The Wound of the World

This wasn't going to be easy.

Perseus has warned Arthur many times, over and over again, that this is the place where horror itself is born, where the thousands of tormented souls once lingered the place - although they no longer occupy it, even as they no longer hold their corrupted presence in there, there's still a scar in reality itself, the pain of the world that Arthur must acknowledge to truly realize what he's dealing with.

The wound in Lifestream.

Isn't it odd? To pursue the harmony of the world, to seek to cleanse it, and yet grasp such corrupting magics that would not only bring forth more corruption to this world, but inevitably, corrupt him too. It's a burden he was willing to accept-

- as Perseus said, he must become a monster in order to defeat one.

The place was as one would imagine a hellscape of torment to be. There was no green fields, no bustling trees, no smell of beautiful flowers, no gust of wind. There was no lake in the distance, no natural sanctuary that once used to be.

Instead, only ruin and consequence of abuse.

"--Ah."

Perhaps he expected revelation of some sort, but instead, he realized there's only him and what he does. Is this what he'll be doing then? He continued to look around, the Adjudicator glaring curiously to find out any ashes, or even if he's lucky enough, a corpse.

Maybe there were leftovers.
(Arthur Rowan)

This isn't what you've imagined, is it?

 Fingertips lightly thread into one another, interweaving as she takes her steps behind the Rowan in a curious fashion. "I believe that ruins of a place often hold secrets of some sort...Like little trinkets that others leave behind in hopes of someone rebuilding what they had brought back in the first place." An idle curiosity is found, followed by a small laugh. She moves amongst the rocks and the rumbles, drifting them about as she pauses slightly..

 "I think when I hear of ruins, I believe a place that's overrun by trees and shrubbery and foliage. But this place-...This place is less than that. Do you think that it's because of the star?" She once remembered this place being a little more lively and bold. But with the crumbling buildings, she can see what it truly is...

 A desolate wasteland that serves as a constant reminder.Of those that dream too big - of those that grasp onto power too fast could possibly be the end of themselves. And although she heeds this warning, she feels that following through with it is another story...

 Sometimes, in order to obtain power- one must be willing to sacrifice. But how much is the Rowan willing to give in order to become this 'monster' that he seeks to be?
(Bei Bei)

It isn't what he dreamed of when he was studying Necromancy.

But then again, what he desired for was to cleanse the Eternia from this very corruption that plagues the land, both due to design flaws of Kraus and Azrael alike. It's not something that gods could fix - but Arthur was certain that he was able to do so. And yet, there's always sacrifice.

Even Perseus, despite the fact that he loathes the thought, admitted that there will be needed experiments, to have someone undergo purgatory in the star, to see just how much their soul would be cleansed, and yet... there's always a risk that instead, they will lose everything about them, that they will lose their individuality, the definition of their soul at that point.

Or worse, eternal torment, being stuck in the star for what seems to be forever.

"Look at this place..."

He muttered silently, his feet stepping over the sickly, gray-ish fog on the ground. The presence of Death was strong, and presence of corruption even stronger.

"They used to lead here thousands of people, all sacrificed to the star. It held thousands of souls in it, all forced to relive the moments of their death."

"For all of eternity..."
(Arthur Rowan)

"I can still feel it, you know..." Perhaps, it is a different feeling for the two of them. Whereas the Rowan could embrace the deep, decadent corruption and death - the embrace of the cosm hangs terribly close to her own figure. Whispers of trials and pain, memories of the afflicted fluttering....It is both brilliant and frightening - and she feared that if she were closer to this blast when it happened, then perhaps, she would not ever do magic the same. So much sickness would cause...terribly effects to her. And although there is constant throbbing within the back of her mind -

"Though, I can't imagine what it would be like to suffer for so long - to burn for an eternity. Do you think that when the souls left the star, that they are...impossibly corrupted? Or...Do you believe that there is some form of relief?" Surely, they are not sent throughout the world to inhabitant some 'body' again...

 Or perhaps, it is as such.

 "Sacrifice-...If they've sacrificed thousands to even obtain this type of power and to have it backfire on them. What do you think it'll take for you to do something similar?" She questions, tilting her head. "In the end, all things great come with a sacrifice...So what are you willing to do- to give?"
(Bei Bei)

Of all whom he could bring along, she probably, in fact, felt it just as much. The Cosmic magic is what was used in order to create the star, after all, and there's no mistake that the foul energy of Eidolon's star would be still felt for Cosmic magi that dare approach this area. As for Arthur?

He felt this on wholly different levels, on levels of Death and corruption known beyond no measure.

Arthur searched. There was still hope in his heart that he would be able to collect at least one corpse around here, even if not large by any margin and heavily damaged, it would still fit for him just fine- to find one of those that were afflicted by the energy of the star, that went through its purgatory and were evidently released, it's... something. Something that could give him enlightenment on how star affected them.

But why would he need that? Isn't he attempting to actually see what's necessary to do aboutthe star to cleanse the corruption? All of that is precisely correct - and yet, he wished to know the state of these souls, to acknowledge what he should never do.

"--They've sacrificed thousands because they were depraved and vile, Bei."

"I've spoken about this to Perseus. It requires a soul, maybe two or three, whatever number to experiment with how the star should affect the souls."

"I was thinking of sacrificing criminals that committed heinous crimes. Killers of families, wretched rapists, torturers... all of them would have the misfortune of becoming a test subject."

"The crime must fit the punishment. That is the sacrifice I'm willing to make."
(Arthur Rowan)

"...Only those that have done the most heinous acts." She says, her lips pressing together in thought. "I think that it's possible- although, you should probably keep a close eye on the crime. And I also suggest that.." she says while beginning to grow silent. "That if you're going to avoid war, that success upon the first try is most certainly necessary...Otherwise, you might be getting involved with Gehenna." However, she isn't sure if a star is capable of 'recycling' chaotic mana in that manner. "Although, I'm not sure how this'll work...I've always seen stars as having two functions. But to-...To make them like the demons is something that even I'm unsure of."

 After all, the purpose of the yokai back at home where to fix this 'depravity' issue with the lifestream and recycle it into something healthy. But they were flawed concepts...And demons, perhaps, even moreso. At this particular moment though, the young girl simply nods..

 "If that's something that you're willing to do then so be it...The most heinous criminals. Just-..If you can, I'd like to oversee the executions, yes? I trust you- but sometimes, I don't trust some of our other people. And that even includes Joy."
(Bei Bei)

Ah, he's in luck.

There was, in fact, the body befitting for such experiments. Infused by the influence of the blue star from Eidolon, Arthur found a corpse among what you'd assume to be ex-Eidolon's cemetary of sort, with the bodies laid around - most are burned, or far beyond the possibility of revival. But this one? Although damaged, there was still a chance.

A chance that he would not miss.

Lifting it up with his hands, Arthur inspects the body carefully, the scarlet hues traversing upon the body to ensure that it's in the proper condition in order to begin the said experiments. If there was no such requirement met, this could become something done in vain, and perhaps even dangerous.

"Stars can have many functions, Bei."

"It's all about what magi infuse it, and with what purpose. Eidolon have done their vile act with the intent of corruption on their minds. Even Perseus, whom assisted them, had no idea what it's for at first - because he was in the mental stasis, unable to comprehend what he's doing."

"Only later on, he realized the horrific truth behind the star. I aim to create another, with the purpose pure and good."

Slumping the corpse over his shoulders, Arthur intended to carry it on his own. It's a good thing he was able to keep off the stench with wind and filth with water magics... clearly, an unpleasant experience to be a grave-digger.

"We ought to get moving."
(Arthur Rowan)

"...There are some things that I find hard to believe." She says, her frown beginning to deepen considerably. "And I don't think that Perseus Kang wasn't within his right mind when he did something like that. Those people in Eidolon were sins, right? He could tell that they were evil from the start...He should've known the purposes of the star way before all of that happened." In the end though, despite her own complaints...An 'old' saying of Arthur's seems to find her mind once more. "Yeah, yeah- I know. People usually follow another person's goals without thinking." It's natural to those who are followers. Natural to those who have little to no purpose within this realm. However, these impossible whispers...The ones that lingered after all of the stars glitz had vanished call to her within the most mysterious way.

 Uncomfortable. Uncertain. For now, she merely brings her hands to her features as he 'uncovers' the burned and rotting body - her head nodding as she speaks. "Well-...Let's go then, I suppose. But I think that if you're going to do something like this, you should also be careful about the magi that you're going to pick." Those that are corrupted might bring the most pain...No matter the intention.

 But she doesn't have to constantly warn him when he already knows that..

 "I suppose we can talk more about it when we're at home. But ah-...What do you plan on doing with the body?"
(Bei Bei)

It's a thin line between sacrifice and the fall.

To allow yourself to fall into the Arts of Necromancy, if only to study it on your own and attempt to perfect it, it was much akin to walking on the edge of a sharp knife - you may succeed in reaching the other side, and essentially your goal, but you're far more likely to trip and fall, and simply... die.

"Maybe. Perseus was willing to spill the information to me, and that's enough. I know for a fact that Eiphraem had no issue with the way that people were tortured in the star of Eidolon, and that's something I always kept in mind. A Demon is a Demon."

"And his close friend is likely the same."

Carrying his body across the corrupted fields of Eidolon, he hoped that they were going to make it to the forest soon enough- although he tapped into corrupted magics, the sheer negativity around here made even him sick to his very core, like the infestation of foulness stirring within, threatening to burst out and harm him.

"And that I shall. I will certainly be careful."

"I plan to bring back the soul of this one, using the body as a physical link. I want to see what state the soul is in."


A pause.

"...I want to see the horrible things they've done to their souls, so I would know what I should avoid."

Then, silence. He simply nodded to Bei Bei's proposal of speaking about it at home - all of this could wait, too.
(Arthur Rowan)