animus_network | Gather around

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Gather around

*It's a recorded video. Enoch stands before the terminal. He eyes the screen before taking a breath and beginning to speak.*

Shall I tell you a tale, Animus?

In another world, there was a dark and foreboding tower with no name, ruled by seven Fallen Angels. Heaven sent a man to capture these rulers, but in the three hundred years this man searched for them, the Tower built its own story. Inside the Tower, people thrived, and enjoyed a life of luxury and abundance in beautiful, otherworldly lands. Each level was as its own world, and had beauty all its own. Even the land of cold steel and eternal lights was breathtaking in an eerie way. But all was not as wonderful as it seemed. The people lived luxurious lives surrounded by beauty and wonders, yes, but when they died, their souls did not ascend to Heaven. They were taken from their rightful course and sent to The Darkness, to sate the gluttony of the demon prince Belial. No one seemed to know this but Belial himself and a resident of the Tower named Ishtar. Ishtar heard the voice of God, and knew that the Fallen Angels were not to be trusted - she gathered followers. It meant severing their connection to the safe and the familiar, to spurn the luxury of trust and plenty and ease of life. It meant turning their rulers against them. But...

*Enoch pulls something from his pocket - something small. Those who look hard enough might be able to catch a faint green glow before he closes his fingers around it, and a strong female voice speaks.*

They became the Freemen. The Fallen Angels became angry and rebuked us. I knew then that God's Word was true.

*Enoch's fist lowers, and he continues.*

But the Freemen knew the truth. Ishtar died in battle against the children of the Fallen Angels, who were in such misery they ate one another to end their brothers' pain. But she left behind prophecies. Messages that outlived her, to aid the Freemen that had sworn to follow her. The prophecies promised Ishtar would return to save them, but until then, they had to work hard to survive when those who were as gods in the realm were against them. And then, when the time came, they surely would not stand by while the resurrected Ishtar fought alone.

That is the story of the Freemen, a story that I did not know of until my own intersected it. Do not forget, Animus, that there are always stories other than your own. Thank you for hearing me.

*The recording ends, showing Enoch sitting at the terminal, feed live to hear responses.*

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[Gilbert smiles back, but thinly. He takes his bird off his head and pets it gently.]

So this really happened in your world? You know, you've never really told me much about where you came from. I wonder who's going to wind up being our Ishtar, then...

That it did...but I'd hope nobody else will have to die in our case.

*He offers a thin little smile.*

I don't know how much there is to tell about what I've been through that would be helpful now.

[Suddenly, insight!]

Hey, maybe Dax is our Ishtar...? He did try his best to help us, after all. And he died.

[Beat.]

It's kind of sad that it comes down to what is helpful now. I've got tons of war stories, but like you said, I don't know how useful they'd be.

*There's a soft, sad little laugh. He can't say anything. Not here, at least.*

We could exchange stories all the same, if you'd like.

Sure, sure! But... the story I like to share most isn't a war story. Do you still want to hear it?

Of course, if we're simply sharing them for the sake of it.

Alright! The story begins in a field not too far away from my capital city. I'd gone out on an excursion with some of my men, when I found something strange.

[He deliberately pauses here to leave Enoch guessing.]

*He still has his attention.*

Something strange...?

*Though with something so vague, his imagination quickly gives up on it - thinking of, perhaps, a meteorite or some strange animal or person, before simply returning his focus to Prussia to tell the story.*

Yes! [Something in Prussia's eyes seems to brighten a bit as he goes on.] There was a little boy in this field. Blonde hair, eyes that looked like mine, but blue... it took me a bit, but I knew this kid was a nation. Oh, did I ever tell you about the nations? It could take a while, so maybe I'll just stick to specific questions.

I believe you attempted to, but...I'm not certain what you mean by it. You represent a nation...

*Well, if all his more "human" ideas didn't fit, then...*

...Are you some sort of Pr-... *No, he doesn't seem like an angel at all.* -being that presides over nations?

Um... kind of? We're like the embodiments of nations. Our health is connected to our country's health, we can feel major events that happen... things like that.

Oh... So the boy you found was of a nation that was just founded?

Sort of, yeah. He was of a nation that was going to be, rather: the German Confederation. He was going to have a rough childhood ahead of him. Then again, we all had rough times as kids. I was part of a knight order for most of my childhood.

...Few nations, even large cities sometimes, are formed without strife. In a world where these nations are represented by people... I'm sorry.

What are you apologizing for? It's just part of life as a nation. Our growing pains are just more literal than it would be for others.

War is often called glorious, but for children it's more often than not horrific. That each and every one of you must see it...

Heh, I know both sides of that better than anyone else. I was fighting in wars since pretty much the moment I was born. As for West... he didn't have to fight much as a child. I didn't let him into combat personally. But boy, did he have his share of painful side effects.

War doesn't need to be seen personally to be horrific. For them to lose friends, fathers, brothers...

*He shakes his head.* You would feel war indirectly in a very different way, though, wouldn't you?

That's right. West... he was in a lot of pain while the revolutions were going on. Sometimes he'd even cough up blood. [Prussia winces a little at that grisly detail. He's not afraid of blood at all, of course, but remembering what happened to his little brother is a bit rough.] Sometimes, when we're at war, we'll feel pain, but we have to push through it and fight.

The effects could be that bad... It's a wonder you could even fight in them, yourself, in all of that...

*Enoch had to fight while sick or starving or sleep-deprived, of course. That doesn't mean he'd wish or approve of those conditions on anyone else.*

Eh, I was a bit special when it came to battle. There was a point when I was called "the army with a country." You know, because of the sheer military strength my country possessed. I enjoyed fighting in wars. It was what I was good at.

That's...certainly different from any nation I've ever traveled to.

*His world was still an entirely agrarian or nomadic one though, not as if he can actually see that's what the difference is.*

Really? What kind of countries do you have in your world?

Well, a well-maintained military is nice, but most of the nations in my world are kingdoms living on trades of harvesting, fishing, or mining depending on where they are. None would dream of having their military dominate, it's too expensive to outfit them all, and untrained citizens can help if they own a weapon, if they must.

*This guy is from early, okay.*

Kingdoms and trade... huh. Your world must be really... I don't want to say primitive, but my world was only like that a long time ago. Like, a reeeeeeaaaaaallllyy long time ago.

[Of course Prussia knows his history; being a nation kind of makes you history, in a way.]

Gather around

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