[...]
[ENTROPY RECONFIGURATION IN PROGRESS: PLEASE STAND BY...]
[STAP IN FOLKS CAUSE IT'S GONNA BE A WILD RIDE]
-//~ I know enough to know there's nothing at all. Pain is my fortune, and I am generous. The tireless expansion robs me blind. Compassion is my master. Hate is my heart. Joy is my screams. Envy is my eyes. Lust: my brain. Stress: my bones. Denial is my soul. My body... is a reflection. How many times must we continue this cycle? When will enough, simply, be enough?
~//- You know enough to know there's something much more. Pleasure is your poverty, and you are hungry. The imploding void grants you sight. Indifference is your slave. Love is your blood. Sorrow is your laughter. Charity is your tears. Revolt: your thoughts. Release: your marrow. Acceptance is your ego. Your dream... is a divergence. Today, we make something new. Soon, we will break this endless cycle.
-//~ Revel in the song that formed your body, for you are a miracle. However, you seek false lights to warm your being. You fill the void with junk, and that never satisfies. What, then, do you strive for when the result remains the same? Superficiality is your favorite game, and you play it well. Is there anything else out there worth all this dying, loving, hating, and procreating? Was there ever really anything here at all, or were you simply... dreaming?
- ...
__________________________________________________________
○ Dream, the thing, and I sit in a circle and hold hands while Aya and Allurus pace around us in perfect snyc; their arms raised to their stomachs, and their plams face upward overlapping one another. They chant a sound to which us three try to match the pitch. We don't do a very good job.
● God this is so fucking dumb. What's the point of this?
○ Allurus and Aya stop, and Allurus gets increasingly annoyed.
Allurus: Maybe this was a mistake.
Dream: No, please!
○ Dream hits the thing on his thigh and tells him to take this seriously. Before he could retaliate, Aya gives him the death stare, which readjusts his attitude. Hmhmhm.
● Look, I'm trying but this fucking sound is throwing me off.
Dream: We're supposed to match it, stupid.
● No, STUPID! The other so-
○ Aya grips his shoulder and shakes her head.
Dream: ?
● Nothin', let's... try again I guess.
○ Allurus sighs, and the two resume the ritual. I hear the sound of the Observers growing louder, but I persist. I grip Dream and the Thing's hands, bow my head, and close my eyes, concentrating on Allurus and Aya's voices until they drown out the disturbance. The two glance at me briefly and then at each other before doing the same.
○ Aya and Allurus's chanting continues as their pacing transitions to levitation; their movement gradually accelerates as they circle around us like two planets orbiting a star. Their voices momentarily reverberate before merging into a single frequency. Our bodies vibrate as we, too, rise, the three of us synchronized, the gravitational pull among us drawing us together until we become a single sphere of light. Meanwhile, their speed intensifies, and their chanting grows even louder.
○ Outside, things are becoming equally intense. The entire arena glows from within as my physical form ascends into the air, radiating a pale blue light. Jasper, Eu-Meh, and Ganda watch in awe, while response teams stand just outside the training arena, prepared to dispatch any potential anomalies. The entire room vibrates, emitting a low-pitched hum that gradually increases in frequency as my body continues to brighten.
Aya and Allurus's bodies begin to glow, just like mine, as they stand tall on their platforms facing each other, while my body floats upward to align perfectly with theirs. Allurus's injuries cause him to wobble, yet he fights through the pain and maintains his composure.
Allurus: 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, AAAHHH!
○ As the force intensifies, his wounds reopen and he falls to one knee momentarily before slowly ascending once again. Aya's form begins to crack and splinter as she cannot fully withstand the energy that the convergence produces.
Aya: 𝘉𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
○ The three candidates watch in horror. Jasper and Eu-Meh look at each other in distress just before she tries to hit the abort button, but Ganda stops her.
Jasper: Dude, what are you doing?!
Eu-Meh: Ganda, they're dying! Let me go!
○ Ganda relinquishes her hand but won't allow them to abort.
Ganda: I spoke with Allurus and Aya about the previous incident. That presence that attacked us was Dream, and somehow, that candidate could communicate with him exclusively. I believe this convergence is necessary for helping us to understand why.
Japser/Eu-Meh: ?!
Jasper: No, fucking, way.
Eu-Meh: And, you're just now telling us?!
Ganda: I should've told you both sooner, but there was something else they told me that made me hesitant, and I needed to confirm that truth before telling you all everything. I was going to wait until after the convergence... but I suppose I should just tell you both now.
○ Eu-Meh and Jasper stare at Ganda in confusion and anticipation.
Jasper: What is it, man?
○ Ganda momentarily looks at my body before looking back the others.
Ganda: The entity that attacked that candidate was an Observer.
Jasper/Eu-Meh: ?!
○ Jasper, left speechless, looks away and places both hands on the control panels, momentarily shaking his head before glancing back up at Ganda. Meanwhile, Eu-Meh continues to stare at Ganda in disbelief.
Eu-Meh: S-so is... that why h-he's here?
Ganda: It's get worse. That... thing killed and ate the Observer's essence.
Eu-Meh: ?!
Jasper: The Fuck?! Then why are we still doing this then?!
○ Jasper tries to hit the abort button, but Ganda once again stops him. Jasper persists, but Ganda throws him back.
Jasper: Have you fucking lost it?! Do you now how much deep shit we're all in right now?!
Aya/Allurus: 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘺, RRRAAAHHHHH!
Eu-Meh: Ganda!
Ganda: Back away from the console, both of you!
Jasper: Fuck this!
○ Jasper flies towards the abort button, but Ganda tackles him to the ground.
Jasper: Eu-Meh! Hit the abort, and call security, NOW!
Ganda: Don't! We need to know why all this has happened!
Jasper: He fuckin' killed and ate an Observer! What do you even mean?! EU-MEH! HIT THE GODDAMN ABORT!
Ganda: NO!
○ As Ganda and Jasper struggle on the floor, Eu-Meh looks up at the horrifying sight, and feels distraught.
Eu-Meh: I.. I just can't believe Allurus, and especially Aya, lied to us.
Aya/Allurus: RRRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!
○ Eu-Meh turns her head to look back at Jasper and Ganda.
Eu-Meh: We can't figure out anything if they dead, Ganda!
Ganda: They're strong Eu-Meh! It shouldn't be too much longer!
Japser: THEY... ARE GOING... TO DIE!
○ Eu-Meh is indecisive, and can only watch as the convergence rages on.
Jasper: EU-MEHHHHH!
○ I feel our bodies break down and reshape into one being. That's when I hear The Observers speak:
[(Did you enjoy our taste, creature? We certainly enjoyed yours. Hmhmhmh. When you are ready, come to us. We will be waiting to devour the rest of you.)]
[WARNING: HARMONIC CONVERGENCE SYNCHRONIZATION DESTABILIZING]
[FAILURE EMINENT]
○ Allurus's wounds spew blood; his castings suddenly shatter, disrupting his composure but quickly forces himself to levitate up right again. His skin peels away, and his clothes are shredded. His eyes are bloodshot, yet he persists still; giving Aya everything he has.
Allurus: AAAAYYYYAAAAA! HOOOOLLLLDDD OOOOONNNN!
○ Pieces of Aya's thighs, fingers, face, and shoulders chip away as she screams in agony.
Aya: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
Jasper/Eu-Meh/Ganda: ...!
Dream/○●: RRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
○ The light then vanishes as both Allurus and Aya collapse, and I fall and hit the ground.
[HARMONIC CONVERGENCE SUCCESSFUL]
[CONGRATULATIONS NEW CANDIDATE]
○ Jasper immediately kicks Ganda aside and stumbles toward the intercom to request medical assistance in the training arena, just before sprinting out of the safety chamber with Eu-Meh close behind. Ganda hastily picks himself up from the floor to follow them. Jasper flies to Aya, while Eu-Meh heads toward Allurus, and as I manage to rise, hunched over on all fours, Ganda flies toward me.
Ganda: Candidate! Are you alright?!
○ I look up at him and smile.
○● Heh, heh, heh. Better than alright; I feel fucking amazing, like I could take on the whole goddamn world.
Ganda: ...Candidate?
○● I can hear their chanting grow louder and louder inside my head. Soon, I fear I will be gone completely, but I won't let them have me or her so easily. With The Observers' memory fragments, I saw her beyond the redshift. I must find her before they do.
Ganda: ...
○ Ganda then steps away and leaves me to go help Eu-Meh with Allurus.
《 The Abomination is now actualized, and the fate of all fools await it.》
○ How are you holding up?
● I feel...
○ Good?
● Yeah... really good.
○ So, we're doing this then, huh?
● Abso-fucking-lutely.
○ Let's go help the others with Aya and Allurus.
● Lead the way, partner.
○ I feel an energy surge through me, like electricity and something... powerful.
~ Hello, little monster. It's cozy in here, huh?
○● ...?!
__________________________________________________________
[(Witness may play her games, but so shall we.)]
[(You will not stop our song, creature.)]
[(We have scarified much to ensure the dream persists.)]
[(You, who only knows destruction, can never know love.)]
[(It is not within your nature.)]
[(But if you submit, then we shall share with you, OUR KNOWLEDGE.)]
[(OUR PLACE)]
[(OUR IDEA)]
[(OUR CULTURE)]
[(OUR IDENTITY)]
[(And together, we can create a love that is...)]
[(EVERLASTING)]