September 10th, around 3 AM.
Blue glowing angel wings carried Neo Eternity toward a run-down cylindrical stone tower several miles north of town. As he neared the tower, sadness gripped him increasingly tighter. He slowly descended, landing gently before the aged wooden door. He never did figure out why she chose here of all places to die....He gulped back a knot in his throat and opened the door, with a loud creak. If anyone was there, that would make them aware of his presence. Fortunately, no one else seemed to be there. He stepped in, leaving prints in dust that had been long left undisturbed. He looked around a bit. The bottom floor of the tower never did have anything there in it. It had been deserted long, long ago. The numerous windows, which were little more than holes in the wall, allowed the moonlight to flood in and illuminate the small room.
He turned toward a spiral staircase along the wall, and ascended the stairs to the top floor of the tower, which was just as devoid as the floor below. Except for one extremely significant detail. A large purple crystal, about eight feet tall, and four feet wide. And trapped inside it was a young woman. She looked like she couldn't be any older than 20. She had shoulder-length brown hair, and light skin. She wore a modest set of clothing. A white t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her head tilted down and her eyes closed, as if praying. There were still trails of tears extending down her cheeks from her eyes, frozen in place. There were just as many windows in this room as in the below room, with the addition of a few in the cone-shaped ceiling, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the crystal, and the woman inside, completely.
There had been numerous attempts to free her. To bring her back. But the crystal was indestructible, at least so much that it could not be destroyed without destroying the woman inside too. And it was heavily protected by magic that could not be dispelled, powered by the entirety of her life force, that she gave up in that one fateful instant. So even if the crystal was broken....she would still be dead.
Neo couldn't stop himself from shedding a tear once he saw her. He gulped down a knot in his throat and approached the crystal slowly, walking around to the front of it. A hand reached up to touch it, ocean blues staring deeply at the girl inside. Tears started to roll down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry....for not visiting you..." It felt like a long time had passed there, with his hand on the crystal. He eventually removed it, his tears dried, and took a few steps back. He sat down on the dusty floor. "To be honest....I might not have come here tonight, if a friend of mine hadn't tried to commit murder. After I stopped him, some conversation with him and some other friends reminded me that I need to visit you. So, again....I'm sorry. I'll visit you more often. I promise."
A pause. "I've been really lonely. That girl I found, that I told you about, the last time I was here, Elina....She vanished a few years ago. And I'm the Keeper of Water, now. I live in the tower by myself. And a very dear friend of mine....My best friend....almost made the same mistake you did. She thought she had become a threat to our safety, and she almost killed herself. This time....I was able to stop her. It hurt, though. It hurt that she didn't believe in us, that we could help her. That I could help her. Kind of like....after you died." His eyes closed. "I was so angry at you for a while. A pathetic mix of anger, sadness, loneliness....so many other things." A sigh. "Obviously, I've been thinking about you....and Elina....a lot. I think now I understand a little bit better how you felt."
"The city's gotten really ugly lately. This proposed bill, Propositon 37, is trying to regulate magic, and magic users. The proposition itself is all sorts of flawed. It's for registering all magic users, in an attempt to regulate magic. But the kind of mages that the city needs protection from are the very same mages who would be untouched by it. I know you hate politics, and I don't care much for it either. But....it's thrown the city into chaos. All of a sudden, so many people have risen up declaring magic and magic users as some sort of monstrosity. Sparking hate crimes....violence....against magic users. Our Seraphim Knights have been so busy trying to protect people, but there are so many we've missed. So many have been killed in riots, random acts of violence....Both mages and non-mages alike. There are so many people, who before this proposition, didn't seem to have a problem, but have gone so berserk. It's almost like a spell in and of itself."
"...Oh, yeah. Seraphim Knights. That's the Edges of Life. But we changed our name. You know how we used the emblem my dad had on his jacket....But I never knew there was actually any meaning to it before. This guy named Sai, who knows Link and Vawn, told me about my father's task force back in Prism City. They were called the Seraphim Knights. So we changed our name for a more complete homage to them." He slowly rose to his feet, brushing the dust off the seat of his pants. "...I think I'd better go on back to the Tower of Water. Jin and his girlfriend, May, are spending the night there." He chuckled a tiny bit. "Jin actually has a steady girlfriend. The times have....really changed." A single tear rolled down. He walked over to the crystal, placing his hand on it one last time. "You were an amazing girl with a wonderful heart. I'm glad to have been your lover, Serenity..." Choked up, the only reason he didn't cry was that his eyes were already dry. "I'll see you again soon."
He started toward the stairs, and almost instantly came to a stop, a very peculiar sight greeting him. There was a little girl at the top of the stairs, who couldn't be any older than four, holding a bouquet of flowers, and a piece of paper. She smiled sweetly up at him. "Hi, mister. You look really sad..." Neo nodded slowly, suddenly finding his tearducts rather capable of delivering once again. He held back, though, and it was plain on his face how hard he was trying. "Mister....are you okay?"
He couldn't hold back for long. Tears escaped from his eyes, though his voice didn't waver. "Flowers....Man, I'm so stupid. Why didn't I think of that' I never was....very good with my feelings." He shook his head and brushed his tears away, smiling sadly, faintly, but sincerely. "It means a lot to me that someone else has come here for her. I really appreciate that. Thank you so much..." He slowly walked past her, descending the stairs and exiting the tower.
The little girl paused for a little bit, watching his back, taking special notice of the blue emblem on the back of his jacket. The shield with the upside-down sword underneath it. She recognized it. She soon walked down the stairs after him, having enough smarts to know not to run down them. She then ran out the door upon reaching the bottom. "Mister! Mister!" But it was too late. By the time she made it outside, the angel had taken flight, his wings leaving a trail of faint blue light in his wake. The little girl sighed faintly and went back in, going back up the steps. She just stood there for a while, looking at the crystal, and the woman inside it. She then walked over and placed the bouquet and the note in front of the crystal, then making her departure.
"Hi, mam. I hope you like dandielyuns. I wonder if yoo can please watch over the peoples of our city. There is a lot of hurt and meanness now and it is making me very sad. Peoples like the magiksers and the other peoples in my home dont know that they is all beautiful! I think yoo know more than anybodee that it isnt what yoo look like or is born with or even change into, but what yoo do and who yoo ares! Please help them. Tell them not to be afraid of being themselfs! Thank yoo!"
((Ties into Proposition 37. Thanks to Tony Sobczak's player, for the little girl, and big thanks to Serenity's player, who has long since retired from role-playing, for all the wonderful play.))
Blue glowing angel wings carried Neo Eternity toward a run-down cylindrical stone tower several miles north of town. As he neared the tower, sadness gripped him increasingly tighter. He slowly descended, landing gently before the aged wooden door. He never did figure out why she chose here of all places to die....He gulped back a knot in his throat and opened the door, with a loud creak. If anyone was there, that would make them aware of his presence. Fortunately, no one else seemed to be there. He stepped in, leaving prints in dust that had been long left undisturbed. He looked around a bit. The bottom floor of the tower never did have anything there in it. It had been deserted long, long ago. The numerous windows, which were little more than holes in the wall, allowed the moonlight to flood in and illuminate the small room.
He turned toward a spiral staircase along the wall, and ascended the stairs to the top floor of the tower, which was just as devoid as the floor below. Except for one extremely significant detail. A large purple crystal, about eight feet tall, and four feet wide. And trapped inside it was a young woman. She looked like she couldn't be any older than 20. She had shoulder-length brown hair, and light skin. She wore a modest set of clothing. A white t-shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her head tilted down and her eyes closed, as if praying. There were still trails of tears extending down her cheeks from her eyes, frozen in place. There were just as many windows in this room as in the below room, with the addition of a few in the cone-shaped ceiling, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the crystal, and the woman inside, completely.
There had been numerous attempts to free her. To bring her back. But the crystal was indestructible, at least so much that it could not be destroyed without destroying the woman inside too. And it was heavily protected by magic that could not be dispelled, powered by the entirety of her life force, that she gave up in that one fateful instant. So even if the crystal was broken....she would still be dead.
Neo couldn't stop himself from shedding a tear once he saw her. He gulped down a knot in his throat and approached the crystal slowly, walking around to the front of it. A hand reached up to touch it, ocean blues staring deeply at the girl inside. Tears started to roll down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry....for not visiting you..." It felt like a long time had passed there, with his hand on the crystal. He eventually removed it, his tears dried, and took a few steps back. He sat down on the dusty floor. "To be honest....I might not have come here tonight, if a friend of mine hadn't tried to commit murder. After I stopped him, some conversation with him and some other friends reminded me that I need to visit you. So, again....I'm sorry. I'll visit you more often. I promise."
A pause. "I've been really lonely. That girl I found, that I told you about, the last time I was here, Elina....She vanished a few years ago. And I'm the Keeper of Water, now. I live in the tower by myself. And a very dear friend of mine....My best friend....almost made the same mistake you did. She thought she had become a threat to our safety, and she almost killed herself. This time....I was able to stop her. It hurt, though. It hurt that she didn't believe in us, that we could help her. That I could help her. Kind of like....after you died." His eyes closed. "I was so angry at you for a while. A pathetic mix of anger, sadness, loneliness....so many other things." A sigh. "Obviously, I've been thinking about you....and Elina....a lot. I think now I understand a little bit better how you felt."
"The city's gotten really ugly lately. This proposed bill, Propositon 37, is trying to regulate magic, and magic users. The proposition itself is all sorts of flawed. It's for registering all magic users, in an attempt to regulate magic. But the kind of mages that the city needs protection from are the very same mages who would be untouched by it. I know you hate politics, and I don't care much for it either. But....it's thrown the city into chaos. All of a sudden, so many people have risen up declaring magic and magic users as some sort of monstrosity. Sparking hate crimes....violence....against magic users. Our Seraphim Knights have been so busy trying to protect people, but there are so many we've missed. So many have been killed in riots, random acts of violence....Both mages and non-mages alike. There are so many people, who before this proposition, didn't seem to have a problem, but have gone so berserk. It's almost like a spell in and of itself."
"...Oh, yeah. Seraphim Knights. That's the Edges of Life. But we changed our name. You know how we used the emblem my dad had on his jacket....But I never knew there was actually any meaning to it before. This guy named Sai, who knows Link and Vawn, told me about my father's task force back in Prism City. They were called the Seraphim Knights. So we changed our name for a more complete homage to them." He slowly rose to his feet, brushing the dust off the seat of his pants. "...I think I'd better go on back to the Tower of Water. Jin and his girlfriend, May, are spending the night there." He chuckled a tiny bit. "Jin actually has a steady girlfriend. The times have....really changed." A single tear rolled down. He walked over to the crystal, placing his hand on it one last time. "You were an amazing girl with a wonderful heart. I'm glad to have been your lover, Serenity..." Choked up, the only reason he didn't cry was that his eyes were already dry. "I'll see you again soon."
He started toward the stairs, and almost instantly came to a stop, a very peculiar sight greeting him. There was a little girl at the top of the stairs, who couldn't be any older than four, holding a bouquet of flowers, and a piece of paper. She smiled sweetly up at him. "Hi, mister. You look really sad..." Neo nodded slowly, suddenly finding his tearducts rather capable of delivering once again. He held back, though, and it was plain on his face how hard he was trying. "Mister....are you okay?"
He couldn't hold back for long. Tears escaped from his eyes, though his voice didn't waver. "Flowers....Man, I'm so stupid. Why didn't I think of that' I never was....very good with my feelings." He shook his head and brushed his tears away, smiling sadly, faintly, but sincerely. "It means a lot to me that someone else has come here for her. I really appreciate that. Thank you so much..." He slowly walked past her, descending the stairs and exiting the tower.
The little girl paused for a little bit, watching his back, taking special notice of the blue emblem on the back of his jacket. The shield with the upside-down sword underneath it. She recognized it. She soon walked down the stairs after him, having enough smarts to know not to run down them. She then ran out the door upon reaching the bottom. "Mister! Mister!" But it was too late. By the time she made it outside, the angel had taken flight, his wings leaving a trail of faint blue light in his wake. The little girl sighed faintly and went back in, going back up the steps. She just stood there for a while, looking at the crystal, and the woman inside it. She then walked over and placed the bouquet and the note in front of the crystal, then making her departure.
"Hi, mam. I hope you like dandielyuns. I wonder if yoo can please watch over the peoples of our city. There is a lot of hurt and meanness now and it is making me very sad. Peoples like the magiksers and the other peoples in my home dont know that they is all beautiful! I think yoo know more than anybodee that it isnt what yoo look like or is born with or even change into, but what yoo do and who yoo ares! Please help them. Tell them not to be afraid of being themselfs! Thank yoo!"
((Ties into Proposition 37. Thanks to Tony Sobczak's player, for the little girl, and big thanks to Serenity's player, who has long since retired from role-playing, for all the wonderful play.))