i just wanna know: who broke it?

[summonerd]

[Sheena'd thought she was all done with dimensional travel, now that the two worlds were united. But here she is, having fallen asleep in one world and woken up in a Tethe'alla that's just different enough from the one she knows to be constantly jarring. Her connections to Aselia's summon spirits dangle loose, snapped by distance - not even Origin's power could follow her here, it seems. That's more than a little unsettling.

It takes her some time, alone in a bizarro version of Meltokio as she is, but eventually she stumbles on a lead - an old scientific journal, a mention of the power of something called an Aegis being able to transcend space and time, at least in theory. And a little asking around tells her that Tethe'alla has its own Aegis, though no one's seen it for years. Well. Worth a shot, right?

Somehow she manages to talk her way into the Tethe'allan castle where the Aegis's core crystal awaits being woken up, with a series of smiles and her very best politicking - yes, of course she's got nothing but loyalty for Tethe'alla, of course she's skilled at this, of course it'd be a great honor.

(Zelos would be proud, she thinks, wryly.)

They're dubious, but her persistence wears them down, or maybe they're just desperate enough for a return of the Aegis's power to let her try, and the orange core crystal is offered out to her.

She takes a deep breath, and reaches out to touch it.]

Comments

WAKEY WAKEY FUCKOR AND BAKEY

[presidentheartbeat]

[The main blessing of dormancy is that it's a little like being dead. Within dormancy, cradled by the soft hum of the blade network as he is, no input from the outside world can enter his systems. There's no need for resonance, no need to pretend. Zelos can just curl up at the bottom of the network's ocean and imagine, for just a while, that he doesn't even exist.

Quiet and calm, he's vaguely aware that he's been down here for nearly half a decade, or maybe longer, but. He's not really sure; and honestly, he doesn't really care. The passage of time isn't something he wants to concentrate on, after all. Zelos has enough on his plate rejecting and refusing every possible resonance that tries to hook its claws into his crystal--humanity's twisted attempts at coercing him to come back, humanity begging their weapon to return.

Zelos doesn't want to come back. Zelos won't come back. It's the one decision he's made in his life, and by the Architect's name is he going to stick to it as long as he can.

But then he feels it.

There's a ripple in the network, a connection rushing forth into his space like a hand dipping into water and reaching for him. Shy at first, then bolder, almost desperate and surrounded by confusion. Another resonance attempt. Zelos curls into himself again, but then stops. Something about this ether feels... different, somehow. Like it's not really ether, instead being something that feels ancient and old, and yet purer than concentrated ether itself. It startles Zelos, and in his moment of weakness curiosity takes over and pings it, his own ether rising to meet this new signal halfway.

The signal pings back. It's like an echo of something he should know, but doesn't. Something vulnerable and nostalgic. Gently, this echo takes a hold of his wavelength, and suddenly he opens his eyes.

Before he can help himself Zelos resonates with this new signal, link forming and solidifying between himself and his driver.

And in a bright, orange light, Tethe'alla's Aegis slowly reforms.]