THE CURSE OF LIGHT
The Curse of Light was a magical event in which the being known as Verachter used a series of illusions to convince the people of the Jade Empire he was possessed of great magical power. Due to the Far Anomaly, this belief allowed him to channel power from the Far and use it for his own ends. He then placed a permanent curse on the people of the Jade Empire, specifically those who owed fealty to the Jade throne, which transformed them into Yokari.
His ultimate motive was to greatly and permanently increase general belief in the tenets of Jade Shinto, increasing the flow of power from the Far and strengthening magic users throughout the Jade Empire.
His ultimate motive was to greatly and permanently increase general belief in the tenets of Jade Shinto, increasing the flow of power from the Far and strengthening magic users throughout the Jade Empire.
ABOARD THE SHOGUN, A FRIGATE OF THE GAUSS DOMINION
Mariko Kuribayashi was converting a model of an old Renaissance class hauler, a favourite of the former Katasian Ryk, into a projectable holographic file. She barely noticed as the lights on the bridge flickered, but with a jump she realised she was not alone. Scrambling up from her chair, she backed away from the figure that had appeared next to her. It was a terrifying figure, towering over her, jet black with pale yellowy-red eyes, ivory fangs glinting.
"Who are...what do...." she gasped, before a memory slowly surfaced. A year or two ago, at Castle Shussan, the marine training facility. A graduating class of marines, arrayed in front of a dais, her brother among them. Her mother and a dozen other high ranking officials, seated to one side. An officer giving a stirring speech beneath a foggy sky. One of the officers on the dais was a felidaen, a giant figure. Rarely seen in the Jade Empire by that time, most felidaens resembled kindly-looking lions, proud tigers, or sweet-faced cats, but this one was terrifying, a blur of midnight darkness, eyes and teeth glinting. He looked like nightfall incarnate. As the young Mariko had watched him in terrified fascination, he had turned those baleful eyes on her, and she had frozen. It was the same fear that had rooted monkeys and deer to the spot for eons, the fear that comes from a predator's gaze. Then, disarmingly, he had winked at the child and looked away...
"Princess Mariko, how nice to see you again. I am Colonel la Saña." the colonel said in the present, with a faint bow of the head.
"Colonel! Don't hurt the others, you can't turn us all in, you can't!" she replied, her thoughts scrambling. It did not even occur to her to question how he had gotten aboard yet, she was simply scared for her friends.
He chuckled, his deep voice resonant. "Do not worry, Princess. I am not taking any of you anywhere. No, I am here for quite a different purpose. Have you heard of the Far Anomaly?"
His sudden change of track took her off-guard. Her mind was still racing to catch up.
"Uh...the Far? I know what the Far is, doesn't everyone?" she replied hesitantly. The Colonel smiled, revealing his curving fangs.
"Of course, Princess. But do you understand how it works? You've been experiencing strange things recently, yes? You have...powers, right?"
Mariko nodded slowly, saying nothing. She had put the events aboard the Gauss warship to the back of her mind, but she was scared. She had no idea what it all meant, but she was more scared that la Saña would tell her.
"Everything you were taught at temple is true. In a way. The Far is real, as is Corruption. They are great sources of power, and Rapuchefu and Zetsubo are real. But the Near also has power. Specifically, the people of Ingen do. The Far can only manifest itself in this plane through the subconscious thoughts of the Ingenious. Belief begets reality, and reality begets belief. The people's faith in your powers grants you those powers, and when you demonstrate those powers it only strengthens their belief. Do you understand?" When Mariko did not reply, he simply continued. "Anyway, your being here presents me with a unique opportunity. The consciousness of the people is at a tipping point. It will take only a small push to change the balance, to open the floodgates and allow the full power of the Far into this realm. And it will start with you.
Whilst we have been talking, I have acquired a full imagery of your face and body. I will use this to create footage that will convince the people of Ingen not only of the existence of the Far, but of my own power. The more they believe, the stronger I will become, and co-incidentally you too will grow in power, but this power will come at a cost. You, and all the people of the Jade Empire, shall become Yokari. There is of course, no such thing, and the explanation I give to the general rabble of the Empire will be filled with mystical nonsense and invented religious gabble, but by the end of it you will be transformed into a form more beautiful, terrible, and powerful than before. Under my guidance, the Jade Empire will ascend from its mundanity and harness the power of the gods, gods which it shall create for itself. Do not worry, Princess. This will not hurt."
He snapped his fingers, and her console began to play a video. A dark figure, recognisable to Mariko as la Saña, filled the screen.
"People of the Jade Empire, hear me. It is I, Verachter, the Butcher of Zlost and the Red-Handed Murderer of Neusattar. You know that your Jade Empress is not a pure daughter of Ingen, that her mother is half-gaijin, and today I show you the true implication of this oversight." The camera feed panned out to show a figure kneeling on the ground, bound and hands tied. It was Mariko. "Rapuchefu gave his Qi to Shussan, that you would forever be protected, but that same Qi does not run through the veins of all who now call themselves Imperials. Though you are all bound to the Jade Empress, you are not the same. But worry not! Zetsubo wishes also to grant his Qi to you. You will no longer be mere humans, but instead will become creatures of the liminal, halfway between the palace of light and the palace of darkness. The two brother-dragons will live inside your spirit!" -
Turning, he raised his hands and began to chant. The wind around him and Mariko seemed to pick up, even as he spoke. With a wail, the princess suddenly fell into shadow. There was a colossal roar, one that seemed to break free of the bounds of the holonet speaker even Mariko watched. Suddenly a blinding flash of light filled the screen, and when it faded Mariko could see herself once more, lying on the ground, glowing slightly. Her skin was a brilliant white, streaked across the upper face with a glittering jade. Two pure white horns sprouted through her thick, bottle-green hair, shimmering orbs of light hovering at their tips.
The feed faded, and the room's lighting restored itself.
"See, Princess? Even now, the spark of belief has been set to the dry tinder of rumour. Your adventure, your exploits, had people wondering, and now their beliefs have been confirmed. The Far is real, its power is real, and soon all Ingen will boast that power. You feel it even now, don't you?"
Already Mariko could feel a growing unease, an apprehension, as though a storm cloud gathered in the distance. She knew, instinctively, that he was right. It was happening. She stared down at her own hands, feeling them tremble, then looked back at the blank screen which had shown her a vision of her own, transformed self. Looking back at the colonel, she saw the smile in his eyes, the self-satisfied expression, and her fear twisted itself into a hot burst of rage.
"You MONSTER!" she yelled, her voice louder than she expected, and a shockwave thundered through the bridge. The Colonel was buffeted, staggering backwards a few feet, and then chuckled. When he spoke, his accent had changed, and he seemed smaller somehow. It was heavily accented, unlike the precise and calm voice he had used before.
"You see, mi Princesa? Already, your power it grows. Soon, all manner of delights will be at your fingertips. Such power! How every exciting."
"Who are...what do...." she gasped, before a memory slowly surfaced. A year or two ago, at Castle Shussan, the marine training facility. A graduating class of marines, arrayed in front of a dais, her brother among them. Her mother and a dozen other high ranking officials, seated to one side. An officer giving a stirring speech beneath a foggy sky. One of the officers on the dais was a felidaen, a giant figure. Rarely seen in the Jade Empire by that time, most felidaens resembled kindly-looking lions, proud tigers, or sweet-faced cats, but this one was terrifying, a blur of midnight darkness, eyes and teeth glinting. He looked like nightfall incarnate. As the young Mariko had watched him in terrified fascination, he had turned those baleful eyes on her, and she had frozen. It was the same fear that had rooted monkeys and deer to the spot for eons, the fear that comes from a predator's gaze. Then, disarmingly, he had winked at the child and looked away...
"Princess Mariko, how nice to see you again. I am Colonel la Saña." the colonel said in the present, with a faint bow of the head.
"Colonel! Don't hurt the others, you can't turn us all in, you can't!" she replied, her thoughts scrambling. It did not even occur to her to question how he had gotten aboard yet, she was simply scared for her friends.
He chuckled, his deep voice resonant. "Do not worry, Princess. I am not taking any of you anywhere. No, I am here for quite a different purpose. Have you heard of the Far Anomaly?"
His sudden change of track took her off-guard. Her mind was still racing to catch up.
"Uh...the Far? I know what the Far is, doesn't everyone?" she replied hesitantly. The Colonel smiled, revealing his curving fangs.
"Of course, Princess. But do you understand how it works? You've been experiencing strange things recently, yes? You have...powers, right?"
Mariko nodded slowly, saying nothing. She had put the events aboard the Gauss warship to the back of her mind, but she was scared. She had no idea what it all meant, but she was more scared that la Saña would tell her.
"Everything you were taught at temple is true. In a way. The Far is real, as is Corruption. They are great sources of power, and Rapuchefu and Zetsubo are real. But the Near also has power. Specifically, the people of Ingen do. The Far can only manifest itself in this plane through the subconscious thoughts of the Ingenious. Belief begets reality, and reality begets belief. The people's faith in your powers grants you those powers, and when you demonstrate those powers it only strengthens their belief. Do you understand?" When Mariko did not reply, he simply continued. "Anyway, your being here presents me with a unique opportunity. The consciousness of the people is at a tipping point. It will take only a small push to change the balance, to open the floodgates and allow the full power of the Far into this realm. And it will start with you.
Whilst we have been talking, I have acquired a full imagery of your face and body. I will use this to create footage that will convince the people of Ingen not only of the existence of the Far, but of my own power. The more they believe, the stronger I will become, and co-incidentally you too will grow in power, but this power will come at a cost. You, and all the people of the Jade Empire, shall become Yokari. There is of course, no such thing, and the explanation I give to the general rabble of the Empire will be filled with mystical nonsense and invented religious gabble, but by the end of it you will be transformed into a form more beautiful, terrible, and powerful than before. Under my guidance, the Jade Empire will ascend from its mundanity and harness the power of the gods, gods which it shall create for itself. Do not worry, Princess. This will not hurt."
He snapped his fingers, and her console began to play a video. A dark figure, recognisable to Mariko as la Saña, filled the screen.
"People of the Jade Empire, hear me. It is I, Verachter, the Butcher of Zlost and the Red-Handed Murderer of Neusattar. You know that your Jade Empress is not a pure daughter of Ingen, that her mother is half-gaijin, and today I show you the true implication of this oversight." The camera feed panned out to show a figure kneeling on the ground, bound and hands tied. It was Mariko. "Rapuchefu gave his Qi to Shussan, that you would forever be protected, but that same Qi does not run through the veins of all who now call themselves Imperials. Though you are all bound to the Jade Empress, you are not the same. But worry not! Zetsubo wishes also to grant his Qi to you. You will no longer be mere humans, but instead will become creatures of the liminal, halfway between the palace of light and the palace of darkness. The two brother-dragons will live inside your spirit!" -
Turning, he raised his hands and began to chant. The wind around him and Mariko seemed to pick up, even as he spoke. With a wail, the princess suddenly fell into shadow. There was a colossal roar, one that seemed to break free of the bounds of the holonet speaker even Mariko watched. Suddenly a blinding flash of light filled the screen, and when it faded Mariko could see herself once more, lying on the ground, glowing slightly. Her skin was a brilliant white, streaked across the upper face with a glittering jade. Two pure white horns sprouted through her thick, bottle-green hair, shimmering orbs of light hovering at their tips.
The feed faded, and the room's lighting restored itself.
"See, Princess? Even now, the spark of belief has been set to the dry tinder of rumour. Your adventure, your exploits, had people wondering, and now their beliefs have been confirmed. The Far is real, its power is real, and soon all Ingen will boast that power. You feel it even now, don't you?"
Already Mariko could feel a growing unease, an apprehension, as though a storm cloud gathered in the distance. She knew, instinctively, that he was right. It was happening. She stared down at her own hands, feeling them tremble, then looked back at the blank screen which had shown her a vision of her own, transformed self. Looking back at the colonel, she saw the smile in his eyes, the self-satisfied expression, and her fear twisted itself into a hot burst of rage.
"You MONSTER!" she yelled, her voice louder than she expected, and a shockwave thundered through the bridge. The Colonel was buffeted, staggering backwards a few feet, and then chuckled. When he spoke, his accent had changed, and he seemed smaller somehow. It was heavily accented, unlike the precise and calm voice he had used before.
"You see, mi Princesa? Already, your power it grows. Soon, all manner of delights will be at your fingertips. Such power! How every exciting."
INGEN DISTRICT, LAPTEV
It was a quiet day in the small town of Enjo, nestled beside a river in rural Ingen on the planet of Laptev. Life here was much the same as it had been for centuries, although the hum of hydrocell engines and the glow of holonet devices betrayed the creeping influence of modernity on even the most pastoral corners of the Jade Empire.
Haga Taketsune was busy carving a lintelpiece. Commissioned by a priest the next town over, he was getting ready to make some repairs to their Shinto temple. A carpenter and builder by trade, he had already inspected the site and measured it out, and his mud-spattered utility truck was already half-loaded with pieces and tools he had prepared. He would probably not be ready to head back to the temple until tomorrow, but that was fine by him. It was getting late in the day, and he did not want to waste all that travel time for one or two hours of work.
His son, Ide, and daughter, Hiki, were playing in the street, hopping from flagstone to flagstone that ran alongside the beaten earth road. He didn't quite understand their game but he assumed they did not either - they were at that age where rules were made up on the fly and usually devolved into arguments in any case. He smiled, putting down his lathe and reaching for a cup of water. The holonet was crackling in the background, and he jumped as a strange voice cut through the broadcaster's calm tones as she droned on about a new trade deal in some far-flung system. Turning, he saw that the familiar, make-up laden face of the newsreader had been replaced by a dark figure, barely a silhouette.
"People of the Jade Empire, hear me. It is I, Verachter, the Butcher of Zlost and the Red-Handed Murderer of Neusattar. You know that your Jade Empress is not a pure daughter of Ingen, that her mother is half-gaijin, and today I show you the true implication of this oversight."
The camera feed panned out to show a figure kneeling on the ground, bound and hands tied. Haga gasped as he recognised the grainy figure. It was Princess Mariko Kuribayashi, daughter of the Jade Empress, who had been missing for some time now following the Frankish assault on Legacy.
"Rapuchefu gave his Qi to Shussan, that you would forever be protected, but that same Qi does not run through the veins of all who now call themselves Imperials. Though you are all bound to the Jade Empress, you are not the same. But worry not! Zetsubo wishes also to grant his Qi to you. You will no longer be mere humans, but instead will become creatures of the liminal, halfway between the palace of light and the palace of darkness. The two brother-dragons will live inside your spirit!"
Turning, he raised his hands and began to chant. The wind around him and Mariko seemed to pick up, even as he spoke. With a wail, the princess suddenly fell into shadow. There was a colossal roar, one that seemed to break free of the bounds of the holonet speaker even as Haga watched in shock and terror, his children and several passersby crowding around. Suddenly a blinding flash of light filled the screen, and when it faded Haga's elderly neighbour, Mrs Chimame, wailed in despair. Mariko was visible, lying on the ground, glowing slightly. Her skin was a brilliant white, streaked across the upper face with a glittering jade. Two pure white horns sprouted through her thick, bottle-green hair, shimmering orbs of light hovering at their tips.
"Yokari!" muttered the old woman in disbelief, whilst the children stared wide-eyed, torn between excitement at seeing a fairytale creature and fear, fear because the adults were afraid, even their father who was always so steadfast. The camera panned back to the dark figure.
"The Princess was the first, and is the greatest. But all of you shall join her. Do you feel now, the sensation? The curious apprehension. Soon all the subjects of the Jade Throne will be blessed by the life essence of Zetsubo. Rejoice!"
With that the feed cut, the terrified-looking reporter reappearing on-screen, seemingly lost for words. There was a shocked silence, mutters of consternation breaking the still afternoon air. Haga gathered his children to him, hugging them tight as they began to cry, overwhelmed. As he patted their heads and uttered quiet reassurances, he happened to glance up at Mrs Chimame, who was staring in horror at her own hands. As the wind began to pick up, he realised Mrs Chimame was beginning to glow...
Haga Taketsune was busy carving a lintelpiece. Commissioned by a priest the next town over, he was getting ready to make some repairs to their Shinto temple. A carpenter and builder by trade, he had already inspected the site and measured it out, and his mud-spattered utility truck was already half-loaded with pieces and tools he had prepared. He would probably not be ready to head back to the temple until tomorrow, but that was fine by him. It was getting late in the day, and he did not want to waste all that travel time for one or two hours of work.
His son, Ide, and daughter, Hiki, were playing in the street, hopping from flagstone to flagstone that ran alongside the beaten earth road. He didn't quite understand their game but he assumed they did not either - they were at that age where rules were made up on the fly and usually devolved into arguments in any case. He smiled, putting down his lathe and reaching for a cup of water. The holonet was crackling in the background, and he jumped as a strange voice cut through the broadcaster's calm tones as she droned on about a new trade deal in some far-flung system. Turning, he saw that the familiar, make-up laden face of the newsreader had been replaced by a dark figure, barely a silhouette.
"People of the Jade Empire, hear me. It is I, Verachter, the Butcher of Zlost and the Red-Handed Murderer of Neusattar. You know that your Jade Empress is not a pure daughter of Ingen, that her mother is half-gaijin, and today I show you the true implication of this oversight."
The camera feed panned out to show a figure kneeling on the ground, bound and hands tied. Haga gasped as he recognised the grainy figure. It was Princess Mariko Kuribayashi, daughter of the Jade Empress, who had been missing for some time now following the Frankish assault on Legacy.
"Rapuchefu gave his Qi to Shussan, that you would forever be protected, but that same Qi does not run through the veins of all who now call themselves Imperials. Though you are all bound to the Jade Empress, you are not the same. But worry not! Zetsubo wishes also to grant his Qi to you. You will no longer be mere humans, but instead will become creatures of the liminal, halfway between the palace of light and the palace of darkness. The two brother-dragons will live inside your spirit!"
Turning, he raised his hands and began to chant. The wind around him and Mariko seemed to pick up, even as he spoke. With a wail, the princess suddenly fell into shadow. There was a colossal roar, one that seemed to break free of the bounds of the holonet speaker even as Haga watched in shock and terror, his children and several passersby crowding around. Suddenly a blinding flash of light filled the screen, and when it faded Haga's elderly neighbour, Mrs Chimame, wailed in despair. Mariko was visible, lying on the ground, glowing slightly. Her skin was a brilliant white, streaked across the upper face with a glittering jade. Two pure white horns sprouted through her thick, bottle-green hair, shimmering orbs of light hovering at their tips.
"Yokari!" muttered the old woman in disbelief, whilst the children stared wide-eyed, torn between excitement at seeing a fairytale creature and fear, fear because the adults were afraid, even their father who was always so steadfast. The camera panned back to the dark figure.
"The Princess was the first, and is the greatest. But all of you shall join her. Do you feel now, the sensation? The curious apprehension. Soon all the subjects of the Jade Throne will be blessed by the life essence of Zetsubo. Rejoice!"
With that the feed cut, the terrified-looking reporter reappearing on-screen, seemingly lost for words. There was a shocked silence, mutters of consternation breaking the still afternoon air. Haga gathered his children to him, hugging them tight as they began to cry, overwhelmed. As he patted their heads and uttered quiet reassurances, he happened to glance up at Mrs Chimame, who was staring in horror at her own hands. As the wind began to pick up, he realised Mrs Chimame was beginning to glow...
CASTLE CANMORE, NEUSATTAR
In one of the sprawling courtyards of Castle Canmore, a medieval fortress that sat at the heart of a huge marine training facility, two platoons of marine recruits were being put through their paces. Helvetia, from the sunny Mediolanii District to the south, glanced over at Bardwulf, whose hometown could practically be seen from the highest towers of the castle.
"What's the matter, too hot?" she teased, knowing that the Sattran was having difficulty with the unseasonably hot afternoon. He just scowled at her in mock annoyance, making her laugh, prompting their drill sergeant to appear at their side in a flash.
"Something funny, Marine!?" the sergeant bawled, keeping up effortlessly as she ran sideways.
"Sir, no sir!" replied Helvetia, eyes forward, expression suddenly neutral.
"Seems to me you got too much breath in your lungs if you can waste it laughing, marine. Double time, front of the platoon now! NOW!"
Chased by the sergeant's voice, Helvetia sped up, her legs pumping as she passed the two dozen other recruits to take position at the front of the ragged column as it hustled across the courtyard, over a wooden bridge and onto the smooth blacktop road beyond, which wound slowly downhill. Suddenly, even as Helvetia fought to level out her breathing after the unexpected exertion, the sergeant bawled for the recruits to stop. The reason why was obvious; in the road ahead of them, at a crossroads, was a vehicle half in the drainage ditch. The sergeant carried on towards the vehicle, and Helvetia followed hesitantly, uneasy. It took her a moment to realise why; the lights were on in the cab, even though it was broad daylight. Whilst not obviously threatening, that just felt....strange.
As she approached, she saw the sergeant stagger back, and clearly heard "What the fuck?!". As the sergeant moved Helvetia got a glimpse into the cab's interior, and saw the occupant. She gasped. The driver looked like an old man, some local farmer or mechanic, but his skin was pure white, glowing almost, and he had horns. He moaned and grabbed the dash, and the sergeant rushed to help him, Helvetia close on her heels. The wind picked up, tearing at her clothes as she got close to the truck.
"Sir, can you hear me? Sir!" asked the sergeant, supporting him as he shook his head in confusion. Behind them, another marine swore. "This is Merger shit sarge! You shouldn't be touching him!"
"I don't remember asking for your stupid-ass opinion, marine, so shut the fuck up. In fact, you hightail it back to the Castle and get a medic down here right fucking now!" barked the sergeant, pulling out her own holoscreen and calling back to the Castle even before he was out of earshot - she had sent him away just to get rid of him. Walden was an idiot and probably wouldn't complete the MTF course. Some people just failed out.
The man groaned and began to speak. The sergeant hissed and waved the platoon to silence, leaning in close. Her expression dropped as she listened. She took a step back, one hand still propping the man up by his shoulder, and then glanced at her marines.
"All of you, get back to the castle on the double. MOVE!" she yelled. It was the lack of expletives that convinced Helvetia of just how serious the sergeant was, and she turned to sprint back uphill with her fellow recruits. As she glanced back she saw the sergeant, still stood by the truck, drop to her knees, her mouth open as if she was crying out, but Helvetia couldn't hear anything over the howling wind...
"What's the matter, too hot?" she teased, knowing that the Sattran was having difficulty with the unseasonably hot afternoon. He just scowled at her in mock annoyance, making her laugh, prompting their drill sergeant to appear at their side in a flash.
"Something funny, Marine!?" the sergeant bawled, keeping up effortlessly as she ran sideways.
"Sir, no sir!" replied Helvetia, eyes forward, expression suddenly neutral.
"Seems to me you got too much breath in your lungs if you can waste it laughing, marine. Double time, front of the platoon now! NOW!"
Chased by the sergeant's voice, Helvetia sped up, her legs pumping as she passed the two dozen other recruits to take position at the front of the ragged column as it hustled across the courtyard, over a wooden bridge and onto the smooth blacktop road beyond, which wound slowly downhill. Suddenly, even as Helvetia fought to level out her breathing after the unexpected exertion, the sergeant bawled for the recruits to stop. The reason why was obvious; in the road ahead of them, at a crossroads, was a vehicle half in the drainage ditch. The sergeant carried on towards the vehicle, and Helvetia followed hesitantly, uneasy. It took her a moment to realise why; the lights were on in the cab, even though it was broad daylight. Whilst not obviously threatening, that just felt....strange.
As she approached, she saw the sergeant stagger back, and clearly heard "What the fuck?!". As the sergeant moved Helvetia got a glimpse into the cab's interior, and saw the occupant. She gasped. The driver looked like an old man, some local farmer or mechanic, but his skin was pure white, glowing almost, and he had horns. He moaned and grabbed the dash, and the sergeant rushed to help him, Helvetia close on her heels. The wind picked up, tearing at her clothes as she got close to the truck.
"Sir, can you hear me? Sir!" asked the sergeant, supporting him as he shook his head in confusion. Behind them, another marine swore. "This is Merger shit sarge! You shouldn't be touching him!"
"I don't remember asking for your stupid-ass opinion, marine, so shut the fuck up. In fact, you hightail it back to the Castle and get a medic down here right fucking now!" barked the sergeant, pulling out her own holoscreen and calling back to the Castle even before he was out of earshot - she had sent him away just to get rid of him. Walden was an idiot and probably wouldn't complete the MTF course. Some people just failed out.
The man groaned and began to speak. The sergeant hissed and waved the platoon to silence, leaning in close. Her expression dropped as she listened. She took a step back, one hand still propping the man up by his shoulder, and then glanced at her marines.
"All of you, get back to the castle on the double. MOVE!" she yelled. It was the lack of expletives that convinced Helvetia of just how serious the sergeant was, and she turned to sprint back uphill with her fellow recruits. As she glanced back she saw the sergeant, still stood by the truck, drop to her knees, her mouth open as if she was crying out, but Helvetia couldn't hear anything over the howling wind...
THE JADE PALACE, INGEN DISTRICT, LAPTEV
Takara Kuribayashi watched, aghast, as around her her courtiers began to collapse. She stood, her robes rustling, but as she did so she felt suddenly dizzy, a rush of blood to her head that only got worse instead of easing off. Her vision blurred and she blinked to try and clear it.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with a huge snout, giant fangs glinting and colossal eyes trained lazily on hers, whiskers floating freely. Glancing around, she gained a sense of scale. The face in front of her was vast, bigger than easily comprehensible, the kind of scale that makes you feel sick just trying to understand it. Floating there in the void, suspended in space surrounded by the glitter of stars, she felt a sense of terror and awe wash over her. This was Rapuchefu himself. It did not strike her as curious that she was suddenly between worlds, her bare skin exposed to the harmless emptiness of space.
She had seen the great dragon once before, a kind of vision that had warned her when the treacherous Katzenhaft had summoned an avatar of Corruption to assault her and her followers during the Storming of the Winter Villa. He had not spoken that time, and this time he did not speak either. Instead, he simply blinked, his eyelids moving at unbelievable speeds and yet the scale of his face making the motion take an aeon. Staring into his eyes, Takara understood a feeling of well-being and security. She felt, rather than heard, that everything was going to work out fine. He knew what was happening, and she and her people were still under his protection. Floating for what felt like an eternity, she and Rapuchefu communed, emotions rather than thoughts that nevertheless communicated real and tangible information to the Jade Empress. Eventually, with a sense of almost amusement, Rapuchefu blinked again, his gargantuan whiskers twitching across the breadth of AU. Takara felt a weariness and her head dropped. When she snapped her head back up, she was back in her throne room, sprawled on her throne. Her courtiers and guards were sprawled around her, some still unconscious, some struggling to rise.
Every single one of them was glowing, their skin pure white and their heads marked by a jade-green chief across the upper half of their faces. Their hair was a deep bottle green and short white horns, tipped by orbs of light, poked from their foreheads. She reached up to her own head and felt the protrusions herself. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, and then stood again. Her people needed her. She took in a deep breath and began to speak...
When she opened her eyes, she found herself face-to-face with a huge snout, giant fangs glinting and colossal eyes trained lazily on hers, whiskers floating freely. Glancing around, she gained a sense of scale. The face in front of her was vast, bigger than easily comprehensible, the kind of scale that makes you feel sick just trying to understand it. Floating there in the void, suspended in space surrounded by the glitter of stars, she felt a sense of terror and awe wash over her. This was Rapuchefu himself. It did not strike her as curious that she was suddenly between worlds, her bare skin exposed to the harmless emptiness of space.
She had seen the great dragon once before, a kind of vision that had warned her when the treacherous Katzenhaft had summoned an avatar of Corruption to assault her and her followers during the Storming of the Winter Villa. He had not spoken that time, and this time he did not speak either. Instead, he simply blinked, his eyelids moving at unbelievable speeds and yet the scale of his face making the motion take an aeon. Staring into his eyes, Takara understood a feeling of well-being and security. She felt, rather than heard, that everything was going to work out fine. He knew what was happening, and she and her people were still under his protection. Floating for what felt like an eternity, she and Rapuchefu communed, emotions rather than thoughts that nevertheless communicated real and tangible information to the Jade Empress. Eventually, with a sense of almost amusement, Rapuchefu blinked again, his gargantuan whiskers twitching across the breadth of AU. Takara felt a weariness and her head dropped. When she snapped her head back up, she was back in her throne room, sprawled on her throne. Her courtiers and guards were sprawled around her, some still unconscious, some struggling to rise.
Every single one of them was glowing, their skin pure white and their heads marked by a jade-green chief across the upper half of their faces. Their hair was a deep bottle green and short white horns, tipped by orbs of light, poked from their foreheads. She reached up to her own head and felt the protrusions herself. She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply, and then stood again. Her people needed her. She took in a deep breath and began to speak...