dev 7 - accessing council memories

One of the main reasons as to why he desired such thing would be soon unveiled to Elyon- because the moment he steps in, the glow of the shards within his chest is no longer suppressed, only serving to reveal a disturbing, wretched web of energy that had gone wrong in so many ways; it's a wonder how he managed to keep it more or less suppressed, but..

At times such as these? There's no need to keep it hidden.

"..My transformation had gone wrong." There's a subtle reveal of the spirit shards within his chest, and it seems to glow constantly, akin to eternal struggle- the energy still remained from the ritual, but rather than distributing across his body as he intended..

It wounded him. It would remain there, formed in the matter of web across his body, like an internal haemorrhage that just doesn't stop; instead, the poorly formed mana was bruising him all over, turning a patch of his skin sickeningly pale.

"Remember the machines that attuned to the elements? I wanted to get the schematics from Council on how they did it - and I wanted to re-attune that machine, so that it would attune this energy to my mana circuits instead, rather than my body."

A wince. It pained him to not suppress this, but..

"...Can you help? Nullifying the presence of Demons, that is.. I'm sure they will respond back if we try to access them."
(Keitaro Tennouji)

Still embraced within a series of lights, the Council's core is placed upon those grounds underneath, amidst the dimming light of projection platform. No words of his own escape just yet, and as the Chieftain straightens himself, he'd quietly listen to what Keitaro had to say.

There's a bit of frown which embraces him at the first statement, but he didn't question it further-- instead, he'd let the Voice continue, only for those eyebrows to knit even further, well...

"It's not as simple, well... let me explain here."

As his eyes drift to a bit of close, that greyed mist is allowed to envelop him, to shroud along all the while, before those brief crackles of marble lightning follow suit.

"...as long as it's physical manifestation of Occultism, Kei? I can handle it-- much like, well, this-"

Another, slower pause, and when his own hand lifts upward, there's a single, darker orb of corrupted mana which lingers about for just a moment-- then, it dissipates into the thin air.

"...or the Occult-embraced essence as they physically manifest themselves. The mana, the influence is something I can access, in that case. Directly, physically... and so I can nullify it, but-"

Coming to a bit of halt as a single finger is made to lift across, tapping at this own chin.

"-if they were to directly assault your mind? Influence you through your connection? Similar to what Synmael did when we tried to contact him through that mirror? I can't do anything about it... I can't impose my Nullification onto someone else, that's-- that's something more suitable for, say, Sunyata."

Reito, or Satsuki, or even Noel, but-

"...with that said, we have three options. A; you can access them, take a risk and see how it goes. B; you can somehow form a connection between those memories and myself, as I should be close to immune to whatever they throw at me... or C; we can postpone it, and do it in Reito's presence, or someone else along those lines.

What'd it be?"
(Elyon Hirai)


Elyon Hirai says, "--unless, of course, the Occultic presence physically manifests itself and tries to harm you in a manner where I can directly Nullify them, without having to impose my magic on you."

Elyon Hirai asks, "That, I can do. But I doubt that'd be the case?"

The Council was collection of souls.

And souls are collection of essences. As such, Keitaro figured that he could coax their essences to speak to the Chieftain, and perhaps introduce their concepts to him. Still, while he could take the risk and simply allow himself to endure.. he couldn't risk accidently falling into influence of these Demons.

They've already taken hostages once.

"Then here's the plan.." A pause, and he begins speaking. "You will access the Council. I will coax their essences to reveal certain things to you - but you will need to write down that information as it goes."

"Much like when I wrote coordinates of Synmael's lair back in the day, if you remember.. you'll have to do the same."

If the two of them work like this, then it might work without any complications. Elyon enduring their presence and being the link.. and Keitaro being the 'guide' so to say, coaxing them to reveal what was needed.

"Can you do that?"
(Keitaro Tennouji)

"That'd work out, yeah."

Murmured a bit, and his steps remain slow, small when the Chieftain approaches one of the numerous desks across their storage. A single hand is made to fiddle about, until he manages to grasp onto a sheet of paper to write upon, and something to write with, as well.

"I'll leave the task of forming that connection up-to you, then, Kei. If things start spiraling south, or for whatever reasons I can't keep the influence suppressed, I'll let you know, but-"

Pausing for just a moment, he'd plop down soon after, settled right before The Council as those eyes drift to a close yet once again.

"-let's do it, I suppose. Ready whenever you are."

This could work out. The Voice had his own way with the essences, and-- well, any information would be appreciated, no matter how large or tiny.
(Elyon Hirai)

"Good."

So long as they could safely access the information needed, they didn't have to expose Elyon for too long to this connection. But.. just how bad it can get before something goes wrong? While he normally could try and wait for the likes of Calael or Reito..

The poorly made transformation hurt him.

And the longer he waited, the more it hurt. Rather than transforming him into half-spirit as he intended, it turned into something akin to a parasite- something harmful, something that was taking a toll on his lifeforce. He guided Elyon along to take a seat next to the Council, if only to speak out.

"Place your hand upon their shell."

In the meantime, he took a seat nearby. Whereas he also placed a hand upon it, his own endeavour would be focused on actually poking at their essenceand directing it towards Chieftain. After all, Spiritmancers are capable of directing spirits like that.. and there has to be something he could do about them.

"Try to endure whatever comes your way."

The channel of mana is made, and while Keitaro begins to carefully coax their essences towards Elyon, one after another, it's all on the level of surface thoughts- unsure of which Archon exactly harboured that knowledge, or if all of them did, the Hirai is steadily exposed to their voices, the things they were thinking about in their life.

'Invaders. Dead companions. Must kill. Invaders. Technology. Must kill. Invaders. Killed friends. Invaders. Preserve technology. Foolish humans. Must kill.'

Countless whispers. They're all formed as brief reminders of what they once embodied, that despite all the things done to them, they had values of their own- the values that humanity eventually ruined. But.. in many ways than one, it was conquest. The whispers begin to grow steadier, more clear.

'Hide the keys away. They will steal technology otherwise. Lead them to traps.'

For now, they're only breaching the surface levels. Each moment takes them deeper, delving it into Elyon's consciousness. While all Keitaro does is feed more and more mana into process to direct their essences.. the Hirai is the recipient here, not the Shenlong.

"...Hear anything yet?"
(Keitaro Tennouji)

At the words there, he'd allow just the faintest, dragged breath outward, before placing a single palm onto The Council. No voice of his own escapes, and amidst the crackle of colorless sparks, his eyebrows would knit into the lightest of frowns. Waiting.

That mana is channeled soon after, and the Chieftain is soon exposed to their memories, even if just a surface of it-- their voices. To what went through their heads, and...

The whispers are constant, countless, but the Hirai didn't particularly mind it so-- Nullification's prowess kept any influence of Occultism at bay, and his own past with Synmael had him more than used to such assaults already. The buzzing doesn't particularly stop, but he could make out the sounds now-- make out the words.

Speaking of invaders, at first... and then the mention of keys; as to how they'd steal the technology otherwise.

"...much like an alarm. Memories from when we first started our colonization. Orders to hide the 'keys' away, and how intruders are invading..."

A bit strained, but it's mumbled out in-between everything else. Closing his eyes yet once again, Elyon would inhale another, sharper breath, head shaking from one side to the other. Lips are allowed to part afterward, with the Nullstorm continuing.

"Still, very recent, and not of any use to us... push further. I'm fine."
(Elyon Hirai)

Even if he knows that Elyon is effective at nullifying such presence and influence, he still took care to not overload him out of sudden with the collection of their voices and their combined influence. Instead, it's taken through one at a time, allowing the Chieftain to experience it through at a slower pace.

Where he's exposed to memories of various plans they had for the Spires, including the wonders that some of them might've had experiences with.. though, what Keitaro seeks about is the spiritualism, of how the essences were aligned to the circuitry of certain people- much like what happened to Caira and Eshmun.

If he doesn't get his hands on this technology, he might die.

And this motivates Keitaro to only accelerate the search. Where the different parts of technology seen on the island previously becomes clear, and Elyon is taken through a memory trip.

'The first defendersat the gate, tiny creatures of Occult and mechanism that attacked them on their first expedition.'

'Of the statue that harboured Spire Shards and attacked them outright, especially when it was tampered with.'

'The alignment of spiritual essences to the mana circuitry, in the laboratory under volcano, with the sealed Nethradin due to one failed experiment.'

'Technology of floating objects, in particular what granted the ability to make certain buildings remain afloat.'

All of these were considered smaller scale projects, one which were more on personal level rather than anything else. And yet, with the steady flow of mana that coaxes them to give up more.. Elyon can feel his mind opening up to the Demons as well- to what they felt and thought. Whereas he might be shielded from their Occultic influence..

Their feelings are a different manner. The 'slots' of knowledge come at a cost, and that's the urging, screaming echo of defeating invaders and preserving what they had. After all, the humanity has killed those they cherished.

"Any clues so far, Elyon?" Keitaro operated on blind mode, so to say.. simply 'scrolling' past the memories, while he coaxed them to give up more and more. But he didn't know where Elyon could tell him to stop and pause.

"Tell me if you found anything. I'm looking for the pods - what happened to Eshmun and Caira, basically."
(Keitaro Tennouji)

Despite everything, as more and more mana is supplied, he couldn't help but find a single hand drifted upward, pressed against his own temple in the moment as those eyes remain squeezed shut. It wasn't so much the Occultic influence, no... he could minimize, if not outright suppress majority of it, but-

-rather, going through their very memories, how they felt throughout it all. Even if it's not focused upon, and is limited to mere glimpses... he could sense it so. The pain of loss, the agony, the knowledge that their comrades were just slaughtered-- it was an assault by the alliance, and no matter how one would put it? In one way or the other, they were the villains here.

Not that he ever cared, in all honesty... yet, still, going through moments of their sorrow, their pain... it was unnerving. to say the least.

Yet, he didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, keeping his breaths even, the Chieftain continued to sit there, to keep his focus upon the points that might prove to be useful-- the defense mechanism... the golem of Spire which assaulted them later, on, and then-

--the laboratory under volcano, with the sealed Nethradin due to one failed experiment.

"We're there-"

It's nearly rushed outward, and even though he wanted to learn of some other projects, namely the mention of floating objects... that much could wait, right?

"-there's a mention of it, Kei. What you're looking for, I... can you dwell deeper? Somehow coax them into explaining further? The mechanism in itself... how it works. How it's made."
(Elyon Hirai)

Whether they were the villains or not, they would still reap into it. In a sense, they were simply lucky enough to explore it before anyone else could do that.. but that wouldn't deter the Shenlong from taking everything they had. Perhaps it's the selfishness he was taught, or perhaps the lack of care for the Demons as a whole - whatever is the case, he was ready to sink his teeth into it.

And yet, when Elyon speaks of returning back to what was just mentioned, he nods along; the spiritual essence is coaxed further into particular subject, seeking to delve much deeper into how the mechanism worked.

"Give me a moment." A single mutter spoken, and the Spiritmancer directs his mana feed to reveal more unto Elyon's mind. After all, he could endure..

'The mechanism relied on having a center for distribution of energy. The runework connected it to capsules- Spire Shard served as fuel for five capsules at once; lesser volumes of energy for a single capsule possible. Distribution of energy was set on target's mana circuits - with that, it could be attuned to something new, depending on energy hosted in the distribution center.'

The entirety of the focus is present upon this single project. The mind of the Archon who worked upon it, the only one that was responsible for that work.. and the memories of Nethradin being sealed due to immense energy that was not handled right. After all, the Spire Shard was used to feed excess energy to all five capsules..

But what if there's no excess needed, and only a single capsule is made?

Yet, while he works, he keeps his gaze pointed to Elyon, expectantly. The memories of mechanism should've flooded his mind, the explanation necessary to make it work; capsules weren't the complicated part, it's precisely the runework and energy source.. which was needed in lesser volumes for smaller tasks.

"What are you hearing..?"
(Keitaro Tennouji)

Dwelling further, scratching past the surface, and perhaps the Shenlong could see it so-- the way his own Occultic reacts to the influence... or, rather, Synmael's presence does. For a moment, just a brief moment, ethereal limbs appear to spiral outward, embracing the Chieftain alongside the visions of a creature they were both quite familiar with. Even then, it's suppressed just as quickly.

Any attempts at Occultic madness are completely kept at bay, however. Locked away... he could handle as much.

As soon as the mechanism is explained, he didn't even spare a moment to process what was being said, and instead-- the Hirai simply grasped onto the sheet of paper, before writing in a bit of rush. Every thought to swirl past is noted down, word-to-word.

Amidst the knowledge, however? He couldn't help but go through the agonizing sensations there... be it the pain of Nethradin being sealed due to immense energy, or be it how the creature felt during its final moments-- when his own expedition unit laid the beast to its rest. Even if they're shrugged off, the feelings, every ounce of it is more than unnerving.

The contents and papers are presented to Keitaro there, but he'd only close his eyes yet once again, inhaling ever so sharply.

"...this is m-more detailed. Not sure if they... they have any further to spare-- feel free to push through, however."

Should the Shaman do just that, and more memories regarding the machinery and its mechanism flood in? Elyon would endure and listen-- otherwise, a motion would be made for the Tennouji to halt the process.
(Elyon Hirai)

There's no telling just how far this stretches on.

Where he begins writing down something, Keitaro could figure out that the Chieftain has managed to access memories properly after all; the steady flow of mana continues to coax out more and more from their essences, letting the Hirai handle the dangerous influence that comes with opening one's mind to these creatures.

Because he knows he wouldn't be able to handle it right. The influence could either damage him or overtake him entirely, and that's not the risk he was willing to take.. so when Elyon encourages him to only press on, he idly purses his lips in ponder- this could be the last chance he gets to properly access their memories.

"Very well." Instead, the flow of mana continues, and..

'The structure of the runes is revealed, alongside with the structure of the core within- how fitting elemental shards could harbour a particular essence; how the runes would connect it to the capsule, and the channel would imbue it into mana circuitry.'

But other than that? The moment Elyon would be given a chance to record these notes as well, the process comes to a steady halt; where the flow of mana is halted and the spiritual essence is no longer coaxed to flood Elyon's mind. There's a pause that passes as he's given time to record it, and..

"...I couldn't find anything else. Did you get everything?"
(Keitaro Tennouji)

As soon as further information is revealed, he'd hurry to note the rest of it, as well. The nature of runes, and the core-- as well as how the mechanism functioned in itself, connected to the capsule.

By the time the flow of mana is halted, and spiritual essence finally escapes him so, ceasing those countless, agonizing sensations to buzz past his head... he couldn't help but heave a bit of relieved sigh. No immediate response escapes, but his head shakes from one side to the other all the while, eyes still closed.

"...here. All I managed to get-- though, I think it should be sufficient."

Murmured ever so quietly, and then that sheet of paper is offered over to the Voice. Pausing for just a moment longer, before he'd pull himself back up-- only after signaling Keitaro to completely break the connection.

"I... think that's enough for now. Though there are some other memories I'd like to access... but that can comelater on."

Another, softer shift, and then the Council is retrieved.

"Let's head back out, I... really need fresh air."
(Elyon Hirai)

There's naught but a single nod coming from him when the paper is passed over. It's clear that he would be working on that later on too, but.. for now, the information alone would suffice. Perhaps, this could be very well the solution to his woes - or a step into wholly different direction.

"I appreciate this a lot, Elyon."

For this could lead the Voice to becoming something more. Something that could serve Gehenna in many other ways than just one.. and yet, he comes to a careful stand.

"Yes, let's head back out. I feel like I need a bit of rest as well."

After all, he sacrificed his mana too.
(Keitaro Tennouji)