[IC] ANKL Chapter I: As if a Dream

[Shamitako]

Natalie

Natalie smiled at Arya's response. It was far more comforting than she deserved.

"Okay, just, give me a minute to think something up." Natalie said, "There's no codes for Time and Earth embedded into the divinity system, since Layla only had on-"

"A-ANYWAYS." Layla interrupted loudly and with her face extremely reddened, "H-how about we just get to m-making it."

Natalie held back a snicker, she hadn't realized Layla would be so embarrassed over the matter, "Alright, alright. Time Eye, lemme toss you some words. This would be easier if Lexi were here for the poetry part though."

"W-we can manage."

Natalie shut her eyes in concentration. She knew Arya alright, so it wouldn't be too hard. But the whole reason Nayru and Layla had come up with the divinity system was to avoid having to make personal chants for everyone like this, particularly since neither of them was the poet in the family. After a moment, she managed a list of words:

"Memory

Paradise

Dying

Mother, father

Repair

That enough?"

"Y-yes, I can work with that." Layla answered and after a moment came up with,

"Memory of lost

Paradise betrayed

Visions dying in life

Mother of my father

I repair the world"

"That sounds terrible, in any language." Natalie said teasingly.

"Well it should work so whatever."

Natalie nodded and said to Arya, "Alright, say that chant and you should be able to unlock your abilities."

Layla

Layla took the moment where she wasn't needed to answer Anna's question.

"Y-yes." she said, "The Eye of Hope is special, only one can exist at a time. It's important that we know who she is, but other than that it doesn't really matter right now."

Hopefully it would never have to matter, so long as the Eye wasn't tainted Layla was certain that they would certainly side with Alexus, and Alexus was only a threat to those who got directly in her way.

[Sutoratosu]

Arya

It definitely wasn't the best few verses she had ever heard, but with a shrug she gave it a shot. Half her mind curious as to just what a Time Eye could do and the other half dreading the outfit change she knew was coming, the words seemed to flow more naturally to her than Layla's prosing had made them sound:

Memory of lost paradise betrayed.

Visions, dying in life.

Mother of my father, I repair the world.

There was nothing, for a moment. And then like wild fire, it began to spread. A shimmering light, a spark of crimson glory. Her fingers changed first, dark grey bleeding over the surface of her nails as once bare hands now clad in black, tactical gloves as the light of transformation swam up her arms like water eeking over glass, her wrist burning as three identical eyes branded themselves against the exposed skin just and a metallic bracer graced the front of her forearm while the rest of it became clad swathed in pure black, kevlar sleeves, the outward faces studded with grey ballistic plates that were almost as instantly covered by the identically hued cloth of the tattered poncho and hood forming around the girl's slender shoulders, covering the body armor forming over her chest just as it had her arms and flowing down to end just above her knees. Just as the pain on the wrists died, so too did the heat she felt on her legs as more tattoo like markings scattered the skin of her lower body, seeming to bloom into existence from nothing as the ruffles of her skirt fell away, leaving her bare thighs exposed for only a split second before more black fabric and grey body armor rushed up her legs to form battle greaves, padding out the knee and shins and thighs with every inch they covered.

She hadn't even been able to blink between the start and finish of the whole thing... let alone process what was going on. But looking down at what she now wore, she let out a sigh of genuine relief "Oh, thank god... this is nothing compared to what I was fearing. Might not be standard issue fatigues, but it's definitely better than running around in a dress..."

She flexed her now gloved hands, noticing the trio of grey eyes marring the skin. It had to have been what she felt before. She looked back up at Natalie and Layla, though the greatest changes were the ones she herself couldn't even see; The swath of defiant black that once framed her face likewise gone, the ashen white of her hair now unbroken. Her irises no longer their deep, storm grey but rather a crimson that seemed to shimmer with the same ethereal light that had granted her this new form in the first place, their glittering radiance dancing like embers off a great flame.

"By the way... what exactly is a Time Eye? From the name, I assume it has something to do with perception and vision... is it like, an Illusionist or something? A Seer maybe?"

[K_H]

Anna

After hearing Arya's question, Anna shook her head, and then spoke.

"I think that the best way to see what it does is to try it out, like I suggested Esyllt do back in the Dorm Room."

She then turned to Layla.

"Thanks for telling me."

She then realized that she still hadn't activated her own powers yet. Having seen how Arya had managed to get an outfit that wasn't so impractical, she decided that now was as good of a time as any to undergo her own transformation.

"Well, I might as well get this over with. Here goes nothing..."

She then let out a calming breath, clearing her mind as she did so, then launched into the chant that Layla had told her back in the Dorm Room.

"In the raging light of hope,

With the flow of chance,

To save myself from nightmares,

And the unwillingness to surrender,

Lend me your power,

That I may free myself."

As soon as she finished, she started to glow a faint blue, and sparkled white at the feet, the sparkles floating upwards. Then, water started to condense from the surrounding air, forming into a dark blue ball around her. Anna could be seen inside of the ball of water as a faint silhouette curled up in the very center, seemingly shifting if one looked closely.

After the silhouette stopped moving for a few seconds, it uncurled, and then the ball splattered outwards, revealing a much-changed Anna underneath. Her eyes had changed from their previous indigo coloration to an icy blue, and her hair had changed from black to gold, remaining at shoulder-length. Her nails were now painted with blue and cyan, the cyan forming a trio of upwards-pointing triangles in the shape of a larger triangle on top of the dark blue background. Her arms and legs were covered in a tessellating triangular pattern of the same shade as the triangles on her nails, with the downwards-facing triangles not being colored. However, this pattern was not visible on her shins or calves thanks to a pair of futuristic-looking boots comprised of blue steel that had formed around her feet and lower legs. As for her torso, she'd gained a blue miniskirt and tank top underneath a blue-colored kevlar-and-ballistics-plating vest, which was supplemented in the front by a breastplate of the same metal and design as the boots. Behind her, she'd gained a flowing cape with a four-colored checkered pattern consisting of dark blue, yellow, green, and orange, with a central feature being a larger version of the same triangular pattern from her nails in the exact center. The cape was trimmed with brown and grey, and fastened in the front with a pin shaped like a yin-yang symbol consisting of copper and silver. Anna looked at herself, and then gave a phrase that showed what she thought of her new looks.

"I am really liking my new looks. It's certainly much better than a ballroom gown, that's for sure."

Edited August 28, 2016 by K_H

[Shamitako]

(OOC: Meant to have this out last night, but conked out before I finished, sorry :c )

Kallisto

Okay, maybe neglecting the third girl was a bad move. Kallisto thought to herself as Lee transformed. Rein was on the ground, presumably incapacitated, and Emberly seemed frozen with indecision. Kallisto didn't really have time to worry about them, however, as Eden's Curse moved to attack. Kalli lifted her hand to defend, but before she could raise a shield, she felt pressure on the nape of her neck. She hasn't even seen her opponent move and she was already defeated.

"Sorry Kalli, but you don't stand a chance against me, none of you do." Eden's Curse said, "You took everything from me, but I'm here to take it back."

Kallisto lowered her arms in defeat, "Go ahead then, end me."

"What? End you?" It laughed, "Why would I give you such a luxury? No, I'm going to tear you and this would apart. I am going to take everything you love and everything you believe in and I am going to destroy it. I'm not going to kill you, I'm going to break you."

A sound like that of glass breaking resounded from the point at which Eden's Curse's fingers touched Kallisto's neck and an ear-piercing screech flew from Kallisto's throat. Then suddenly the pressure was gone; Eden's Curse and Lee were as well. Kallisto collapsed to her knees in defeat, the shield she had raised for Emberly and Rein collapsing with her. This was her punishment for going against the world. Her punishment, that she could now longer see the Light she held dear. Tears streamed from her broken eyes, now devoid of all color. Greyscale droplets splashed onto her hands as tortured sobs dripped from her throat.

Eden

Time collapsed around Eden, the rip in spacetime allowing her to warp directly behind Kallisto in an instant. She placed her middle and index fingers against the goddess's nape and shattered her vision, tearing the color from her eyes. An instant later, she stood next to Lee once more, the two of them now in another place entirely. They weren't quite to Eden's home, she couldn't go that far in one warp, but they were far from the Opium Institute. They stood in an empty field, devoid of all human influence and with tall grass in every direction. A few trees peeked over the horizon but generally it was empty.

"Sorry if that felt a little uncomfortable, it takes a little while to get used to traveling through broken time." She apologized, "We still need to go a little further, but I figured you' want to talk sooner than that."

Natalie

Now that Arya was able to access her powers, there shouldn't have been anything to worry about. But Natalie still felt uncomfortable, because she hadn't yet revealed the truth. She had been manipulated by the Eye of Hope, and it had resulted in terrible things. Yet at the time it had felt like the answer was so clear. The Eye was powerful enough to bend the will of even the god who controlled Soul, there was no other power anywhere near that level which Natalie had access to, not even the power of Time granted to Arya could come close to matching it. The power to change the world was nothing compared to the power to choose its destiny.

"Natalie, is something wrong?" Layla asked nervously.

"Um, yeah." Natalie answered, "Look, I know you guys came here to talk to my mom, but I also had something I wanted to discuss with her, so would you mind coming back tomorrow?"

"Well, we wanted to discuss finding the other goddesses, but we found you, so that shouldn't be a problem. How about we meet up again tomorrow to discuss our next step?"

"Thanks, and that's fine. How about the library? We can go there after classes."

"Mmm, too public, can you just come to our dorm room?"

"Oh, yeah, that makes more sense." Natalie made this reply with hint of sorrow in her voice. She had been hoping to get a chance to clear things up with the girls earlier.

"Alright, we're in room R34."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Natalie watched Layla round up the others and head out.

Layla

"Sorry to end that so suddenly girls." Layla apologized, "But something was clearly on Natalie's mind so I think it's good we left."

Layla noticed her stutter had faded, perhaps interacting with Natalie had instilled her with confidence? Odd, before the only one of her sisters who could kill Layla's stutter was Alexus. Maybe this incarnation thing had its positives.

"Anyways, when we get back to the room I'll show you all how to use your powers."

(OOC: AKA, offscreen training for timesaving)

Helen

Helen exited the shower almost as soon as the girls had left. She dressed and made a beeline for her daughter.

"So Natalie, I hear you've finally found yourself." She said

"Why am I not surprised that you knew?" Natalie responded.

"Well, I am your mother, I know things. I also know that something is on your mind, so tell me what's up."

"Oh mommy." Natalie said, her eyes welling up, "I messed up. I was tricked into doing something wrong and now I don't know how to fix it."

"There's no way to reverse it?"

"None."

"well then perhaps it ws meant to be this way. Instead of dwelling on the mistake, try to find a way to work this to your advantage. I know you're good at finding solutions, but sometimes you look in all the wrong places."

"Work it to my advantage? I mean, I guess..."

"Listen, Natalie. You are an amazing young woman, but you could stand to learn how to be yourself more often. Too often you hide and expect the world to work itself out if you just focus on yourself. Perhaps that was the same mistake the previous holder of your powers made, perhaps it's a mistake you should learn from." Helen leaned in and kissed Natalie on the forehead, "Trust in others, let them help you. You have friends, like Arya and those other girls, who are willing to help make things right. And above all, you have a mother who loves you."

"I love you too, mommy." Natalie hugged her mother tightly. Trust my friends, trust my mother. I can try.

[Shadow Sketches]

Lee

She had just barely managed to process what had just happened with Eden and Kallisto, when Lee realized that her and Eden were in another place entirely. Her eyes widened with surprise as she looked around her, wondering when the hell did they get in an empty field. For a second she would have believed someone if they told her she was in a dream, but the small headache she had gotten from "teleporting" here was all real. She felt slightly lightheaded for a couple moments but the feeling disappeared after a little while and she felt normal once again.

Stretching her limbs slightly, Lee looked Eden up and down as she gathered her thoughts together. "I am wondering a lot actually, everything that just happened went by in a blur and trying to wrap my head around everything it's tough. For one, who exactly are you? Where are we and what is going on?"

[Shamitako]

(OOC: Sorry Huk, but I've had multiple requests to move forward. So unfortunately you get the Bad Result no matter what)

Eden

Eden shook her head solemnly, "I'm not anyone, just a fragment." She said solemnly, "To explain my existence would be pointless. What matters isn't who I am but why I am. And the why of my existence is that I am here to punish the goddesses for their transgressions against the world." She looked around, checking their area. "We seem to be in the middle of nowhere, this is just a temporary stop on our way to my home in Nayo, we're about halfway, near the border. Don't worry, Kallisto will cover for you so the school and your family won't be concerned. We'll be going back soon enough. As for your final question, I feel my answer to your first question solves that. We're going to ruin the goddesses and save the world." Having answered Lee's questions, although no doubt raising more, Eden tore through spacetime once more and transported them the final leg. They appeared inside a small hovel with only a single cot for furnishings. The single door was half opened and showed thick foliage. A swarm of mosquitoes milled about the mostly empty room. "Sorry for this place, I'll find you somewhere nicer tomorrow, for tonight you can use the cot and I'll sleep on the floor." It was still mid afternoon in this part of the world, but Eden laid down on the floor anyways. Today had been tiring and Lee would still be working with the time from her home, where it was nearing sunset, so she deemed it best to sleep immediately.

(OOC: *Casts sleeping spell* No more exposition for today, I'll move to the next chapter when I get the chance)

[Shamitako]

(OOC: I have done did with the fucking up, I'm so sorry >_<)

Riv

At first the girl refrained from moving, her eye twitching lightly. She bit her lip, her eyes widening in fear. "Oh, nonononononononono...." she whispered to herself, backing away slowly. A cricket? she asked herself, continuing to move away from the small insect. If this thing is a test even for Lexi, then I'm not sure we can be of much help. Her brain couldn't help but flash to Mary Python's Holy Grail, in which a small rabbit unexpectedly decapitated several skilled (albeit wildly hilarious) knights. If this was anything like that, then they were screwed.

Sion

Sion's eye twitched. After the callous display of standing under a rain of blood and guts, there this goddess was pulling the obvious fear reaction. It was honestly hard to believe that a goddess was afraid of insects. The very sight in front of her seemed almost surreal in light of that mental barrier of Sion's. She had a multitude of snarky comments to make.

"Really…a goddess terrified of insects." She blurted out.

"Let's just get this over with." Sion pointed her index and middle fingers on her right hand to the head of the cricket. The rings on her arm lit up in sequence until the one on the wrist and an ice spear shot from her fingers towards the cricket's head.

Sharp

Seeing as Alexus wasn't going to be much help here, Sharp decided it was best that he take charge. Their powers were basically useless against this foe, so he'd need to form a new strategy. He shoved any sense of exasperation down his throat in favor of self-preservation and spoke up in a commanding tone.

"Alright, so it gets stronger every time it's defeated, becoming immune to the previous defeat." He said, "That means we need to think of a way it's never been beaten before. Something Miss Lexi would never try."

Lexi seemed to be calming down slightly, getting over the initial shock of the insect's appearance;. The very tiny and normally harmless insect's appearance... But Sharp was still certain he couldn't rely on her. And he wasn't sure he could rely on the others either, they seemed competent enough, but if a goddess could be a moron, so could they.

(OOC: We'll move on for realsies once you guys solve the riddle of how to beat the cricket)