♛ 001: text

[spearsurfing]

EVE would like to verify that Chung, Raven, and Rena are still present in the tower. Additionally, if any others from Elrios have arrived in her absence, and updated list is requested.

EVE was not able to bring back any samples, but... I can confirm that our world has died. I was unable to find any traces of life or El energy. Not even the demons remain. The red-haired boy... I was also unable to find.

If there are still those here who doubt the information we have been given about our worlds, EVE urges you to reconsider. Whatever force caused this, there is no way anything could have survived. Revival is not possible. This death is absolute.

I am sorry.

Comments

1/??? not here yet; i'm sorry

[unkindnessof]

[EVE- Eve is back? Absently Raven begins to skim the message, mentally drafting up a short, noncommittal reply; answer, update, debrief, all business as per her first paragraph, but then he reaches the second, one thing in particular catching his eye.]

2/??? still not here;

[unkindnessof]

[The red-haired boy-

Elsword-]

3/??? we'll get there soon enough;

[unkindnessof]

[Involuntarily, his hands fist as he reads onward, keyboard and tablet creaking warningly in protest. The low, guttural sound that escapes him is harsh and feral-sounding, only barely seeming human.]

4/??? i still have no idea what happened really;

[unkindnessof]

[They'd been told from the moment they arrived to the Tower their worlds were gone and there was nothing left; what did he expect, truly? Chung may have held out hope, and maybe some of it might have infected him, some small part feebly hoping the prince was right while the rest tried to ignore it and carry on as per usual. (It's not like being a lost soul, wandering around without rest past its proper time is anything particularly new.)

Perhaps. It's not true- whatever the admins did to the souls who disappeared (storage? who even knows—), perhaps whatever manner of illusion they conjure can fool even Eve's sensors- perhaps, perhaps not—]

5/6 raven is ridiculous whoops;

[unkindnessof]

[and it's back to that again, they don't know

He's starting to hate this lack of control, this not knowing, this damned helplessness

The evidence in favor of the letters being truthful is mounting; evidence to the contrary is as scarce as ever. None of it confirmable, not with the sort of control the administrators have over the Tower, but still he's wary of treading down this road because when does it stop being a justified skepticism and instead just mindless self-delusion?

Very carefully, he pushes back his emotions and focuses on writing:]

6/6 OKAY DONE; text

[unkindnessof]

last i saw them was several weeks ago. their names are still on the doors.

yours vanished for a time. [he supposes it's back now, if she's here again.]

are you able to meet in person?

[...no guarantees on how long his tenuous self-control will last.]

raven plz; text

[spearsurfing]

[Oh wow she had almost lost all hope of Raven ever replying by now.]

Raven? It is good to hear from you. [Which is not only true, but might even be an understatement. Sure, complete solitude for extended periods wasn't something she was unused to, but it wasn't something she enjoyed, either. Even their tense, awkward relationship was better than nothing at all.]

If that is the case, it's possible that a name being removed implies that person has been returned to their world. Most likely, there are others here who could confirm this for us, if it is indeed the case. However, if you have not seen the others as well... I cannot be sure of what this means. I did not encounter anyone from our party while I was gone.

I am able. Tell me where you would like to meet.

#things that suck about playing a failure knight; text

[unkindnessof]

...likewise. [Surprisingly enough it, too, is truthful, not simply pleasantries for the sake of avoiding conflict. This is a reminder: not everything is gone, only near to it. There's still something—someones, rather—left.

Even so, 'I did not encounter anyone from our party while I was gone.'

He knows she's mentioning it in response to what he'd said about the others, but it also hammers home the the memory of red hair and obnoxiously endearing, cocky idiocy.]

there is a floor- the thirteenth. sound doesn't carry well there; if we'd prefer not to be overheard by others, it's an option. [It just so happens this option involves passing by floor twelve, the floor where one can watch worlds meet their ends. There is also the option of coming down from floor 41 or 21 up to 31 and back down, but...]

otherwise, whatever's most practical or convenient depending on location, i guess. there are lounges on the 4th, 38th, and 81st floors, or we can meet in the library or some other location. any preferences?

text » action

[spearsurfing]

The thirteenth floor is fine. EVE will be there shortly. [Haha, as if seeing a universe die would really bother her at this point.

She doesn't waste any time getting there. When Raven arrives she's already seated at the front, staring listlessly at the stained glass above the altar.]

action

[unkindnessof]

[Been there, done that.

When Raven arrives, he takes a seat nearby, leaving some amount of space between the two of them.

This is familiar, isn't it? Now that they're both here, he doesn't know where to begin to break the strangely companionable silence.]

... It's true, is it? Nothing left, not even the tainted El?

This may seem a strange request, but... scan yourself, or whatever it is Nasods do. Tell me whether or not you detect anything at all off.

action

[spearsurfing]

[She doesn't move when he sits down. His presence is... comforting. She would be fine simply staying as they were, even if only for a short while.

She has to give him a sideways look when he asks her to "scan herself", however. Goodness, it didn't take long to ruin the moment.]

That is unnecessary. The possibility that what I perceived was an illusion was my first consideration. I have checked my internal logs for errors, thoroughly.

I was unable to detect any trace of El, clean or tainted. There were bodies... [her shoulders droop, if only slightly] They were not unlike my own people. Perhaps if they were Nasods I would have been able to revive them, but...

[yyyyyeah probably not, it was pretty gross.]

[raichung]

EVE! Where did you go? What... do you mean our world has died...?

[spearsurfing]

Ah, Chung. It is good to hear from you as well.

EVE was able to return to Elrios through an unknown method, but... the El... [kinda gone entirely now]

[raichung]

An unknown method?

But it can't be!! Our world can't be dead! I haven't saved Father yet or Hamel!!

[spearsurfing]

EVE is unsure as to how or why she was able to return to Elrios, and she also cannot say what allowed her to return to the tower. All she can be certain of is what she has seen.

[... For some reason, it feels cruel to continue weighing these heavy facts down on Chung. He was still young and hopeful, but worked just as hard as the rest of them did to save those he cared for...]

Perhaps... there is still a way. But resurrecting a world will not be easy.

[raichung]

What... exactly have you seen?

Resurrecting? It's possible to resurrect it?? How??

[spearsurfing]

All traces of El have been eradicated. As a result, all detectable lives have been lost. Even the demons and corrupt El were not spared from this fate. There were no signs of attack from whatever force caused this, simply... death.

If the data on our presence here that EVE has gathered is true, we were not spared because we were removed prior to this event. Our lives were also lost, but then returned. If this can be recreated on a wider scale it may be possible to undo the damage.

In a way, our group's purpose has not changed. The El we require has become much larger, however. [that's gonna be one hell of a shard]

[raichung]

I see...

But where will we be able to find such a large piece of El here...?

[spearsurfing]

EVE is not sure... but we cannot rule out the possibility.

[raichung]

Well, we mustn't give up just yet then! As long as there's still the possibility of reviving our world, we mustn't give up!

[spearsurfing]

In this situation, that is a good attitude to have.

The destruction of our world, however, is not EVE's greatest concern. She is more concerned with what caused this to happen.

text

[warriorscribe]

I have not yet lost hope in the possibility of restoring them. If Dax believed it to be true, he must have had some basis in it, correct? Given the way Riki can control this environment, I am not convinced there is no way to affect other worlds.

text

[spearsurfing]

Perhaps... EVE has not been here very long, compared to others. However, she knows the amount of energy that is required to resurrect even a small island and its residents is massive. Even if one were to collect enough energy to resurrect an entire planet, it is unlikely that the souls lost would be returned.

I want to believe that there is hope, but... the data I have gathered does not support such a possibility.

text

[warriorscribe]

The technology here can identify and measure a man's soul, and that is before taking into account the abilities of those who live here. If we have any friends left among them, I believe we will find a way.

Should we not, we will do all we can, and pray it does not fall short.

text

[spearsurfing]

Measuring the soul... it is not an easy task. It is difficult to take a property such as the "soul" into account when making calculations. Perhaps... there is a flaw, because EVE did not consider the possibility of something she cannot perform herself.

EVE will reassess her data with this in mind. Your input is appreciated.

[Which is a really roundabout way of saying "maybe you're right, I'll think about it".]