Shadow 1

[18:44] Alyssa cos D'Arnette whispers: I think I have done as you've asked, I have accepted the Occult as a way of life.. between tearing the Cadet's arm off among other things.. I realized I was more myself than I have ever been.
[18:47] Lemuria Augustus whispers: Excellent! That is wonderful!
[18:47] Lemuria Augustus whispers: You are probably ready to go further, now.
[18:49] Alyssa cos D'Arnette whispers: I will learn whatever you're willing to offer.
[18:50] Lemuria reached into her sleeve and pulled out a very, very tiny violin.

"Let us get started, then."
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[18:51] Lemuria Augustus says, "Unless you mean-"
[18:52] Lemuria Augustus says, "...right well-"
[18:52] Lemuria Augustus says, "I will save these lessons for later."
[18:52] Lemuria Augustus says, "Let us do the other thing."
[18:58] Lemuria dragged Alyssa over to her house, and eventually her room, as its atmosphere was perfect for what they were trying to do. With tea in hand, as always, she had a few things to clarify before moving further.

"I want you to describe the feelings you had while tearing off the cadet's arm, in-depth. Vocalizing the feelings will keep them fresh on your mind for when we actually attempt to cast something."
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[19:16] She followed the Witch into her home, into a room she'd not seen before.. noting the braziers and statues in the corner but not sating anything.

She nods, preparing to speak once the woman was finished. "When I grabbed his wrist... a thousand different things crossed my mind. I am a master of my fighting style, so many things that would have changed the outcome.. but then it crossed my mind." She looks towards her own arm, likely the culprit of the pulling. "Yet it was in that moment I realized, I had options, but none of them are what I wanted to do. He was a member of the Order, he deserved the worst I could give him."

"My hate flooded me, and I drowned in my bloodlust... I pulled with all of my strength.. and when the bones popped, and the joints snapped.. I don't think I've ever heard a sound quite as satisfying." It had been music, a great symphony she had never heard before. "His face as his flesh tore, his blood poured onto the ground..." A grin crossed her face. "It made me feel like I had regained something I had lost, as if it was only then I realized what I had become.. or rather.. who I should have been from the start."
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[19:25] "Perfect."

If only to add to the mood, Lemuria allowed her own occult aura to enshroud her body. The same sense of danger that normally accompanied utilization of the occult did fill the room, but Alyssa would more than likely find herself enjoying it. Indeed, once someone truly immersed themselves in the occult mindset, feelings like this became welcome. Nay, they became desirable!

"The true apex of the occult mindset is to love carnage and destruction for its own sake; something which you very much seem to have done. Above all else, the occult is a magic of emotion. When you give form to feelings like that after you immerse yourself- that is when you manifest occultism."

Lemuria held her hand up, and-

"Now, it should come easily to you, after some practice."

-released a flurry of dark orbs towards her own roof, which harmlessly dispersed due to how much she was holdingback. It was more of a display, if anything.

"You must let it come out- let it flow, uncaring as to what it manifests as. It must flow as freely as those negative emotions did when you tore his arm off. The first spell you use will be uncontrolled and random. But once you utilize that, it becomes easy to shape it into other things."

"Any questions?"
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[19:34] She finished explaining, that dark strength filling the room.. It made her consider just how much she had changed. When she had witnessed the Occult for the first time in the Pelleaux manor those years ago, she had been repulsed by it, but intrigued by the Shadow.

Now..? It was alluring.. almost like the caress of a friend long not seen as those feelings washed over her. The desire for it crossed graceful features, her illusions slipping away to reveal those black lines that still adorned her flesh.

Even they responded to it.. shifting on her face, as if they wanted a taste as well.

Though managing to retain her focus she watches as those orbs slam into, but disperse against the ceiling.. She seemed to understand, a nod given.

"I think I get it.." She was already working towards doing just that, the memories of that fight filling her mind.. how it felt to be so much stronger than her foe.. to the point she held nearly all of her strength backand still won by a landslide.

It was that domination that was perhaps the most alluring, to be able to inflict her will, her desire onto someone else.. even to the point of removing their limbs and they can do naught but watch.

The feeling of hearing as their hope died in their screams, in hearing the hate for her she inspired, the fear.

Those feelings began to subtly radiate from her, but they were much fainter than those of the more experienced Occultist.
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[19:40] Lemuria giggled at how easily Alyssa picked it up.

"Wow... it is almost like you are a born occultist. How quaint. Perhaps you would fit better in Moonfall than you would here, huh?"

Lemuria certainly fit in better there, but she had so many reservations with how that place was ran that it was difficult for her to bring herself to desire to want to move back. As much as she wanted to revel in the carnage and destruction... she also wanted to live the quieter, more subtle lives of her predecessors. Giving birth to nightmares like she was currently doing with Alyssa more than validated that decision.

"I want you to attempt it a few more times. And each time you do, embrace it more and more. I want to see that same emphatic expression on your face that I do on so many other occultists who lose themselves in their craft."

It would be more accurate to call it crazed than emphatic, but Lemuria hardly saw it as that herself.

"Myself included."
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[20:01] Perhaps it was so, the two did have a relatively similar upbringing, even if it was different just as much. "I almost feel the same.. I never imagined it would be like this." Which was the truth.

"I will do that.." She completely understood what this would be.. the jump from a cliff that only went down, as most did.

A plunge into that same chasm she had stared at for so long, the pull having grown too strong for her to resist any longer.

She would do as the Witch asked, latching onto those memories.. but not just those. She dug deeper, to the thing that would have started all of this.. the end of a tale she hadn't told Lemuria the entirety of.

The man who her father hired to essentially beat her to make her learn to fight.. that final day.. her fist sinking into his stomach. Though it didn't stop, her magically enhanced punch shredding into the mans organs, Alyn had been a non-Magi after all.

It had simply been her first time to use mana herself.

The blood that ran from him when her hand was removed, the fascination she felt.. before her father pulled away.

As before those feelings rose again, slightly more intense than before though they faded again.. and she reached for more.

Remembering beating Himari into the dojo floor, flooding her mind with the D'Arnette's own painful memories.. making her suffer as she had.

Those emotions surge again, much more palpable than before, the first flickering's of a blackness darker than even her shadows around her form as they faded. A firm grip establishing itself on her mind, and her thoughts.

To the point she was now, to the tearing of the arm, to her conversation just earlier with Robin. 'If you fall, I will kill you.' Being the summary.. yet he would call himself her friend.. Rather walk with the scum that was those members of the Order than truly show he wanted things to actually change.

There it was.

It was as if long shut gates had reluctantly groaned and broke free, the raw wave of terrible things exploding from her as in some subconscious part of herself she descended into that darkness she had consumed.

It was nothing but ecstasy, the happiest feelings she had ever experienced, it was freedom, it was strength. She looked to her hands, the darkness of a soul now accepting it was fallen flooding from her as she aims to do what Lemuria had..

A hand aimed for the wall... an erupting wave of uncontrolled Occultism slamming into the wall.. thankfully it was indeed so unfocused it did little.. there would be some small amount of damage.

As she had often began to do while masked, she started outright giggling, but it was much more maddened than before.. the light in her eyes only serving to further illustrate as it escalated into a full blown cackle.

Were she not in the room with a Witch and former(?) Occultist it would have raised the hairs on the back of men's necks.
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[20:04] Alita grinned widely as she watched the wave of occultic energy crash into the wall! The once former occultist proud to see Alyssa's journy being fruitful but otherwise remaining quiet!
(Alita Tym)
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[20:05] Alyssa fully immersed herself in the mindset of the occult, as per Lemuria's instructions, tearing off the arm of a cadet. That experience gave her the perspective she needed for Lemuria to instruct her on the final steps necessary to become an occultist, and she succeeded with flying colors.
(Lemuria Augustus mentoring Alyssa cos D'Arnette)

[20:05] {MENTOR} You taught Alyssa cos D'Arnette Shadow Ball
[20:11] Another day, another student. Another student, another success.

On this day, the world grew a little bit darker, as Alyssa had tapped into the occult.

While Lemuria could not read her mind, nor feel her exact emotions, she knew from the expressions and the success of the magic that everything went according to plan. She knew the ecstasy that came with the occult, feeling elated at being able to spread that most wonderful of indulgences to another.

She almost wanted to break out into a laugh herself, but resisted. This was Alyssa's moment; this was Alyssa's time to shine. And when she was done, when she finally succeeded and let off that oh-so-familiar cackle...

Lemuria clapped, her face beaming with pride.

"Well done, Alyssa. You have finally become one of us."

It was only a matter of time until another witch was brought into this world, and Lemuria couldn't be happier.
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[20:19] It didn't fade as it had the other times, that darkness lingering around her, strengthening her shadow magic by it's nature alone.

It was completion she felt, the beginning of this process had made her whole, but this made her feel perfected. It was only time now, to learn, to work on what she now bore.

Her laugh dies after a few moments.. finally those Occultic energies subsiding, almost a sense of loss forming where they had been.

Though it wasn't hard to tell she was forever altered, it was in every movement she made. "I don't think I've ever wanted to be something more.." Though this was a major step, it was still the first of many. "Thank you Lemuria.. you've helped me so much."
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[20:27] "Of course. I love nothing more than to help people be who they are truly meant to be."

Words that, surprisingly, were fully honest. As much as she loved corrupting people, as much as she loved making the world a worse, more fearful place, where people have reason to be paranoid, the one selfless bone in her body was dedicated towards allowing people to express themselves as who they truly are. And, in Lemuria's mind, no magic did that better than the occult.

Despite it being unnatural to humans, occultism enabled someone to achieve emotional highs the likes of which no other magic could even come close to. And from those emotional highs came art.

Even if that art took the form of smearing the blood of one's enemies on the wall in the form of a horrid, macabre painting.

"Hatred of your enemies morphing into love of their destruction... is there anything more magnificent? Occultism is the magic of love for a reason, you know~"

Words spoken to herself more than anyone else here.
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[20:28] Alita Tym says, "Couldn't have said it better myself Lem."
[20:37] A grin on her features she tries to calm herself, but it was evidently hard.. she likely needed to make a change of wardrobe and slip into Theria. She didn't want her emotions to flare and let the secret slip before she had a better grasp and time to adjust.

"I.. don't think there is.." It was definitely addictive, already she wanted more. How did someone like Lemuria control it at all?

"I promise I will use it well.. and I will feed it, with all the blood I can spill.." Though silver hues bore deeply into those of the Witch, waiting to see if anything else would be said.

It surely didn't feel unnatural to her any longer, if anything..? It felt as if it had always belonged.
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[20:43] Lemuria giggled in response to the spilling of blood.

"You desire to spill their blood, and I desire to steal all of their precious light that they cling on to."

...and when she said that, an idea entered her mind.

"...and I believe you could help me with that, if you are feeling up to sharing your secrets as well."

(Lemuria Augustus)
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[20:44] Alita settles down on the floor as she nods to each of the others. "I'd be glad to help too, when I'm around that is."
(Alita Tym)
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[20:44] A pale brow rose, what could she offer to do just that..? "Oh..? What could I provide for you..?" Though of course she likely assumed correctly, it was better to get confirmation first at the very least.
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[20:45] Lemuria Augustus says, "The magic that you yourself use. That is something I desire to learn. I have made some headway, but perhaps having someone teaching me would give me that last push I need."
[20:48] Alyssa cos D'Arnette says, "I could do that, I've taught others through illusion before, it will only take me days to figure out the differences truly.. and likely augment it to work with both perfectly."
[20:48] Lemuria Augustus exclaims, "Excellent!"
[20:49] Alita Tym says, "I've always been a bit curious about how it works, not that I intend on learning it, if I'm around I'd like to watch though."
[20:49] Lemuria Augustus says, "I use both illusion and the occult, so I believe it would not be that difficult for me."
[20:49] Alyssa cos D'Arnette says, "Sure.. but it will likely best be done in the dojo of my wife."
[20:49] Alyssa cos D'Arnette says, "Haha.. we're almost identical then, except I'm a bit all over the place now."
[20:49] Lemuria Augustus says, "Right now, I have practiced it from an occult perspective, but perhaps all I need is some instruction in the illusion aspect to get it down."
[20:50] Alyssa cos D'Arnette says, "That's what I do best."
[20:54] Lemuria Augustus says, "So-"
[20:54] Lemuria Augustus asks, "Where to begin?"
[20:55] Alita Tym asks, "Did you want to head to the dojo now?"
[20:56] Lemuria Augustus exclaims, "Wherever works!"
[20:56] Alyssa cos D'Arnette says, "Sure."
[21:01] She leads the two women into the dojo of her wife. She wasn't sure how Lemuria had been developing this herself, so perhaps it was best to start there. "Lemuria.. show me first how you have been working towards it, I think that would be the best place to start."

Then she would go from there.
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[21:05] Lemuria held her hand up, formulating a glyph within her hand. Occult mana focused within her palm, as she utilized the principles behind the drain life spell to absorb whatever forms of energy she could- in this case, it was light.

And while it didn't do much, it still caused the light in the area to grow noticeably dimmer, if only for a moment.
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[21:06] Alita curiously watched Lemuria, and as the lights began to dim a wide smile formed and she slowly nodded her head.
(Alita Tym)
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[21:10] It was definitely different from her own method.

"Hm well.. it's not similar to my own but.. essentially what I am doing..? I mentioned staring into that abyss yes..?

That is what I do, I channel bare amounts of those same things you had me dive into to give me the gift you have.. perhaps it was years of gleaning from the surface that made it so easy." Could it have been..? "So using those trace amounts of emotions and desires I wove them into my illusion magic, into my shadows... Infusing a lie with the truth if you will." She holds her hand to the side, a massive shadowy claw appearing there.. it radiated a sense much like Occultism, but it lacked the corruption.

"You see..?"
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[21:18] Interesting. Perhaps a combination of the two ideas was the right way. One involved, quite literally, the theft of light. But this one involved projecting a false image into reality, much like normal illusion magic, in a lot of ways. Just... more focused on the emotional aspect.

"I see..."

How exactly was she to consolidate the two?

With the glyph in hand, Lemuria, this time, charged it with illusion magic. Unfortunately, the glyph was specialized for occult magic, so it didn't exactly accomplish much. But then, she came up with another idea-

"Perhaps I could dim the lights then try your own method. Dimmer lights would create more shadows, so I would have a lot more to work with than just my own shadow, perhaps."

She was clinging very hard onto the idea of stealing light from the world, even though it might make learning this more difficult than it'd otherwise have to be.
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[21:21] The noble seemed to ponder this for a time, as if trying to bridge whatever gap may exist between the two methods. "Yes.. use your illusion magic to dim the lights around you, but use the glyph you have there to siphon the remains.." A soft hm escaping.

"So it's more as if you're using light to fuel pre-existing shadows, instead of creating shadows by siphoning light.." Theoretically it would work as intended a the very least.
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[21:32] Lemuria flashed back to the idea of gazing into the abyss, finding it crucial to any would-be advancement. When Alyssa finished speaking, Lemuria remained silent, finding herself lost in thought. Holding her hand up, Lemuria once more drained light from the surrounding area, causing it to dim, increasing the volume of shadows in the dimmed area due to the contrast with the surrounding light outside of it, as the light outside of the area was brighter by comparison.

...sketchy science aside, Lemuria stared into the shadows, holding the glyph for as long as she could, her eyes glazed over as she entered a meditative state.

True observation means the observer and the observed become one, right...?

Therein lied the key to this, at least in her mind. This wasn't gazing into the abyss, per se. No, it was closer to what Lemuria told Alyssa about the occult just a few months prior: It was her immersing herself in the abyss. Becoming one with it. Learning to understand it. And with that understanding, came control. As someone who mastered the art of meditation, it didn't take long for Lemuria to enter that state of true observation. And when she did-

Her own shadow flicked its finger, yet she herself was completely still.

That, unfortunately, caught her attention, which ended up breaking her trance, and the connection with that which she was observing.

"I believe I understand what I must do. It will take some practice, but... it does not seem like the kind of thing that is particularly difficult to grasp."
(Lemuria Augustus)
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[21:39] She was doing her best, but one thing she had learned was it was best to discover your own methods based on what you were taught.. which was just what Lemuria was doing.

Silver hues peering, observing, watching as that shadow moved and that finger twitched.. it was progress.. but the D'Arnette rarely actually used her own shadow. She created them instead more often than not.

"That was something at least.. perhaps with just some small amount of practice and a bit of focus you could manage it within the year I think." If not less, she was a smart one.

Her own shadow magic fades away, slipping off of her limb as it simply dissolves. "If you need any other opinions or insights, I am completely open to them, just let me know!" At this point she would likely help the Witch however she was able.
(Alyssa cos D'Arnette)
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[21:42] Lemuria Augustus exclaims, "Of course!"