EVENT #3: THE COST OF INNOCENCE

[aionmods]

The Cost of Innocence

INVESTIGATION

As the Aions arrive in Venera, they will find the natural beauty of the city in sharp contrast to its uncomfortable aura. Though the sun still shines and flowers still bloom in a place filled with physical vibrancy and life, the air itself is impossibly still, as if wind no longer blows. You can taste the stagnancy of it when you breathe, and the pleasant sights only make that feeling of absence more haunting. The streets are mostly empty, with most of the city's residents hiding away in their homes, fearing the touch of whatever illness has caused this. That is, all the citizens besides those most affected, who wander the streets in a lifeless and painless daze.

Normally, Venera would be occupied by both Hylician and Achamite soldiers, but it quickly becomes apparent that both have abandoned the city, only guarding its furthest outskirts. Their reasons vary: the Achamite soldiers seem to take religious objection to the feeling of the city, believing it to be some trickery of the Innocent, while the Hylicians simply see it as a plague they have no interest in catching or spreading. Because of this, it will be easy for Aions of both sects to explore with little pushback from any form of law enforcement. The Kenoma will be directed into the city with warnings about the potential physical and spiritual danger while Pleroma will be able to sneak in mostly unbothered. After all, no one is eager to follow you.

Most shops and businesses are currently closed, though some uninfected individuals still nervously keep watch over their workplaces, fearing potential looting. It's difficult, but not impossible, to find people to talk to, and while the most plentiful wanderers are the infected, the reactions from those with their minds still intact will vary. Some will be eager to speak to anyone who looks like they're trying to do something about their situation, desperate for any source of outside help. If revealed you are an Aion, this may either entice them even further or cause them to retreat, as if fearing that you are somehow to blame for their plight. For those that are enticed, it will become clear that they hold onto faith that Aions are in Horos to save them, and will tell these new arrivals whatever they can without discriminating between sects.

The base level information that can be found is thus: the infection began at the same levels it has been in the rest of Horos, only for the numbers of the afflicted to rapidly accelerate upon the coming of the Innocent's Moon. Some see it as a form of divine punishment for their cooperation with the Regent, while the less cooperative citizens see it as a malady brought about by the Aions themselves, their only hope being that they will be able to clean up the mess they made. Some citizen have managed to corral their inflicted loves ones into their rooms and will be willing to introduce you; most of these individuals are past the point of conversation, and seem fully lost to whatever fantasy world they are experiencing. They are disinterested in eating or drinking and it seems like, without help, they are destined for a slow death of starvation and atrophy. That is, if their apathetic state doesn't result in a severe accident, as it has in many cases already.

Any other clues will take more dogged investigation. It will be a day or so after the majority of Aions have arrived in the city that the first signs of their own infections become clear.

HEAVENLY BODIES

The first to feel its effects will be the Innocents, Lovers, and Celebrants; like a voice has fully awakening to them, whispering of how their touch can be the cure to the others' pain. It bids them to take their fellow Aions into their loving embrace, to share this gift, as only suffering lies ahead. It expresses without words that it will be a shield for their Aion kindred, and that those that accept will become their outstretched hands to a cosmos that craves peace. Any form of physical contact with those three Legacies will either introduce or rapidly accelerate the infections experienced by the others, this effect only becoming more intense if the wielder intentionally forces the power of this strange entity into their victims.

Even without that accelerating touch, however, other Aions are not necessarily safe; the infection will still seep in, albeit more slowly. All Aions may experience a growing feeling of connection to the infected Venerans, as if the energy within them is being drawn into their their own bodies. As the Aion's symptoms worsen, the the ones suffered by the Venerans will gradually lessen, though not go away entirely. It seems that the Aions soaking up this strange power is enough to take the edge off of what is happening to the citizens: but at what cost?

Various symptoms will manifest in afflicted Aions with outcomes far more diverse and devastating than what the Veneran civilians have experienced. Visionaries, Firebrands, and Artisans will suffer the most catastrophic symptoms, the clash between their spiritual natures and that of the Innocence being the most extreme. This malady is characterized by its innate desire to quell its victims of their resistance, smothering them in artificial peace, even if it has to deprive them of their bodies and minds to do so.

It is not without treatment, however. It will gradually become apparent that feelings of intense suffering or upset are capable of purging the infection, that clash with painful reality seeming to wake them up from their trance and reduce or eliminate physical symptoms. The more intense the distress, the more effective it will be. Fortunately, this heightening of Aion spiritual energy has the added consequence of making empathic communion connections far more acute. Instead of just transmitting and receiving emotions and thoughts, Aions will find themselves more easily able to enter the delusions and memories of their kindred, drawing them out and manipulating them for this purpose. The catch is that they will only be able to access what is on the surface of the other Aion's mind.

When an infection is reduced or expelled this way, the energy causing it seems to be dispelled from the city, lowering the intensity of its ambient effects. While similar can be done to Veneran citizens to help treat them, the energy will not leave, and will either go into the Aion casting it out or return to the nebulous source of Innocence and eventually infect someone else. Something about going through the Aions specifically seems to act as a filter, as unpleasant of a way as it is to help.

IN THE SILENCE

For those unlucky enough to develop complete, or near complete, infections (IE. a full Innocence petrification) a presence will awaken within them regardless of their Legacy. It will urge them to join with it, to embrace the peace it offers, and to become the extensions of their will in this ravaged world. With an infection of this intensity, there will be little they can do but to hear its call. What exactly this would ultimately entail is unclear, but there is the sense that his entity is looking to join with you on a spiritual level. If your character becomes infected to this degree please let us know under the Committed Actions toplevel below along with the context of that transformation and whether or not they are being cured from it. You may receive some additional information in return!

QUESTIONS

What is the best way for Aions to travel to Venera?
The quickest travel paths are for Kenoma to take a boat from Achamoth, which will take about a day, and for Pleroma to teleport to the Celebrant's shrine and take either a carriage or river boat to the city (there are offshoot rivers not marked on the setting map). The riverboats would be the faster option option of the two, and would also take about a day. The carriages/delivery carts would be slower and take a couple days, but have relay access to horses and therefore could keep going overnight. Characters with flight are also able to use that, though flying right into the city might cause a bit of spectacle. Then again, none of the local law enforcement is eager to chase you at the moment.

Are Veneran civilians experiencing the same symptoms as the Aions?
Veneran civilians are only experiencing apathy/loss of self/daydreaming and maybe the loss of pigments/color for advanced cases. The more body horror orientated effects are Aion only and are being caused by their body's spiritual makeup.

Can 'cured' Aions be reinfected?
Yes! Even if cured or treated, symptoms can return or worsen again. This will keep happening until the build up of Innocence energy in Venera is entirely expunged, at which point the illness will fade away across the continent. Whether or not the Aions mere presence will be enough to trigger that is yet unknown, but it does seem to be helping lessen the effects suffered by the civilians, at least.

How long does the infection period last in Aions?
Chronologically, we are considering the infection period of the plot to last 2-3 days.

Comments

[lockedon]

He doesn't need his ears to see the shape that hurtles through the air and the cloud of dust that billows upwards in bulbous puffs, nor does he need his ears to feel the agony that slams into his mind with the force of a ten ton airship, nearly knocking him off-balance despite attacking nothing more than his psyche. Something is deeply, severely wrong, moreso than the Innocence that's rooted itself deep in the city of Venera and all throughout Horos. Swearing under his breath, he grabs his gun, feet running as fast as they can carry him towards the source of the commotion.

What he sees when he arrives is a mess. The street split open from the force of an impact, smoke and the lingering after images of fire rising up into the sky. He sees—two of his fellow Kenoma, M lying crumpled on the ground and Kaeya with a literal wall of ice before him. (He doesn't notice Binghe, too removed from the situation and largely unmoving to boot.) There are muted noises past that, silhouettes that dance behind the semi-transparent barrier and the sparks of a battle still being waged.

What happened to investigating the Innocence, to assisting the people of Venera? Instead of helping, they're unleashing destruction during a time when it's least needed. Maybe the people of this land are right. Aions bring nothing but destruction in their wake.

His eyes flick between M and Kaeya, weighing his options given what little information he knows. There's no time to ask what the hell happened here, not when he can already see light starting to form again, the beginnings of another attack. He makes his choice.

He starts running again, but this time towards his fallen comrade, sheathing his gun in order to leave his hands free so he can grab the smaller man as soon as he's close enough.

Hold the fort, Kaeya.

[sageguidance]

Like others, Alphinaud arrives when there's a disturbance that trembles through the streets. Ever vigilant when there's trouble about—what are they present for if not to resolve those?—he weaves through the empty streets as swiftly as he's able to the source.

Only to come upon a scene more horrifying than he could have anticipated.

It stops him in his tracks, and for a moment he can barely think. But one thing is for certain: he cannot allow this to grow worse. Though grief and rage threaten to overtake him, the one thing stopping Alphinaud from following in Himeka's footsteps is that is he, typically, good about thinking before leaping in, no matter how angry he grows—that, and he has no means of overtaking an opponent right now.

"Himeka!"

And so, he does rush in, but not to fuel the flames. Rushing in front of her, Alphinaud skids upon the stony roadway to a stop, arms raised to his sides.

"Cease at once, I beseech you!"

[aionpcs]

Since the moment Estinien first landed, the pressure of the contagion's presence had been growing heavier, like a presence looming overhead. Welcomed by the fall of an imminent devotee, it watched in silence, until the instant that the killing blow is struck.

The pressure breaks, its container succumbing to the brutality of what happens beneath its gaze, its power flooding over the streets.

It may have been hard to notice in the heat of the moment, with so much else to focus on: a battle breaking out, ice and fire lashing through the streets. In some ways, the sharp pangs of anger, grief, and regret of those near by only seem to stoke the flames of what's brewing. There is pain, here. The pain of a life taken, and the pain of of all those bearing witness.

No...

A metaphysical scream echoes through all the Aions nearby, radiating outward. Infected civilians, hidden away in their homes or wandering the street, pause to cry out along with it. Their amorphous howls can be hear both in the realm of thought and in the physical world all around.

"No... please!" one voice shrieks from an alleyway nearby.

"This isn't what I wanted for you!" another echoes, a different pitch from a different mouth.

"What have you done?"

Above the gathering, the hazy silhouette of a being begins to take form. It is a creature formed of nothing but wings, of different sizes and angles, beating all at once. It extends over the city like a cloud, both distant and close, both small enough to hang directly over their heads and large enough to threaten swallowing the city whole.

[affal]

When the dragoon's roar had echoed throughout the area, it had drawn far more attention than just Makoto's, and now all of that converges on one place and at one time. It's impossible for him to keep up with everything that's happening at once. His pale gaze is mostly locked in adversarial ire on Himeka — the electricity still surges through his body, thinning out the channel of his ears to nothing more than a dull roar and a high-pitched whine. His vision tunnels on the fallen dragoon's friend and the fire beginning to dance at her fingertips, spelling out a demise for him that he's already seen once before: a mess of cinders and ash where the demon named Kieran had once stood, (temporarily) destroyed by his own brother.

At least she looks him in the eye as she orchestrates his doom — a kindness and a honor that Estinien himself hadn't extended. It engenders a twisted sort of respect in the demon; one corner of his mouth quirks into a crooked smile, bizarrely grateful to at the very least be seen as a threat.

But Kaeya interjects, walls of protective ice keeping the worst of the explosive flames from the two of them. Makoto raises his arms in a perfectly pointless attempt to shield himself, heat and cold curling in a dangerous dance in the air around them. Others have arrived to the scene, but the only one besides Kaeya that registers to him is Eustace, who has suddenly appeared at his shoulder and seems intent on physically hauling him out of here —

Whatever response he might have had to that is cut off in the most dramatic fashion. No... The psychic wail sinks into his chest like a depth charge, clawing at what stands for his heart and dragging it down into a perfect feeling of dread. Voices from the afflicted in the streets and buildings around them go up one by one like the baying of hounds, all acting as a harrowing harbinger to herald in what amasses in the sky above them: something that he, even with all of his years living in Hell, has never seen before. A seething coagulation of beating wings, both beatific and ominous, looms over them. There's no mistaking what it is, what it represents in its presence here. For the moment, all else assembled to the scene are stunned and silent, but Makoto recovers first. His expression of shock and dull terror literally cracks as it contorts into fury, blood trickling from the new hairline fractures.

"You..." He (foolishly...) shrugs away from Eustace to square up beneath it, pale eyes blazing. He hadn't thought that the blow that he'd struck to Estinien would reach the very force that's been causing all of this — his wild fury, once blind, now finds a new channel and focus. "All this time - you've been trying to take from me, take the very last thing I have left that's mine!" Himself. It's what frightened him most, far more than pain, far more than death — the loss of agency, the loss of self. His lips peel back from his teeth to bare them in a snarl, and he heaves a breath through damaged lungs before continuing, "So if I've managed to take something from you - good. I say it's earned!"

Arrogant child. He's been admonished by J both with verbally and physically, but still he hasn't learned — this boy, who would hand over his immortal soul willingly to a demon just to spite a God he hates.

( ooc: hi mods! the other players worked out in chat that i would sum up their characters' surprise in this tag, so please feel free to respond immediately! )

[aionpcs]

Whatever vindication Makoto may feel against this presence, it clearly means nothing to the being turning above them in a chorus of wings. It has no face to express with and, until now, it's voice has been spoken entirely through others. The beat of the wings become increasingly frenzied as Makoto speaks, though, building in tempo until another overlapping scream surges through the area.

BEGONE!

A beam of light shines from the center of its mass, falling over Makoto like a halo. He will feel his shard grow hot, the intensity of it spreading down his back and across his shoulder blades. It's not immediately clear what's happening, but he'll distinctly feel the force of a spirit not his own forcing its way inside, until his vision goes white.

The beam will vanish shortly after, leaving him to crumple. The beating of the wings begin to slow, the grace of their movements somehow hypnotic. What happens next, Abel will undoubtedly be the first to notice.

He'll feel a presence behind him, an extension of the version that twists in the sky above. From an outside perspective, it'll be as if a smaller cloud of wings has descended behind him, flanking his back in a way that almost makes it appear as if they are his own. A slender pair of arms will reach from that gathering of wings, through his chest and towards Estinien's shard in his hands. As it passes, like the touch of another's soul, emotions not his own will wash through his mind.

I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...

It's a gnawing, desperate sense of regret. The guilt of having hurt. It wishes to hold the shard of its fallen child close, its hands attempting to clasp around what remains of Estinien, through him. That is, if Abel allows it.

[affal]

"What did you expect?" It's a question that probably should have been posed to Makoto more often, though it's unlikely it would have changed anything about him or the decisions he makes. When his blood runs particularly hot, he expects nothing — tossed about in the turbulent ocean of his fickle emotions, he speaks and acts without thinking, seemingly in the only way he feels he can. Having caused him plenty of pain and trauma in the past (and likely to cause him more now and well into the future), it's one of his greatest faults.

Makoto's eyes narrow into a squint against the light. He doesn't make any move to run; he knows it would be pointless to do so. So he does everything he can to fight it head-on, as he's been fighting Innocence's contagion all this time. The pressure of it is immense, causing his shard to feel like it's growing red-hot, a burning coal forced into the junction where his skull meets his spine. He cries out in pain, but what's far worse than the pain is the sensation it brings along with it: of something forcing its way within him, much like the Kenoma had when forced down his throat all those months ago.

He fights as hard as he can against it, trying in vain to cling to consciousness and force it back out, but it's too much. His hearing fills with static, then with cotton, and his vision blanks out; he collapses to the ground, unconscious.

[inutilis]

The sky is a mass of fluttering, angelic wings thats mass threatens to blot out the sun.

Abel had momentarily faltered, gone so very still in a horrified stupor as the creature coalesced above them, its anguish pouring out in the voices of the villagers under its thrall. Their multi-tonal outcry is enough to make the hair at the nape of one's neck rise - disturbing, something that drives home the sense of wrongness that has been building in this city for days. This is no mere illusion, no hallucination of an addled mind projected from one of his Aion companions. The faces of his kindred twisted in a similar state of shock promise him his eyes aren't deceiving him.

But Makoto's vitriolic words pull Abel from his trance, inspiring a pang of some intense and undeniable fear that blooms in his chest, cold and curling like ice. Provoking this being cannot be wise-- but before he can so much as open his mouth to try and caution the boy to silence... there is a terrible, vivid downfall of light enveloping the demon like he were being stricken by the very wrath of God Himself

And then... that unnerving, gentle flutter of wings is immediately behind the priest, folding him into a touch that is both kind and heartbreaking, horrifying and serene all at once. Something is passing through him; something is touching a part of him he has never had to identify before as a man who came from a world bereft the supernatural or magical - but this... this is his soul, isn't it? That small, achingly earnest voice echoes inside of him and his fingers still clutching Estinien's Shard reflexively grip tighter before he even has time to realize why.

--And then it hits him. This being... it is trying to take what's left of his comrade away, isn't it?

There's a lurching fear - a plaintive and protective denial welling up alongside a desperate desire to connect. Understand. This... it reminds him of a child, one that doesn't understand the consequences of its actions. The affliction that's plagued the city, reaching a heady peak in the past few days was like that too, wasn't it? The fervent wish to erase pain, even if it meant erasing everything else with it. A desire for happiness unthinking of the cost of a world where one could not feel anything else anymore.

"--wait," he begs, a breathy exhale at the strange, otherworldly feeling of something inside him, passing through - and, of course, a hearty dosage of urgent panic. "Please-- wait, you..."

Ineloquent; fumbling for frayed nerves, he cuts off with a choked noise of frustration. Perhaps it is the words he can't speak aloud that will reach the creature to greater effect.

Please don't take him from me. Please, he's - he has been through enough, I'm begging you.

Fingers curl tighter still, his eyes flashing across his allies - enemies - in some harried bid to grasp what might be happening beyond him, for help in guarding their fallen kin.

...He has failed this man once already. He won't relinquish this soul until Abel knows, believes, this being means them no harm. Because, as things stand...

(...Makoto...)

[aquaveiled]

So much begins happening at once.

The wall that stands between her and the assailant, her enemy--his murderer--is an obstacle, but a surmountable one. Himeka doesn't even stop to consider alternatives as she readies her most powerful fire spell and sends it in a blazing glory towards the protective shield. Summoning more aether to her call, she holds her hands above her head as the heat collects between her curled fingers--

--and then there's Alphinaud.

More than the wall of ice, it's a rush of cold to her fires of her anger. The world that had become a tunnel on the young man who struck Estinien down suddenly comes back into focus--the buildings around them, the growing number of Aions who have arrived. Her eyes flick around uncertainly from Alphinaud, to Abel, to the melting wall and the Kenoma behind it.

Her resolves starts to falter.

"I--"

Whatever words she has is cut off by the scream, looming shadow and abomination. She feels like she's seen this before--back on the First. The weight of it's pain nearly brings her to her knees, the aether she'd gathered dissipating and her onslaught of spells finally ceasing. As she looks over towards the man she had struck down, she's surprised to see someone she had partnered with not too long before having rushed to his aid.

Guilt, guilt.

The beam of light rains down from the sky as divine judgment. A new fear rises up from her belly as she immediately rushes over towards Alphinaud, summoning up an aetherial dome around them as she turns on her heel, standing in front of him and her back to threat instead.

But it doesn't hit them. The dust settles, and it seems her job has been done for her.

No blood on her hands...

...but it doesn't feel like a victory at all.

[sageguidance]

There is, most certainly, far too much happening at once.

As the winged being overhead shrieks and cries out, for a long moment Alphinaud is left to do nothing but press both hands upon his ears in an attempt to muffle the noise. It's horrifying, both in sound and feeling, and he dreads to witness what comes next.

"Seven hells," he breathes out, while he can only watch what the mass of wings brings upon the man he knows as M. But then...

Then it comes for Abel—or more accurately, what lies in his hands, and from behind Himeka he intakes a sharp breath.

"No!" Alphinaud yelps out, voice shaky; it takes everything and more for him not to leap forward and take the shard for himself. "You will not dare give that up!"

[locumstudentesquire]

So much has happened in such a quick succession, Ryunosuke has been more or less paralyzed this whole time.

First he’d thought— in the instant after he’d broken free of the contagion, in the midst of that white hot rage— that he might try to restrain Estinien’s killer. To what end, he had no idea; all he knew that someone he’d come to like, someone he’d even come to rely upon In the past few days, had just been killed. Viciously, violently dismantled, and the perpetrator was still standing right there, triumphant in his disgusting display of cruelty. Ryunosuke couldn’t stand to see it; he’d once failed to apprehend another pair of criminals who’d harmed someone important to him, and all he could think here and now was that he wouldn’t allow an escape like that happen again.

Luckily, it doesn’t; Himeka shows up and immediately pays out her own form of justice, one that… Ryunosuke might not actually approve when he reflects on this later, but… Well, there’s nothing like watching a raw, grief fueled display of magical power to wake you up and remind you that you’re a actually useless normie stranded in a world of magic. And your righteous anger doesn’t really mean shit when you’re surrounded by beings who can summon lightning from the heavens, while all YOU can do is wail and gnash your teeth. Ryunosuke had been forced to abort his foolish intentions before he’d even taken more than a few steps towards the guilty Kenoma, balking and backpedaling to avoid getting caught in the magical crossfire…

Then Abel scoops up Estinien’s shard. Ryu is too stunned to intervene when Himeka tries to cast her next spell, but it winds up not mattering anyway because Kaeya, a Kenoma he recognizes, shows up to defend his comrade, which makes Ryunosuke’s anger surge again. Kaeya hadn’t exactly earned his trust, but this feels like a betrayal all the same. He wants to charge that ice wall and try to smash through it, even if in actuality all he’d probably wind up doing is hurting himself. What does his own safety matter? Doesn’t Kaeya know he’s protecting a murderer? Even if Estinien is brought back, as Ryunosuke is aware is supposedly possible, that… demon has still committed an unparalleled act of cruelty against a man who was in no state to fend for himself. Shouldn’t he have to answer for that?

Well… He does, in a way. That psychic scream tears through Ryunosuke’s head the same as it does for everyone else here, plunging him from a towering rage into an ice cold pit of fear and confusion. Infected citizens nearby— People who Ryunosuke feels a pang of guilt for having forgotten about, with all the chaos unfolding at such a rapid pace— scream out in discordance. A mysterious and terrifying winged entity looms overhead, straddling the line between reality and illusion. Divine judgement, it would seem, is delivered from the sky upon the head of the Kenoma responsible for this mess.

Despite his fury from before, Ryunosuke feels no satisfaction at watching Makoto collapse. He may have become a Defense Attorney for reasons that had little to do with his suitability for the job, but its a role he fits well; defending the helpless and revealing the truth are two things he excels at, but doling out punishment? That is not in his purview. So he really feels only horror at the sight, and fear that if the man is damaged beyond recovery they might not ever get any answers out of him.

He can’t linger on that though; there are still voices crying out, and a horrible oppressive presence to contend with. Whatever is responsible for this, it has to be the same thing that’s been causing the Contagion, but… Despite all his investigating so far it feels like he still hasn’t a damn clue What this thing is or how to deal with it. The lawyer glances around in a frantic, helpless daze, at a complete loss until his eyes land on Abel, and he registers the man’s current predicament.

Dammit.

You know what? There are ghost arms sticking through Abel’s body, a mass of wings behind him, and somehow he’s not even that shocked to see it. All Ryunosuke knows at this point is that he’s sick of being useless.

”Don’t you dare hurt him!”

He’s sprinting over to Abel’s side at once, a ferocious expression on his face. If Abel yells at him to stop, he will, but only reluctantly, and he’ll skid to a halt probably a lot closer than Abel would prefer him to be. Ryunosuke doesn’t care a lick about his own safety though; he’s waiting for any sign of further trouble, should he need to intervene, or to catch Estinien’s shard and run, should that become necessary.

[lockedon]

In the end, it's a good thing that Makoto pushes him away.

It means he's not caught in the crossfire of the beam of light that suddenly descends upon Makoto and swallows him whole. His body jerks backwards of the way regardless, both out of self-preservation and a physical incapability to stand upright once that scream rings through his head and throughout the surrounding area, arms throwing themselves up in front of him out of reflex lest the blinding flash of light trigger a sudden wave of pain.

(But, ah, he's an Aion now, isn't he, and his injury from so many years ago nullified by the replacement of one eye by his Shard. Still, old habits die hard.)

By the time he staggers back to his feet, blinking away the worst of the blur that fuzzes the edge of his vision, he can see Makoto on the ground, unconscious this time, and Kaeya's wall of ice, crumbling away to reveal the figures beyond. His breath hitches, both at the sight of Abel with his hands clutched close and the ghastly arms that reach through him and towards his closed fists. And then of course, in the sky—no, covering the sky, is the same twisted mass of wings that had unfurled while he'd been running and almost sent him stumbling over his own feet.

If he were a more religious man, caring about things like rebirth, the afterlife, beings that others might refer to as God, he might be able to make some sort of connection here or piece together some bigger picture. But all he sees is a monstrous being that had struck down one of his teammates and might well be on its way to striking down another, and that currently has its grips on a man to whom he owes a debt.

There's no time to think, Eustace already grabbing his gun and aiming, finger pressing against the trigger to fire several bullets in quick succession towards the wings that loom over Abel's shoulders, careful to avoid hitting both the priest as well as the boy running towards him. Lightning would have been better, more disabling, but he can't risk hurting Abel in the process. If he can push the creature away, even at the risk of his own safety, he'll consider it a win.

"Get out of here!"

His own shout comes hot at the heels of Ryunosuke's, though it's hard to tell who he might be addressing. Abel, with something precious cradled in his hands? Kaeya, in the hopes that he might drag Makoto to safety? Or is it all of them, caught in this mess that only threatens to worsen with every passing second?

[subsist]

There's nothing more unnerving than the cacophonous outcry of all the afflicted in their surrounding area.

It's enough to break Kaeya's concentration, his wall of ice falling apart to reveal that the other side is just as shocked as they are. What's happening right now nearly drags out a memory he thought he'd already buried miles underground but that's neither here nor there. Ice forms at the palm of his hand as if he's about to create another barrier, ready to block whatever's coming their way — only for the creature to strike down Makoto too quickly for anyone else to react.

Kaeya is immediately crouched by Makoto's side, hands instinctively reaching forward to search for a pulse. The signs of a chest still rising and falling. Finding this brings little to no relief or comfort given their current circumstances, but at least it allows him to look up just in time to see another comrade act out recklessly. They just watched this thing attack one of their own just because he was foolhardy enough to challenge it, and somehow Eustace still thinks it's a good idea to outright shoot it?

"Wait—"

It's too little too late.

The rapid-fire shots ring through the air. Logically, Kaeya knows that the erune's actions just gave him an opening to take Makoto and get the hell away from here, but knowing that he'll be leaving behind not only an ally but countless of defenseless citizens at the mercy of this creature is what makes him stay in end. Careless, perhaps, but he'll deal with the consequences when they happen. He rises to his feet and watches the smaller cluster of wings behind Abel, as if trying to anticipate its next move. If he wasn't still breathing, he might as well be a statue with how he's gone completely still.

He's waiting to see if this is going to turn into a bigger mess than they can handle.

[devilmancrybaby]

Luo Binghe spends a longer time gawping than he'd prefer to admit to. He has fought all kinds of horrors, but this is somehow more shocking than any of them. The force of its presence is overwhelming. He finds his hand going automatically to grip the hilt of his sword, forgetting in the moment that he doesn't have it, and when it isn't there he clenches his fist so the pale, brittle skin on his knuckles cracks.

He thinks that perhaps he should leave. That whatever this thing is, these fools have brought it on themselves. But between the curse and everything else, he has the sense that this is going to be his problem one way or another, and he'd prefer not to be running from it.

His eyes locked on the entity suspended above the street, he starts to stalk towards his fellow Kenoma. He has no desire to see Makoto out of this situation unharmed, but his absolute seething indignation has dimmed in the face of this bizarre new development, and he's sure the Regent wouldn't be pleased if he abandoned his supposed comrades to something like this.

(ooc: please feel free to inflict another npc tag on us, mods! <3)

[aionpcs]

At first, it will seem as if the entity pauses to listen to Abel's pleas, the sound of its own thoughts becoming momentarily quiet. There is a note of hesitation and reluctance to its response. Again, its thoughts will race through him, answering with strong emotional impressions that border on words.

Even now, his soul cries out... It will not rest...

Its hands extend forward, cupping around Abel's. He will feel Estinien's shard grow warm in his grasp.

I can take the pain away... I can...

However, they don't end up being give much time. Between Ryunosuke's charge and Eustace's hail of gunfire, only Abel will be able to feel the full picture of the creature's emotions. The wings behind him flare out, these aggressive maneuvers triggering genuine distress.

NO!

Two extra sets of arms emerge from the fluttering cluster, them and the wings themselves wrapping themselves around Abel in a protective embrace. Though the first bullet strikes through a wing, briefly distortion it shape, the rest of seemingly strike a barrier around Abel that sucks all momentum from the each bullet the instant its crossed. They drop to the ground harmlessly.

A flare of light bursts from its swirling shape, a particularly potent ray striking Eustace. He will see white, followed by nothing. For the time being, he has been stricken blind. A moment later, Ryunosuke will feel the life drain out of his legs, as if they have both abruptly fallen to sleep and are no longer able to support him.

Though it may seem an act of self defense, Abel will feel the fear and indignation running through the creature's mind as it holds him in its embrace. It isn't interpreting this as an attack against itself. Instead, it has perceive Eustace's bullets and Ryunosuke's charge as intended to harm Abel and the shard he holds.

[inutilis]

The situation is spiraling out of control at so rapid a tilt, it's dizzying to keep up with the chaos.

The sound of this small, inner voice is one he tries desperately to cling to - it does not feel malicious in intent; maybe it is to the contrary, in fact. There's a complete and utter lack of ill will at all inside this creature's warm embrace. Abel can feel something inside of him aching in a familiar way in response to this gentle plea... does It want to protect what's left of Estinien...?

...That question is answered in the most horrific way possible; the sound of gunfire, of shouting, is interrupted by that toneless howl of words without a true voice, sending Abel's eyes wrenching wide-- does he call out for them to stop? He couldn't even say if he did, strangely muddled as he is between internal contact with the Being and the external world. The sight of the light flooding Eustace, and then the boy with pain-filled eyes crumpling as his legs give out--

"Keep your distance!"

His voice is a firm, commanding bellow uncharacteristic of the vacant idiot who's better known for making a fool of himself than just about anything else, but there is something in his inflection that brokers no argument. The Being... It isn't acting out of hate, or disdain, or even anger at these attacks--

...It's protecting them, isn't it?

"Please, just-- keep your distance! It isn't here to hurt us, it's..."

This leaves him with less vigor and fervor than his command; he doesn't know what It wants, what It truly seeks to do with this precious Shard still clutched within his hands - but... perhaps his instinct had not been so far off the mark, before. That feeling of a child-like innocence, the best, if misguided, efforts of a creature simply acting on the desire to make things right - even if It might not understand the cost.

Abel's hands are faintly trembling, but he forces some of the tension to abate from his posture, trying so very hard to grasp at that voice inside of him. ...He has to try. They both want the same thing in the end, don't they?

'Please. Please leave them be; they're simply afraid-- they don't mean us any harm--'

...His eyes flicker across the faces of the others, and he can only imagine that it won't take much to escalate from here. No one else can fall today; this has already gone too far. --If It can be reasoned with--

'You're protecting us, aren't you? Protecting him?'

Estinien...

'...Can you tell me what you want...?'

[aquaveiled]

It just keeps getting worse. Whatever this is that they summoned--for that's what she believes has happened, it being so solely focused on this altercation and on the Aions, specifically--they have angered it. And continue to anger it. Her own fires had been conjured and fueled by rage at seeing one of her dearest friends dissolve to dust, but her rational mind starts to put the pieces together as attempt after attempt to dissuade the creature ends in more Aions succumbing.

We can't fight this...

More fall on both sides. Himeka looks from the prone Pleroma to the others on what had been the wall of ice.

--And then Abel shouts and Himeka almost stands at attention immediately. Her gaze staggers over to the man and the mass of wings that has surrounded him, flicking back to Alphinaud with uncertainty. She's not sure if it isn't there to hurt them--people have been hurt, but, mayhaps...

Himeka flexes her fingers and, as always, throws caution to the wind and follows her gut. She places a hand on Alphinaud's shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze before she ignores Abel's command and steps forward. She approaches slowly, palms out and open to the creature as she kneels down in front of Abel. She can apologize later.

Gently, she places her hands on the outside of Abel's, one at a time, as if she were holding Estinien's shard in her own. Precious thing that it is. To think that their friend, taking so large a place in her heart, has been condensed into something so small...

"Please..." In contrast to her screams not moments ago, her voice is quiet, but shaky. She isn't sure she trusts this creature, but she'll have to trust Abel. "I'm not ready to say goodbye again..."

[sageguidance]

It's... what?

Alphinaud grits his teeth, only looking away at the flash the being creates in retaliation; otherwise, he's intensely focused on Abel and the shard he holds. Yet it's Himeka who presses forth, approaching despite the warning. If nothing else, he can at least trust her to make sure matters are set right—however right they can be, at the moment.

And so Alphinaud takes it upon himself to add to the warning, turning to bellow as loudly as his lungs allow to those who remain and might dare to take further action: "Stay yourselves! You mustn't attack any further!"

[locumstudentesquire]

Considering two Kenoma have now been god zapped by blasts of light, perhaps Ryunosuke should consider himself lucky that he didn't wind up worse off. Kind of hard to look at this situation optimistically, though.

He at least manages to keep himself from completely eating shit and bashing his face against the pavement, by some miracle. It's terrifying though, to have half your body abruptly give out like that. To be betrayed by your own damned limbs. It strikes a kind of primal fear into his soul, and for a moment he's absolutely stricken blank with panic and confusion, his vision fading in and out as he lays there on the ground and tries not to disassociate.

Alphinaud's shout brings him back into himself. From where he's laying a little ways off from Abel, he lifts his head off the ground long enough to see Himeka dive in with the assist, which gives him some sense of relief.

"I wasn't... I just didn't want..." He groans quietly, and lets his head drop again, deliberately laying there with his forehead pressed against the pavement, teeth gritted, fingers tensed against the rough surface. He can't do anything, but... Maybe...

Please... If you aren't trying to hurt us... If in fact, you're trying to help... I understand how you feel, wanting to protect everyone, but this isn't the way!

He thinks this prayer of sorts as hard as he can, gathering up all of his most sincere worries and sympathies behind the sentiment and pushing them out across that connection between all Aions, desperate to reach whatever ears the entity may have. With the power of Communion as amplified as it has been, he's hopeful it won't get lost along the way, but who can truly say...

[subsist]

Archons.

Now isn't the right time to curse his reckless teammates, but damn it if the urge isn't ridiculously high right now. For the time being, Kaeya focuses on making sure Eustace is okay. He shielded his own eye when the blast of pure light came towards their direction so he isn't entirely sure what happened. Chances are, it's nothing good, but at least the erune is still standing. A cautious, wary hand reaches out to settle on the other Aion's shoulder, asking him quietly if he's alright. The gesture is also a way for the other to reorient himself too, if he's left frazzled.

It's only now that Kaeya realizes the erune's ears are...

Is that why he didn't listen when Kaeya tried to warn him?

Sighing, he glances at the other Aions gathering around Abel and the winged creature. He heeds the warning that comes from Alphinaud and stays right where he is. It's painfully obvious that provoking the creature isn't going to get them anywhere, and it appears to be powerful enough to render attacks useless. They might as well see what's going to happen once they finally let this creature have what it desperately wants.

What are you up to—?

( ooc. we're ready for more pain, mods! )

[aionpcs]

No longer being interrupted by discord and violence, the twisting wings of the creature begin to slow to a gentler pace once again. Himeka will feel its attention on her as she approaches, but ultimately it doesn't attack; intent does seem to matter to it, the willful thoughts projected towards it causing it to hesitate as if trying to make sense of them.

It still holds Abel close and keeps its hands around Estinien's shard, even as Himeka's hands join them. Himeka, too, will be able to feel the shard becoming warm between their fingers, an inner light bleeding out from the cracks between their layered fingers.

Like rain, motes of light will begin to fall upon those assembled beneath the cloud of wings, and for the first time its inner feelings will be sensed by all, an approximation of its intent forming in their minds.

These souls... They call out for shelter... From cruelty... From grief...

Occasionally, the voices of stray infected will speak up again, echoing these sentiments, the words translated slightly different each time. The intent remains the same.

I'm calling you... Calling you... Calling my children...

Himeka and Abel, in particular, will feel a sense of yearning. As if transmitted by their shared hold around Estinien's shard, they will feel its call; it offers peace to those that would take up its power. Peace, that it feels Estinien's soul needs, like so many others. Estinien, someone who was so close to their grasp. He must heed the call.

My hands reach through you... Held to my heart... Answer me...

But these people insist otherwise? Do they not wish for peace? This question is asked to those nearby, entirely without words.

[devilmancrybaby]

Luo Binghe stares at the presence, transfixed and perplexed by its voice, its wordless intention. He does want those things, very badly. He is desperate for his grief to be relieved, desperate for a guarantee he'll be shielded from further pain and suffering. Everything he strives for is to keep himself safe from the kind of misery and confusion and loss he's endured his whole life.

But he doesn't want it like this. If he's going to be granted that kind of security he's going to get it the way he's had his heart set on for years: by marrying his teacher.

By comparison, especially after everything he's already seen in Venera, this offer is an insult. The fact that in spite of anything there's some appeal to it just makes it worse. His fists tighten. Demonic qi starts to simmer around him. He's not about to try anything just yet, but the palpable pressure of his spiritual energy is intended as both an answer to that question and a warning.

the absolute 180 in mood between these 2 reactions is taking me out of orbit

[inutilis]

Himeka...

Abel had watched her approach with mild trepidation, but as soon as she was close enough that he could see the clarity of regret, a rueful longing in her eyes - he understood that she had abandoned her need to expel the fury, the righteous desire for vengeance. All that was left was a sort of exhaustion and the want to be reunited with her dear friend.

Her hands join his in cradling, protecting the Shard - one now gripped by the three of them, the Being and its ethereal, feathery wings fostering that warm sensation between his palms. It is here that those words being to speak to him, to all of them - and the will of their unexpected visitor is thrown into clear view.

...He had suspected, feared this. To have it all but laid out before them in uncertain terms, is... troubling, to say the least.

"The daydream of a world where there is no sadness, or pain, or grief-- as wonderful as it is, it is only a dream," he finally manages when he finds his voice. Apologetic and gentle but firm in his resolve, he tilts his head upward - even if there is no face to see, no eyes to meet, he knows It is listening.

"These people... they're suffering, even if they don't feel it. Their bodies are wasting away; their families are grieving as their loved ones' lives are taken from them. Even if you were to bless them all, left no one behind, then-- what would remain? They would be gone. Everything... would be gone."

And he tries, though he does not know if he will be successful, to convey something to the Creature; perhaps some of it escapes in the Communion they share, the proximity of the Aions gathered in this space. A longing of his own - the remembered feeling of having been apart from a loved one; the following joy of being reunited made all the sweeter for that distance. The heavy, palpable grief of crushing loss; the irreplaceable attachment to a friend treasured all the more for knowing loneliness. The tear and rip of flesh and bone and sinew; the gentility and comfort of being folded into a warm hug.

Life is messy, and ugly, and beautiful - the flaws in it as much as all the poignant, quiet moments that make it worth living. Does it understand? Can it? ...He doesn't know, but--

'...Please let him go. We'll treat him well. I promise you.'

[subsist]

This reminds Kaeya a whole lot of what he spoke about with the Archangel a few weeks ago.

The man claims that he wants to create a world where there is no suffering. A world where everyone wouldn't have to suffer through the injustice and unfairness of it all. This ethereal being is offering them something similar — shelter from grief, from cruelty. It calls out to them, urging them to fall into its peaceful embrace. Earlier on, when he was afflicted by the Innocence's contagion, Kaeya had been quick to succumb to it, desperate to be freed from the choice he needed to make between his duty and what he loved most.

That same temptation is present here, its pull quite palpable and insistent. It beckons him to accept it once more, but he won't let it. Not again. There's something else he wants more than being absolved of all his sins, and if... If the Regent's promises are to be believed, what the Innocence has to offer isn't the only way to achieve it. Even if they're all lies, he won't be able to make that judgement and see it for himself if he gives in now. A part of him knows and understands that this is foolish, and yet—

It's naive to think that peace can be achieved so easily.

He stands by Binghe, an arm stretched in front of the man while he glances at him. The look on his face says it all: don't. "Let's see what happens first," he mutters under his breath, not wanting another repeat of what happened to both Eustace and Makoto. His eye narrows at the being before them, and although he doesn't say as much out loud, he will not yield to its call.

[locumstudentesquire]

Now it talks to them. Of course.

Ryunosuke is still prone, but his spirit hasn't been crushed just yet. And he's every bit as hesitant as Kaeya is, immediately mistrusting this proposal. He has already watched Yuya petrify before this, seen the kind of 'peace' the entity is capable of providing; the image of the boy turned statue is still seared into his mind's eye, haunting him relentlessly. He'd watched Binghe suffer in incredible pain too, as the Contagion tried to take hold in him, and it warped his body with disgustingly bloody results.

And, speaking for himself... There's only one thing that will bring his soul peace, and he doubts that this thing is either willing or able to provide it to him. He's been already been tricked by the candy coated substitute it'd provided him once before.

Whatever the entity is, he truly wishes it no harm. If he could, he'd even like to help it find peace of its own. But he rejects this offer entirely, wholeheartedly, with every bit of fight he still has in him.

From the ground, he raises his left hand shakily, barely lifting his head to squint up at the mass of wings once more.

I think... The kind of peace you're talking about... It can't be gifted. It needs to be found. By each of us, in our own time, in our own way.

[lockedon]

He feels a grim sort of satisfaction when he watches the first bullet hit its target, but his vindication is short-lived as the rest halt suddenly before clattering to the ground. Even worse than that is the sudden sensation of a pressure building and aiming towards him, and then the same beam of bright light he'd seen before, only this time it heads for him instead of Makoto.

Again, he closes his eyes, ducks his head, but this time he's not so fortunate. When he opens his eyes again, there's—nothing. Only a continued darkness, made worse by the already muted sounds he already strains to hear. Despite the sudden tightness in his chest, he lets out a sharp exhale, almost a laugh. Ah. So this is his punishment, is it?

He isn't Beatrix, to thrive in the face of adversity, but neither has he ever been someone to be beaten down so easily even as his senses are stripped from him one by one. Despite the hand trying to steady him - whose hand, he doesn't know and doesn't care to find out - he struggles back to his feet, hands still tight around the grip of the gun and mind racing for alternatives now that things are careening down a path he can no longer fully follow. Distorted voices - Abel's, the creature's - trickle into his ears and pleading feelings brush against the edge of his mind, growing stronger the more the seconds pass.

It's a nice dream. A dream akin to that which he's always wanted, peace and quiet. But so had all the ones he'd experience while drowning under its influence, and even those had come to an end. He doesn't speak or move, but his answer is clear all the same in the tension that radiates across every line of his body, in the way his knuckles are white around his gun, and in his eyes, which burn with animosity despite having being rendered sightless.