Frozen swords

[Anastasia]

Okay Moore, you return home. What's your next move here?

[Nephrite]

The most fair thing to do would be to send a message to Alyssa, so... he will do that. Do you want me to post it over there?

[Anastasia]

Sure, go ahead and post it in his thread.

[Anastasia]

Okay, while we wait on Iddy in that thread, what did you want to talk to the others about?

[Nephrite]

Do you want me to explain here or just... do it?

[Anastasia]

If you want to do it, just go ahead.

[Nephrite]

Moore will gather everyone together!

"So, you've all seen the place." Moore says. "I have my guesses as to when it was created, but it's clear that 21 has allowed Sylvie to manipulate the place in some way. There is one thing I'm not sure all of you got to hear, though... she has two voices. One is her own, and one is 21's. There's... it's a bit hard to differentiate them, I think, but the way I see it, she's... I wonder whether it was her who decided to do this on her own, or 21's will. I wanted to see what the rest of you thought."

[Anastasia]

"I don't know her enough," Kaja says, "You're asking the wrong half dragon." He sits back comfortably, hands folded on his stomach.

To this Cresiel sits, "I did not know her well, but my suspicion is that she's subsumed to 21's will in some way. In the end, when Lifasa was saved, she told you that you'd meet again and that she won a booby prize? She knew, and the only question is if she chose this or had it forced onto her." His hand drifts to his side, Frozen Oath touched lightly.

"How do you know that? I know you weren't there," Jetina speaks up, in her armor, resting her head against her palm as she leans on the table.

"I asked around," Cresiel says, "More as events recently put her into events." He shakes his head minutely, "She speaks of sacrifice. I fear more that she speaks of sacrifice because she's already made a great one. She's given herself to 21, it must need her for reasons unfathomable."

"Her words may well be a reflection of her own inner thoughts," Xandra allows. "I have prayed some time on Sylvie's fate, and I have not received an answer. When a prayer is not answered, the answer is not always no. The answer is oftentimes 'not yet'." The trumpet archon murmurs a few words of prayer under her breath, "If there is hope for her, I do not believe we will find it until we finish what she has laid out, and here what she wishes to happen next."

[Nephrite]

"No, but you've been through your own hopelessness." Moore says to Kaja. "I think you'd know a bit about being dragged out of that."

He nods in turn to all of the rest of them. "Yes, I think you're right, that she thinks these things are true. But at the end of the day, I think she's wrong. I think... It's hard to put into words exactly, but I believe 21 has its own truth that it wants her to see. She keeps saying 'this won't end well for any of us,' and it's always... in a different voice than hers."

He takes a breath. "I think she's not beyond hope. I think... she just can't see the outside sources of it right now."

[Anastasia]

"Then we'll try," Kaja says, "That's all we can do now. To that point, what happens when we finish these trials?"

[Nephrite]

"I know we meet Sylvie, but I have no idea what happens then." Moore says. "I have some ideas, but... I think it'll be the time when we convince her to come back, with or without 21."

[Anastasia]

"What ideas?" Xandra asks, "I'd like to hear what you think, Moore."

"Me too," Jetina adds, a little smile on her face. "You've been closest to this of all of us."

[Nephrite]

Moore takes a breath. "We know she's physically there, but... well, I have a feeling she's ascended somehow too. I honestly think she'll challenge us again in some capacity... but I honestly don't think it will be martial, I think it will simply be a battle of wills."

He pauses. "Did I ever tell you all about what I heard about one of the battles for Lifasa? It's why I say 21 is a battle for a soul. Tryll and the others were fighting in the bowels underneath Lifasa when they came into contact with Levistus. We had a book, labeled simply, 'Hope,' that found its way into our shops a few months prior... and it was opened during that encounter. I wasn't there personally to witness it, but I had Tryll show it to me through his psionic magic."

With that, Moore gestures.

Permanent Image to replay the events of this: http://www.soulriders.net/forum/index.php/topic,104065.msg1107490/topicseen.html#msg1107490

Obviously they'll only be able to see the actual actions that transpired and can't hear the voices since no one remembers them.

Moore taps his chin. "I could've sworn there were words spoken there, but... I don't know. I just... I have that gut feeling, you know? You can see how Levistus reacted."

[Anastasia]

There's silence as they all watch.

"That was..." Jetina trails off, words failing her.

"Graphic, brutal." Kaja fills in.

"Levistus reacted differently," Cresiel notes, "He spoke, and he defied what happened. He refused to let go of his hope, he didn't wail in despair."

Xandra watches the most intently of all, "Do you think this is tied to 21 then, Moore?"

[Nephrite]

"Yes." Moore says immediately. "I can't say how, but my gut... there was something about this that always resonated with me." He looks up.

He takes in and lets out a breath. "Considering what we know about the situation as it stands, especially about 21, yes, I think it has to be tied in somehow. We met a creature before the end of our adventure -- it was something that was of Beyond, but had made Creation submit to its will in a way that it didn't seem to affect it the same was as something from there would. Your unique power was brought up, Xandra... one which... well."

He smiles as he gestures towards the top of Celestia. "Let me put it this way, I would be very surprised if He didn't have some sort of connection to the book of Hope, as well as to 21."