Rin is silent. That..... well. Definitely didn't work. As expected. The real question is WHAT in GOD'S NAME am I supposed to say now?!

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=94683&page=134#1331 Author: Mystiria827 Time Posted: 1/28/2021 at 10:11 PM Rin is silent. That..... well. Definitely didn't work. As expected. The real question is WHAT in GOD'S NAME am I supposed to say now?!

Hitari watches you, his expression not changing as he thinks, This kid is. . .geez, I don't want to say it, but he. . .almost reminds me of myself when I was that age.

"Alright, now," he says out loud. "Have you come up with a question yet?"

If he hasn't, can I. . .ask? Itami asks, still obviously in quite a bit of pain. Or is that against your rules?

Hitari thinks about it for a moment. ". . .why not. This is something that even we agree on, after all, and we've just been fighting this entire time." He holds up his hand before Itami can say anything. "I'm not talking about us here, by the way. Just so you know."

Thanks, pal, Itami mutters.

- - - - - - - - - -

So there truly was another, Chaos murmurs. But it does not matter, considering they are gone. Now, would you be so kind as to come and assist us?

". . .I would be, but the other is there. The promise he made with my alternate haunts him, you know."

And yet he's throwing the balance, Zandaka.

Rin thinks for a second. What would I ask him if I had half a brain? .....Never mind that, I don't. "I......" Rin says, swallowing hard. This is stupid. Why am I even trying? I'm just stalling the inevitable. ".....H-how did you.... do that, with the void, and the crystals?" He mentally kicks himself. Yep. That was dumb. That was very dumb. I'm making a fool of myself already.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=94683&page=134#1333 Author: Mystiria827 Time Posted: 1/28/2021 at 10:51 PM Rin thinks for a second. What would I ask him if I had half a brain? .....Never mind that, I don't. "I......" Rin says, swallowing hard. This is stupid. Why am I even trying? I'm just stalling the inevitable. ".....H-how did you.... do that, with the void, and the crystals?" He mentally kicks himself. Yep. That was dumb. That was very dumb. I'm making a fool of myself already.

(Not going to lie, I'm legitimately surprised you're awake. Long day?)

Hitari stares at you, then quietly points at Itami.

Woah there buddy, what're you pointing at me for? Itami asks, panicking a little. I haven't done a thing!

"It's the simplest way to answer. Deal with it," Hitari grumbles. "I'm not lying anytime soon, so maybe you should go back to watching your mouth." He sighs. "Or, in case you can't figure it out from previous context, let me sum it up in a word, Itami: science. Hooray."

"So," Hitari says, shifting his stance a little. "Is that answer too vague, or shall we continue?"

- - - - - - - - - -

A moment of silence reigns before Zandaka speaks again. "I. . .will start my course. . .but do not expect me to do much."

You sound exhausted, my child.

"You'd be correct. Now, let. . .let me concentrate on the path."

(haha, late night creativity spurts are..... f u n )
Rin hangs his head, glad that's over at least. "Yeah. C-continue," He says with a sigh.

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=94683&page=134#1335 Author: Mystiria827 Time Posted: 1/29/2021 at 7:40 AM (haha, late night creativity spurts are..... f u n ) Rin hangs his head, glad that's over at least. "Yeah. C-continue," He says with a sigh.

(ah y e s)

"Alright, let's see," Hitari says, thinking. "Ah. What's your world - universe - like? It must be. . .quite open."

He literally just said he has memories missing, Itami grumbles. But I guess that works.

- - - - - - - - - -

It's not long before Chaos feels a greyish aura wash over them. That was swift.

"You made it. . .sound urgent," Zandaka says. ". . .was. . .my judgement wrong?"

No, but. . .rest. You sound worn.

Rin tries to remember as much as he can. "The days and nights are..... longer than here. It's mostly forested, but cold up north. There's..... a lot of villages, and where I live there were animals everywhere. We lived in fear of wolves." He shudders. "I..... don't remember everything, but I was cast out of my hometown because I was a mage. They hated us, thought we were bad omens. They weren't wrong," He says shrugging. "So I kind of..... traveled around for awhile. It's blurry. And that's everything I can remember about where I come from....."

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=94683&page=134#1337 Author: Mystiria827 Time Posted: 1/29/2021 at 2:06 PM Rin tries to remember as much as he can. "The days and nights are..... longer than here. It's mostly forested, but cold up north. There's..... a lot of villages, and where I live there were animals everywhere. We lived in fear of wolves." He shudders. "I..... don't remember everything, but I was cast out of my hometown because I was a mage. They hated us, thought we were bad omens. They weren't wrong," He says shrugging. "So I kind of..... traveled around for awhile. It's blurry. And that's everything I can remember about where I come from....."

Hitari's hard gaze softens a little, until he realizes what he's doing and shifts back to a blank expression. "Forced to leave and travel. Everyone says it's a common trope, but you encounter it so rarely."

On a scale of one to ten, how much do you relate to that, Hitari? Itami asks. I'm guessing somewhere around a nine for at least one of you.

Hitari turns to give Itami a withering glare. "By all means, keep talking."

Oh, no, I think I know enough. Thanks, though.

"Chatterbox. Why can't you be like yourself?" Hitari grumbles, turning back to you. "How about just one last question? This is slightly more boring than expected."

- - - - - - - - - -

"You are correct, like you typically are." Zandaka sits wearily, her features blocked by the unsteady shimmer of energy that she's used up.

What has happened, to drain you so badly?

"The child. . .was stubborn. Unbalanced. She. . .refused to interact with Shiawase and Kanashimi. She needed a show."

Oh God, here it comes. "I..." Rin starts. "Where.... did you come from? Originally?"

Link: https://www.sylestia.com/forums/?thread=94683&page=134#1339 Author: Mystiria827 Time Posted: 1/29/2021 at 2:43 PM Oh God, here it comes. "I..." Rin starts. "Where.... did you come from? Originally?"

"In a strict, cosmic sense, technically this place - just on a different kind of plane," Hitari says. "How to explain. . .ah. Imagine a flat sheet - so vast that travelling across it would take lifetimes. Across this sheet, there are peaks - peaks that rise up and pierce something that you can't see. The crest above that point is where time and distance are warped - it can either be much harder, or much easier to traverse - "

He pauses to breathe.

" - and when the sheet was placed, there was only one point. . .the place where it was held by the one who placed it. When this was released, the ripples go down the sides and bring up waves, which, too, rise to meet the peak of the original."

So, unnecessarily long story short, you're claiming to be from the original version of the world placed in this universe? Itami asks. How. . .are you even alive? The creation of this all was eons ago.

"Please remember the answer to question one."

'Science'. What a helpful piece of information.

"You have no idea what kinds of suffering I have endured to continue existing," Hitari says, his voice growing cold. "Simply be grateful that hunters other than myself cannot reach this place."

. . .hunters?

"Very, very good friends of yours," Hitari mutters. "Every world to here was a minor variation of the last." He trails off into silence, staring at nothing.