[X] Since he understood, he shouldn't beat himself up too much. Drama like this is practically a hazing ceremony for Team Jade—he fits in already.
"Hey, um, I think calling it the road to
damnation might be a bit harsh. Tragedy seems a little more accurate, but I think you're starting to understand the problem now anyway. Don't beat yourself up too much, okay? Stuff like this is practically a hazing ceremony for our group — you fit in already."
Sigurd perks up, but it doesn't seem to only be an improvement in his mood. Unless you're mistaken, you can also see
interest. You're starting to suspect your newest potential party member might be an incorrigible gossip.
:Sounds like there are some stories behind that.:
"Ones which you aren't going to hear," you say firmly. "...Well, probably. It's private stuff, so it's up to the others to decide whether or not they want to tell you any stories."
"And Mom?" you send privately.
"You aren't going to be unhappy about me forgiving someone who just sort-of-not-quite attacked me, are you?"
"Of course not," Mom says serenely.
"My objections have been to you not perceiving slights as such. Forgiveness for a slight is an entirely different matter."
"...Right, we'll talk more about that later."
Or so you say, but honestly, you're tired of fighting with Mom about all her centuries-old behaviors. If Agneyastra doesn't make an issue of a nonexistent problem, then you don't want to deal with it any sooner than you need to.
[X] For now you don't mind being sent back, but please save time and kindly explain to Sidhe what he can about what that was and how it bypassed mental defenses while you're gone.
"I don't really want to let this mess slow down Nanoha's Gift acquisition too much, especially if Kal'enel ends up sending us on a side-quest or something. I don't mind being send back for now, but while I'm gone, could you explain to Sidhe and Mom what you can about what you just did and how it bypassed my mental defenses?"
:That'll… uh, take me a few minutes, I guess? I might be able to relay some sort of historical story where someone used a similar ability, but it's so uncommon that it'll take me a bit to find anyone who did that.:
"Could I peek inside your head and find out that way?" Sidhe asks with
far too much cheer.
:I really do doubt it; just give me a bit, I'm sure I can figure something out. In the meantime…:
Once agin, Sigurd turns to stare at you with eyes infused with
Blue.
DISPLACE
You open your eyes to the realm of
White mists and silver sands.
"Welcome back," Kal'enel's weathered voice greets you, sounding amused. Not maliciously so; rather than laughing at
you, it's more like she finds Sigurd's silliness worthy of ridicule. For your part, you turn back around and respectfully incline your head. A bow just doesn't seem quite right for the Star-eyed; she seems more like the sort of person who'd like to be able to see your face over your spine.
"Kal'enel, I believe? It's nice to meet you. I assume you know why I'm here?"
Kal'enel nods slowly.
"You seek a Gift for your beloved and information both. I cannot freely offer the first, but the second? I will share what I can and say what I cannot."
You open your mouth to object to her assessment of Nanoha, think about it some more, and decide to just let it go. She might not be
entirely wrong at some future date — or wholly wrong now, even — so you'll... focus on other topics first. Important stuff. Not that Nanoha isn't important or anything, but you'llllll
focus on something else now okay sounds good!
[X] Once on the other end, ask Kal'enel your questions.
-[X] Actually, now you're curious. What was that and what is this place?
"Sooooo,
anyway, about those questions? Like, um, first one! What was that and where are we?"
Greaaaat, Jade. Perfect handling. Ugh, and it's probably too late to start speak-singing, too.
"Phrasing," Kal'enel chides.
"You must learn to be more precise in your dealings with non-human beings. Many take a perverse joy in answering questions you did not intend to ask. To answer the question you intended to ask me, Companions are required to sidestep the defenses of souls in order to carry out their duties. Sigurd's duties included ensuring you would be able to easily communicate with your 'peers' should it appear you were close to Falling. An examination of Sigurd's own shields should help with the reinforcement of your own defenses.
"As for 'this place?' These are the Moonpaths. Think of them as trade-roads through the untamed mists of the Realm of Spirits. They are not perfectly safe, but they are a vast improvement over trying to brave the realm without any guidance."
-[X] Did she know Sylvester or is She just doing a seer-knowledge thing?
"Yes."
Kal'enel smiles to take the sting out before giving you a proper answer.
"I did know Sylvester, but this Aspect is also a keeper of secrets. Take good care of your own Aspects, child, and they will take good care of you."
-[X] Is there anything she can and will tell a fledgling godling?
"Yeah, um, about that…" you trail off uncertainly, then quickly shake off the familiar feeling. It's a little weird, but Kal'enel seems too
old for you to get nervous around her. She's like one of those wise old grandmothers who spend nearly all their time knitting, then stand up and reveal that they were actually master martial artists all along and
wow that went somewhere weird.
"I wanted to ask if there's anything you're willing and able to tell a fledgling godling, but now that you've mentioned that, I think Neph — my Foresight aspect? — is right at the top of the list. I remember thinking what she thinks, but she also has memories I
don't and I remember her thinking about them even though I only catch fleeting fragments. I'm not sure if I should be treating her as another
me or somebody else who happens to share my soul. If you have Aspects as well, could you tell me how you worked all that out?"
Kal'enel smiles sympathetically and holds up one hand, palm upward. Four small silver spheres form in the air above it, connected to a larger sphere by golden threads of light.
"Do your eyes stop being your eyes when they're closed?"
Kal'enel clenches one fist as the darkness of sleep overtakes three of the four spheres. You can still see them and the connecting threads remain as bright as ever, but only one of the four seems to be truly
"active."
"Of course not," she answers for you.
"Closing your eyes may suppress one of your major senses, but that doesn't mean you'll look through another's eyes when you open them again. Think of Aspects as the barriers between you and your divine senses. They are your soul's method of handling the developing abilities and duties that would overwhelm you if your conscious mind were permanently aware of them. I expect 'Neph' was quite disoriented while you were her, yes? An unblocked Talent would render you perpetually confused until you have centuries more experience separating what-could-be from what-has-been. Do not be in a hurry to take on new duties; you may obtain the power, but it will take you quite some time to learn control."
You absentmindedly play with your hands while you consider Kal'enel's response. It seems reasonable enough, but you still feel as though Neph would be a totally different person if you simply duplicated the shared memories. It's not as though you should take Kal'enel's words as certain, either; she could be wrong or trying to do what Mom does. Or... something similar to it, anyway. She's not outright
opposing you, but Sigurd did say she doesn't like letting people get away without thinking for themselves, right?
"I'm pretty sure they're still operating even when I'm not accessing them, though. Neph mentioned having some measure of control over what visions she can look at, and I
think she might also be experiencing them at a faster rate than I'm actually moving through time. She also mentioned that I could be a demigod on one plane, a godling on a third, and a goddess on another; if these are supposed to be divine abilities, how does that work out?"
Kal'enel flicks one hand dismissively.
"Mere measurements of power and the influence of your followers. Even mortals may touch the divine, but true power and control requires godhood. When an Aspect has nothing to do, it will simply sleep and wait for the next opportunity."
Kal'enel pauses before she gives you another smile.
"And even if it's a related topic, do remember to let others answer one question before moving on to the next. Your Aspects are still you even if their actions might suggest otherwise. The attention of Aspects is aimed toward the duties they've been assigned; in a very real sense, the you that is talking to me is also an aspect. Your duty is merely that of interacting with, and reacting to, the world around you."
You want to believe the Star-eyed's explanation, but you're still not sure it fits all the available data.
"…I'm pretty sure at least one of my Aspects has called me a child before. As in, as though she were
way older than me."
Kal'enel gives you a pained smile and dismisses her patchwork of orbs with a wave of her hand.
"As it happens, that is part of a separate problem. Sylvester Agni wished to defend his homeworld and several nearby planes from madness-inducing beings capable of corrupting even Planeswalkers. It was also his hope that tools inherent to life would survive the endless crucible of death and rebirth that his own plane had been subjected to. If the crucible is intended to produce such tools, then would not introducing them free his home?
"He helped us refine our Gifts and we offered him our guidance, but I'm afraid he was quite dissatisfied with our own solutions. 'Better to die and return than to stagnate,' he claimed. To his credit, he did not seem to have been one who kept himself safe from the consequences of his choices. The last time I saw him, he said he would promote the growth of more 'Planeswalkers' by shattering his own and spreading the resulting 'seeds' among his kin. However, I am under the impression he only managed to plant seeds of divinity, not that of those strong enough to endure the gulf between planes. It took the efforts of another to continue his project."
Oh, I don't like where this is going.
"Your soul shows remnants of that middle step, but in a harmless form," Kal'enel says firmly.
"As for the continuation itself? Another of your ancestors, Prince Surya, arrived as a horrifying patchwork of soul-fragments; one of his servants decided to reforge Sylvester's Spark by force. Parts of their former owners clung to their shards and slowly drove Surya mad. Outsider he may have been, yet we did what we could to restore some semblance of stability to him. After Surya refused our offer of mending-through-death, we encouraged him to seek further aid elsewhere as we had no more to give.
"Again, your soul is in much better condition. You appear to have inherited lingering personality fragments as part of your Spark, but they are more than accounted for. The souls of their former owners will have long since patched over the gaps and your own soul seems to have developed an Aspect specifically for assimilating and comprehending that which is other."
Kal'enel's smile fades, but not all the way to unhappiness. Sternness, maybe?
"It is very important that you not reject her during any rare moments of lucidity. She may act like someone else; she may have trouble knowing who she is. She may lash out during one appearance and shelter you from harm the next. But in the end, you are still parts of the same person and simply happen to have different duties."
You take a deep breath and exhale through your nose.
"I understand what you're saying, but I still don't think I agree with it. I mean, if we copied the shared parts of my soul so they didn't need them anymore, wouldn't each of us basically be a different person altogether? This is like… so, with your 'senses' comparison, it's like if one of us lived life with our eyes shut, one of us was deaf, and so on. Having an extra sense is going to mean we'll diverge pretty significantly, right? And if we merged or something, then
all of us will be subsumed into something different. That seems like something I should be
fighting, not accepting as normal and desired."
Kal'enel's expression transforms in a moment. Rather than the impatience or disagreement you'd been expecting, she looks downright
impish.
"When I was a young god new to my powers, I thought the very same thing. Where else do you think my sister came from? I assure you, we didn't have parents."
Kal'enel quickly sobers.
"However, that step isn't necessary; the influence of your Aspects is more gradual than you may think. If you think of your Aspects as part of you, then they will be. If you think of them as separate people, then they will be. Decide carefully before you choose to bring a copy of yourself into the world."
QM's Note: No vote yet; I was told I should break here lest it interfere with the coming vote.
