THE ADVOCATE ORACLE - A RIP VAN WINKLE IN TIME

[beleos]

Sweet dreams are made of Bliss

As the twilight falls, and bearers begin to tuck in for their evenings on the night of the 15th of March (OOC time) and whether they tuck themselves into bed fully, or simply drift away in the middle of their dinner, work, indulgences, or what have you; bearers will fall into a deep, deep sleep. Perhaps you slump in your chair, or you wrap your arms around a teddy bear, or partner, or cup a precious shard in your sleep, it doesn’t matter, because as you drift away, into a sleep that seems to tug you under like the undertow itself, a question will echo in bearer’s minds: “If given the choice, would you show compassion in the face of adversity?”

It sticks with you, even as you fall into a dreamless sleep. As if it rotates in your mind, over and over, letting you worm over that. You know for certain what it is, that it is the calming, soothing voice of the Oracle, reaching out to you across the ether, telling you – promise you – that if you accept its promise, you will find that the Oracle could be in your hands. That thought leads you to dream of something else – of home, or your loved ones – of what you are fighting this war for. Even as you dream, you feel a presence next to you, and unlike the Harbinger’s winding, rough digging, this is more akin to a friend, who is asking you soft, coaxing questions. Things like: what was your childhood like? What were your friends like? What did you do? You cannot help but think of them, think of your home and your loved ones. Of where you came from, and how it made you what you are.

The advocate seeks to understand you, and where you come from. You can feel it, that overwhelming Acceptance and love from it, even as you reminisce, compelled to answer the multitude of questions, you can feel something building behind you, around you. “Don’t you want them all to understand this?” the impression is given through communion, and you cannot help but answer: yes.

Click your Heels together, Dorothy!

As you awake for the first time, it’s alien, the world that meets you. New smells fill your nostrils, new sights, the gravity is perhaps different than you’ve gotten used to on Kenos, even those slight shifts enough to make the world feel wholly different. You remember the advocate’s words, and it wants you to feel what it feels. Understanding. Compassion, and perhaps there is a sense that doing so would hurt yourself in turn, if you understood too much. That is the advocate’s way, after all, isn’t it?

You feel an inexorable, slight tug in your chest. Something subtle and gentle, the slightest of sensations, that gives you a direction. You know it, your mind only just now comprehending the advocate’s confusing impressions via communion, that there is something of this world’s… Soul/center/heart or whatever word you want to use for it. Something about this world that will help you along your path, and help you with the results you so desire. You know it will not guarantee a victory, but surely it will help. Especially as your numbers dwindle from world to world. You are left with an impression from the Advocate -- if you die, they cannot bring you back. There is apology in this, but alone, one oracle is limited. Only united, can they truly change your fate.

The lingering presence of the advocate starts to fade. You know this is a bearer’s world, if not your own. You look around, to see perhaps a familiar face nearby? Or perhaps you are alone. Does it matter? You know that this place belongs to a bearer, but whether they are a friend or an enemy, one has to begin to determine that. You’ll need your wits, you’ll need your strength and resolve to make it to the end of this, won’t you?

After all, as bearers were recently reminded: this is War. This is not simply the fate of this world, but perhaps all, as it will require you to find the answer to this question. So you start to move, you start to look around, explore, and search. For the soul of each world, for the bearers that lie dreaming within, and your foes that will seek you out. Stay steadfast, for the way out will come, if you make it to the end. The longer you spend in each world, however, the more the shadows look darker, and deeper. Hungrier. The more the spaces seem smaller or compressed. As if there is something gnawing away at the sides, making their way to the heart.

Around the world in 60 seconds 12 hours

When you find yourself at the end, when you close your eyes – only a blink, but it hangs, as if the momentary motion is enough to suspend you into a suspended space before. You can see the two options stretched out before you – metaphysically – the impression of it. A long, long shadow cast over one. As if there is a presence hovering over and above, like waiting jaws, ready to strike. In the other, there remains…nothing. It is not pleasant, it is not comforting, it simply… is. A sense that there is now a lack of anything, almost like it had never existed before.

Does this world have value? You can feel the Advocate ask. Do you want to give them a chance to live? Or does should this world cease, is there nothing here to save?

And though you are compelled, required to answer, you know this question for what it is. Short-sighted. Both, in the end, will lead to its destruction, but which will you choose? Will you allow the world to continue, even with that long shadow cast, like a hungry beast with snapping jaws; or will you erase it from existence and spare it that oncoming apocalypse?

Catch [???] Winks

The last world’s fate decided, bearers float in an endless sea of stars. You can see them all, spread before you. Intermittently, they wink out, swallowed into the darkness, consumed as the shadows, that inky-black nothingness grows ever-larger. It looks upon you, bearers. It is nothing, but you have its attention, and your blood runs cold, your limbs frozen. You cannot move, you cannot speak, you cannot breathe. You feel it, the power of being drawn into it, like it wants to consume you. Like it knows you.

T̸̢̼̯͓̬̘́̀̋̆͊h̷͔̣̱̝͍̬̣͕̄̂͗̆͒͌͜ͅẹ̶̱̩̅͒̿̇͠ ̵̭̹͇͖̔̀ṃ̸̢̧͙̟̼̜͌͆̍͝͝ͅo̴̟̞̓̆̇̐̆͊̽͆̂̀r̶͈̺̮̠͙̗͌ę̸̤̻̈́͐͂̓̊͐̂͆ ̵̡̛͎̩̳̤͔͚̱̼̆̒̓y̴̺̞̹̺̝̤͂ǫ̷̡̣̱̥͊̈́̓͑̕͘ű̵̼͜͜ ̶̨̨̝̟̘̱͇̲̻̪̊͂̽̈̒͊f̴̱̐͌̌̓̋̔́̀͝i̶͖̤͎̬̝̦͒̂g̸̳̰̟̀̓̽̈́̐h̸̼͍̮͎̊̅͗͊̈͋̽̀͘t̴͔͚́̓,̷̨̧̱̠̙̠̙̱̒̍̽̾ ̷̖̰̼̬̟͐̊̂t̶̖̄͂̅̃̍͐̊̑̅͜͝h̴̢̛͙̪̞̫̝̺̋̅̿͛̇̚͝͝ͅͅȩ̶͉̤͍̠́̈͑̏͋̚͘͝ ̸̢̨̧͚̖̤̪̬̪̀̉̐͗̂͆͑̚̕̚c̴̠̩̳͎̲̪͔̟̈́͂̉͑́l̶̡̲̻̣̘̏́ͅo̶̢̧͔͈̬̳̰͈̝̻͌̋̆̃͒͗̏͘ş̴̪̺̣̥̎̽̿͗̒́͛̕̚̚e̴̺͍̤͖͂̇͑͂̋͂̆̾r̴̨̩̈́͋͠ ̷̧͚̲̩̖̋͒̉́͗y̶̘̖̝̑̈͊ǒ̵͚̽u̵͎͍̇̀̏̊̕͝ŕ̷͎̜̘͙̀̋ ̶͇̲̝̞̖̝̣̘̝̬͋d̷͔͈͔̀̿õ̴̝̯͇̹̘̏͗͜ö̵͚͓͆m̵͉̦̫̥̦̞̫͐̆͐̿͊͒͌͋͜.̷̼͈̻̥̜̾̏͐̾̐͆͘͜

You gasp, as you startle awake, and open your eyes for the first time in a long time.

CODING

Comments

[hauntedking]

It was... a difficult time of my life. But one day, I will.

[ That's a promise, he thinks. Something he'll be willing to share later. ]

Ashe is better at it than I am. You as well.

[wolfish]

One day it is then.

[ Yuri accepts that easily, reaching for Dimitri's hand once again. Beyond the alley, there's those dense crowds to deal with. ]

Ashe finds it embarrassing, at least in my time, but we both have a background in stealing to survive. So he's got the magic touch, if you're ever locked out of your office or the like.

[hauntedking]

I'll keep that in mind. Although I'll try not to embarrass him too much...

[ He gives that hand a squeeze as they start to filter back into the pedestrian traffic. ]

I guess we keep looking, no?

[wolfish]

Only thing we can do, till we're tossed someplace else.

[ He'd joke that they'd surely be scolded if they got caught doing anything else, but he opts against it. These contests are important, no matter how strange or difficult they are. ]

Wonder how much time we've got, anyway...

[hauntedking]

Impossible to say. Although we might be able to estimate...

[wolfish]

True. There's a set interval, yeah? Not that time's easy to gauge in some of these places.

[hauntedking]

No. Some of them measure time differently. Or track it oddly...

We're left guessing, I think.

[wolfish]

Would be nice if these Oracles ever primed us for success...

[ He puffs out a sigh, but he knows it can't be helped. ]

But we're not to be underestimated.

[hauntedking]

If this place has taught me anything it's to expect the unexpected... And to never really think these oracles are going to make it easy.

[wolfish]

Capricious if not cruel, seems to me.

[ They round a corner, the crowds still not abating. Maybe the whole city's like this. ]

[hauntedking]

Certainly closer to that than benevolent.

[ It really is incredible. So many people packed into such a small space. ]

But their power is apparently needed... so many questions and so few answers.

[wolfish]

I should finally get to collect on that thing I told you about, after this.

[ And about damn time. ]

Hope it gives us a real lead.

[hauntedking]

That would be the hope... there's still so much we don't understand about this place.

[wolfish]

Makes me wish we had more time... There could be some way to help these people, some method they don't have or didn't consider.

[ He can't help thinking about this. ]

[hauntedking]

Healing magic, perhaps. But that would require speaking to the college in Fhirdiad and they're... obviously not here.

[wolfish]

True... We don't have many medical experts in either faction, so far as I'm aware.

[ Odd, given how essential healers are in war. ]

[hauntedking]

We don't, do we? I wonder if we should try to change that. I have some healing magic and know some basic battlefield first aid, but...

[wolfish]

We'd benefit from improving our strengths in that department. What if whatever force brings us back stops doing so? I don't...think we should rely on it.

[hauntedking]

True. I do have my healing magic, as mentioned... but I don't think that will be enough in the long run.

[wolfish]

...You know I'd be willing to teach you more, right?

[ Surely that's a given, relationship or no...

But yes relationship. Dimitri has privileges. ]

[hauntedking]

Oh - well. I hadn't thought of that, actually. But if you can teach me, I'm happy to learn.

[wolfish]

That almost sounds like a challenge.

[ One he's sure he can meet. ]

[hauntedking]

A request, I would like to think. Surely.

[wolfish]

I'm confident that I can teach you a thing or two.

[ Punctuated by an ever so small, experimental swing of their hands. ]

No doubt you're a model student.

[hauntedking]

Well, I did do my best to excel.

[ Dimitri laughs again. ]

So I'll look forward to your instructions.