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Post by Xypher on Jul 13, 2020 19:45:27 GMT -8
Off of the northern side of Creamland there were several small islands that were seemingly abandoned, with inside the wall, very close to the perimeter.. In the middle of this small group of islands, one island had a small hill towards the middle. On the side of that hill, was a small cave, with some stairs lit up by gemstones. As one would travel down, there was a small door. Inside, a bed of wood was made, furnished with a small table and three chairs. The air around this island was silent. It was quiet, so one could hear the noise of anything that moved, or breathed. Currently, at the top of this hill, a lone navi sat at the top, meditating. The light of the sun above washed over him, bathing him in its warmth. His eyes shut, wings opened, basking in the light. He sat on the stump of one trees. It wasn't the forest he was used to, but it was close to nature.
After the destruction of the forest net, Merrill vanished, retreating away from the world. After his unexpected meeting with Finale, Merrill admitted that he needed to pull himself together. Losing so many fights in a row had taken a toll on him. Combined with broken bonds, Merrill's beliefs had been shaken considerably.
During his most recent battles Merrill had tapped into the powers of Life and Death. These two beings had been awakened from their slumbers, confused, just as he was. Death had taken advantage of Merrill's weakened mind, and fought Merrill for control. This turned out to Save his life against Rosso, but not without it's repercussions. Life had been injured, protecting Merrill's body and soul while Death took to the offensive. These repercussions had started appearing after Merrill had left Finale.
Since then, Merrill had spent his time training quietly. Splitting his time between emotional readjustment, and completely altering his fighting style, taking advice from the two beings that shared his soulspace. Each of them had their own plans and goals, but how or what they were, they did not really share with the others. They spent countless hours training his body since then, only stopping for rest.
This time, things would go differently.
With a tired sigh, Merrill held his hands out, palms up. Two small, distinct orbs appeared, one of Light, in one hand, the other, of Darkness, in the other. Each orb hummed with a slight buzz, noticeable only due to how silent the island was. Each was about the size of a small pebble.
"Focus on the Light." The soft feminine voice spoke quietly.
"Focus on the Darkness!" Commanded the deep, raspy male voice.
As he focused on just the small orbs in his hand, a third orb appeared. This one was yellow, and also the size of a pebble. However, as soon as it appeared, all three pebbles vanished. Merrill hunched over, taking a deep breath.
"You've again reached your limits."
Merrill snorted.
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Post by xoDeathy on Jul 14, 2020 14:55:52 GMT -8
"Um.. are you alright?"
A girl had walked up to Merrill, a worried expression spread across her face. Her black wings expanded and lowered as she knelt down beside him, her pink hair flowing with the slight breeze.
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Post by Xypher on Jul 14, 2020 16:43:51 GMT -8
One thing that had surprised Merrill when coming to this island wasn't the lack of life, but the lack of sound. Normally, he was attuned to feeling the life forces of creatures scurrying by but here, nothing lived, not even bugs in the dirt. Only the grass, and a pair of other trees seemed to be able to survive, and even thrive on this small island. Birds never got to close, nor did the fish seem to want to get too close.To his credit, Merrill and Death had added to this, letting negative energy surround the island, increasing the odds that others would stay away.
So when the visitor began walking up, he was very aware, and it broke his concentration. Luckily for both of them, he had just failed another attempt at channeling the three orbs, and was meditating to regather energy for another attempt. His small teal crystal on his forehead glowed gently. He made sure to not pull energy from the girl or affect her in any way as she approached. As she knelt down and spoke, Merrill opened his eyes, looking at her. His left eye was still pale gold, but had a skyblue hue around the edges of his iris. His right eye carried a hint of crimson. He cracked a small, gentle smile.
"This is a surprise. You are the first person to visit this island since I arrived."
"Take a break."
The quiet voice of Life spoke quietly, retreating back into her soulspace. However, she still watched the situation, quietly, neutrally.
Deciding he did in fact, need a break, Merrill gave a quick whistle. Due to the silence, small footsteps could be heard as an oddly small, white candevil came running over, carrying an oddly large teapot, and two regular teacups, and her small teacup. She set everything down on the ground, and was about to start a small fire, to warm up the tea, when Merrill pat her head.
"I'll make the tea this time, Lumena. Thank you for bringing it out, and for staying safe while I was practicing."
He poured tea into each of the cups, steam suddenly rising out of them, as if they had been warmed as he poured them out in the light. Patted the little one's head as he raised his own teacup to his lips, inhaling the warm spiced liquid, before taking a sip. Lumena took her own tea cup, and sat down in his lap, sipping happily.
"Yes, I am alright. Thank you for asking. I don't think that we have met before. I'm Merrill, and this is Lumena."
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Post by xoDeathy on Jul 19, 2020 9:41:23 GMT -8
"No I.. well no we haven't. Merrill, the pleasure is mine."
She did a subtle curtsy.
"I am Lalonia. I'm uh, a little lost. Well.. I guess you can't say lost if I don't have anywhere to go.. but what brings you out here?"
She looked around. This area was very tranquil, very serene. You could easily get lost in this place for hours on end, left alone to your own vices. Perhaps this was his goal, she thought, to get away from the world for a while. The couple of places she traveled to so far had been desolated, demolished, and even some obliterated. She too already wanted a break from this world, yet she couldn't begin to imagine the trials and tribulations faced by everyone else.
Lost in thought, she had finally noticed the tea.
"O-oh, may I?"
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Post by Xypher on Jul 19, 2020 13:01:14 GMT -8
Merrill stood, bowing in response to Lalonia's curtsy. Upon opening his eyes, one would notice that while the iris of his left eyes was gold, but had a distinct sky blue streak around the outer edge, whereas his right eye had a streak of crimson instead of sky blue. As he sat down, he nodded, nudging the full tea cup he had poured for her, towards her.
"Please, do enjoy the tea."
He took another sip of the calm, spiced tea, and then proceeded to refill Lumena's glass.
"I understand, not having anywhere to go. You are more than welcome to stay here for a while, should you need a place to rest. Was your home destroyed in the recent chaos?"
Death sighed within his locked portion of soul-space. The boy was again being kind. Should he wish to continue training, could put the girl in danger if he was going to continue pushing past his current limits. This is why Death never let anyone near his heart, as all things mush perish to him at some point.
Life just watched the scene before her unfold from her space.
Merrill was quiet for a moment, staring down into his tea.
"To answer your question... It's quiet. I am left alone, mainly undisturbed. I spend time training here mostly, so in case of... an accident, no one else would get hurt."
That would just be the easiest explanation to give her for now. Looking up, he looked Lalonia's face and shoulders over, actually appreciating the sudden arrival. Looking at her pink hair, he was reminded of the girl he was once friends with, before her tragic passing. That fight still weighed heavily on him, even though he did his best to hide it. This lady also had wings, and while different from his own, he could appreciate the thought that others could understand the value of having them. Without really thinking, he spoke, his mouth verbalizing the thought, instead of it just being a comment he made to himself.
"You have lovely hair."
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Post by xoDeathy on Jul 21, 2020 16:25:58 GMT -8
"Don't mind if I do."
She rested amongst the grass, and took her first sip, allowing the tranquil tea to ease her worries slightly.
"I uh, I don't really have a home. Well, aside from my P.E.T. of course, but I've only recently surfaced the net, after all of this chaos instilled.."
She took another sip. Her somber expression was only mitigated from becoming more saddened thanks to the tea, but not improving.
"I don't think anything that has happened can be called accidents. I feel like all these places have been attacked directly, and the poor citizens, who had nothing to do with any of this, are caught up in it for no reason."
Misunderstanding the meaning behind Merrill's words, she grew snippy as her anger at the world's current events began to show. It was ridiculous. Why would anyone want to rage a war nowadays?
Her rising heat was suddenly halted by the complemented. While she sounded flattered, her face showed a different story instead.
"Oh.. thank you. I like it as well, I just.. wish I could call it mine. Or say it's 'me', I guess."
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Post by Xypher on Jul 21, 2020 19:31:58 GMT -8
Merrill Listened to Lalonia quietly, looking at her instead of down at his own tea glass. He nodded more than once as she spoke, agreeing with her views on the violence. He had been a participant in more than one skirmish, some against his will. However he always managed to keep the fighting away from citizens. He quickly picked up on Lalonia's change in tone, the frustration quickly becoming apparent.
"Miss Lalonia..."
He sighed. He reached his hand out, in a comforting matter, kindness and warmth. However, he froze, stopping short of patting her head. A combination of complicated emotions rushed across his face. He lowered his hands, the smallest hint of a blush across his face. He quickly refocused, and looked back up at her.
"First off.... By accident, I mean myself. I wouldn't want anyone, other than myself, to get hurt while I do some training..."
He sighed yet again. He then continued speaking, with a bit more confidence.
"I agree with you though. There have been too many innocent lives lost because of these "accidents" that have been caused on a global scale as of late. But unfortunately, my abilities... have not been able to save or protect anyone... Even when I've tried my best"
He trailed off, and as soon as he did, Lalonia responded in regards to his complement. Her voice seemed to contradict her expression. His face filled with sudden confusion. His her reaction which was highly unexpected.
"You are you, simple as that. If you wish to change, you have the power to define who "you" are."
Merrill opened his mouth to say more, but stopped. He wasn't going to pry. After all, they only just had met, and he would rather not upset her any further. He was not oblivious to the fact that the poor girl seemed to have problems of her own. If she wanted to discuss them, he would just do his thing, and try and help. Just as he always had tried to do. He took a sip of tea, stretching his own wings out behind him.
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Post by xoDeathy on Jul 22, 2020 13:18:16 GMT -8
"O-oh!"
She quickly took multiple sips of tea to hide her embarrassment.
"I apologize. I guess I should have asked what you meant. But.. training? Is it really that intense that it could bring harm to others?"
She took a moment to fiddle with her hair, bringing it in front of her and running her hand through it.
"Thank you, Merrill. Those are indeed kind words."
Lalonia too, was prepared to say more, but felt it best to stop herself. After all, she had just met this Navi, she didn't want to feel like a bother or crazy. Thinking on it, this is the only Navi she's been able to converse with in her travels. Which brought upon a grim thought.
"Merrill.. you are pretty much the only Navi I've been able to converse with in my aimless wandering. Just what exactly is happening? I don't understand where everyone is, or why there is so much suffering. Are we truly entering a war?"
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Post by Xypher on Jul 22, 2020 14:48:51 GMT -8
To an extent, Merrill felt kind of relieved that he too, was blushing at times here. He nodded as Lalonia's first question in regards to his training.
"Yeah... Unfortunately, I don't have... control of some of my... abilities. To put it simply."
He wasn't sure exactly how to explain it very well either. So far, he had nearly blown himself up more than once by harnessing too much energy. He had also used too much energy, causing himself to faint while trying to heal a self inflicted wound. Not that she needed to know that. .
"As another example, I would hate to accidentally damage any surrounding buildings or harm any life unnecessarily, or scare a pretty someone away."
To his own surprise, he felt a smile arise on his face. With Lalonia's remark about his words being kind, his head tilted slightly to the side, as he found the way to phrase what he was trying to express.
"Kind... To a degree. But ones... I understand well. I won't pry or inquire as to why you seem... conflicted, by a simple complement. I will leave that for you to tell when you are ready, and comfortable with telling me."
Listening to her final question, his expression faltered, and he could help but feel a heavy weight on his chest for a moment. He scratched his head.
"There seem to be several factions vying for power right now. With the state of the two worlds in chaos, it's a big mess. I don't have all the details, partially due to isolation, but there seem to be two opposing forces at play that I know of, with possible others in the shadows. Then there was the reaverbots to deal with, on top of that..."
Rubbing the side of his head, and blinking once or twice, he continued.
"it's been violent and bloody. Unfortunately, I had my fair share of defeats, which also stopped me from both continuing to get involved, and from saving others... And these battles, have been in heavily populated areas, unfortunately."
He rested his hands in his lap.
"But yes. There is a war. One for our survival."
And to himself, he thought one word: Again.
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Post by xoDeathy on Jul 28, 2020 15:56:47 GMT -8
"Well take this as a compliment when I saw I don't find you intimidating or scary in the least."
Lalonia finished her cup and placed it back down.
"Reaver.. bots? I have not heard of them, but this war.. the poor innocents.."
She stood up and threw her hands to the side. Her face quickly turned to anger as she let her frustration free.
"I wish there was more I could do! But instead I'm just designed as a Support Net Navi. Who even creates those anymore?!"
She quickly sat back down and breathed.
"It's frustrating. Very. Especially when I didn't ask to be so weak."
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Post by Xypher on Jul 28, 2020 16:45:49 GMT -8
Merrill couldn't help but chuckle at Lalonia's response.
"I try not to be scary or intimidating, unless I have to be."
*snorts*
Merrill was taken quite aback by her frustration, and while he didn't let it show, he could empathize with her. However, he didn't agree.
"Miss Lalonia..."
He reached out with his hand to comfort her, cupping his hand in hers, if she was willing.
"... You are not weak."
He looked at her with a gentle expression on his face. His wings sort of expanded outward, acting as sort of a way to embrace her.
"In fact, you are very strong, as it takes a strong person to use their healing prowess to help others. It is a very difficult path. But one that you should take pride in. Healing others is a gift in its own right."
He scratched his head.
"I do not think you are weak. Especially since you came here and haven't exactly ran from me."
He ended with a chuckle.
"You have the potential to grow into whomever you wish to be. I believe that anyone can grow. You get to decide who "you" are, remember?"
Seeing Lalonia feel so weak was saddening. She was her own person, and this wasn't the first time he had heard someone feel frustrated that they were a "support" and that healing was weak. He had first hand experience and had felt those very same emotions. His own healing unable to save others multiple times, barely being strong enough to keep himself alive...
"I have healing abilities of my own. Healing is a powerful tool. One that i believe has untapped potential. I could --"
And then he felt it. A powerful ripple of energy. The sky flashed crimson for a split second.
"... Mass death...
Merrill twitched. They may not have been on Creamland proper, but somehow his connection to the sealed divinity alerted him to the mass force of life energy that just suddenly stopped existing. He felt that feeling... The energy of the net shaking again... Just as he did back then...
"What in the world?"
He stood, raising his left hand to the sky for a moment.
"Something is happening. I just felt the lives of many vanish..."
He was at a loss for words. The destruction had reached this far.
"Miss Lalonia... I must investigate what is going on over there. There may be people who need help. There could be injured who need healing. I suppose... I have idled ardound here training long enough..."
He sighed. He wasn't sure if he was ready. However, he knew he needed to see for himself.
Lumena jumped up and quickly hopped on his shoulders.
"...Slaughter... "...
Merrill turned to Lalonia..
"You may not know it, but your support today has been wonderful. You have indeed, healed this soul a little."
He smiled gently, offering out his hand.
Now, let's go help those who are suffering."
If Lalonia accepts his hand, He pulls her close, wrapping his wings in a circle, as a small circle of light appears beneath them.
With a flash of white light, The group is teleported out of the area.
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Post by xoDeathy on Jul 28, 2020 17:08:52 GMT -8
"Merrill, that is sweet."
Lalonia allowed him to gentlemanly hold her hand, and stood to rise with him. She simply enjoyed listening to the rest of his compliments, a smile finally on her face.
"Yes, you are right. My life--"
Until Merrill felt the disturbance. It was unbeknownst to her, but she more than trusts him to believe he wouldn't jest about death.
"Somewhere nearby is under attack?!"
She didn't hesitate even for a moment when Merrill outstretched his hand, she took it immediately and even cut off his words.
"Merrill! We must save them! I might just hold you down but I'd rather do something than do nothing! Please take me!"
And with that, the departure began.
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