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Post by Raven8 on Oct 25, 2017 17:12:43 GMT -8
Xion would find himself teleported from the monolith to the central-most point of the undernet: the Secret Area. The entire area is made of polished, white marble that reflects the shining, radiant light that fills the entire network. The network itself appears to be a testament to the beauty of light, yet those of truly dark nature would feel the underlying truth; this entire area was made of darkness. However, this is not the common darkness brought on by beings such as the Lord of Chaos, this is an ordered and controlled darkness. This network is not a testament to the dark subjugating all like the rest of the undernet, but rather a testament to the dark being subjugated itself.
This world is the true desire of the greatest darkloids; to own the darkness rather than to be owned by it.
As Xion appears and adjusts to the light of the area, a Navi stands before him. Tall and well tempered, he stands as if one with the network around him. His golden armor gives off a radiant shine that causes his entire form to nearly glow... all but a tell-tale black mask that covers all but a single, electric-blue eye that even now stares out to Xion with the fortitude that it had long been feared for.
Scarface: Your swift response is appreciated.
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Post by Genesis on Nov 11, 2017 15:22:51 GMT -8
*He was glad that he expected at least, though where he ended up was... intriguing, to say the least. It was inspiring, actually. It was something that he appreciated. And it was something that he aspired to do even more than he already had. To do so to such a degree that it was akin to what this very area was like. Seeing them simply motivated him to see his agenda through to fruition now, an idea that had been nagging him for some time now. One that he ignored for ages now... but he couldn't just ignore after seeing this. How could it, when it was laid bare for him to see?*
*He was dragged out of his lull when his senses finally caught up to him again and he spotted an all too familiar figure. One that he didn't like to bump in to, likely the greatest hunter of people like himself. It made sense for him to fit right in here as well, but he couldn't help but be a bit glad they weren't here on fighting terms it seemed like. Because Scarface wasn't one to not strike first against his opponents were he there for hostility.*
"I'll admit that you aren't the face I was expecting to see here. But since I'm not presently on the other side of a plasma lance, I can presume we're on good terms here?"
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Post by Raven8 on Nov 11, 2017 21:46:08 GMT -8
It was obvious that Scarface was holding himself back from lashing out against Xion; a trait that he'd often shown around darkloids. His hatred and grudge runs deep, but one long-lost trait in him runs even deeper;
his loyalty.
With a refined and curt nod, Scarface turns from Xion and begins to walk the pathways of the secret network, trusting that the master darkloid would understand the motion to follow. After a few moments of walking, Scarface pauses in his step at two moments as he feels... something... happening in another network.
Scarface: I'm not the one who called to you.
Scarface looks on ahead, very much showing the baring of a knight as he does so; a position long lost to the energy controller. In his mind even now he finds the nature of his position slightly difficult, yet he holds it as an honor and a banner of loyalty that he'd long wished to have fulfilled.
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Post by Genesis on Nov 11, 2017 22:46:07 GMT -8
*In that talk he had with Resonance, in that scenario it would place Xion and Scarface as opposing forces. It was something that he lived with, but didn't enjoy the prospect of having to personally deal with. So to see him curb his unyielding desire to offer his due justice to the chaos of the world said that even Scarface had found something over time. Lightmongers could change too, basically. He followed after the Energy Controller as he moved, noticing the knight-like nature he displayed and recalling why he enjoyed making KnightMan's life so problematic after he did a sneak attack on the master darkloid once years back in Gigamerica. It meant that he was loyal to cause, to someone else. It was something that Xion could understand, looking ahead past Scarface now.*
"Oh? That makes sense. But all things considered, then..."
*Narrowing down the sort of individuals that would call him here, in the Undernet of all places like this... it was steadily piecing itself together. A figure that he actually held in rather high esteem, something that wasn't often said by Xion himself. One that had even been a topic of discussion among their own group on the occasion when it came to them spreading their influence and making themselves a country as grand as the Underking's own. He knew it was difficult to pull that off even when they were discussing it then with AirMan, but it was a goal worth accomplishing so he set out for it all the same. To say they had suffered some setbacks would be putting it mildly. He was remedying those and was almost done, hence setting his eyes on the next goalpost.*
*But to say that he ever expected to actually get this chance? He would say that the odds were slim and unlikely, but it might actually be happening now in fact.*
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Post by Raven8 on Nov 12, 2017 9:38:07 GMT -8
Scarface knew that he need not explain any farther, already gathering that Xion would have picked up just whom had called him by his trailing sentence. Scarface remains silent as he leads Xion deeper and deeper along the polished marble pathways, winding around the maze without a missed step. Several large, numbered pylons remove themselves from the path as the two Navis walk, and the viruses of the area vacate the path long before they would confont the power making its way deeper. In a world where every step seems hindered in one way or another, the entire scene plays out with an air of destiny...
Finally Scarface stops and steps to the side, revealing a set of stairs leading up to a small platform above. The light in the area at this point begins to die down, changing to a deep azure tone that bathes the entire network. By this point it was obvious that they were not alone...
Scarface: Your calling lies above.
At this point Scarface raises a hand and summons the hilt to his signature weapon, forming the massive energy lance from it a moment later. However, unlike what would normally occur, Scarface turns his lance away from Xion, plants its blade into the ground, and kneels to the side of the foot of the stairs, leaving Xion free to walk the last few steps of the journey alone.
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Post by Genesis on Nov 15, 2017 14:51:27 GMT -8
*He was taking in the scenery as they continued along the winding way. The numbered pylons, which made him a little curious on the numbers, those that made themselves scarce as well they should, even the hindered steps they took. He could understand why this whole thing felt like destiny right now. And then Scarface stopped at the small set of stairs, the small platform above and the azure light that felt akin to the ocean or sky bathing everything. So his calling was above, and Scarface the perfect image of a knight who was beside his own lord now. He certainly found his own calling, didn't he? Then it was about time to grasp his own as well. He didn't say anything this time, instead walking forward and starting up the steps. On his way to the platform that the other being awaited him at.*
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Post by Raven8 on Nov 15, 2017 16:11:54 GMT -8
...the black light of the network, both foreboding and inviting, calls to Xion's very soul. It speaks both to and through the darkness, appealing to the very depths of his heart, while simultaneously instilling a sense of both awe and reverence. This power, the profound and all-encompassing darkness that Xion feels, it's not the power of darkness alone as he'd experienced so many times before. It's somehow holy... sacred. Fear and joy meet and blend into seamless harmony, growing stronger, more imposing, and more inviting with each step taken towards its center. An eternity and an instant both pass in the same fleeting moment as Xion knows in his depths the profound truth of this single moment; this truly was a matter of destiny.
The final step has passed, the final surmountable rise towards the boundless sky above. As Xion reaches the platform, an immense pressure rises from all around, as though Xion now stood before the meaning to his every struggle, his every pain, his every hope, and his every desire... and all at once, they all were meaningless and without worth. Power and weakness harbor no meaning, life and death, joy and sorrow. They all are drained of their value as before Xion appears a radiant vision of perfection and mercy.
Average in height and lean in build, he stands with the presence of a true king, and all of the majesty and glory that this noble title carries with it. Black, form-fitting clothing adorns most of his body save a few areas. His legs are covered by a set of loose fitting pants of finest silk, his arms and shoulders are adorned with purest golden armor, form fitting and perfectly worn. On his head is a helmet of pure gold that covers all but his face. On the front lie two green jewels, perfect spheres inlaid vertically as if by a true master gem-smith. From his helmet rises a single lock of golden hair from the back, and also falls two long, flowing locks of the same from the front of his helmet to either side of his face; a deep, bronze-skinned face that harbors the most beautiful smile of mercy and kindness that any Navi had ever known. And this entire vision of glory is outlined by the two flawless, pink and orange raiments that float behind his body, perfectly cloaking his perfection without so much as touching him.
Before Xion now stands one of the net's greatest and most powerful beings. A legend and a myth, the often rumored "perfect being" who alone balances the darkness of the undernet with his own light.
Before Xion now stands the Underking, Serenade.
Serenade: Xion, I welcome you to my home, and offer my sincerest thanks for your response to my call.
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Post by Genesis on Nov 16, 2017 10:57:48 GMT -8
*It wasn't often that he encountered anything like this. Such appeal, awe, and reverence... it was very few times indeed. And not quite like this, the sacred darkness a separate thing from the deep depths of it that he drew upon. Fear and joy blending together so naturally and seamlessly, an eternity and an instant, ever stronger and more enticing the entire time. Certainly, this was the sort of harmony that he pictured the world with, the world everyone called so filled with chaos. It was because of fear and joy, eternity and instants, holy and cursed that their world shared a sense of such harmony. Just no one could ever see it so simply yet profound as he could right in this moment of destiny.*
"Ngh?!"
*And then the pressure hit all at once. His every struggle, his every pain, his every hope, his every desire... they were things he always contended with all the time. His struggle against a world that really didn't like what he did and the weak against the strong, which he was fine with. His pain, from conflict and loss all at the same time in a world that promised them only so much eternity. His hope, one ever so fleeting one that was ever out of reach, trying to reach it all the time. And his desire... ever changing yet some things never did, did they? And yet all at once, they all were meaningless. As they were all drained of value in the face of such radiant perfection and mercy, two almost entirely foreign concepts from he himself, yet aspects he fully respected. The essence of the Underking of myth and legend, the perfect being who stood at the pinnacle that so few could ever reach, Serenade.*
"Responding was the least I could do for you. I'm glad that you would have me, Underking. I did always wonder what it would be like to be in your presence like this, at its most radiant. It's more inspiring than I imagined, among other things."
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Post by Raven8 on Nov 16, 2017 11:10:27 GMT -8
Serenade, veiled in the glory of his own majesty, nods to Xion, acknowledging the master darkloid's willingness to show his underking due honor. It was what he had hoped to see, and what assured him of the soundness of his own choice. For a moment, his smiling expression looks over to the still-kneeling Scarface, a Navi who, despite his new-found rank, would not ascend this final rise without invitation. He then looks back to Xion. On the surface, these two Navis were purely opposing forces; the power of light and the power of darkness. Surely they would be destined to bring about the end of one or the other. However, within both of their hearts lay one common thread; one common goal that would soon be refined and given purpose.
Serenade pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath as he closes his eyes and exhaling, his gaze squarely on Xion as he raises a hand gracefully and holds it near his side.
Serenade: For a great deal of time I have watched you, Xion, as I have all others who enter my world. I have seen you from your first moment of freedom, I have seen your struggles with your own kind and others, I have seen your rise to the title of "master darkloid" in most splendid fashion. However, now that you stand before me, I ask you to search your heart and express something to me, Xion;
What is darkness?
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Post by Genesis on Nov 16, 2017 13:17:54 GMT -8
*He could say that he appreciated that Serenade had taken such a time to watch him and his exploits. From the moment that he was free, this place was his first real home. The Undernet, where he arrived with his newfound freedom. That first moment was when he had entered Serenade's world and started, in a way, to crawl. His crawl onward to the path he was set upon today, bit by bit. Crawling, walking, and now striding. His struggles with the others, his first peer that granted him a lot of complex feelings about him. The struggles of acceptance among others of his ilk, yet at the same time the struggles of accepting others. His fights with others that led to his most prominent rise. And yet all of it to ask that question?*
"To me, darkness is a great many things. It is where everything begins and where everything ends. A shadow that grows the brighter that light becomes, never to be snuffed out. A constant comrade where others were not. And yet if you gaze back into it, it is a mirror that shows your own reflection. Those that hate what's reflected call it evil, yet those who reject what's reflected are controlled by it, is how I see it. But at the end of the day... darkness is what you make of it."
*When one answered without thought, darkness didn't have much meaning to it. It was what was there when light was not, was what some would say. But darkness was what he had with him his entire life, so it wasn't just that simple. The answer he had in his heart was much more than that. Darkness was both hope and despair to some, good and evil to some. Nothing was inherently good or evil, however. Just as darkness would always be with you, so would light. The potential for either one was always there whether you liked it or not. So in the end, it was what you made of it that mattered most of all. For him, he made it out to be a great many things. Was he right about it? Possibly not. But that was what he believed it was.*
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Post by Raven8 on Dec 30, 2017 21:14:30 GMT -8
Sernade listens to Xion's response with patience, his kind eyes looking deep into the soul of the master darkloid. Xion's thoughts on the darkness were what he'd expected, though at the same time they dove deeper than most. These thoughts and derived motives, while imperfect as they are, give Serenade the confirmation that he'd hoped to find in his choices.
Serenade: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, Xion.
Serenade pauses for a moment, holding out his hand palm-up as he does so.
Serenade: At the very beginning of the net, the basic concepts of light and darkness did not exist. They were simply ideas in the real world that had no true analog in our existence. There was evil and there was good, of course, but light and darkness were not truly concepts that the early net had need of. That is, of course, until the forces of evil became too powerful. In the face of a force beyond what Navi-kind should have been able to face, a scientist took it upon himself to prepare a counter-measure. However, he needed this dues-ex to be protected... hidden. This was the birth of the undernet, the birth of me...
In serenade's outstretched palm, a bright light flashes. The divine network instantly grows cold, and a sphere of deep blue energy appears, revealing itself to Xion in its cold, shimmering beauty. In Xion's gaze is the true ultimate treasure of the Undernet; the fabled Giga Freeze.
Serenade: ...and the birth of the ultimate fail-safe. This was the birth of the darkness; intended not to be wielded as a weapon, intended not to oppose the light. Instead, its birth came about to hide away that which the net needed to have hope. The darkness is but the cloak worn by its greatest final hope.
Serenade closes his hand, causing Giga Freeze to disappear. The network slowly warms once again, and Serenade looks on from behind his hand with a smile.
Serenade: Many believe that Forte was the first to wield the darkness of this net, and many believe that beings such as the Lord of Chaos and Nebula Grey are the source, but they merely wield that which already existed, or corrupt its true nature into a weapon. The true source of darkness in our world, the true starting point for this entire concept stands before you even now. It is here, in this secret network. It is in the very data that flows around you. it is here, within my own being. All darkness is but a fragment of that which makes up all that I am, and its purpose remains the same to this very day.
Serenade's hand falls to his side once again as he looks on with his warm, kind smile, almost as if the visage of an executioner handing down forgiveness rather than his axe.
Serenade: And I tell all of this to you for a reason, Xion. For many years I've remained silent, allowing the net to do as it pleases while revealing my presence only to those who would infringe on my kingdom. However, this will soon change. Forces and powers now rise that would seek to take my dominion as their own. This is why I must once again begin revealing my presence as both a warning to those who would seek my power and a bastion to protect those who would seek to hide behind this cloak of darkness.
And now I ask you, Xion; you have shown yourself a being of darkness, yet not a being of meaningless ill-intent. You hold within yourself great potential, yet a lack of reason and true goal. This is why I have called you here, and this is why I now ask this of you; will you become a knight of darkness to serve at my side, to enforce my word, and to show the world the truth of what darkness is, and can be once again? Xion, will you join me as a part of my personal guard?
The invitation of a lifetime now lay before Xion, yet also a mountain of potentially insurmountable peaks. Just how much would this force Xion, the master darkloid, to redefine his very definition of all of the force and power that he wields? And how would one so used to being the master of his own destiny willingly bow to the authority of another? The questions are many, but the answer can now fall only to one of two ends.
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Post by Genesis on Jan 6, 2018 21:50:25 GMT -8
*This sounded a bit like a history lesson, but an important one at that. The real world often times was the basis for many of the concepts that existed now. Good and evil were concepts he understood fairly well he felt, which is why he could sit down and speak with his good friend Resonance about them. But the whole thing with light and dark, those lines got blurred by others all the time. Misconstrued information and beliefs spread out over time, leading to those cults and fanatics or possibly even his own imperfect view of it. But he shivered a bit from the extreme change in temperature that the cold represented, remembering why Sharo wasn't his most frequent location to visit.*
*He had before his eyes the ultimate treasure of the Undernet, the one tool that could deter any target. The ultimate fail-safe, the Giga Freeze. It was certainly even a twist for him, a cloak worn by the world's greatest hope? Rather than oppose the light, in a sense it was their greatest hope, huh? He could see a lot of people who would find that very idea absurd. Forte was someone who wielded many things, so he never imagined him to be the first wielder of darkness. He just picked up things that he desired and ignored the rest pretty much as a sort of fickle adult. The Lord of Chaos he had heard about from word of mouth, like how shaken up Ruin was by that particular encounter. And then Nebula Grey... well, he had his opinion of that would-be Lord of Darkness.*
"So as a bastion, huh? Quite the curveball with how I've lived my life up until now."
*He wasn't quite like his brothers. He had accepted and owned up to all that he was. A wielder of the darkness and a very unique brand of weapon. One that wielded itself. And yet Serenade had pegged him just right, unsurprisingly. He didn't have a proper path still even if he had goalposts right now. He didn't quite have a "what after" after he hit each one. There wasn't a true goal at the end of it. There was a to-do list and then there was nothing, just that simple. And yet he still had quite a lot to think about just from the revelations here. The very definition of what he used and carried with him all his life was redefined in but a matter of moments, just another one of those who twisted it to be a weapon unlike the original purpose of its origin, Serenade. All the power and force he amassed and accomplished with it in his mastery was still just using what belonged to someone else.*
*He could claim his mastery of it and his use of it made his own, but that didn't change the fact of the matter still. Even in all his supposed mastery as a master darkloid he was just using a fragment of what he thought was his from someone else. That got at him more than the redefinition of darkness or even bowing to another. It wasn't like the latter was impossible for him, given the start of The Chaotic, he just needed to consider someone worth it. His history with those not worth it spoke for itself. So for one of the few times the orbs that represented his eyes closed. It was a chapter of his life to close now, and solidified the path he would be taking forward. Because there was truth to back him up now, wasn't there? Aside his presumed hubris of before as his eyes opened to his reshaped world.*
"So be it. I'll become one of your knights. And even though I know the truth, what I have I want to be 'mine'. I don't mind being part of a greater whole, but what I have will be more than what seeped out. Genuine and true to me. A part of my true reason, you could say."
*It could considered a foolish endeavor. It could be considered one that was already accomplished. But to him, it wasn't something he had quite accomplished yet. And while he would endeavor on this new path, he had something else to do alongside it. After all, it wouldn't do for one of the personal guard to be that Executioner who had his own stuff but he wasn't doing so himself.*
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Post by Raven8 on Jan 6, 2018 22:10:21 GMT -8
Serenade smiles again, nodding as he looks to Genesis with a nod.
Serenade: In the real world, iron is taken from the ground, then refined with carbon and purified to forge steel. Then the steel is melted and folded, and eventually forged into a blade of purest quality. This blade is then wielded by the one who forges it. So, then; is the sword a product of the earth, or the product of the one who refined it to his own needs and desires?
Serenade leaves this thought hanging between he and Xion as he continues, moving forward in the situation at hand.
Serenade: The power of the darkloid stems from hatred. But the power that you now have will now be something far rarer, far more valuable. As my own, your power shall be the hand of mercy. Mercy shown shall grant you wisdom, and through that wisdom you will be sharpened as a fine blade.
Xion, from this moment forward I expect you to continue to do as you see fit. Your life will still be your own, but you will always remember that you are subject to my call, and that in turn I will grant you the favor of the Undernet. Use your calling and your new power as you like, but do not forget that which brought you before me this day.
Content with the outcome, Serenade retakes his silence, allowing Xion one last chance to comment or question as he sees fit.
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Post by Genesis on Jan 7, 2018 9:50:28 GMT -8
"..."
*See? Serenade was the sort of guy that should be a king in comparison to where he would have his own position be at. He had the sort of wisdom Xion could occasionally be a bit short-sighted and miss. Mercy certainly wasn't his most optimal trait. It would take some getting used to. When one should be merciful and one shouldn't be. Because his origin was certainly one steeped in hatred. He'd be lying if he didn't say that it was an all-consuming one in his early stages of life. Looking back at it now he saw a child flailing about because their parents were rude individuals, but it all worked out pretty well for him in the end.*
"That's pretty well put."
*He tied up loose ends and brought an end to that hatred, so he had time to move beyond it. And he wasn't like the standard iron that someone would use to make a fine blade anyway. While he had leave to do what he saw fit still, it left him with a question on something. The stones were in place for his other deal and he had a reason to, but for this request given the present circumstances he should ask about it now instead of just acting on his own.*
"In light of everything going down, there's a request I would like to make. I want to have a meeting with Nebula Grey. Part of showing what darkness is and cutting off old ties. But getting him myself, like the last time with Toxin, can be a bit taxing on others."
*Namely taxing in that those were a lot of tributes they made instead. And from what he had noticed in his brief time in Netopia, he had to get to this sooner rather than later thanks to what was likely these new forces that Serenade spoke of taking action. So he would have to make the first move before they made whatever play they had in mind when it came to this in particular.*
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Post by Raven8 on Jan 9, 2018 9:34:08 GMT -8
Serenade once again listens politely to Xion, and recalls that event in days gone by. A request along these lines was interesting to say the least. However..
Serenade: I can allow such a meeting to take place. However...
Serenade pauses for a moment, allowing his words to sink in before he continues.
Serenade: ...for the time being, it will have to wait. Before granting a desire such as this, I would first like to feel reassured in my choice this day. Rewards will come in time.
Serenade nods to himself, now feeling that this meeting had come to completion.
Serenade: I will be watching, Xion. I have great expectations of you.
The light of the fabled hidden network slowly raise from the deep, oceanic blue tone that they had been moments before and return to their pristine white beauty. With the change, Serenade once again fades from Xion's sight, leaving him to ponder this meeting and what implications it would have for his, and the net's, future.
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