[Deleted]

Distant, clamoring echoes reverb through the halls of the arcaneum as beasts of fantastical import roam free. Beasts that defy explanation, for now, duck and hide into every corner as life draws closer. The mess of the arcaneum was not to be taken lightly. Bookshelves from the far walls had been knocked entirely over, tables had been overturned almost like a walkway towards the center of the room, and the alchemical furnace lay silent. The place looked dead, but at least the mystical lighting fixtures and whatnot were still on. Before the two, as they may enter lay the first fragment. It looks like a strange crystal, at the end of the hall. It's shaped like a true fragment, a large octahedron, and around the black-red thing, time seems to warp, space itself folds. Beneath it lay wood beams, and above it is near darkness. Whatever that memory was, it was likely a harrowing one to have such an isolated backdrop.

The room lay cold with the air of dread, as though involuntary to the two new souls in the area. The chill that washes over a mortal, or even immortal body as they enter is clearly one of external influence. What created it has yet to reveal itself, but they myriad of little, glowing eyes from the shadows watch their every move. Madness is slowly setting in here, and it is clear that the two are not alone. Isonus's own psyche is bleeding out into this classroom area, and whatever may come, it wasn't going to be an easy battle. The air lay thick with some, oppressive force. If Isonus were here, he'd likely identify the source of this thing, but without his expertise, the two in here would need to find their way around. A brief flicker causes the lights to shake a little. Was it in the shadows? Above? Within the shard?

[Deleted]

Shizuka approached Isonus classroom as she walked through the empty halls of Hylia Grace, once she did her hand her touched the door knob. "Let's see what this mission has in store... I guess..." Shizuka soon opened the door to Isonus classroom, only to see how messy it was much to her surprise. She looked around before noticing the crystal, where she stood by the door so she can wait for Shadow.

Despite what was happening in the classroom. Shizuka didn't seem phased at all with what was happening and more so continued to wait until Shadow had arrived. She pulled up a chair and sat near a wall as she looked at the crystal.

"I'm not cleaning this mess up if it's like this after the end of the mission..." Shizuka thought as she crossed her arms.

[cynda1]

...Well, I promised Isonus I’d visit this place one day… Wasn’t really the way this would play out in my head…

Shadow was nearing the place where he would meet his partner for this mission: Shizuka he believed her name was. Even several minutes ago, when he was at a much farther distance, Shadow could feel a chill running down his spine. There was definitely something off about this school. Some sort of unstable energy had completely taken over it.

...Were people really stuck inside that thing? If that were the case, Shadow needed to work fast.

Guess this is just what I get for procrastinating…

Once Shadow made it to where Shizuka was, Shadow glanced her over a bit, getting a rather… interesting first impression. That being this Shizuka person wasn’t at all affected by the energy that he felt would have been overwhelming to any normal person. He, of course, was not normal, so he was able to withstand it. The fact that she could just casually sit there made him wonder…

...But he was getting ahead of himself. “I take it you’re the Shizuka person I was supposed to meet?” Shadow’s expression was flat, giving a rather bored impression. She must make no mistake, though, he was taking this mission very seriously. Lives in this school were at stake. “I apologize for not coming here sooner. I got… held up a bit.”

Without elaborating what he meant, the hedgehog opened the door, and sure enough the energy was pouring out. Shadow almost shook at the amount of darkness that was in here, but if Shizuka looked at him, she wouldn’t have known that. He didn’t flinch, and his expression was stone cold. “We should start looking.” Shadow said simply. “The sooner we can start getting people out of here, the better.”

Shadow glanced over at the fragment, arching an eyebrow in its direction. There seemed to be some… shifting of time and space. Shadow was very familiar with this feeling… it was, in essence, what Chaos Control was in its most basic form: manipulating time and space. “...What’s this?” Shadow entered the room, and noticed the shaking of the room as he did so. What… what was…? No matter. The hedgehog motioned for Shizuka to follow as he continued to approach the fragment. Rather unsettled by it, the hedgehog didn’t dare touch it, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of it.

...Could this be our first clue?

[Deleted]

As Shadow approaches the fragment, the Seal he was given, as well as Shizuka, begin to resonate. Isonus's voice, clearly not him present in the room, rather a recollection, reverbs slowly through the chambers as the room moves to a blackened pitch. All that can be seen is an infinite expanse of blackness, and the wood planks below.

"I did not always have the luxury of my status. Early in life, I had my eyes constantly cast over my shoulder, and my eyes, at least one open when I slept. Even with my Brother Maphus watching over me... mother found ways to beat me down. Emotionally, or physically."

As these words are spoken, the mists of the dark gather together, the narration continues as the mist swell into a nine foot tall, bipedal form.

"It had come to my attention that certain beings presided over my life, keeping me alive beyond starvation, giving Maphus and Deloria the means to feed me and care for me. Even when I fell ill, these... things watched over me. In return, I was to safeguard my mother as sacrifice when I came of age to perform such a heinous act. The way I saw it... it was eye for an eye. None other proved more difficult than that... thing. A Knowledge Eater."

A loud, ear-bleeding screech forms as the being takes shape. A nightmarish, pencil-thin limbed, faceless creature is created. Its tapering head, and lack of eyes only accented its massive, teeth-lined maw into a more hideous form. Its salmon-pink flesh was scarred and scratched, and its hands were just as thin as its limbs. The being had no feet, needles replaced its legs, and the creature moved so... unnervingly, as though it weren't in control, but a mere puppet for something else. This creature must have been the knowledge eater that Isonus had remembered from his childhood. Whispers began to reverb maddeningly through the room, tittering in the back of the two's mind. It did not yet attack, waiting for a reaction from the two...

(Shadow! Shizkua! Roll a d20+INT every turn! The lowest result will be the target of the Knowledge Eater's single attack per turn. You can debuff it right now, but it is immune to direct damage until then.)

The Knowledge Eater
HP: 300/300
Current Target: N/A
Status: Invulnerable to damage until it designates prey.

[Deleted]

Shizuka turned to Shadow when he entered the room. "Yup, Moroboshi Shizuka, or Shizuka Moroboshi... Whatever you want to call me." Shizuka shrugged to Shadow as she got up from the chair as now it was the time for the duo to get the fragments and save the school from further destruction, all the while Shadow apologised for not arriving sooner.

"It's fine... We all have personal things in our lives that come first." Shizuka then proceeded to follow Shadow towards the fragment and watched him touch it as the area around the duo began to change. And Isonus began to narrate a bit about his life.

Most noticeably, about the relationship with his brother, and mother, which was terrible and made Shizuka feel bad for Isonus. "Terrible mothers... Finally someone to relate too." She said as she prepared herself for the first enemy.

Or should I say boss since it looks strong enough that it will take Shizuka and Shadow awhile to take down. Regardless, Shizuka was ready as she took out her raygun. "First of all... I'm stopping those whispers." Shizuka aimed her raygun towards the Knowledge Eater and tried to shoot at it's mouth.

V8l0|n0Ip_1d20+1(Shizuka's reaction to the whispers.)

Shizuka didn't react too much with the whispers as she began to fire three shots from her raygun.

p_1d20+3(Raygun > The Knowledge Eater: A beam of energy that will burn the enemy when hit. If hit then the Knowledge Eater will gain 16% damage.)

p_1d20+3(Raygun > The Knowledge Eater: Same effect as the first roll.)

p_1d20+3(Raygun > The Knowledge Eater.)

After firing, Shizuka turned to Shadow. "Are you ok... Did those whispers get to you?" She asked the Hedgehog.1d20+1·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3

[cynda1]

Shadow reached out a bit too far, farther than he even meant to, and ended up touching the fragment unintentionally. Shadow almost stumbled backward, letting out a bit of a gasp at the creature that appeared after Isonus's chilling words. Having him speak without actually being there was rather... unsettling. To say that he didn't like it would've been an understatement. The words behind the voice, too, were rather unsettling. With just these handful of sentences, Shadow had the impression that Isonus's childhood, should they truly be believed, was hardly an ideal one.

Shadow's eyes squinted in determination as he refused to let the screech of this beast deter him. The faceless, scrawny monster was certainly a sight to behold, but Shadow had a mission, and he wouldn't let this... thing stop him from getting everyone out safely.

Shadow tried to stare down his foe with every bit of confidence he could.

ScKrehcap_1d20 (Shadow's INT roll... lower than Shizuka's, so guess he's the first target. Makes sense. He did touch the fragment after all.)

Unfortunately Shadow didn't seem as unfazed by the whispers as Shizuka was. The whispers gradually became louder and louder, almost to the point where it was ear piercing. He didn't even understand what any of the words being said were, all he knew was that it was starting to give him a headache. Who were these people speaking? Why were they so loud? Honestly, didn't he have enough voices in his head?!

This was ridiculous... he wanted it to stop. He needed to make it stop now. And he would do it, even if he had to force them into silence.

Shadow enveloped himself in a blue aura, desperately trying to make the voices in his head stop by any means. Make the calm return so he could focus on the issue at hand.

p_1d20+1 (Shadow used Chaos Snap! Shadow's current WIS allows for a +1 in each roll. Every time the attack makes contact on a non-invulnerable enemy, it causes 7% damage.)
p_1d20+1 (Again.)
p_1d20+1 (Again.)

Of course, the whispers overwhelmed Shadow, making it impossible to focus well enough. For a moment, the voices were so overbearing that he ended up on one knee before forcing himself to his feet out of sheer determination. No. This was not happening now!

Shadow, in desperation to get a hold of himself, and stop this beast, rolled up into a tight ball and launched himself at the beast in a quick and furious Homing Attack.

p_1d20+3 (Shadow's used his Homing attack! His DEX stat allows for a +3 on his roll. Should this attack make its mark, it should cause 12% damage.)

Alright, that one made its mark, but that was all Shadow could take before letting out a grunt and falling on his knees. The hedgehog tried to steady himself, tried to take deep breaths, but just ended up puffing them out in frustration when the voices just seemed to get louder and louder. To answer Shizuka's question, no. He was not doing well. He would say otherwise, but since he couldn't even do that, he was doing extra badly.

---

Shadow
Health: 150/150
Shield: 50/50
Status: Overwhelmed
Cooldowns: None

1d20·1d20+1·1d20+1·1d20+1·1d20+3

[Deleted]

(The Beast is vulnerable! Rolling a 6 or higher will damage it.)

The Knowledge Eater seems to not only consume thoughts, but pain as well. Each blow delivered only marginally staggers the beast as it lumbers forward, shaking and moving with unusual fervor. Each attack seemed to only make it more and more ravenous, until finally, it flickered forward with speed beyond explanation, and reached those long, serrated talons out to try and grab Shadow by the head! The whispers grow louder with each passing second. To Shizuka, they were faint and incoherent, but to Shadow...

"...Shadow! I beg of you... Give them a chance to be happy!"
"Shadow... I need your help. Please."

Even the beast's screams were in her voice. The thing was imitating her..!

SHADOW! Roll a 10 or higher in STR or DEX. If you fail one, you may roll the other to evade the Knowledge Eater's Grasp. If you fail, roll INT. Your INT roll x2 is the damage you take from the Knowledge eater biting into your head. Ow. Shadow is also inflicted with 'Numbing Fear' if hit, increasing his dodge modifier by 1, but decreasing his hit mod by 1 until the Knowledge Eater designates another target.


The Knowledge Eater

HP: 233/300

Current Target: Shadow

Status: STARVING!

[Deleted]

YArU|Appp_1d20+1(Shizuka trying to ignore the whispers.)

Shizuka took a few steps back after firing her raygun as she looked at the Knowledge Eater. It seems to have been temporarily stunned, no doubt thanks to her and Shadow's abilities, however she turned to see that Shadow didn't answer her question, in fact he was having his own troubles at the moment in regards to the whispers. She gasped at seeing Shadow struggling to breath as she quickly approached him.

"Shadow... Don't listen to them... Whatever they're saying they're not real... It's trying to get to you." Shizuka tried to get Shadow to focus before looking back at the Knowledge Eater.

Knowing that it was likely causing the whispers, Shizuka shot three blasts from her raygun at it.

p_1d20+3(Raygun > Knowledge Eater: A beam of energy that will cause 16% damage if hit.)

p_1d20+3(Raygun > Knowledge Eater.)

p_1d20+3(Raygun > Knowledge Eater.)

Shizuka tried her best to get the thing to focus on her and not on Shadow. And especially trying to prevent it from biting into Shadow's head while he was down. "Stop hurting him... If you want to target someone... Then target me... Because he doesn't deserve what you're doing... Nobody does." Shizuka yelled to the Knowledge Eater so she can get it's attention.1d20+1·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3

[cynda1]

V9vcOA1Fp_1d20 (Shadow's attempt to ignore the whispers... Failure.)

Shadow continued his struggle against the voices in his head, and although he was making progress, it was still too much for him to handle. The countless amounts of whispers practically drowning his eardrums made it impossible for him to think. Even now, though improved, he still wasn’t taking the whispers as well as Shizuka was. The hedgehog clenched his fists and teeth as he tried to battle the creature’s influence.

The woman tried to help him, tried to tell him that what the monster was doing, none of it was real…

...But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Even now, even after all of these years, Shadow wanted that voice to be the real thing. Even if she were in danger, he could redeem himself of his greatest failure and save her. He… he was almost tempted to allow this creature to make him believe Maria was even here at all.

...Snap out of it! This isn’t what she’d want, you knucklehead! Get a hold of yourself, there are people here who need you!

Just as Shadow seemed to snap out of it, the creature made his move, causing the bewildered hedgehog to let out a startled gasp. He didn’t expect the creature to run so fast, so the hedgehog instinctively attempted to use his strength to push the creature away.

p_1d20+1 (Shadow's attempt to shove past the monster via STR stat... Failure.)

When that didn’t work, Shadow knew he had to try something else. This creature may have been pretty fast…

p_1d20+3 (Shadow's 2nd attempt to avoid the attack via DEX... success!)

...But Shadow was faster. Shadow managed to duck and roll backwards out of the way from its attempt to sink its teeth into his head.

Then, Shadow leaped back several feet before dashing toward the monster at full speed. With an attack at this high risk level, you knew this hedgehog was angry. No one manipulates the Ultimate Life Form and gets away with it! Even more importantly, he wasn’t going to let him use Maria’s voice to do it! Once Shadow was mere inches away, he intended to head butt the monster in the gut at full force.

p_1d20+3 (Shadow used his Dash attack! His DEX stat allows for a +3 in his roll. Should this attack be successful, it'll cause 15% of damage as well as, theoretically, cause this monster to lower his next dodge roll by -2. However, if Shadow misses, then this effect will happen to him instead.)

...This one was honestly messy, but hopefully the message would get across. Even still, the whispers continued to screech and yell in his ear, but he tried to ignore it. It tore him apart inside, but he would ignore Maria’s screams and pleas… he had to. They weren’t real...

---

Shadow
Health: 150/150
Shield: 50/50
Status: Angry and Struggling
Cooldowns: None

1d20·1d20+1·1d20+3·1d20+3

[Deleted]

Each hit strikes home, and the beast further staggers back, gurgling and spitting. What was shocking, however, was what came next, the phantasm of a young, grey-haired elf boy jumps forward, and latches onto the Knowledge Eater, grabbing it by the head. Runes burned into the boy's skin alight with malignant fury, and before long, the creature shrivels up, and burns to dust in the boy's hands. It was clearly Isonus that was there, or at least, the memory of him. His voice echoes through the memory once more.

"I had defeated the creature, in fact, it was the first soul I had stolen from the Infernals, and the pact was kept. It had not killed my mother, and thus, I was given the power to free myself... The next target... was her."

Slowly, a middle-aged human appears before the boy, some distance away. The boy looks bruised and scarred, his eye still swollen from a recent strike. She stands, arms crossed, removing her rings for some terrible action. What was to be, of course, did not come. The boy reaches back his arm, tucks in his ring finger, and fires off a bolt of antediluvian magic, which tears through the woman, and causes her to collapse. She slowly begins to turn to ash as well, as the Knowledge Eater had... A brooch lay in her ashes. Slowly, the young boy lifts up the amulet, and opens it. His eyes twinkle a little.

"...What I found upon her pile of ash was something I never expected. A torn picture of my real father. A man who'd been jailed for murder, and attempted murder. It was why my mother hated elves so... so much. The vitriol we spewed was natural to us, dissociative even at times. Like we weren't... us. If only I had someone to comfort me that day, perhaps I wouldn't have... turned to the life I did. Or maybe, perhaps it would have accelerated my pursuit of godhood, to right the wrongs I see now."

The memory did not yet fade in this spot, the two still needed to use one of the seals they were given to close the Memory Fragment, but it was clear this was not done playing out. Would they humor his thoughts? Perhaps, stand by and let the scene play out, or end it before things became too... hectic? Another voice beckons from the back, clearly one of the demons Isonus had bartered with. A shapeless mist tags at the boy's back, hands forming over his shoulders... It was the Knowledge Eater, but docile, and servile to the boy now. He'd tamed his first demon that day.

"What was... shall be... and what shall be... will. Fear not, little massster."

[Deleted]

Shizuka gasped when Shadow failed to dodge the Knowledge Eater. "Sh-Shadow!" For once Shizuka was surprised as she hated to see animal like people such as Shadow get hurt. Fortunately he managed to snap out of his daze and managed to hurt the Knowledge Eater, who was finished off by a young boy as Shizuka approached Shadow. Holding out one of the seals as it seems as though the boy was going to finish off the creature. Which meant they can seal the first fragment and move on.

"Are you ok? It's not going to hurt you like that again thanks to that kid..." Shizuka said to Shadow.

"What did you hear... If you don't mind..." Shizuka asked Shadow before looking at the boy, who soon killed a woman that approached him. She wondered if the boy was... Isonus when he was younger. She decided to walk towards him as the Knowledge Eater appeared in spirit form to the boy. It seems as though it was tamed now.

"Hey..." Shizuka tried to get Young Isonus attention, if she can. She continued to hold the seal for now.

"That was amazing what you did... Killing that creature for us." Shizuka praised the boy, before asking him a question.

"What's your name by the way... And who was that Lady you just killed just now?" She asked the boy.

[cynda1]

Once the monster was finally defeated, Shadow had to take a few moments to get a hold of himself before realizing the whispering had stopped. When Shizuka called his name, Shadow’s eyes blinked open as he was instantly looking for something. “I’m here!” Shadow instinctively called out, seemingly confused by his current location. “Maria, I’m-” the hedgehog stopped instantly as he assessed the situation again. Wait…

Shadow was back in reality as he glanced around his surroundings. This wasn’t the Ark… They were still at the school. Maria wasn’t here… she never was.

In an instant, Shadow turned away from Shizuka, eyes sealed shut, clasping the seal in his hand. To say that Shadow was eager to move on was an understatement. Seems like the screams of a dead friend who died trying to save you would do that to someone.

Shizuka’s question was met with a simple reply. “Nothing.” And even though it was very clear that it was, in fact, something Shadow wouldn’t budge on the matter any longer.

Shadow’s teeth clenched shut as well as his eyes. He wanted to be done with this mission as quickly as possible. “Forget about it.” Shadow said, indicating the urgency of the situation. “We have people to rescue in the school, remember? Besides, this power is coming from Isonus. I doubt he’d want us to dwell here for very long.” With all of his students in need of rescuing? No, staying put didn’t seem like a good solution at all. Still, Shadow didn’t use his seal. He’d allow Shizuka to make her choice. He could simply ignore what he didn’t want to hear if need be.

I need to leave… now…

[Deleted]

Just as Shizuka touches the child's shoulder, she is forced to speak, or perhaps... something speaks in her place. A sinister pulse overrides her body, locking her in place as she watches through the eyes of a creature without eyes at all. A beast with no senses, and in that sense, Shizuka can witness from another type of vision. Essentus Sensing. She can see now, how the world weaves and moves, every piece of it is comprised of many elements, and many parts of the same whole. Her words spill forth, whether she spoke them, or if the shadows that she stepped over spoke.

"What was shall be, and what shall be will."

It was then the two awaken with the sealed fragment, neatly set aside. Everything's been set properly, the area organized. The two now feel refreshed, and to top it all off... The two awaken with the halves of that amulet clutched between them, the first artifact they would have. From this point on, the two might get the premonition that artifacts after this point would be much more complex to obtain. As the grogginess of unconsciousness wears away, it was clear the two left for mere seconds. What happened in there wasn't out here, was it..? Surely they'd just sealed the thing. 

Before the two lay the paths to two more rooms. To their immediate straightaway was the next fragment, floating amidst the library. To their right from this square room, the alchemical forge, fitted with a massive blast furnace. Clearly there was another Shard in there, but... it wasn't visible within that area. The two would need to decide which room to tackle next.

[Deleted]

"Maria?" Shizuka said, but Shadow told her to forget about it. It seems as though this Hedgehog had a messed up past and he wasn't the only one as Shadow intended to continue with the mission rather then talk about who this Maria was to Shizuka. She decided to focus back on the Young Boy that maybe Isonus.

As Shizuka touched the boy's shoulder, she began to feel weird and couldn't reply to Shadow, she had a premonition. It was a strange vision that she couldn't make out. Coupled with the fact that she felt as though she was being possessed by something, probably something from Isonus world but she felt like she fell into a trap as she said something that she had no thought of even saying.

Before she could do anything else, she woke up next to Shadow with the fragment and an amulet. She slowly got up, feeling refreshed and less possessed after what happened. "I think I was possessed just now..." Shizuka revealed, not really caring about what happened. She was going to ask that Shadow would handle the next few fragments but seeing what happened to Shadow just now and the fact that he was a hedgehog, she changed her mind, she didn't want to put him into an even more emotionally dangerous situation.

She shook her head and put the fragment and amulet away. "Anyway... We should keep going... And find the next fragments." Shizuka told Shadow as she got up and looked at the two doors, one to a furnace like room and the other to a Library.

"Hmm... Why not we go and get the Fragment in the Library room first?" Shizuka turned to Shadow, suggesting which one they should take.

[cynda1]

The hedgehog was caught rather off guard by what happened next. Shizuka seemed to be… acting rather strangely. The hedgehog was a little perplexed as she seemed to tense up for a moment. “...Hey, Shizuka?” Shadow questioned, snapping out of his overwhelmed state to approach her a little. “...Shizuka are you..?” The hedgehog was interrupted when Shizuka started… talking. Well, the words were coming out of her anyway, but it was honestly hard to tell if she really was the one saying the words or if someone was speaking through her.

...What was shall be, and what shall be will.

...What did that even mean?

Shadow didn’t really have much of an opportunity to question it as the moment the words were said, and thus Shizuka was back to normal, the two of them were transported out of the memory. Shadow glanced around, noticing the rooms in front of them, and then looked over at Shizuka, who had been rather… calm about being possessed by a memory of Isonus’s. Perhaps a little too calm, even…

Whatever the case, Shadow said nothing about it as he kept focus on the matter at hand, as did Shizuka. It seemed as though she had the same idea, and wanted to keep going. Maybe being possessed caused her the same kind of thinking he had. Good. The sooner they got this over with, the better.

Shizuka suggested the library, to which Shadow simply shrugged. “Fine by me. We’ll probably have to go there at some point, so why not now?” And so, their next stop would be the Library.