Enlightenment

Servitore says, "I've been quite out of touch with politics as of late.. I wish not to interfere with that of dangerous times. And now that i'm free of a master, I simply don't have a side. As an undead, my opinion is absolutely meaningless."
Servitore says, "Unfortunately, I have yet to see my mother."

It displeases him to see such.

From the very beginning of his practice, he's held a negative opinion of Eidolon, but to instill in them that undead are for servitude, like this? It's wrong. One could assume it's something to do with Servitore swearing he's the 'butler', or the master's servant through acceptance--

-- but is that any better than actual slavery, with the living subject too?

"Hrm."

But it seems that Peacekeeper had it, anyway. Arthur bothered not to explain any further, yet the typically pre-occupied Adjudicator seems to... not leave? He stays, the scarlet hues occasionally tracing at Peacekeeper.

Clearly waiting for something.
(Arthur Rowan)

Perseus takes a step forth, and as he places his hand upon Servitore's shoulder, he allows a bittersweet smile to grow.

"If you've already given up and allowed despair to take you, you would be better off ending your life in advance, rather than suffering without the maintenance of a necromancer's bond.

Either choose to live, or choose to die."

The words are harsh, lined with the experience of a life lived with a combination of tragedy and privilege; in his hardship, Perseus has also found miracles, time and time again.

"I would say that you should choose to live. But if you cannot... you will fall, sooner or later.

This is my advice. Go to the Valmasian territories, and find a necromancer whose beliefs align with yours. Work for mutual interest, rather than serving. If you cannot? If your meaning has truly been extinguished? If you see no reason to live?"

Perseus closes his eyes, taking in a long, deep inhale; as he exhales, his breath is conspicuously absent of any cyan mist. His eyes stare meaningfully into Servitore's own, simultaneously as compassionate and judgmental as they could be.

"Then it does not matter what others think. You may choose, instead, to die. It is not so painful as a life not worth living.

I know from experience what lies behind the gates of oblivion."
(Perseus Kang)

Servitore simply looked at Perseus and smiled, his eyes closed like a sleeping kitten "Why.. Perseus, under no meaning am I saying I wish to leave this life. I simply disgraced that of Eidolon," his smile widened as he kept his sleeping eyes upon Perseus


"I'm but a spectator in this life, bound to see through the malicious wonders which it may have to offer. I'm not speaking as an undead... but the truth is I was given a second life, and so were you. You and I have different Ideas on what life may be. You carry on with the ideas of the better of your people, and helping those you can.. now that's a fine way to live life, I have not a thing against it." He puts his finger upon his chin for a moment.

"But.." He pauses for a moment "And you might call it foolish, I drift through life as if it were simply programmed into my very own soul, as if this were my vessel and I was sailing till the very river itself runs dry. To me, fate is but a parent with strict desires holding you back from the responsibilities you think you might be capable of, it decides where we go and what we do... and fate has decided that I live on. If fate decides that I must pass on, then I shall do so. But in the meantime... a cup of fine tea sugar cubes and a summer breeze... why it's what makes my day."


(Servitore)

Those words from Servitore are encouraging, but... he must not be feeling it yet.

"You haven't felt the full effects of that severance, have you?" That bittersweet smile had been inflated to something a little purer, but as the thought comes to pass, he allows his hand to slide off of Servitore's shoulder and fall back down to his side.

"Your soul is going to rip itself out of your body. It will not be a pleasant death.

In pursuit of your own happiness and comfort, your first priority should be finding someone to sustain your life."
(Perseus Kang)

Servitore sighs and smiles "Let it be then Perseus... let it be." his voice was calm and soothing, as if he'd already thought everything over.. he'd accepted his own fate long ago.
(Servitore)

The words of sustenance and just how necessary it is for undead to get a master of their own were no surprise to Arthur- it's something he has learned ever since he took the first step in learning Necromancy, but...

What really interested him is condition of Perseus. That which seems to be far more whole than a typical undead would, and yet he still provides corruption unto this world, something that Arthur has been seeking to remedy and fix. Of course, that's not going to happen anytime soon - not in a decade, or even two, and likely not even three... but eventually.

"Perseus."

"Least you're further pre-occupied with this conversation, I've had several questions to you, unless you mind?"

There's a brief glance at Dawn. Is that Cho-- no, wait. Different clothing, younger... yes, that must be her daughter. Arthur chooses to ignore her presence, and instead, turns entirely to Perseus.

"Are you ready to answer them?"
(Arthur Rowan)

Servitore, evidently, has all the information necessary to make his own decisions. Accepting that his condition is in his own hands, Perseus raises his right hand and half-idly waves. There's a certain degree of faith in the expression he gives Servitore -

a distant pride in a soul displaced.

"You'll figure it out." After which, Perseus's attention is stolen by two; radiant eyes first set upon Arthur as he prefaces his questioning, and then upon Dawn -

both, it seems, needing counsel in one form, fashion, or another.

"It seems that my unique circumstances have, again, attracted attention from those who might benefit in learning more. This is perfectly fine, of course. I'm not all too busy."

He leans slightly off to the side, before pointing a finger towards the relatively distant clinic. His gaze slides to Arthur -

"If it's me in particular you need, then we can speak freely in there. The tower is a little cluttered, at the moment."

- and then to Dawn.

"As for you, the same. Anything that Eiphraem needs to be present for, I can relay. However, I imagine that our dear friend here and I may be talking for quite awhile.

You may be better off waiting for him."
(Perseus Kang)

That's exactly what Arthur was looking for.

To actually speak to someone who's experienced the aspects of Oblivion and its damnation first hand would probably help him with finding the 'cure' he's been looking for by now. Of course, he's still young and there's a whole path ahead of him, but you need to get started from somewhere, right?

"Wonderful."

As always, militant and imposing, the hands of Adjudicator rested behind his back, crossed together- like you'd expect a general to stand infront of his army on a march. It's not too long, before he adds.

"Lead the way, then."

Perhaps he still had some words to exchange with Dawn? Who knows. Because of that, he left the lead up to Perseus, letting him trade the final words before going - least she was going to follow.
(Arthur Rowan)

Walking in, Arthur followed suit to the nearby seat. Despite the bulkiness of his armor, the streaks of white and blue that heavily graced it, the armor seemed light- it didn't break or added restrain to his movement, not one bit. Probably goes to show Valmasians have been arming themselves well lately.

His gaze drift to Perseus. It's not the often occasion he spoke to him, if ever at all - except that one time he challenged Malgannan infront of him, back when he was much younger, weaker and--

-- far more of a hothead, too.

Times have changed. By now, Arthur looked like quite the solid young man, clearly well-off too. With the odd rumble of the storm overhead, hidden in the baritone of his voice, he speaks.

"I believe you were Cho's work, unless I am mistaken."

"Headmistress has gone far, I can see. You do not rot, or at least - you do not do so visibly. You seem whole, and yet, I can feel the taint of corruption coming from you, just like I normally would from any other undead."

"I seek to repair that flaw in the world. In order to understand where corruption comes from, tell me--"

"What do you often feel? How do you often view your emotions, or how do you perceive them? Before your undeath, and now? Do you feel any urges for violence, etcetera?"
(Arthur Rowan)

Perseus, meanwhile, seems quite light-hearted and joyful. It is a rarity for the undead, these days - but ah, there are wondrous things born of the Spires. He takes his seat with a smile, eagerly awaiting those questions;

he is always glad to use his knowledge to benefit those around him. At that first question...

his smile grows to something a little more smug.

"Allow me to give you the context and history. It is important for understanding more fully.

Originally, I was raised by Rilla Lithia-Brubeck. The name might inspire revulsion, or it might hearken back to the Brubeck name alone. In time, however, I felt the need to break free of my bonds.

To achieve an independent form of humanity, rather than being subservient at my basest levels to another human being."

Perseus cradles his hands together in front of him, in his own way. Pallid clay fingers rest just a half-inch away from those intimidating, blackened claws. "This, of course, is when Lady Cho became involved. With Rilla's permission and the aid of a spire shard, she agreed to assist me in being freed from those bonds. In addition, she transferred my soul into the body of the Virtue of Mercy, Nerzan. Following the procedure, I permanently took the form that I am.

But there were, of course, costs."
(Perseus Kang)

Perseus Kang says, "I felt, prior to that procedure, as a hollow shell of a person. I had no memories of pure, human emotion - I experienced emotion the same way that a man might see a fire reflected on the walls of a cave."


Perseus Kang says, "It has the vision, the shape, the appearance - but none of the heat, and none of the warmth."

Perseus Kang says, "I had no context for just how bereft of life I was."

That's a good way to draw comparison on the matter.

'Reflection, but no warmth and no heat'. It's something that he'd need to memorize. Perhaps, it is due to the innate warp of the human emotions that undead emit corruption like that, but it didn't feel like it was the ultimate reason. Perseus did feel other spectrum of emotions by now, did he not? And yet, that corruption remained.

Maybe it's impossible to remove. Maybe you could only reduce it, but the full removal is not possible by any means. At least, that's what Arthur was thinking, or maybe there were still other things he didn't hear of yet.

"I see. That explains plenty."

"And what of the urges for violence, or in fact, anything? I've heard of undead experiencing such symptoms - the desire for cruelty, in particular, and sometimes inability to appreciate anything living."

"At times, I think I see that reflect in Dylerun. He's, ah-- quite a bitter man, despite all resources used in order to bring him back as a whole."

"Do you feel such thing too?"
(Arthur Rowan)

"Some of the easiest emotions to feel -

hmm."

He raises his fist to his lips, just below his chin, as he slides his gaze down to the table below.

"Maybe feel is not quite the right word. Some of the easiest emotions to be driven by, for an undead so removed from life -"

Perseus's eyes flit back up to meet Arthur's own, carrying within them a certain degree of remorse and regret. "- Are anger, despair, and sadness. When a soul begins its journey to oblivion, hopes and dreams are stripped away. When the soul returns, it is damaged; the connection to emotion, and to humanity, is weakened."

He brings his hand back down, laying his fingers atop the metal half-joined with flesh.

"It is easy to allow callousness to triumph, when one is numb to his own comfort, and therefore numb to the comforts of others. It is a victory to feel anything at all, truly -

and as such, some undead find themselves disposed towards those easier emotions, in pursuit of feeling some semblance of what it was to be alive. In my case, before I took this form, I pursued serenity through introspection. It was imperfect, but very useful nonetheless."
(Perseus Kang)

Ah. That's exactly what he was looking for.

'Their soul is damaged.' Isn't the Art of Necromancy all about manipulating the soul, and how it works? Besides, the mortal were able to mold and restore their souls, and-- wait. Don't stars cleanse the souls, and manage to restore what's been to people before?

It's like an enlightenment comes to his visage. His expression grows brighter, his eyes widen and his mouth always goes agape- he just realized something, and in fact, he may just have realized how to recycle the said corruption from this world.

Now, he's ought to actually craft the said star, to attune it to consume corruption, and... probably try and configure it to not wipe everything the soul has.

"That's it!"

"The damage of the soul, I... I think I've just realized something."

From the solid young man that Perseus has seen, Arthur grows excited, almost child-like. His eyes avert, actively pondering on ideas - if he could actually pull this off, this could mean a change to how Necromancy works.

Worldwide, too.

"Cho mentioned that she's also a master of soul transfer. You said you were transported to the new body, right? That's absolutely ground-breaking."

"Your information is appreciated, Perseus. You might've just given me ideas how to actually remove the said corruption, and make all undead whole again."

"Once and for all."
(Arthur Rowan)

Arthur's enthusiasm is palpable, tangible -

and at its witness, Perseus is obviously encouraged. However, there is a certain soberness lurking behind his eyes; the lurking fact of necromancy, of course, is...

"Sadly, as you will learn - all progress requires sacrifice. Eidolon is an example, thereof." While the name brings to mind torture that he had helped bring into being, alongside the cleansing that he had attempted to do -

"I was actually thinking of doing something similar, myself. I was speaking of it, just then.

A more ethical version of Eidolon's star, yes?"

It's a decent guess. It's the only way that a soul can truly be repaired, but all the same...

"While I fully support such an endeavor - I was making an attempt to cleanse Eidolon's star on my own, mind you -

It is best to be reminded that things like this will always have unforeseen consequences. There will always be some cost, some sacrifice, that must be done to press yourself forward."

Perseus raises his hand to his chest, before closing his eyes and ever-so-slightly bowing his head.

"In my case, the spire shard in my body requires the consumption of life - or as I've recently learned, concoctions crafted from that same divinity itself.

I am a higher form of life than other undead. I am far closer to human. I am alive, in nearly every way. It is something beautiful, certainly."

As he raises his gaze once more, allowing brilliant green eyes to shine as that bittersweet smile grows once more, a combined resistance and acceptance of reality show through.

"A miracle, but an imperfect one riddled with tragedy and hardship. If this is the path you choose, for the betterment of humanity -

prepare to become a monster. Prepare to make others monsters, and to have to pick up the shattered pieces of their souls.

That is what it means to make progress."
(Perseus Kang)

Isn't that the reason he embraced the destructive properties of Chaos, to defend himself and his people from anything that may come their way? Surely, Chaos magic was cruel, selfish, at times unforgiving and destructive to the user - but Arthur was ready to make such sacrifice to ensure that everyone else is safe.

This? This would be just another sacrifice to him.

"Yes. I've planned to make a more ethical version of Eidolon's star, one that would gather the souls and cleanse them. Although, the issue I can already see appearing is the fact that it would gather too much corruption in it, eventually."

"And I'm not sure where to dispense that sort of corruption. Perhaps, another star could be built nearby, with sole purpose of actually harvesting the said corruption and recycling it."

"The natural stars draw corruption in the confines of space. Maybe if the stars directed what they could not recycle tothe space, there would be no harm..."

It's a leap of faith. Who knows just what sort of consequences there could be, to fill the vast stars above them with corruption, or rather what's left of it? They should be able to handle it... perhaps for decade, centuries, aeons. But it's a timebomb, most likely. A very slow one, at that, and very dangerous too.

Still, he didn't wish to drop out from this. There could always be found a way, right?

"I'm ready for it."

"I've already sacrificed many things to get where I am now, and I am no stranger to sacrificing a lot more in order to achieve what I want."

"If this is another sacrifice I must make, then so be it."

A birth of a wish.
(Arthur Rowan)

With the acceptance of the cost -

Perseus lays out what must be done, then.

"If you accept that burden, Arthur, then allow me to give you some information as to the steps and materials necessary to create it. At least from the case of Eidolon, we have learned some things."

The Sarradian nods to himself as he thinks over those few years, spent in pursuit of a second revival. "What you want is to create an empowered anchor for souls. Eidolon has shown that spire shards work as an anchor, but that anchoring is not enough.

What is important is cleansing those souls, and cleansing those souls is done by moving them past their deaths. You will need to emulate those first moments of death, wherein the wounds are stripped from the soul itself.

You will need several cosmic mages, each of high capacity for mana, and each with a high degree of mastery as a conduit, to maintain and calm those entrapped souls. It is helpful if they have knowledge of death and undeath, but I think that I could teach them enough of what I know.

There is a reason that mindless skeletons are more amiable than the revived. It is because their souls have already had most of themselves ripped away. If you can take away the pain of death from the revived before their souls enter the body -"

A mixture of hopefulness and guilt enters his expression - his experience comes from things which shouldn't have been witnessed, and from deeds which likely should not have been done. However -

what is important is moving forward.

"Then, perhaps, you can improve upon Eidolon's design. It is what we were attempting to do, but it was the primary failure.

Those thousands of souls relived their deaths, day in and day out. They were trapped in that moment of death, burning alive for what might have been eternity. As a singular conduit, I could not cleanse them all.

They would have been better off dead."
(Perseus Kang)

Perhaps he's been expecting some sort of revelation, the undeniable way to achieve what he wished to do- but there was more. There was the horrible cost, the horrible truth about Eidolon - the fact just how many souls, no, people have been stuck in it, reliving their deaths over and over again, in the burning eternity of damnation and suffering.

It baffles him.

For so long, this damned star persisted, drawing the souls out of everyone, disguised by the likes of Eiphraem to him as 'something that's useful', and while arguably the research done is useful, the practicality of the star is absolutely horrible.

Sacrifices must be made, always. But some of those? Some methods do not justify the means.

"I--"

"For how long... has it been allowed to even go on? This entire time?"

There's disgust in his eyes. Not directed at Perseus, no, but at the sheer realization just what sort of monsters were allowed to breed and prosper right next to them. And no, not the type of monsters that Perseus mentioned before - not the ones that sacrificed themselves, but those that have fallen, genuinely.

And there's a thin line between a sacrifice and a fall.

"--That's noted. I'll... keep that in mind for my future endeavours."
(Arthur Rowan)

The disgust is warranted.

"When I helped make it, I was nearly entirely cut off from my humanity. Had I been anything like I am now...

I would have destroyed it myself. I would have slain Stella upon her castle walls if I had to, to stop it from happening."

It would be a brave thing to say, were she still alive. In her death and Eidolon's destruction, it is more a hollow declaration vowed against an enemy already defeated.

"... but I did not. This is why I warn you; none of that was intended. The thousands of undead sacrificed to that star were intended to be reborn into new life -

but instead, they became abominations.

You will need test subjects. Souls ultimately rendered resources, materials, and acceptable failures. You will risk their eternal torture, if you wish to achieve an eternal, peaceful life for the revived.

That is my word of caution.""
(Perseus Kang)

It's not an easy choice.

To actually doom someone for such thing, even if it's not intended, it's... not an easy thing to do. It is not the pain of the flesh, one that ends with physical death- it is not the torture of mind, one that ends when there's no willpower left and it inevitably breaks.

It's the worst of them all. The torture of soul, one that can restore itself, mend itself to the previous state, as all mortals are capable of, if only to begin breaking down again under eternal torture of the star.

He had to think of someone who would be deserving of such. In his mind, only those that have committed heinous crimes, worthy of the capital punishment done over and over again would be deserving- the slayers of whole families, the gruesome and cruel rapists, torturers, and many other wicked folk. At least, Agartha never ran out of those.

"Hrm…"

"--I'm thankful that you've warned me. I'm ready to accept such sacrifice, at least for those that would deserve potential torment like this, but..."

"I cannot have the souls of thousands on my conscience. That's too much."
(Arthur Rowan)

"If you properly prepare, you might not need worry about it at all. So, following my word of caution -

is my advice."

Perseus takes in a deep, long drag of breath; he lets it escape little by little, savoring the feeling of it moving through him without obstruction or tainting.

"Get as many cosmic mages as you can. Commit each and every one of them to emulating the functions of a normal star. I would be more than glad to spearhead such a pursuit.

Have your sacrifice be, if anything, the loss of individuality. Experiment with how far the cleansing can go before the 'self' is lost.

As I said to Servitore - a true death, and nonexistence, is far more preferable than a life no longer worth living."
(Perseus Kang)

'If you properly prepare, you might not need to worry about it at all.'

It's a good re-assurance, and in fact, the assistance offered by Perseus was more than appreciated- if he was willing to pre-occupy himself with the search of Cosmic magi, that was good. At least, he already had several magi on his mind that could assist them with things like that.

But of course, the more the merrier.

And then, there was a mention of the spire shard. It's something that Arthur may have the trouble acquiring, on top of the fact that he's yet to actually fully grasp the Art of Necromancy - as close as he was to wielding it, it was not quite enough just yet.

Something that he'll fix soon enough.

"I'm thankful for the offered assistance."

"Although, I'm yet to acquire a spire shard for that. I already have several cosmic magi on my mind that will be willing to assist, but otherwise, I also need to work on my Necromancy."

"Afterward, we can begin."

A pause. Arthur re-capped all that was said during this conversation, and with the light nod, he spoke further.

"That should be all. Thank you for the shared information."
(Arthur Rowan)