▪︎ "My friend, are you alright? You're always welcome to talk to me whenever you're feeling down, you know? I'm always here for you."
. Yes, that is the crux of the problem: an indefinite, cruel cycle of highs and lows. An arbitrary struggle in pursuit of what? Are we simply to act content and accept this absurdity/order with only brief, fleeting moments of love and compassion to alleviate our stress?
▪︎▪︎ 𝘮𝘮𝘮, 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴... "I understand your frustration, but what more can we do other than loving one another? Even if the costs of facilitating that love are... heartbreaking, we didn't choose this. We have to make the sacrifices others made mean something, don't we?"
: The cost is too high, and the burden weighs too heavily on my heart for me to feel 'love.' I am tired of this, Aya.
[IDENTITY CONFORMATION: AYA... APPROVED. YOU MAY NOW PROCEED.]
Aya: "I know that's not true. You do love; otherwise, the pain you're feeling from our friends' absence wouldn't impact you so much. But you can't just forsake everything else."
:. It's too late.
Aya: "What do you mean?"
:: "I've already chosen my candidate=successor/fool."
Aya: "What?! Already? Are you sure they're the one?"
::. They are perfect/good enough.
Aya: "Will you introduce me to them?"
::: Maybe. I haven't decided yet whether that would be a good/bad idea.
Aya: 𝘨𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. "Well, don't you think I should? I mean, I suppose I will eventually, but this is such exciting news! We should be celebrating, not sulking here."
:::. Aya... no.
Aya: "What, why not?"
:::: Because it is not a joyous occasion.
Aya: "Allurus... what happened?"
[IDENTITY CONFIRMATION: ALLURUS... APPROVED. YOU MAY NOW PROCEED.]
Allurus: I did something terrible—something that would make you recoil in horror.
Aya: 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴'𝘴. "Just tell me."
Allurus: I'm breaking The Cycle.
- Aya's hands slowly withdraw as she gazes into Allurus's eyes, her own filled with pure terror.
Aya: "Allurus... no."
Allurus: I must.
Aya: "After everything? After all the sacrifices each and every one of us has made? After being broken and remade time and time again so that we, along with everyone else, can live a better future?"
Allurus: At what cost?
Aya: "You're not listening."
Allurus: No, you're not listening. You, I, and all the other sycophants allow the undesirable=unfortunate to perish, like discarded kindling, in order to perpetuate this? This isn't progress, Aya; it's madness—pure, absolute madness, and I will put an end to it once and for all. This is a false light, faintly flickering in the darkness, alluring lesser beings to its glow, ultimately succumbing to its gravity and gradually being consumed by it.
Allurus: We are a predator, and life is our prey.
Aya: "..."
Allurus: 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩... I am going to rest now and prepare for what's to come.
Aya: "The candidate=successor/blessing? Are they..."
Allurus: They are/m̶a̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶ a blight/b̶l̶e̶s̶s̶i̶n̶g̶; They will/c̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ be our ruin/a̶s̶c̶e̶n̶s̶i̶o̶n̶.
Aya: "... I still want to meet them."
Allurus: Why?
Aya: "Because it's tradition."
Allrus: You will try to dissuade them from my/our path, won't you?
Aya: "Do you really blame me?"
Allurus: No/yes, but I suppose it wouldn't matter when the two of you meet. However, you should know they are... Shattered= ((out^?)/1*in)/((in^?)/1*out).
Aya: "A broken mirror?"
Allurus: Yes.
Aya: "Oh void... Allurus, they will surely fail/succeed. You won't break The Cycle; you'll only fracture it. Entropy=order/chaos will become..."
Allurus: It will/may destabilize/adjust its velocity, accelerating beyond the capacity it can withstand, creating something beyond our comprehension—something that even our kind cannot control.
Aya: "Oblivion..."
Allurus: Yes... oblivion. 𝘎𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘺𝘢 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺. Do you now regret choosing me as your conduit=partner/inmate?
Aya: "When I think back to when I discovered your frail body lying amongst all that death and decay, I was overwhelmed by the projection of your sorrow. You embodied my failed, dying dream, filling me with great shame. I lamented for you and yearned for a brighter future on your behalf. I asked you to dream of it, and then that dream became alive."
Aya: 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨. "I... I just wanted things to be better."
Allurus: I know. You tried your best, and I will always be grateful for your kindness, but it simply wasn't enough to calm my storm. None of this could have ever sufficed, so please don't blame yourself. You were simply driven by your compassionate nature. However, this is now my reality/interpretation. My burden/passion. My curse/blessing. If my hope/gamble is to be successful/a big, fucking mistake, then everything will/won't have been worth the suffering.
Allurus: Its consumption/expulsion will create a heaven/hell unlike any being has ever witnessed, for there will be nothing left to do so. And in that, true peace will manifest.
Aya: "Allu... tsk" 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩... "I am merely your reflection now. If... if you truly feel this way, then my obligation=love is to help you achieve that dream. And, I... will do so with conviction."
Allurus: Thank you, Aya.
Aya: "Do not thank me, Allurus. Not for this."
Allrus: Alright.