Event || Melodies of Death

[melodiesofdeath]

Characters: Kalki and you.
Where: Aqures Ixen, 03rd District.
When: August 03rd.
Summary: As promised, Kalki is before the Crystal of Fire. Every character has the possibility to speak to her (or try to kill her). If you want to speak to her individually, please reply to the first thread! If you want to play out the conclusion, please reply to the second thread-- It is a lead-in to the next part of the Anniversary event and will be one single, big thread.
Warning: All of them.

Open Thread
Where It All Began

Comments

[desertbloomed]

"Aqures Tosf was clearly due to the experimentation on the crystal; I read your journal, Kalki. You wanted to stop it - and yet, what you learned that night instead spurred you on to repeat the same tragedy at Roalie, and attempt to do so here in Aqures Ixen. I - "

Ashelia stops, raising an eyebrow. "Ask her myself? She...she survived?"

[melodiesofdeath]

"You do not understand. The previous Heroes of Light nearly managed to break the cycle. One generation alone of Hero of Light could do nothing, but cycle after cycle, drop after drop, they nearly succeeded."

She marked another pause.

"This cycle wouldn't have happened if Palitutu hadn't uncovered it herself, if she hadn't found Garland and awakened him to his role. The Calamity would have destroyed Crystallis and then your world. We don't repeat tragedies out of cruelty, but out of necessity."

[desertbloomed]

"I am not unfamiliar with that line of thinking," Ashelia answered. "What, then was the purpose of Roalie? Of the Night of the Thirteen Moogles? What necessitated those?" Ashelia's tone is half accusatory and half curiosity - even so, the young queen is clearly more invested in figuring this out and pointing fingers.

She crossed her arms, tapping on her bicep with her curled fingers. "You speak as if it were chance, that Garland's appearance was pure coincidence, and yet if there is to be a cycle, there are certain events that must transpire without fail, no?"

[melodiesofdeath]

"Of course, his appearance is no mere coincidence."

She chuckled.

"But the combined efforts of the previous Heroes nearly broke the cycle. The Crystals no longer had the energy left to summon you. On his own, this incarnation of Garland would never have remembered his purpose and past lives because of what the previous Heroes did to him. Palitutu spent her entire life trying to fix what the previous Heroes did. She even rose Garland-- Without her, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

[desertbloomed]

"I see...the cycle as a safeguard must be preserved. If the Heroes cannot destroy the Calamity and heal the First Crystal, the task must needs fall to the next cycle..." Ashelia nodded slowly, silent for a moment, before looking back at Kalki, meeting the woman's eyes.

"I was bestowed a vision in the garden in the Rift. I saw...I saw the Calamity, its true form. It consumed the planet, the memories of its people, all of reality..." She trailed off as she shook her head, bringing one hand to press on her temple. "It haunts me still. I suspect it will for some time. It...it cannot come to pass. I will do anything to prevent this." She clenched her jaw, bringing her hand down from her head. "Anything."

[melodiesofdeath]

"You only saw part of this vision."

Kalki seemed to know exactly what she was talking about.

"The vision describes an inescapable fear. Those who see it-- Nearly always, they are driven mad by the revelation."

[desertbloomed]

"Only part?" Ashelia looked up, head cocked to the side. "There's more? But...how? If the Calamity consumes all...?"

She doesn't touch that last sentence - any protest would be childish. Instead, she just nodded, jaw clenched once more - Kalki obviously knew what she was talking about. And Ashelia hadn't been able to get it out of her mind since...

[melodiesofdeath]

"You should ask Sephiroth."

With that said, she turned back to the Crystal and went silent. It didn't seem she'd reply any more questions for now.