[Frieda casts her eyes down at the confirmation. Lahabrea's subdued mood already told her that his ceaseless investigations yielded no results. However, something else must take precedence right now...]
Please have something to eat first of all! Let me invite you.
[She offers him one of the menus at their table. With her newcomer allowance, she can afford to be generous. She feels for the grief-stricken man and wants to provide him with some comfort, however small. Her voice is low as she continues to speak, but there's no need for caution as the other guest are submerged in their own conversations.]
Would it at all help you to tell me more about your situation? Why will your people need to be sacrificed for the survival of your homeworld?
[As Frieda hands him the menu, he lets out a quiet chuckle. He hasn't even considered eating. While even the Ancients require food to survive, his melancholy state has made eating nearly impossible for him. Between Hythlodaeus's sudden disappearance and his failed search for answers, he's been on a downward spiral. It's been too much at once, especially given how much he already has on his plate. The absence of his colleagues, his son, and his entire world is beginning to suffocate him. He hasn't known such misery since Athena's betrayal.
However, he should at least try to eat. For Frieda's sake, if anything. The last thing he wants is to worry the young woman any further. That's why he decides to order some hot tea for them to enjoy.]
I hope you enjoy jasmine tea and croissants.
[He mutters before selecting a few pastries and sandwiches to sample. Lahabrea has money to burn because he hasn't even touched his credit cards. Concerning the subject at hand, Lahabrea sighs deeply. He has so many things he wants to tell her and so many things he shouldn't tell her. Throwing caution to the wind, Lahabrea decides to just bear it all as plain as day.]
The Final Days heralded the end of my Star, forever changing the flow of aether, our world's lifeblood. Members of the Convocation, including myself, sought a way to create a deity who could right the wrongs done in the hopes of overcoming such misfortunes. We couldn't possibly complete this task without using our very souls to power our deity, therefore sacrificing ourselves for the future of Etheirys.
[She nods eagerly at his meal suggestion, but as soon as he starts his tale, she goes quiet. As she listens, the frown between her brows steepens. The end of a whole world, rather than just a nation... it's hard to imagine. She barely registers the server who briefly attends to them to take their order before leaving them to their conversation again.]
From what you said on the network, the plan succeeded, right? Your sacrifice brought forth the deity who saved your world.
[This, too, is hard for her to imagine. In her world, human souls hold no power, and while some believe in deities, none have ever been seen. Frieda's family is spiritual, but ever since she inherited the Founding Titan she's been feeling that humanity is alone on Earth.]
Why were you chosen to survive?
[As her wording already implies, she doesn't get the impression that Lahabrea refused to participate in the sacrifice - unless he was wholly against it and attempted to stop it, but was unsuccessful in that. The man would certainly not have let his people go to their death while preserving himself.]
[It's no surprise that Lahabrea has been so distraught recently. As the world's leader, he is responsible for ensuring Etheirys' continued success. That is his entire life goal and mission. Anything less would constitute gross negligence on his part. This is why he is so distraught at the prospect of failure. It's something he can't understand after centuries of continuing where his forefathers left off. After Prometheus' return to the star, he was one of the oldest Ancients alive, if not the oldest. It's quite frustrating, vexing even.]
It worked, albeit briefly. While the deity I forged out of aether using my own magick managed to withhold the end, it wasn't a permanent solution.
[Lahabrea lets out an uncharacteristic sigh as he tries to explain the foundations of creation magicks to someone who has no idea what aether is. The last thing he wants is to bombard Frieda with such insignificant information, especially since it will all be for naught here.]
I and two others survived the Final Days by escaping into the Aetherial Sea, the spiritual lifeblood of Etheirys.
[On cue, Lahabrea raises his right hand and forms a blue, effervescent ball of light for this brief demonstration. The spherical light shines brightly before becoming a near-mirror image of the very blue-green world he has come to cherish. This is Etheirys, his star.]
We were able to do so by merging with the magical currents that pulsate through the Lifestream.
[Suddenly, small streams of bright green light begin to flow within this glowing orb, which serves as a stand-in for the Lifestream. As the green waves pulsate across the orb, three streaks of light—one startling red, the other a bright cerulean blue—and a golden light merge with the green. The red one is meant to be him.]
The Aetherial Sea exists alongside the physical world, but is usually invisible to the naked eye. It becomes visible as one travels deeper into the planet's core, where physical and metaphysical spaces meet.
[As the three lights move deeper into the orb, they become more difficult to see. It's almost as if the colors are blending with the endless green that exists within the orb. However, they colors suddenly vanish as Lahabrea creates thirteen orbs of light with just the snap of his fingers.]
However, another tragedy occurred as the Final Days arrived. One that would alter the origins of our world forever. It is known as the Sundering which tore our world into thirteen parts.
[Frieda does not steer a whole world, but she does steer the destiny of her people. She holds the power to control the titans and could, in theory, free her subjects from a life behind walls - but, given the historical precedent, doing so would mean condemning the rest of the world to oppression and suffering under their rule once more, which is why her war-weary ancestor ensured that his successors would inherit his ideology of peace. Ever since, the Eldian rulers have been helpless to act in the interest of their own people, forced to prioritise the greater good of humanity. In that sense, she would understand Lahabrea's distress.
Hearing that only three people survived the end of their world, she looks struck - but Lahabrea's magick quickly makes her eyes go wide with wonder. She sees the sphere turn into a world, blue and green much like hers, and as he narrates the further events, she watches them play out like in a beautiful little theatre. Even without words, she figures that the red light must be him. They are gods, he and the others, to be able to surpass the physical realm.
When the world breaks apart all of a sudden at Lahabrea's snap, it actually startles Frieda, so immersed did she get in the glowing illusion.]
No..! After everything that was sacrificed, your world was still destroyed?
[It's too cruel. What fate could be so merciless? Frieda knows how harsh and relentless existence can be, but if even the sacrifice of nearly all life in their world was not enough, its fate only worsening rather than being averted, then what can Lahabrea still believe in? It's no wonder the man is doomed to lose his sanity farther down the line. Frieda wants to reach out and put a hand over his in comfort, but hesitates - sympathetic as he is to her, he does have a forbidding presence even in his grief, and the last thing she wants is to accidentally transmit an impression of pity rather than compassion.]
[Lahabrea would deny any claim to godhood, especially since he doesn’t aspire to become a deity. Since Athena's fall from grace, he has dedicated his life to repairing the damage she caused in the depths of Pandaemonium. With so much work ahead of him to preserve the longevity of their new world, he could not let the stench of her insanity seep into Etheirys However, to individuals who are not familiar with the Convocation, Lahabrea and other members may appear like gods. After all, Lahabrea’s true name is that of the Greek deity of fire, Hephaistos.]
Despite all the sacrifices made, nothing could stop the inevitable end.
[He looks at the projection he made out of aether and murmurs to himself. By now, curious spectators were observing them, most of them taken aback by this magical spectacle. Lahabrea, though, didn't appear in the slightest bit perturbed. However, his expression shifts into one of wrath when Frieda as of “how” this all came to be.]
That is because we were betrayed by another, one who dared to defy us in moment of need.
[His description of this would-be traitor is tinged with venom and a dark hint of hatred. Who would have the audacity to undermine the hard work of a worthy few? A vile tyrant who believed that her will was superior to the will of the people. His resentment for this brutal usurper knows no bounds, but Hephaistos has yet to act. Though he wishes he could rip her to pieces for ruining all he held dear, even Lahabrea acknowledges that Venat is not solely to blame.]
Even so, I hesitate to inflict unnecessary violence on this traitor despite my lingering contempt for them.
[Lahabrea lets out a heavy sigh as the illusions he constructed evaporate suddenly, leaving behind a path of glittery white shards that eventually fade from existence. He's quite exhausted. Lahabrea sits back in his chair and shuts his eyes, like a tired old man. It is the most humanlike thing he has done thus far.]
[As the broken little world is extinguished, the other café visitors discreetly turn back to their meals, drinks and conversation partners. Frieda, rapt by what she's seeing and hearing, hasn't even noticed how many others were paying attention.]
One of your own, then..! Who'd hate their own world enough to bring about its destruction after seeing everyone else sacrifice themselves to save it?
[There's something else that still troubles her - Lahabrea said that he and the two other survivors managed to avoid their people's fate by escaping into the Aetherial Sea. While at first she was stunned at the sheer concept of entering a metaphysical realm, she now feels that her real questions hasn't been answered yet: Why were they alone chosen to survive? Or did they choose their survival themselves?
At the sight of Lahabrea's exhaustion, though, she first extends a hand, pushing through her hesitation, to place it over his in a gesture of comfort, transferring onto him the strange energy they otherworlders need to not to stone here. Come to think, was he in danger of that, having sequestered himself away in the library for so long?]
You don't have to speak more on it now if it's too painful. I... I wish I knew a way out of your situation, but...
[Needless to say, it's far beyond her scope of influence. That said, there may be options for Lahabrea as an individual. Another anonymous person who responded to Frieda's network post mentioned wanting to stay on Ellipsa forever, having nothing left to return to back home. But she has a feeling that Lahabrea, much like herself, feels too strong a sense of duty to consider that possibility.]
Hate is poison. [Lahabrea mutters out loud, his eyes still closed.] It gradually poisons the soul, destroying the victim's sense of morality and logic. It is a poison that will not stop until the host dies.
[His eyes flutter open slowly, their once brilliant red glow faded with exhaustion.]
The only way to counteract such a poison is to avoid being poisoned in the first place.
[However, this is easier said than done for Lahabrea. His thoughts are not solely focused on Etheirys' demise. While his son and he had a very rocky relationship, knowing that Erichthonios is long dead hurts him far deeper than any wound. It's the reason Lahabrea spent weeks combing through every hall of the Amberfall Library in search of answers. Guilt over his son's death is driving him insane. He hides this from Frieda out of fear of being judged. A leader like him does not have the time to grieve. He must work to ensure that the bleak future he witnessed does not come to pass while the opportunity remains.
Lahabrea lets out a quiet hum as he feels something press against his hand, causing a strange sensation within him. Is this comfort? It's been a long time since he felt anything close to comfort. It feels strange, even foreign. Perhaps it has something to do with the strange magic pulsating between them. This realm's magic is strikingly similar to that of Etheirys while also being very different.]
I apologize for burdening you with my troubles, Frieda. [He mutters quietly out of embarrassment.] Mayhap my self-imposed isolation has made me too eager speak. I wish not to burden you any further, especially since I know my story will only end in death.
[After some hesitation, Lahabrea reaches over with his other hand and gently pats Frieda's.]
Nevertheless, I thank you for allowing me to speak.
[Hate is poison. Isn't that true? Frieda's ancestors treated those they subjugated with such disdain and disregard that murder, torture, and all other sorts of violence were mere games for them, the conquered nothing but expendables. When King Karl eventually took the throne and put a stop to all that, ashamed of his nation's history, he resolved to accept the world's hate for his people's countless crimes. That same acceptance was passed down to Frieda, and while the revelation of her future still pains her greatly, she knows that resisting it would mean to resist a just retribution.
Without knowing of Lahabrea's grief for his son she, too, feels ashamed for grappling with her personal loss when her whole world will be fighting to rid itself of her monstrous people. She gently shakes her head at his apology.]
You're not burdening me. I'm glad you told me about what happened to your world.
[It makes her feel less alone in her dilemma, and even if it's painful to hear of such horrifying events, all the less would she want Lahabrea to keep them locked in his chest. She's sure that keeping such things to oneself would be unbearable.
Their tea and croissants are served (the server had been ready for a while, but didn't want to interrupt what looked like an intense conversation and kept his distance until this moment seemed right). Before anything else is said, Frieda really wants Lahabrea to eat and drink - despite his respect-commanding appearance and aura, on some level he looks thoroughly depleted.]
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no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 09:30 am (UTC)Please have something to eat first of all! Let me invite you.
[She offers him one of the menus at their table. With her newcomer allowance, she can afford to be generous. She feels for the grief-stricken man and wants to provide him with some comfort, however small. Her voice is low as she continues to speak, but there's no need for caution as the other guest are submerged in their own conversations.]
Would it at all help you to tell me more about your situation? Why will your people need to be sacrificed for the survival of your homeworld?
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:21 pm (UTC)However, he should at least try to eat. For Frieda's sake, if anything. The last thing he wants is to worry the young woman any further. That's why he decides to order some hot tea for them to enjoy.]
I hope you enjoy jasmine tea and croissants.
[He mutters before selecting a few pastries and sandwiches to sample. Lahabrea has money to burn because he hasn't even touched his credit cards. Concerning the subject at hand, Lahabrea sighs deeply. He has so many things he wants to tell her and so many things he shouldn't tell her. Throwing caution to the wind, Lahabrea decides to just bear it all as plain as day.]
The Final Days heralded the end of my Star, forever changing the flow of aether, our world's lifeblood. Members of the Convocation, including myself, sought a way to create a deity who could right the wrongs done in the hopes of overcoming such misfortunes. We couldn't possibly complete this task without using our very souls to power our deity, therefore sacrificing ourselves for the future of Etheirys.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-09 01:30 am (UTC)From what you said on the network, the plan succeeded, right? Your sacrifice brought forth the deity who saved your world.
[This, too, is hard for her to imagine. In her world, human souls hold no power, and while some believe in deities, none have ever been seen. Frieda's family is spiritual, but ever since she inherited the Founding Titan she's been feeling that humanity is alone on Earth.]
Why were you chosen to survive?
[As her wording already implies, she doesn't get the impression that Lahabrea refused to participate in the sacrifice - unless he was wholly against it and attempted to stop it, but was unsuccessful in that. The man would certainly not have let his people go to their death while preserving himself.]
/slightly strays into headcanon territory
Date: 2024-01-23 03:53 pm (UTC)It worked, albeit briefly. While the deity I forged out of aether using my own magick managed to withhold the end, it wasn't a permanent solution.
[Lahabrea lets out an uncharacteristic sigh as he tries to explain the foundations of creation magicks to someone who has no idea what aether is. The last thing he wants is to bombard Frieda with such insignificant information, especially since it will all be for naught here.]
I and two others survived the Final Days by escaping into the Aetherial Sea, the spiritual lifeblood of Etheirys.
[On cue, Lahabrea raises his right hand and forms a blue, effervescent ball of light for this brief demonstration. The spherical light shines brightly before becoming a near-mirror image of the very blue-green world he has come to cherish. This is Etheirys, his star.]
We were able to do so by merging with the magical currents that pulsate through the Lifestream.
[Suddenly, small streams of bright green light begin to flow within this glowing orb, which serves as a stand-in for the Lifestream. As the green waves pulsate across the orb, three streaks of light—one startling red, the other a bright cerulean blue—and a golden light merge with the green. The red one is meant to be him.]
The Aetherial Sea exists alongside the physical world, but is usually invisible to the naked eye. It becomes visible as one travels deeper into the planet's core, where physical and metaphysical spaces meet.
[As the three lights move deeper into the orb, they become more difficult to see. It's almost as if the colors are blending with the endless green that exists within the orb. However, they colors suddenly vanish as Lahabrea creates thirteen orbs of light with just the snap of his fingers.]
However, another tragedy occurred as the Final Days arrived. One that would alter the origins of our world forever. It is known as the Sundering which tore our world into thirteen parts.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-24 09:50 am (UTC)Hearing that only three people survived the end of their world, she looks struck - but Lahabrea's magick quickly makes her eyes go wide with wonder. She sees the sphere turn into a world, blue and green much like hers, and as he narrates the further events, she watches them play out like in a beautiful little theatre. Even without words, she figures that the red light must be him. They are gods, he and the others, to be able to surpass the physical realm.
When the world breaks apart all of a sudden at Lahabrea's snap, it actually startles Frieda, so immersed did she get in the glowing illusion.]
No..! After everything that was sacrificed, your world was still destroyed?
[It's too cruel. What fate could be so merciless? Frieda knows how harsh and relentless existence can be, but if even the sacrifice of nearly all life in their world was not enough, its fate only worsening rather than being averted, then what can Lahabrea still believe in? It's no wonder the man is doomed to lose his sanity farther down the line. Frieda wants to reach out and put a hand over his in comfort, but hesitates - sympathetic as he is to her, he does have a forbidding presence even in his grief, and the last thing she wants is to accidentally transmit an impression of pity rather than compassion.]
no subject
Date: 2024-01-24 02:47 pm (UTC)Despite all the sacrifices made, nothing could stop the inevitable end.
[He looks at the projection he made out of aether and murmurs to himself. By now, curious spectators were observing them, most of them taken aback by this magical spectacle. Lahabrea, though, didn't appear in the slightest bit perturbed. However, his expression shifts into one of wrath when Frieda as of “how” this all came to be.]
That is because we were betrayed by another, one who dared to defy us in moment of need.
[His description of this would-be traitor is tinged with venom and a dark hint of hatred. Who would have the audacity to undermine the hard work of a worthy few? A vile tyrant who believed that her will was superior to the will of the people. His resentment for this brutal usurper knows no bounds, but Hephaistos has yet to act. Though he wishes he could rip her to pieces for ruining all he held dear, even Lahabrea acknowledges that Venat is not solely to blame.]
Even so, I hesitate to inflict unnecessary violence on this traitor despite my lingering contempt for them.
[Lahabrea lets out a heavy sigh as the illusions he constructed evaporate suddenly, leaving behind a path of glittery white shards that eventually fade from existence. He's quite exhausted. Lahabrea sits back in his chair and shuts his eyes, like a tired old man. It is the most humanlike thing he has done thus far.]
I feel like I'm doomed to go insane.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-24 04:10 pm (UTC)One of your own, then..! Who'd hate their own world enough to bring about its destruction after seeing everyone else sacrifice themselves to save it?
[There's something else that still troubles her - Lahabrea said that he and the two other survivors managed to avoid their people's fate by escaping into the Aetherial Sea. While at first she was stunned at the sheer concept of entering a metaphysical realm, she now feels that her real questions hasn't been answered yet: Why were they alone chosen to survive? Or did they choose their survival themselves?
At the sight of Lahabrea's exhaustion, though, she first extends a hand, pushing through her hesitation, to place it over his in a gesture of comfort, transferring onto him the strange energy they otherworlders need to not to stone here. Come to think, was he in danger of that, having sequestered himself away in the library for so long?]
You don't have to speak more on it now if it's too painful. I... I wish I knew a way out of your situation, but...
[Needless to say, it's far beyond her scope of influence. That said, there may be options for Lahabrea as an individual. Another anonymous person who responded to Frieda's network post mentioned wanting to stay on Ellipsa forever, having nothing left to return to back home. But she has a feeling that Lahabrea, much like herself, feels too strong a sense of duty to consider that possibility.]
no subject
Date: 2024-01-25 06:41 pm (UTC)[His eyes flutter open slowly, their once brilliant red glow faded with exhaustion.]
The only way to counteract such a poison is to avoid being poisoned in the first place.
[However, this is easier said than done for Lahabrea. His thoughts are not solely focused on Etheirys' demise. While his son and he had a very rocky relationship, knowing that Erichthonios is long dead hurts him far deeper than any wound. It's the reason Lahabrea spent weeks combing through every hall of the Amberfall Library in search of answers. Guilt over his son's death is driving him insane. He hides this from Frieda out of fear of being judged. A leader like him does not have the time to grieve. He must work to ensure that the bleak future he witnessed does not come to pass while the opportunity remains.
Lahabrea lets out a quiet hum as he feels something press against his hand, causing a strange sensation within him. Is this comfort? It's been a long time since he felt anything close to comfort. It feels strange, even foreign. Perhaps it has something to do with the strange magic pulsating between them. This realm's magic is strikingly similar to that of Etheirys while also being very different.]
I apologize for burdening you with my troubles, Frieda. [He mutters quietly out of embarrassment.] Mayhap my self-imposed isolation has made me too eager speak. I wish not to burden you any further, especially since I know my story will only end in death.
[After some hesitation, Lahabrea reaches over with his other hand and gently pats Frieda's.]
Nevertheless, I thank you for allowing me to speak.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-26 12:40 pm (UTC)Without knowing of Lahabrea's grief for his son she, too, feels ashamed for grappling with her personal loss when her whole world will be fighting to rid itself of her monstrous people. She gently shakes her head at his apology.]
You're not burdening me. I'm glad you told me about what happened to your world.
[It makes her feel less alone in her dilemma, and even if it's painful to hear of such horrifying events, all the less would she want Lahabrea to keep them locked in his chest. She's sure that keeping such things to oneself would be unbearable.
Their tea and croissants are served (the server had been ready for a while, but didn't want to interrupt what looked like an intense conversation and kept his distance until this moment seemed right). Before anything else is said, Frieda really wants Lahabrea to eat and drink - despite his respect-commanding appearance and aura, on some level he looks thoroughly depleted.]