Rift 4

[01:47] Rindou Sakamoto says, "I want what he has."
[01:47] Rindou Sakamoto says, "Let's not waste time."
[01:47] Despair says, "I can tell."
[01:47] Despair says, "Le's not."
[01:48] Despair asks, "How far hav' ya advanced in it's ussage?"
[01:49] Rindou Sakamoto says, "I can push back the lifestream with little issue. Ever since the contract was fulfilled I haven't felt like I've had to try hard."
[01:50] Despair says, "Good. An' I showed ya the process o' riftin' before. How ta constantly apply mana while it's also bein' drained an' undone."
[01:51] Rindou Sakamoto says, "Yeah."
[01:51] Rindou Sakamoto says, "I managed to force a mess against Aurora. It was sheer luck."
[01:51] Rindou Sakamoto says, "It let me escape."
[01:51] Despair says, "Tha's a good result."
[01:52] Despair asks, "Were ya able ta make somethang ya could get through wit' it?"
[01:52] Rindou Sakamoto says, "No."
[01:52] Rindou Sakamoto says, "Well, that one time."
[01:52] Rindou Sakamoto says, "But aside from that, no."
[01:52] Despair says, "Then do it again."
[01:52] Despair says, "Do wha' ya did tha' one time."
[01:52] Despair says, "Picture a place ya want to go. Push the lifestream appart ta get ta there."
[01:52] Despair says, "Make it close. Behind tha' tree o' somethang."
[01:57] Picture a place. Make it close. These were definitely the kind of limitations Rindou needed in order to properly use Riftmancy. There was a lot of work to make. A lot of passion, strength, dedication, and will to pour into learning the art. She needed more than mere knowledge, too. She needed an uncontested mastery. A heart able to destroy the world on a whim, much faster than most Riftmancers around.

Her goal wasn't to imitate Sors, but to reach the level Malentine had reached. To go beyond the mere use of those tears in battle. To turn them into a weapon. There was a long, long way to go.

She drew a breath in, her right hand extending in order to literally grasp at the fabric of reality before her. And pull. There was no struggle, but it was slow, incredibly so.

Still, she was slowly tearing reality apart, bit by bit, focused on the task.

It wasn't easy.
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:01] This time, hatred itself was not needed. The Ultovexian's crosses his arms over his chest, looking forwards as he watched Rindou breathe. Her hand extended, grabbed towards reality in an attempt to pull it.

"A beginner Riftmancer requires minutes ta open a rift. Ya are far from ma tier. So do not b alarmed at the lack o' speed. Focus on the place. Focus on rippin' reality appart, on doin' harm ta the lifestream. Keep tha' mental picture in ya head."

"Tear. Tear some mor'. Keep tearin'." The Ultovexian spoke calmly, gazing ever at the tearing bit by bit.
(Despair)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:40] Rindou kept at it, slowly ripping the fabric of reality apart as she focused on hurting the world as much as possible. It needed no emotion put into it, obviously, but having thoughts that weren't tainted by anything else was the key there. She had to fight against the world's ability to heal itself thoroughly.

It was nothing like playing with that block of tyrium, of course. Tearing directly into space was much, much more difficult. While the contract that she took with Sors had been fulfilled it still wasn't enough. She had the strength and energy to pull it apart, but she was far from experienced enough to make it happen instantly.

Bit by bit, she ripped it up more. A person-sized tear eventually came to be.

.. Ah crap. She forgot about the destination.
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:44] A person sized tear slowly came to be in front of them as Rindou continued to rip the fabric of reality appart. It tore slowly, ever cutting, ever working, into the foundation of the world as the Ultovexian crossed his arms over his chest. Dusk and Aurum stared in front of him in silence. Until the other side was revealed.

Nethradin began to spill out of the rift near instantly. With no location in mind, all the rift functions as is a tear in the lifestream, leading to nowhere but obvilion.

"Ya mus' remember where ya want ta go when ya are attemptin' this art. If ya do not think 'bout a destination, it'll jus' end up spillin' Nethradin."
(Despair)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:49] A hurried reaction to her mistake was made. Heated earth rose up from the ground and took hold of the corrupted spirits as they began spilling out - holding them in place before shoving them right back into the tear, forcefully so. Her hands reached out to keep reality stable for a moment.

Of course it wouldn't last, no, that wasn't her goal. After she visualized the closest tree she reached one of her hands further into the tear, aiming to rip apart the other side - to split open the lifestream further south in order to create something she'd be able to step into.

She struggle. She actually fought against the lifestream - aggressively so due to her mistake. A purple veil surrounded her for a moment in the midst of it all, granting her the strength she lacked and forcefully opening the way to this nearby location.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to cross, however.
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:52] Heated earth rose up to grab the corrupted spirits as they tried to get free. This would occur for all but one. A single Nethradin, an imp looking creature, would be grabbed by an invisible chain, wrapped around and brought to them. Dusk and Aurum stared forwards towards the rift.

After this, a corrective measure was taken. Rindou imagined the tree and attempted to tear into the rest of the world. The lifestream was all too happy to slap down her efforts, to ignore them, to rend them bit from bit. The Adjudicator however, watched progress as slowly it began to tear to the nearby location.

And once it was made? The Ultovexian hurled the Nethradin through the rift to test the stability.
(Despair)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:56] A good measure to test stability, that much was for sure. Expandable life was something that could come around more often and Rindou wouldn't be displeased. As the small, imp-looking being was tossed forward the rift shut.

... well, only after letting half of him pass through, slicing him in half and letting the head knock straight into the tree. It was a succesful portal, but the stability was far, far from good enough for Rindou to step through.

Still, it had been her first not-so-lucky accomplishment when it came to Riftmancy. She was but a novice, but one capable enough to almost open up a rift.

".. Not good enough."
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:00] Most people would view the loss of life as a shame. Then again, it was a Nethradin, and the creature had been forced through the rift by the Ultovex. The corpse did not act like a normal one. It's body began to break down into mana seconds after it was sliced in half, the portal unsteady.

"Not yet. But it is progress made from ya fight an' conflicts. A step forwards from it bein' nothin'. An' nothin' o' real value was expended from tha' test either."

"Will ya b tryin' 'gain tonite?"
(Despair)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:02] "Trying again?" She asked, her hands already reaching out where the unstable mess had closed up, readying herself to tear it up - to try more. She was... actually working hard. It seemed like she had never lost the value of such, even if there were few ways to see it up here. No slacker would've ended up in the situation she had with Lea, after all.

"This, or finding an angel?"
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:06] "This. I do believe ya said you wished to find an angel after ya began your trainin'. First proceed wit' tha'. Master wha' ya need to master. Then hunt down the angels. Ya could hunt Aurora even, if ya grew strong 'nough. Turn it back on the huntress."

His arms remained crossed on his chest as he spoke.

"Repetition is key."
(Despair)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:08] "I have to. I won't reach his level if I don't master it." She answered, hands already gripping at the metaphysical world to bend it to her will. Her motions were far more confident at this point. She wasn't much faster but it didn't look like she was struggling or trying to find the right end of reality to pull upon, like she had found the seam in the air before her.

"It will be most of them by the time I'm done. Calista is the only one who has made an effort to keep me alive and safe."
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:13] "Ya are not wrong. If ya do not master, if ya do not practice, ya will neva reach the abilities o' Malentine. So do continue." The Ultovexian crossed his hands over his chest once more and began to take a seat on the fountain.

"Ya seem ta b gettin' the hang o' it anyway. Jus' try again, an' again, an' again till ya get wha's required. An' I find tha' statement interestin'."

"Will ya protect her then? Calista?"
(Despair)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:17] "Not with my life."

The answer was as clear as the moon up in the skies. It had always been this way, after all. Malentine Invidia may have been the only person who could truly understand what this loneliness felt like, but Sors may come as a close second. Being selfish. Thinking of yourself and your desires above the rest. Never dying. Never dying for another. No. It wasn't something that the old Rindou would have done, of course, but now? She saw the world for what it was.

Trash.

Still, she was a holy magi.

"But I would protect her with all of my strength, so long as she doesn't betray me."

The tear before her made a horrible ringing noise, one that echoed far in the distance and caused the waters down below to ripple. Whether it was the sound of Nethradin being torn asunder by her opening the way or the lifestream itself screaming was not so clear.

She did not mind it anymore.
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:23] "Good."

"It's dumb. The idea o' dyin' fer someone else, the idea o' doin' thangs fer others, puttin' yaself at risk. It should not b something one should eva do. The only person one should look after first an' foremost is themselves."

"Let ma impart something ta ya Rindou. Neva do anything tha' mite put yaself at ya risk unless ya yaself are willin' ta die fer it. If ya do tha'? Then ya will last a long time. The only thangs I'm willin' ta die fer are ma own goals."

He made himself comfortable on the fountain, Dusk and Aurum watching the holy magic as the horrible ring echoed out. His lips formed a line as he heard the last of her words.

"Do ya trust her? Do ya believe she wouldn't betray ya?"
(Despair)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:27] "I believe she's in love with me."

Her answer was one that the embodiment of Despair may just find a bit bittersweet. It wasn't something he was known to hold close to him; love had betrayed him over and over again. She knew as much. Still, the sentiment remained.

"For now, she defends me and wishes to put down those who oppose me."

Her hands worked down the rift. This time with a destination in mind. She wasn't going to make the same mistake as the first time. She went silent while she focused on the same tree a bit further south.
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:30] "Believe tha' if ya so desire. If there is something I've learned from all ma time on Agartha? Love does not quell betrayal. Love does not stop people from workin' on the two principles tha' drive man. Trust too much an' ya will b betrayed."

"Remember tha'. Lov' her if ya wish. But remember she too will betray ya, in some way, in some form." His arms crossed on his chest, Dusk and Aurum staring towards Rindou. "People are fickle."
(Despair)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:36] "I know." She answered, finally opening a proper way towards the other side of that tear. A few meters of travel saved - nothing - but it was something... clear. Seemingly stable, too. At least for now. Her lips parted as she reached down for the ground, intent on making a snowball.

"I wouldn't be satisfied with only her love." She said, tossing the snowball into the rift.
(Rindou Sakamoto)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:38] A snowball hurled into a rift, testing how stable it was as it passed from one end of the icey peak to the other. The Ultovexian remained stiff in his beliefs before starting to rise from the fountain and stretching ever so slowly.

"If ya know ma lesson, I see lil further need ta advise innit. Ya will do wha' ya desire, an' I wha' I desire."

"There will neva b true satisfaction."
(Despair)