- 88 [Action]

[fortunefail]

[With all these newcomers about, Yuan simply isn't comfortable staying at home. Against all better judgment, he ventures out into the village to have a look. Catch him anywhere, any time!

Later, he'll return to house #8 to find it ravaged, after Kratos had a little 'argument' with Lord Kvar. Wonderfully foreboding. What other surprises may lie in wait here?]

Comments

[nihilconcerto]

[On the edges of the village, Yuan will find something very much amiss. Creeping along the ground is a kind of black mist, clearly noxious and just as clearly something to be avoided.

And yet, standing at its source is a tall woman. The air is too hazy around her for any details to be visible; all Yuan might be able to see is the eerie stillness with which she stands.]

[fortunefail]

[That mist... Yuan stops in his tracks when he spots it. Even if it wasn't black, he'd be able to tell that this mist isn't ordinary. It gives off a presence that reminds him of Niflheim and demons, though it's not quite the same. His common sense is telling him to turn back and avoid contact with it, but...

There is a woman. Is she trapped inside the mist? Is she in trouble? He can't tell.]

Hey! Are you... Are you all right?!

[nihilconcerto]

[She does not acknowledge his words with even the slightest of motions. The mist parts, just enough for Yuan to be able to see her dark clothing, her half-mask, and her long aqua hair.

Behind him, more of the same dark mist begins to filter out of the ground.]

Come to me, child of two worlds.

[fortunefail]

[The fact that the black mist is now surrounding him is a clear sign that he should get the hell out of there. That this can only lead to bad things. But that woman... What did she call him? Child of two worlds? Does she mean... No, that's impossible. Isn't it?

And yet, she looks so familiar. Who does she remind him of?]

Who are you?

[nihilconcerto]

You do not need to know.

[Around them, the mist continues to rise. It's becoming difficult to see the outside world.

The woman speaks again. The sound of her voice alone has the power to inspire the darkest emotions--a sense of futility, of being trapped, of being bound in deep despair.]

Let me free you from your existence of sorrow and senseless death.

[fortunefail]

[This isn't good. This is dangerous. The voice of reason is telling Yuan to leave. To run through the mist while he still can, or... Or even fly out. But that voice is slowly being drowned out. There's a chill spreading through his body. A painful constriction forming in the pit of his stomach. He can't tell if it's because of the woman's voice or because he's breathing in the mist. Perhaps it's a combination of both.

He just feels... so helpless. Like running away won't matter at all.]

Free me?

[One careful step at a time, he begins to stride towards the woman. He just can't stop himself. With the mist surrounding him like a cage and despair filling his very being, it's like the only thing left for him to do is to move forward.]

[nihilconcerto]

[She gives one slow nod. As she does, the mist closes around them completely. They are now cut off from the outside world.]

Give yourself to me, and I shall end your cycle of death.

[fortunefail]

[It's chilling. So very chilling. Not like normal cold, but the kind that reaches inside you. And still, Yuan keeps walking. The woman's words are cryptical, but they make a surprising amount of sense.]

... How?

[nihilconcerto]

[She gives no evidence of satisfaction as she watches him. She only waits.]

Should a child give up everything, then so shall that child's pain fade forever in the eternal void.

[She makes no welcoming gestures, no great or dramatic movements.]

Come. Let me lull you to sleep.

[fortunefail]

[Schwartz doesn't need to make any sort of welcoming gestures. Her words are doing all the luring for her, so Yuan keeps walking towards her at a calm pace. He hardly realizes he's moving at all.

Pain will fade forever... Pain he's been struggling with for over four thousand years...]

... Is that truly possible?

[nihilconcerto]

[She nods, just once.]

Your time in this world has long since passed. Accept your end and you shall find peace everlasting.

[fortunefail]

[It has long since passed. Yuan is perfectly aware of that, but he has no means to stop it. He's doomed to keep living, or so he convinced himself.

And then this woman appeared, and all his convictions seem irrelevant.]


... What must I do?

[nihilconcerto]

Surrender yourself to me.

[Just slightly, she holds out her hand. It's virtually the only movement she's made during the entire conversation.]

[fortunefail]

[Something about the word "surrender" has Yuan snap back to reality again, if only a bit. Both Lloyd and Martel have already accused him of 'giving up'. Of lying down and accepting his fate without fighting back.

He's being controlled. This woman... She's controlling him.]

I... I can't. I won't! [He takes a step back again.]

[nihilconcerto]

[She makes no move to stop him. She only says in that same emotionless voice:] Do not deny yourself the peace and freedom from your sins I offer.

All lives must come to a close. Even time itself will someday end. You cannot resist the way of the universe.