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All my powers back now I'm scary to zombies
[ Deep within the confines of a mountain rage to the west, a dense and lush temperate forest blankets the land. The same forest serves as the proud "mane" of the lion-shaped Titan that swims throughout the cloud sea, carrying life and death upon its back as it has always done for millennia. It has only been more recently that it seems to be carrying more death along with it, but not by any fault of its own. Instead, it is the inhabitants that its has hosted for years that have turned to worshiping the art and philosophy of wars and battles-- wars and battles that span the world greater than just this single Titan's back.
It is during one of these battles that a fire razes many miles of its mane, clearing both brush and animals from their lands, charring the ground to render it useless, and forcing the evacuation of one of the cities housed upon the Titan's shoulders. And within one of the valleys of the mountain, it just so happens to char away enough vines and shrub to reveal a set of solemn stone doors carved directly into the cliffside.
There the Aegis lies within her sealed chamber, lying quietly within a glass casket decorated with ornate runes that have since fallen out of human language, faded and chipping away. A sword remains upon upright within the center of the room, steel worn and rusted, giving away that it is a replica. The Aegis herself, in all of her fabled might and glory, may look underwhelming in her current form as she lies there. Legends say that she had hair the color of gold, but here she is with a head crowned with red. The songs of old may also speak of how the emerald crystal upon her chest shone like the right eye of the dragon constellation, glorious and blinding and unmistakable; instead, the crystal's light is a dim, quiet pulse within the bleakness of the ruins, and barely able to cast any shadow.
The air is heavy within this chamber, thick like smoke and tasting like steel, stirring with only the slightest of movement from the shifting stance of the Titan itself. But that air, this chamber, and the Aegis herself will soon be disturbed when someone decides to enter. ]
It is during one of these battles that a fire razes many miles of its mane, clearing both brush and animals from their lands, charring the ground to render it useless, and forcing the evacuation of one of the cities housed upon the Titan's shoulders. And within one of the valleys of the mountain, it just so happens to char away enough vines and shrub to reveal a set of solemn stone doors carved directly into the cliffside.
There the Aegis lies within her sealed chamber, lying quietly within a glass casket decorated with ornate runes that have since fallen out of human language, faded and chipping away. A sword remains upon upright within the center of the room, steel worn and rusted, giving away that it is a replica. The Aegis herself, in all of her fabled might and glory, may look underwhelming in her current form as she lies there. Legends say that she had hair the color of gold, but here she is with a head crowned with red. The songs of old may also speak of how the emerald crystal upon her chest shone like the right eye of the dragon constellation, glorious and blinding and unmistakable; instead, the crystal's light is a dim, quiet pulse within the bleakness of the ruins, and barely able to cast any shadow.
The air is heavy within this chamber, thick like smoke and tasting like steel, stirring with only the slightest of movement from the shifting stance of the Titan itself. But that air, this chamber, and the Aegis herself will soon be disturbed when someone decides to enter. ]
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That thought alone surprises her with how deeply she feels it. She's only known him for a few minutes, and while, yes, his imprinting upon her core crystal gives her better insight as to what type of person he is, it shouldn't have that much of an effect. Maybe it's because of his earnestness, the sincerity, the sorrow from that statement that she senses from him, as if he's already paid enough of a price for peace.
If there were one man who could change the world for the better, even without her,... would it be him? ]
Then, [ She steps to the side, motioning to the exit of the chamber. ] Shall we be off?
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But around Pyra, he doesn't feel that need to hide every vulnerability of his behind a veneer of strength. She's already noticed the faint scars from past battles on him, and she may well come to notice his other shortcomings, such as his tendency to approach every challenge head-on. And yet, he doesn't quite mind if it means that she'll stick around.
Maybe he can show her the new world he wants to build. It would be nice if she could enjoy it, too.
He nods over his shoulder at her in affirmation, then turns toward the entrance of the chamber. The light that had been pouring in to it doesn't seem so bright now, though that may simply be because his eyes have adjusted. He reaches to his side and unlatches a pair of crimson and gold-trimmed tonfas from his belt. They're a fairly mundane weapon compared to her Blade, adorned with a few glowing crystals and not much else. But he won't wield her like a weapon, no matter how much stronger it might make him. ]
Let's go. I think my friends have already cleared the surrounding area, but there's a lot of people who were displaced by the fighting. I'd like to make sure they're alright before we leave.
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But then her expression falls at the mention of fighting, and coupled with the scars she has seen upon his skin, it definitely sounds as if it's more than just the haphazard skirmish...
Pyra may know about him as a person from their bond, but not about him. The specifics. The land he calls home, his family, his friends. The people he has vowed to help and defend. ] ...Ah, is there another war?
[ Another war. Another. War. ]
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He's so used to war as a state of being, in fact, that he is taken off guard when she asks if there is another war. His mouth opens as if to answer, but he finds himself unable to come up with the words for a moment. His gaze wanders downward before he finally manages to speak. ]
I'm afraid so. My father was one of those who was trying to stop it, but we lost him eight years ago.
[ And now, he's the one to inherit his father's legacy. When he was younger, he'd always thought he would just fight under his father's leadership and help him bring peace. He had never expected that the responsibility would fall to him.
And yet, he's grateful for the chances he's been given. As difficult as it should be to take care of his family, to take care of a country, those are what motivate him now. He just hopes he can live up to their expectations. ]
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Pyra can't say she knows what it is like to lose a member of one's family as she has never had one-- not through blood-relations, anyway. But of those she does remember from her past, of their values, their dreams, their laughter, the way they had been determined to bring the wars of their own eras to an end... she remembers that well enough. That they no longer exist in this world is something truly heartbreaking.
Knowing that her words may not be enough, she will take a few more steps to be closer to him, placing a hand upon his arm in comfort. It's a brief touch, but the connection is there for that moment, as is the message: he has her support, should he ever need to speak further about his grief. ]
Someone like that.... I would have liked to meet him. Still, he must be very proud of you.
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He steps further ahead, away from the chamber, and into the flame-scarred valley. It's fortunate that the fire hadn't spread much farther. But there were still people who had been displaced. And while he'd ordered his subordinates and soldiers to tend to the people, that would do little for those who had lost their homes. ]
The enemy got desperate. They were willing to sacrifice the people they were supposed to protect, knowing that we'd focus on trying to protect them.
[ There's more bitterness in his voice than there had been before, the suffering clearly weighing on him. He tries not to show it in his expression, but unfortunately, he has a hard time being the stoic type. ]
I'm sorry that you have to see this. I wish you could have woken up to a more peaceful world.
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And then there are the people who have been displaced from their homes, families and memories both lost to the destruction. But it doesn't surprise her that she's woken up to this; she is a weapon of destruction as well. It's only appropriate that she sees this, reminding her of how much worse it could be if she remains.
But if-- if she were to help... how sooner would this war end for him? ]
What needs to be done? To bring an end to this. [ She asks him. ]
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Sun Ce doesn't consider himself much of a strategist. He's not dumb, but he approaches situations directly, often too much so. But even he knows that it won't do to just bring an end to the war: they have to bring an end to the root cause of the suffering that enables it.
He closes his eyes for a brief moment, remembering what his father's ambition had been: not to gain power for himself, but to restore peace and reform the crumbling institutions of the emperor who rules their enormous titan. It may be too late to fulfill that ambition as it stands, but bringing peace is still possible.
Opening his eyes once more, he turns to her, his off hand holding both of his tonfa by the handle as he places a hand on her shoulder. ]
It won't be enough just to defeat our enemies. Things fell into chaos because those in power stopped taking care of the people they were supposed to be looking after, and if we just crush everyone who gets in our way, then it's just a matter of time before the fighting starts again.
[ He removes his hand from her shoulder and takes another step outward, treading lightly. The clouds overhead are starting to form into dark grey, low-hanging clouds, and a gentle thunder rolls in the distance. His strategist had told him that it would rain soon, but unfortunately, it hadn't started early enough to stop the enemy from lighting fires. Still, he hopes that the rains would at least help put out whatever smaller fires were still burning farther away. ]
The way things are going, all of the smaller forces fighting right now are going to get swallowed up. Soon, there will just be three of us left. When that happens, we need to see if the other two will work with us or if they'll turn against us.
[ He's not terribly optimistic about that. But then again, he wasn't expecting to find her today. And seeing how much it hurts her to see the damage done to the land, to the titan they live on... it makes him want to believe that they can end this quickly. ]
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...You don't seem like a common footsoldier, Lord Sun Ce.
[ Aaand it's back to addressing him with a title, for the one moment she had only used his name without it had been when their pact, so to speak, was being formed. ]
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...I'm just lucky enough to have strength and people who support me. The only thing I want is to build a world that's safe enough that I can leave it to my family.
[ He looks over his shoulder and smiles at her, a genuine smile despite the heavy topics of conversation. ]
With you by my side, I feel like it's just a matter of time before we make that happen. When that happens, we'll enjoy that world together, alright?