All had dreamt it. Good and bad. Well and in pain. Young and old.
Those events that day had led up to a sleep, as was the case for man.
They rested, and in their rest, they saw it.
A garden on the water's edge, filled with a myriad of colors and life. Dirt walkways, made up of a sandy texture and color, coursed through the vegetation, allowing one to lean down and smell the gorgeous collections. Though the air was still, the smells of the flowers wafted up and culminated into a general but pleasant fragrance that permeated the garden and beyond.
Surrounded by green leaves and the vines of creeping species, a girl hummed to herself without a care, tending to the flowers she so delicately...
cleaved. Though the art was natural, accepting, beautiful, it seemed so... brutal. Her impassive face seemed all too wrong for the work she was doing, severing the branches and flowers from stems, one after another. It was heartless. The torn flesh of the plants fell to the dirt without a sound, and soon it was covered by the death of its brethren. With every clip of her tools, the dream world blurred, until naught but the watery wash of bright colors could be understood.
They tripped and fell on the walkways, falling into bushes, thorns, and benches. Soon they could not tell up from down as the colors melded together into one, and the world seemed uniform and blank. They could feel it, but they could not perceive it. As they lied upon the ground, stuck wherever they were, a voice called out. The girl that hummed. They stared forward as she stepped towards them from within the light that surrounded them.
Perhaps you will decide, one day, to tend this garden how you may. There is no right way.
The dreamers awoke, the memory of it all hazy and clouded.
Soon enough, the maid came running back to the hotspring, having apparently heard Kanade's magic blast well in advance of any of them attempting to fetch her. She fell to her knees as she despaired at the black scorch mark on the patterned wall, covering her anguishing face.
"What happened?!" she yelled, "What did you do?!" She furiously attempted to scrub away the burn with her own kimono to no effect. She wracked her hair as she paced about until the guests explained themselves, pointing out the pile of ash that Aesil was paying special attention to all the while.
The maid's look of terror switched to one of uneasiness. Her eyes darted back and forth between the guests and the open grate. She bit her lip and urged the girls to remain there, though suggested they get dressed quickly. She rushed out of the tub, and within a few minutes came back in tow with Otode. He waited outside the bath impatiently, tapping his foot, until the girls exited with or without a kimono that Kanade could have potentially (albeit hurriedly) managed to get on her comrades.
"You were attacked by a ninja?" Otode opened up, eyes glaring at the open doors just beside him, looking out into a courtyard. The maid noticed and quickly shut them closed. "What can you tell me about him? What were his colors? Did he have any notable symbol? Did he say anything?"
None of the girls could recall anything save for his black gi and silent demeanor. There was nothing else to glean. Otode clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. "Alright. You're going back to bed, or at least to your room for now. I'll have someone stand guard outside for the night, not to worry. Question the guards, find out if they saw anything," he ordered, turning to the maid. She bowed and hurried off.
"Whoever this was..." he trailed off. "Have a good night," he nodded to the three girls and walked off.
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An hour into their retreat to their room, the girls received yet another knock at their door. With a swish, it was opened, revealing a dutiful looking man kneeling just outside. He kept his head bowed and spoke politely.
"Good evening. I am
Rasoba. I will be here outside your room for the night, as per Otode's orders." The first thing the girls could notice was that he was, unnervingly, a ninja. Though his eyes and upper head were uncovered, he was otherwise dressed quite similarly to the ninja that had attacked them. Then again, the uniform was rather unimpressive and mundane, as far as ninjas were concerned. It wasn't far-fetched to think they all wore the same thing in most cases.
"If you have any concerns, do not hesitate to call my name. I will be here. Have a good night's sleep," he said before shutting the door.
Tinette shrugged and cast a glance above. "Sure thing. I can't guarantee it'll be comfortable, but it'll certainly be safe. I myself won't be remaining here. If anything miraculously comes up, my familiars will be quick to tell me, so rest easy," she said. With a click of her fingers, she dimmed the entirety of the room. The crystalline lighting above shut itself off, and in turn, a wealth of candles were lit aflame. It was dark enough to sleep, but not so dismal that they couldn't walk about safely. "I'll come retrieve you in the morning, and we can all head off to the Guardian borough and sort things out."
Tinette transformed back into an owl before giving a parting glance. She flew off and into the dark hallway unheard. Galina and Natalya's nights went unperturbed, not even a whisper of wind to disturb their sleep.
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The following morning, Tinette had indeed returned to the study to happily find Galina and Natalya
not abducted and
not minced to pieces. Giving a few words of encouragement to ease any fears they might have of going outside and through the Library again, she gestured for them to follow, a small bag tied around her waist.
"It'll be awhile, and I don't know if you have any money yourselves, but I'm bringing some items to munch on if we get hungry," she smiled. As they made their way through the Library, they caught sight of one or two Librarians mulling about, though one could never be too sure what they saw there was human, or even real. Tinette seemed confident enough and care-free; she was clearly unafraid of the shadowy dealings at hand, wherever they were.
Their trek to the Guardian borough was, much like their morning, unhindered and smooth, save for the strangely cold temperature compared to the previous day. The skies were vaguely cloudy, with the sun peeking out every so often to warm up their skin for a few minutes at a time. Much like the Guardians themselves, even Goetia members were welcome into the particular borough without question.
A bit of time was spent asking around the area for the right place to be to contact the Guardians until they were led to a triangular building at the corner of a street. Sure enough, the symbol of the Guardians was as clear as day on its walls, though the way there was what had required assistance.
As they approach the building in question, a few men stopped them before they could enter. It was apparently off-limits for the time being.
"The Warden and a few others are having an important meeting inside right now. We'll have to ask you to wait here until it's over," one of the men said, apparently a Guardian. "If you need something now, one of us may be able to help." Tinette turned to Galina and Natalya over her shoulder, as if expecting them to come up with something that would startle them enough to let them in.
Upon finding Eleena at the bakery, it was relieving to see in turn that she was alive and well, albeit slightly dazed from her recent awakening and lingering pain. A healer had come and gone while she was unconscious, leaving her with but "time" needed to fix what was left. Though she was simply left on a chair, she had an opportunity with Halberd present to find something a bit more comfortable to sleep the rest of the night on. The bakery was closed, and Carol was retrieved by Mimo before she had even gone to find Halberd in the graveyard. She was to stay at her own residence for the night; though she trusted many people, she trusted in her own knowledge and abilities first and foremost. The next best thing was dropping Carol off at Tycen Uma's feet, wherever he was, but that would have required a bit of haggling.
Halberd and Eleena found their place of rest and slept off the days events, awaking in the morning ready to understand what was "truly" going on... according to Mimo.
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Her office, as much as it was a simple room within a building, was so utterly sealed from the public, that she required everyone vacate the premises until she was done. The Guardian building was emptied of its occupants, save for Mimo, Eleena, Halberd... and Tycen Uma. They sat at a long table on either side of one another. A few papers were pressed underneath Mimo's clasped hands. Tycen had his arms crossed, and through his heroic
visage helmet, it was difficult to truly determine where he was looking besides "straight ahead".
Mimo cleared her throat and began, "Alright you two. I was initially reluctant to let you in on this, but I trust you enough to keep it a secret. You were there, after all, and you've proven yourselves capable friends." She looked up at Eleena and Halberd from a lowered gaze, as if stressing to them that she was still worried.
"The papers I submitted to leadership..." she said, "...are about Carol, what we know about her. Put simply... she, and countless others, are in grave danger if we don't ensure her own safety. I'm looking to you two to be my eyes and ears out there, and to make sure Carol is safe when I can't."
The two looked at one another with a dubious expression, the girl moreso. They did not jump nor gasp at his claim, and seemed wholly accepting, albeit with some hints of distaste in their eyes. The man shook his head as if to free himself of an opinion before speaking. "We've already notified her of her condition. She's taken it well so far, but she is question what lead up to these events. I myself cannot refrain from telling the truth, but if you believe it to be in her best interest not to know of your... mistake, then so be it," he said.
"That is, if you
are truly repentant and embarrassed," the girl chimed in. She earned a swift jab from the man at her shoulder.
"We can take you to Kokusho, Junkiro. Follow us," the main beckoned as he walked out the door. The boy was led through wooden halls, and as he neared Kokusho's room, he could hear the mumbling of a conversation inside. As he stepped in view of the interior, he was met with none other than Utashou Hokoa's back. The Palace leader spoke softly to Kokusho who was resting on the bed, bandages wrapped around her abdomen.
After a minute, Utashou bid her goodbye and walked past Junkiro, an uninterested, blank look on her face as she did so. Kokusho's eyes lit up as she saw Junkiro, her smile welcoming him in like the gravity of a star. "Junkie! You came to see me! I hope you aren't hurt as bad as me," she grinned, poking at her bandages.
Jorn did indeed shoot Gerald a glance mixed with confusion and anger, though he refrained from calling him out on it. After a few seconds of his angry, targetless stare into the distance, he ended up breaking his expression with a silent chuckle. He should have seen through that. Aposto spoke up,
"Besides unnerving, this realm does sway my view of the afterlife immensely, if this is truly a place of demons," he said, positing the suggestion to Asazen. The white-cloaked girl nodded and mumbled an affirmation.
"The Courts of Hell are misunderstood, and the Overworld's teachings have long ago lost the correct information. When I was last outside, the views of Hell were horrendously incorrect. I suppose is it partially my own fault for such continued misinformation," she explained.
As Este introduced herself, Jorn cut in a teasing word, "Quite the long name for someone that goes to tournaments to get a cash reward."
"I will remain right behind you as we proceed. We don't need to go particularly far," Asazen commented, dismissing Este's worries. So long as you don't decide to run ahead recklessly, you should be fine." With a gesture, she had the six of them proceed forward, turning around to keep track of their backs as they continued inside through the crack in the wall. With directions from behind, Asazen lead them through the impossibly large atriums and hallways of the cathedral. Grisly arches, domes, branches of dead roots, and the occasional whisper of an unknown language into their ears summarized the minutes-long journey.
Eventually they came upon a rather peculiar location within the cathedral. As they entered the room, it became clear that the place was, seemingly, designed upside down. A deep dome was pressed into the floor, lined with painted stone into a basilica depicting harrowing scenes. Swathes of death-like apparitions hung scythes around the necks of kings and queens of all parts of the world. Headless bodies roamed about the blighted meadows depicted beneath them.
Asazen took a step forward towards the crater in the room, staring down the hall that extended on its other end. The height of the room was immense, and the hall beyond endless; the grey stone pillars lining the walls eventually disappeared into a wall of darkness.
"Lord Silzard, your guests," she spoke out quietly to the dark wall. Immediately, a gentle breeze washed over those present, and the sound of heavy, monstrous footsteps shuddered on the floor. The sound bounced off the walls erratically, masking its location and origin.
The oblivious ones. I heard whispers of your surprise at this realm, said a low voice, seeming as if the speaker were talking directly into their ears.
I presume the caretakers of Asazen's entrance have vanished.
"You speak of the Madurn?" Aposto said calmly.
Them. Those magicians of greatest caliber. A shame that even their power was useless in preserving life. Why have you six come, then? Surely you do not think yourselves worthy of my teachings.
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@Beta
Elias awoke slowly, the effects of his sedative loosening their grip on his mind reluctantly. He found himself in a poorly kept bed, held aloft on a rickety, rotting wooden frame. The room was cold and the window looking outside allowed the merest hint of bluish light through. Beyond his bed, the room was empty of possessions, left with but a dusty floor and a single bucket turned upside down in the corner.
While his door was seemingly closed as he gained his bearings, the sound of it creaking caught his attention back to it; it had already opened, shut again, and been walked through by a veiled figure.
"Elias, welcome. I hope you are lucid and well? The mistress needs much done. She hopes that your 'stunt cleared your mind' as she so said, and that you are ready to do some work." The figure's body was obscured in the darkness of the room, with only the gleam of his eyes pointing out his location. Upon opening the door again and letting in candle light, it became clear he was a butler, and tall at that. He gestured outside with a smile.
"If not for her, consider it for
us," he added.
