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#Post#: 336558--------------------------------------------------
Imagination+Randomness: The White War
By: Rilla Date: April 16, 2013, 8:00 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
It was somewhat amusing to the often stoic young man that these
people who fought so hard to break from the reality of their
parent’s and uncle’s, and aunt’s yesteryear would now be full of
sadness at their passing. Joseph, on the other hand, had been
excited for the passing of the two greats - though he could not
be there to see them pass on to the next life, or whatever life
they would inevitably whip up for themselves in order to remain
relevant. Then again, his grandfather, Rilla, had managed to
surprise him by not drawing another world into his destructive
grasp -though that may have had more to do with the fact
Ouroboros had left the man and went to the far superior, and
malicious grandson. Yet, the faces of the people that stood and
sat, that flew and simply existed, would forever be in the mind
of the young Imaginist. The way the tears flowed freely form
some, and while others showed no outward expression, but inside
were tearing up.
“Come, Oasys, it is time.”
Joseph spoke, of course, to the girl to his left - the young
woman who had been at his side since the War of Creation. Her
hair lay beautifully over a soft face, a face that matched his
voice in innocence. She nuzzled his arm that she clung to as
though her life depended on it. She knew nothing would hurt her,
she know Joseph would never let harm befall the untouched skin
of his adopted cousin - of his love. He looked once more, out
into the crowd - the crowd of people who were experiencing
emotions at the loss of Law - the Paradii, and Tyrael. Out in
the crowd two faces he expected to see were present - one was of
his aunt, one of the Sacred, Light. They had crossed paths
before and he threatened to crush her beneath the might of his
imagination and a tree. It was well documented that he woman
feared only a few things, and one was Joseph. Another was the
death of the young man that stayed near her, ever vigilant, ever
watching - Merlin Seba. Like his father he could manipulate
puppets, and his spirit animal was that of a shape shifter. The
two boys had been somewhat of acquaintances but that quickly
turned sour. The boy was protective of Light and Joseph had
threatened her safety, the animosity between them was high and
would come to a head in due time.
Joseph, vanished from his hidden perch, and appeared where many
had stood to speak surrounded by everyone who dared visit. The
sudden appearance of the young male would surely turn heads. His
eyes locked with Merlin’s, but the sudden appearance of Jace,
Diketsu, Valoril, Giles, and Akkarin was already present. There
were several others however, including the Bestial Key Master,
Kei’Taro, El Negro Samuray, a mythical Black Samurai, The Axis
Mundi, and several other, of yet, unknown warriors. On Joseph’s
shoulder was wrapped his Albino Ferret, though an odd snake like
creature seemed perpetually wrapped around it - the combination
of Ouroboros and Joseph’s former spirit animal; he had taken
control of Ouroboros and bent him to his will - something the
now deceased Rilla could never do. He looked around the crowd
and for a moment let his eyes go to Light, an innocent smile
creeping along the face of the ivory haired youth - white irises
burrowing into the eyes of his aunt. His voice, Imagined, burst
into existence:
“You people disgust me, you bitch and moan and cry and weep and
show your emotions of the deaths of relics of the past! People
who cared not for you, but for the glory of the fight! You call
these people your brothers, your family, your friends, yet when
push came to shove they would have murdered you without a second
thought! Your worship these cretins, whose only claim to fame
was being more powerful than the rest of you! You people call
yourselves God’s, higher than God’s, but in the eyes of these
people, these worthless dead people - who, let’s face it, may
not even be dead, you were nothing! They laughed at your, at our
expense, at your expense while you do what you can to reach
their level, a level unattainable even through the strictest of
methods! I know this because even with the God Fist, my abusive
father, who followed in the footsteps of his father and his
uncles, could NEVER reach them - no matter how obsessed he was
with them. He beat me something awful, because I was not like my
brother, Mahoe, I wasn‘t like my father, I was different - I was
special, I wasn‘t a fighter and now he regrets every moment of
it.”
His eyes locked with Light’s once more, that same smile - that
same innocent smile on his face, eyes barely visible behind his
long white hair.
“He was your nephew, he treated you like a mother, and he wanted
so bad for you to treat him like a son! The last time we met a
tree was secured around your chest - and your ribs were nearly
shattered, the bones towards your heart. Yet, you were one of
them, no matter how often you changed your wings, no matter how
often you denounced what you were - you were one of them. One of
the people that the rest of these poor fools looked towards for
guidance, for someone to be a figurehead, for someone to be a
Goddess. Your brothers are dead. Rilla. Dead. I killed him, or
at least, facilitated the death of my own grandfather, of her
own grandfather…”
He pointed towards Oasys.
“Of his DNA supplier,”
He pointed towards Diketsu.
“Tyrael? Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Your brother is dead! My
Uncle is dead! Akkarin’s father? Dead! Akkarina’s father? Dead.
Wyatt’s Dad? Dead! Your dad, Keller?”
Joseph’s eyes turned towards Keller, memory of the man invading
his thoughts to save his brother, in order to kill the man
himself.
“Is dead! Adonis, Law, Paradii, Kenneth, KAOS, whatever he wants
to call himself, is dead. Dead and gone! Why? Because they were
weak! They were pathetic! They sought power, and more power,
they sought what they ultimately failed to realize they had and
now they are gone and you are all here crying and worshipping
them, as if they were Gods! Now, now is the time you should be
rising up, learning from the mistakes of your superiors,
learning from a genius like me, learning how to harness your
power and not make the same mistakes that those two made on the
field of battle! Instead of sitting here, crying, and moaning,
bitching about the deaths of those who don’t care for you - of
those who never did, you should follow the lead of Akkarin, of
Oasys, of Diketsu, and forge your own path. Instead of crying,
part from this place and become the God you claim to be! Instead
of wishing they would return, realize that they are dead because
of their vile stupidity.”
The entire time the voice spoke, that smile - that innocent
smile, it never left the face of Joseph, just as his eyes barely
left those of Light, keeping her there, enthralled, frightened
about what he had to say. It would become a smile that people
associated both with innocence and fear, with the very fear that
struck deep down in their souls, that shook their cores.
“I am the greatest man that has ever lived - not Tyrael, not
Rilla, not Kenneth, not Dems, not my sweet, sweet aunt Light -
no, I am the greatest because I know the truth! I have read the
Manifesto of Creation, the Tome of Existence.”
He looked at Merlin at this point.
“No random occurrence, no shape shifting fool, no man of Order,
and Chaos, shall ever best me. All of your power, all of your
mind games, all of what you learned while trying to emulate the
life of two - two deranged and ill-fated fools, will be nothing
against me. I went to war with one of their kind, and I won, I
crushed him beneath the very soles of my feet! And I lifted not
one finger in the way of physicality! I trapped him with the
Axis Mundi, and when he escaped, it was because he had no choice
but to escape - and that was what I wanted. I wanted him to free
himself, because there was only one way he was getting out of
the beautiful noggin next to me and that was if he accepted
death. If he accepted the deal of the Axis, to take it with him,
that he would die. Around here, my soldiers who fought with me
during the War of Creation, where I overcame one of the Sacred,
and some who saw the light and now travel with me,”
He had added emphasis on the light, his eyes turning to his Aunt
Light,
“I stand here before you, and I declare myself your Lord and
Master! You are either with me, or against me, but be clear, no
matter who you are or what you claim - I can look into your eyes
and tell that your fear me. I can tell that you hate me, because
I speak the truth!”
His eyes turned to Merlin,
“You don’t have to accept me as your Lord and Master; as the
second coming, as the improved version of what was once the
rulers of this land. The sacred are no more, only brittle
antiques, that now cling to a past glory. I am smarter. I am
better. I am everything. You will realize your true potential
and you will stand at the highest point of your life or fall
like those fools before me. Before us! I stand before you,
Joseph Tsh’Rael, the Master of Creation - the Master Imaginist,
I stand before you today as a man, as a part of this war, as the
start of something that the past generation, as they live and
breath, could have never imagined. I want you all to listen to
me every carefully, for I will say this once and I will say it
no more,”
At this point, he vanished - no sign of him for the longest
moment. He appeared once more, not upon the pedestal, but upon
the ground. He appeared behind his aunt, behind Light, the world
around them seemed to freeze. Her breaths were shallow, she
could feel the presence of her nephew, the innocence that seemed
to ring from the sociopath. His hand reached up, his eyes
staring forward, as he pulled the violet hair from the side of
Light’s face towards her back. The hair neared his face, the
stark whiteness of his contrasting with the violet hue of hers.
His eyes looked past her, looking into the eyes of Merlin, his
smile never wavering - the innocence of him never faltering. To
his side, and to her credit, Oasys remained steadfast on his
arm, nuzzling his arm as though it were her safety blanket. As
he looked on at Merlin, time seemed to freeze, but was soon
resumed when the young man opened his mouth for the first time
this day - he whispered but one word, one that was carried by a
sound that seemed to be innocence personified. Into the ear of
his aunt, he whispered,
“Hello.”
For Light, for Joseph, it seemed as though time shattered - as
though everything they knew now was bent. It was but a moment,
but the message his word said would ring for an eternity. Just
as quickly as he said the word, he was gone and so were his
cohorts. Light’s eyes were paralyzed with fear, but the feeling
that something was amiss brought her back to reality, as though
she had been in a crash. The necklace that she wore from Merlin,
once always secured around her neck, was now falling to the
ground as though it were in slow motion. Joseph had reached
around and ripped it from her neck with surprising quickness for
a man that knew nothing of the physical nature of war, unless
when Ukami beat him was counted. It had happened in the same
moment he uttered ‘Hello.’
The White War had started.
#Post#: 336624--------------------------------------------------
Re: Imagination+Randomness: The White War
By: claybee Date: April 16, 2013, 10:10 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
This was not a trip that he had intended to make, not an homage
that he had wanted to pay. While the loss of any life was
regrettable, he had never crossed paths with these two lost
souls, never witnessed them plumb the depths of their powers
like so many of those gathered had. Adonis and Tyrael were not
even members of his father's generation, they had emerged from
the chaos as part of what many of those present would refer to
as the golden era, they were the Sacred. But yet here Merlin
stood, head bowed in respect at the side of the woman who
represented the only family he had left in this existence. Light
was not bound to him by blood, but by choice, and those bonds
resonated deeply for a young man who had spent his life alone
and let down by those who held his blood. Today he was an
escort, and envoy, a stand-in for his father who had taken a vow
of seclusion deep within the recesses of Nothingness, a mourner
who despite his solemn threads stood very out of place.
On his shoulders sat twin owls; wide, wise eyes flitted across
the clearing, ever on alert. On his left perched Bashi, his
life-long companion and shape-shifting spirit creature; on this
right rested a piece of Kotaro's spirit, a shard gifted to him
so that he may communicate with his father without attempting to
traverse the expanses of Nothingness in fruitless search. Like
many who stood in the clearing, Merlin was outwardly unarmed,
but he was wholly prepared for trouble. There was a prickling at
the back of his instinct that screamed out that danger was
incoming, and so though his body stood at ease his tattoos
pulsed beneath his garments ready for activation. It was a
benefit of this simple black suit, the shimmering colors beneath
it's threads remained hidden from the outside world, allowed him
to continue this facade of relaxation while he awaited whatever
loomed in the near future.
Despite the number of guests who stood within this meadow who
had multitudes of enemies that wished them harm, something about
all of this screamed out that he was the ultimate target of this
unknown plot. There was a time when he would have relished the
challenge, but today was a day to remember the passing of two
great souls who had been consumed by the lust of war, it seemed
uncouth to chomp at the bit for a fight. Taking a deep breath,
he blinked at the ground as both Bashi and Kotaro's talons
clenched into his shoulder tendons, a split instant before the
clearing was thrown into sudden disarray by the appearance of
the one man in Existence whom he had sworn to destroy.
"Joseph."
As suddenly as Joseph and his small vanguard appeared in the
clearing, Merlin snapped his mental reins and a brilliant flash
of emerald energy dissipated the clearing revealing his own
force of fighters scattered around the meadow, each standing
opposite one of Joseph's warriors. Along with his own Szabad,
many of his father's former puppets had sprung into being, each
armed and prepared to fight. Eirwyn, Lo, O'rie, Kukulcan,
Phineas, and more eyeballed their counterparts just as Merlin
stared daggers at the smiling Joseph. As Joseph burst into a
hateful speech, aimed at Light, Keller, and himself; Merlin
shook his head with a hard smile and reached down to interlock
his fingers with Light's as he cleared his throat and spoke out
in a hardened tenor that matched the vehemence of Joseph's voice
while somehow retaining it's trademark mellifluous tone.
"The greatest man that has ever lived? Surely you jest Joseph.
You speak of arrogance and ignorance, and yet your words and
very existence drip with those same two defects. You are no more
a man than a pebble is a mountain. Tell me, old friend, which
Manifesto have you read? Which Existence have you poured your
sickeningly vile eyes over? Play your tricks, pound your drums
of war, but even if you hold every straw and win every battle
you will still find at the end of your days you were never
anything more than a chimpanzee slapping his chest and
pretending to be a man."
Smiling at the grand pronouncement of lord and mastery, Merlin
could only help but be amused by the grandstanding of a man who
had once been something of an acquaintance with the promise to
be more. That chance had been squashed when Joseph had targeted
Light in his ridiculous crusade against the Sacred and their
ilk. Both men had experienced tragic families, parents wholly
unsuited to the task of raising children in this unreasonable
world. But when confronted with a fork in the road, they had
chosen opposite paths, Joseph had rebelled and lashed out while
Merlin had embraced his legacy in recognition of the
circumstances that had surrounded his childhood.
As Joseph addressed him once more, Merlin shook his head and
prepared to speak before Joseph disappeared briefly, before
appearing behind Merlin and Light with his fingers reaching out
toward her hair. Watching this raging sociopath out of the
corner of his eye, Merlin otherwise didn't shift despite his
proximity, because he knew that before Joseph could actually
bring harm to Light, Merlin would have ample time to stop him.
While he perhaps could not go mano-e-mano with Joseph's
Imagination, when it came to physical combat he was certainly
his enemy's superior. Blinking as the other man whispered the
simple salutation, Merlin snarled as he disappeared, an
instinctive hand reaching out to snatch the necklace out of the
air as he whipped around, his mind already dismissing all of his
and his father's puppets. Pressing the necklace into Light's
hand, the young man who stood as the flesh and blood incarnation
of Randomness broke the distressed silence of the meadow by
screaming into the sky.
"I know that you can hear me Joseph, YOU WANT A WAR? I will give
you a war the likes of which YOUR imagination could not grasp. I
will snuff the light out of every soul you've ensnared, leave
you in darkness the likes of which will suffocate the ravings of
your craven mind. There is no peak too high for me to conquer,
and there is no abyss deep enough to hold the misery that I will
bring into your life... I stand before you, Merlin Seba, the
Randomization of Man, I stand before you as a man, as a part of
this war, as the man who will strangle you with that damned
serpent you wear so foppishly. So gather your pawns and step
into battle if you dare, but listen carefully, for I will say
this once and I will say it no more,
Goodbye."
Hugging Light tight against his chest, Merlin kissed the top of
her head once before disappearing, leaving Bashi upon her
shoulder as he vanished in a flash of his Emerald energy. The
White War had started, and there were many preparations to make.
There had never been a war that would exist so entirely in the
mind, Joseph may have made the first move but the match was only
just beginning.
#Post#: 336884--------------------------------------------------
Re: Imagination+Randomness: The White War
By: Rilla Date: April 17, 2013, 3:55 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Preparation.
It always came down to that.
Preparation.
Prepare for war. Prepare for a meeting. Prepare the troops.
Preparation.
There was no one better at it than the Imaginist, Joseph - all
things went as he planned them, he knew Merlin would be unable,
unwillingly, to ignore the Call to Arms. It was delicious the
lengths Merlin would go to defend the bond he held with Joseph’s
aunt, it was almost as if he was the son, she refused to treat
Ukami as. Perhaps, delicious was not the right word - perhaps,
sad, would fit if Joseph were his father. They were all so
predictable, and it disgusted him, Merlin would be the true
challenge.
Two sides of the same coin - one was random, oh so random. It
was lovely, how unpredictable Merlin could be, and how strong he
was. Merlin would outstrip him physically, and that was what
Joseph planned on. He knew Merlin and that if it came to
fisticuffs, Merlin would be able to pummel Joseph with relative
ease, despite Joseph’s imagination. Joseph replayed the scene in
his head. Eirwyn, Lo, O'rie, Kukulcan, Phineas, and others, were
the chosen warriors to defend against the big, bad, Joseph. They
weren’t a bad group of creatures to try and fight Joseph, in
fact, they were the perfect choices. Joseph, in all his infinite
wisdom, hadn’t kept track of the people that Merlin palled
around with and that was what made Merlin the most dangerous to
Joseph, but that would also play into the plans that Joseph had
for this War.
On the other side of the same coin, an imagination was running
rampant. Joseph now sat just over the horizon, and unreachable
place, unless one had access to Monk, or Jadik, as Monk’s proper
name was. He was still incensed that that Planeswalker could
make his way over the Horizon, and not only that, but bring
others with him. Yet, even he was fruitless when it came to
going to war with Joseph - Joseph had crushed everyone that the
man had brought over the horizon. Joseph know knelt on the edge
of the Horizon, looking across by unable to be seen beyond that
thin veil. His ivory hair fell over his eyes - his long, hefty
sleeves flowing over his arms and hands; it was almost as if he
were wearing attire to pray in. He was a stark contrast to
Merlin, yet they were so alike. Where Merlin was physical,
Joseph was clearly the tactician; together they would be nearly
unstoppable, yet they went in opposite direction. El Negro
Samuray, Diketsu, Akkarin, Kei’taro, and the rest stood within
the halls of Dragon Angel Tower. Behind Joseph stood Oasys,
forever near her cousin, forever near the man that loved her;
and to her left, was Kaige - the young Imaginist, that Joseph
had adopted. The boy had grown so much, and added so much ink to
his skin - it was beautiful.
“Another storm is brewing, I can hear the winds changing now!”
Joseph, of course, spoke of the words that spilled from Merlin’s
mouth - his declaration! Joseph licked his lips as he seamlessly
made it to his feet, looking over the Horizon. “Merlin Seba, son
of Kotaro, bonded to Aunt Light - he has accepted that the White
War has begun, but it will not be one of physicality. This war,
no, this war will not be fought on the ground upon which they
stand - it will be fought within the mind. Of course, he will
find a way to supplement his fighters, as I will with mine.”
Joseph turned on his heels, and headed towards the Tower. As he
did, his soldiers came out and stood aside the statues of the
Dragon Angels.
“Soon, my friends, Light shall fall and Merlin shall be no more.
The death of my Aunt will mean the death of the spirit of Merlin
- what drives him. His father, much like my own, seek meditation
and thus his father is deep within the bowels of nothingness,
where Py’Kou was forged. So close he is to being one of the
Sacred, right in the Nothingness where their transgressions
formed a malevolent spirit.” Joseph’s Imagined Voice had taken
over, so that they would not know the innocence that permeated
his voice.
“I shall make this statement here!
Light Shall Fall!
The White War Shall Be Won!”
#Post#: 343169--------------------------------------------------
Re: Imagination+Randomness: The White War
By: claybee Date: May 30, 2013, 4:49 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
“Merlin...
Merlin...
MERLIN!”
Halting his pacing for the briefest second, Merlin Seba's head
snapped to the right, and his brilliant emerald eyes flashed
with frustration at the insistent interruption before he
recognized exactly who it was that had intruded on his musings.
“Teacher!” Relief easing the hard lines that had etched
themselves into his face, he stepped forward and embraced the
fragile, wizened being before gesturing to one of the casual
pillows that had been strewn across the floor of the hut he'd
thrown together towards the back of the Meiva temple that his
father had constructed years and years ago.
Returning to his pacing, Merlin's hands ran idly over his
various tattoos as his head started to return back to the battle
scenarios he'd been running over in his head before speaking
aloud without further courtesy or salutation. “You know the
situation, yes? I always knew we were destined for collision,
but I never would have thought he'd have the audacity to show up
at a funeral such as that to declare all out war.” Breathing
deeply, he clenched his fists and popped all of the joints and
knuckles in his hands before throwing himself down on another
pillow with a sigh of frustration. “I should have taken my shot
when I had a chance, he was within range...”
“No Merlin, you responded properly, a funeral such as that
should not have been marred with the sort of destruction you
would have wrought in your attempt to get to Joseph. But
presuming that you did not invite me here strictly to whine,
tell me what it is that you're planning to do? While I'm
forbidden from physical involvement in any confrontation, I am
allowed to act as counsel. I may have no experience with this
Imaginist, but he is not unlike oh so many men who have come
before...”
Chuckling at his ageless mentor, the younger warrior turned
general shook his head and laughed, folding his hands behind his
head in a rare gesture of relaxation in the last several hours.
“With all due respect Teacher, he is not, once upon a time I
thought I knew him too; but the combination of his psychosis and
Ouroboros has melded his mind into something truly beyond the
imagination of any but his own. But you're right, I do indeed
have a multitude of strategies, but I think this may be the most
effective of all my strategies. After all, striking the first
blow is absolutely critical, but I believe that in this case
taking the initiative means luring him into a trap.”
Snapping his fingers, the brilliant red paint brush and board
that he had tattooed on his shoulder hummed to life and
disappeared, before a fair Elf appeared draped in traditional
Renaissance clothing already mapping out Merlin's strategy for
ensnaring Joseph's forces in swift brushstrokes across the
marble wall. “Joseph isn't going to attack me directly, not only
does he not have the familiarity with my forces that would allow
for a head-on combat, but direct combat is neither in his best
interest nor his style. He's going to attempt to attack me
indirectly, everything that he does has psychological
implications, which is why I believe that his first strike is
going to go against Light. I'm thinking I'll have to combine
some of the Szabad and the others in order to maximize
effectiveness AND stealth. Your thoughts?”
Bringing fingertips together to tap against each other just in
front of tip of the nose, the Teacher examined the beautiful
battle plan for a moment or two before speaking slowly, in
measured sentences. “You've analyzed the situation well, my
young pupil, but what will you do if Joseph targets you
directly? Or attempts to strike at you through another?” Merlin
shook his head as he waved his hand into the air, simultaneous
dismissive gestures. “If Joseph targets me, I can more than
handle any of his forces, and besides if the attack comes I can
summon whichever puppets I need from anywhere to come to my aid.
It is not so easy to summon them somewhere that I am not.
Besides Light, there are no others whom Joseph can target. Would
he try to scour the Nothingness for my father? He would find
himself and all his forces swept away in an instant in the face
of Kotaro's rage. And you, even if he knew of your existence,
what could he possibly do against you? You are a neutral
embodiment of Knowledge and Order in this Existence, he would be
similarly overmatched. There's no one else, as I think back to
that memorial ceremony, there was no one there was singularly
unattached as myself. He knows that, too, I think that is why he
has targeted me, because I am not part of that life from which
his neuroses was forged.”
“An excellent observation, but do not forget that in his
Imagination Joseph may find a route through which you may not
have yet anticipated. Be ever watchful my pupil, be ever
vigilant. And do not allow your emotions to erase all that I
have taught you...” Rising from the pillow in a movement that
was deceptively fluid for the Teacher's fragile form, the
ancient being touched Merlin's shoulder for an instant before
disappearing from the realm. Smiling to himself, Merlin closed
his eyes and sank into meditation, pink ribbons of mental energy
flared around his body as he began to coordinate the
manifestations and locations of his puppets, carefully weaving
their strings into the web with which he would devour his
erstwhile prey.
“If all else fails, remember this my charges. Light is not
allowed to fall.
The White War must be won.”
#Post#: 344919--------------------------------------------------
Re: Imagination+Randomness: The White War
By: Rilla Date: June 22, 2013, 7:06 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Arrogance.
Yet so very well protected.
Joseph knew his adversary was at least one of these things, but
they also applied to the ivory haired man that now walked across
the grounds of the former Dragon Angels. His steps were cold and
calculated, but led him nowhere special. His mind wandered
further than his legs and feet would ever take him, further than
the eons were away and the worlds were close. Each thought came
to one man, and one woman. Merlin and Light. One statement,
“Light Shall Fall.” He knew in the Nothingness were Py’Kou was
created, Merlin’s father lived. He knew, or at least thought he
knew, of a man named ‘Teacher”, that Merlin had learned from.
Neither of these men would be important to him or the outcome of
the battle they were about to undertake.
“Ouroboros.”
As Joseph spoke the name of the Dragon of Creation, the humanoid
form of the creature appeared in stride aside him. “Yes, child…”
“It is time, but there shall be a change of plan - if you will.
Only the Black Samurai shall go after Light, and trust me - she
will fall. The rest of you shall accompany me. There is only one
place Merlin can reasonably expect me to be - the place that
connects us to each other more than any shall ever know. One of
the first times we spoke, it was atop a house. Me, a mute child,
with an abusive father - and him. Him.” Joseph’s imagined voice
rang out as he and the spirit animal walked forward.
“Very well, my sire - I shall make the arrangement that you have
so humbly requested of me.”
With that, the Dragon was gone and Joseph was left alone once
more. His plan was simple and had already been set into motion.
Light feared him, and why shouldn’t she? She was part of the
reason he was the way he was - the mother that his father wanted
but could not have, the sister that once played around with the
idea of loving her brother - it all clicked and it all put into
motion the wheels that drove this vehicle forward. It seemed as
if nothing existed around the man, except the white lightning of
his imagination. He no longer held ribbons, for they were ripped
to shreds when Ouroboros entered into his soul and they became
one. Now, lightning struck in place - where the ribbons would
be, now struck bolts of pure white lightning. This was what
connected to him all those under his thumb, their movements and
their orders.
His hands raised out to the side, and then to his front, his
fingers moving up and down as if he were playing a piano. He
could see it all, the world beneath him, his forces scattered
about these grounds but slowly congregating on his area once
more. Kaige was the first to appear to his right, the younger
Imaginist aside his step father was a welcomed sight for the
mastermind, who immediately began to relax. It was not long
after that Oasys appeared and his world as at a peace it had not
known for a long time. She clung to his arm and watched as the
world was seemingly devoured by the lightning.
“It’s beautiful,” she chirped, a smile crossing her lips. She
was growing more confident, each passing moment she spent with
her cousin, the man who wanted her as a lover, she became more
of a woman. She came into her own, or was coming into her own,
and loving every moment of it.
“Yes, it is,” he whispered to her. Just as he finished, the
lightning began to take shape in the blackness of the void. The
Black Samurai, Akkarin, Kei’Taro, Diketsu, Giles, Valoril, Jace,
and others had come and were now kneeling before him - their
Lord and Master.
“Black Samurai, depart - Ouroboros has given you your orders, I
am sure.” The Black Samurai rose and from beneath the blackness
of its helmet nodded. Just before the white lightning that was
Black Samurai departed, two additional heads seem to pop out
from the side. Joseph reached foeward, and held out his hand,
the remaining forces of his army soon becoming streaks of
lightning that shot into his palm and etched themselves on his
arm - hidden by the lengthy white sleeves that went down and
covered his hands. Beneath the surface of his clothing, the new
marks further formed themselves and began to walk about his
skin, careful to remain beneath the surface.
“Come, Kaige. Come Oasys.” Kaige nodded, and Oasys simply clung
to the sleeve of the man. Joseph’s eyes closed and off they
were, before abruptly landing atop a house. There were many like
it, but this one remained special - there was something about
this house that separated it from the rest. It wasn’t the oddly
placed chess table that sat upon the roof. Nor the chairs. This
house had been wear Joseph and Merlin met that faithful day. The
quiet child, and the puppeteer’s son. This was where it all
began. They could not speak to each other, but understood a
multitude of sign languages that helped along their short
conversation.
Joseph walked forward and pressed his hand to the back of the
chair, situated on the white side of the table. He pulled it
free, and took a seat. Oasys placed a hand on his shoulder,
while Tigris was formed from Kaige and stood by his side. Joseph
looked at the highly detailed chess pieces - kings and queens,
pawns and rooks. At this point, Joseph closed his eyes -
determined that when he opened them again, just a moment later -
that Merlin would be across from him.
[center]Meanwhile[/center]
EL Negro Samuray, the Black Samurai arrived at the location of
the Nexus. Ouroboros and Joseph had determined that here was
where Light would be reincarnated, and where she would die soon
after. Darkness swirled around the malefic armor that he wore.
He wondered who would appear before him, be it Light in her
reincarnated form, or the man that he smelled at that funeral of
Tyrael and Law. It wasn’t Merlin, no, it was the sent of
another. It was barely there, but it existed, someone who had
come through the alternate reality portal with him. He licked
his lips at the thought. He dropped to his knees, and lowered
his head. Hands placed upon his knees, and there he would wait.
He could feel his sinful armor raring to release itself and
dance upon the body of whomever would come upon these lands.
“How long must we wait?” Said a voice.
“Until Joseph has given us permission to leave these grounds, or
we have the head of Light.” The black armored man replied.
“We slave to this realities version of our grandchild? Before he
became powerful, but in this world he has already threatened to
bring it to his knees! We must strik---” came another before
being cut off.
“No, Master Joseph has given us a task and we shall complete it,
My Sins.”
The Black Samurai was the Alternate Reality version of Rilla,
though he recognized that in this reality he was much weaker
than his counterpart, and even he perished before Joseph, even
if indirectly. The sins lashed out within him, but he held them
at bay. He could feel a strange connection to the white youth
that he so vigilantly served. He had sworn his life to a man
that kept him from traveling down the path of his counterpart -
and so, if he died here, then he would be sure to take the life
of his enemies with him.
Black lightning began to streak across the sky as the samurai
clenched his fist. The White War had started and the Black
Samurai was its willing Rook.
#Post#: 349100--------------------------------------------------
Re: Imagination+Randomness: The White War
By: claybee Date: August 23, 2013, 3:07 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
The warning!
“This hardly seems fair, I swore that I wouldn’t intervene, but
a little conversation couldn’t hurt.”
The murmured musings shook the fabric of the Nexus, dancing
around the nuance of a pledge before talking itself into going
along with it. Sitting cross-legged with a flexibility that
belied his size, Caliban appeared opposite the Black Samurai
with a deadpan expression upon his face. “Well hello there
compadre, its been a long time, hasn’t it?” His voice was laced
with laughter, a humor that did not show in his face. He knew
exactly who this warrior was, after all, they had crossed
through the portal together. Unlike this Rilla, he was stronger
than his counterpart in this reality, though Kotaro had
abdicated his role in this existence in order to search for
answers to unknown questions.
“Let me be perfectly clear about my reason for being here, El
Negro Samuray, and I’m certain that it will not surprise you.
This war is between Joseph and Merlin, I have no intentions of
stepping in and interfering; however, I do not appreciate your
involvement and as a fellow alternate reality being I will be
watching you with great interest. If you harm the one named
Light, I will exact a penance most unpleasant from your flesh.
Do not doubt me on that oath.” Deadpan expression never
breaking, Caliban winked before disappearing as rapidly as he’d
arrived, satisfied with the ultimatum he’d delivered. He didn’t
expect it to change the Black Samurai’s mind, but putting those
words into existence made clear the depth of the protection
surrounding Light.
The preparations!
Elsewhere, utterly unaware of Caliban’s conversation with the
Black Samurai, Merlin yawned and stretched wide from his perch
in the ancient oak tree. Having concluded his extensive
meditations, it seemed like the time had come for the cessation
of plans and to begin the execution of the looming storm.
Flipping down onto the grassy meadow below, he tread barefoot
into his little hut and glanced at the rickety wooden table that
he had scrawled out a hundred different strategies upon coarse
parchment he had found in the temple’s supplies. It seemed
either his father or Caliban was fond of imitating the past,
Merlin assumed that it was his father but it was not entirely
beyond the realm of possibility that it would be the giant
demon.
Glancing around his surroundings, Merlin shrugged before
stretching once more, this time the wall of tattoos that covered
his muscled frame began to flash with life before the host of
puppets at his disposal began to pop into existence in the
grassy space that gently rolled behind the Meiva temple.
Slipping into a full-length jacket that was as brilliantly green
as his eyes, the Random hybrid slipped Chance and Luck into
their respective holster and sheath on his cream-toned pants
before stepping back into the sunlight and facing the troops he
would marshall into war. This was not your usual interaction
between a leader and his force, none of these fighters were
independent beings any longer. The only will and sentience that
they still held were those that Merlin or his father had
permitted them to keep for the sake of performance, but they
were enslaved on a level that even Joseph’s forces did not
match.
Closing his eyes, pink ribbons of Mental energy flared around
his body, reaching out and touching each puppet in turn in order
to establish new squads and reinforce the entire strategy within
each puppet. Once that task was completed, with a snap of his
fingers all but a few of his puppets disappeared as his tattoos
flashed with life once more. Staring for a moment at the five
puppets still before him, Merlin flashed a fang-baring smile
before snapping once more, and those puppets disappeared too.
Fixing the cuffs of his jacket with a distracted motion, the
hardened warrior took a deep breath and snapped his fingers once
more, and with that the Meiva temple was once more empty and
abandoned.
The approach!
This house, this rooftop, returning to the place where the two
had met for the first time; regardless the outcome of this war,
this place would forever be marked by destiny as a location of
special significance. For Merlin, the return was bitter, back
then he had thought that he and Joseph were to become good
friends, two young boys who could and understand and relate in a
way that no one else had before or after. Partially it was the
uniqueness of their spirit, part of it lay in their family
histories, and part of it surely rested in the fact that both
were willing to step back and listen to the world rather than
speak over it. At least, that’s how it had been, but their paths
had split on the crux of a single choice, and now they were
prepared to wage a war that could alter the fate of Time and
existence.
Folding his left leg up over his right, Merlin lounged back in
the chair behind the black side of the table, smiling cheerfully
at his opponent’s closed eyes and assembled representatives.
“This table seems lopsided…” Musing aloud, Merlin snapped his
fingers and Slave, Monk, and Musician of his Szabad appeared,
mimicking the positions of Oasys, Tigris, and Kaige. Continuing
to smile, he spread his arms wide as his adversary finally
opened his eyes, his own eyes displaying none of the warmth of
his smile or voice, flashing only his absolute killer’s resolve.
“Hello, Joseph…”
The first move!
Black lightning streaked across the sky of the Nexus, a clear
indication that the opposing forces had arrived before and were
doubtlessly laying in wait. So far, the second Burattinao’s
prediction was correct, and his strike force would quickly
determine whether or not that would continue. In the midst of
the streaks of lightning, a bolt of a blacker substance raced
from the sky and crashed into the ground in the form of a cloud
of inky feathered ravens cawing and screeching into the sky. A
clap like thunder pealed and the storm of birds collapsed inward
into the form of a small, pale man dressed in threadbare, black
suit. Wringing bony hands together, Phineas stared at the
motionless Black Samurai with nervous eyes. The trap was set,
the next move belonged to the enemy!
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