A Starlight Carol

[eternitymods]

Who: Everyone!
When: December 24th, 23:00
Where: ???????
What: Log for the Starlight Carol Event! Please check the OOC Log for more details.
Warnings/Notes: Depends on individual memories!

Comments

MYSTE AURA

[eternitymods]

Characters: Uendo, Sasami, Okuyasu, Ena, Papyrus, Asriel

[einspine]

This... this is so very, very wrong. So wrong, in fact, that the moment Papyrus sees the destruction, sees the death, he immediately flinches. He'd already seen his share of tragic memories. The brief glimpses of joy brought a chance of a hopeful reprieve... until this.

He gulps, glancing around- ah, how fortunate that there are familiar faces. Some less familiar, but people who're alive. Safe. It's a small blessing, but one he'll gladly take.

But the Lalafell, mysterious and foreboding... Taking a chance, Papyrus moves closer.

"WHAT... WHAT IS ALL OF THIS?"

[saint_sami]

Sasami gasped as she saw the devastation among her, the death and destruction before her. Something terrible happened here, but what?

She was glad Okuyasu and Uendo were, but this...

“What happened here? Did... did that Bahamut do this? Is this the future?”

[whirluendo_of_puns]

First those memories, and now this. Just when the city has started to feel like home, here it is -- ruined, destroyed, littered with corpses. Is every period of stability in his life doomed to fall apart in the most violent way possible? Is it truly too much to ask just to be allowed to feel safe for once?

The only thing keeping Uendo from cracking is Okuyasu and Sasami's presence. He can't... He can't let them down, too...

"N-No, this... this must be just a potential future, right? We can... still stop this..." He tries to sound reassuring and probably fails miserably. This is just all too much...

[bleating_heart]

Asriel is hyperventilating, wrapping his arms around himself as he stares around at the destruction. This is.. this is all too real. This has to be some kind of horrible illusion.

It has to be. Because there's no way it'll come to this.

But that does nothing to calm Asriel down. He takes a deep breath and then looks to the side, staring at the fell lalafell.

"Why...? Why are you showing us this?"

[righthandstand]

Okuyasu regards this scene as he does most things in life: with confusion.

“Uh, is the Moogle guy dead?” He points to the white body that has nice lead them across Vaikuntha. “Did this time travel thing break?"

[eternitymods]

The Ghost of Starlight yet to Come didn't say a word nor did he reply to any questions. As his face couldn't be seen, there was no telling what his reaction was. Upon being asked why, he slowly rose his right arm and pointed in a direction, wordlessly so.

There was no saying what the characters would find, should they decide to follow the direction he pointed at. On their way there though, they would find a familiar face amongst the dead corpses on the ground: Claire.

[righthandstand]

Oh, dude. [The elf chick that never smiled. Except for that party in the present. So she did have other emotions. Okuyasu crouches over her to move her arm out of an awkward position.]

[einspine]

Papyrus looks, but immediately regrets it. Staggering back, he has to squeeze his sockets shut. No. No! This is just so wrong. So very, very, very wrong.

And yet, the ghost pointed them along for a reason, no doubt. So, taking a breath, he opened his eyes again. Looked away from the corpse, of course, but continued along.

"WE SHOULD PROBABLY SEE WHERE THIS GHOST WANTS US TO GO. IT... MAY BE IMPORTANT."

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Uendo does his best to shield Sasami from the sight of Claire's body. Having to see corpses is bad enough without a familiar face among them.

"Y-Yes... You're right. Maybe we'll get this over with faster if we do what they want." God, let this be over soon. He's not sure how long he can keep staving off the panic growing in his gut.

[saint_sami]

Sasami didn't catch sight of Clarie's body as Uendo had stepped in to prevent her from seeing it. However, this place, these bodies...

"I don't want that power anymore. I'm sorry I ever wanted it..." she uttered, clinging to Uendo. She's afraid everything here is because she held onto the Calamity Knight "job". Is it? Who knows, but she's preemptively thinking it.

[eternitymods]

As they proceed, they can hear the roaring of a dragon echoing in the distance. The noise is powerful enough some of the rubble moves, yet there is nothing in sight— It is probably very far, in spite of how clear the roaring is and how it affects their surrounding.

Should they continue walking, ere long they'll stumble upon a graveyard. Most tombstones are broken and shattered, but there is a blank once next to which the Ghost now stands. When did he get there anyway? He didn't walk alongside the heroes... Perhaps ghosts have their own ways.

[saint_sami]

Sasami shivered at the roar. Bahamut. It had to be him.

She found herself heading for the graveyard, shivers really going down her spine as she saw the shattered tombstones.

It’s the last one that makes her curious.

[righthandstand]

Okuyasu gulps and walks up to Sasami.

"Hey. Don't look. I'll let ya know if you can open your eyes."

[bleating_heart]

Asriel walks closer, slowly towards the ghost. And the tombstone. Somehow, his body is no longer shaking as he moves, and his arms hang limp at his side the closer he gets to the lalafell.

"...I've already seen my own grave." He mutters, gazing down at the blank one as he takes a closer look. Someone has to examine it. It might as well be someone who's used to seeing their own name on one.

[einspine]

Papyrus joins Okuyasu, setting a hand on Sasami's shoulder. "IT'S... THIS CAN'T BE REAL. IT. MUST JUST BE A WARNING! WE CAN STILL SET THIS RIGHT!!"

Can't they? At the very least, they have to hope. They can't just admit defeat!

Even if that grave is foreboding, and even if he can't look away.

[eternitymods]

Upon inspecting the tombstone, each of them would read something different. Namely, they would see the name of their world and their own name, not that of the others.

R.I.P.
Here lies

Earth

This world, its home universe and all its people ceased to exist when Sasami / Okuyasu / Asriel / Papyrus died to the Calamity.

??? - April 11th, 1019

The Ghost remains silent.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Uendo is afraid to look at the tombstone. It can't be anything good. But there's nothing else to do, and so he braces himself for the worst.

But it's not enough. There's no preparing for this.

"It... It can't be..."

Didn't... Takeshi's notes say something like this? Something about the old Heroes serving as a link between Crystallis and their homeworlds? Is that what this is about? Is Vaikuntha the same?

Then, if he dies here... everyone back home will...?

[einspine]

He falls to his knees. It's as though his very SOUL has been shattered. Not just him, but his world- no, his entire universe would disappear?

It's not real. It hasn't happened yet. It's not real. Just a dream. A warning. Not real. The future isn't set in stone. It isn't!

He clutches his skull, squeezing his eye sockets shut tight. Breathe, Papryus! Sure, he has no lungs, but...

"IT... PLEASE, TELL US. IS THERE STILL TIME TO CHANGE THIS FUTURE?"

They've come so far. It can't just end now!

[saint_sami]

“NOOOO!”

Sasami burst into tears seeing this. It... it couldn’t happen, could it? No, not Earth, not Jurai, not her friends and family on both worlds!

“What do we do?! This... this can’t be true!”

[eternitymods]

The ghost still doesn't say a word.

However, he extends a hand toward the characters, as if he is offering to shake their hands.

Accept? Or refuse?

[einspine]

Papyrus, though startled, takes that hand. This spirit can't be too malicious! Maybe he just wanted to warn them. To give them a stronger resolve.

Horrific as it all is, he'd rather trust than turn away.

[whirluendo_of_puns]

Uendo rests a hand on Sasami's shoulder, but try as he might, he can't think of anything comforting to say. His mind is too numb and scattered.

His other hand starts reaching towards the ghost's before he even has a chance to think about it. Inside his head, Patches is nodding along -- 'Maybe he's trying to help us! It's worth a try!' -- while Kisegawa is protesting -- 'Don't be daft! We have no idea what he'll do!' -- and Uendo hesitates, frozen by indecision, stomach twisting with anxiety.

What's worse? Acting on a whim and suffering for it, or being too fearful to act at all?

In the end, he doesn't know what drives him to take the ghost's hand. Or whether he's even the one really doing it. It could be any of the others in charge of his body right now and he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[saint_sami]

Sasami sees Papyrus and Uendo both take the ghost's hand. Sasami's unsure right now, but there's a bit of group mentality going on here. If not taking it means being left here, she doesn't want that!

She'll take the ghost's hand.

[bleating_heart]

Asriel slowly rubs his face.

Come on. There's no way him dying would destroy Earth. He's not that important.

Up until recently, him dying would have been a blessing for it.

But he doesn't particularly want to get killed by some stupid giant dragon.

"Tell us what we need to do." He says, taking his hand as well.