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Post by jarahamee on Mar 11, 2024 1:10:41 GMT -6
“As… long as you are sure. Some of the visions that Vincent has shared have been…less than pleasant.”
Malakhi carefully settled to Marceline’s right, folding his artificial leg carefully first, then following with his real one. He tried to imitate her posture, resting one hand on the ground next to him in case he needed to rise, placing the other one on her closest shoulder.
How could he call upon his power? Was it something zen inside of him? Could he tap into the part of his heritage that could see the future, and know the unknowable? He wasn’t sure. His powers were unpredictable, and the only time he had used them intentionally had been when he had been manipulating life forces at work. And when he had defended himself and Vincent, just that once. Otherwise, he could not say he had much control over any of the ‘miracles’ he had performed.
Regardless how he felt, he closed his eyes, and focused on Marceline’s voice. The very least he could do, as her friend, was humor her.
“I’m focusing.”
He said, feeling decidedly foolish as he did so. Malakhi focused on her voice. She was calm, almost monotonous. It was nice to spend time with her. He had so very few friends. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and tried to relax without focusing on how her life energy felt under his hands. That was just strange.
“I…hope whatever we see is not unpleasant…”
The surgeon said, both very seriously and with great honesty, though he also hoped so for Vincent’s sake. The man had endured enough trauma for several lifetimes.
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Post by beastly on Mar 11, 2024 21:41:59 GMT -6
"Oh. Alright."
Vincent grunted, joining Malakhi and Marceline on the floor, not totally sure of what he was getting himself into. When he heard Marceline was going to be visiting, he'd expected that they'd talk, he'd serve drinks and food, perhaps they'd discuss the supernatural. This hadn't been on his list of things that could happen. Still, he got down on the floor and gently set a hand on Marceline's shoulder.
He then closed his eyes.
"The bad can change," Vincent offered, although he was only parroting Marceline. He had no idea how things worked. He liked that idea, though. The idea that you could stop a bad future and change your own fate.
Cinnamon frowned, drawing seemed fun- but he wanted to help! Magic was HIS JOB! He was a familiar! If they were gonna try cool magic that was gonna be a little hard, he wanted to help!
Malakhi felt the impact of a small child against his back, and then little arms hugging his neck (Thankfully not tightly).
"I gotta help with magic, I make it stronger, I'm familiar."
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Post by hadopelagic on Mar 11, 2024 23:25:26 GMT -6
Marceline smiled over at Cinnamon. So he was a familiar, like a witch's cat?
"Thank you very much," she praised. "You will be the most important link, then."
Then, she gazed down at the cards. Inert, unknown. A dictionary of infinite possibilities.
Power of the gods, she thought. Show me the fate of my family one hundred years hence. Where will I be? Where will my brother be? And what of the devil who ensnared us both?
"If we shadows have offended," Marceline recited aloud, and indeed, her voice was a drone. "Think but this, and all is mended: that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear."
The prophesies they witnessed would be nothing but nightmares or dreams. Insubstantial things. The future couldn't hurt them. Leave that to the past.
"Now answer me," Marceline said, squeezing her eyes closed. "Answer me. Answer me. Answer me. ANSWER ME."
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Post by jarahamee on Mar 12, 2024 1:07:20 GMT -6
There was a soft hum that all three could feel running through their bodies as Marceline asked the void her question while the three touched. A crackle, like a current that connected them together into a single lifeline. A circle that hummed with power, activated by the switch of her cards. Malakhi made a soft concerned sound, but did not move, or make any attempt to interrupt Marceline.
At first, it seemed as if something might appear between them, but after a moment she realized that nothing was going to appear between them. No, instead, they were going somewhere together.
The world around them dimmed and blurred, and the vague dizzy feeling intensified, crossing over into euphoria. A feeling familiar to Vincent, increasingly so as he felt himself drifting slightly out of his body. Malakhi gripped his shoulder more tightly, his hand stronger than one might have expected, given his thin body. The sensation grounded Vincent.
When the room refocused, the two were somewhere else entirely. No more roof above their heads. Instead, they sat in the ruins of a building, different than the house that had stood here moments before. Two stories, collapsed into dust, the sharp rubble, exposed nails, and uneven boards all rendered harmless in the vision.
The roofless building afforded them no shelter. The orange sky glared down at them, baking the barren ground with focused and unmitigated heat. Clouds of dust and smoke sat heavy in the air, swirling with filth, but there were no planes, cars, or well, anything to be heard.
When one looked beyond the walls of the house, they were met with a disquieting sight. Laid out before them were many, many ruined houses, seated upon lifeless and barren soil. Some were toppled, some were merely collapsed, and others were blackened ruin. Was it a bombing that caused this? Or something else entirely?
Malakhi released Marceline and Vincent, though the illusion, if this was one, did not break. There was a tangible tie between them now. Bound by..magic?
He brushed off his clothing, examined the landscape, and then made another concerned sound, squinting at the scorched, dead land around them.
“Is this..the future?”
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Post by beastly on Mar 17, 2024 22:57:44 GMT -6
Vincent kept a firm grip on Malakhi and Marceline's shoulders, unwilling to let magic he didn't understand somehow tear them away. He didn't know what was happening, but he felt very protective. Anxiety spiked as the dizziness got worse, then faded as the euphoria he'd come to associate with his partner hit. It was powerful. Malakhi's hand on his shoulder made him feel more solid, more in his body.
When things came into focus, Vincent was bewildered with the results of this 'help' they'd given Marceline. He looked up at the discolored sky, blinking in confusion and mild horror. Broken house, dust and smoke... What a terrible, horrible, grim future.
He put his hands on his hips, surveying their surroundings with a deep frown on his face. He could 'feel' the connection between them.
"This... Is bad."
Bad future.
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Post by hadopelagic on Apr 4, 2024 1:45:16 GMT -6
Marceline made a shrill sound--not a scream, exactly, but close--as the world changed. She'd never seen visions before. When she read the cards, they whispered fortunes at the cusp of her subconscious. Marceline simply *felt* that her predictions were right. She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing away the blur of colors, but the darkness only highlighted other changes: Marceline smelled ash and something deeply sour. Was that brimstone?
With a gasp of horror, she opened her eyes and beheld the apocalyptic ruins. The smell, the smoke, the destruction. "No, it can't be the future," she said. "We're in hell. I'm sure of it. This is HELL."
It made sense that hell would resemble a firebombed city, the burning crypt of a million innocent souls. Humanity's greatest depravities were concentrated during wartime. This wasn't Earth. It was Earth at its worst. It was eternal torment.
Marceline held a black handkerchief against her nose and made her way out of the building's shell. "Julean!" she shouted. It was too quiet, the silence of death. Hell shouldn't be empty, right? "Julean?!"
Her voice cracked, and then she coughed. God, the smell. It made Marceline's eyes water.
"We have to find my brother," she exclaimed, turning toward Vincent and Malakhi. "He's here somewhere. I think ... I know everything will go back to normal once I learn his fate."
Was this really Julean's future, though? Trapped in burning rubble, alone? Yoshio said he'd protect Julean, give him a beautiful castle with a library and garden. What if Yoshio had lied? That's what devils did, right?
Now frightened, she shouted again, "Is anyone here?!"
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 5, 2024 1:54:55 GMT -6
No one answered Marceline. The landscape remained dead and silent as they stumbled out of the ruins of the house and into the quiet street. The heat and the direct sunlight were oppressive as a Texas summer, but Marceline knew they were on the Northwest coast. Where were the trees? The wind picked up, the clouds of sulfurous fumes rippling through the ruins, collecting within depressions around them.
No birds flew in the sky. No insects settled around them. There was no one here. They must have been the only beings left alive in this desolate place.
Dr. Dziban looked down at Marceline, frowning as he glanced around warily. Despite this being a place which was most certainly not real in any sense, he seemed alert, and quite concerned. He adjusted his glasses, then tightly squeezed Marceline and Vincent’s hands, walking without the assistance of his cane as he leaned upon his partner, even in this dreamscape.
Marceline called out to Julean, and in that moment, time seemed to skip forward. They moved across the barren land, wandering for…hours? Days? Time was impossible to tell in this strange place, and the dizziness rested them in them like a haze.
The landscape was barren, the ruins scattered across it face were abandoned. For a long, long time, there was no sight nor sound of any other humans. And then Vincent began to see scattered footprints here and there. Trails. Humans traveling in the same direction.
They followed.
Eventually, when they reached the crest of a hill on this sun-parched land, they looked down upon a long line of haggard people, traveling towards distant architecture. They moved purposefully, like pilgrims towards a Mecca. And what was this structure they traveled towards? A city? The center of Wathais? From the sky to the earth was a great pillar of swirling darkness, like a Tornado that had just touched down upon the Earth.
“What is this?”
Malakhi asked, looking directly at Marceline, then Vincent.
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Post by beastly on Apr 5, 2024 20:49:29 GMT -6
Hell? This was hell? Vincent blinked, looking around... He'd expected more screaming and fire, but the possibility put him on edge. The scarred man was more concerned with Marceline, however. This whole thing was outside his understanding, but the instinct to protect bubbled up. None of this was real, he reminded himself.
"L-like you said, it's a possible future," Vincent tried to console the young lady, frowning deeper at her distress, "Not for sure."
Vincent looked over the barren landscape with his face set grim, then making eye contact with Malakhi and squeezing his hand, attempting to be reassuring. If the girl thought they needed to find her brother, they probably did.
It was a strange sensation as time passed quickly and also stretched on. What was time? What was distance? The old hunter couldn't have said, but he was excited to see footprints, a sign of humankind. The man was less excited to see the terrifying pillar of nightmares surrounded by ruins.
Vincent was at a loss for what it could potentially be, and he blinked back at the other two. What kind of brother did Marceline have?
"...Well. I-it... looks important. And...the people are going to it..."
The hunter scrunched his face. Common sense told him not to go towards the evil tornado, but... He looked down at Marceline.
"M-maybe your brother is over there, Marceline?"
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Post by hadopelagic on Apr 6, 2024 1:01:02 GMT -6
Suddenly, the air itself trembled with low vibrations, a bass guitar thrumming. It went slowly, first. Like a heartbeat. Then more quickly. More loudly. A dozen bass guitars. A hundred, all playing together. The sound rose from the ground itself. With a cry of fear, Marceline stepped close to Vincent.
At that, from the sky itself came a GLORIOUS RIFF, the crystal-clear peal of an electric guitar. A beam of light fell onto the ground in front of Malakhi, Vincent, and Marceline, and a fifty-year-old-looking Julean descended slowly, dramatically, down the spotlight; he wore a silver jump suit, neon green sneakers, and a mirrored visor that reflected the world around him. His grin was bright and sharp, and a crown of quicksilver wires floated above his head.
As the guitars reached their zenith, Julean's feet touched the ground ...
Then, silence.
Grandly, Julean spread his arms. "You summoned me?" Sloooowly, he lowered the visor, peering over its rim and regarding the trio. His smile momentarily faltered. "Whu ... Is this a prank?"
Instantaneously, Julean stood next to Malakhi, his face CLOSE, studying. His nose wrinkled with evident distaste. Then, in a blink of the eye, he stood alongside Vincent. Julean raised his hand, almost touching Vincent's chin ... but suddenly materialized in front of Marceline instead, grabbing her arm, pulling her close. His black eyes widened.
"Shit, you're real. You're all REAL." Stepping back, Julean broke into bornderline pained laughter. "So young. So innocent."
Around them, bubbles of text and emotes scrolled upward, as if they were surrounded by a clear glass screen. The comments were in many languages (commenting on the situation, exclaiming "They're imposters" and "They'll kill you" and "Take Marceline to the garden before she runs away" and "RIP Vincent" and "Don't tell your father"), and the emotes displayed displaying a variety of responses (shock, laughter, sorrow). Soon, they were surrounded by so many floating comments, the rest of the world was hidden.
"I'm sorry I took so long," Julean said, his voice becoming gentle. Once again, he slid the visor to cover his eyes. "You were calling the wrong name, Darlings. I'm Beleth now." THE INVISIBLE GUITAR PEALED EPICALLY. "KING Beleth."
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 6, 2024 1:38:24 GMT -6
Malakhi stepped protectively in front of Marceline and his partner the moment that a strange demon descended from the heavens. The lameness in the surgeon’s left leg pronounced as he let go of Vincent’s hand as he moved forward. He brought his gloved hands up to his chest, balled in fists, as if he was going to be capable of anything physical to protect them. His mouth was a thin, stern line, and his golden eyes were bright with his determination.
“You…You… You’re Marceline’s brother?”
He lowered his fists, comprehension dawning, but seemed no less protective of the other two. He reached back to take Marceline’s hand again, this time as if it would provide some kind of physical barrier. His expression was determined. Was this really what she wanted to see?
Malakhi’s efforts were for naught as the figure before him teleported around effortlessly, inspecting the other two with detached, clinical interest. Were all of the bubbles around them from other people? For a moment, his heart sank as he saw RIP Vincent, and then remembered, this was a hundred years from the present. His beloved wouldn’t be alive then, and likely neither would Marceline…
His thoughts were then interrupted.
There was a second loud riff of electric guitar. A pillar of darkness appeared next to Julean’s pillar of light, followed by the distinct smell of sulfur, and from its base crawled demonic-looking figures, wielding instruments, who added to the band, singing in chorus. As if in answer, a second figure appeared, this one highlighted by yellow-green flame.
Wearing long robes and a flaming crown over his brow, a tall demon descended before them. Ryu was almost unrecognizable, his athletic body covered entirely, his hair fitted under his crown. His glowing ember eyes were gloomy, his mouth slightly down-turned as he settled next to Julean. He raised an almost apologetic hand in greeting as he took in the other three.
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Post by beastly on Apr 6, 2024 12:43:27 GMT -6
Vincent froze at the sound and sight of the creature, the man, the angel, the demon. It was unreal, it brought to mind something out of a music video. This thing was Marceline's brother? Or... would be? His mind worked, trying to make heads or tales of things, eyes darting around. The bubbles of text did not help his comprehension.
Malakhi looked like he was prepared to fight this Julean, this 'king Beleth'. Oh, his brave partner. When he saw the thing, her brother, touch Marceline on the arm his expression grew grave. He had thought, perhaps, they would be safe from things like that, here, now. But it appeared not.
Vincent put a hand on Malakhi, half to protect him, half to keep him from trying to fight. His partner was powerful, but this felt stronger. He himself had a knife, but felt it would provide little aid here.
When the second demonic figure appeared in another musical noise, Vincent made a noise of surprise as smaller ones accompanied it. Was this some sort of... Hellish band?
The hunter tried to control his face, which was a deep scowl. His own death didn't scare them. The thought of this thing taking away the very nice young lady he just met did, though.
"Wh-what is this? What... who are you? Why are you here?"
The former hunter spoke louder than Malakhi was used to, forcing himself to speak. Marceline had said once they knew her brother's fate they could go.
Vincent didn't want to spend any longer here then they had to.
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Post by hadopelagic on Apr 6, 2024 19:46:27 GMT -6
For a moment, it seemed like Julean would ignore Vincent and Malakhi's questions. He whipped off his visor to look at Ryu instead. Julean's pupils were so dilated, it was difficult to see the cat-like yellow iris around them. "Look, Sweetheart! My Marceline came back." He glanced sidelong at the trio and grinned. "With her gay dads. I think they're from another universe."
Marceline's chest tightened with horror, making it difficult to breathe or speak. Instead, she clutched at Malakhi's hand. "This is just a vision," she whispered. "One possible future among thousands ... millions ..."
"Yes, Malakhi," Julean finally responded. With a flick of his hand, the distracting comments shifted. Instead of surrounding them, they coated the sky overhead, clouds of words and emotes that radiated a sickly white-green light. "I am her brother. And Vincent! Why do you think I'm here? You summoned me. Very wise. Everything will be okay now, don't worry. This view is giving depression, though." He turned to gaze upon the pillar of darkness. "Dads, your cute little house used to be ... where? Over there? No, no. Different neighborhood. Not many landmarks left."
He made a sound like a laugh wrapped in a sob.
"I'm going to do it right this time, Ryu," Julean said. "I'll bring her to the garden. With Vincent, too, what do you think? He can keep Marceline company when we're busy."
Five of the comment bubbles flashed, becoming bolts of lightning. The electricity transformed into various cat-like, goat-like, humanoid devils. They surrounded Vincent, Marceline, and Malakhi, waiting for orders.
"Wait!" Marceline cried. "Julean, tell us what happened. How did the world become like this? Please! We can help! I love you!"
Julean's expression softened.
"I love you, too," he said. "I'll keep you safe this time. We'll talk in hell, okay?"
"Ryu!" Marceline begged. "Stop him!"
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 7, 2024 2:14:55 GMT -6
Malakhi made a soft sound, part confusion, part agreement, eyes widening, when Julean called them Marceline’s ‘gay dads.’ So, he supported and protected her in the future too? Was he one of the men who helped provide guidance for the rest of her adult life? He supposed he was something of a mentor to her, even now, and, supposedly, he would live a very long time here, even outliving his lover. His slender fingers, which gripped Vincent and Marceline’s hands tightened with his determination.
“Our house was over there, behind us. There’s nothing left there… Whatever happened here destroyed that. It’s a future that we cannot allow to come to pass… nothing you can do to us here is going to change this world…”
As Julean spelled out his plan to take them into the garden, Malakhi grew defensive. Take them to the garden? Where? They were just going to leave him here in the middle of nowhere? And where would Marceline go? “…You love her, I know, but she belongs with us, in our time…”
The celestial said seriously.
As Marceline implored Ryu to help them, the demon took his eyes off the ground. His classically handsome, boyish face was lined with misery, and he looked over at Julean, reaching out to touch his shoulder.
“…Julean… don’t…”
His voice was soft, almost weak. It was the first time he had spoken. The band of devils that had risen with him played a somber note.
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Post by beastly on Apr 7, 2024 19:14:59 GMT -6
Vincent struggled to keep up with what was being said. What he gathered was in this future, they'd grown close to Marceline, something awful had happened, and her brother was a demon. Devil. Thing. Calling his name had summoned him. 'Do things right this time'. Something had gone wrong-
He blinked when the brother said he was going to take Maceline and Vincent to some garden, and then shook his head fiercely. He wouldn't leave Malakhi. He wouldn't let them take Marceline. Something in the man's stance changed as he eyed up the electric devils that had appeared, a tensing of his muscles. He regretted only having one knife on him, though he wasn't sure what good even three knives would do him.
"Don't touch the girl. We're not going. W-we have to go home."
Vincent's attention was drawn to the other important looking devil man. A weak link. No, an empathetic ear?
"W-we wanted to...Know Julean's fate," His voice had changed from his commanding hunter voice do something softer, " A future. I-its bad- what happened? W-we'll stop it."
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Post by hadopelagic on Apr 7, 2024 23:55:52 GMT -6
Julean sneered at Vincent's order. "Don't touch her? Who will stop me? Who will stop my SIXTY LEGIONS from doing WHATEVER the f-"
But then, Ryu spoke, and despite his quiet tone, Julean stopped to listen. His anger dissolved into an expression of anxiety. "But ..." Julean's hand twitched, and the devils took a step back to give the group more space. "But they can be part of the new Paradise. A second chance."
Ryu shook his head slowly, sadly, keeping a hand on Julean’s shoulder.
“That time passed. They passed. Maybe when everything is remade, they can, but we have no control over it.”
For a moment, Julean was very still. His face twisted into an expression of pain. Then, he slooowly tilted his head up to stare at the chat bubbles, which jeered and urged him to fight. To save them, to kill them. His expression slackened.
"Is this really just a vision, Ryu?" he murmured. "Are we nothing but a dream? Okay. I'll answer your question, Vincent."
His head snapped down, and instantaneously, he stood just a foot in front of Vincent. Marceline gasped, "Julean, please ..."
Malakhi moved forward, his hand held out in front of him as if to say 'stop.' "They aren't going anywhere..."
At that, Julean cackled in delight. "So brave. Like a chihuahua barking at a lion."
Julean reached out to pinch Malakhi's cheek.
Malakhi's golden eyes brightened, and he grasped Julean's hand firmly with his own. Whatever the power imbalance, he seemed entirely unaware, or perhaps willfully ignorant of it.
"...Don't."
His flesh burned Julean's skin, like the sting of a little fire ant. There was determination in his gaze, and maybe a warning. It was possible that neither was wise.
"A papercut." Julean said, still holding Malakhi's hand, still staring into his eyes. He seemed unwilling to let go first. "That's what you are. I died a thousand times. And that was before I became king. Tell them, Paimon. Tell them what will happen. Let them fight our destiny."
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