dev 6 - steady mind

The air here is peaceful. Something about it that caused him to relive the moments of the past, ones that kept him concentrated on the future that is yet to be had. And now.. he remembers the words that he's been told on the beginning of the journey such as this- on the beginning of the journey that would take him to spiral down the myriad adventures.

'You must remember what you fight for.'

At times, the lines of such are blurred. At times, it's even difficult to tell as to what exactly he fights for.. be it vengeance for those that have fallen and those whom he values, or the future of those who are still around him. If anything, he imagines that it could change over the years, that he could very well become the reflection of the foes he fights against, but..

He knows it shouldn't come to this.
He knows it wouldn't.
So long as he holds that memory.

"Come. Take a seat next to me."

A voice calls out to the priestess, and already he sinks himself to the sand upon the beach- here, with the gentle breeze washing over them, there's no telling what it could end as. There's no telling what it could be.. but he knows that he'll have to prepare himself for what's to come.

"I was told that I have to find balance within in order to utilize this technique. I've been trying to stave off the distractions, even when I'd bask in the Resonance to draw upon its power, but.."

"I suppose this is about mental fortitude more than anything. Think you can help me, then?"

She's an illusionist, after all. If anything.. she could simulate a lot. For him to persevere.
(Nerin)

Does she remember her purpose? Such existential questions do not reach her mind when she feels as if she's doing something great within this realm. For she's happy with her findings...Happy with the discoveries that she has witnessed upon this realm- nevertheless, she remains somewhat complacent when told to seat beside him. Marisol moves, however, easing herself next to his form...Her eyes closing, hands digging carefully into the sands below as she breathes in the sea breeze.

It's good.

"...There are some things that you should always be weary of. Although, creating a distraction for you shouldn't be bad. But...There are certain things that you should know." A pause. A hum. "I won't make this easy for you." Things become more 'potent' when she eases her hands towards his...

And although intimacy is shared, already, would he begin to see lines of opaque figures out on the distant ocean. "Are you sure that you're ready for this, Nerin?"
(Marísol)

Why wouldn't he be ready? Of all things, he imagines that he actually wanted this.. that he actually wanted to make a change for not only himself but his life in general; and he knows that it would not be possible without him constantly challenging what he's already capable of - if only to push on for something more. Here, when she says of such things..

He only nods.

"I am most certain, yes. I don't want you to hold back either."

The azure flames spark up in his hands. He knows that it would be something rather difficult, something that he would have to inevitably put himself through.. for when such things are happening, there's naught but the training of precision- even now, as much as he disliked the fact that Id was not willing to teach him, he knows that her technique was shown to be superior..

That he must remember his fighting purpose..
And hone his precision.

He understands that this would be something quaint.. for unlike the rage in his fighting, or the cold, steeled fury.. this is about his accuracy and precision as a whole - that this has very little to do with his emotions, but instead, just how effectively he's able to channel mana currents.

Something into deadly flow.

"I want you to conjure the shadows or illusions ahead, and I'll intend to hit them; you can do whatever you want in order to be evasive or otherwise try to slow me down."

"In fact, that's what I want you to do. Make it as challenging as you possibly can."

After all, if he could orient himself in the storm that is her illusion.. then perhaps, not all would be lost?
(Nerin)

"Remember that this is about control, Nerin. And if you can't control your emotions...Then how will you be able to win?" Such words fall from her lips as the realm around him slowly begins to melt away into nothingness. Here- within this world -there would be nothing more than darkness. The mystery found within the opaque being...And although he is sitting within the real world...Within this illusion, he stands - coming into contact with those that he hates the most..

"We'll start off small before moving into something a little harder..." Her voice remains echoing within the distance as the first person that is offered...Would be the twin members of the Syndicate. They flourish out of the abyss...Ice flourishing, arcing in brilliant, beautiful waves..

"Do what you can to beat them."

Of course, each target would be difficult to hit. For the arcs of ice are not meant just to distract and blind his sight...But to make it difficult for him to deal with such beings as they rush towards his frame. Here- with every step....He no longer is in the likes of the darkness.

But back in the sewer. His brother laying upon the ground bleeding out...His arm tossed on the other side of the field with the two now attempting to finish him off as well.
(Marísol)

There could be much that is shown within such illusions. Much more than he could otherwise expect, and yet.. this is not something that he would fret or hesitate against. If anything, he imagines that he would be sunk in the depths of despair that could try and peel away at his mental faculties, enough to drive him mad or enraged beyond belief, but..

"Go on. I'm ready."

Yet, as much as he remains in the reality, there's something else. There's something else that he sees, something else which he becomes a witness to- the visions of the sewer causing him to steadily frown within the conjuration of entirely new world that appears. Here, he could realize what may exactly be happening.

For when he sees his brother bleeding out..
He knows these two Syndicate agents.

His eyes widen in what would become rage in the instant moment, but.. he steels himself against it.He cools himself, for he knows that losing himself in such moment would lead to naught but despair and agony, to his failure and inability to finish the job. He understands that this could become rather extremely difficult, and so..

Instead of allowing the rage to dictate him, he rides it as if it were a wave. The azure flames spring out once more from his palm, and where they're steadily channelled through, he focuses on the accuracy and precision of these- where the blossoming sapphire lights force the darkness of the sewers to become something brilliant, where the darkness is pushed away by the light..

The light that comes from within Nerin.

A steady flow of Energy emerges, intending to strike upon the Syndicate agents within this realm. It is a focused attack- and yet, even when he steels himself against these illusions, there's a steady frown that remains upon his countenance at such memory. There's something about this which causes his heart to flutter, so much that it could threaten to cause him to become far more violent..

A strike after strike..
And the Syndicate agents fall, one after another.

"..You do have a cruel side to you."

"But I do not blame you. You did as I asked."

There's a moment of respite which he finds himself in, one in which he breathes in and out steadily.. for these azure flames continue to circulate him steadily.

"Continue."
(Nerin)

Cruel. It is the first time that she has heard such a thing. That she could satisfy the shadows with the silent torture of another being - so much so - that such curiosities dare to force the hidden personas to laugh amongst the darkness. After all, they were of something different...For they're a part of her, but they most certainly are not here. In response to the gentle, sinister chuckles within the background, she remains rather somber and silent. "...I'm afraid that it's necessary. And-...I think control is needed in the face of those you hate the most." But there is steady creation within this endeavor...Where her grip upon his hand tightens and these creatures...This brilliant beings fall one after the other...

"You're doing well...But...Are you ready for this?"

Perhaps, now, would he find the realm beginning to twist once more. This time...He is centered within the church. He witnesses Yuri Dojin and Cameo standing over the defeated Acteon....And he watches the death be as brutal as the crime scene had entailed. How Melora and Cameo and Yuri laughed at his brother's lifeline was painted over the toppled chairs and pews...How the abandoned church now seemed to be...

More than just a crime scene.

His brother remains motionless...And soon, the three of them enter his mind's eye. "Don't lose yourself." A warning. A whisper. For if he falls into anger...Then he'd find that the shadows that embrace her form would reach out briefly. Just like emotional vampires...They'd cling to his negativity...As if it were a drug, powering all three of them..

"If you do...Then you might not make it out." Is it true? Or did she do this to simply scare him? Hm..
(Marísol)

Marísol picks up Alessa.

There is cruel side to the priestess that he wasn't always so aware of. The cruelty in which she would revel in his pain and place it right infront of him time and time again, as if she could've sworn that she'll sink him into the depths of despair, but.. as much as he would know that this is painful, he also knows that for all intents and purposes, it is actually necessary. Unless he knows how to steel himself against the things that would cause him to become enraged the most..

He'll be lost.
He won't grasp this technique.

Such fighting, such fury- it all led him to this, to the point in which he would need to witness the killers of his brother once more. Where the shadows dance and play, and the image of trio that he loathed so much manifests.. his teeth grit together, practically grinding upon one another as if it were solid stone- for he's terribly, terribly tempted to lash out against them.

To tear out their throats.
To let them bathe in their own blood.

"..Yes. I'm ready for this. You can continue."

He doesn't relent. Yet, when his fists clench and he's almost tempted to make a step forward, he hears the voice- the voice that reminds him of what he should be doing, of what he should think of in the times such as these. He could've sworn that he heard Actaeon just now.. a declaration that he shouldn't mind him, for Nerin has life to live - and that he could always find vengeance eventually.

'Don't lose yourself.'

Inhale, exhale. Rather than charging in blindly, something that would very well result in his death, he makes the plan careful- amidst the people in this room, he goes for something in a pattern that he knows he could handle - the pattern which he already handled before.

Thefirst target becomes Melora. The azure flames consume her rather swiftly with a single lunge forward- and where the others draw response upon him, he's quick to bob and weave around the proverbial battlefield, one in which the fists ablaze provide him necessary weapon.

The second target becomes Yuri. One in which he capitalizes on the weaknesses that he's already given to her- one in which the exchanges are brutal, swift - but ultimately, they're far too quick for Cameo to catch up. Knowing that Cameo is a sturdy one, and that his attacks do not hold as much strength behind them, that he intends to 'restore' himself with Nature magics..

Then Cameo becomes the final target. Here, each and every single move behind Nerin's intent is a drawn out art piece in which the plan is acted out with alarming precision, despite the steeled, cold fury beating inside of his heart. For where they fall one after another, and it exhausts him greatly..

A single glance is given to Actaeon.
His dead brother.

"..You intended to do this all along, did you not?"

"To make sure that I'd act with the plan."

Or at least, that's what he figures it to be.
(Nerin)

Just as he bottles emotions- she does the same thing. Her tolerance for such does not weigh her down amidst her decisions- but she does express her lamentation for many aspects of life through speaking with others. However, when she cannot speak...The negativity is stored within the shadows that are readily available as an outlet. When she attacks, she uses the pain that she feels as a means to deliver harm to others. For in the midst of battle- emotional bliss comes when such is pulled off of her shoulders. But to digress.

Bodies all fall to him, one after the other. Their laughter snuffed by the quick, precise aim of the warrior...And although she feels him simmering and seething on the inside...She is proud that he is capable of controlling himself. Of keeping himself together time and time again.

"The plan, Nerin?- I'm afraid that I don't know what you're speaking of. The only thing that remains here is your own ability to endure...To face those that make you angry...And to not be consumed by your rage while doing so." A pause. A hum.

The lights click off once again.
And this time, he is faced with his family members yet again.

They're all in the house...Each of them laughing and joking with one another until the same people that he had recently slayed enters the room. Now, it is no longer about him having to mind the opposition. Now...It is about deftly hitting his targets before they cut into the throats and bodies of those that he cares for the most.

Zazulazona. Lax. Even Zus has reappeared...But they are all held hostage within the warmth of the abode. The promise of death lingering upon the cold stare of the witches that clutch them tightly.

"Do your best. And don't hit the ones that you love during.." Once more, does she intend to push him further. To go beyond.
(Marísol)

To endure is difficult. Yet, he imagines that it would be all made to test his mental fortitude, the ability to not give in to the stress that would otherwise haunt him. He imagines that she would never really let him go so easily from these realms of dreams, of illusions that constantly swarm his mind.. for when he tries to break out of it, there's something about it that keeps him chained in.

For he knows that this test becomes necessity..
One in which he'll have to witness the horrifying images once more.

"I suppose you're willing to test my endurance to its limits, then, aren't you?" In other case, he couldn't perceive it as anything but that. Even now, when she constructs the realm and situation entirely different.. he already suspects that there could be something terribly, terribly wrong with this.

Far too wrong to believe that it's right.

"And.. you hit surprisingly accurate." Right where it hurts. Right to his heart, to the family that he has.. for she knows just how much he valued them, that he couldn't let go of them otherwise. It becomes rather quaint, but.. in the end, he would at the very least try to experience the heartache and overcome it.

He imagines there's no other way. And that when the witches clutch onto his family members like this.. his hues steadily narrow with a frown. The spark of azure only glimmering slightly, a promise of unleashing held within the palm of his hand, and yet..

Inhale, exhale..
Can you see the ripple as they move?

Of the ripples that he could target- the ripples that would let him distinguish the angle and distance better; one in which the azure flames suddenly emerge, if only to be shot outward in the glorious inferno with surprising accuracy - forall intents and purposes, this is no actual flame that spreads out rapidly, but instead, a pulsefire attack that could obliterate the circuitry.

One in which the assailants are targeted promptly.. but one which seems to take toll upon him greatly. Here.. he finds himself sighing out at last..

"No more.."

"This.. this is exhausting- but it's good."

After all, the extended work such as this tends to draw out some of the most exhausting results. Some in which even a Warrior like him could be tired..
(Nerin)

"....I wouldn't give you something that you cannot handle. I might try you, of course, but even I know that you are more than capable." She remains somewhat silent during the strenuous endeavor, but also, remained ever so vigilant against each decision that he had made. For even now, she studies his being...His movement, watching as he experiences the heart-break within this shadow again and again and again.

"If you're going to be stronger. You'll have to do it." After all, there will be times when his family will be compromised. And there will be times when he won't be able to afford rushing into the enemy like a mad man...And will simply have to think things through. Nevertheless, while she prepares him for a possible future, she hones his own precision and capabilities...

"I don't mean to hurt you though-...That is never my intention." But, at the very least, she spared his family from bloodied ends. For while she knows it could've been worse....She doesn't. She allows him to destroy each of the assailants....And soon, when him finally giving in, the contact and illusions through touch would vanish into nothingness..

"...You did well." He falls into the darkness...And is shown back within the real world...Embrace by the sea-salted winds, the gentle crash of the beach's waters, and the embrace of the woman sitting next to him.

"I'm sorry, if I went too far."
(Marísol)

There are fates worse than death. And he imagines that there might be places in which people go to relive their failures, frustrations and other shortcomings- he imagines that there's a place in Hel for people that tend to regret too much, that they're bound to find themselves suffering through the same thing over and over, and yet..

This steels him. This prepares him.

For the heartache that may come in the future, for the woes that could cripple his mind and heart alike.. but in the end, those azure flames wane only steadily, where they disappear into brilliance of the wind with each passing second- where the shimmering blue becomes mismatched with the heatwaves and the presence of sunlight above them.

This was much like a nightmare..
But one that he can learn from.

"..I know that you don't intend to hurt me."

"It's just.. it brings bad memories I suppose." Rightfully so, especially knowing that these are the pictures of his family members falling, though.. "I'm thankful for your help regardless. It does allow me to become something more."

Something that would bring reckoning to those that wronged him.

"You didn't go too far. You did what you had to."

For that, he would remain complacent within the respite that follows after exhaustion of the mind and his mana alike. Here, he could find himself at peace.

Even if for now.
Even before the bloodshed would come once more.
(Nerin)