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

[wolfish]

[ His strides had slowed when Gavial paused, but when she catches up he resumes his usual pace. They only have so much time before they're shuffled off to the next place, and he fully intends them to reach their destination before that can happen. ]

I'd considered the possibility. No one else alive knows the place like I do, and His Majesty would likely consider it practical.

[ The war had still been on, when he'd been swept up into all this. When they were so close to putting an end to it, it'd be an understatement to say that it was frustrating to be torn away from his comrades and homeland. He can only imagine Byleth felt much the same, with the added bonus of no one remembering the same events until Yuri'd joined him here. ]

Dimitri from my version of Fódlan, I mean. He's got a sharp mind for things like that — where people can do the most good.

[ In stark contrast to Count Rowe, Yuri has nothing short of genuine respect for his king. For the one here as well, but the way he knows the Dimitri summoned to Kenos is quite different. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[That’s something Gavial can respect—letting people play to their strengths to do what’s good. Hell, it’s the whole reason she and Zumama had figured out how to patch things up after butting heads when Gavial had finally returned home for the first time in practically seven years. They might not understand one another’s interests, but what they did understand is how much it meant to them, and the desire they had to put it to use for others.]

Practical, huh.

[She mulls the word over a little as she lets her eyes wander along the stones of the corridor. In what way, she couldn’t be sure, though he had offered a little bit of insight into that when he’d first approached her about this whole venture, hadn’t he?]

You’d said this place was made for sieges, right? Must’ve been a lot of fighting going on to make that worthwhile.

[Hard to tell with only a brief glance at this world of his, but Gavial understood the way conflicts might play out that way even if her own experiences had been more in open skirmishes and precisely-planned deployments.]

[wolfish]

Faerghus' independence was something it had to fight for, so a fortress along the its border with the Empire is invaluable.

[ It's an involved but of history, but Yuri can't imagine it'd be all too interesting to hear about. The broad strokes get the point across besides — it's less a matter of frequent battle and more the prospect of it. Sure enough, Adrestia's emperor had targeted Arianrhod after declaring war, and Rowe's erstwhile lord had handed it right to her. ]

Even if the continent's unified under one ruler, there's still value in structures like this. For instance, were we to deal with a natural disaster, civilians could take refuge here... Not to mention, it's a secure place to store supplies.

[ While Yuri knows sieges, he also knows looking after the interests and safety of people. Their homes aren't so advanced as some of what he's seen during this particular Oracle's test, and foul enough conditions can not only ruin residences but farms and food stores. ]

All this, down here? Traps aside, it could be useful for emergency food stores.

[ He pauses abruptly, shifting to the other side of the hall. As he does so, he points at a subtle trigger mechanism in the wall. With a closer inspection, there are slots between the stones through which the points of spears can be seen nested between. ]

[kinaesthesia]

[Broad strokes are perfect for Gavial, frankly. She knows she lacks the proper context to really hammer everything home, but the little snatches of insight are interesting to her because it means she gets to learn a little bit about Yuri in the process. She’s never been one to put an enormous amount of weight on the idea of how much one’s home could shape them—it plays a part, yeah, but it’s not the be all end all—but it’s a neat chance to get a little more insight than she would have otherwise.

And this place itself is just interesting. Each trap pointed out earns an eager little glance from her and she takes it all in with the casual ease of someone enjoying an adventurous little stroll. They might be on a mission in search of that Shard, but that’s not gonna stop her from enjoying the ride.]

Pretty good to have a solid place for people to take refuge, that's for sure. Feels a little weird to think of a shelter from natural disasters bunkered down in one place, though. [She laughs.] Places like that were meant to move, back where I'm from.