Shadow rondo

[Anastasia]

"To destroy. To hurt the world and hurt Colke," Is her answer. "To destroy what is true and make what is a lie true. It...the...the thing down there, the monster, wants nothing more than that. It is resigned to it. I saw its face, it hates us but sees fighting as pointless. It is...no. No. Don't make me speak his name. Even now it burns in my mind. Mercy, please!"

Antenora steps forward. "That name has no power here. Look to Alicia. Look to myself. Look to the light above." Antenora reaches out as you hold her, gently guiding her head to look at you, her and finally above.

A tremendous, teary shudder. Silent weeping. Yet she speaks with clarity now. "He wants to destroy, to hurt the world. To hurt Colke is merely a benefit, a bonus. His malice consumes him, never have I seen a look of such hate. More than that, he is resigned to his malice and hate. As much as he hates us, he sees no point in bloodshed. All will be destroyed. Every truth will be destroyed into a lie, and in a mockery, every lie will become true. It will all be swallowed and destroyed in the end. That is his purpose, what little meaning he has."

[Ebiris]

"Then who is the real Colke? Where are they?" Alicia asks, letting Antenora take over in holding the mysterious Abyss-spawned woman.

[Anastasia]

"Still there," Is the answer you get. "Still there, I think."

[Ebiris]

"You think? Tell me what you know about them," Alicia asks. Theoretically going to liberate Colke from there is at least providing some direction for this strange goose chase.

[Anastasia]

You mean Colke by them, right?

[Ebiris]

Yes, because I don't know if Colke is a man or a woman so neutral pronouns are being used.

[Anastasia]

Okay.

"Colke came to 666 and found his fears were true," Is the answer, "The thing there sent us out, to hurt and destroy. Each of us a like about Colke, but one that can become more and more real. Lies with will hurt Creation, that will harm and undermine."

[Ebiris]

"What makes Colke so special to it that he forms the template like this?" Alicia asks.

And now I can use male pronouns!

[Anastasia]

"He came to 666 without sufficient willpower and strength of character," Is the woman's answer, "Without it, he succumbed."

"Without something to stay to, be it our truths or Malcanthet's self possessed interests, or Kina-ja's need for revenge." Jessica reflects, "Without that, how can you withstand something that would change you so completely? How could you resist a lie that insisted it was the truth?"

[Ebiris]

So he was special in that he wasn't special? "Do you know who the other false Colkes are? Where they were sent?"

[Anastasia]

"Yes," Is the answer, "One to Arcadia, one to Ysgard, one to Limbo, one to Acheron and one to the Prime."

[Ebiris]

"The Ysgard one has been found, tell us about the others," Alicia asks.

[Anastasia]

"The Colke in Arcadia is an avenger," she explains, "But everything she avenges will make things worse.The one on Limbo will bring changes, but every change will be for the worse. A wild mage who will seed nothing but misery. The one in Acheron will wage war, but every war will corrode the plane. Finally, the Colke in the Prime will bring revolution, but a revolution of demon worship and destruction. Each is a lie that must not be, each will lead to horrible lies becoming true."

[Ebiris]

"What was the one on Ysgard going to do then?" she feels curious enough to ask now that the goals are laid bare. Tempus might like to know.

[Anastasia]

"Destroy leaders, ensure they were stopped from becoming powerful warriors." Is the a nswer, "Weaken Ysgard in Tempus's name. Insult and weaken Tempus, set him back."