—how "I" felt. I know that I spent my life waiting to die, deprived of any reason to live.
[and yet—
with a smile,]
But against all odds, I did find one.
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her wings droop, yet she remains quiet, hanging on each of their words. spent their life waiting to die... it hurts to hear.
( how many times have they heard that? life wishing to merely die. lives wanting to look for an end.)
but they... ] ..You did?
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[...]
Our story has not always been a happy one. She and I have both died in different ways, and our deaths undone. I... have been the same as what you saw in my memory. Menas, who brought the end times upon an entire planet.
[that's the irony of this. the tragedies that haunt meteion... clarte themself has been the cause of one such like them. countless people, dead by their hands.]
That is an unforgivable sin I cannot take back—and one I wouldn't, either. But even as someone who was once the embodiment of death and destruction... at the very least, I was then able to use my life to save another land and give them hope.
And that is the meaning of my life, chosen by my will. Though I'm someone who has been corrupted by the darkness, and who has felt despair—I want to be a light for others. As long as I continue to live, I will try.
[the power to destroy, the power to save. both reside within them; it all depends on what they use it for.]
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never has she heard of such a concept before... there were stars where they achieved paradise, only to wish for death, where they achieved immortality.. and wish for death. every star.. had lost their hope.
and here, was Clarte who caused destruction only to then save another. but they've... they've always been strong, in her eyes. Meteion, she... she doesn't have that kind of strength. it's crumbling, falling apart. day by day. if she had a choice... she would protect everyone. however, her shared consciousness... ]
I think, while here... you've always been a light for others. I can.. see that, from the way others look to you. Speak with you.
[ there is no doubt that, clarte is that light for them. that festering despair... does not believe. but Meteion, as herself, does. ]
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Thank you, Meteion. [...] There are always two sides. Where hope exists, so will despair. Not everything—or everyone— can be saved.
It must—be so painful for you, who has to experience the ruin of life over time, to see the end again and again. But I hope you can see the smaller picture as well, Meteion, the way that those with finite lives do. Perhaps nothing will last forever, but...
[they grip her hands.]
A flower does not think of its death. It simply tries to bloom and bring beauty to its surroundings. To give more than it takes, as it produces seeds for the future. Maybe one day, there will be a time those seeds die out, but it lives without knowledge of that. It just thrives during the life it knows of, and it is happy.
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[ she says in an almost whisper. ]
The way that.. they hurt... hate.
[ she is only one, against millions. it's like having a single small lone candle lit in a large dark room. it's only a matter of time until the darkness extinguishes that light out.
she listens, and she does take those words to heart, wants to hold onto it so tightly to that hope but. the last thing she has felt, the thing that keeps swimming in the back of her mind is.
that pain, that hatred, that suffering of her sisters. the fate of all those stars... the fate of, this star, too. ]
If, something were to happen... with me, please... please don't.. don't let them hurt.
[ tears fall at those words. she knows there will never be without pain,because there is more to this than that-- so why.. why are they so convinced..? why can they not see it, the way that Clarte does, the way she too sees it? ]
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there are some things that cannot be stopped. perhaps meteion cannot stop these feelings flooding into her, any more than clarte could prevent themself from becoming uranus menas once that path had been set.
all clarte can do is wrap meteion into an embrace. that's not a promise they can make to her, so they won't.]
... I'm here, Meteion. Just listen to my voice.
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and in this very moment, what she does have is.. clarte's acceptance, their gentle and kind approach, it's a step. it's a hand that's been extended out to her, full of understanding, and she wants to take hold of it. wants to try for it. try for them.
so, she eases in that embrace, taking a breath, trying to calm down and focus on their words. their feelings. she nods after a moment, wings fluttering as she focuses on their voice. ]
...Okay.
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Your kindness is your pain, Meteion, but it is also your strength. It all depends on what you use it for.
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[ feels like only the end could satisfy them. ] If they could.. just meet you, and everyone here... [ maybe they'd be able to see. ]
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