View source for Atomos: The Beginning Part 8

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They had found the location Edward had pointed out.  A set of pillars standing about twenty feet high.  Along with some ruined walls and rocky outcroppings.  The place otherwise was barren with very little life.  The group decided to split up to look for the wondering doorway.  Tristania and Ainsley went up on the airship to keep an eye above.  Only to see half a hour later the rest on the ground making a mad scramble for a doorway.  Cecil quickly ordered the ship down and let Ainsley and Tristania off to make their own scramble for the doorway.  The moment they step through the doorway they find they are not in Ivalic anymore.  The void spreads out before them.  Dark inky blackness that seems to be pulling at the soul and trying to suck them in.  Tristania is able to resist the call, but still feels queasy to the stomach.  The rest of the party is nowhere in sight.  A dark cobblestone path is before here.  With the occasional wall or shelf along the way, and always are they empty.  The only source of light is from a exploding supernova in the far distance.

Tristania pauses to catch her breath inside the doorway, only to find... this.  The dryad really does need to pause, and not just to catch her breath; but she is, at least, able to keep her soul well guarded, it would seem.  "You are... nothing," she hisses, standing up straight and drawing her knobkerrie.  She brandishes it in front of her, and starts walking forwards.  "Nothing to me," she clarifies.  "Worthless."  Wether or not there actually is any prsence here or if it really is just inky blackness, she isn't sure, but a little threatening never hurt anyone.  Bare feet carry her across the cobblestones, weapon at the ready, as she makes a deliberate, purposeful pace.

"Nothing are you, worthless are you."  A shadow exact copy of Tristania appears off the path and out of the way, "Always hiding, behind a mask both physical and metaphorical.  You call nothing nothing, but fail to understand how nothing you are yourself.  I remember when I was you at this point.  We were nothing…"  The shade fading away, "Worthless… scared and always hiding behind a mask…  Remember to take only what was requested." then it is completely gone.
The clone is stabbed between the ribs, only to be met with no resistance.  The image blurs a moment then reforms complete and hole.  "I am nothing more than a memory, a visage of what you were, what you are, and what you can become at the edge of the void for all time.  Of knowledge you seek, of knowledge you shall have.  Walk that path."  The image points up to a different direction then the one Alba was going, 'And you shall find what you seek.  Be wary of the guardians.  Take only what you requested."

The well-dressed man chuckles, "Oh my good baron, you always were a kidder.  Your son is much more eager, you know there are some very pretty ladies here that are eligible for a man of his stature."  As Zhgir puts on the mask his form changes into a fourteen year old boy.  His clothing rich and posture that of a noble.  The man looks back to Talen holding out the mask, "Come your Excellency, this is your celebration after all.  You should enjoy it."  The dancing behind him comes to a slow, then picks up again with a new song.  "This empire will last forever."'

Alba's lip curls up behind her mask, a soft snort heard against the carved bone.  Shaking her head, she turns toward the indicated path and begins to walk.  One step after another, deliberate and cautious and eyes locked to the path, both wary of holes in the walkway, and leery of the yawning chasm in reality that serves as horizon.

Talen growls at the mask being offered, but manages to take it good-naturedly, slipping it on and following the man.  "Time is short, I am afraid good sir.  Just enough time for what is necessary, and not much more, if you take my meaning?  But lead on, sir, lead on."

Tristania pauses, and eyes the shadowy-version of herself as it speaks, repeating her words and taunting her.  She perks an eyebrow upwards... and laughs, a cruel and mirthless sound.  "Correct," she snaps, and continues walking.  "I am nothing.  Just a jaded dryad of no consequence to anyone, wandering without purpose.  Perhaps that will change while I am here."  She tightens her grip on the knobkerrie, and continues on her way along the path, towards the supernova of light.

Zhgir had no trouble in popping on the mask - even though the physiology momentarily made the whole process awkward. Extra set of eyes after all, did not lend much in the way of support. But when he turns into a fourteen-year-old, he suddenly holds his hands out. "Zh... gir?" He asks, waving his arms experimentally in front of him, like a person momentarily blinded. And then he yells, "How can you people see like this?!" Stumbling forwards, he grabs Talen's shirt. "What is that? What empire is this? Why are you a baron and Zhgir is blind?" He asks, in that needlessly high pitched voice.

"Huh," is what Ainsley says when she sees the bright supernova in the distance. She squints at it, like 'I know what you are, b****, and I hate you and your friends.' "I wonder what part of the spirit realms we're in," she remarks, to no one in particular. She looks over at Tristania, and then over her shoulder, and for a moment she's disoriented. The darkness makes her face scrunch up like she ate something gross, her tongue sticking out. "Wherever this is, we seem to be trespassing a bit." She crosses her arms and hurries along with the dryad woman.

The path Alba walks will slowly start to turn to dirt, and grow larger.  The dirt starts to turn grassy and flowers starting to show by the side.  Quickly the path turns into a walkway along a garden, beautiful flowers and brush from walkways.  Cobbled streams of water make lovely patterns along the walkways and through the gardens itself.  The sky even changes from a black to a bright blue with a afternoon sun.  The only reminder that you are in the void still is the supernova in the distance, ever out of reach.  After a turn past a hedge Alba will walk into a small gathering of ladies.  "Oh you're Ladyship" They all quickly stand up and offer a bow, "How delightful, we were just sitting down for tea.  Please join us, though we expected you to be at the Barons Ball?  I heard his son will be there, he is fourteen and eligible for marriage now.  Are you not still looking for a husband yourself?"

The mask Talen puts on makes his form change, he is now a nobly dressed Baron entering into the ball room.  The other man follows after the Baron, "Of course of course, I know you might find this a bit much.  You did just get promoted from commoner to Baron.  You should have known the King was going to do that when you invented a farming magic to end world hunger.  Or, are you just that eager to present it in an hour?  The man chuckles at Zhgir's antics, "Well masks do take some practice if you are not used to them.  Oh looks like you have company young man, not often a handsome new bachelor comes onto the market."  Several beautiful young ladies are hurrying up to Zhgir, then start to try to get the first dance in with him."

The path Tristania and Ainsley walk starts to shift and become a solid walkway path.  Walls start to appear along the path and in some parts a roof.  Then passing through an archway they find themselves in an aero dome.  Massive airships, bigger and more complex, line the aerodome in all directions.  The initial glance would show the mechanics matching designs like those found before the folly.  A shadow image of Ainsley appears and looks around then at Ainsley, "The void, where all that has been, is, and can be exist but does not exist.  A lost memory has been request, knowledge to find that which you seek.  A memory that must be lived to be found.  You are all welcome here, but stay to long and you will never return home.  Just like how I never returned home."  The image of Ainsley fading out of view.  The Aerodome is suddenly busy with hundreds if not possibly thousands of people.  A group of soldiers walks up, "Your Majesty," Addressing Tristania, "And Lady."  To Ainsely, "You are early, you should have had your guard with you.  Come, your ship awaits."

As the nothingness becomes something, and from something to the height of wetlander decadence, Alba looses a slow breath through her nose, ears folding back.  "Spirits," she mutters sourly, straightening as strange women approach her as someone known to them, and speak of things that only have what scraps of meaning she's managed to glean from her life within Emberstrand.  "Many concerns I have," she says slowly, as if tasting their meaningless meaning on her tongue.  "Better, perhaps, to... see to my people... than dance and smile elsewhere."  Snarling mental imprecations against the lunacy of all things not properly mortal, she sits at the offered chair, stiffly, hoping whatever fantasy she's stumbled into might fill in the cracks.

Talen shakes his head to the man speaking, his path slow and purposeful.  "Not that I am overeager, just that there is more work to be done.  Some of the duties of a Baron will get in the way of my work, but at least I can use my powers to improve people's lives.  I just... don't wish to pat myself on the back like this.  This...", he gestures around him, "Was not the reason why I work magic."

Tristania glances down at herself, to see if her attire has changed; finding that she is still clad in her leather outfit and still carrying a unicorn's thigh bone, she appears to be quite satisfied.  She nods to the guard, and begins to follow, albeit at a relaxed pace.  "Very good," she replies.  "We will be ready to depart shortly."  She glances sideways at Ainsley, and perks an eyebrow upwards.  "We play along, or we do not.  We do not know enough to choose."

Zhgir was grinning ear to ear as he was watching one particularly dashing lady in the corner - up until he was informed there was whole group of them. His face grows pale and his mouth falls open, as he is soon swarmed by those women. "ZHGIR CAN'T DANCE." He informs with a sudden loud voice - hands up in the air. "Quick, quick! Fire! Fire to everything... augh not the arm, Zhgir only has two-! Hello, Zhgir is Zhgir..." He attempts as he is forcibly pulled away from Talen.

Ainsley looks at the shadow with some incredulity, and uncrosses her arms as the scenery changes. She perks her brows at the idea of pretending to be someone else, and lets out a tired sigh at Tristania's comment. "Yes," she replies in a tired voice, evidently already aware of the theme here. She smiles briefly over to the soldier that addressed her, "That bore? Mmh, maybe next time, if you really insist." She does a really good job with haughty, snobby nobility. She also plays a good tired and impatient noble lady, by the way she carries herself. It's... not actually a huge change from her normal demeanor. A stiffer posture, mostly.

The ladies around Alba all offer a laugh, "Well yes of course, seeing to your people is good.  The Queen is leaving today on her tour of the country to make sure the commoners are well, and the Baron just created new farming magic which will double crops.  Always working that one."  The man with Talen chuckles, "Oh of course of course.  The king is eager to see what other wonders you can create.  Title for resources, isn't that why you accepted it?"  The man just grinning.  One girl grabs his arm, "Can't dance, I can help teach you how to dance!  It's fun."  The guards nod to Tristnia, "Of course your Majesty."  They turn, circle around the group and lead the way aboard the biggest airship in the docks.  The name on the ship though is a blur of text and unreable, the name still forgotten to time.

A sudden shake of the earth happens and the windows of the ballroom shatter.  The ships in the aerodome rock in place.  The skies outside darken into a dull colorless grey and the winds pickup to a guest.  Oddly, the winds offer no sound but can be felt.  The guards on the ship look to each other than yell out, "Captain take off immediately!  You Majesty, you should get below decks."  The ladies in the garden all start to panic not sure what to do, "Whats going on?" is screamed, but their voices become only whispers in the eerie wind.  The ballroom the man next to Talen glances around looking a bit pale, "Are we being attacked?"  The lady dragging Zhgir off to the dance floor suddenly clings to him, "Be my hero and protect me?"  Offering a flirty wink, but still looking very worried.

"Indeed," Alba murmurs, assuming that her uncertain half-smile translates into something more fitting for the scene.  "I doubt not his work shall slow much, even still."

"Indeed," Alba murmurs, assuming that her uncertain half-smile translates into something more fitting for the scene.  "I doubt not his work shall slow much, even still."  The teacup set before her is raised, and an ear twitches as the wind picks up, head snapping upward as the sky blackens.  "....Something is wrong and strange."  The words spill from her mouth without thought, and she knocks her chair backward as she shoots to her feet.  "Inside!  Now!" she shouts to be heard over the muffling, silent winds.

Talen looks to the man beside him, "Take our guests to a safer room, without windows if you can manage it.", he says, leaning so that he can speak directly into the man's ear.  The man walks over to the now shattered windows, to peer up and out, scanning the skyline, and then the courtyards below.

Tristania jumps as the wind picks up, and her hand grips her knobkerrie ever more tightly.  The wooden beak of her mask whips from side to side as her gaze snaps from one side to the other.  "Yes," she agrees, with the guard ushering her below decks.  "Bring the Lady and I to the bridge, immediately."  She walks swiftly, moving with the guards, and tucking her knobkerrie into her belt so she may have both hands free, just in case.  "Keep up, Ainsley," she snaps.  "We have no time for weariness."

Zhgir's hands attempt to translate into action; but quite failing at as there is suddenly a queen sticking to him. "B-but Zhgir is not a queen like you." He explains, his face stuck in completely other kind of horror; hand still flailing limply. He was quickly attempting to scan something he could take though - this time, just looking for anything he could as a rope. During which, it probably looks completely awkward to the woman in question, as he suddenly begins to coat the girl in white webbing, to prevent her from moving too much. "Shush. Zhgir is actually a spy of your dreams." He tells the girl as sternly as 14-year-old can. While holding his hands up in the air. Because damn it, panic.
Ainsley frowns when things start to get out of hand. She doesn't panic, but that's because her natural reaction to fear is belligerence and anger. She'd make a great priestess to Ifrit, maybe. But then the dryad woman is leading her, and she lets out an exapserated noise at the way it is phrased. "Fine, I will listen to you, but at least stop with the impetuous biting." She follows readily, but she doesn't seem happy about it.

The winds continue to pick up and soon reach a gale force strength.  With the winds this strong no sounds can be heard, everything having become completely silent.  The gardens outside are being torn up, various objects being picked up by the silent wind and flying off southward.  The color of each object that starts to fly off also starts to fade into a dull grey.   One of the Ladies next to Alba gets picked up and starts to fly off, her face pure fear.   She is also very clearly screaming but nothing can be heard.  The docks are a riot of panic.  The airship Tristania and Ainsley are one rocks with the picking up winds and is already pulling away from the docks.  Tristania's words come out as nothing more than a whisper and then there is silence all around the two.  Ainsley's also fade from a whisper into nothing, the last of them never to be heard.  They are lead to the bridge where the captain is piloting the ship.  Hundreds of people can be seen rioting and scrambling for any ships still in docks.  Dozen of them along the edge where Tristania's and Ainsley's ship is taking off from.  They are offering silent cries for help and to be saved.  A few of them being picked up by the wind and thrown off southward.  The ballroom is a panic, people rushing out trying to escape.  Cracks start to forma long the upper walls as the very building is starting to become at risk of being pulled apart.  The upper parts of the room are also losing their color, fading into the dull grey.  The girl Zhgir webs up offers no resistance, just falling to her knee's in complete panic.

To the south where everything is being blown to a massive creature can be seen.  Floating just above the ground level and towering hundreds of feet up is a massive wide open mouth.  The gaping maw of Atomos himself.  Everything that has started to fly off is flying straight into the maw of Atomos.

The lady picked up and drawn into the mouth of the massive, horrific creature, ignored in favor of the two that remain.  Grabbing a wrist in each hand, she pelts toward the closest structure, stomach churning as *color and sound* are leached away from all not bodily dwarn into that terrible maw.

Talen stares in horror at the giant maw that leeches away sound and light and color.  He grabs a hold of the wall, and simply observes the destruction wrought.  "Where is this place?", he muses aloud and unheard.  "It will start here, now as in the past, yes?"  Tears well up and roll down his cheek.  "Who would ever use such a thing for such pettiness?"

Tristania stands in the bridge of the ship, and watches to make sure that Ainsley makes it in, and that the door is shut behind them.  She doesn't bother speaking; clearly, there is no use in such.  The Dryad simply finds something to grab hold of and holds on to it, while the crew of the ship around her go about the task of flying it.  Her knuckles whiten as her grip tightens, and her muscles tense; she has nothing to do but wait and see.

Zhgir has known true terror. True terror has even touched him; mere seconds ago. But as he realizes he can't hear his voice, he drops all pretense. This was Terror, and the arachnid didn't have a senseless quip left for it. Hands falling down onto the bundled woman, he hoists her upon his back and sprints forward, heart beating unheard in his ears. He suspected there was nothing he could do, but he attempts to grab Talen regardless, his voiceless shouts burning in his throat. "Viera, we've to go now!" 

Ainsley realizes she's on an airship, in the bridge of it, and she's grasping onto a railing that is attached to a vehicle likely hurtling to its doom, once they get there. She stares at her own hands, and then over to Tristania, and then to everyone else as they panic. She suddenly has this realization that playing the part in this memory may get her killed with everyone else. She tries to keep aware that it's a flicker of history, and that the people that died here, died long ago. She frowns sadly, instead of freaking out, despite every indication that she should panic. Her eyes turn to try to spot whatever may be causing this, a clue to the memory, some sort of point behind all of it. It's a lesson, imagery like this is always teaching something.

There is no escape.  The airship attempts to fly away, but the engines are not strong enough, and the more color the ship loses the weaker it seems resist.  Every structure is torn apart and flies into the maw, taking with it those who were inside.  Everything done to resist, magic, webs, ropes, and holding onto things proving futile.  Everybody is drawn into the gapping maw of Atomos by the soundless and colorless vacuum.  The destruction of the kingdom takes less than three minutes to complete.  As each person enters into the maw everything goes black, entering into a realm of nothingness.  There is no feeling, no sight, even your own limbs feel lost.  This state last for an untold time as all sense of time is lost.  Then you all wake up next to each other, no items lost and returned with all color and sound (Except Alba).  The landscape around you in a dull grey rocky area.  Only two tall pillars have been left after the devastation of Atomos.  The same two pillars that were outside when you found the door.  Six shades stands around you, each a copy of one of the party, this includes Edward.  They all have looks of either pain, sorrow, or anger depending on who they are a shade of.  None of those looks are directed at the party, but at the two pillars a little distance off.  The Talen visage speaks up, "Here at the edge memories can be found, even those that are lost.   Knowledge is experienced here before it is written.  Watch, the end of this memory is near." Holding up a finger the visage points to the pillar, tears coming down the shades face.

Alba crawls to her feet, pushing up her mask and knuckling the bridge of her nose, blowing out a weary, unhappy sigh through her nose.  A quick check to either side shows that all are more or less present and acounted fore, and she reaches out to grip Talen's arm and squeeze, slightly.  As the Edward shade speaks, it gets her attention, and though resentment is clear in her eyes, she pays attention.

Talen sits bolt upright when his arm is squeezed, the male Viera suddenly panting and looking around.  "Well.  They certainly do work in mysterious ways...."  He looks towards the two pillars, an eyebrow raised, and then back to the shades.  "So that was a memory not yet formed?"  He looks back to the space between the pillars, expectantly.

Tristania slowly awakens, and sits up.  She shakes her head, and checks to make sure that her mask is firmly in place, before slowly rising to her feet.  "I do not think that is quite what he means," she comments, in answer to Talen's question.  "Close, but not quite.  It is possible that we are witnissing the future.  That would be the memory that has not yet been written, yes?"

Zhgir's hands were attempting to hold onto something that was not there. Wriggling his arms stiffly, he then lays his hands onto his laps, peering over at Alba as he reaches for Talen. "Or perhaps everything, including memories was sucked into that... thing." The arachnid points out, before suddenly shutting his mouth. "Zhgir." He lets out, quickly staring towards the shades.

Ainsley looks around toward the others as they make their inquiries or comments, once the lost memory has faded. She just spends some time reacquainting herself with her limbs, making sure everything is attached, while remaining prone on the floor. She's the last to sit up, and the only one the simply chooses not to speak. She barely pays attention to what the shade said, beyond the mention of memories. "Memories are Carbuncle's purview," she remarks, as an aside. "I don't see the turqoise rabbit creature anywhere around here, though." She's certainly looking around for him.

The Tristania shade speaks up, "No, this is a memory of what has happened.  It is completing now."  There is a man standing between the two pillars looking over the devastation.  Then he starts to cackle and dance, "It works, it really works!  A great test run, such beautiful destruction!"  The masked man continue to dance cackle.  "oh what wonderful joy, more, must consume more!"  The masked man starts to fade out of view leaving only a book behind.  The Ainsley shade speaks up, "Indeed it is, though memories are many and some best forgotten.  Carbuncle knows of this place, but even he as a spirit treads not in these lands of the lost and fading.  Look, the knowledge you seek awaits.  Your time in these lands is short, stay to long and the void will keep you for its own.  Any door will lead you back, but to where we cannot see.  As this part of you is forever lost."  The shades start to fade out of view.  Past the pillars a single wooden door appears.

In silence, Alba listens to the shades, watches the cavorting lunatic and the book he becomes.  Squeezing Talen's arm again, she stoops to take Edward's hand, dark eyes looking onto the Moogle without much evident emotion... but without the sneering resentment that could be seen when looking upon anythng but her fellow adventurers.  Nodding once, eyebrow rising in question, she tips her ears toward the book and the door as though to ask if he wants to be first.

Talen looks over to Alba, reaching up to squeeze her hand.  He notes the look between the two, and he'll slowly stand.  Slipping out of her grasp, he walks over to the door, and stops a short distance away, waiting.  "Do you want to be the first to see what's out this door, Edward?  Might make for a good song, don't you think?"

The dryad, too, watches the man's cavorting and dancing, and his subsequent vanishing act.  The book left behind siezes her attention, and she waits only for a moment before crossing the distance.  She kneels to claim the tome, and stands, cradling the book in both arms.  Her fingertips brush over the cover, and then she opens it, taking a moment to flip through the pages.  "Choose a door," she comments, without looking up.  "We should leave."

Zhgir's on his feet too, brushing at his back restlessly, still half expecting to find someone there. It was eerie thought. Shivering, he looks after the departing shades. "Zhgir still thinks Zhgir should have gone with Zhgir..." He mutters by himself, as he waits for the rest of the group to go through the door, his eyes instead focused on everything else. Just in case there was a key lying about.
=
Ainsley nods gently, easily understanding the words that the shade speaks. "This would leave a bad taste in any spirit's mouth, then," she says, softly, "If even the spirit of memories shuns this image." She closes her eyes for a beat. Then opens them, and steps toward the door with single-minded purpose. There are no other doors, and no alternative actions she can perform. "Best not to dilly-dally," she murmurs to herself.

The door leads to a street, a very familiar street to everybody in the party.  It is the promenade of Emberstrand.  A few people passing by wave as they recognize individuals within the group.  Once everybody is through the door, the door disappears.  The book Tristania is looking at is of no language recognizable to anybody within the party.  It is old, and will take a dedicated linguist to decipher and read.

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