Meeting on Warship 666

[Post from D'garar Und'gha'od, during the initial formation of the void]

D'garar, rather than following the others, dived head first after Aurora before the void could disappear. He falls for what feels like hours, wondering when and if he will land, or if he will find Aurora.

Archelaus, once confident mere seconds ago that together they could end the shadow, fell to one knee...
Not because of the hopelessness that had engulfed him, but because a giant concrete column had fallen onto his head, and it took every muscle in his body to keep it from crushing him, even in his battle form.
With a huge grunt of effort, Archelaus pushed it to one side.
And then the blood fell.
It may not have had any significance to anyone else, but... Archelaus knew what it meant. e knew.
Black tears formed around his eyes, and fell in tandem with the burning blood...
Then, shaking himself, he realized he had to help the others, who were running, the Lyikos resting from tenuous battle, It was up to him and his weakening mind...
Unable to hear the shouts from his comrades,
Archelaus sent a sword of light to Robless, created a shelter from the storm for Emerik and the others to run to, and resumed his fierce mental attacks against what he hoped was the shadow...
But he could not differentiate between to two any longer, it was almost over...
She was almost gone.
Gone. Again.

Forever this time, not just merely dead, but forever enslaved to this evil creatures purposes. He had bargained, thinking releasing her inner mind would give them the power they needed with the Lyikos to defeat the parasite...
But... It had not been enough.
He was not enough.
He could not save her.
He was not strong enough... not worthy... but he was her Neiede...
But no. She did not love him as he loved her with all his heart, mind, and soul... She was in love with Lord Conver. She had not waited to find me, but instead fell in love with someone else... She only cared for him, because he cared for her...
And it was like Archelaus had lost her already, so great was his sorrow with this realization.
His sorrow consumed him, ate him alive...
His lost love, his broken love, his shattered, hopeless, wanting, desperate, love cascaded around him, literally thousands of years of unrequited, un-returned love drove its sharp talons into his heart...
He was the proud and strong leader of the Alteriia... but he wept, there, as blood and tears fell around him.
Without her, his life had no purpose anymore. He would not have a reason to live.

He knew what he had to do.

Archelaus stood proudly, but despairingly...
Black, Purple, and Blue Mystical energy whirled around him in a giant hailstorm, rivaling that of the blood,
And for the second time in the recent days,
The world seemed to explode.
Once when he had regained his connection...
And now, as he gave up his connection to Aurora as her Neiede.

Mystical energy of all types colors sizes hues tones swarmed the entireity of Aurora's brain,
breaking away the Parasites' hold on her everywhere...

What became void and darkness returned to its original light. What was evil, and sad, turned back to happiness and light, what was uncaring and thoughtless became compassion and faith.

By giving up his whole world,
Archelaus had given Aurora's back to her.

He had only one thought as he did it... "Veneth Taiairi fetrune Solisfa." (Or, roughly translated, as there aren't any words in English that could truly represent the Alteriia's words here...
"May your life be filled with as much love as I have loved you.")

The parasite's true form, a tiny little beetle, fell frozen to his feet.
Archelaus stepped on it, crushing it into a hundred pieces.
And that was the end...
Or so he thought...
The frozen pieces gathered back together slowly... but still frozen.

Archelaus frowned slightly.
(insert Alteriia obscenities here)

Freezing the beetle once more with his mind, and then shoving it into a locked box, an burying it deep underground,
Archelaus broke the connections with everyone around him and the beetle,
Sending them all crashing back into their own minds...

<Emerik eyes snapped open with a gasp of breath, and he fell to the floor, his cuffed hands unable to break his fall. He lay there for a moment, recapping all the events which had just played out. Then he remembered letting his daughter fall... no, don't think like that. <he told himself> she wasn't real.>
<He stood, and gazed at at Tam... who seemed to have reverted to her normal self.
Then he knew what must be done.
He must find another parasite.
He must speak with the Wise One of Olympus Mons.>
<He sighed, and said to the unconscious Tam:>
Even when things are dark, there is always an answer.
We will find it.
No matter what, you will prevail.
<he looked over to Robless and Conver.>
That was quite the adventure wasn't it?
<a small chuckle>

Robless quite literally came crashing into his own mind. His body was sent flying across the room, smashing him into the wall. A metallic, glowing object clattered next to him as he landed. Surprisingly, Robless noticed his burns were gone and most of his wounds healed, save for the bruise he would now have from his rather violent return. He was out that long? The nanites would've taken a long time to heal.

After recovering from being thrown across the medical room, Robless brushed himself off, finding the sword in Tam's mind and his dreams laying next to him. It was the first time it had ever come back to him, and the first time that he would be capable of defeating the Thel-ghan'che. But not now. The power would come to him, in due time. In due time, Robless thought to himself, in due time...

-Zyria hears a birdlike screech behind her. Unsure whether it's Caz or the Shadow, she turns her back to the sound. Suddenly, Zyria can see the ground, but before she can react, she rams into the floor. Miraculously, she is unharmed, and she opens her eyes. Sitting up quickly, she realizes she's back in her body, and turns to see Archelaus stirring. Immediately, she looks to Caz next to her, who is still.- "Caz? Caz! Everything's safe now, you can wake up! Caz!" -She shakes him slightly, to wake him, but he doesnt move. He's got to be just slower to make it back to his body, that's got to be it.... So she sits there, waiting, hoping that her doubts will be proven wrong...-

Tam started to consciousness, gasping for breath, her heart and mind racing. What the hell...? She sat up quickly, looking around, feeling as though there was some sort of danger, something she needed to save the others from, and then it hit her.

She was in the same room as Archelaus.
But she didn't feel a thing.
He... he... Her mind felt numb, and she could no longer feel her surroundings. All of her senses collapsed on themselves, and she slumped to the floor as her strength left her. She jut laid there on the floor, not caring who saw her or what happened. She felt as if she'd been slapped. She watched as her mind replayed everything that had happened in her mind, the things the Thel-ghan'che had put her friends through, and was instantly reminded of the similar illusions which had plagued her mind when she was not in control. She shouldn't be in control. She didn't have it together. And yet still, the Shadow did not come. She retracted into her mind nonetheless, leaving her body cold, going back into the world that the Shadow dwelled in. Her heartbeat slowed to almost non-existant, and her life signs were almost completely gone.

Robless started his way towards the door, blade in hand. He froze. Something wasn't...Tam had disappeared from where she was. Metal clattered to the ground, footsteps pounding the metal as he rushed into the next room.

The door barely had time to open the door for Robless before he was in the room. "Tam!" Her form was barely living on the floor. "Are you...are you...are you all right?" He fell to his knees and attempted to diagnose what was happening. "Please, please be OK!" Then he noticed. The connection between Archelaus and Tam was no longer there. "Archelaus..." Robless cried out. "No...this can't be happening...Why did you have to do it, Archelaus?" His voice grew weak. "It's my fault isn't it...My stupid idea that almost got us all killed and left Tam like this..."

-at the sound of a body collapsing, Zyria looks up. At first, she looks to Ruzzin, but he's still pulling out of the nightmare. She then notices Tam, and her face pales. With worry for Caz at the back of her mind, she hurries to Tam, who is unconscious. Unsure what to do, she checks for regular medical signs, but there is nothing.-

Robless spoke quietly. "It's...her Neiede...Archelaus...he broke the link...to save us..." He looked up at Zyria. "It's my fault, isn't it? My idea to do this almost got you killed...I'm sorry...about Caz...I hope he wakes up soon." Robless looked back down at the ground, incapable of feeling anything but sorrow and regret. Numb to the world, he resumed his silent vigil over Tam, waiting for her to recover.

Tam reappeared in the mind-world that she had become accustomed to. She looked around though, not seeing the Shadow anywhere. Strange...

And then Tam realized that someone was still there. She wasn't alone. She felt... Caz. Caz was here, somewhere. She needed to get to him, before the Thel-ghan'che tore him apart...

She commanded the ground to open up, feeling that it was where he was, and let herself fall all the way to the bottom of the chasm. Instead of crashing to the bottom, she landed with grace, being that she could control the things that happened in her mind now that the Shadow was subdued. She could easily lose herself here, easily forget what it was to control her real body. She could easily be all alone here, never seeing another face but the ones she brought to mind, could easily never return. It would be so blissful. No pain, no suffering, no hatred. Those were the things that plagued the world, and here she could forget them.

Maybe she would yet.

But for the moment, it was saving Caz that mattered. He had someone to love, someone to be with, someone to care about who cared about him. Archelaus...

Tam choked back bitter tears, and stepped forward into the gloom. She walked, following the trail that her mind led her on, where she knew she would find Caz. She didn't know, however, what state he would be in, so she prepared herself for that.

Just as she expected, he was there. His body lay against the bottom of the chasm, unmoving and very still. He had reverted to his true form, which was not surprising to Tam, but his injuries were still obvious to her. She could see what had happened, how he had fallen all that way to the bottom, how the Shadow had dropped him after tearing his wings to shreds. His arms had gashes down the sides and were bleeding profusely, and he had a wound on his head that was causing his unconsciousness. Tam went to him, frowning, and then placed a hand over several of his arm wounds. Her mind touched his for a moment, and the injuries that were tangible here were only emotional, internal injuries in the real world. The Shadow had cut into his mind, not his flesh. As her mind touched his for a moment, she repaired that damage that the Shadow had caused him, and then proceeded to do the same for the rest of his wounds until she finally placed her hand on his head wound. It had been what was preventing him from returning to his body and also from leaving her mind, so as it healed he slowly awoke.

"Tam... you can't stay here."

Tam looked slightly hurt, but defiant. "I can, and I will. It's my choice. I am alone."

"No, you're not. You've never been alone. In all the years I've known you, you haven't been."

"My Neiede has left me, Caz." She paused, then shook her head and turned away. "You wouldn't understand. You've never known the joys of a Neiede. I just... I just wish he could understand..."

"Understand what?"

"That being with D'garar... it was a defense mechanism. I let myself be with him to ease my pain. To ease my pain from losing Archelaus the first time."
{So much reality here}

Caz's face fell a little. "You still love Archelaus?"

"Of course." Her eyes were heavy with sadness, with longing.

"Tell him. I don't know if you can... fix the bond, but... you should tell him anyways."

"It doesn't matter, Caz. I'm not coming back out with you. I'm staying here."

"Tam, you can't! You... you can't abandon all of them. They are all willing to go to the ends of the galaxy for you. Und'gha'od, Robless, Archelaus, Zyria... they will all do as much as they can to keep you with them. They care about you, why can't you see that?"

"Because I have no reason to be saved. My people are dead. My life is over. Or, it should be. I refuse... to suffer being in the world anymore. I can't take all the hate, all the sadness." A pause, then, "You need to go, Caz. Go be with Zyria. She loves you."

Before Caz could respond again he was falling back to reality, and he landed in his body once more. His eyes slowly opened but there was no joy in it, and he only sighed heavily, in grief and sadness.

Emerik watches this with sad eyes. He... felt it wasnt his place to have a say in this situation. After all, he didnt even know what was going on until a few moments ago.>
<he sighed, then looks out the window... then saw something on the other side of the room...
He saw Krystin.
Ghostly pale,
her eyes blood shot...
her hands bloody.>
What the hell...
<she opened her mouth, and screamed.>
<Emerik yelled out in terror, then everything was black in his vision.
Emerik collapsed onto the floor.>

Caz awoke, and it was enough for Robless to realize that sitting around feeling sorry wasn't going to accomplish much. "I...I'm sorry...it's my fault...it was my stupid idea...I'll...I'll let you get with Zyria." He paced the room, trying to think of what to do. Tam, the parasite, and the sword revolved through his thoughts. Sadness and happiness, shadow and light, good and evil; all these abstract concepts floated through Robless' head. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore... Being in Tam's mind was the most traumatic experience with the Thel-ghan'che dreams that Robless had had before.

He owed Tam his life, his freedom. He owed Tam...everything. Anything to save her from the parasite. Emerik was right. They would have to go to Olympus Mons on Mars. It was an mostly absolute inhospitable environment. A single false move, and their adventures would end. Instantly.

-still crouched over Tam, Zyria hears stirring behind her. Unsure whether she imagined it, she slowly turns around, afraid of disappointment. Seeing Caz's eyes open, Zyria rushes over to him, merely happy that he's awake, not at first noting the sadness. Her eyes are watery as she hugs him (awkwardly, because hes laying on the floor).- "You're alive! Oh, I started having doubts that you were okay...I'm so sorry! I tried to find you, but I was forced back into my body..."

Caz sits up slowly, no real emotion coming across his face, and he looks at Tam with a mixture of sorrow, frustration, guilt, and anger. He glances around at everyone else, and says, quietly, "She's not coming back."

"Not...coming...back..." Robless began to break down again. "I owed her so much...taken so much from her..." He had already resolved his decision. "No. I'm going to fix this....Make amends for what I've done...Destroy...the Thel-ghan'che. I'm so sorry...to everyone. I'm going to Mars. It's the only thing left that I can do. Follow me or don't, I'm going there. Tam, I'm going to save you, if it's the last thing I do."

Caz speaks again, shaking his head. "No, it's not the Thel-ghan'che that's stopping her. It's herself. She doesn't want to come back. She wants to escape. She's going to lose herself inside and never find her way out. It's her own choice."

-Zyria leans back, horror in her eyes.- "So, she's given up...." -Looks to Robless, determination setting in her face.- "Tam can choose solitude, it's her choice, but not like this. She needs to be free of this curse. I'm going with you, Robless. I'm not going to leave her like this."

At that moment, Tam wakes up. I'll at least check that everyone's okay. Caz eyes her suspiciously, wondering what she's up to. She stands up and looks around, laying eyes on each person in the room one by one, at Robless, Zyria, Caz... Archelaus... and then she turns away from them, starting silently for the other room.

"Tam, I'm sorry..." Robless rushed up to her, but it was as if he didn't exist to her. His outstretched hand hung in the air, Tam walking past him. Robless turned back around, his face just in shock at the actual realization. "She...she really has...hasn't she? She's given up...I've screwed it up again!" He sat down on the empty end of the room, holding his hand to his forehead.

-Zyria just sits there at first. Her mind has shut off for the moment, due to the overflow of feelings, imagined loss, etc. As Tam leaves the room, Zyria stands to follow, not fully realize what she's doing.-

Seeing Zyria get up and follow Tam, Robless' curiosity overtakes his emotional breakdown and he also follows them. It wouldn't do him any good moping around in a room full of unconscious bodies. He tried calling out to them, but they didn't respond. It was almost like they were sleepwalking, ignoring everything. He shrugged and continued to follow.

Caz stands, unsure, following after Zyria. As the doors open, they reveal an odd scene. D'garar is still unconscious, sitting in a chair. Emerik... Emerik is on the floor, his eyes wide open, his breathing barely present. It looks like several of the blood vessels in his eyes have popped, and he does not respond as they walk in. Tam is immediately at his side, knowing there is something wrong, knowing that something has happened to Emerik. She doesn't look at anyone else, closing her eyes as if listening to something. After a moment she sighs, and then she glances at Zyria, Caz, and Robless. "I'm going to help him." She says nothing more, laying down beside Emerik and just barely touching his hand. Within second she is out again, just like before.

Robless looked at both Ebert and Tam in shock. "What is going on..." He knew that all the medicines and syringes would not help either of them; the Shadow only damaged the minds of its victims. He only hoped that it hadn't made Tam, Emerik, and the others lose their heads. It would all be his fault then. Robless sat down next to Tam. "Please...Tam...I promise...I'll save you."

-Suddenly, as Tam and Ebert's minds are connected, Zyria's mind snaps back into place.- "No, Robless...it's not anything to do with the parasite....Tam...Tam's helping Emerik......." -After saying this, Zyria seems to have disappeared again, looking at her hands, around the room, sitting on the floor, just....waiting.-

"I know, it's just..." Robless looked back down. "I wish I could do more.." He stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the stars. "We need to get to Mars. And soon." He said this, but still understood that everyone would have to be alive for that.