jikan_rpg | [CLOSED] A heavenly assignment

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[CLOSED] A heavenly assignment

⌛ Who: Azem (

starshepard), Emet-Selch (

emet_sulk), and Rhea'li (

lightduties)
⌛ What: Three refugees receive a heavenly assignment in which they fix fractured souls
⌛ When: Early December
⌛ Where: The Western Paradise
⌛ Warnings: FFXIV Shadowbringers/Endwalker spoilers all the way down, probably

Rhea'li is no stranger to odd requests, so he thinks nothing of it when he wakes after a strange dream and a golden train ticket in his hands. It wouldn't be the first time a god-like being has called to him in his sleep...

Which is how he ends up in the Western Paradise with a number of other refugees summoned to help return souls fractured and ripped from their bodies by the timeloops back to their rightful place. When he hears that, Rhea'li winces, thinking of his own soul, the sundered nature of it and the re-fracture of it in recent days.

It can be a little tricky for others to spot Rhea'li in the gaggle of refugees who had been summoned to help with the situation in the Western Paradise (being as short as he is), but he can certainly spot the two ancients amongst the crowd as Inari Okami teaches them how to properly wield Kizuna to complete their task. Without hesitation, Rhea'li bonds with another refugee -- a stranger as suggested -- before gently breaking it, the magic coming easily to him. Mayhaps the ease has something to do with its similarities to the echo, even though he has little control over the latter?

The lesson complete, the refugees are allowed to disperse to complete the task of aiding the lost and fractured souls, though not without a warning; particularly malevolent lost souls can influence or corrupt those who attempt to help them, possibly even possess them. So it would best to not travel alone, so that another can assist in removing the malevolence.

It's with that in mind that Rhea'li keeps an eye out for Emet-Selch and Azem as the other refugees begin to disperse, waving as he approaches.

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Rhea'li, by contrast, does not appear to pay them much heed when they approach. He is sitting on the stone steps leading to a small shrine, gaze distant. Though an ear twitches, as does his tail, he does not look at either Azem or Emet-Selch.

"You looked for me..." His head suddenly snaps to the side, staring at them, unblinking. "Why did you bother?"

There are many souls gathered with Rhea'li, but there is sign of another soul nestled in the still healing crack of Rhea'li's, a dim glimmer of malevolence radiating from it.

He sets Azem down beside him, all four eyes narrowing behind his metal mask.

"Why would we not search for you after we agreed to meet at a certain hour?" Hades glides forward. He can see the sliver of colour wedged in their cracked soul more clearly. "What have you done to yourself this time? Do you want to be fractured again?"

Azem may lack the ability to see souls but they have other senses to tell them when something is off. The sensation of something crawling up their back to the nape of their neck causes them to shiver, immediately taking up a defensive stance when they're set down.

"Something isn't right. Tell me what you see Hades," they say as they edge closer.

Rhea'li scrambles to get away from Emet-Selch when he approaches, tail raised high and fur standing on end, half crouching beside the shrine.

"People don't come back for me," he hisses, eyes unnaturally wide and elongated canines bared like a cornered animal. "You're waiting for the chance to ditch me!"

He halts abruptly. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind yet it hurts to hear, even if he suspects that it isn't actually Rhea'li speaking.

"There is something wrong with his soul," he says slowly, pushing down his guilt. "I think...he may be possessed."

Azem does their best to block out the words coming from Rhea'li and, instead, focuses on what Hades has to say.

"Possessed." They frown as they slowly begin to move toward Rhea'li. Their expression changes quickly to a soft smile, trying to be as disarming as possible. "If we plan to ditch you, as you say, then why would we come looking for you?"

Rhea'li's ears pull back and tip of his tail flicks from side up side. His voice is smaller, quiet, but unlike his usual calm demeanour the softness comes from an underlying fear.

"One day you won't. You won't come. You won't come." He looks directly at Azem before he ducks his head, fingers digging into his skull. His voice pitches higher, thin and reedy. "Wind biting, hunger gnawing, cold stabbing, darkness approaches."

"...This isn't him. Should I remove it?"

He still remembers how. A paltry task for one such as him. Whether the spirits here respond is another matter however. He remembers his attempts to fix another's fractured soul being ineffective.

Azem fights the urge to move forward and attempt to restrain Rhea'li so he doesn't hurt himself.

"Can you? Do we need to form a bond instead and draw it out? I don't know how any of this is supposed to work."

"I don't know either."

Inari didn't exactly explain what to do if things went wrong. They had warned of it, but he supposes it's difficult to demonstrate what to do without having one on hand.

"Let's take him back with us. I would rather not make things worse."

Azem nods and moves forward as they conjure up a blanket to wrap around Rhea'li. It takes them a moment to get him all bundled and scooped up, all while trying to reassure the spirit that's taken control that it's all going to be okay.

Once done they look up at Hades. "All ready to go."

Rhea'li makes for a comical sight all bundled up in the blanket. He pauses, making sure he has suppressed his amusement, before they head back to the Inari god.

Thankfully the situation is quick to explain. They must soul dive and bring peace to the malevolent spirit so it releases its hold on their friend. Hades doesn't seem terribly enthused...but then, when does he ever?

Azem, in contrast, doesn't mind the idea of soul diving. The whole concept sounds a lot like using their Echo to view what has transpired in an area or to see the memories of another person. "This should be simple enough." They decide with a smile.

All they need do is form a bond a let themselves connect on a level beyond just the physical. Though they aren't sure what to expect. Rhea'li is still a part of this, is he not? It's an exciting prospect if they're honest.

Hades nods reluctantly. There is nothing for it but to do it. He owes Rhea'li that much (and more besides). He hopes those earlier words were not actually meant.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

Azem bobs their head in a nod. "Yes, let's help these two out." Because it's more than Rhea'li they're helping here.

Rhea'li had been strangely compliant when Azem bundled him up, sleepy, as though he was hit by a sudden bout of exhaustion. The miqo'te, were he in full control of himself, would have wriggled out of such a thing.

When they dive into Rhea'li's soul, gone is the peaceful and pleasant environs of the Western Paradise. Instead, they are thrust headlong onto the shores of riverbank, an abundance of grass carpeting the land nearby. The wind carries the scent of the sea to the ancients, the white stone of Limsa Lominsa visible over cliffs. Gigantic crabs scuttle amongst the shore slugs, the river leading towards the ocean while the other direction leads towards tall cliffs that surround the river's mouth. It would be a rather pleasant sight, were it not for the sight of the huge red moon hanging low in the sky, clouds painted a sickly orange. If one were to look carefully at the silhouette of the moon, there appear to be several rectangular objects speared into it.

Rhea'li himself is suddenly no longer anywhere to be found.

Hades recognises the vista immediately. And the point in time in which they have arrived. He gazes at the red moon, picturing the primal lying dormant within its core.

Judging by how close it is, he suspects that they are about to witness it cracking open. He scans their surroundings in search of Rhea'li.

"I do not see him..."

It is nice that the possessed Rhea'li doesn't put up a fight once all bundled up. It makes the return trip much easier.

Azem, on the other hand, doesn't recognize anything. They're immediately hit with the thrill of adventure in a new land as they look around at their surroundings. It isn't until they look up at the sky that their excitement wavers a little. They let out a low whistle, "Well, that's ominous."

They squint up the red moon until Hades speaks. "Huh?"

They look around once more and realize that is just the two of them. "Oh, how strange. I was expecting either him or the spirit to be here with us. I suppose we'll have to track them down."

From their current location, there are footprints in the muddy bank. Some of them have been scuffed by the local wildlife, but they are all roughly the same size and leading in three different directions.

Option 1 - towards the ocean and Limsa Lominsa

As they head towards the ocean, the smell of salt grows even stronger. The city is as bustling as ever, with people of all kinds selling their wares.

There is talk of the ongoing war with the Garlean Empire and it isn't surprising to overhear people talking about friends or family who had signed up to help the Grand Companies. Worry is a clear feature in these conversations, but Limsa Lominsa doesn't stop for something like that.

It does, however, grind to a sudden and abrupt halt when the skies suddenly darken and meteors begin to rain over the city.

Option 2 - towards the mouth of the river and the surrounding tall cliffs

As they follow the path up the river, the sky slowly begins to darken ominously. Red paints the clouds like there a fire in the far distance, smoke and ash turning them black.

Yet, as they step into the valley surrounded by cliffs, there is almost no sign of such foreboding portent. Looking up, there is only a mere sliver of sky visible from between the rocks, and the gentle burbling of the river is peaceful despite it all.

However... what they find is not one but two Rhea'lis, both sitting beside each other by the river's edge, his appearance noticeably younger. Gone is the serious look that is often on his face and the twitches of his tail is noticeably more animated. One Rhea'li sits with his feet in the water, kicking up splashes, while the other Rhea'li has a fishing rod out, staring intently at where the line dips below the water despite the first miqo'te likely scaring off the fish with his actions.

Option 3 - towards the group of people in the distance, away from both Limsa Lominsa and the river

In the direction perpendicular to the other two routes, one could espy a small group of people with a bit of squinting. They appear to be in quite a heated argument, two in the bright colour of the Yellowjackets while the others are in leather armour.

Yet... approaching them causes the environment to blur and shift to that of a totally different location; Carteneau Flats, in the heat of battle. Garlean footsoldiers and magitek clash with the combined forces of the Grand Companies, explosions from magic and magitek alike resounding in the air. Another soldier dressed in the red of the Maelstrom approach, "You are the reinforcements? Good. We need you to support the flank."

Behind the ancients are several other people, not least of whom include Rhea'li, who is looking up at the red moon hanging low in the sky.

The sky is a baleful ochre but the valley is almost peaceful. Serene, even. Hades follows the faint smudge of Rhea'li's soul until they find both miqo'te. At which point he halts, confused. There are two of them...?

"The moon is about to fall, and yet he plays here still?" he mutters to himself - although it's quite audible to Azem.

Azem feels at home in the wilds like this, even if their surrounding are completely unfamiliar (and not exactly real). Though the sky worries them, they find their gaze drifting upward every so often. It's only once they enter the valley proper and they can barely see the sky that they focus more on their surroundings.

They're just baffled by the two Rhea'lis when finally find him. But it's what Hades has to say that truly baffles them. "The moon? What do you mean?" They turn to try and look up at the sky, as if they'll be able to see the moon from where they stand.

Both Rhea'lis turn their heads to look at the two ancients.

The one kicking his feet in the river stares at them, wide-eyed. "You came back?"
The one fishing widens his eyes and pulls his ears back, eyes as round as saucers, "Hello? Who are you?"

Above them, meteors begin to streak through the darkened sky.

He looks between the pair, even more confused. What they utter is at odds with what he expects they should be saying.

"What--?" But then his gaze is drawn back to the heavens as flashes of fire and light begin to streak down.

Hades freezes for a moment. He's briefly thrown back to his nightmares. Of desperate screams. Of pleas for succor. Of his own heart beating fast in his chest as he hurried past burnt and mutilated bodies lying on ashen streets.

Azem's just as confused but keeps a smile on their face. The question about them coming back must mean the younger is the spirit. Well, it seems things might be easy enough.

From the corner of their eye, they see how Hades freezes up and reaches for his hand to try and ground him. Their focus then goes back to the duo of Rhea'lis.

"Of course, I said I would after all." They say to the younger before addressing the older, all the while keeping an easy-going smile on their face. "I am known as Azem and my friend here is Emet-Selch. We came looking for a friend."

The one who Azem has identified as the spirit tugs on Rhea'li's sleeve before half hiding behind him.

Rhea'li shakes his head, an impatient huff as he flaps his hand dismissively. "Well, you'll not find none here! This is my spot."

Above them, the red moon cracks. Even from so far away, the flare of light from Bahamut's emergence lights up the sky.

"What was that?" Rhea'li's ears immediately perk as he looks up. Scrambling to his feet, his fishing rod in his hand as he moves to leave the valley to see the cause of the commotion.

But his exit is abruptly cut off when the spirit grabs his hand. "No! Don't go!" The spirit looks to both Emet-Selch and Azem also, silently begging they do the same, eyes wide.

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