Universe of Ken

A universe that on the surface appears separate from the Standard Universe, but in reality is the cognitive world of Shinwa Dragonclaw, whose consciousness serves as the residing Divine Power, however, due to certain events, she either does not possess the ability to wield any power over this plane, or is simply unaware of her own influence over it.

Acting carelessly here can lead to severe damage to Shinwa's overall psyche, which is why it is normally impossible to access. However, select few may be granted access, in order to provide maintenance should something go awry.

Only by accessing the Core of this plane can memories and emotions of Shinwa be directly accessed, this also applies to telepathic communication, unless she consciously allows it in the first place.

Outer Ring - Visitation
Luciel watches as the figure solidifies into a man in a red robe with rose floral designs throughout the robe, with a hood over their head and a red veil obscuring their face. The others, at the city, while alarmed, can still sense Luciel is in the same general 'realm', but seemingly in an isolated place too far to reach.

Luciel watches as the being spawns a campfire and two logs on either side of it, and seats themselves. "Be seated, young one. You're in no danger, so long as you're an ally of Shinwa's, and you speak honestly. You can call me... ...the Lord of Roses. Consider me... ...like a guardian of this place. I have a few questions, and potentially help, if you'd listen." The man's voice is young, at least in the twenties range. His general disposition and 'air' feels at peace, and she senses no ill will as he bids her to seat herself.

Luciel takes a seat and looks at the man. "Unless absolutely necessary, mother surviving and remaining in a single piece is my preference... Rose," she says bluntly, the sigil she was drawing before dissipating in the air. "If you would help my mother, then I'd be willing to answer some questions, depending on the subject matter. There are things I'd rather not talk about, but I imagine you'd be able to tell that before you field any questions."

"..." Rose seems to tense up at the usage of 'mother', almost immediately. "I was going to ask how you got that Eye, for starters, but it seems you're either lying out of the gate, or the fact you preempted my question means something. I will ask a related question, however. What is her real name?" Rose asks simply, but she can tell that there's more to the intent of the question than he lets on.

"You mean her true name, not her common name," Luciel sighs. "In our brief time together, mother only mentioned one such name but never revealed it, only that she was born under the full moon and as a descendant of Nyusatsu. I could 'see' the name if I chose to, but I'd rather not reveal her true name to one accusing me of telling an untruth without evidence thereof." Luciel's eyes glow faintly as her expression hardens.

"...You wouldn't be able to see it. Plus if you tried, you'd see what lurks within the depths, and it would bridge its way into your core. For all the suffering you've experienced, I promise you, that malevolence would shadow it like few else can." Rose seems to relax, as though something she said satisfied him, if only faintly.

"There's a reason she didn't tell you that name, but unfortunately it's not within my power to tell you why she choose to, only that she had reasons. Plus, I know what it is. After all, besides her sister, brothers, and her mother and father, I am the only one she ever told it to. <[][][][][][]> wanted to tell you and your father, but there are... ...complications behind that."

When he speaks a certain phrase, Luciel feels an unnatural distortion on the same power level as her Eye distort her ability to understand what she heard, making it utterly impossible to understand the word. She gets the feeling that if he was lying about the name, such an effect wouldn't be possible otherwise.

"I hope that is proof enough that I am an ally, and not an enemy. I will show you more proof, for I have things that you must see. It's clear that you wield the light like I once did in this world, but I don't think you realize what I mean by that, so I must inform you of the proper nature of this place. If you would stand, I have a place to show you." Rose stands quietly.

"Very well," she says, rising as well. "Lead the way."

As Rose turns towards the darkness, it ripples in multicolored waves. "Rule. Do not leave my side, be it to run or to chase after something. You'll be lost in the depths, and subsequently consumed by the corruption. No matter what you see, stay by my side, only beings appointed by her can walk through safely."

Luciel nods, following, eyes occasionally flickering to black and amber but nothing comes of it.

When she follows, she stands besides Rose in a thick pine forest. The scenery moves on its own, while they remain motionless. There's a clear motive behind the movements, and Luciel soon sees what it is focusing towards: what appears to be Shinwa, in her usual garb, walking through the forest. She seems to be not well, from a mental state, as her eyes look incredibly weary. Luciel can hear faint whispers, traces of Shinwa's thoughts and feelings. What she can hear isn't good.

If he could see you now, and what you're about to do, he'd scorn you forever.

No man could love a monster like you.

What am I doing?

And yet she keeps walking. There is a feeling of suspense in the air, like something bad is going to happen. The scene keeps moving, and Shinwa soon emerges in a small clearing, with a simple house. A male shapeshifter with brown eyes and the trademark eyes of a shapeshifter is busy cutting wood. A group of three children, two made of ice, and one of flesh, the one of flesh being around ten, are busy playing together. Supervising on the porch, is a tall woman make of ice, quietly watching the three contently.

The man is the first to see Shinwa, and defensively raises his axe and gets between her and the family. "Who are you?!"

"I am White the Eighth. I come seeking the one by the name Aoi. I command you to turn her over to me at once, so that she may be trained by Phoenix as the next Ice Slayer." The weary expression has been masked by a cold, unfeeling face, with cold silver eyes gleaming in the light.

"Are you insane?!" The man yells. "I refuse to let you have my daughter! I know of you! You monsters subjugated the other Terrors, you're after her too, aren't you?!" The man has a wild look in his eyes. "Caess, get the children out of here!"

Luciel sees Shinwa's hand twitch, and she remember's her own mother's tells before an attack. Her eyes have narrowed ever so slightly. "I won't ask again." A cold, dark aura comes off her, as the silver begins to mix with an ominous red in her eyes.

Rose says nothing, and does nothing, aside from fold his arms quietly.

"So these are memories of hers, memories of her worst moments I take it," Luciel notes. "She did what she believed needed to be done, but her hand is... forced? No..."

Shinwa draws her sword, and painfully slowly, as if moving through molasses, she advances forward, though the others present move even more slow. As her blade begins to encroach upon the father's neck, the scene begins to tint red, cracking and crumbling, filling with red fog.

You're a monster!

''To think I believed you could rise above the rest of your accursed brethren in Phoenix... I should never have taught you...''

''You turned your back on us, cast us aside, and threw away your own name. You're not my sister anymore. You'll never have a family again!''

''How could you let me die, sister...? I thought you loved me... I should have killed you that day...''

Murderer!

''You toyed with our lives! Thousands of people have lost their humanity, and many thousands more are dead because of you! I'll never forgive you for what you did to my sisters!''

The screams of rage, accusation, and hatred roar into life with the fog's coming, which lashes out at Shinwa's now petrified form, unable to run from the screams, the voices, and the fog's assault on her mind. Without warning... ...it all stops, and there is blackness. Rose and Luciel stand alone. Luciel can still hear the echoes of the screams echoing faintly, until true silence wades in.

Rose silently looks at Luciel. "...Could you tell? The voices of all those she has wronged. On that day, she slew Kien, the father of Zetsubo, Kiyona, and Aoi, and husband of Caess. She captured Aoi and Caess, enslaving the latter, while training Aoi to serve her cause. Aoi's siblings fled into the wilderness, where they remained til recent history, when the king of Endlos came to find them, and to find their tormentor. Your mother, in this world. ...So... ...do you know why you were shown such things?"

"This is her guilt, the pain she smothered behind that mask of hers, the strain of it and the toll it took... it's why she's as broken as Zwei, isn't it? I'm to understand her actions to help her?"

"...I have a single, last question. Once you venture toward her core, you will be exposed to this and many other dark things within her. Not just guilt... do you think that you can stand strong, and overcome? Or will you not be able to make it through the Nightmare? I do not fault you if you lack the ability to outlast the darkness in her heart, but if you would save her, you must venture forth, to the very depths of her soul. ...Where the Titan of Blood resides. You will have to bare witness to the full cruelty of the Nightmare, see how it has distorted her soul, and find the truth buried beneath the lies. Do you think you can do it, after what I have shown you?" Rose asks with a serious edge to their voice.

"Then I will," Luciel states, "Her well being is my priority, regardless if what I have to face to do so. I'm willing to brave the deepest depths of the Abyss and the furthest layer of Hell once more, and beyond."

"...Ahh, a relief. You pass. I knew who you were the moment you were dragged in here. I was watching you, making sure you were safe when your brother left. I had to make sure you had a will strong enough to brave the danger ahead. Forgive me. I couldn't accept anything else than the best, I care too much about her." Rose fully relaxes.

"It is time I explained the situation, so you understand. This realm, as you might have guessed, is composed of Shinwa's memories, emotions, and thoughts. But most importantly, her soul, and her will. All of these things drive the order of things here. Her will is absolute, and is what grants me power. This place is a cognition. A representation of how Shinwa views herself. But as I explained, it has been distorted by a force she refers to as the Nightmare. It was planted inside her long ago, when she was a child.

This corruption is not like one you're familiar with, like the ones suffered by your Aunt and future father. It persists, even through the most powerful of purifying rites. The reason is simple. It distorts memory, emotion, and thoughts. It transforms her cognition into a perversion of its true self, but cannot replace it. It merely rots it, makes it untrue to itself.

However... it has a weakness. A shift in cognition. It feeds off of what Shinwa feels. In essence, as things stand, if Shinwa's current true feelings are not changed, then nothing can be accomplished, even if her corruption is purged in the now, it *will* return. But if the basis of its existence is removed, it cannot regrow. To help her, you must help change her. Both from within... ...and out. To that end... you must be able to see past the corruption, the lies. ...But you already have the means, and I don't mean your eye."

Rose swipes their hand through the darkness, and the logs and fire reappear. "The power I wield is the same means that would let you see through this Nightmare. And you already possess this power. ...Because you are a precious existence to Shinwa. And so is Volmond... ...and myself. ...The three of us... ...have power here that stems from deep within her. I think you know what I refer to."

"We can bring change to her cognition... Auros," there's a mild hint of annoyance in her voice as she notes something. "But yeah, I've an idea or two."

"Right. I will teach you something simple and important at once. Your connection with her. If you call upon it, she will listen. You will not be able to remove the Corruption itself... but you can see past its lies, force your way past its obstacles, and create new paths forward." Rose walks foward to Luciel, and extends a hand, and places a crystal rose flower in her hand.

"A token. It will protect you with my power, even in my absence, you will be able to walk the path forward, without fear of the Corruptions' influence. Now, use your connection, your ties with Shinwa, to return to the others. Once you do this, you will be able to make your way to Shinwa's core, and potentially catch up with your father. ...But be warned. The mere road to her being proper is guarded. Now, go. She's waiting for you." Rose says, and then turns his back to Luciel.

"...Good luck. ...And take care of her. ...Make sure you don't fail her, like I did..."

Luciel nods and focuses on her her mother, willing her to allow her return.

Luciel feels an odd twisting in her stomach, and suddenly she appears amid the group once more, albeit in a less flattering way than she imagined, landing on her face. She makes a mental note to be more specific so she can avoid landing on her face again.

It's around this time that the Child seems to wake up again, albeit slowly and passively, none of the energy from before.

"That smarted," she grumbles, rising to her feet. She looks over to Elstia and Auros. "We've work to do."

"I take it you learned something," Elstia ventures.

"Aye," Luciel nods. "Zwei's doing something in parallel with us currently, hopefully helping. Auros, Elstia, when Drei is awake have him and auntie look for a way out and Fyryg. If it's possible I'll need you to escape and help uncle Nana while Fyr-"

"Hold on, you want us to leave you here," Auros starts.

"I'll be fine, especially if you can find Fyryg. If not, I'll need you Auros, but you'll need to drop that minor resentment you hold for mother. It is literally making things more difficult."

"I hadn't noticed," he replies. "You need a Purifier."

"Aye and it's either you or Fyryg on that front if Zwei and Elstia are going to keep the little one bound."

"Why is my sister actually making sense," he sighs. "I'll try in the event we can't find Fyryg."

"Good."

Outer Ring - Infiltrate
Kyomu, who had been staring at the sphere in the horizon for a while, speaks up.

"I can help with your friend and getting out." Kyomu intones, not looking away. "Scanning is my specialty, aside from True Purges."

"That'd be grand, thank you," Luciel says.

Kyomu turns, and faces the city itself, her eyes glow a brilliant, intense blue, and a ripple of blue energy flows from her in all directions, out into the city.

"Any ideas," Auros asks. "You'd probably notice another Purifier."

"Either I'm being blocked, she's in reality, she's dead, or she wasn't in the city at the time of the incident." She continues scanning, looking for oddities within the city that could match the first criteria.

She notes that there is a very faint presence of burning purity, but it abruptly vanishes as if something is masking it.

Kyomu looks at the group. "Who can go fast?" She says, notching an arrow.

Auros gets up. "Me or Lu, but I'm faster."

Elstia chimes in. "If I've encountered an item, place or being before I can displace myself to that area."

"Decide, I've locked onto the general area. It'll be up to you to keep up with the arrow. I'm not waiting for the target to move." Without warning, she fires a pale arrow which streaks off in the direction of the signal she picked up.

In a flash, Auros vanishes and Elstia streaks after him in a flash of blue tinted light.

Kyomu turns toward Luciel. "You changed since you were taken away. Who did you talk to?"

"The Lord of Roses."

"...Right. Don't know who that is. That can't be their real name though. ...Unless it's just a cognitive being...?" Kyomu drifts off in thought.

A teal shockwave erupts from the area of the city where Auros and Elstia went, accompanied by a putrid aura permeating the area, but just as quickly it is gone.

Kyomu sighs. "This isn't a good time for that... regardless, no use complaining now... shall we go? One of us will have to take the Child."

Almost immediately after a pink wave of burning light washes over that part of the city.

"You carry the Child," Luciel shouts, white demonic wings sprouting from her back as she rockets forward, leaving a shockwave in her wake.

Kyomu looks at the Child. "I hope you realize how annoying you are sometimes..." Kyomu grabs the Child, disappearing and reappearing close by the scene of battle. Meanwhile, unseen from far above, a yellow cloaked figure observes the dreamworld below...

Kyomu and Luciel arrive at the scene of pink and teal flashes striking at each other, scores and pits in the ground appearing when a clash is near the ground. Briefly, the clashes stop and the pair are able to make out Auros holding Fyryg, eyes steeled and a raven haired woman with silvery black eyes, clad in a mix of ebon and static armor meshed with some sort of body suit. Elstia is nowhere to be seen but her presence can be sensed from the mysterious woman, nonchalantly brandishing a crystal tipped great spear and a simple buckler. She turns to Luciel and Kyomu, the latter sensing extremely concentrated amounts of pure evil as the woman simply smiles.

"My time is up," she says, dodging a wave of pink energy from Auros, "We'll meet again dear boy and perhaps you'll make use of that sword of yours... the *real* one. Until then." And like that she vanishes in teal flames.

"..." Kyomu's eyes glow a strong blue, before fading back to gold. ''Subroutine: memorize. ...In case that becomes a problem again, I'll see through that in the next encounter.''

"Any of you injured? If not, explain what happened, and quickly. My routines are telling me to deal with Shinwa and be done with it, so time wasted not reaching her core and preventing it from incubating and escaping into reality is preferable. Current levels indicate we have only a few more days." Kyomu speaks frankly and with steel.