melodiesoflife | Event || Beginning Of The End

"Are we guaranteed to lose one job, or is it that we will have only one? There is a difference, if we only go to face our Shadow with a single job equipped."

Ramza would go either way, but it would be better to be prepared. He had been inside of Dycedarg's mind when his brother had succumbed to the power of the Black Crystal in the world of the past. The subconscious struggle between man and Calamity had been hidden from him, but he knew the cost of failure, at least.

"If we can use the Black Crystals more than once, so that all that would face their Shadows, I wish to do so. I owe it to the civilians that lost their lives during the murders to defeat that part of myself."

Edited 2016-10-06 16:05 (UTC)

Rukia thought about this quietly. She knew she'd been able to use the black crystal without ill effects, but it had been for a different purpose -- merging with the Tree of Life, rather than drawing on its power. She was certain that was why she hadn't been physically mutated into something else, because she had been the one begging to be accepted by the Calamity rather than the other way around.

Initially she hadn't intended to say anything. However, standing near Jade allowed her to notice the very faint signs of his tension. She thought she could guess why, given what he'd told her about his own use of the black crystal. Her gaze traveled across the room, studying the faces of the other Heroes. The ones who had been manipulated by Narasimha seemed more prone to displaying their horror and unease. Who could blame them?

But was that really correct, that their Shadow selves secretly desired to cut loose and kill the people they cared about? Rukia had severe doubts.

She folded her arms, her brow furrowed in thought. "Most of us aren't repressing any homicidal urges," she mused with a small frown. "I find it difficult to believe that every single Hero in the hospital the previous year desired only to slaughter innocent people. Note that they didn't attack each other, only those with sentience. It may be the inherent nature of the Calamity to destroy and absorb in its misguided efforts to become whole that makes us dangerous when that side of ourselves is tapped. Were it not for the Calamity's influence, using the Black Crystal wouldn't lead to such disastrous results. However, this adds a dangerous element to our unrestrained selves. We will need the will to not only accept our Shadows, but to resist the urges of the Calamity itself as well."

Rukia regarded the Sage pensively. "Will knowledge alone of what we must do be enough for us to face this part of ourselves without immediately succumbing and becoming mutated? Or is there something more required?"

Ira's shoulders tense as the Sage explains what could happen. This talk of dying and being taken over by the Calamity Self... it was both familiar and not, though he couldn't really place a finger on why. Was it one of those potential futures he'd glimpsed, before he-?

That didn't matter now. What mattered now was that they worked together, and accepted what they rejected. For most of them might not be supressing homicidal urges, but he certainly was, among other things. Yet now that the Sage mentioned it, and the need to accept it...

Would he be able to? To accept what he's been running from for years?

"The light of awakening always was painful," he muttered under his breath, letting out a sigh as he turned to look at Twilight. "I will. My memory might be full of lies, but... I made a promise. One I can't keep if I don't face 'It'. And if I succeed, maybe there'll be hope for everyone else."

Why, he won't say just yet, but those that know him likely know why he's so sure about that.

Cloud had already recently faced himself, though perhaps not quite in the same way. It was an encounter that was still on his mind but lifted a great deal of the weight sitting on his shoulder. But he'd be lying if he said that all of his doubts were gone. And then there was the matter of those who had been exposed to the powers of the black crystal.

"I don't think it's as simple as 'homocidal urges'. Last October the Black Crystal was used to make me into a puppet. Same thing with the murders. And then the previous October when Tifa..." He shook his head, "It's the things that we want to deny that we'd do if push came to shove. It doesn't have to be murder. Betrayal can be enough. Or maybe it's smaller things like the fears we're sitting on."

He looked up and nodded at Ramza, thankful for him bringing up the question on his mind. "All I know is that if I don't do this I'll wonder about it forever."

Sparks folded his arms, frowning in thought over what the Sage had told them. Something came to mind.

"Okay, so, ya lose a Job in the process of tryin' to fight it. But ya don't have to fight it one-on-one, do ya? There's a lot of us here."

Albel had remained quiet as he listened, brow furrowed. It was hard not to immediately be angry... and it wasn't toward Deadpool. He actually had no problem with the masked man's threat of violence. Deadpool was frequently a lot of talk, but he was a strong warrior. If violence was what it took to ensure things progressed... Well, far be it from Albel to interfere when he might have done the same thing. But what the Sage was saying made sense. He remembered his single-minded pursuit of Kalki's plan, propelling Terra forward to godhood...

And now Terra was gone. Unless she came back, it would appear they had already changed the future once.

However, when the Sage described the "Shadows" and what was necessary to combat them, Albel was perhaps the only Hero to smile. "So -- we are to face what we repress, humanized with its own job. Makes sense. Our perfect foe would be ourselves."

At the time of the first vision, he had to admit, he would have been unprepared. But now... He rested a hand on the hilt of the Crimson Scourge. The blade resonated its own opinion on the situation within his skull. This was no different than what he had done in Airyglyph. He had succeeded then, and he would succeed again.

Sheena was quiet for several moments, her brows furrowed deep in thought. Finally, she looked up and addressed the Sage directly.

"Do we have to have Jobs equipped when we face ourselves? If that's what we're going to be doing, how about we go all the way and face them as we truly are? With our original skills and not anything given to us by the Crystals?"

Lailah was silent for most of the exchange, but she pricked up her ears to listen to Sheena. It was a very good question - if they wanted people experienced with combat, why take their unique combat abilities away? Unless there was a specific reason for it... it still felt like the problems of this land should be solved by the people of this land.

That or perhaps she was just becoming jaded.

"I have to say, Miss Fujibayashi's inquiry is something I'm interested in as well." Lailah commented, almost silently.

"Kalki already answered this one," Jack looks between Sheena and Lailah. "Why do you think we can equip two jobs when nobody else can?" A shrug. "Our Calamity selves. So when we separate them out?" Jack snaps his fingers. "Only one job. Banking on the idea that when we re-integrate them, accept them, we'll regain that ability, but now that part is no longer in conflict."

"Because is the goal to defeat the shadows or to accept them? Combat might have nothing to do with it." A cautious glance at Sparks. If there's anybody who Jack thinks they need to pass this test, it's him.

Shadows, huh? Hisui already defeated one back home of himself, so this hardly seems like news. Aside from that, the way jobs work in this world made him think they had something more important than just being a convenient way to get more powerful. And that one chick who died and left her job for everyone else...? Could that be an ultimate goal? But why destroy the world in the process? "If combat isn't the main goal, then I can say with confidence that many of us are screwed," Hisui muttered under his breath.

Tsubomi thought about this for a bit. This was certainly like the Final Test she and the other Cures went throug to gain the Super Silhouette forms. This one would be no different. But, things changed...

"I think this is going to be a tall hill to climb..."

He heard about the Black Crystals and the visions that others had but he never experienced them himself. At least the ones the were talking about. He found Lailah had also found her way here along with Hisui in which he gives a small smile at eye contact. They were all trying to fight for the same purpose right?

The whole Calamity self thing is definitely a bit shocking to hear about but the world was unique and advance in its own way, along with the Calamity. There had to be ways to fight it. This might be the solution they were looking for, however the dangers that follow it weren't exactly preferable but they had to do what they can.

Listening to Rukia speak made Mikleo a bit unnerved on terms of the "homicidal urges," that happened not too long ago. He felt a uneasy talking about the topic all together. He can't possibly believe that he entirely wants to do things like hurt people.

"If it is the matter of accepting them, then it will be much more difficult than simply fighting them. Even if the question has been answered before, there's nothing wrong with revisiting them."

Edited 2016-10-09 17:54 (UTC)

"Most people have a side of themselves they don't show others, for one reason or another. It's a lot to take in, so it's no wonder that we may be circling back to questions we may have already asked," Flynn added. "What it may come down to is how we want people to see us, or rather how much we fear others not accepting parts of ourselves we keep hidden." It was easy enough for Flynn to imagine what that could be like, given that people usually saw him as a shimmering knight. "After being here for a while, I think we've all seen parts of ourselves and others we wouldn't normally come across. This seems like a logical next level in those experience."

Albel shook his head at Jack. "That may be so -- but it doesn't exactly address what Sheena said. Or Ramza. What if we only have one job? Or none?"

He wasn't even sure that they could have no job while they were here. Everyone had arrived with one simply assigned to them; even "no job" was Freelancer.

"Would the Shadow take that job? Fight for it? Not that fighting is guaranteed to occur..." Albel shrugged and shook his head again. There seemed to be so much focus on combat. And while combat was his strength, it was for that reason it would not be truly a challenge for him.

"Not everyone represses 'homicidal rages.' Not every Hero was possessed to murder their neighbor. This... fight... it will be an individual challenge, unique to each of us." Albel looked to Sheena with a subtle nod to his sword. She was there. It was the only way he could think of this.

"Perhaps the Shadow will always possess the job, the powers, the abilities -- that's the challenge. So, if we are still to succeed, then we must be a bit more creative than that."

Chrom remained quiet, his head bowed pensively. A side of himself that would cause him horror? Possibly outrage? He thought he'd always been fairly honest about his shortcomings, but perhaps there really is something there under the surface he hasn't acknowledged.

He glanced up at the others as they discussed the jobs available. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to make use of that Santa Claus job. Then again, he'd feel pretty bad about cutting down a security elf. One of the lower level jobs, then?

...The Firebender job?

He scrubbed a hand over his face. He had a really bad feeling about equipping that particular job, because if the Shadow version of himself took it... Well, he did hate to make a habit out of being incinerated.

"We'll have to choose our jobs carefully, I assume," he said, massaging the bridge of his nose. "What about those already in crystal stasis? Will they be able to awaken and face themselves as well?"

Sheena looked at Jack. "I have the ability to wear more than ten rings on my fingers and thumbs," she said, holding up her hands. "That doesn't mean I do. Just because you have that ability doesn't mean you have to use it."

Sighing, she leaned back against the wall. What she was about to say could only be said because Albel was there.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I think I was already given a glimpse of what my shadow would be. And to be honest, I'm not at all surprised by it." She paused before looking up again and facing Albel.

"Those illusions we encountered a few months ago when we were thrown into another part of the world."

“Combat isn’t the only option. However if you succumb, it might be your friends’ only option to save you.”

He looked at those who suggested not equipping any Jobs to face the Calamity Self.

“Once given a physical shape, your Calamity Self will have its own Job—One born from Narayana you can never access nor use. It is the same Job the avatars who awakened to the truth can use. Facing it with only one or no Job will not change that fact. However, it may change you.” A pause. “Moogles will have to handle the Black Crystal. Moglin will give them the instructions so they can safely draw out your Calamity Selves. What has to be done from there, only you can say it. The information on how to proceed will be given in November. October… Is too dangerous of a time for you to try this.”

He turned to them and said no more words for the time. It seemed as though the time for question was over and he would say no more.

"Change us? How so?" Rukia blinked. Did he mean it in a physical sense, or a mental...? ...Ah. Having visited twice before, Rukia could now recognize the signs that the discussion was now over. She released her breath in a quiet sigh and rose to her feet.

November, then. They had time to prepare. And it was good to know that her suspicions about October not passing peacefully were confirmed at least, so the trouble was less likely to catch them unaware.

"Thank you for the warning, and for your time." She bowed politely before looking at the door, then at the sage. He'd said others would show up late, but no one ever did. Unless that person was invisible...? Ah, well. It didn't matter now. Rukia departed to begin the long journey to the bottom of the stairs. There was a lot to think about and discuss.

Kaji's moogle, Shinji, silently flutters forwards. The Black Crystals again. He has hated every step that's put them closer to those Crystals, and he has hated both Mograma and Artemicion for dragging them into this. But if this is the only way?

"We'll- we'll do this, kupo. We'll use the Black Crystals for you. But." Shinji's mouth forms a line like he's screwing up his courage for a second. "If you do this, you'd better promise to win!" He nods hard, and the Scholar hat on his head wobbles. "We can't lose any more of you, kupo."

He's talking to more than just his own Hero, but Kaji gives Shinji a proud look at his words. "We'll get to work finding the other two, then. So that we can do this a little faster."

Jack looks around, and he can't seem to find two of the people who he needs to talk to, so he goes up to Cloud, alone. He pitches his voice down. "I need a word. Privately. Talk to me on the airship back?" There are layers of implications here that they need to discuss.

Cloud seemed a little surprised to be singled out but he gave Jack a quick nod. If he didn't find him on the airship later they'd certainly talk sometime soon.

But the young Hero looks back to the Sage, his brow furrowing in thought about what they were just told. A part of him wonders if facing his Calamity self with no job equipped would be the "right" way to go about it. It may well be how he'd go about it when the time came. He wasn't sure what to expect out of all of this, but he knew this was what he'd been building himself towards all this time.

The same job the avatars can use? Great. If it was that whole, mind control/illusion thing that they've already been subjected to...

Well, Mithos had tried the same thing with her once before. And she got through that with the simple thought that she was who she was. And that it was all right for her to be alive and be there. She sighed and pushed herself from the wall to start back down the stairs.

"Damnation or salvation." She had said those words then, and they were appropriate even now. From what the Sage and Kalki had said, they were going to fight the part of themselves they denied...

A mental battle... Which was a lot worse than a physical one. All you got from the latter was the chance of dying. The former: a living death.

And by Martel, she didn't want to be a Lifeless Being.

Albel could tell Sheena had a lot on her mind. They all did. Most, if not all, of them had secrets that would be revealed and tested in the time ahead.

For now, he caught up with his lover on the stairs and silently took her hand. He wouldn't presume to know exactly what she thought, what she feared -- but he was there for her.

Sheena did have a lot on her mind, yes. She also had a heavy dose of fear coursing through her. Fear of failure, fear of abandonment, fear of losing those she cared about...

And this time, she doubted her usual headstrong ways wouldn't get her out of it.

Feeling Albel's hand take hers, she slowed her steps and did something that probably not only surprised him--but shocked the hell out of her as well.

She placed her head on his shoulder, seeking silent comfort.

Event || Beginning Of The End

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