|
Post by MP on Dec 29, 2018 2:22:38 GMT -6
...Oh.
It was the only thing he could say.
|
|
|
Post by Marshmallow on Dec 29, 2018 2:23:22 GMT -6
Malthiel jerked so hard he nearly tumbled from his bed. That voice again, the one that had pulled him from his sleep. He still didn't recognize it, but Isaac's stillness was worrying. What was even more concerning was how this Other knew of his home planet, knew of...
Song of Deep Waters, he breathed, his voice barely a whisper as his thoughts turned to home, to the comforting ringing tones of his mother's lullabies. How do you know her? Who are you?
|
|
|
Post by Sharei on Dec 29, 2018 2:23:34 GMT -6
A flutter of Isaac's consciousness, a half-formed word, aborted at the last second. A halted warning. Then Isaac's thoughts were turning aside, like the averting of a gaze.
I̷ ̶a̷m̸ ̶h̷i̶m̴.̷ ̸I̶ ̴a̶m̴ ̴a̴l̵s̵o̶ ̶a̶ ̸p̶a̸r̸t̸ ̷o̶f̶ ̶y̷o̸u̶.̶ ̶Y̴o̶u̵r̷ ̴b̷r̸o̷t̷h̸e̷r̸,̴ ̴f̶a̶t̸h̸e̴r̴,̴ ̷c̸o̸u̷s̶i̸n̴.̸ .. ̴Y̵̜͆o̷̩͠u̵͕̎͝ṛ̷̞̽ ̶̞̍̓ḃ̴͕̦e̵͉͎̎̀ǧ̶͍i̶̛̥̓n̴̮̈́ň̵̫̯̐i̵͚̋͆͜n̸̦͖̔̇g̶̲̜̽.̷̝̠̊͆ ̴̟̀̆Ẹ̶͂v̵͉̌e̶̳̺͑̚n̸̺͐t̵͇͠u̷̪̓a̸͍͒̈́l̵̙͐l̶̫̯̈́̔y̷̹͛ ̸̗͒͝ỳ̷̧̯o̶̹̥͐u̷͍͕̽̀r̵̨͒̍ ̶̩͆̈́ė̶̪ṅ̸̩̌d̷̯͐͝.̴̫͔̀
|
|
|
Post by Marshmallow on Dec 29, 2018 2:24:59 GMT -6
This voice, this presence... It took a grasping moment to understand it. It was the Dark itself. He had never quite fathomed it could have a true voice, except in the mad ravings of lunatic zealots. Malthiel felt an uncomfortable mixture of awe and fear as he regarded it.
How am I hearing you now, then, if you have always been a part? What caused this?
|
|
|
Post by Sharei on Dec 29, 2018 2:25:09 GMT -6
O̷f̸ ̷t̵h̸e̷ ̸s̵e̸c̶o̵n̷d̸ ̸b̵r̵o̷o̴d̸,̷ ̴y̷o̵u̸ ̷h̴a̵v̷e̸ ̵a̵ ̴w̸e̴a̶k̴e̴r̶ ̴p̴i̶e̸c̷e̷.̶ ̸B̶u̷t̵ ̶n̶o̵w̵ ̷y̶o̶u̸ ̸h̵a̴v̶e̴ ̴a̶w̴a̶k̴e̷n̷e̷d̷ ̷t̴h̷e̸ ̸p̷a̶r̵t̷ ̵l̶o̸n̸g̶ ̴l̵e̸f̶t̸ ̴s̵l̵u̷m̵b̶e̸r̶i̷n̶g̵,̶ ̷a̵n̷d̸ ̸s̷o̵ ̷I̶. ̴a̸m̵. ̵h̴e̴r̵e̶.̵
|
|
|
Post by Marshmallow on Dec 29, 2018 2:25:41 GMT -6
'Weaker piece..?' Does that mean there is another out there? Or even more besides?
On some level, he knew that engaging with the Dark was unwise. But he couldn't help his curiosity, couldn't filter it, didn't know how to shut down the thoughts that flowed. The impressions of memory that jumped forth in begging question. Drifting silhouettes and bright eyes of his sisters, his broodmates, and lingering wonder. He had always been close with his sisters...
|
|
|
Post by Sharei on Dec 29, 2018 2:25:47 GMT -6
L̶i̷t̵t̸l̶e̷ ̵p̴i̸e̴c̵e̴s̷.̶ ̶F̶r̸a̴g̵m̴e̸n̷t̵e̵d̴,̶ ̴p̴a̴l̵e̷ ̷e̶c̷h̵o̷e̶s̷ ̴s̶p̷r̵e̵a̴d̵ ̶a̸c̷r̸o̸s̵s̴ ̶m̶a̴n̸y̴,̶ ̸t̶o̸o̶ ̵i̴n̵d̴i̴s̴t̶i̶n̶c̴t̸ ̴t̷o̶ ̶b̴e̸ ̷r̷e̵a̶l̷ ̵c̶o̵p̶i̵e̷s̷.̴ ̷ ̸B̷u̷t̷ ̵t̸w̶o̸ ̸i̷s̸ ̶e̴n̸o̸u̵g̷h̵ ̷t̷o̸ ̵f̶o̵r̸m̶ ̵a̸ ̶p̵a̵c̶k̵ ̷f̶o̴r̵ ̵m̸e̷.̸
|
|
|
Post by Marshmallow on Dec 29, 2018 2:26:45 GMT -6
A flicker of disappointment. If his sisters carried fragments, they were too small for the Dark to take notice. 'Pale echoes'. So he was unique? For a moment, he could almost mistake the Dark's gaze for his mother's: Crushingly heavy with the burden of expectation.
He forced himself to turn from it, putting his focus elsewhere. His mind sought for Isaac's, for the comfort of his love- No, his brother.
|
|
|
Post by Sharei on Dec 29, 2018 2:26:55 GMT -6
The Dark's gaze fell on Malthiel for a long moment and then, inexplicably, turned its attention to Sohl. The weight of its attention settled, silent, almost expectant. Waiting.
|
|
|
Post by MP on Dec 29, 2018 2:32:24 GMT -6
As the attention lingered, Sohl’s presence became uneasy. A ripple - a mental fidget. Sohl brushed the other two presences, nervous. Testing.
I’m not a dark piece, am I? he said at last, half doubtful, half concerned.
|
|
|
Post by Sharei on Dec 29, 2018 2:32:52 GMT -6
N̸o̵.̴ A pause. A mental tilt of the head, unusual for the Dark.
W̶̡̢̡̧̪͚̗͙̠̦̩͇̞͖̱̫̬̄̒͑͘͝ͅį̴̣̫̙̲̣̤̠̹͎̣͙̹̠̱̩͌͗l̷͕͉̰̳̰͉̦̭̼̼̫͎̳̳̗͇̀͒̈́̆̅̅̊͆̚͠ͅl̴̞̙̺̀̎͛̎͝͝ ̷̛̭̺͔̠̄̈́͊̅̉́͐̏̊͋͝͠͝y̶̨̨̨̛̤͇̱̤͙͉̟̦̠̰̋̾̌̊͐̉͐͛̔͑̀̆̏͒̐̃̾͝ǫ̸̨̤̟͇̳̖͈̫̖͈̘̼͍̌̂͑̒̃̽̏̿̆̔͐̃̑͝ͅu̸̢͙̗̦̘͖͍̙͖̥̭͔̯̟̣̩͉͕͗̀͊̐̅̍̓͋̈́́̓̾̏̊̌͊̎̎ͅ ̴͔̪͔͚͕̮̻̩̱̦͔͛͗̅̾̽͒ͅg̵̡͉̯̬̠̭̮͋̾̑̏̑̾͜ͅḯ̴̙͕͙̋͛̽̀̌͊͆̏̊́̆͛̏͘̚ͅv̵̳͇̄̅̅̿̈͆́̄͒̕̚͝ë̶̡̤͕̺̯̗́ ̶̡͍̗͓͙̘̤̟͈̹̬̮̋̅̋̀̑̈͘͜m̸̧̢̢͔̘̗͎͕̣̖̝̭͍̫̰͍͖̳̊̎̐̉̽̾͋̿͝͝͠ͅḛ̴̛̰̠̱̣̬̜͕̮̯̪͑̍͑̂̈́̇͒͗̇͌̾͛̈́̇̚͝ ̶̭̼̣̺̩̆̒̑͂̀̋̊̀͌̃͗̈́̀̕ͅḯ̷̧̢̫̫͍͇͎̻̦̙̻̜̠̯͖̲͓̈́́̍̽͛ͅt̴̨̡͉̦̣̭͍̟̬̙͓̯̬͍͉͚̓̇̽̍̆̉̑͐͌̈́͒̐͑̏̕͘͝͝ ̴͇͇̃̅́͌̀̽̒̓̂̈̒̾̎͛̈́̅̋̄͘n̶̢͉̰̜̫͕̺̯̝̹͍͚̒͂̇̌͊̈́̒̑͌́̈̆̌̄̉̍̇͘͜͜͝o̴̢̢̖̐̌̒̌͗̕͘w̵͕̜̰̬͉͇̻̼͉͇͓̞̮̥͉̽͒͑̀̈́̄̅ͅ?̶̢̨̗̗͉̣͈͔̞͉͓̖̹̮̟̼̖̩͇̔́̔̈́̈́͠͠
.
|
|
|
Post by MP on Dec 29, 2018 2:33:15 GMT -6
No.
The answer was gentle but firm. Sohl knew what it wanted, and he denied the door as he always did. He thought that’s what it meant, anyway. Now he wasn’t sure.
I think, he amended. Then, just to be safe: No.
|
|
|
Post by Sharei on Dec 29, 2018 2:33:50 GMT -6
The impression of a frown. A disappointed silence. Then the link was suddenly lighter, and Isaac's thoughts took a mental breath, a gasp, as though surfacing for air.
It's gone, Isaac told the group with a shaking mental thought. I hate when it does this!
|
|
|
Post by MP on Dec 29, 2018 2:33:59 GMT -6
Sohl said nothing, gave no comment, only brushed Isaac’s consciousness in a catlike gesture of comfort.
|
|
|
Post by Marshmallow on Dec 29, 2018 2:35:08 GMT -6
I didn't know it could speak, Malthiel admitted blankly. Then he shook himself, amended the statement, pressed his mind to Isaac's with the impression of an offered hand. Supportive. I mean, I knew. But I didn't know it was... like this. Are you alright, Isaac?
|
|