Soujiro Seta
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Posted:
06-25-2003 ,
09:18 AM
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The Silver Ogre

Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Beyond Death
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Postlude – Sin and Passing – I
This sword…that it should appear to me again…
Mesdoram Elmdor wedged his bare feet into the sand as he sat down, Chirijiraden sheathed at his side. But that was not the sword he had thought of. In his hand, he held that blade which was the once and future bane – he presumed – of even those for whom time had little meaning. He held Forever Sin in his hand – for the first time, looking at it not through the haze of battle, but able to concentrate on it as it lay still, its dark tip thrust into the sand next to his feet.
So peaceful. So uncharacteristically benign. But yet, the lid on the eye of Forever Sin never shut; the sword of negative spirit did not rest, did not sleep.
It is so. It is this sword I have to thank for allowing me to re-take the stage of my mind.
Even as Zalera drew the souls into ourself, Forever Sin devoured all negative aspects – the pain, the loathing, fear, mistrust, repressed anger – into itself. Almost as if it were a ‘purifying blade’, the spirits became more clean, and my will was able to break to the surface of that thoughtful womb.
But what an erratic flow…a sword that can both purify the soul, or poison it beyond any salvation….
Amethyst had confirmed what he had thought; that the mage, though armed with a gods’ portion of vehement wrath, did not desire destruction. Was he then the better man for having power and knowing how to control it? Perhaps he was – power was not power unless its wielder knew how to control and direct it toward their specific ends. Some had power, fewer still knew how to use it well. And then.
“Vaaaaaa-deerrrrrrrrr!” A dog sprinted across the beach, and Elmdor could see what looked like a slim, shiny book with an undressed woman on the cover clenched in the animal’s teeth. Following it mere paces behind – but slowing down due to the fact that he was a gamer – was Jason Soe, the carefree young man Elmdor had met in the Nipanese city of the ninja. “You give me back my…enlightened reading this instant!” he shouted above the lulling crash of the waves over the sandy shore.
“Whoa, whoa, slow down there…” Elmdor stretched out his hand, seeming to gently bring the running boy to a halt moments before the two would’ve collided. “What do you think you’re chasing?”
“Oh hey, it’s you! Haven’t seen you in a while, man.” Jason re-adjusted his bearings, still breathing rather heavily from the fast sprint.
“Yourself likewise,” Elmdor replied, “though the fact that you stand before me now shows me that you’re well enough.” He smiled a small smile – the perserverence of youth; it was a powerful, if untamed force. “So, what brings you all the way out to the middle of my solitude?”
“Well, see, I had this berry, yeah, and then I traded it for a carbon bangle, right? Then this water sword that Ky gave me finally coughed up a blue element – which will have justified this whole trip, in Professor Ruffleberg’s mind – and then Vader just nosed into my PERC bag and grabbed some light reading material of mine and…well…now I’m here.” Elmdor stood, merely looking at him and nodding with a semi-confused expression plastered all over his face.
“That’s certainly some…story, Jason Soe. You certainly get around, don’t you?” Elmdor walked through the white sands to a beached log that lay entrenched in the sand nearby. Sitting down on it, he leaned over to gaze at the sea, a salty breeze catching wisps of his silver hair.
“Yeah, suppose you could say that,” replied Jason. “I’ve been to a couple of these fighting tournaments already, like I told you before. If anything, it raised the bar for abnormality. Ghosts and space aliens? All breakfast cereal to me, my friend. I’ve had front row seats for displays of the powers of ultimate darkness.”
“Come, come; sit beside me awhile and regain your breath.” Elmdor beckoned the boy with his hand, bare of the imposing gauntlet that normally covered it. “I don’t bite…often.” Jason, despite the swordsman’s mirthful remark, seemed grateful of the offer, shuffling over to the log to take a seat beside the silver-haired samurai. “There now, catch your breath. It can be good to run, but if you run through everything; if you take everything at face value; if you don’t stop to observe, you may find that you miss out on some of life’s true riches.”
“That sounds oddly like the moral of some movie,” Jason replied, now in the process of removing his shoes to dump piles of sand out of them. “Besides, I do things my own way. When I want to relax, I’ll play some games or something. When I want action, there’re always these tournaments to test my mettle with.”
“Do you remember what I said to you when we spoke in Mithrik’en?” Elmdor changed the subject suddenly, returning to the time when he and Jason had talked on a wide red bridge, looking out at perhaps another sea. I wanted to know…do you think that with your ideas, you can change the world?”
“Well…I thought about it a bit, but I realized that I didn’t really know if I’d want to change the world. I mean, there’re a lot of good ways someone could change the world – save lives, eradicate world hunger, wipe out a disease – but there are a lot of bad ways you could change the world too. I’d rather do things that would make the world a better place to live in.”
“That is fine – one need not wish to change the world in order to actually change it.” Elmdor smiled. “I also asked you, at that time, if you could truly survive as you are.” Jason looked at him quizzically, and the swordsman continued. “As one progresses – sometimes due to skill and sometimes due to just random chance – they will encounter increasing difficulty and hardship. One day, you may face a hardship beyond your ability to handle. I do not know what form it will take – it could take the form of a race against time, the form of a person, or even the form of a battle for which you are unprepared. What if a great swordsman challenged you? Could you emerge the victor? Power and security can be had – but for a price. The coin paid, Jason, is the forsaking of an idyllic life in exchange for a life of determination and devotion. As you lend out pieces of your life and your time to the mastery of certain arts, you lose the ability to say you’re truly ‘doing what you want’. For that matter…do you think there’s anyone who really does only what they want?”
“Well…huh…never really thought about it. Where I come from, we all keep laws so that everyone can have as much freedom as possible. We pay taxes to support the upholding of laws and those who create and interpret them. Even in just dealing with friends and family, we generally try to be a certain way.” Jason nodded his head as he spoke, “so from that point of view, I suppose someone could say that nobody truly just goes around doing what they want.” Deftly maneuvering his hands, he pulled the laces of his right shoe tight. “We might even all be puppets; who knows? If we are but don’t know it, what does it change? I still think I do what I feel like doing.” The left sneaker slid over his foot, now free of sand.
“I see…” Elmdor folded his hands together quietly, his eyes looking somewhere beyond the horizon. “So…you’re content with what life has given you, yet you yearn for that which you know not, grasping for more power; more knowledge…”
“Who said I was content with what life handed me? I ain’t no begger, eh?” The teenage boy stood up and stretched, his shadow short in the mid-afternoon sun. He was about to turn, when Elmdor’s voice brought him around again.
“Don’t leave in such haste – I have something for you, Sir Jason Soe.” Elmdor’s face was now serious, calm as a sea of solid glass. “I have for you a curse and a blessing; a mission and a favor, and yet an opportunity and a chance.”
“Well, don’t leave me hangin’ here, man – and this better not be one of those word-games that every guy with long hair seems to like playing….”
+ Continued +
~ [url=http://www.planetdreamcast.com/soaworld/]it's not my fault[/url] || [url=http://www.ffonline.com/]if in his plan[/url] || [url=http://www.neotaku.com/doax/index.php]God made the devil so much stronger than a man[/url] ~
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Soujiro Seta
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Posted:
06-25-2003 ,
09:28 AM
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The Silver Ogre

Registered: Feb 2003
Location: Beyond Death
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“Simply this, Jason Soe. Receive now what I give to you.” He plucked from his belt a sheathed longsword as easily as if it were a conductor’s baton, and tossed the covered blade to Jason. Hearing the solid smack and rattle of the sword as it landed firmly in Jason’s outstretched grasp reminded him of the many times he’d been tossed one of his katanas just before leaving home.
“You’re…giving me this sword?” he started to unsheathe it, but Elmdor’s eyes stayed his hand.
“Do not draw this sword, Jason Soe…at least, that is my advice. In truth, in a day’s time, I will not be around to stop you from doing as you wish with it. This sword is called ‘Forever Sin’. It is a legendary negative weapon, capable of irrevocably staining the souls of those its blade damages. At the same time, though, it has shown itself to purify souls by taking their impurities into itself. This sword I bequeath to you with a mission, however. On your travels, you may meet a man by the name of Fabian. Handsome and clad in black, with a level-headed intelligence surpassing all others, he’s not someone you’d mistake for anyone else. When you meet Fabian, I want you to give this sword to him.”
“Why me? And why him? Why don’t you just keep it, if it’s really as dangerous as you say?” Jason’s hand held the sword, unsure of whether to accept it or to thrust it back at Elmdor, who had offered it to him almost as a trifling token.
“As for me…my ‘story’ is nearing its true close, Jason. This is a task I cannot do myself; you must do it. And not only because of my circumstance, but because I wish to see what kind of man you will become. Even with this sword at your disposal, can you remain the same free-spirited young man?” Elmdor took a deep breath and continued. “As for Fabian…he’s not technically the ‘owner’ of the sword, if one even truly exists, but I believe he’ll know what to do with it. And besides…there’s something inside me that I can’t explain that compels me to get Forever Sin back in his hands. Perhaps it’s merely the fear of what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands, but…perhaps it’s something more. But don’t take my word for it, Jason. Live. Learn. Look at the sword from time to time. I have a feeling that by the time you gaze into Fabian’s eyes, you’ll have learned something important about yourself that you didn’t know before.”
“Well…thanks for the vote of confidence.” Jason smiled meekly as he respectfully set the blade inside of his PERC bag, its hilt finally disappearing from view as it sank into the bag that could carry everything. “Sometimes you look scary or say some confusing things, but overall, you’re a pretty good guy, Mr. Elmdor. I’ll try out what you said; I’m gonna work on my swordplay some more. Nobody’s born knowing how to wield a weapon, right?” He repeated Elmdor’s words back to him, causing the older man to show a hint of satisfaction. He wanted to say more; to ask more questions, but the words wouldn’t come. Perhaps it wasn’t the time yet – for those questions or their answers. He turned to see Vader still skipping along the beach, playing tag with the rolling surf.
“Vaaaaaaaa-der! Where’d you toss my mag!?” Picking up speed and kicking up sand, he began running after his dog again. But even though he’d acquired something new, his burden felt a bit more light…at least at the moment. But really, one could anticipate the future as much as they wanted, and still only be prepared for the present. That was the way he’d played it so far, and so he’d continue. He looked back at the log, when he’d run a way, but Elmdor was no longer sitting on it. Nor was he anywhere to be seen on the shoreline.
Somehow, Jason wasn’t surprised.
You can see it if you want…I’ll show you what kind of life I’m going to live…what kind of man I’m going to be. And…thanks for your confidence in me.
---
*** Elmdor has bequeathed both a mission and a chance for self-discovery to Jason Soe in the form of the legendary sword of negative energies, Forever Sin. It might be able to teach the energetic teenager a new truth, but its subversive power and the extreme danger to both user and victim its use presents should never be underestimated. As powerful as it is, one can assume that in time, the Eternals will seek it out and try to reclaim it.
How will Jason Soe, tournament veteran, react to his newfound responsibility? You'll have to tune in to Survivor XI to find out! ***
~ [url=http://www.planetdreamcast.com/soaworld/]it's not my fault[/url] || [url=http://www.ffonline.com/]if in his plan[/url] || [url=http://www.neotaku.com/doax/index.php]God made the devil so much stronger than a man[/url] ~
Last edited by Soujiro Seta on 06-25-2003 at 09:33 AM
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Curley W
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Posted:
07-06-2003 ,
07:39 AM
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Basic Lurker
Registered: Feb 2003
Location:
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Since Baka's real busy starting work on SXI, I'm writing the Followup to this. for continuity sake, this post chronologically take's place before Tenken's.
____________________________________________
"Ugh... Jason?" The stunned man asked.
"Yeah. Sorry about that, man." Jason said in reply, holding his hand out to help the swordsman up. "Thought no one was around, so I thought I'd try something."
Taking hold of the alchemist's hand, Ky tried to regain his senses while being pulled onto his feet. "What was that light just now?"
And then an evil thought crossed Jason's mind.
"Well... You know how they say you go blind if you do too much...?" The fanboy trailed off as the frenchman's eyes grew wider. "Well apparently it applies to nearby people as wel-"
"W-W-WHAAAAAAAAT?!" Ky shrieked, practically jumping back from Jason . "Have you no SHAME?! Why did I let you touch my hand?! I knew I shouldn't have used fingerless gloves!"
"Whoa, whoa! Wait! I was just kidding, man!" Jason shouted in his defense. Ky stopped his rant as the achemist continued. "It was just a joke! I didn't think you'd freak out that much."
".... So what were you doing?"
"I was extracting an Element from that sword you lent me. And before you ask, nothing bad happened to it."
"Is this another alchemist's skill?" Ky asked, his shock now gone.
"Well, actually it's a technique I was just given."
"Given...?"
-----
"Is it safe yet?" Ky asked.
"Almost.... yeah. You can look now." Jason answered. Warily, Ky opened his eyes to see that the offensive light from earlier was not to be found. Finished with the drawing of the Yellow Element, the younger man picked the Fuuraiken off the ground and held towards it's owner. "Here you go, and not a thing wrong with it."
"I see that." Ky said back, smiling slightly. "So a girl named Mint gave you some sort of magic?"
"Yeah. It's kinda like my job to collect stuff like this. My world doesn't really having special forms of magics and such, so a friend of back home gave me this bag after my first tournament to try and find anything worth while back home for study." Remembering the other blade was still on the ground, Jason reached for the Fuusuiken. "It's a project for him to learn about this stuff and figure out how it works. Here's your other sword by the way."
Ky simply smiled back. "Keep it. It's a good weapon, but I won't have much use of it back home."
"Well... Thanks!" The boy exclaimed. "I'm not that good with a sword yet, but I've been practicing more and- hey! do you mind doing a big favor for me?"
"A favor?"
"Basically, I'd like a tutor. Someone to teach me about advanced swordsmanship. Like I said, my world doesn't have much in the way of special abilities, so it'd be great if you could teach me some of your techniques." Realizing how absurd he might be sounding to the swordsman, Jason reached into his perc.
"Uh, w-well." Ky stammered, surprised that his friend wanted him to come to his homeworld. "I'm... flattered your inviting me to your world, I doubt I'd be sent to your wourld instead of mine. Also, I have responsiblities in my own world, so-"
"Who said anything about you coming home with me?"
"What in the name of-"
"Hold it! You shouldn't finish that sentence, considering your a holy man and all." Jason pointed out, though not speaking at all. He held up his hand to reveal a small blue gem lined by a silver band. "This little bauble here is known as a Call Bead, and they can be mass produced back home. As you can probably guess, it has the power to let you communicate with people through their minds, even transmit energies and powers to the one holding the bead. But what's really great about these is that they can work across different realities. So that means you can give me lessons without actually being there."
"That is, if you want to." He finished, using his own voice. "So how about it? Mind sparing me a few pointers every now and then?"
Ky smiled again. "Sure. I don't mind."
"Great. I'm gonna unwind a little once I'm back home, these tournaments wear me down a bit. But after that, I'll start back on my training." Saying that, he placed the Fuusuiken into his PERC, and turned away. "Well I should go now. I still need to find some more stuff to bring back home, and I know there's someone here who might be have some available materia. So, Seeya!"
"Hold on! I have one more question." Ky stated.
"What's that?"
"You don't really... You know." The swordsman cringed as he spoke, still suspicious of Jason. "That joke you played earlier?"
"That? Heck no!" Jason replied. "I wouldn't be caught dad doing that! And especially not in the middle of a forest of all places!"
"Oh really?"
"Huh?!" Looking down, Jason saw Vader head pop out of the PERC. Before drawing the Element, the canine had changed again into his cat form, forcing Jason to stuffed his friend into the miniature storeroom to avoid complaints. He had reverted to a less embarrasing form, but in his mouth... "Ack! What do you think your doing?!"
With the naughty magazine still in his mouth, the greyhound form of Vader hopped out of the PERC and stared at his keeper. "Considering you're the one that handles my food, think of this as a safety precaution!" With that, the shapeshifter turned and ran as fast as he could into the forest.
"Vader! Get back here!" As Jason ran off in pursuit, Ky simply watched the two run off, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.
But after a few more seconds, he burst out into laughter.
______________________________________________
Jason has gained the Call Bead Ally, Ky Kiske! In addition, Jason has gained the Yellow Element, and has been given the water elemental sword, Fuusuiken! Me and Baka already agreed to these gifts and such beforehand.
Now to get start on pre SXI stuff.
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ETP
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Posted:
07-14-2003 ,
05:10 AM
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humble canadian

Registered: Nov 2002
Location: Stratford, Ontario, Canada Favorite Character: GGXX Zappa Astrological Sign: Gemini Area_of_Interest: Illustration & Porn Level of Canadianliness: 98%
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Survivor XI
So, the next survivor is being worked on? Will it take place on this forum board? If not, where would i look for info on it and the start date when it is announced?
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Psycho Power J
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Posted:
07-14-2003 ,
12:17 PM
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Still nothing here to see
Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Wouldn't you like to know
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You're a bit late. The Survivor XI has already started and is halfway through. You can look at it here:
http://forum.randominsanity.org/viewforum.php?f=22
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ShinkuuR
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Posted:
07-15-2003 ,
02:04 AM
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New College Grad! Whoo!

Registered: May 2001
Location: Savannah Ga
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Sorry this took so long Sho, but I get really lazy during the summer. I'll finish the last part sooner, promise. Hope you like it.
Rydia's Epilogue: Part 2 of 3
The pain.
It was the only thing that she knew for certain was true. The thing that stood out like a beacon of light among all of the unknown possibilities that the future could bring. The one thing, above all others, that confirmed that she still existed in the universe.
That, and the light but constant sprinkles of liquid that surrounded her just as much as her newfound forest surroundings did, showering her body with the wonderment of mother nature as the raindrops rolled off her cheek and plummeted back into the earth from which it came.
As Rydia finally managed to pull herself up from the muddy rainforest floor, she had no idea how she came to be in this place. The only thing she remembered was a strange figure that reminded her of one of those Grim Reaper type monsters that she has fought several times before in her own world, and fighting off the intrusions that Sho was trying to burrow into her mind. Rydia still could feel the effects of the latter, as the throbbing pain in her cranium constantly made its presence known as she approached the cave she spotted in the horizon. As she walked into the cave she immediately started sweating as a result of the high levels of humidity, and like so many times before she constructed an ice shield to deal with the heat. It dissipated within a couple of seconds.
“What in the world…” She didn’t get the chance to complete the thought as a loud bellowing sound roared from the depths of the cave, and then instantly a blast of steam shout out and surrounded the surprised summoner. She desperately pulled her cloak over her face and ducked down to avoid the heat of the gaseous substance, but to her surprise it was actually cool. After a while the steam ceased, and Rydia stood back up and removed the fabric from her face, only to be shocked when she realized that she was not in the cave anymore.
She was in hell.
Crack.
The sound spread from her hand and echoed throughout the cave, disappearing into the darkness.
“It always has to be something, doesn’t it?” King sighed as she cracked her knuckles again, trying to make sure that her hand was fully flexible after her run in with the guards at the entrance. She heard that the caves here had some sort of magical properties, and remembering her conversation with Jason she reasoned that the powers here would be able to send her home. The Av’ren guards, however, didn’t take kindly to a sight seeing tour, and fighting ensued.
She massaged her right shoulder with her left hand as she continued walking through the cave, recalling the battle in perfect detail. The guards were quite skilled at combat, but no one was about to come between her and a nice hot bath. The battle ended quickly, with her receiving a mild case of ‘battle arthritis’. The guards weren’t so lucky as they would probably be knocked out for several hours. She smiled at that last point absently, proud of herself for such a well done job.
Her thoughts stopped as she heard a loud knocking sound coming from just around the corner that sounded like someone pounding on a tree. King hugged the wall and peeked around the corner to see who was there, and her jaw dropped.
It was her.
The burning signpost that lay on the ground near Rydia’s feet did indeed read ‘Village of Mist’, but that’s not what this place was. This abomination took the peace and tranquility of the newborn village and replaced it the sheer horror that could only come from a demon’s worst nightmares. The once green land that surrounded the village was turned into a charred wasteland, littered with the broken and twisted bodies of humans, demons, and figures that were too distorted to be properly identified. The buildings themselves looked like images from a fairy tale, as not only were they liberally burned but also twisted much like a towel or a piece of tissue, so that they looked more like demonic trees than homes. The air smelled like asphalt and rotting carcass, and she could hear the faint screams of the dead that echoed in the wind as she walked under the blood red sky.
“This…what is this…?” Rydia screamed to the heavens, trying to convince herself that this was not her home as the bones of neighbors and friends snapped and crackled under her feet, but where she looked around she could always notice the landmarks. The inn still stood near the entrance, even though it was cut in half and decimated by fire. The signpost for the new summoner’s hall stood without a scratch, but the building itself had imploded, replacing the magnificent structure with stone rubble. The crops that the townspeople went through so much toil and hardship to produce still stood proudly, sharing their home with the maggots who were too busy eating the carcasses of dead flesh to notice the summoner. And her house…
Her house was as good as new. In fact, she could have sworn that it was glowing.
She ran to the house as fast as her little feet could take her, and when she arrived the summoner almost threw up at the sight. Her porch had disappeared under the numerous bones and skeletons, a few of them standing out as they were dressed in armor and still had hair attached, and she sobbed as she recognized the armors and weapons of her comrades Cecil, Rosa, Kain, Edge, Palom, Porom, Edward, and Yang. So much so that she didn’t even realize that there was someone was standing near the door.
“Yeah right. You don’t care about them anyway.”
She nearly died when she looked up at the figure that spoke the words.
It was her.
"stupid!"
*WHAM*
“Stupid!”
*WHAM!*
“STUPID!”
*WHAM!*
King looked at the nineteen year old version of herself as it performed relentless kicks on the helpless tree, the background looking exactly like the backyard of her house in Thailand bathed in the sunset. She noticed the sobbing that barely shown beneath the pure fury and savagery of the strikes, and sadness filled within her as she took in the sight. Somehow she didn’t think about the how and the why of the image, but only when it was.
It was the day when she went to sign up for the grand tournament that happened once a year in the country, a tournament where all the greatest Muay Thai fighters would compete for the championship. She was confident as she had fought and defeated many amateur and intermediate skilled opponents in and above her weight class, but this was the first real tournament where she would battle against professional fighters and past champions such as Adon, Joe Higashi, and last year’s champion Sagat. She could still remember the nervousness in her voice as she approached the sign up bench.
It was the day when those bastards laughed at her and the notion that she wanted to be a fighter. Ridiculed her for being ‘inferior’ as a woman, saying she should just go wash dishes or, as one person eloquently put it, that she should go out on the street corner and sell herself like the bitch she was. King managed to execute a quick elbow strike to the guy, swiftly breaking his nose, but there was no way she could fight off the festive crowd now surrounding her, even though the sheer fury she felt was convincing her otherwise. She broke through and ran home, somehow able to make it to the security of her backyard before she erupted into tears.
It was the day when, throughout the sobs and the curses and the pain, she cursed herself for being weak enough to grieve in the first place. She had to be the strong one for her family after her mother died giving birth to Jan. She had to be the strong one after she received the news that her father was killed in a shootout between two drug cartels. She was the one who took up Muay Thai so she could be strong enough to stand up to anyone and to avoid pain from anyone, but yet here she was crying.
"STUPID!!!!!!" The younger screamed as though she could feel King’s thoughts.
It was the day where she renounced being a woman. The day the vowed to never be weak again.
King just stared at the image, once again refusing not to cry or scream or anything else that might have shown weakness, like she has done ever since this moment happened.
“You always were the strong one, weren’t you?”
She recognized the voice easily, but when she turned around and confirmed the voice’s identity, she still couldn’t believe it.
“M…m…mother?”
Same hair, same cloak, same whip…the figure was identical to Rydia in every way except two: The figure’s eyes were blood red and the smile was just as hellish and terrifying as her home was right now. She was pretty sure that if she was a demon, this is what she would look like…and it scared her.
“Hmmm. If I cared at all, I would say that you’re somewhat cute, even for an imp.” The voice was hers mixed in with the voice that was in her head…or was it coming from her head? “Sho did this.”, she realized as she spat her words toward the figure.
“What did you do to my friends??!!”
“Your what?” Devil Rydia furrowed her brow slightly at her counterpart. “They weren’t your friends. You only used those animals to serve your own needs. You could care less if they died.” The devil then raised her eyebrow slightly. “I’m actually impressed. You have the makings of a good demon. Keep it up.”
“They ARE my friends. And I will never be a demon like you.”
The demon summoner exhaled, clearly annoyed by the comment. “You know, I just love how all you creatures try so hard to cling to your ideas of surviving and companionship. Always trying to act like you can do NO wrong.” She threw her arms into the air like she was fighting a hopeless struggle. “Always trying to act like you save the entire fucking universe. That’s why we demons call you worthless animals. You are ignorant of your proper place.“
The demon walked up and stood next to Rydia, causing the summoner to back up and prepare a magic spell for defense. Devil Rydia smiled and waved her off, instead opting to inhale the stale air that surrounded the pair.
“Don’t you just love being awake for the sunrise, Rydia? This place smells just like home. You have excellent taste.”
“What are you talking about, Sho?” Rydia asked, wanting to just blast the demon and leave this nightmare as quick as possible.
“This is your future. And you will cause it.”
SRK's Intern Psycologist. Appointments are now open for scheduling...
Last edited by ShinkuuR on 07-15-2003 at 10:12 PM
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ShinkuuR
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Posted:
07-15-2003 ,
02:14 AM
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New College Grad! Whoo!

Registered: May 2001
Location: Savannah Ga
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The woman was a couple of inches shorter and had light brunette hair, but other than that she and King looked exactly alike, given the age difference. Her mother was dressed in a white robe and the brightest smile that King has ever seen since…well the last time she saw her. She wanted to run into her arms but stopped herself, opting to keep a composed and strong image instead.
“Hello, Annette.”
“It’s ‘King’, mother.” She said, making sure to stand up straight.
“Yeah, sure.” King watched as her mother turned her attention to the young girl kicking the hell out of the tree. “King : Noun. Sovereign or chief who is a man or boy. Also known as the best example of a species’ kind or the preeminent man in a specific area or sphere. And you are a woman, Annette. A king can’t be a woman by definition, you know.”
“Is this going to be another teacher vs. student conversation?” King muttered, slightly annoyed by the fact that her mother was still starting conversations like the teacher she was.
“Maybe.” She turned around to face her daughter, smile beaming. “I’ve been watching you, you know. You’ve done so much for Jan and became such a great person on your own. I’m so proud that you are my child.”
King blushed slightly. “Thanks, mother.”
“However, I’m still worried about you Annette. “
“Why?”
“Because you aren’t who you are, you are who you think you have to be.”
“What?”
“Liar!” Rydia screamed, and for the next couple of moments all she could hear was the insane laughter coming from her evil counterpart.
“You’re still pretending that you have some sort of conscious? That you actually want to save these animals? You are not the Mary fucking Sunshine of the universe. You are not the great messiah who will take all people to the promised land. What you ARE is a monster that was bred for destruction all of your life, and that’s all you will ever be.”
A part of Rydia shook with contentment with herself. Some of what he said was dangerously close to the things she thought about herself and about her life, which was dedicated to seeking vengeance. Deep down she knew this, but during the war with Zeromus she would pretend to herself it was for the people. For the world. For her mother.
It was really for the pain that Zeromus caused her. For all of the sleepless nights that she rolled around in her bed crying for the lost of her mother. For all the sorrow that she suffered as a result of losing her life.
She understood that now.
“Well, at least there is a good side to this.” Devil Rydia started again, slowly approaching the summoner with a gleam in his eyes. “We’re practically family now. So why don’t you give your twin sister a hug, hmmm?”
“NO!!!” Rydia screamed as she swatted the oncoming hug away and thrusted the ball of lighting into her doppelganger’s face, causing her to fly into the front door of her house. “I will not live my life like you anymore! I’m going to fight to stop monsters like you from hurting others…and I’ll fight as long as it takes to do that!
Devil Rydia walked out the house quite unhurt, and if anything her smile was brighter. “I’m hurt by lack of family values, Rydia.”
“What can I say? I’ve been exposed to a lot of brother/sister rivalries. “ For the first time in a long time Rydia smiled.
“Hmmph. So the hopeless struggle starts. “ the devil said as she dropped her smile, her eyes shining like blood red rubies. “Too bad you don’t have a choice, human. I will show you your destiny!!!”
And all Rydia could see is darkness as the pain in her head reached the breaking point, threatening to split her brain into pieces. Before she knew it, she was on the ground surrounded by broken skeletons, with Sho’s laugher, her Aeons piercing roars, and her own screams ringing in her ears.
And then one figure appeared out of the darkness. Something she thought she would never see again.
"Fight...my child..."
“Mama…”
“Hey, this is new.” Devil Rydia smiled reappeared as she heard Rydia’s whimpering. “I’m not used to you animals begging for your lives. It feels kinda…nice.”
“I WON’T LOSE TO YOU!!!!!!!!”
And all of a sudden the area was surrounded by a green aura, generated by the angry summoner as she floated in the air, gathering energy unknown to her in her hand as the sheer force formed a small tornado of skeleton debris around her. Even the devil in front of her was losing her footing.
“LET THE COSMIC RAYS OF THE SUN SHINE LIGHT UPON THE DARKNESS!!! MERTON!!!
Then everything turned red. Then black. Then blurry.
“Just look at this.” She said as she pointed to the younger version of her daughter. “This isn’t you!”
“This IS me!” King yelled, confused by her mother’s words a little. “What are you talking about?”
“No it’s not! Remember your 5th birthday at the fair? With all your friends in France before we moved?” King remembered that magical day, as she still had the picture her father took on the corner of her dresser in her room. “You was so happy then…so full of life. And now…”
“Now, what??”
“Now you’re only a shell of your former self! Annette, you try so hard to keep from being hurt that you’re even dressing up as a guy!! I mean what’s with the suit anyway? And your hair!! Are you trying to get a valet parking job or something?”
“Mother!! It’s my work uniform!” King said, blushing. “And I’m not trying to protect myself! I…It’s just a way of getting immediate respect, that’s all!”
“Oh please. You should know better than anyone that clothes do not make the man…or woman. It’s just a image, Annette. It’s not who you really are.” She rolled her eyes as paced around her daughter. “When’s the last time you was really happy? When’s the last time you really smiled?”
King didn’t say anything.
“Or let me ask you this.” Her mother continued. “Was I a strong person?”
“Of course! You are one of the strongest people I know!”
“That’s because I was strong enough to take the risk of getting my feelings hurt.” She moved towards her daughter and hugged her. “Listen, you’ve done so much in your life, and it’s fine that you needed to do the things you did to get where you are. But you deserve to be happy too, and you can’t do that if you are scared to let your guard down.”
“Mother…”
“Just say it. You know you want to.”
King drew a deep breath and squeezed her mother, surprised when she realized a tear falling down on her cheek. “You’re right…as always.”
“Good girl.” She whispered and drew her daughter in tighter, tears somehow forming out of her ghostly body before she withdrew from the hug. “Listen, I can’t stay. Make sure you tell Jan that I love him, and for god’s sakes tell that boy how you feel. I can’t stand to see you fidget around him like that!”
“MOTHER!!” King screamed as her whole body suddenly turned red from embarrassment. “Me and Ryo are…just waiting for the right time, that’s all…”
“Sure. I love you, Annette.”
“Mother, one more thing. How’s father?”
“He’s just fine, busy as always…but he wants you to know that he’s proud of you, and not to drink so much. Bad habit.”
“I’ll be strong enough to resist next time.”
“Good.” And with that, she and the image of her kicking the tree had gone. King stood where she disappeared, taking in the slight scent of vanilla that was left in her place.
“I love you, mother.” She said, her smile turning to alarm when she heard a loud explosion from up ahead.
She woke up in the cave where she was several moments ago, and as she stood up the pain in her head was still there, still threatening to overtake her.
But there was something else. Something that hasn’t been inside her for along time.
Hope. And the power that came with it.
She touched her forehead while reciting a small chant she use to practice as a child, saying it slowly to make sure she didn’t mess up the words.
“Heaven’s light, restore this body to it’s former purity.” A small tear leaked from her eyes as she whispered the final word. “Esuna.”
Just like that, her headache stopped. The White Magic spell, which she hasn’t been able to use ever since she started training for vengeance, worked flawlessly. Sho’s influence was gone, the Aeons inside her were back to normal, and for once, she could smile without having doubts or fear about who she was.
She had evolved. She was free.
She heard something approach her from up ahead, and prepared her whip for battle until she recognized the figure.
“Hello, King.” She said with a new maturity in her voice, as though she found another purpose for her life.
“Hello, Rydia.” She said, smiling as though she had been given the spirit to live a new life.
“Ready to go home?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Let the sprits lead us to another plane. Warp.”
And then the two disappeared, going forth to start their new lives.
SRK's Intern Psycologist. Appointments are now open for scheduling...
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Dry31
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Posted:
11-30-2003 ,
05:12 AM
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Judge/Jury/Executioner

Registered: Feb 2003
Location:
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A brief OOC - To all who participated in the tournament, I give you my apologies about taking so long with this. Thanks for a great tourney; it was a blast. For those of you who still care...here's my ending.
Testament was momentarily taken aback by Mal'Ganis' question; he stood in silence for a minute, weighing hia options. After a moment, he came to his answer. A faint hint of a sardonic smile appeared on his face as he spoke.
"...I'm afraid I will have to decline your offer, Desecrator. I shall leave your war with the Burning Legion to you and your ally; I have affairs of my own that I must attend to."
Mal'Ganis did not seem surprised by Testament's answer.
"I expected as much. I had rather hoped that you would aid me, but I cannot say I expected it."
Testament nodded...and began to fade away. A moment before his form had totally faded, his voice echoed, seeming to come from everywhere at once...
"Farewell, Desecrator."
And then he was gone.
---
Testament reappeared in front of the mouth of a cave; within it, he could sense a strange and somehow unsettling energy. Zio, perched on his shoulder in raven form, ruffled her feathers.
"This is the Cave of the Past...within, one can see the events of one's past with crystalline clarity."
Zio squawked.
"Why? To gain a sense of perspective, I suppose...to help one find their way. It's as good a place to start as any..."
Zio squawked something else; Testament ignored her and stepped into the cave.
---
The little boy was sitting in the midst of a scene of utmost devastation. He had crawled out of the hole he had been hiding in to find his village like this...the buildings reduced to scorched ruins, the former inhabitants similarly reduced to mangled carcasses. He was the only survivor...he sat, looking dumbly out at the once lively town, seeing the images but not registering them, his mind turned inward to some dark corner, where it was safe. Dawn turned to morning, morning to day, day to high noon...and then, at last, something changed. A shadow had fallen over him...he looked up, his eyes not really registering the figure, or much of anything else.
"Captain Underson! A survivor!"
The boy's head turned, almost mechanically, to look at the second figure that was now coming towards him. The figure, 'Captain Underson', knelt down to look at the boy, eye to eye. For several moments, he said nothing...and when he finally spoke, it was in a quiet, gentle voice.
"...don't worry. You're safe now."
The boy simply sat there for another minute, his mind slowly processing the meaning of the words. And then he burst into a fit of screaming as the tears started to fall. And then...the decades flew.
---
The Crusaders' Shrine, this place was called...the place where the Crusades, the war against the Gears and their infernal leader, Justice, had ended, five years ago. After Justice had been sealed away in the pocket dimension that was his prison, they had built a shrine over and around the site, a monument to preserve the names and memories of those who had given their very lives to win that victory, to give humanity a future.
I wonder...is my name here?
Testament shook his head, clearing away that thought. The name of Tesu Underson probably was somewhere in this monument; that was only right. Tesu Underson had died in the Crusades, had given his life for that victory just as surely as so many others had. But that was not his concern. He had long since lost the right to claim that name, since he had become a Gear. Seething anger filled him as he thought of what the Shuusen Kanrikyoku had done to him...
Those bastards...they deserve to die for their crimes. They make a mockery of the sacrifices made during the Crusades with their vile actions. They make a mockery of ME! I gave my life in the Crusades, yet they deny me even a peaceful death and force me return to life as that which I gave my life to fight - a Gear! I shall show them the price of their impudence! You see, father, I too am attempting to change this world, as you did...I too am attempting to expunge a great evil!
A faint unease might have stirred in him at that thought, but if it did, it was swiftly drowned beneath the tide of cold satisfaction and madness that roared in his mind.
And so...Justice shall be freed from its shackles, and humanity shall reap the rewards of its evil. Amen.
And then he started to laugh, an insane cackling that filled the night.
---
Testament staggered out of the cave, shaken by the vividness of the relived memories. Zio walked out of the cave a few moments later, blushed and giggling. Testament looked up at her and gave a faint smile.
"I needn't even ask what you saw, Zio."
Zio giggled some more, controlling herself enough to speak later.
"So, Testament-sama, what did you see?"
"...memories of solace and madness."
Zio's smile and giggles faded away with that cryptic response. She pondered it for a moment...but before she could ask, everything faded away...
---
They reappeared at the mouth of a second cave.
"The Cave of the Present. I really don't see much point in coming here, but logic dictates that this should be our next stop. And I have nothing to lose by stopping to look."
With a shrug, he stepped inside...
...into utter blackness.
For a moment, it was almost like being dead; utter blackness, complete silence. And then the silence was broken; from up ahead, a familiar voice rang out.
"Welcome."
From somewhere up above, a dim shaft of light shone down, dimly illuminating the figure up ahead. Testament's eyes widened.
"F-father?!"
The figure that so resembled Kliff Underson looked startled for a moment; then, slowly, he shook his head.
"No...I am not your father, though I may look like him to you."
Testament frowned.
"Then who are you?"
"I am that part of you which embodies your morals. You see me in the guise of Kliff Underson because he was the one you respect as the greatest moral authority."
Testament frowned for a moment; Kliff interpreted his confused silence correctly.
"This is your mind."
Testament's eyes widened; then, from the side, another voice spoke.
"That is the power of the Cave of the Present; those who enter into the cave are given the chance to see themselves in perfect clarity."
Testament turned to face the new voice; another shaft of light had appeared, and within it stood Dizzy.
"Dizzy?"
"No; I am merely another aspect of you. I am that which embodies your kindness, your love. You see me as Dizzy because she is the one with whom you identify those."
Dizzy fell silent, and Kliff spoke again.
"Within you, there are three main pieces vying for control. We are two of them; oft together we fight against the third, the outsider."
Silence fell, as though they were waiting for something. After a moment, Testament spoke.
"Who...is the third?"
His answer was utter darkness. The columns of light in which Dizzy and Kliff had stood vanished; silence fell once again. For a long moment, there was nothing...then Testament was conscious of a sudden chill. A weird ambient light seemed to fill this black space, seeming to come from the darkness itself...and then the third stood there. Testament sneered with hate, and his scythe was in his hand. He knew that the one before him was not what it appeared to be, that this was merely a manifestation of something within his own subconscious...but that didn't make the burning hate he felt any less intense. His voice filled with the hate he felt, he spoke the name of the form before him...
"Justice."
The Gear leader turned to face Testament, those glowing eyes boring into his own. Testament spoke again, spitting the words at Justice.
"You...you must be my inner monster, then."
"I am the resentment you feel towards those who betrayed you. I am also the Gear programming that was imposed upon you by the Shuusen Kanrikyoku...and I am also the programming imposed upon you by Justice's will. Kill the humans for their sins, cleanse the universe of their despicable taint."
He felt something wash over him; a compulsion, a burning desire to slaughter and destroy the humans...but then, a vision of Dizzy's face floated before his eyes, and a moment later, a vision of Alma. The compulsion paled and faded, and something else took its place...righteous determination.
"No."
"...why do you resist your desire? Why do you not punish the humans for their crimes? Why do you not fulfill your programming?"
"Because I cannot punish all for the crimes of a few. Because I like playing with the children. Because Dizzy wouldn't like it. And because...because I don't really want to. The programming you talk about compels me -- it's a baseless, irrational desire to slaughter that burns low in the back of my thoughts -- and I still do have a deep distrust and dislike of them, but...I don't really want any more violence. You - the programming - are the one that wants that."
"No! I am a part of you!"
"I don't think so...outsider."
Testament stepped forward and swung his scythe. It cleaved through the Gear leader's armor like a hot knife through butter. Justice howled; Testament felt a weird moment of disconnectedness, and then...Justice was gone.
---
Testament stepped out of the cave, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light...and then slowly, he grinned. Zio was hovering in midair by the cave entrance, looking rather perplexed.
"You look a bit down, Zio."
Zio blinked; from the tone in his voice, it sounded like he was trying to make a joke. But Testament almost NEVER made jokes...
"Testament-sama?"
The Gear shrugged noncommitally, and a moment later, they had faded away again.
They reappeared before the mouth of the last cave.
"The Cave of the Future...I wonder what truth abides within?"
"I think I'll wait outside this time, Testament-sama. I've had enough truth for today..."
Shrugging, Testament stepped into the cave...
---
He was not at all prepared for what confonted him; it was not one future, but a chaotic, twisting web of them, an insane skein of timelines weaving in and out of each other in pure chaos.
"What...IS this madness?!"
His question recieved no answer; but then, he hadn't really expected one, either. The timelines wove in and out of each other, splitting and merging and snaking in improbable directions like crazed snakes...or perhaps bolts of lightning would be a better analogy. Testament stood in the midst of the storm, catching shattered glimpses of futures as though looking through a nightmarish kaliedoscope. Struggling to catch the fragments of the future in his mind, he tried to gather them together, to make some sense out of it.
He stayed as long as he could stand to; then at last, he staggered out, back into the real world.
Zio was waiting for him.
"What did you see, Testament-sama?"
"Not as much as I had hoped...but enough for me to realize that some very serious happenings are about to occur in our world. Sol Badguy is in the center of it, along with Ky Kiske, That Man, the witch, the Shuusen Kanrikyoku...and Dizzy. But it's close to the edge...close enough that with enough of a push, I can change the outcome. But if I hope to change it, I need to begin putting things in motion now."
"...what is it you hope to change, Testament-sama?"
Testament's voice was grave as he spoke.
"Nothing less than the fate of the world, Zio."
Everything began to fade as they left behind this world and returned to their own; but just before this place faded away completely, Testament paused. A whisper rang out in the minds of those on the island...
Goodbye Alma and Elmdor and Shizumaru, and everyone else I fought with and fought alongside...even you, Desecrator, and even you, Shang Tsung. And goodbye to you too, Daisetsu and Jun and Kalton and Dorrin...I'm going home. No goodbyes for you, Officer, or you either, Immoral Flame; we will meet again. But I will always remember what happened here...and who can say, perhaps the fates will call us together again in the future. But for now, it is goodbye...the future awaits.
And then Testament and Zio faded away completely...
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