[emet keeps an eye on both the area and kaiza, as they go, splitting his attention between them both-- but he's also quiet, for the most part. somber. a place like this deserves a measure of respect, after all.
but just like they all definitely knew would happen-- there's the beast, and he readies his bow as he steps back, glancing back to their kid.]
Stay back and do not do anything foolish, Kaiza.
[they can, hopefully, handle this? but he's staying back as usual. the bow will have to be enough, without his powers.]
[ she traverses the ruins carefully, never taking her eyes off of the group—as though she's afraid of getting lost? it doesn't leave much time to ooh and aah at the ruins, especially when there's a monster at their stony doorstep.
speaking of which. ]
...Ugh.
[ as much as hilda would prefer to hang back with emet... regrettably, she knows she's going to need to move up. she gives hansa room to move forward, but pulls up her axe and steps ahead of their squishier members and their kids. ] No use procrastinating any longer...
[ this showdown is probably about 10 years overdue already. ]
[ of course the beast is here. why wouldn't it be!! alyssa shrinks back, suddenly and overwhelmingly feeling like dead weight compared to the other three in the face of the monster. she's at least gotten over her unfortunate habit of tripping and falling into danger, though, and it's with a shaky voice that she exclaims, ]
I—I'm going to go on ahead with the kids! You all know I can't fight, but, maybe I can help them with the puzzles or disarm traps that are still sitting around... but I-I'd just be holding you all back if I stayed here.
[Is it stupid to fight another giant monster a day (or ten years???) after he got eaten by a mosasaurus? Maybe. Actually, how has Hansa not been in pain from getting chomped? Today is his lack of touch/pain day this week! He hasn't been able to feel any of the hair ruffles he's given Kaiza! How sad.]
[But he does step forward, fists clenching at his sides. They do need to be smart about this.]
I'll distract it...and then you and Hilda can go at it when I get into a vulnerable spot, okay? We don't know what this thing is capable of.
In any case, the beast shifts so that its back is facing the group, before it fires off several of its spikes like some kind of demented porcupine. They might want to dodge, or Hilda might want to use her axe to block some—otherwise, Alyssa, despite not being on the front lines, may still get hit by one!
Though regardless of whether or not she does, Kaiza and Hishi will go on ahead as per her suggestion (but if she needs any help or to be carried, Kaiza is there). ]
Stay safe, everyone! Please...!
[ But the two kids are sort of dead weight, especially given that the hallway isn't great for a giant group fighting one monster, and so they move. Come along, Alyssa.
With that done, the beast then lunges for Hansa, who's the closest, so that it can swipe at him with its claws. ]
he absolutely ducks out of the way of the spines, not too proud to just throw himself down or aside-- and once it's done, he takes aim as it lunges for hansa.]
Do try to keep it still!
[he's still not as good with a bow as other things, okay... but he's doing his best to aim at its head.]
[ given that hilda was in the mosasaurus group with hansa yesterday (...how long has it been since yesterday?), she shoots him a dubious look. ]
Maybe you should play support tod—ow!
[ she manages to sweep her axe defensively as the spikes shower out, batting most of them down. and like the good tank she is, she takes one to the shoulder before it can fly past her and get the kids. hopefully that's enough to help cover their backline, but it was a lot of spikes?
there's no opportunity to check in on them, because she needs to get in closer, trying to find an opening while this thing is slashing at hansa. ]
[ alyssa's already running, and, despite everything... she's purposely shielding the kids with her own body. (or, more accurately, she's protecting hishi. kaiza's just kind of There. sorry kid you're not her daughter)
most of the spikes fall just short of hitting them as they turn a corner that i've decided is here now for Dramatic Effect, but alyssa pushes hishi, who pushes kaiza, that last little bit to clear the corner. the one spike that hits its mark grazes her face, drawing a paper-thin line of blood across her cheek.
but that's all it is: a cut. she stumbles a little but quickly shrugs it off, adrenaline taking care of most of the pain, and regroups with the kids to go and solve puzzles or whatever the hell they're gonna do, have fun with the monster everyone else ]
[ Hishi, Kaiza, and Alyssa (now with her Aesthetic cut) run, with Kaiza leading the way. Eventually, they hit a dead end; Kaiza crouches down beside a hole in the wall. It's too small for a teenager or adult to fit through, but a younger child probably could crawl through. ]
Guess this way won't work now, huh... All right, Hishi, you can do your thing.
[ Hishi gets to work on the puzzle, possibly with Alyssa's help. In time, she solves it, opening the way. This pattern continues for the next several puzzles, as Hishi, Kaiza, and Alyssa move deeper into the ruins. Meanwhile, the others continue to fight the beast, I suppose.
At the end, the path takes them to what... looks like a bedroom? Someone must have lived here once, surely. Furniture decorate the room, worn with age and covered in dust. Sitting on the bed—or rather, hovering just above it—is a woman, translucent as if she's about to disappear at any moment.
When she sees her visitors, she smiles softly. ]
You're here to keep your promise, then. Just in time—I can't stay in this world for much longer, one way or another.
[ Kaiza steps forward. ]
... I had the feeling.
[ Elsewhere, Hilda, Hansa, and Emet-Selch eventually defeat the beast. No one else will ever die to it again, hurray! If they run, they can catch up to the others.
As for their state, I will leave that up to player discretion. They may have gotten away relatively injury-free, but if not, they can probably expect some variation of bite/claw/puncture wounds. Anyway, I'm going to assume they eventually stumble into the room, behind Hishi and Alyssa. ]
[ But once everyone is here, the two of them will reveal the truth.
Over ten years ago, a child died in these ruins, by the beast's hands—or did they? No one can quite remember which is the truth, and that's because, in the end, it's both.
Over ten years ago, Kaiza died, before the spirit brought him back to life to ask for a favour: to uncover what had been hidden here and let her memories see the light of day once more. However, her power wasn't without limit. As soon as she passes on—whether because time cuts apart her tether to the world or by her own volition—then it will disappear.
... And ultimately, rather than "brought back to life", it would be more accurate to say she changed the timeline. This world has been resting in one in which "Kaiza survived that day", but once her power fades, it will revert to the correct one, in which "Kaiza died as a child". The boy of the last ten years has never truly existed, and so once everything is said and done, no memories of him will remain.
He has been living on borrowed time, and over the course of the last few years, that reality has been creeping in, until he finally decided—it was time to fulfill his promise. ]
... After all— [ And here Kaiza smiles. ] —weren't you the ones who taught me that? "A good person is one who wants to work hard for others, is generous with his sincerity and kindness, and believes in the love he can put into the world."
[ Always aware of his fate on some level, even if as a child he couldn't fully comprehend the weight, he has kept in mind the values Hansa and Emet-Selch taught him.
Hishi, who had been unaware of everything that's been revealed, stands in shock. ]
... What...? Kaiza, you're—
[ Anyway. It's fine. Y'all are right, I was deathflagging a little. ]
[ hilda just stares, dumbfounded for a moment. seriously? kaiza isn't the one they raised, but he's had such an impact already on hishi's life—it isn't fair that any of them lose him now, after all this. ]
There has to be something we can do—it's too cruel to just leave him!
[ maybe she shouldn't be so invested in this, but the kids have worked so hard—they deserve more than forgetting each other. and that doesn't even get started on what hansa and emet must be feeling.
[ at some point during the exposition, alyssa just starts to... space out, more so than anyone else. and she really shouldn't, she should be paying attention, hishi deserves to get some kind of closure or understanding or just fucking something—
kaiza continues explaining, and she can still understand him, but there's a ringing in her ears that keeps her from being able to keep her focus.
eventually, her knees seemingly give out and she falls to the floor, arms wrapped tightly around herself. ]
Is this... have the past ten years all just been some kind of joke?
[ why hasn't the realm taken this memory from her? ]
...Joke or not, time makes fools of us all, in one way or another.
[but there is definitely-- something strained, in his voice. all the time they've spent, just for it to be erased. not even the curse of feeble mortality taking its natural course, but truly undoing an existence, even if it is one that wasn't meant to happen; erasing memory, leaving the boy forgotten by those who cared.
he grips his bow tighter, and... well. well, if it will all be for nothing, if he's going to be gone either way--
no. he will not suffer it to be like this.]
If it is a death that was undone, then what will happen to the timeline if he should die in this second life-- if he does not live past this moment, will that solidify his place in memory?
[so here's a thing that's happening: he has the bow aimed at kaiza. his hand only trembles slightly.]
Suffice to say that nobody expected this, not even the mod.
This jolts Hishi out of her shock, at least, but now she's horrified for an entirely new reason. Immediately, she moves to place herself between Emet-Selch and Kaiza, because even if logically she might understand his point, this is still. Um. What?
Kaiza is also staring, even if maybe he should've expected this from Emet-Selch. He also tries to gently move Hishi out of the way, although she's being rather stubborn about not letting him. ]
—Please stop. It's fine. I'm fine with this, so just—don't. Please.
[ He doesn't even necessarily seem that appalled that one of his guardians is contemplating murdering him; he just has no idea how to handle this situation! And also, he's feeling pretty guilty for how much Emet-Selch hates this? (Hansa as well, but Hansa's not the one pointing a weapon at him.)
Hopefully someone tries to stop Emet-Selch!
Either way, after staring in shock like everyone else, probably, the spirit speaks up. ]
... Once I pass on, he will be forgotten either way. This act wouldn't change it, so please, put down your bow.
[He's shocked, honestly. Hansa is the type of man who prides himself on action, but when he sees Emet-Selch lift his bow, say he will do this absolutely horrifying act just to keep their child's memory intact, he feels like he can't move.]
[In the back of his mind, his mother, the front of her shirt covered in blood, her eyes dimming, moving forward to take the vampire that destroyed their village with her in death to let her son survive-]
...
[The sudden movement of Hishi breaks the spell - Hansa grits his teeth, moving forward to grasp Emet-Selch by the shoulder, his voice trembling with obvious emotion.]
You can't. Y-You can't, I understand, but...you can't. Please.
[ Much like the rest of the room, Hilda is frozen in shock for a moment—what is going on? Whatever sentiment Emet-Selch is reaching for, it's lost on her. Maybe Hansa understands, and Alyssa is too downed to stop it, but for Hilda—it doesn't strike the right chord.
Dead isn't better than forgotten. Nothing they're doing is going to fix this anymore. It's just making it worse.
And once Hishi's moved, she snaps out her own stupor to run in, hovering protectively in front of this kid she wasn't supposed to get attached to in the first place, who might not even exist after all this, anger flashing in her eyes. ]
Enough! Put it down!
[ There's really no point. But if for some reason he draws that bow any further, she's going to rush him. ]
Oh, so it's perfectly all right if you're fine with this--
[it's lower, closer to anger-- but not at kaiza. he stops himself there, inhales a sharp breath as the ghost says it won't change anything. it doesn't matter.
it really just... never matters, not with humans.
he already knew that. he shouldn't have bothered to think anything might change.
hilda puts herself in the way, hansa grasps his shoulder... and finally he lets the bow drop, shoulders slumped with the motion. he just shakes his head.]
[ That all sure just happened. Kaiza stares at Emet-Selch and Hansa, his expression remorseful and full of guilt. But... there's no turning back now.
As if all the energy has been drained from her, Hishi collapses to her knees. Swiftly, Kaiza crouches down in concern. Once he does, she wraps her arms around him in an embrance, hesitantly, as if she's afraid he'll disappear right now.
... What comes next might be surprising to Hilda (and Alyssa, if she's not completely unresponsive), as it's the first time she'd be witnessing it: she begins to sob. All of her grief, sorrow, and regrets—they spill from her, in her tear and the words she cries into his shoulder.
It's not fair. It's not fair at all, is it?
Finally, ]
... I—
[ But as she hiccups, whatever she was about to say goes unsaid. Kaiza simply smiles, and responds. ]
... I know. I...
[ ... But it seems like neither of them wants to voice it, at this point. Kaiza draws back, before placing a hand on Hishi's head. One last headpat. Afterwards, he reaches to remove his bracelet, the one Hilda and Alyssa suggested Hishi make for him all those years ago. Gazing at it for a moment, he slips it over Hishi's wrist—something to "remember" him by, no matter how futile.
Then, he slips away from her grasp. Time to finish this, especially before Emet-Selch can change his mind and decide that committing fillicide is a great idea after all.
With the spirit's guidance, he reaches under the bed to pull out a box. Like everything else in the ruins, time hasn't been kind to it... but the contents inside appear relatively intact. As Kaiza said before, none of it is what most would consider treasure: instead, it's filled with knicknacks, memoirs, old toys, etc. The signs of who once lived here.
The spirit smiles. ]
Thank you. Kaiza, and all of you, who have helped him.
[ Except, like, Emet-Selch. Anyway, she points to a container inside the box. ]
The items there are best taken elsewhere, but... please preserve what's left. The memories that are precious to me.
[ Nodding, Kaiza takes out the container, before handing it to the nearest person. Probably Hansa or Hilda, since they're not on the verge of a breakdown.
With everything settled, the spirit begins to fade. ]
... It's time for me to leave now, but... I can give you just a bit more time, before you have to return to your place as well. Goodbye, and thank you once again...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
but just like they all definitely knew would happen-- there's the beast, and he readies his bow as he steps back, glancing back to their kid.]
Stay back and do not do anything foolish, Kaiza.
[they can, hopefully, handle this? but he's staying back as usual. the bow will have to be enough, without his powers.]
no subject
speaking of which. ]
...Ugh.
[ as much as hilda would prefer to hang back with emet... regrettably, she knows she's going to need to move up. she gives hansa room to move forward, but pulls up her axe and steps ahead of their squishier members and their kids. ] No use procrastinating any longer...
[ this showdown is probably about 10 years overdue already. ]
no subject
I—I'm going to go on ahead with the kids! You all know I can't fight, but, maybe I can help them with the puzzles or disarm traps that are still sitting around... but I-I'd just be holding you all back if I stayed here.
no subject
[Is it stupid to fight another giant monster a day (or ten years???) after he got eaten by a mosasaurus? Maybe. Actually, how has Hansa not been in pain from getting chomped? Today is his lack of touch/pain day this week! He hasn't been able to feel any of the hair ruffles he's given Kaiza! How sad.]
[But he does step forward, fists clenching at his sides. They do need to be smart about this.]
I'll distract it...and then you and Hilda can go at it when I get into a vulnerable spot, okay? We don't know what this thing is capable of.
no subject
In any case, the beast shifts so that its back is facing the group, before it fires off several of its spikes like some kind of demented porcupine. They might want to dodge, or Hilda might want to use her axe to block some—otherwise, Alyssa, despite not being on the front lines, may still get hit by one!
Though regardless of whether or not she does, Kaiza and Hishi will go on ahead as per her suggestion (but if she needs any help or to be carried, Kaiza is there). ]
Stay safe, everyone! Please...!
[ But the two kids are sort of dead weight, especially given that the hallway isn't great for a giant group fighting one monster, and so they move. Come along, Alyssa.
With that done, the beast then lunges for Hansa, who's the closest, so that it can swipe at him with its claws. ]
no subject
he absolutely ducks out of the way of the spines, not too proud to just throw himself down or aside-- and once it's done, he takes aim as it lunges for hansa.]
Do try to keep it still!
[he's still not as good with a bow as other things, okay... but he's doing his best to aim at its head.]
no subject
Maybe you should play support tod—ow!
[ she manages to sweep her axe defensively as the spikes shower out, batting most of them down. and like the good tank she is, she takes one to the shoulder before it can fly past her and get the kids. hopefully that's enough to help cover their backline, but it was a lot of spikes?
there's no opportunity to check in on them, because she needs to get in closer, trying to find an opening while this thing is slashing at hansa. ]
no subject
most of the spikes fall just short of hitting them as they turn a corner that i've decided is here now for Dramatic Effect, but alyssa pushes hishi, who pushes kaiza, that last little bit to clear the corner. the one spike that hits its mark grazes her face, drawing a paper-thin line of blood across her cheek.
but that's all it is: a cut. she stumbles a little but quickly shrugs it off, adrenaline taking care of most of the pain, and regroups with the kids to go and solve puzzles or whatever the hell they're gonna do, have fun with the monster everyone else ]
[1/2]
Guess this way won't work now, huh... All right, Hishi, you can do your thing.
[ Hishi gets to work on the puzzle, possibly with Alyssa's help. In time, she solves it, opening the way. This pattern continues for the next several puzzles, as Hishi, Kaiza, and Alyssa move deeper into the ruins. Meanwhile, the others continue to fight the beast, I suppose.
At the end, the path takes them to what... looks like a bedroom? Someone must have lived here once, surely. Furniture decorate the room, worn with age and covered in dust. Sitting on the bed—or rather, hovering just above it—is a woman, translucent as if she's about to disappear at any moment.
When she sees her visitors, she smiles softly. ]
You're here to keep your promise, then. Just in time—I can't stay in this world for much longer, one way or another.
[ Kaiza steps forward. ]
... I had the feeling.
[ Elsewhere, Hilda, Hansa, and Emet-Selch eventually defeat the beast. No one else will ever die to it again, hurray! If they run, they can catch up to the others.
As for their state, I will leave that up to player discretion. They may have gotten away relatively injury-free, but if not, they can probably expect some variation of bite/claw/puncture wounds. Anyway, I'm going to assume they eventually stumble into the room, behind Hishi and Alyssa. ]
no subject
Over ten years ago, a child died in these ruins, by the beast's hands—or did they? No one can quite remember which is the truth, and that's because, in the end, it's both.
Over ten years ago, Kaiza died, before the spirit brought him back to life to ask for a favour: to uncover what had been hidden here and let her memories see the light of day once more. However, her power wasn't without limit. As soon as she passes on—whether because time cuts apart her tether to the world or by her own volition—then it will disappear.
... And ultimately, rather than "brought back to life", it would be more accurate to say she changed the timeline. This world has been resting in one in which "Kaiza survived that day", but once her power fades, it will revert to the correct one, in which "Kaiza died as a child". The boy of the last ten years has never truly existed, and so once everything is said and done, no memories of him will remain.
He has been living on borrowed time, and over the course of the last few years, that reality has been creeping in, until he finally decided—it was time to fulfill his promise. ]
... After all— [ And here Kaiza smiles. ] —weren't you the ones who taught me that? "A good person is one who wants to work hard for others, is generous with his sincerity and kindness, and believes in the love he can put into the world."
[ Always aware of his fate on some level, even if as a child he couldn't fully comprehend the weight, he has kept in mind the values Hansa and Emet-Selch taught him.
Hishi, who had been unaware of everything that's been revealed, stands in shock. ]
... What...? Kaiza, you're—
[ Anyway. It's fine. Y'all are right, I was deathflagging a little. ]
no subject
[Hansa just stands, shocked. Truly and honestly shocked. Their child just...never existed?]
I...
[He doesn't know what to say. Those last ten years - was it ten years? - and here they are, with a boy who is going to just be erased.]
[He just steps forward, holding out his hands, before letting them drop back to his sides.]
We'll just...forget you?
no subject
There has to be something we can do—it's too cruel to just leave him!
[ maybe she shouldn't be so invested in this, but the kids have worked so hard—they deserve more than forgetting each other. and that doesn't even get started on what hansa and emet must be feeling.
if it was their kid that was vanishing... ]
no subject
kaiza continues explaining, and she can still understand him, but there's a ringing in her ears that keeps her from being able to keep her focus.
eventually, her knees seemingly give out and she falls to the floor, arms wrapped tightly around herself. ]
Is this... have the past ten years all just been some kind of joke?
[ why hasn't the realm taken this memory from her? ]
no subject
[but there is definitely-- something strained, in his voice. all the time they've spent, just for it to be erased. not even the curse of feeble mortality taking its natural course, but truly undoing an existence, even if it is one that wasn't meant to happen; erasing memory, leaving the boy forgotten by those who cared.
he grips his bow tighter, and... well. well, if it will all be for nothing, if he's going to be gone either way--
no. he will not suffer it to be like this.]
If it is a death that was undone, then what will happen to the timeline if he should die in this second life-- if he does not live past this moment, will that solidify his place in memory?
[so here's a thing that's happening: he has the bow aimed at kaiza. his hand only trembles slightly.]
no subject
Suffice to say that nobody expected this, not even the mod.
This jolts Hishi out of her shock, at least, but now she's horrified for an entirely new reason. Immediately, she moves to place herself between Emet-Selch and Kaiza, because even if logically she might understand his point, this is still. Um. What?
Kaiza is also staring, even if maybe he should've expected this from Emet-Selch. He also tries to gently move Hishi out of the way, although she's being rather stubborn about not letting him. ]
—Please stop. It's fine. I'm fine with this, so just—don't. Please.
[ He doesn't even necessarily seem that appalled that one of his guardians is contemplating murdering him; he just has no idea how to handle this situation! And also, he's feeling pretty guilty for how much Emet-Selch hates this? (Hansa as well, but Hansa's not the one pointing a weapon at him.)
Hopefully someone tries to stop Emet-Selch!
Either way, after staring in shock like everyone else, probably, the spirit speaks up. ]
... Once I pass on, he will be forgotten either way. This act wouldn't change it, so please, put down your bow.
no subject
[He's shocked, honestly. Hansa is the type of man who prides himself on action, but when he sees Emet-Selch lift his bow, say he will do this absolutely horrifying act just to keep their child's memory intact, he feels like he can't move.]
[In the back of his mind, his mother, the front of her shirt covered in blood, her eyes dimming, moving forward to take the vampire that destroyed their village with her in death to let her son survive-]
...
[The sudden movement of Hishi breaks the spell - Hansa grits his teeth, moving forward to grasp Emet-Selch by the shoulder, his voice trembling with obvious emotion.]
You can't. Y-You can't, I understand, but...you can't. Please.
["Please don't do this".]
no subject
Dead isn't better than forgotten. Nothing they're doing is going to fix this anymore. It's just making it worse.
And once Hishi's moved, she snaps out her own stupor to run in, hovering protectively in front of this kid she wasn't supposed to get attached to in the first place, who might not even exist after all this, anger flashing in her eyes. ]
Enough! Put it down!
[ There's really no point. But if for some reason he draws that bow any further, she's going to rush him. ]
no subject
no subject
[it's lower, closer to anger-- but not at kaiza. he stops himself there, inhales a sharp breath as the ghost says it won't change anything. it doesn't matter.
it really just... never matters, not with humans.
he already knew that. he shouldn't have bothered to think anything might change.
hilda puts herself in the way, hansa grasps his shoulder... and finally he lets the bow drop, shoulders slumped with the motion. he just shakes his head.]
...very well.
[what's one more thing to lose, in the end?]
no subject
As if all the energy has been drained from her, Hishi collapses to her knees. Swiftly, Kaiza crouches down in concern. Once he does, she wraps her arms around him in an embrance, hesitantly, as if she's afraid he'll disappear right now.
... What comes next might be surprising to Hilda (and Alyssa, if she's not completely unresponsive), as it's the first time she'd be witnessing it: she begins to sob. All of her grief, sorrow, and regrets—they spill from her, in her tear and the words she cries into his shoulder.
It's not fair. It's not fair at all, is it?
Finally, ]
... I—
[ But as she hiccups, whatever she was about to say goes unsaid. Kaiza simply smiles, and responds. ]
... I know. I...
[ ... But it seems like neither of them wants to voice it, at this point. Kaiza draws back, before placing a hand on Hishi's head. One last headpat. Afterwards, he reaches to remove his bracelet, the one Hilda and Alyssa suggested Hishi make for him all those years ago. Gazing at it for a moment, he slips it over Hishi's wrist—something to "remember" him by, no matter how futile.
Then, he slips away from her grasp. Time to finish this, especially before Emet-Selch can change his mind and decide that committing fillicide is a great idea after all.
With the spirit's guidance, he reaches under the bed to pull out a box. Like everything else in the ruins, time hasn't been kind to it... but the contents inside appear relatively intact. As Kaiza said before, none of it is what most would consider treasure: instead, it's filled with knicknacks, memoirs, old toys, etc. The signs of who once lived here.
The spirit smiles. ]
Thank you. Kaiza, and all of you, who have helped him.
[ Except, like, Emet-Selch. Anyway, she points to a container inside the box. ]
The items there are best taken elsewhere, but... please preserve what's left. The memories that are precious to me.
[ Nodding, Kaiza takes out the container, before handing it to the nearest person. Probably Hansa or Hilda, since they're not on the verge of a breakdown.
With everything settled, the spirit begins to fade. ]
... It's time for me to leave now, but... I can give you just a bit more time, before you have to return to your place as well. Goodbye, and thank you once again...
[ And thus, she vanishes—as everyone's surroundings change. ]