Thera vs. Ethan

[22:25] Thera approaches. Upon her face lies a familiar scowl, one evoked from the sheer amount of disappointment brought about from the clerical work involved in keeping Levengard stable. If one could even call it that. Interrupted over her musings of how to push forward-

"...why?"

Once, did she lose her temper with a Belialite. Feeling regret, before executing the vile creature. This, however? It makes her stomach churn.

"Did no one prevent this? It's one thing to kill an enemy. Spilling blood of those who click to wicked ways is sometimes necessary, but tell me.

What did this accomplish? She's blind. Con. Grad. You. Fucking. Lations. What does it change?"

A sacrifice? She scoffs.

"Oh. You're absolutely right, son. Sacrifice is necessary. But, why?Why must I sacrifice my sanity over matters like these? What does the loss of her eyes accomplish, what changes? What could she say differently, with, or without eyes?

If I don't get a good answer, I hope whoever spurred this on has a powerful god. So I can beat them before their saviors eyes.."
(Thera Elisheva)
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[22:31] Ethan passed by Thera without any loud words uttered. The crowd didn't have to know all of that and... after what happened it was best if they got some time to breathe and relax. To forget what happened before their eyes. Whispered were all the Oracle was granted.

"I expected her to throw away her wedding ring or... destroy something he gave her— not that." He said, aiming to pass by the spectral one before stopping in his way, teeth coming to a grit, fists tightening up a bit.

"It's my fault. I should've stopped her. I should've trusted her. I'm turning into him at this rate."

He wasn't even moving anymore. Almost as if he expected some sort of... punishment. Some scolding. Yelling. Something to make him feel outside how he felt inside after that.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:40] A new voice reaches her ears, after being able to see for five decades not being able to do so suddenly is strange. No perception there beyond dull pain.

It was a woman, with the authority of a leader. One of the ones of Levengard?

"In the end, it was my choice to do so. For what was done."

She heard the little Nagual yell, her voice was quick, a snapped reply.

"Nym. Quiet. This was my choice.

Ignore her please, she doesn't understand."

The little one's voice coming from nearby infront of her, the Nagual's hand reaches fumbling for Nym's shoulder before grabbing it, firmly.
(Jessi Ultovex)
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[22:44] Magdalen would continue to lead Jessi gently, at the shoulder. She's visibly a little sickened, but shakes her head softly, closing her eyes.

What's done is done.

The beaker of cat's eyes will be stowed in that one-sleeve-ripped cloak.
(Magdalen Elisheva)
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[22:57] "And who are you to make demands of people within my settlement?" Spectral eyes fall upon Ethan Hawke, floating before the man; haunting him like a specter.

"A choice you made? It was a decision you shouldn't have had to make. Our enemies die. Those that are lucky can be sacrificed to the spirits, so that their deaths aren't wasted. But- this? What does it accomplish, what does it achieve?"

The answers she needed weren't attained, as she so no progression being made from this so-called sacrifice.

"We have all the things needed to extract the truth from people. Potions, collars, but this. Changes. Nothing. This woman's actions change. Fucking. Nothing."

Thera didn't know where they intended to go, but it becomes obvious that she doesn't care.

"...how many times will you fuck up, Ethan? How many times are we supposed to forgive you? The first time we fought, I let my temper get the better of me, because you chose to spoke ill of the dead. For that, I apologize. But- I ask again, who are you to make demands within lands where you hold no power? Demands that resulted in pointless maiming. Demands that resulted in needless suffering."

Axe raised, she raises the blade of her weapon at the special magi.

"...why, Ethan?"
(Thera Elisheva)
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[23:07] The white-feathered Magdalen would move up to Thera, whispering something to her. As she does this, she leads Jessi into the fortress - slipping her a remote. Her daughter's collar's remote. Jessi would not be able to feel the subtle static of mana flowing through the runic mote that keeps the collar locked. She just turned it off.

"Your dear will be around, dear...

She misses you dearly."

Words confided in a gentle whisper. Magdalen will continue to accompany Jessi around, out of a multifaceted sense of guilt and responsibility.
(Magdalen Elisheva)
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[23:10] Being hard-pressed like that wasn't Ethan's most comfortable field. Self-loathing, doubt, and guilt riddled his mind as Thera's anger boiled further and further - leaving him with the near-suicidal thoughts. He was moments away from just giving in, from not explaining himself, from not defending his point or... anything at all.

... but he wasn't alone anymore, was he? People couldn't count on him if he was dead or exiled again. He told his daughter she could always bet on him, and he intended on keeping that promise.

Numb that guilt. Kill those feelings. Stand up. Colorless sparks flickered for a moment around the Wayfinder as his expression changed to a colder, more neutral one.

His staff was brought up, leveled with the axe present and ready to defend itself.

"I wanted her to prove she was more than words. A potion would've done it, but she choose this way instead, all on her own. I'm not the one who took her eyes, Thera, as much as I hate for it to happen."

He was moments away from calling the Nagual stupid, but thought it would likely be horrible for this confrontation.

"Now if you'll let us, we're gonna go talk about my daughter we've all failed to save. Try and find a way to succeed."

Being blamed for another's stupidity wasn't going to happen today.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:15] Godfrey pulses a little reika to his heel and bounds backwards until he's near the tree and a meter or so from Issac and Seraph. The Oscuri understood he absolutely didn't have anywhere near the needed firepower to help either one of them, or stop them should Levengard truly take a bite out of itself. With the war announced for two years time, the last thing they needed- In Godfrey's mind- Was an execution or an exile.

.. Perhaps he's scared of Dawn, or Sors, or Akasha, but he had all sorts of had feelings about this. The Fallen Angel was cloaked in a powerful shade of death when Godfrey had gotten too close. Anyone capable of that - Capable of manifesting a spirit that fought the majority of Levengard..

Needed as much opposing force as possible. ".. Don't kill each other. Please. Reason it out, there's got to be a way." Godfrey mutters to the two, unsure if words could reach them in their focus. Hopefully things didn't go bloody.

He didn't need to see more eye gouging today.
(Godfrey Vishkar)
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[23:29] "If you didn't want it to happen, you could have handled this any other way. Instead, you watched, and did nothing- as someone maimed themselves in the streets. Someone, who came here of what we can only assume- with free will. She wouldn't have had to choose this if she were brought to any other authority figure."

Which, she proceeds to name off systematically.

"Enki wouldn't have done this. Taiga wouldn't have done this. Calael wouldn't have done this. Niklaus wouldn't have done this. Elayna wouldn't have done this. Seraph wouldn't have done this.I wouldn't have done this."

An expression of anger overcomes the woman, as her rage bubbles and boils. Golden arms lurch from her back, both wielding shimmering blades of judgement. "How do you intend to fix this?"

Settling this words, despite Magdalen and Niklaus' wards words, feels entirely pointless.

"...we settle this, in the fields, for it seems I must remind you of something."
(Thera Elisheva)
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[23:42] "You blamed yourself for letting your emotions get the best of you before, but you do it again, Thera."

Confronting the woman head-on wasn't something he enjoyed or wanted to do. If it weren't for his own ability to dampen his emotions to this extent he most likely would be curled up in self-hatred and despair. He couldn't afford that right now. Not when he had these kids counting on him.

"Taiga was present. He watched it happen. He even stated out loud he wasn't going to stop me after I asked a proof of honesty off of that woman."

It had to be stated. The Oracle lacked information, of course. A proper report hadn't been made and she stepped right into a mess, but if anything could help this wrathful girl to simmer down it may have been someone facing her with logic and common sense.

"I'm afraid I can't fix stupidity. Magdalen's already in the process of trying to heal what she's done to herself, though, I'm sure.

I don't wish to fight you, Thera, but if senseless combat between allies— friends is what'll wake you up..."

His expression softened a bit. There was no more cold. No more overly serious. No tension. A warmth, pain, too. Sadness coupled up in all of that. This was the same expression Ethan had worn when discovering what the mother of (most of) his kids had been doing to prisonners. Emerald eyes could only see a young magi who lost their way, who lost themselves.

"... then so be it."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:52] "Taiga was the very person who helped me open my eyes. Less I hear the reasons from he, and he alone- they are irrelevant." Lithe fingers grip hold of the arcanium axe, the very object used to remove Eniel's head from his shoulders.

A fate she wished to give upon only one other, but now?

"Senseless combat? No, what is senseless is a woman ripping her eyes out on the streets. Letting a girl who's a target simply because of her bloodline- run around in the caverns, and let the entire world know- that she's frequenting the enemy territories. Those are senseless things, Ethan. This is not."

Spirits begin to swirl around the woman, as scornful eyes fall upon the spacial magi. A grimace possesses her expression, angry for a myriad of reasons. Most of which- stemming from why Ethan fails to realizewhy she's doing this.

(Thera Elisheva)
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[23:58] It was one thing to be upset at him. To blame him for what he had done - what he had said. But when Thera laid the blame down upon Lailah for not knowing any better? For trying to make peace?

That ticked him off. An angry expression was shared right back towards Thera as Ethan allowed orange flames to surround him. This... was no longer about anyone else.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:24] Ire.

It's on her features plain as day. There is no biting of the tongue, making her thoughts on this entire ordeal public. "Senseless, you called it?" Spoken, as she charges through a wall of fire, disregarding the lingering embers. "That suffering was senseless, Ethan Hakwe."

Shai's hands rise, hurling both of the golden blades directly into Ethan's shoulders, as she continues her approach. "You could have stopped her, you could have done something, you could have brought her to me- my husband. But, no. You make demands where you have no right to.

You did this, Ethan Hawke.

You're the reason why that fool is blind."

Placing the blame directly upon the Hawke.

Closer,she can feel the heat of his ebony flames, grimacing as they scorch her ethereal feet. "You didn't receive proof of anything, only blood. How often do those people bleed, how often are they torn apart by the one that shepherds them? How often do they harm themselves, believing they're in the right, while tearing this world and Agartha asunder?"

Nothingness.

Thera can no longer be seen, as she makes the ultimate connection to the spiritual realm. Slipping inside purgatory for just a few seconds, before appearing again.

Directly behind Ethan.

"I'll remind you, again, of who is in charge around here. Ethan Hawke."

Within her right hand contains the collective will of the spirits, those alongside her, and those long exorcised. A mass of light shines bright, illuminated the battlefield in a hue of blue, just before crashing into Ethan's back- hurling him across the field.

"You will replace what you've taken, or I'll take it from you myself."
(Thera Elisheva)
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[00:45] Golden, divine blades sunk into his body mercilessly, vanishing into thin air after a few moments. The heat of his flames wasn't enough to pierce through the veil Shai's spirit offered the Oracle, merely crashing against self-regenerating flesh and invincible mists. A hard battle, to say the least. While Sors Ultovex had brought him down through she power and overwhelming strength, Thera's own abilities went the complete opposite way; the Wayfinder could barely get any progression to his attempts. Flames with enough purity to be empowered by occult forces without having their color shift could not out-do the holiest of magics, leaving him to lose track of the woman at once.

His eyes shifted from left to right. His body shifting to a defensive stance before the very trick he had used so, so many times on others was used against him - albeit slower.

He only had the time to turn his head when he was met with a right hand burning with Thera's intent, emotions, might, and wrath. His teeth came to a grit before his own torturous training was put to use. In a split second everything changed, though few except Noel, Thera, and perhaps Calael would realize what had happened.

Worry vanished from Ethan's face. This pain expression did as well. Any and each bit of emotion anyone with a glimpse of empathy could detect was gone. The Wayfinder was using his own ability to nullify to its full extent - killing off emotions enough to dampen pain itself. The sparks around himself began jittering, shifting and extending their range past their normal boundaries. For a moment everything turned black and white, shades of grey poluting the peanut gallery.

And the blow connected.

The old man was sent flying away from the Spiritmancer, his body twisting and flipping along the way before it hit the ground, creating a rather massive cloud of dust. From beneath it a standing shadow could be outlined, and heavy breaths soon followed. Through an extreme push of nullifying arts the blue-haired one had managed to take a blow he had no business taking - to stand longer than he should.

Just like back in the Lighthouse.

"Do you think I wanted her to do that? Do you think I wanted to see an ally— a possible friend to be hurt because of me? I failed to stop her - everyone there did, Thera."

As the man stepped forth and the dust settled an obvious lack of sparks was present. His emotions had reared their head back stronger than ever, tip-toeing the line of occult madness far closer than one would expect coming from a man who'd overcame it. The truth was... that influence never left. It remained, although it was suppressed constantly, but it only grew. Quincy was proof of that, wasn't he? Ethan's near slip-up may have been caused by his previous overload of the same energies that kept the insanity in check. Regardless, the Wayfinder's words went straight to the point - showing that despite his mistakes there was a reason they've endured his presence all those years.

"I was already going to get her her sight back; kids aren't the only one that won't sleep tonight after that."

It was angry, for sure, but honest. Opening up and revealing his own weaknesses and the fact he, too, was affected by what happened wasn't something the man was ashamed of. Pride had never consumed him.

The Wayfinder turned around, intent on walking off. There wouldn't be spatial magic whisking him away this time.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:59] "You still don't get it, do you?" Spoken with a deadpan expression, as Ethan tumbles across the fields. Right hand still trembling, struggling not to press this further.

"Who are you to make demands, to make her show that she's arrived with the best intentions? You failed to stop her from doing something foolish, after making a foolish demand." Smoke rises from her right hand, and despite the annoyance laced within her features.

It's clear that the woman continued to hold back, not making this a battle to the death. Yet-

The very hand the smokes reaches into her pocket, slipping her index finger around a tainted ring. Both eyes grow bright soon as the object makes a collision with her skin.

She'd said it before, made mention of her lack of mercy, now?

"I don't believe that you're incapable of fixing your mistakes- but you're going to fix them."

A second spirt can be seen, a second pair of spectral arms emerging from her back-

"Or we will fix you"
(Thera Elisheva)
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