Terminus: What is Empathy?

[19:46] Before the group was... A... Common Meranthean Gecko, dragging a piece of pork that was cartoonishly larger than its diminutive body.
It didn't really commit to much else to draw attention from those that lacked magus sight... However, perhaps the slight oddity would provide some humor to those standing nigh.

It -did- take pause from its effort once attention from magus individuals loomed too close however... Tilting its head up, and blankly staring back at those likely to tower above...

A lengthy pause...
A lick of the eye...
Silence...
(Terminus)
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[19:47] The creature would look at the Gecko for a moment. Before turning away. Why should it judge a fellow creature for being small.
(Akkorokamui)
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[19:48] The kitsune stared in a gross confusion as the gecko licked its own eyeball. She looked at her fellow comrades as a means of saying are you guys seeing this too??

"What the hell are you.."
the kitsune grumbles under her breath as she's never seen such an odd creature.
(Lest Kin)
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[19:50] Lest Kin says, "Sorb there is nothing big about a tiny lizard of sort."
[19:50] The little fairy couldn't help but fall in love with the creature at first sight. She loved animals, so So SO much... And one as cute and adorable as this one!?

"GECCKKOOO!!!"

Sorbet squeals in excitement as she darts towards the little thing, sitting happily right in front of the gecko's face and humming quietly to herself as she observed its many animalistic features.

A hand stretched out, almost as if she was trying to... Pet the creature? Perhaps that was a terrible idea, perhaps it was not.

"Awww... Look at you... Aren't you just adorable? What's your name, big guy?"
(Sorbet)
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[19:52] the kitsune will back up to join her friend Akko on the side, she seemed squeamish and disgusted with such a creature

"Horrid thing if you ask me, it licked its own eye Akko..!"

The kitsunes gonna cry out as she very thought as its eyelicking is going to flash into her head as she grabs her ears pulling them down now feeling fear towards the little thing
(Lest Kin)
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[19:53] Akkorokamui says, "Do not judge. It is simply a animal."
[19:53] Lest Kin says, "It licked its eyeball.. "
[19:54] Akkorokamui asks, "Should I eat your eyeballs?"
[19:55] the kitsune gripping her ears as she turned and looked past Akko to see it again before jumping and sobbing a little after hearing akkos comment

"Why would you do that!? theyre my beautiful dark gray eyes.. not an edible food, although my vision hasn't been the same since that fight, and learning magi."
(Lest Kin)
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[19:55] Akkorokamui says, "Just don't look at it if you are so scared."
[19:55] Lest Kin says, "I'm horrified by you and your comments.."
[19:55] Lest Kin says, "As well as that. thing."
[19:55] After a brief pause however, its maws -did- open to... Yawn?
To the collective dismay of all parties present, the Common Meranthean Gecko did not possess vocal chords. Thus, to Lest Kin's question it remained unmovingly silent, staring back... Was it even sentient?
For all intents and purposes, they were literally speaking to a lizard they happened to witness dragging meat that presumably came from a magi.

That was, unless a psionic was amongst them...
One, capable of breaching the cognitive veil to properly ascertain anything beyond the mundane.
'GECCKKOOO'
She reached out to pet it... And to a reptile of similar size? It gaped its mouth -- a warning to what could've been perceived as a threat. Surely, it was bound to bite!

--yet, unlike the fae, it could not fly...
So, the aerial advantage meant that pats were likely inevitible. It lowered its head in reverence to such, as though clearly in discomfort... Eyes closing even! No answer to questions once more -- it was mute, capable only of the brief hiss it managed to muster before pats commenced.

It flailed, taking a slight leap backwards for distance. A slam of its small right arm on the ground sought to display its effort for space! Unfortunate for it? It resulted only in a small pat on the earth underfoot, underwhelming to all aside from the insects and fellow reptiles by his echelon.
(Terminus)
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[20:00] Lest Kin says, "That fairy is crazy if you ask me, and im the one seeing spirits...."
[20:00] Sorbet exclaims, "I can see them too!"
[20:00] Lest Kin says, "YOU THINK LIZARDS CAN SPEAK"
[20:00] Terminus exclaims, "!"
[20:01] Lest Kin says, "Eugh.. i saw it i saw it!..."
[20:01] The kitsune covers her eyes visibly uncomfortable and horrified of a small reptile
(Lest Kin)
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[20:01] Akkorokamui says in telepathy, A strange little one.
[19:50] Lest Kin says, "Sorb there is nothing big about a tiny lizard of sort."
[19:50] The little fairy couldn't help but fall in love with the creature at first sight. She loved animals, so So SO much... And one as cute and adorable as this one!?

"GECCKKOOO!!!"

Sorbet squeals in excitement as she darts towards the little thing, sitting happily right in front of the gecko's face and humming quietly to herself as she observed its many animalistic features.

A hand stretched out, almost as if she was trying to... Pet the creature? Perhaps that was a terrible idea, perhaps it was not.

"Awww... Look at you... Aren't you just adorable? What's your name, big guy?"
(Sorbet)
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[19:52] the kitsune will back up to join her friend Akko on the side, she seemed squeamish and disgusted with such a creature

"Horrid thing if you ask me, it licked its own eye Akko..!"

The kitsunes gonna cry out as she very thought as its eyelicking is going to flash into her head as she grabs her ears pulling them down now feeling fear towards the little thing
(Lest Kin)
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[19:53] Akkorokamui says, "Do not judge. It is simply a animal."
[19:53] Lest Kin says, "It licked its eyeball.. "
[19:54] Akkorokamui asks, "Should I eat your eyeballs?"
[19:55] the kitsune gripping her ears as she turned and looked past Akko to see it again before jumping and sobbing a little after hearing akkos comment

"Why would you do that!? theyre my beautiful dark gray eyes.. not an edible food, although my vision hasn't been the same since that fight, and learning magi."
(Lest Kin)
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[19:55] Akkorokamui says, "Just don't look at it if you are so scared."
[19:55] Lest Kin says, "I'm horrified by you and your comments.."
[19:55] Lest Kin says, "As well as that. thing."
[19:55] After a brief pause however, its maws -did- open to... Yawn?
To the collective dismay of all parties present, the Common Meranthean Gecko did not possess vocal chords. Thus, to Lest Kin's question it remained unmovingly silent, staring back... Was it even sentient?
For all intents and purposes, they were literally speaking to a lizard they happened to witness dragging meat that presumably came from a magi.

That was, unless a psionic was amongst them...
One, capable of breaching the cognitive veil to properly ascertain anything beyond the mundane.
'GECCKKOOO'
She reached out to pet it... And to a reptile of similar size? It gaped its mouth -- a warning to what could've been perceived as a threat. Surely, it was bound to bite!

--yet, unlike the fae, it could not fly...
So, the aerial advantage meant that pats were likely inevitible. It lowered its head in reverence to such, as though clearly in discomfort... Eyes closing even! No answer to questions once more -- it was mute, capable only of the brief hiss it managed to muster before pats commenced.

It flailed, taking a slight leap backwards for distance. A slam of its small right arm on the ground sought to display its effort for space! Unfortunate for it? It resulted only in a small pat on the earth underfoot, underwhelming to all aside from the insects and fellow reptiles by his echelon.
(Terminus)
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[20:00] Lest Kin says, "That fairy is crazy if you ask me, and im the one seeing spirits...."
[20:00] Sorbet exclaims, "I can see them too!"
[20:00] Lest Kin says, "YOU THINK LIZARDS CAN SPEAK"
[20:00] Terminus exclaims, "!"
[20:01] Lest Kin says, "Eugh.. i saw it i saw it!..."
[20:01] The kitsune covers her eyes visibly uncomfortable and horrified of a small reptile
(Lest Kin)
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[20:01] Akkorokamui says in telepathy, A strange little one.
[21:34] The two had been what could almost be called friends before. But this was something different. A battle between the ideal of redemption. Or the wrath of revenge.

The being would quickly wave its arms in the formation to call upon tide after tide. Attempting to bring the one that stood before it into the depths that it had originated from. The battle was fierce, as the fae would send many powerful slashes of shadows and spirit alike. But the fae had weak bones. And soon the sheer blunt force of wave after wave would take hold. Wound after wound had taken form upon the fairy. Before finally, the limb from which the squid had been praying flew forth. Stabbing through the fae's gut as it lifted it into the air. A bubble facing engulfed the fairy shortly after, As the being stepped closer to the now trapped foe.

"Why do you seek to save a creature that brings shadows and death wherever it goes?"

The creature would say with almost a sympathetic gaze. It didn't want to beat one of the Kitsunes' friends, to steal away a life that didn't need to die. But what else could it do? This wasn't a game. The chance of a new shadow returning would only grow greater the longer a being like Terminus stayed. And the creature didn't want to test the same beings that had destroyed his colony those years ago.

"Why have you forced my hand into spilling the blood of one not evil-hearted?"

Akkorokamui couldn't face it. Face that the actions which it did were the reason why blood had been spilled now. To see that it was becoming a shadow of it's own in the attempt to clean the world. It was more blind then ever before, and so it would decide to force the cleansing. Even if that required everything the creature had meant and learned. This world could not be left in this. And now it stood over a bloodied friend, Without even noticing it, the being had been the one to continue the cycle of violence in the world, and perhaps now it was too late to turn back.
(Akkorokamui)
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[21:51] Sorbet wanted nothing more than for people to be happy.

She wanted to see man and beast alike flourish, the wounds of old conflicts and profane rites put aside for a more positive future under the canopy of her beloved World Tree.

The squid wanted little more than to destroy, an act the fae could not condone even if the entity before them was evil. Surely even it deserved an ounce of joy, a chance to live better--

A chance to be free.

The nearby shadows were used as conduits for the spirits, wisps of still mourning spirits called by the joyful songs and dancing light of fae arcanum. The veil between the spiritual world and the physical world grew thin, wisps of all sorts emerging from wherever shade would loom.

Some of these spirits healed, protected the fairy who delicately wove around barrage after barrage of brutal assaults. Others warded off attacks, melding with Sorbet and causing her to fade out of reality and become difficult to perceive.

Yet most of all was both the unlikely mushroom Truffe and Sorbet's most powerful spiritual contract of all:

An umbral serpent, winding and curling around itself in a almost gas like state of pure darkness that ate all light it touched. While normally a wrathful and vengeful shade, this being had somehow come into the possession of the little fae and been utilized, healed to serve a more pure purpose:

To be the fairies blade, her companion which would always protect her and punish those who sought to end her quest of healing.

... And yet, the prayers of the squid did not go unanswered. Wrathful tides struck the poor fae, crippling her wings and soaking them with water. The little light began to wobble, dipping dangerously close to the ground as she grew more and more bogged down by the weight of the water which soaked her.

Yet even in this less vibrant state it would speak with a voice much less whimsical and more serious than before:

"I... I want to help it...
Nothing deserves to hurt like it does...
Everything deserves to at least be given a chance to heal...

I can feel it, the poor thing has only known hate... It has only known bloodshed...
Punishing it further will not... Help it heal, help it feel the joy of Mother Yggdrasil...
It will only... further separate them from her...

The fairy fell asleep as the bubble engulfed it, unable to bear the weight of the physical wounds it was inflicted with. Her eyes slowly drifted shut, tiny teardrops of pure ether and fae mana glimmering as she passed out.

She was unable to fight back anymore.
(Sorbet)
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[21:53] It was a hard fought battle, but the victor was decisive. Alas, Terminus gazed upon one whom sought to battle with all they could -- for one they knew practically little about. Even if he was once something they'd consider profane in the past...
They were willing to put their life on the line... Something, he simply had never seen before.
It was something he had expected no magi to be willing to do.

Yet, a fae was performing it... For him, of all things...
This was... Something new... For even the Lumin King had failed his expectations.
A new sensation... A new feeling... Witnessing Akkorokamui's wrath take them down - a threat to see them vanquished to the depths invoked an epiphany within Terminus.
"I came to exist, due to the folly of Man...
--and throughout all of my existence, I spent it, simply trying, fighting... Vying with every breath, to exist... To live, as the others do.
Yet, they call me 'Evil'. Yet, they tormented me... Yet, they sought to slay me...
So, I repaid their bloodshed, with bloodshed... I repaid their torture, with torture...
I found myself testing each, and every mortal I came across... And for over a century, they had all failed...

I truly believed, that the concept of righteousness... Of selflessness... Did not exist..."
Here, was Sorbet...
A demonstation that his very perception on the world at large was... Wrong.
Not many would ever badger themselves to shed the slightest tear for a mundane creature, much less a being with a severed connection to Hel... But this fae, believed so much in redemption that they put themselves in peril.

Surely, it brought one's mind back to their own youth...
Back, to when they brought themselves before their first savior... One, that imbued his ideology upon him.
"Such an act..."
Alas, there was finally one...
One, innocent soul before him...
He sought divinity, Godhood... To punish the sinners at-large, for there were no innocents but alas... Perhaps, he had found one.
"Such a Will..."
A moment's contemplation before...
"You do not deserve such unbecoming fate, Fae..."
Self-less words... From him? Of all things?
"Your Hatred is better fashioned against common enemies... But I know your wrath is akin to any other I've faced. You will not stop until you see me undone... So, see your fury turned... And assure the fae is touched no longer. Your plight... Is with me..."

If there was the possibility that a fae could commit to such... Could be better than the rest? Then, perhaps...
There was a chance that the rest could...
The world needed not to be undone... Rather, the poison at its roots...
What wrought all of this in motion, in the first place. The source of all beings' ire...
Such, would likely be the antics of the Pantheon pursued so recklessly without consideration for the true intent behind the deities' virtues.
Even more reason to persist... To push onward... To transcend further...
"I once found myself embroiled in Hatred against humanity for their sins... Sins upon the world, themselves and all else...
But now? I believe I understand...
To break from my origins... To Become what I must... To Become...
A God..."
The lizard's maws gaped, hissing as the magus construct within its gullet invoked an incantation:
"Transmundanic Art: Carnal Aspect..."
Tiny hands extended out from the depths of its gullet, grasping at the fleshy-flaps of the opposing corners of its maw. Then, an additional duo of hands reached out, as though to forcibly stretch his maws as vertical as they physically could go. They shifted far beyond what was naturally afforded to them, spewing ebonic smog from beyond. It squelched, as hyper-compressed flesh was unveiled, swelling up as it was relinquished from its tiny jaws and overwhelming its image with a grotesque sight. It was turning inside-out, revealing flesh and bone that conjured before their very eyes, overwhelmingly vast compared to the miniature reptile it once was.

The Occult was strong here...
The Shadows lengthened...
The manipulation of space saw defiance in something so small, revealing something so gargantuan.
A hefty thud tremored the world underfoot, as a fleshy apparition slowly swelled upright, towering with a constant dribble of ebonic slime and substance. Crimson hues from the vision imbibed upon Akkorokamui shone unto them, revealing the disturbing image of a Patron lost of its worshippers. Such grotesque image would soon be ignited it ebony flame, swathing him entirely to take the form of a metaelemental skurn. It now, bore of a magical core, shining at its center.
(Terminus)
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[21:53] So this, would be his true form...? Or at least, the conjuration of Spatial Manipulation, Occult and the Shadows in twain.
However, something was... Off.
There was an off-color series of leylines grayed out upon its blackened form, spanning from its chestal region out for its now-two arms: An infection of Death Magic -- The Touch Of The Fallen, from Varrach himself, still eating away at the entity, weakening it.
It was enhancing another mutation that constantly degenerated and regenerated at its form -- The destruction of Abendrot left him ailed by Death magic even before... Seeking to destroy him, and drawing suffering unto him, to further empower his Occultic might.

"I can lead a humanity down a better path...
All of existence, down a better path... A Perfect path, devoid of the suffering we've all succumbed to.
I can finally be... The Hero of the Unsung, Meranthe seeks so desperately to deny from me...

I, am The End... The End of War... Of Suffering... The End of this mindless cycle of violence.
I will save them all... Starting, with this fae..."
Yet another foot-fall... And it was ready...
(Terminus)
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[22:22] The shadow had once more come upon this world. The very shadow Akkoro had been so desperately been attempting to end. And yet it wasn't as if the two were different in the truth of it. One had sought the path of godhood to save the world. The other as a supposed cleaner of the shadows. Who had now become one of them.

The hate the being felt. It wasn't truly based at anyone but itself. It's own inability to protect those it claimed to be kin. The life span that had continued on and on from it's birth. Why... Why must it be the one chosen by the tides of the sea? But it was too late. The being which now had took the form of a once curious creature coming to make the world a better place had shifted into that of hate. And now it had seen what it saw to be the truth. The shadows hide in all. Every being was but another darkness plaquing the world other then itself. No matter how pure they seemed or how kind they attempted to act they were all just another fake face in a crowd of darkness. All must be cleansed.

The being would raise it's bloodied hand once more in prayer to the dragon that had created the seas and birthed it into beauty realm that had allowed the beauty it had lived with to exist. It was pure... Saewylm… A name the creature couldn't forget. Not until the shadows were cleansed once more..

But this was no time for memories. The largest plaque the beast had ever layed eyes upon had now taken on a form of darkness and death. Chills were sent through the creature at the sight. It was fully correct in what it saw before. It was right, and that meant it had to be justified. After all how could one such as this stay within the mortal plain without spreading the shadows it kept? Mercy had never been a option for something like this. Neither was redemption, at least that was how the beast saw it.

Water mixed with the blood of the fairy and the squiditself began to rise once more from the soaked soil. A second tide had risen, but this one carried a Tsunami rather then a simple wave. To wash away the scorn of the world required everything the creature had. And it would use it for such a purpose now, rather then waiting for what it saw as a plaque to claim the world.

"You are no god.
You are the scorn of this world.
The shadows that take each thing all hold dear.
You will never feel the warmth of those cleansed touch your wretched soul..."
(Akkorokamui)
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[22:24] Terminus says, "Perhaps... You are right..."
[22:25] Sorbet says, ". . ."
[22:41] "I have battled many before you... From Equisols that sought me undone for my punishments upon the sinful...

To Varrach for his betrayal... And amongst them all, I've even found myself faced with the ilk of Mortyl. I've died to transcend... I've healed the sick, faced necromancers and have been stripped of my ties of the very realm that draws your ire...."
A tsunami raged high, drawing shadow over Terminus... Toppling over him... with an explosion of white sea foam and mist. The rock and debris carried in it wrought the underbelly of such conjuration as naught but murk and ravaged oblivion, toiling in a vengeful whirlpool.

Perhaps, Akkorokamui had won...
--but, if so... Why was the air so thick... As though, Terminus had never truly left.
"Yet, even now... You are undeterred..." From... Behind them? A glance back would reveal that smog spread throughout the scene was pooling together. Terminus was reforming himself, utilizing a transmogrification spell to force the previous endeavor moot against his form.

Weakened as he may've been, he was still far from incapable of fending for itself.
"So focused on drawing further blood... You've failed to account for the surroundings, haven't you."
Beneath the depths conjured, was likely the fae -- encompassed in a faceless telekinetic aegis remotely being forged to prevent destruction as a result of collateral.

For once in its entire existence of over a century, it badgered itself with protecting someone that didn't ultimately bring about the accomplishment of an ulterior motive. Perhaps, a foil at last?
Could they bring themselves to look through the waters of their own creation? To find Sorbet?
"The fae shall be unscathed... This scuffle is between you and I..."

A stasis field sought to envelope Akkorokamui before... Thrusting them into the depths of their own creation...
Soon after? Terminus would descend down amongst them, seemingly splitting lines across his neck to emulate gills. To think, he was once a creature that traversed the depths of the sea as well? If only he could more directly control them in such a conflict.

"I am born from what all despise... For that, I will never see life without suffering...

But you... You weren't... You could choose a life of your own desire... You -choose- to draw blood, because you can... I drew blood, because I had to... --And that, makes me the monster?"
Within the aquatic depths, the psionic entity hovered, gazing down upon Akkorokamui -- awaiting a reply.
(Terminus)
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[23:05] Peace had faded from the being. The happiness the waters had brought the being those fourteen years ago had faded. The deep slumber it had entered would soon have it alone in a world with the only light being the light that came from the waters above... Slowly the beast had found its way to the light that it thought perhaps it could find peace once more. But those were simply dreams. Burred in an ocean that had engulfed the world for miles on end. The being would begin the fate which had now caught up to it. A life with no purpose but the blood being spilled.

It charged forth towards the being. The Fae falling into the depths of the sea created. However, luck would bring that the bubble surrounding the Fae would hold enough oxygen for it to survive for a time. But the life of a friend had become secondary. Sacrifice was but another thing needed if this world was to be cleaned from its shadows and monsters.

Waves and tides meant its grasp. The creature controlled a vast amount of power. Even enough to damage the ancient being to the point of injuring it to near defeat. A whirlpool had touched the waters. Attempting to drag Terminus back into the core of this world. But just as the job had nearly been finished. An aura would appear behind the creature. The same aura he had just thought was defeated.

Soon the creature would be sent back into the depths which it had risen from almost a year ago now. A bright beam of light having once more encompassed the being through an existence of slumber. But there was something left down there. The sight of a core. The heart of the sea. The very matter in its chest. Why was it out? Was it real? And then it would hit the creature. It was fading. Becoming more and more grey as the creature descended through this path. Had it been losing itself? Was it fading along with the spirits that watched over him? But this sight wouldn't stop the creature. What it had thought it knew was that the presence of this shadow had corrupted its core. And as the shadow died. So would it heal? Thus it would slowly begin to rise from the sea. Meant once more by the voice of Terminus.

"I was born to protect those still light in the darkened sea.
I was picked to be a guardian.
I failed each reason why my birth had occurred before I reached the surface.
Now I will remove this world's darkness so others will not be the same."
(Akkorokamui)
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[23:57] Between the ailments acting against it, an unstable form and Akkorokamui's tenacity -- the gap was shriveling...
Perhaps, it was due to both parties, that the Fae would live, survived by a combination of one's forged bubble, strengthened by a telekinetic aegis. Despite such an effort of collaboration, the powers at-hand sought to continue their conflict to the bitter end.

'I was born to protect those still light in the darkened sea.'
These words would find Terminus' right arm raking downward to meet the aquatic foe, drawing forth elongations of his digits through the shadows themselves -- seeking to tear into the flesh with little success.
'I was picked to be a guardian.'
A pillar of light, as mana manifested within its control warped at water to twist at Terminus' core, pushing him violently until he'd breach the surface of the water with a volcanic spray.

'I failed each reason why my birth had occurred before I reached the surface.'
To the surface, they'd reach, to find Terminus charging downwards from an aerial position for a violent slam that forge a spherical shockwave, compressing at the water below to provide a cavity devoid of air and water alike.

Despite the massive size disparity -- the perseverance of the Squid would find crimson hues burning with the same spite they always had... They never knew anything else.
'Now I will remove this world's darkness so others will not be the same.'
Terminus snarled with exposed teeth, flexing as they both remained suspended in the air. Slowly, he was prying them backwards, their tendrils losing their purchase on the ancient.

"I was manifested by the Sin of Mankind..."
Terminus answered back... A pulse of atmospheric decompression sought to rip one's grasp from the former daemonic entity, toiling them for the surface of the waters.
"I was -spared- by Mortyl… The Constant of Death."
A hand was extended out, moving in fluid fashion as though to invoke a slow-motion upon itself and the realm beyond. A faceless force pelted itself for Akkorokamui's visage, as though a punch from an invisible entity landed itself firmly upon it, but continued to drag it into the depths from whence it came.

Now, in solitude within the waters -- Terminus' voice spoke out through an openly broadcasted psionic channel. One, that all could hear...
"I was never given a chance to fail... Such, was decided for me upon manifesting..."
A glance up from the depths... And they... Could see a vulnerable Terminus,barely taking notice of a Water Skurn manifesting a whirlpool around him. Reflexively, he conjured a spherical aegis, one that repelled against the heavy compression. The scrunching of one's visage told it all... He could feel the extreme pressure being exercised upon him, yet, he reached a hand out... Casting a silent spell.

It took a mauve gleam to the Cetus' silhouette -- forging a voodoo connection via the transmundane. The pressure exercised upon its aegis, unto him... Was now shared with Akkorokamui. In that moment, their entire body violently compressed with a replication of their own spell done unto them. A subtle squeeze, and murkiness smudged the waters around them.
… Blood...
Eyes narrowed -- a realization...
"Now, I will rid this world of Sin... And all of the folly it incurs."

Hands stretched forth, gently curling around empty space.
From oblivion, contorted a spheroid... Twisting, swiveling and jaggedly surging to unleash itself -- only to be clutched tightly by Terminus' readied digits. The shine of mauve illuminated Terminus' visage, even in these depths -- never once taking his eyes from Akkorokamui.

"You are of the aquatic element... Resilient to its pressure... But you are not immune to it."
The magus construct betwixt his palms began to shrivel in on itself, closing in on an infinitesimally small point; a black pit that soon began to warp at... His image? It bled the water... It bled the environment... Even light itself was defied by this. A massive concentration of mana, all within a position in space, so tight -- that it sought to implode upon itself.

"Water is the hardest element to compress... But even it,is subject to the manipulation of Space..."
The manipulation of the aquatic domain was being stripped from the Cetus, draining at an increasingly alarming rate through the spaces of one's digits. Terminus, was taking their element of control away -- and with the fleeting moments? Even Akkorokamui's image began to stretch, to bleed... Subjected to spaghettification as the world abroad seemingly sought to compile upon them.
(Terminus)
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[23:57] Alas, Terminus was actively conjuring the spell two-fold, for an outer barrier was being erected of the shadows, preventing any beyond the range of his attack from being consumed as well. To outsiders walking in on the epilogue of the conflict? They would find a massive body of water washing away, slowly gravitating for a levitating ball, slowly being engulfed by a ebony shell. Within the centre? A duo drawing battle to a close.

With them both encased within this bubble? Light, Heat, Sound, Water, Air... Even the space that wrought gravity to be -- All of it was vacuumed away within the Black Hole manifested within this chasm, lost to the eyes of all nigh but Terminus' and his foe.
"Amier is said to be the greatest of the Constants... It stands with reason that not even Time can tick, without Space to traverse through. Without Space, there can be no Time... Without either, there can be no... -you-, magic included." The pocket of void that Terminus wrought into being for both Akkorokamui to float helplessly within, with him as company had -one- saving grace...
A light that represented -everything- that was compressed away -- The result of a Black Hole forged to completion:
"Transmundanic Art: White Hole Technique..."

A bead of white was sent casually hovering over for the Cetus, incapable of swimming through the void to escape it... Subjected to -everything-...
The Light, The Heat, The Water It Conjured, The Debris... And the atmospheric pressure and air that came with it, warping and flexing at his image in the micro-second it made contact.
The rapid expansion found its event horizon meeting the aegis shell conjured around them both.

To the outsiders -- it'd crack, silent even-- before combusting in a bombastic display, causing cavitations to ravage rings across the soil beneath, and brush up halos of dust, rocks, mud and foliage churned from the ground earlier. The mayhem sought to tear apart the image of Terminus, subjecting himself to his transmogrification technique to escape the damage of his own attack, whilst Sorbet -- likely still ensnared by the combination of Terminus' and Akkorokamui's techniques would be launched aside, protected throughout until the conjuration burst on impact with a surface. At least, she would finally be freed -- conscious or otherwise.

The mushroom cloud that climbed for the heavens, small compared to the more catastrophic feats of those abroad -- proved a culminations of the powers present. Alas, it was over... And a subtle ebony smog idled across the scene.
(Terminus)
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[00:46] Darkness. Something so present. Something that had always been the life of the creature since the beginning. A shadow one felt such a need to bury had been with them since the start of their existence. This would be the final chance to grab ahold of that light lost in the distance of the stars. To reach a state where there was a purpose past the endless haze of battle. Past the never-ending cleansing of those it considered impure. The outcast of the world. Something which truly included itself. The depths had risen back to a point of nearly making the land they stood on an ocean. The creature had achieved further and further will in such a fight. A will to ultimately kill both the demon and a fae which had only attempted to stop the beast's outrage. A hatred for the world itself. Despair for all lost before. Brought straight into this clash between the sea and the shadows.

Tentacles clawed down on the demon. Attempting to pull it down into the depths where it would crush it. It knew most beings couldn't withstand the sheer pressure that the deep sea could bring. And thus it decided that the main way it could win such a fight was to use the pull of the sea to its advantage. However, its grip began to struggle as the being fought back viciously. Quickly the size difference had become clear as the creature began to get pushed back away into the depths, if not for the powerful tides holding the demonic foe back perhaps the creature would have already meant its end by this point. Yet the fight would continue, as Akkorokamui grows more and more desperate it begins to call upon something lost in the depths long ago. The forgotten kin of itself, lost from the age of time, so their spirits grew tied to it. Something always lingering as a reminder of how cruel this world was. Something that had slowly begun to drive the being further and further into rage. Something that had shrouded the being's view of this world.

But even the greatest of wills cannot withstand the power the creature would face. And the gap between the two slowly began to widen. Soon the creature would be forced to do something even it found cruel to the souls that stayed around it. It would reach out its hand of prayer a final time as it whispered something.

"The Echo of darkness shines through.
The light has faded.
Forgive me for what is to come."

Obelisks would form throughout the sea bed. The screams of the lost souls had formed throughout the water. A final attempt to end the battle. To claim the victory the being had reached so close to. But then silence would claim the area for a moment. Soon the control of the waters the being had dwelled in had faded. And a black hole had claimed the area in which the two stood. An attack that by all means should have wiped a creature like this off the plain of existence itself.

The depths had faded. The sun's light vanished from the eyes of the creature. The old bubble around the beast had been broken into dozens of pieces. And yet the darkness now had served to keep the beast alive once more. A grasp upon life that had nearly ended. Staying on by a thread of a string. The charred body of the beast having started to climb back into the sea. Into the realm of safety. The tides that remained receded along with it. The darkness would not be stopped. But the fae would live.
(Akkorokamui)
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[00:52] Finally the bubble would pop, sending the still injured fae tumbling to the ground with a small thud. She mumbles to herself as she rubs her head from the fall, before suddenly darting over to the etheric presence despite her injuries and staring with a concerned look upon her expression.

"Are you ok..!? I'm so, so sorry I couldn't help you more... I hope you're not hurt at all from him..."

This fairy was surely out of her mind. She had seen the mindscape of the ancient demon with her own two eyes, the utter terror and canarge it had caused and dreamed of within the deepest depths of her mind--

... So why then, did the little fae check for wounds?

Why then, did she smile so warmly when there was none beyond the more permanent injuries that were already present?

Why then, did she seem to care for a being she considered heretical normally?

"Thank you... I don't know what happened, but you seemed to have scared that nasty squid off--

I don't know what I would have done with you."
(Sorbet)
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[00:52] Nomul Nightfall asks, "Terminus is the fae a friend?"

[01:03] She could search... But Terminus had surrendered the form he conjured just moments prior -- enabling the massive attack he manifested earlier to tear it apart all in an effort to dispatch his foe. Sorbet would find -no body-...
But the sensation of his presence was spread out, everywhere...
Yet, nowhere for mortal eyes to lay purchase upon it.

The faint image of a fading mushroom clouded began to wane, and shadows coalesced -- for even a brief moment emulating the metaelemental skurn's image he manifested prior, only to fade once more. It was compacting further -- through spatial manipulation, it'd twist until it spawned the silhouette of diminutive reptile once more.

In this form, it was comparable to the fae in size...
Crawling over to reach out... To extend the influence of the transmundane.
Alas, an etheric vestige sought to forge a connection, to tether one's magus influence to their circuitry... And, without resistance? Invade it...

The Cruel Touch of the Sea was nothing that the stygian powers of its employ couldn't manage. Perhaps, it defied the lifestream…
Perhaps, it would sicken fae…
But fae had been turned by powers such as this before... It was nothing new.

The Occult worked in wondrous ways...
Even to the unmaking of one's self, to rejuvenate another -- not unlike the capabilities of White Magic, albeit a sickly perversion. The difference here, being a Magical Beast, capable of regeneration, was invoking it upon itself... Meaning it proved capable of healing others without true permanence imbued unto its own being.

It was... Unnatural by all means...To find the lacerations crawling to a close and zipping shut. To find the fragile bones of something so small, mended once more...
All with the bone-chilling miasma that sought to rob the air of one's lungs.... If only for the brief embrace.

"You proved something to me today... Not Everything and Everyone needs to be rendered to Null... There -is- hope for humanity and ilk beyond it. If only, demonstrated through you." The tether would be broken now, if it had the opportunity to be conjured in the first place.

"Worry not... An entity of that caliber, regardless of my withering form, could never unmake me."
A static fizzle of his image gattled at him, but just as abruptly as it sought to unmake this bestial form? It was revoked... And alas, he could return to his gecko form... At-rest.
(Etheric Presence)
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[01:15] The fae was... at least mildly disturbed by the usage of occult to heal her wounds, fearing the corruption of her self and separation from her mother the World Tree, yet she had grown slightly hardened to corruptive influences ever since the unfortunate situation that granted her shadow magic.

While the wound was allowed to heal, the fae did everything she could to ward off any adverse effects of the occult with warding songs form her sound mana, symphonies quietly dancing all about from tiny spectral wisps. Although this song was merely the sounds of nature and the spiritual world, the depth it seemed to gain when performed in harmony was truly breathtaking--

Especially considering she was still very much stabbed.

The fae smiles and excitedly nods despite the sickening connection of the ether of death to her being, knowing it would be rude to be startled by such. She spoke up with a still rather weak yet still excitable and joyous
voice that carried the innocence of unconditional care and love for the world within every word she managed to sputter out.


"I always like to believe people are good before they're evil, even if their form was created from impurity and corruption. I know how difficult it can be for say...

Undead or demons to be good, but with enough work they too can show kindness even without a full redemption, per say!!..

Everyone deserves their chance to be good, to spread love and enjoy the wonders of the world unburdened once in their life. That isn't to say they're absolved of all guilt from horrible deeds... But I believe with love and care anyone can heal..!

I was told that Mother Yggdrasil loves everyone... So how can I not care for them too?"

The fairy nodded as the prescence returned to its more mundane disguise as a lizard, still smiling faintly as the light of her arcana returned to her.

She hoped she made a difference today.
(Sorbet)
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[01:15] Sorbet exclaims, "Take care..!"
[01:15] Sorbet says, "I need to sleep this off... Haha..."
[01:15] Terminus's voice (to Sorbet): Rest, Fae.
[01:16] Terminus's voice (to Sorbet): I shall remember you, should we meet again.
[01:16] Sorbet flutters off happily.
(Sorbet)
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