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middleofsomewhere2021-09-25 09:30 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in middleofsomewhere2021-09-25 09:30 am
Wings of Wonder: Conclusion
A Grateful End
Once. the Storm has been defeated all of those who fought on the West Island are taken by the airship back to the South Island where those Sali who could not go to fight are waiting for them. Those Sali fighting in the East have also returned, likewise victorious.For a few hours everyone rests, injuries are seen to. A few patrols go out, which Voidtreckers are welcome on, to take out the last few birds but it seems that this really had been a victory. The storm is gone and with it the birds. The Forever Ones are pleased, even those who are not in tune with such things will feel a hum of satisfaction in the air.
The atmosphere turns to one of celebration. The Sali fight hard, they are a strict and proud people but when it is time to rejoice they do so.
By Firelight
As. night falls the Sali build a fire and food is prepared and cooked. The Sali keep a close eye on things but will give tasks to any voidtreckers who seem restless or as if sitting idle will not be good for their thoughts. Small sali skip around, keen to share the stories and songs taught to them by the voidtreckers who stayed on the West Island with them.
Food is cooked through the night, meat is roasted, served with vegetables and the Sali share stories, talk of the fallen and speak highly of those who fought with them, both sali and voidtrecker.
As food and conversation flows some of the young adults in the Sali will grow in confidence, asking the voidtreckers to share more tales, of their adventures and will swap them with tales of their own, of hunting and life on the islands. Their tales get pretty boastful but everyone is in good spirits and the Sali are as good at listening to tales as they are telling them.
Gifts
The next morning one of the older Sali call for any voidtreckers and Sali nearby to gather. Some stay working at their tasks but there's a general sense of ceremony as she steps onto a small wooden platform.
"We would like to formally thank those who came to our assistance at this time. We thank you for sharing your skills with us and for aiding us in our efforts to rid out land of the red storm.
For you, at the behest of our Forever Ones, we bring gifts."
A group of sali bring the gifts into the centre of the gathering. Storing pots of meat, vegetables and fruit; some raw, dried, fresh and pickled.
A set of ceramic tools and a few sets of chisels.
Two baskets of yarn with metal knitting needles and spindles, clearly made from their metal trees. Another basket of grasses clearly made for weaving with as well as some rope made of the same fibres. Another basket of fabric, this time more hessian in feal with metal needles and embroidery hoops.
Finally they bring out twenty short wooden bows each with a quiver of wooden arrows, ten wooden spears and finally twenty small throwing axes.
"We hope that these gifts aid you on your journey and you can share them with others that you meet on your travels."
Once everyone has boarded once more the train counts down before flying off into the void, leaving this land of floating islands behind.
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Maybe it's because of the similarities to the situation in his own world. Or - and more likely - it's just because Inigo is so incredibly soft. Because he is way too caring.
So much too caring that he can't help but feel even for Elidibus in this moment. Despite the awkwardness between them at times, despite the fact that he's not always sure how to feel about the other.. right now he feels bad for him. That Elidibus, too, had to sacrifice himself.
"Weren't you scared?" He asks, trying to wipe some tears off his face with the back of one of his hands.
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"Yes. I'm... certain I was." He doesn't appear to be entirely sure. But in fairness it has been a very long time, even if one set aside other factors that have changed in Elidibus's long existence.
"Yet I was also certain this was the correct course. What mattered more is the salvation of our Star and those who would live on. These were comforts. I would be their hope." Whatever else one can say about Elidibus, the love he has for his people and world run deep.
A hand is raised. Conjured- perhaps from a pocket of space, from somewhere else on the train or even from nothing at all- is a handkerchief that is allowed to come to rest on the table before Inigo. Time will be given for the young man to recover out of respect for whom those tears were shed for.
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He does realise why that handkerchief is there, though said realisation just makes his cheeks grow a little red with shame, realising just how obvious his crying is right now. So the boy quickly shakes his head.
"N-No, it's fine." He's already managed to wipe away most of the tears with his hand. He's an expert at this, honestly, considering just how often in his life he has cried. Though he does manage to put a half-awkward smile on his face, nodding his head in gratitude. "Thank you though."
He doesn't want the gesture to be totally rejected, after all.
".. there must be more though, right? I can't imagine Q'uila is only mad at you because of this."
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"These are events which happened many millennia ago, well before the current Warrior of Light was born. And she and hers are well versed in sacrifice. I doubt she could easily blame us for our actions then." At least, not without giving rise to a severe bout of hypocrisy. Tragic as the sacrifices were, they were not unwilling or forced and given with all the love and hopes that their world and kind would see a better tomorrow.
"As I said, our plan succeeded. The will of the planet was made manifest in Zodiark and He averted the unravelling of our Star. But the calamities visited upon it had left it barren and lifeless. It would be the decision of the remaining Convocation that another half of the population be sacrificed so Zodiark would be able to restore the world to a habitable state once more. Our peoples' trust in the Convocation was absolute. And once more they gave willingly of themselves."
The way this is phrased suggests there was something not quite 'right' this time. Or at least, not the same. The images which had guided the story have been banished for now.
"Do you remember when I spoke to you before about the creation of god-like beings with aether?" Another object is summoned; this time the water crystal Inigo may remember from their conversation during their visit to the temple at a void nexus. This is also placed before the young man and it is real, the same comforting crystallization of elemental energy.
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Not necessarily because he doesn't remember. It's more that he's thinknig about the part of the story Elidibus is telling him now. Half of the population sacrificing itself, and then half doing the same again. How many people would even be left at that point to enjoy the new world?
It feels sickening, even just thinking of this many people dying. Regardless of whether this sacrifice sounds different than the last one - it's awful all the same. No one should ever have to do like that. It hurts just to think about.
"I do." It's why Inigo's voice is quiet as he finally answers, closer to a near-whisper. "I didn't understand much of it though."
On a technical level, he means. So if any technical understanding of how aether works is necessary for this story, he's going to be pretty lost. But he does remember what Elidibus told him back then.
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Elidibus seems to focus on Inigo. It's hard to tell with the mask, but he's facing the youth so it's likely the case.
"I know the primal force of Darkness fills you with unease. Understand it is not inherently evil, but a force which can invoke change. In contrast Light is the force which invokes order and stasis. As great change was needed to save our world from its fate, it is Darkness that Zodiark invokes."
This small diversion from the explanation aside, Elidibus returns to the meat of the tale.
"Through exposure to the potent will and aether they created, the remaining members of the Convocation had become loyal to the newly created God. As our Star and Zodiark were now the same, this did not seem to cause immediate harm. Though mayhap the Convocation would not have voted to restore the land with another sacrifice and sought another solution."
Elidibus lets out a sigh.
"And I was no longer there to provide my guidance, nor had any other been yet risen to take my seat of office in the wake of the catastrophe." Though with the chaos involved, there's little reason to doubt why the seats would not have been filled again in such a short span of time.
"It was after the world had been restored by the second sacrifice that something curious happened." Once more figures appear on the table. This time rather than robed and masked people, a variety of hazy, almost silhouetted humanoid forms in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some possibly human, others with bestial features.
"New life emerged, bearing their own souls. For all the powers our people had over creation, we could never accomplish such a feat. Even in our creation of Zodiark, the first sacrifice was to stand as His heart."
What can be seen of Elidibus's features remain impassive. "The Convocation thought to exchange this new life for those of our people lost in the second sacrifice." Perhaps it is significant that those who were sacrificed to create Zodiark remain unspoken of.
"Our people were not wont to be divided. And yet this course of action caused a rift between those who sided with the Convocation and those who wished to leave the new races to flourish." For a moment Elidibus seems to falter, as if this event is enough to disturb his calm facade.
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The other might already have moved on, but Inigo isn't so ready to let part of what Elidibus was saying just slip away like that. He didn't speak up right away, since he didn't want to interrupt the other super rudely, but he can't fully let it go.
So when the other does seem to pause for a moment, Inigo finally speaks up, the tears now fully wiped from his face. The only evidence of them remains in the way his eyes are slightly red from crying, even now.
"You say that darkness isn't bad." Where Elidibus comes from, anyway, because oh boy, is it ever bad where Inigo comes from. "And yet you also say that it is due to their exposure to it that the Convocation voted to sacrifice more people, rather than seek out another solution. Aren't those two contradictory statements?"
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"Forgive me. Their exposure to the aether of a Primal is the cause, not the element itself. The same holds true for any Primal, regardless of what element they may invoke."
There is a pause as Elidibus pulls together a simple explanation. Such as things can be.
"Aether in balance is known as unaspected. It is comprised of the elements wind, water, fire, earth, ice and lightning. As well the primordial forces of Light and Dark, all in relative balance. When aether leans too heavily toward any one element, it is considered aspected to that state."
The explanation comes with more images; the collection of mingling humanoid races fade to almost non-existence. A representation of 'aether' forms, looking much like a glass crystal and lacking any particular color. Yet as Elidibus speaks of the elements, it slowly fills with a reddish energy, flickering and reminiscent of...
"Fire is the easiest to explain. A wave of heat or the burning campfire may be considered aether that is aspected to that element. These forms are easy to comprehend, because you see their impact on the world around you. On yourself." He glances at Inigo. "And you understand what happens when too much of either are present and you have no protection."
The crystal dissolve, the red energy reforming into a fierce bestial creature that seems to embody the hell of flames. Relatively smaller figures appear around it; people with lizard-like traits, worshipping with their arms outstretched to their God.
"When applied to a Primal such as Ifrit, the presence of such a being is like that of a forest fire. The impact of being in proximity to that fire without protection causes changes to your well-being to a much greater extent than a mere campfire."
The creature- Ifrit- seems to radiate an energy, presumably aether. It washes over and around the nearby humanoids.
"Rather than simply a physical effect, this directly influences the aether of those in proximity. What you would call a component of your soul and what makes you an individual."
The humanoids begin to slowly glow with a matching hue and pulse to the Primal's own. Yet from within.
"The lesser effects are in the form of loyalty and devotion to the Primal's will. Those enthralled will seek to call forth their god time and again even if it is defeated. And to bring others close enough to fall under its sway. Prolonged exposure begins to wear away at the identity of the individual. And those without strong enough will may lose all that they are."
The images fade again. Elidibus looks at Inigo.
"But it isn't the element which causes this. It is simply an innate consequence of the presence of such concentrations of aether given form and desires."
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Besides, it's not like this story is entirely in his advantage either, since it still makes too much of dark aether still a bad thing.
"It's like that in my world as well," Inigo finally says.
"Except just with the darkness."
No other kind of element has ever brought forth a creature as terrible as Grima, something that seems similar to the beings Elidibus calls Primals. And it sounds like they have the exact same influence on people as Grima seems to have.
Inigo doesn't say anything else, allowing the other to continue his story. But he just wants to have said this, so it's clear to Elidibus why exactly Inigo gets so unnerved whenever he sees dark energy.
It's the only bad thing back where he comes from.
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But in this case, it's a matter of a promise to be honest with his side of the story. And what is the truth without truthful context?
"Interesting," Elidibus offers. He pauses to reflect on what Inigo imparts about his world and why the Darkness makes him so uneasy. "At another time, I would like to hear more about your world. For now I fear talking about it may divert from this tale overlong. But know I understand your unease with Darkness is not without reason. I hope you'll take it on faith that if not in your world, then by my world's standards that is simply a danger of any element that leans disastrously out of balance or is guided by a powerful force."
Whether it's the only bad thing because of one entity being so strongly balanced toward the element of Darkness that all other elements simply cannot rise to the same level of disasters or if it's simply the way Inigo's world works can be pursued another time.
"Do you have any other questions you would like addressed before we go on?" Elidibus asks politely.
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"No, it was.. just that one thing." Because Inigo really had the desire to express to the other just why it's so uncomfortable to him. He really doesn't like coming across as someone who judges people super quickly, after all. But he hopes that he at least gave the other a little bit more context this way.
And if Elidibus ever wants to hear that full story, Inigo can tell it. In due time. Today they are listening to Elidibus' story, and so Inigo just says:
"Please continue."
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"I was not unaware of events. Within Zodiark's heart I could hear the cries of my people. The arguments which never ceased. We have had disputes over the course of our Star before. But nothing like this." The mask hides it but his eyes close momentarily. The moment is marked with another brief silence. But before it could last for too long, Elidibus continues.
"I couldn't ignore it. And thus I withdrew myself from Him and sought to bring reconciliation between the factions. Such had been my duty as Elidibus. But I did not succeed."
The Ascian looks toward the youth again. "A faction had risen which deemed the God too dangerous to let be. The creations of our kind may have that quality, so it was not that the argument existed that was an issue. And when it was clear the Convocation would not back down, they sought to create their own deity to rise in opposition to Zodiark."
There is a brief sigh.
"Pray do not ask me what method was used to gather the aether necessary. Yet it is likely there were more sacrifices. Even with the restored world, a collection of such an amount of aether as to create a being able to stand against Zodiark would have been significant."
The images fade to the background again and this time two crystal visages appear. One of dark as before and one of cerulean hues and a deep, abiding light within. Peaceful and serene, it may well invoke the impression of seeing the sunlight filter through blue waters of a tropical ocean.
Where the lights of the two touch there is an odd dichotomy. As if both could exist in balance where their colors may blend, but something about their nature crackles and opposes wherever their respective light 'touches'.
"Thus was Hydaelyn born. And Her purpose was to oppose Zodiark."
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So he gives the other time. And space. He just sits there, patiently listening, watching the images rise and fall. Feeling his heart being squeezed once more when Elidibus suggests even more people might have been sacrificed.
What kind of cruel world is that, so full of that sacrifice..?
"Did they want those two to balance each other out.. or did they try to replace Zodiark with that other being?"
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Nor was their name for what happened next any less fitting.
"Perhaps that was hoped by some," Elidibus says in acknowledgement of the possibility. His words are heavy and full of weariness.. grief. "Yet the prayers which formed Hydaelyn and shaped her being were not of establishing a balance. Her purpose was to keep Zodiark in check and this purpose resulted in an inevitable clash betwixt the two."
The two crystals seem to glow brighter and move closer together. The energies conflict, seeming to embody constant clashing with each pulse until finally both disappear in a flash of light. It is not blinding, but enough that it might cause Inigo look away if not expecting it. After the light is gone, only the crystal representing Hydaelyn is present. Zodiark seems to be gone.
"Mayhap it was Her nature to oppose Zodiark that drove her. Perhaps it was an inevitable because She did not have the power invested into Him and this required She seek to redress the balance. Their clash and Hydaelyn's victory shattered Zodiark."
A victory won. And yet there hung in the air the sense of foreboding. Of something more terrible a cost than perhaps even the sacrifices that forged the two Gods.
Around the Hydaelyn crystal appear a series of sphere; the same sphere, the same world identically reflected a total of thirteen times beyond the first. Pain echoes in Elidibus's words, invoking the horror of what this represents.
"Zodiark was the Will of the Star. When He shattered, reflections of the original world came into existence. Our people's very souls were rent asunder and cast amongst these scattered pieces." The emotive quality is not unfeigned or calculated; unless you might consider Elidibus dropped any pretense of calm in a gamble to win further sympathy from Inigo.
It would be far too cruel to consider. Yet even the Ascian would have to admit there would be a time not too long past that such calculation could be reasonably suspected.
The images are not kind though. Countless robed figures seem to rise from the 'original world' as bright souls and splinter, scattering as shards of fainter light to the thirteen 'reflections'. When this event ends, there is only a few moments before a sharp gesture of Elidibus's gauntleted hand turns the images to mist and they vanish.
Soon after, three robed figures appear. One undeniably Elidibus in white robes and matching red mask. And two others. Their masks are red as well and mark them as Convocation members. Their robes are black as is standard.
"Only three of us survived the Sundering whole. Myself. And the holders of the seats of Emet-Selch and Lahabrea."
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Though Inigo doesn't speak up with that, despite the thought immediately coming to mind. Instead he just stares at all the images, a part of him feeling sick to his stomach with just how much suffering there is out there. Not just in his own world, but in so many of these worlds. As if people just can't live in peace and harmony for once.
"What happened to the others?"
Not that he recognizes any of the Convocation members aside from Elidibus, since his colour makes him stand out.
"Did they not survive the shattering of their soul?" Or were they already among the people who sacrificed themselves beforehand?
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After had been the consequences of what they had wrought. And all had acted with love for their people and planet, however skewed it might have been by circumstances. Perhaps that was most tragic of all.
The only real way to recognize the three figures are by their masks, though two would be unfamiliar of course. The point is the masks are very distinct; a special trait to underscore the honor of their position in a society that prided themselves on communal equality.
"Survive..." The word is carefully spoken in a musing way as if trying to decide whether it was adequate for what had happened. He raises his hand and faces it, palm outward, at the table. If Inigo had forgotten about the shadowy humanoid figures (they were still there, just very much translucent and in the background of other displays), he will be reminded now. Pulled to the forefront they become more opaque, crowding around the three surviving Ancients. They are given more distinct features; humans, miqo'te like Q'uila. Swarthy humanoids with varied colored skintones and graceful elegant ones with pointed ears. Diminuative humanoids, taller ones with rabbit-like ears. There are others, with what a human might consider much more bestial features and it may be that not all of sentient life is represented simply because there isn't room. But the variety there is astounding.
"They did not survive as they should be. Their fragmented souls diminished and split to our Star and its thirteen reflections. They began to be reborn amongst the fledgling species."
Elidibus understands this might not be perceived as a horrible thing to one of Inigo's perspective and thus his voice is even enough to be considered as objective as possible. But it does not completely erase the tone of horror on seeing a being who once might have been known personally as a whole person, blissfully ignorant they were just an extremely diminished fragment.
A piece that still wiggled after something calamitous crashed through, thinking it was still alive as can be. Elidibus can't remember how extreme his thoughts had gone in those first moments of revelation. But he remembers the horror.
Elidibus turns to look at Inigo.
"I don't have any means to adequately convey what it is like to witness this to you. Thus unless you have experienced it firsthand, I understand if you can't comprehend it," he offers. "Yet if you can imagine seeing those closest to you torn to pieces yet still alive. You would no doubt love them no less. But the horror of their circumstances would still have an impact."
What the Ascian doesn't say is 'then try imagining seeing this in all of reality; the world, people, one's God'. But it hangs in the air.
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But what he is right about is the fact that it's a little hard for Inigo to understand. Maybe not on a technical level, but it is on a personal level. Inigo has been through a lot in his life, but never anything like people's souls being split up among different beings..
It mostly feels weird to him as he tries to think about it, but he also imagines it must have been painful for the few people left who knew--
But then again, it doesn't sound like there were a whole lot of people who knew, huh? Just Elidibus and the other Convocation members..
"It was hard for you," he says. It's not fully a statement, yet also not fully a question - just a conclusion of what he's figuring here from what he's saying.
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Elidibus nods slightly. He had no expectations of Inigo understanding it from a personal perspective. That's good. No one should have to experience it. It does not make it easier to explain. But... it's okay.
Without further words to add on the matter- what could really be said?- the Ascian returns to the tale. "Only three of us remained. To restore our world and people, we... I chose what seemed the best course." In the end, whoever came up with the ideas, it was Elidibus himself who choose what was the best.
Another object is conjured out of storage. A gray-white... stone? Crystal? Emblazoned with a constellation-like pattern, it softly glows. This is not handed over, but nestled softly in a raised hand. "We committed the memories of the thirteen members of the Convocation to these, including our own. But not the one who left his seat." There is more to the story there, but it's not important to what Inigo should be told for an honest tale.
"To facilitate travel between the shattered pieces of our world, we cast aside our mortal forms to become beings of aether, immortal and capable of enduring whatever time our task would take." They were long lived, but not eternal.
"Over time, we found the reincarnated fragments of our brethren, restoring their memories and rising them above their mortal shells. Though their Sundered state diminished their power, they were more the mortals they had been reborn as. Those who came to know of our existence through the millennia gave us many names. In the modern age the term 'Ascian' is used." He shifts briefly. After dismissing the stone back to storage, he indicates the wall behind him where a shadow should be. There is none. "'Without Shadow'. An apt term."
Elidibus faces Inigo again, "It may seem I am getting ahead of myself. But this part of our story stretches across millennia. At the same time, it is the part of this tale which gives the Warrior of Light reason to stand against us as she walks her chosen path." It seems a warning. And acknowledgement that for this part of the story, he does not expect any sympathy.
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".. yes, that's the part I'm curious about," he slowly says.
Because so far he can't really find the reason for Q'uila to be so mad at Elidibus. Sure, things went badly in the past, but it seems hard to blame that all on him. It's not like he made the decision that sacrifice was necessary every time, or even once all by himself, after all.
So there's got to be something more. Something that has to do with that body he was using, maybe. Either way - Inigo listens.
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Elidibus is, whatever his other roles before then, absolutely the one that chose the final path to go forward with.
There are images again. The original world and thirteen 'reflections' of it. 'Shards' Elidibus called them, though they look like whole worlds in their own right. And with 'shattered souls' living mortal lives, surely there were people.
"We found the fragments of our world could be drawn to the original star."
The Ascian reaches out and touches a metal-tipped finger to the 'surface' of one reflection-image. It becomes suffused with a green glow.
"By causing a great conflagration of the element, it would weaken the barriers between the world. And with a corresponding rise of the same element on the Source, it would be once again returned to its rightful place."
The Origin image is touched, granting it a matching green state. Slowly the reflection begins to dissolve into light and join with the Origin and gradually the glow fades. The Origin doesn't look particularly different, but the reflection image is undoubtedly gone.
Elidibus looks at Inigo squarely. "To those living on the surface, these were catastrophic events. Those on the original world came to know them as Umbral Calamities."
Without his input, as though a chain reaction had been set in motion, the images begin to light up with varying colors, each corresponding to an element that Elidibus had shown before. Six of them anyway; wind, lightning, fire, earth, ice and water. Each time a matching disaster, each time a reflection in random order is 'absorbed'.
"As for those mortals on the reflections, their souls merged with their sundered self on the original world. Each time unknowingly becoming closer to what man once was."
There is only one thing different after the chain reaction pauses after the seventh iteration- a conflagration of all elements rather than just one. It happened early in the sequence. Maybe even slightly before Elidibus's finger first seemed to touch the images. But now it is just a mass of Darkness; something that somehow looks far more sinister than Zodiark or the Ascian's teleportation. As if something went Horribly Wrong with the element in a way Inigo is far more familiar with.
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UGH.
UGHHH, it's the darkness, isn't it. Of course it's the darkness. Never trust the darkness! Inigo can already feel some sort of sinking feeling in his stomach as he stares at the images. The disaster already sound bad enough by themselves, but Inigo doesn't want to have to even imagine darkness being involved with it as well.
It takes any thought of commenting on how awful those disasters must have been for people to deal with out of his mind - because that dark mass is all he can stare at now.
"What's that?" He simply asks Elidibus.
Even though he's not entirely sure he wants to know.
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"That is what happens when a world tips too far toward the primordial force of Darkness and is consumed by it."
The Ascian's hand is lifted and hovers over the consumed world. "The Thirteenth was already predisposed to the state of great change the element of Darkness embodies. One of our Sundered brethren, tasked with this world, had been too diligent in her work and the heroes of this world too young, lacking the experience they would need to stay her hand."
There is... regret is probably the best way to put it. Though given the tone of the story, it is likely not for the loss of life. Rather, the loss of this piece of the whole that must be restored is the larger influence to Elidibus's mood.
"At the defeat of the Warrior of Light by Igeyorhm, the primordial Darkness raged out of control, flooding the world. The balance thus broken its people, save a few rescued, and its beasts became aether-starved creatures, ever seeking the life of others to sate their needs. Their bodies became monstrous and their personalities twisted as their inhibitions were lost and their desires and vices amplified."
Inigo is then favored a mirthless smile by the Ascian. "Make no mistake. Many of that word hungered for power. The Flood of Darkness only amplified what already existed."
Elidibus looks toward the images again. "By the time we could arrive to aid our brethren, it was too late to stop. And the imbalance was... unsuited for rejoining the original world. We abandoned our efforts on the Thirteenth and turned toward the remainder. In time it would become known as the Void or the World of Darkness. And those that dwelt within were voidsent."
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Though he seems tactful enough to keep that opinion to himself, especially when the sheer loss of life in the other's world, through so many incidents, is enough to make Inigo's stomach feel like it's turning over right inside of him.
It all feels so.. senseless.
"Did it have anything to do with the void we are currently dealing with..?" It has the same name, after all. Maybe that's easier to focus on than all of the snubbed out lives.
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The side comments are a form of acknowledgement that Inigo might simply presume the Darkness created the negative qualities the twisted peoples already had. Rather than simply amplify what was already present.
Makes one wonder what terrible thing a just and righteous world might have become, if inhibitions had been stripped and those traits had been what was amplified. But that has little bearing on the main story, as terrible as those events were. Elidibus shakes his head.
"No, they simply share a similar name. Though the concept of travelers from another world or system were not unfamiliar. There have visitors from beyond our Star and its reflections throughout history. I would hesitate to say they used 'voidspace' for their travels, but it was not a matter I recall looking into overlong."
If at all. And not without reason; it's clear that the monumental task these Ascians took upon themselves was consuming- if not because of enthrallment, then certainly the sheer effort.
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Inigo says it slowly, like he's trying to grasp the idea - or perhaps find the right words for it. Elidibus' description sure makes it sound like a worse version of the void they are currently in, though this one isn't necessarily good or bad. It just is.
But if it was a space left behind by a world consumed by darkness, then it can't be good.
"But what does that have to do with Q'uila? It doesn't even sound like the two of you met yet at this part of the history."
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