Back to Anaphora (Psyper, Open)

[Isla]

Teleportation was different from walking through a portal. Instead of walking through a door, it felt more like falling through the floor to Isla. He lost all sense of depth and direction as he wondered if he had been killed. Certainly a possibility.

The glint of dreamy aurora blinded Isla. His last sense to go? It dimmed as his eyes adjusted to reveal a shimmering, crystal castle. The afterlife? In his immediate presence, though, was Psyper, though Isla was not sure how long she would stay. Noticing an unfamiliar weight on his left, he notices that the broken blade had found a home in one of his belt loops. It fit almost unnaturally in regards to its size and weight, but it held fast. Odd.

"Thank you for the jaunt to civilization." He said wearily. The castle was at his front, and settlement was at his back. His current goal was to get back to Radiant Garden, to find Sezrix.

Except...

Isla was also worried about the 'curse' that had been laid on him. He was already thrown from his destination once - what if it happened again, in the depths of space, and he was pushed into an asteroid field or another cosmic danger? Something was pushing him away from his goals, maybe towards some end. He wasn't interfered with when traveling to... whatever this place was, though. Maybe this was where he was supposed to go, or at least not somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. The wording of his last Haiku worried him; Journey's End. A prediction of his death, or a warning? It was too early to make assumptions, though. The castle probably had court magicians, and the settlement probably had traveling components. His pocket still had a few of the precious gems Sezrix had given him on their first encounter... he couldn't spend those. They were his only connection to friendship. He moved them to an inner vest pocket and buttoned them, so they wouldn't fall out or be susceptible to pickpocketing.

I'll remove the curse, and then find a way back to Radiant Garden. He decided.

His walk toward the castle began.

[Psyper]

Back to the only place she could call a safe haven. There were no 'patients' here for the longest time, and it helped her get over that urge to spontaneously operate on people. And those glass prisons had gotten tiring as well. Luckily, the people here, mostly Nobodies, didn't outright kick her out and brand her a criminal. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She was being watched whenever she arrived, but she showed them that she wasn't harming anyone. At least not here, unless provoked by overzealous visitors and the occasional heartless.

The Nobody simply nodded when thanked. "Wasn't sure someone like you would call this civilization." She looked towards the number of Nobodies in the courtyard, not minding the two that had teleported straight to the doors of the castle. The nobodies here had their own faces, save for those who lost too much of themselves. While seemingly inattentive, one wrong move can spark a quick retaliation from everyone present.

She followed the man to the doors. The guards knew her already, so they would be allowed inside. However, giving him access to the Castle was as far as she planned to go. She'd walk him inside, but once they were there, she would split off towards the second floor. "Valerie will be in the throne room if you wanted to talk to the Queen. We'll be off now. Behave yourself or you'd wish you were back in the graveyard."

[Isla]

Isla had felt a little strange when he noticed Psyper followed him, but didn't dissuade company. Still, he couldn't bring himself to further conversation. An apathetic air permeated the atmosphere of Psyper, and the scribe wanted nothing to do with it. When she spoke, it was like he had broken out of a trance. There he was, the castle. The guards let him in due to some recognition to Psyper, and a moment of panic entered the small man. What if she was the ruler of this place? He definitely didn't want to deal with that. However, it seemed such coincidence would be left in poorly written narrative.

The Queen? He hadn't any desires so grandiose, but if the opportunity presented itself, Isla couldn't think of someone who would have more answers than the ruler of the land. "Alright, thanks, Spirit." He made a point to address the unseen, benevolent force that saved him. If given the opportunity, he would repay the apparition.

First Sezrix, now Spirit. For a vagrant, I sure am accumulating a lot of debts. His inner voice was almost cheerful. Weird.

Isla approached the throne room and entered, a small speck in such a large space. His eyes were adjusting to the lighting of the room, so he wasn't exactly sure of its layout or occupants.

"So, uh, I'm here to see the Queen." A meek voice sounded through the court. He hoped he could keep his head in lieu of returning to the grave.

[Val Noria]

Two people entered her domain. One was a regular visitor, and the other was a brand new face. The glass all around the castle allowed her to sense people who step foot on the grounds. It made her aware of dangers lurking, and unannounced visitors. Additionally, if they proved to be dangerous, she could set the glass to trap or impale them before they hurt anyone. She was happy that she didn't have to do any of that.

The nobody that escorted the stranger into the castle split off, likely to enjoy a moments rest in her reserved room. Val couldn't say she was surprised that she left the stranger to find his way by himself. There were four guards in the room at ground level, armed with swords and spears. A pair were stationed at the door, and the other was by her throne's flanks. While security wasn't a concern for the queen, she couldn't strip the men of their purpose. Up high on the balconies surrounding the room were a number of archers, standing by and keeping eyes out for danger.

The stranger entered the room, requesting audience with the queen. Valerie's light blue eyes looked upon the stranger, sizing him up and noticing the peculiar piece of equipment with him. She recognized it as a keyblade, albeit a broken one. She was unaware that keyblades could break, but there had to be a reason.

"You have come to the right place," she said with a soothing voice. "Please, step forward and tell me the reason of your visit." She remained cordially seated with her hands clasped over a book on her lap. Like most days, she had been reading since the morn until the visitors arrived. Nobodies were easy to satisfy. They had so few wants, and their needs were already sated. Most of the nobodies in the castle were employed here before all of them were turned into what they were now, and almost all of them remembered their duties. Left with nothing much to themselves, they continued to do what they did best with minimal command from Valerie herself.

[Isla]

Nervousness crawled across Isla like a swarm of vermin. Suddenly, he realized how many eyes - and corresponding weapons - were focused on his being. Almost everyone had that same, dissonant air about them that made the scribe extremely uncomfortable. Stepping a bit closer (but careful to not make a sudden or threatening move), he spoke his legend.

"Well, uh, I honestly didn't expect to speak to such an outstanding political figure, but... Isla tried to gather his words in the least egregious way possible.

"I've been moved to this world by a force beyond my control, and a hex has been placed on me." He felt a little demanding, so he followed up with some explanation.

"Just yesterday.. or maybe the day before, I'm not sure how much time has passed.. but just yesterday I was a beggar, a vagrant. I had no possessions or means. So now I ask for Your Benevolence, to provide me with a way to ascertain travel and cleansing." Alright, that wasn't so bad. Time to finish it up.

"I'll work, I'll do anything - please help me get back to Radiant Garden, my home. I have a friend who's waiting for me there." A sigh of relief as the conclusion was reached.

[Val Noria]

Valerie thought about his story, and she had some questions on whether or not his tale was indeed the truth. She could easily send him off to his destination, but she wanted some answers first. There really wasn't anything she could use his help with since the castle and the settlements under her jurisdiction were all doing well. And if he was indeed just a beggar, then she has doubts whether or not he had any qualities that would improve the kingdom. As harsh as that may be, the Nobodies now living here had gone through enough already.

She was willing to give the benefit of the doubt, but she didn't see a purpose for employing him when he was going to be sent off anyway.

"I will help you, but first I would need to ask you a few questions. If you were indeed just a vagrant, then what unfortunate event befell you that lead to you being hexed? And what exactly is the nature of this hex?"

[Isla]

Isla collected his thoughts, and explained his situation in further detail as succinctly as he could.

"Well, I suppose it started when I tried to use a portal to take me and my friend to his hometown. I'm not sure if he made it, but I definitely didn't. I ended up in this huge, uh, graveyard." Isla decided to use the wording Psyper had, to better explain. For emphasis, he slowly drew the broken blade and slowly laid it down, attempting to be as non-threatening as possible (though having this many eyes and weapons drawn to him was making him increasingly nervous, so the blade clattered to the ground as his shaking hands released it).

"It was full of blades like these, but they were impaled into the ground as if they had fallen from the heavens. A voice called onto me, loud and silent, and spoke of strange things, about my 'journey's end'. And then, it restrained my ability to turn words into reality with a "Curse", the word burned into my arm. It's visually gone now, but its effects linger upon me." He displayed his arm, but he knew it was blank. Maybe the location was important? He thought carefully about what he would say next. He didn't want to sound crazy.

"And on this world, strange creatures made of inky shadows attacked me. I actually almost died... but that's when Spirit and it's, uh, 'Vessel' arrived and healed me. Then, the blade broke out in some sort of aurora of amber and vanquished the creatures into Nothingness. After that, Psyper sent us here, and well... this is it." Isla's story came to a close. He was hoping it was the end of his adventure, but he had an increasingly strong feeling that it was only the prologue.

[Val Noria]

She listened to his extended tale and raised a brow at the broken blade he laid out in front of her. And he mentioned something about a graveyard. Valerie hadn't been there personally, however she did read about the place where the great keyblade war happened. And according to her surveyors, that place was just as illustrated in one of the books in the hidden archives.

She assumed these 'creatures made of shadows' were Heartless. But considering what the blades there were used for, she found it strange that they'd be loitering around there. They had to be stirring again. If these were just any heartless, her kingdom would be safe as there weren't a lot of hearts to take here, but if this was the work of their old enemy...

She looked at the blade again, scrutinizing every detail. "I wasn't aware those things could be broken..." she said in contemplation. "I'll let you get to your destination, but as compensation I would like to ask for one thing. If that if you learn of a way to destroy keyblades, then you must tell me. That's all I ask. Unfortunately I cannot do anything for your curse. But if you return when my mages are present, then we could possibly help you."

[Isla]

A promise you never have to follow-up on? Fool. The recently absent dark thoughts make their return.

Isla's outward appearance only went still for a second, and then he resumed collecting his thoughts, and responded.

"Uh, sure. I have to be honest, though, I'm not sure what a Keyblade is." Isla looked at the rust-riddled weapon below him, and then postulated. "Oh, this? It just got old and weathered, and when I tried to pull it out of the ground, it snapped." Isla was confused. Did this world lack technological advancement, and he just explained to her the properties of metal?

I could call it the Isla Effect.

And then he thought about the curse.

"Well, I think I should wait for the magicians. Last time I tried to move a few hundred feet, I ended up worlds away." Isla wasn't prepared to gamble again. Maybe as a last resort. He thought of Sezrix's machine.

"Do you think the method can be a physical vessel?" He figured the affliction was magical, not material.

Getting thrown into a meteor was also a possibility.

[Val Noria]

Valerie didn't think he was lying. The blades in the graveyard were there for the longest time, so whatever power they held, it must have faded and made the blade weak. Surely there had to be another way, and she while it was unlikely this person will give the answer, he may run into someone who would. "If you find a way, I will give you compensation for the information. If it works, expect a greater reward.

"We have no need for physical vessels as we have gatekeepers that link us to the other worlds, so I regret to inform you that I cannot provide a ship for your transport. If you would like to stay, you may occupy one of our guest rooms or stay in a tavern in town until the mages are available."

[Isla]

Well, no reason to stay here anymore.

Isla nodded his head toward the queen in confirmation, and began his journey to the town. Despite what the monarch had said, after a few days in search, he was able to find a small ship from a rather shady looking dealer. He was able to exchange a favor instead of the precious gems that Isla would rather not part with; something as mundane as helping the vendor move into his new flat. Weird.

Anyway, Jarl put in some coordinates on the ship and sent Isla off to what he said would be Radiant Garden.

[Val Noria]

One of her citizens entered the palace, reporting to the queen that her guest had left on a ship. How peculiar. It would have been easier for him to use the gateways. Nonetheless, she was pleased to hear that he didn't cause any trouble for her people. She dismissed her citizen and returned to her reading. She thought he was going to wait for her mages, but it seemed there was something much more urgent.

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