middleofsomewhere | So Familiar a Gleam: Finale

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So Familiar a Gleam: Finale

YOU R̴̨̬̗̞̺̖̣̱͌̋̅͊͒̃͘Ų̴̨̨̦͎̭̥̰͍̞͙̲̰̞̭̎̆̓͂́͒̑͌̆̉̕͝Î̶̲͖͙͍̮̮̯̭͘͝N̵̡̢̢̛̛͔̳̲͚̙͕̘̠̞̈͊̂̋̆ͅÉ̸͖̟̻̯̪̭͉̭͖̱̙̠̺͎̥̿D̸̥́͒̈́̔̓̅̋͛̉̀͒̇̚̚ MY WORLD

A TL;DR notes version of days/prompts: (click to show)

EVENT BASICS:

DAYS 8-9 (M11-M12):

Buildings had begun to disappear during days 7&8, facilities and even whole streets begin vanishing. There are signs of crumbling infrastructure everywhere they look.
In the early morning of Day 9 (M12), the cracks in the city - in this illusionary world - finally spread. The void sky above shines brightly in its colours. Chaos - also referred to as the Entity, or That Guy - is heard screaming of vengeance against the Voidtreckers, blaming all that has happened onto them. It shows what happened to the original Diagad: It was destroyed by blocky shapes in the sky that came down and destroyed it, while Chaos itself fell into the void.

There is also some light mind torture, as a treat, to really wake people up. Memories, visions of their past assail them. This is the sort of stuff the voidtreckers have been training against and it's a good time for them to put all that work to the test.
Anan's group then takes over any electrical device still left. She explains that they have a way to get the non voidtreckers (4th wall characters and npcs) home and also a way to temporarily seal the world. The entity takes offence at this and the screens smash. The entity appears as a cyclone of crackling colourful energy.
Illusionary creatures are sent around to find and attack Voidtreckers, but they're also going after 4th wallers/NPCS. There's also monsters from other worlds leaking through, real monsters. People will have to move around more carefully, as going out on the streets is dangerous.
However, there's word that buildings are disintegrating/disappearing farther out from the centre sector. People see where the city limits are as the illusion of there being more to the city has completely faded.
Their SCA's begin to work fully, including comms. Of course not everyone was wearing their SCA when they got pulled and the 4th wallers don't have one so it will be up to those who do to make sure everyone is kept in the loop.
The main tasks are as follows.

"YOU. YOU WISH TO RUIN MY WORLD. TO TEAR IT ASUNDER, BREAK AND CRUMBLE AND INCINERATE ITS EXISTENCE AGAIN. AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. I WATCHED IT. THE END OF DIAGAD, PURPLE SKIES, THE CHILDREN WHO LAUGHED IN JOY, THE SMILES I BROUGHT TO LIFE. THE REASON I WORKED AND WOKE AND WHAT KEPT ME GOING EACH AND EVERY DAY. MY EXISTENCE. MY BEING.

FALLING. FALLING. FALLING. I FELL AS IT CAME, BLACK TERROR WITH A HUNGER. HOW DID THE CHILDREN CRY? DID THEY SUFFER? I CAN HEAR THEM ALL, I CAN IMAGINE THEM. SEE IT. THE POSSIBILITIES, THE MAYBES, THE TRUTH. THE WORLD-- MY BEAUTIFUL DIAGAD, OH! THE VOID HAS BLESSED AND CURSED AND DAMNED AND DESTROYED AND BROUGHT TO ME A CHANCE TO SAVE IT THIS TIME, I WILL SAVE DIAGAD, I WILL HEAR THE CHILDREN LAUGH AGAIN, NO ONE WILL DESTROY MY CITY AGAIN. NO ONE, NO THING, IT WILL BE BEAUTIFUL AND SAVED AND IT WILL PROSPER FOREVER.

ALL WHO HARM US! ALL WHO STOP OUR RETURN! I WILL FIX WHAT HAS BEEN BROKEN. NEVER AGAIN SHALL YOU YOU VOIDTRECKERS HARM MY WORLD AGAIN. TWISTING AND RUINING OUR HOME NO MORE NO MORE I WILL END YOU."

The spiel comes in the early morning of Merriment 12, their ninth day on this strange world, though morning and night are indistinguishable now with the void-scarred sky burning above Jinnjar. Little exists of the sectors but the education and political district, and everyone has had to take shelter in its buildings, on cold tiled floors and with few blankets. There is no waking comfortable, feeling at ease. The city continues to crumble, and the citizens turned into the Entity's Heroes never quit their search and harassing of people who may be secret Voidtreckers, regardless of the ruinous world around them.

And then it speaks. The Entity's voices wakes everyone, enters into dreams, reality and the fake undefinable between one another. Scenes switch from one to another. A sky. Purple, serene and calm. A feeling of great contentment. But then come the shadows. Dark clouds filling the sky, blotting out that most perfect sky. A scream. No, a thousand screams. A world of screams echoes in every ear. A shadowed figure falling into the void. Pain erupts through the body, the mind, madness and grief suffocating every sense, every fibre of the being, and more attempts to fill and drown each and every person in Diagad. There is grief, there is love, there is despair. A longing and desperation that can never be fulfilled that cries out.

Once it's over, many have collapsed from the experience, and there are screams of those scared for their lives. Go out into the streets if you haven't already, and you will see the streets breaking, buildings being pulled like cubes, splitting people and trapping them. And there is a surge that hits people - Voidtreckers, others - with a brainwashing that makes them think of only one thing:

NO MORE. END. WE WILL END THE VOIDTRECKERS.

In amongst all of this chaos screens switch on. Any screens left working in buildings, on buildings, peoples phones. All show a young woman, a droid sat on her hair, metal legs curled around her head.

"Malin?"

A woman's voice. "Yes, go Anan. Now."

"LISTEN UP!" Anan isn't as loud as the booming voice echoing through the city, but she makes herself clear. "We need to evacuate and seal this world. It is falling apart." Stating the obvious, perhaps.

"We can temporarily seal it and we think there is a way to get the others back to their worlds. I know you Voidtreckers have had no training and this is advanced and really dangerous but everyone who is not a void traveller is in a lot of danger."

In truth, even the void travellers were in danger, but she doesn't want morale to be too low.

"Anyone willing to help meet me in the big park. You'll know it, it's the only park left!"

'HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU THWART ME. NO. NO. YOU DON'T. THIS IS MY CITY. MINE NOT YOURS. NOT YOURS TO DESTROY.' There's a huge crack as the sky itself seems to crack apart as colours twist and turn, a cyclone that forms at the edgez of the city, slowly beginning to devour it.

Over the camera Anan looks visibly shocked, terrified even, lost for words. An older man with reddish greying hair steps towards her, putting a big hand on her shoulder.

"Focus Anan. Voidtreckers. We do not ask it lightly. Please those that can, fight. Buy us time to set the seals. Buy time for those with no void craft to evacuate."

The screens flicker in colour before it cracks into static.

'NONE OF YOU WILL SURVIVE.'

A DISJOINTED REALITY

[ FALLING CITY. ] The city has been torn apart, fragments of roads, buildings and structures floating in a horrible mess. Friends and comrades split apart, some trapped in rooms that once had exits, or with no way out than to fall to nowhere. Pieces may stitch back together again at random, but with the same unpredictably, tear apart.

And if it couldn't get any worse, those core lights buzz around the environment, searching for individuals. They will do anything to hinder our heroes: turn into monsters from their minds, attempt to encase them inside illusions of their fears; even try to make them see pathways that don't exist, to make them fall into nothingness.

But for those who honed their resistances against illusions, this time may be different from the last. And with some experimenting, or just some lucky wishful thinking at the right time - some will find they can bend the illusions to do as they want, if just for a while. Stitch back together pathways so they can be crossed over, or make a weapon appear where it's needed.

It requires concentration, will be exhausting with too much use, but still - when isn't an axe or road on call handy?

[ HINDRANCE OR HELP. ] But it isn't only the core lights and environment they need to worry about. There are monsters coming out of the void - monsters they may recognise, monsters they may not. But unlike those of illusions, these are real, monsters - mechanical, ghostly, flesh and blood, something else entirely - slipping through from other worlds to rampage here.

There are also civilians, those who remain brainwashed, going after the Voidtreckers with powers of their own: telekinesis, pyromancy, superstrength and endurance, and so forth. Their skill levels vary, but the strongest of all are those who features have become twisted, chaotic. Streaks of colours dance under the skin, and they listen to no reason but their own. The entity - no their god, Chaos, is remaking the world. Remaking it the way it should have always been.

Strangely, but luckily, not everyone is harmful. Amongst those out there are a peculiar sight: a short hybrid between child and woodland-creature. They're keen to help, particularly anyone young or good of heart. They will help to lead them to safe shelters - the safe-houses made by Voidtreckers, the protected rooms all that are left. They may even interrupt the core lights from harming youngsters, knocking and shattering them, and then staying close to the youngster.

[ THE EVACUATION. ] For those who manage to make their way to the park, Anan is there, looking grim. One good thing though, as voidtreckers rush towards the entity or get ready to protect those helping evacuate this world- those with SCA's will see them burst into life, comms online.

The evacuation area needs protecting. Those acting as beacons aren't able to fight for themselves and the evacuation process is intense, slow and there are many many people in this city. The main entity is distracted but the monsters are drawn towards this gathering of people. Holding them back is vital to this plan working.

It's going to take everything the voidtreckers and their new friends have, to pull this plan off.

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There's a temptation to keep talking, considering all of Inigo's own emotions about today - no, about how this mission is going so far.

But he can't really ignore Tidus when the other says to wrap it up quickly, huh. After all, isn't he getting involved in this for the other's sake in the first place? So even though Inigo lets out a brief huff, he just answers, "Fine."

Especially when he can feel that energy suddenly rushing through him. He's been protected by Tidus's spells often enough to recognize it as such, though it's different. Instead it feels like some sort of rush going through him, rendering him able to knock the big blade away. He doesn't stop there though. The dimmer glow of his sword, coming from Jumblie's light, starts to grow stronger, and Inigo raises it to thrust it with a yell in Jecht's direction - aiming right for the chest, hoping to somehow pierce that weird core all these illusions seem to be made out of.

"Dad!"

He can't help himself, stop himself. When the blade goes through his father's chest, the hand that lunges out, wanting to stop it, take the blade or fight Inigo back. But Tidus doesn't move, stuck in that spot, held back by some amount of reason that isn't usually with him.

Is that it? Was that enough? It couldn't be...

Jecht stands with buckled knees, the levin sword through his chest. A black aura, pyreflies coming out from within, the darkness being burnt by the presence of light. There's a grunt - a grunt that sounds like mirth.

The hair on Jechts head begins to turn white, his skin darkening to a brown.

'Nice shot, kid.' His already red eyes brighten as he straightens himself, his form starting to mutate into something monstrous. Grabbing the blade where Inigo digs it into, and shoving it and Inigo out and back, thrown away.

The hole stays, oozing darkness. And from it, he makes appear a larger sword to replace the one thrown. He stands over them both now, double the height he was, already taller than them both to begin with.

'Let's do that again,' he goads, voice deeper than before.

Oh no.

Inigo already realises what's happening the moment the other's hair starts to change. Not that he knows the end result, but he has a feeling that it's going to be bigger and badder than everything from a moment ago. What kind of illusions are these, that they're able to go this far? Inigo thought that it might be rough for Tidus to see what happened just now, even if it wasn't the real Jecht, but he thought at least it'd mean this would be over.

But it's not. Inigo is stunned as he watches the other transform, and before he even realises it, he's thrown aside by this newer, more monstrous form. He's light enough on his feet from the sheer surprise that he's easily thrown aside into the wall of a nearby building, groaning as he tries to stumble back onto his feet.

"Tidus, we're-- ugh, we're wasting time!" Inigo sucks in a breath, considering how that moment of being knocked away feels like it sucked all of his breath straight out of him. He puts a hand on his chest. "If it's your illusion, can't you-- can't you get rid of it some other way?"

After all, how are they supposed to fight that?

They had Yuna's aeons, they had a bigger team -- how do they get rid of this? "I don't...!"

...know! It's what he wants to immediately spit out, to try and just take it out with everything he's got, with what they've got. But if it's really an illusion...

Jecht's heading towards where Inigo, when Tidus casts the spell, throwing it out with the command of, "Begone!", and it the effects surround Jecht's form that he's been using around on other people with the afflicted memories: Dispel. The figure of Jecht weakens, glitches, making him halt as if taking damage - and he turns to his son, holds out a hand and sends a gust of energy at Tidus. He tries dodging, but ends up stumbling with a roll to the side; a fall that Tidus can at least start picking himself up from the second he stops tumbling.

"Inigo! Give me time!"

Time to pull off a better Dispel, before Jecht can aim another attack at him. Coming towards him, but his hand raising again for another spell.

Giving him time is easier said than done, considering Jecht is pretty enormous now. But even though that thought definitely goes through Inigo's head, he doesn't let it stop him. If Tidus needs more time, then Inigo will have to buy him time - somehow.

Therefore he quickly yells back an: "Alright!" Just to make sure that Tidus knows that he's on it.

Even though Inigo isn't too sure yet of what he's doing, even as he tries his best to run at Jecht. Considering the size difference, maybe he can't do much more than just be a pest - but maybe that will work. Anything to make sure this new monstrous version of Tidus's dad shifts its attention towards him, rather than towards Tidus.

"Hey, big guy!" He calls out as loudly as he can, raising his sword and waving it back and forth a few times, like a glowing beacon. Look, if this sort of thing can attract the attention of moths, maybe it'll work here too. He'll even move the weapon to slash at the figure, hoping that it'll make the other have to at least block him or shoot at him, rather than at Tidus. "What's wrong, huh? Can't fight unless you're at least twice someone's size?!"

Inigo, the walking, running glowstick.

But it seems to work - or is it Inigo's spunk getting Jecht's attention? A laugh that's only louder now than it was previous, always sounding so smug taunting. 'S'not my fault - you're a pipsqueak!'

The beat of a pause comes from the red build-up at one eye, and the laser there that Jecht then fires off in Inigo's direction, a line hits hit the ground and gives chaos. He'll want to run and dodge out of its way, as it doesn't only sting, but petrifies what it hits. Hopefully Jumblie will be able to help by being more than just a stationary lightstick in Inigo's sword, when they get a chance to do more than run - as there will be a few pauses between the attack, ones that just mean it's coming back.

Or, Tidus will be able to come in with some aid - given a minute or so for the dispel, getting it as best as he thinks he is. A "Dad!" called out that turns Jecht's face to him, but then the shroud of the spell falls over him, makes his figure thin and fade.

There's a core light dimming in the centre - Inigo should be close enough to reach it.

Ugh, crap, crap, crap, crap--

Inigo knew that an attack was most likely coming, but he figured it might be the same thing that was fired at Tidus a moment ago. Something he can still relatively deal with. But Inigo has absolutely no idea what this red beam is, and though he is moving out of the way as quickly as possible, he has no idea what exactly he's running from.

Until he looks over his shoulder and spots the beam hitting various other things - a sign outside a cafe, somehow still left standing, a table with two chairs, all turning to stone, and it just makes Inigo let out a yelp and run even more. Like the opposite of the way a cat chases a red laser.

It's why he notices the laser disappearing before he even fully realises what's going on or what Tidus is doing, having managed to finally set up the spell to get rid of the illusion.

Inigo is out of breath, and his back hurts from where it slammed into the wall, but he sees the core - and he knows there's no time for hesitating. They have to get rid of that thing before it can take on a new form, or move away to harass anyone else.

He rushes over, mostly on willpower alone, and he swings his sword at it, shattering the core until its light completely fades.

The only thing that keeps him from collapsing is Inigo slamming his sword into the ground, leaning on it as he sucks in a deep breath.

".. Tidus, are you okay?"

When the illusion finally dissipates, the core cracked and itself disappearing, Tidus is rushing over to Inigo. Nevermind the ache in his limbs, it's not the worst he's suffered, and so it doesn't delay him from coming beside his friend, a hand coming on his back.

"You first. You did good." He rubs Inigo's back, slow and comforting. "You need a heal?"

He'll get out a potion if he agrees to one, rather than use his own magic, head a foggy mess after a spell that hasn't been flexed as much, now getting a workout. Offer following it, or even if a boost is declined-

"...Thanks." For being there. For fighting for me. "I...didn't want to see him go."

It's stupid, but he admits it; will, at least to Inigo. The stupidity that was holding him back. But also, to be fighting his father with his true face...

He nods at the offer of the potion. In any other situation he might just have powered through it, considering he doesn't exactly have anything lifethreatening going on with his body right now, but he knows that he's going to need all the strength he can get to finish up this mission. To make sure no one else gets hurt anymore.

And while he's taking a sip of it, he can feel that rub on his back. And more importantly - he can hear Tidus's words.

It softens his tired gaze.

"I know," he says, his voice quiet. "It's still your old man."

Even if he and Tidus may have a complicated relationship. Even if he might not have been real. It still can't have been easy. Inigo knows, considering the sheer amount of people he had to put down when they returned as Risen - even if, thankfully, those numbers never involved his parents.

"I'm just glad I caught you in time. It's ridiculous, what those illusions were trying to force you to do by yourself." Getting rid of his own dad all over again.

It's unsettled Tidus to see him, a weight in his stomach that had been there earlier,then pushed back when he'd become closer to how he'd looked inside Sin. But his face, how real it was - he thinks about it now, a pang of him that wanted it to last. Now that's dumb; when it hadn't even been him, when there's more important things to be done.

He can't think about that. He has to remember the city, everyone's lives at stake. But he laughs anyway, a small chuckle.

"Fighting my dad's my thing. You should've seen him back then - he was even bigger than that."

Tidus brings his hand down, scans the area to make sure there aren't any more of those core lights around or anything else to worry about. A small smile keeping on his face, if just for now.

"I'll be fine. We get this over with, and I'll be even better."

He's had enough of this mess.

Sometimes it's really easy to forget all of the crap Tidus has been put through. Because he always acts so normal, laughing and whining his way through life. Being thrown into a different world, suddenly having to fight, even having to fight his dad, being confronted with the lack of his own existence.. And yet can still say he'll be fine. Even at a moment like this.

Inigo takes another few gulps from the bottle before looking over at Tidus. It feels like they've somehow got a miraculous moment where they're alone, without any illusions or monsters or people around, so--

Inigo's free, potion-less hand reaches out, moving across Tidus's cheek, fingertips ending up in the other's hairline, and he pulls the face closer. First softly pressing his lips against the other guy's, but then a little harder, lingering for a moment before pulling back both his face and his hand.

"You're great," he just says. As if in simple reply to what Tidus just said, like there wasn't a dumb kiss to go along with it. Like there's a sentiment he wants to express, but there's way too many complicated emotions going along with it to express it in any way that's more eloquent than this one in the middle of this situation.

Instead Inigo just holds out the bottle with the potion to him. A little more than half of it gone, but there's still some in it.

"You drink the rest, you need it too."

Especially since they should get going soon, try to find some more people to help out.

Inigo's lips are damp, a detail Tidus wasn't thinking about, didn't think he'd learn until they're pressed against his. For a second, he's dazed, but then as the kiss becomes firmer, he reciprocates, hand snaking around the nape of Inigo's neck and holding him there, trapped in a moment of want.

Even just a moment, and Tidus feels a little breathless when they pull away, a fervent want for more in the back of his mouth, in the half-lid of his gaze. But it clears as Inigo speaks, as the potion comes between them and Tidus takes it, though the tug doesn't let go of him that wants him to kiss Inigo again.

So he gives in, a swift extra kiss pressed to his lips, pulling back with a tiny smile.

"Thanks."

For the potion? For the kiss? No, there's something else, a sentiment Tidus can't express either, but he downs the potion after the fact, and though he doesn't entirely want to, he starts to move away, giving the other guy a nod.

"Okay - come on, let's get going!"

There's something in the way Tidus kisses him back that eagerly - even leaving another quick kiss afterwards - that makes everything within Inigo stop for a moment. He glances down, trying his best to keep his cheeks from turning too red. Maybe it's since this is such a high pressure situation, but he seems to be managing to do so for once in his life.

It's only the sound of the other's voice that fully snaps him out of his thoughts and the feeling though, immediately focused on their goal again. There's no time to think about this when there are people out there who still need their help.

"R-Right, I'm coming!"

And with that Inigo is already following him, his pace quickening as they move towards where they are needed next.

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So Familiar a Gleam: Finale

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