โ Before I can officially enter The Starfield with Enoch, Eu-Meh, and I need to reenter the training arena to practice the etiquette of traversing it. Apparently the paradoxical talk is a type of slang/manners. I also need to be able to stay in my spectral form for an extensive period of time during transferance, and Eu-Meh is gonna teach me how. Although I feel really bad about what happened before, and I can feel her tension as she recoils if I walk too close to her. I gotta figure out how to make this right.
โ "God, is this bitch gonna be like this the whole time?"
Hate: Dream... ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ We nearly killed her, and you're really gonna be a dick right now?
~ I was only playing. Hmhmhm.
โ "Shut up, you little psycho."
~ We can play too little monster, if you'd like?
โ "Stay the fuck away from me."
~ Boop! ๐๐ช๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด
โ "Dumbfuck, You'd better find a way to kick this little bastard out of our head, or I will."
~ Not. Possible. We are one now, little monster. And if anything, YOU are the little bastard, so... be... SILENT!
โ "..."
โ "...?!"
โ "ใฝเผผ เฒ ็เฒ เผฝ๏พ !!?%&#$โ@ยก"
โ "... >:("
Hate: Heh, that's actually kinda funny. How'd you do that?
~ I'm your god, remember?
Hate: Then why am I the one in control?
~ Oh? Are you now...?
โ In that moment, Dream forces me over the railing of the catwalk, and I scream for Eu-Meh's help.
Hate: Eu-Mehhhh!
Eu-Meh: Oh, shit!
โ Eu-Meh jumps over the railing to catch me and struggles to fly back up but manages to get me onto the railing so I can climb back over.
~ Hahahahaha!
โ "(โยดโ๏ฝ*)โ โญโฉโฎ(โโฟโ)แ"
Eu-Meh: Why the fuck would you do that?!
Hate: It... ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐บ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ wasn't me.
โ Eu-Meh steps back in fear.
Eu-Meh: W-w-was It... D-dream?
โ I nodded, and she begins to take a defensive position.
Eu-Meh: Is it going to be a problem?
Hate: I... I think he's just fucking with me.
~ Hehehehe...
โ I guess I need to remember not to piss off or challenge Dream. Hopefully I can actually get him out of me at some point or at least revert him back to normal somehow. That was too fucking close.
โ "(๏พ๊ฆ โๆฒเฐ )๏พๅฝกโปโโป ใพ(ใโฃโโขใ)๏พ (โฃ_โข)"
~ I think the pet wants to speak again. Very well, but be mindful of yourself, creature, when you are in my presence.
โ "Fucking finally. Jesus, this little psycho nearly killed us, again! Hey, dumbfuck, you better watch yourself cause that crybaby ain't always be around to save your sorry ass."
Eu-Meh: Hate, I-I-I'm not really sure I feel comfortable with this anymore.
Hate: I'm sorry, Eu-Meh, I'm not going to hurt you. Dream is just...
~ Playing. Hmhmhm...
Hate: Look, I know you're afraid of me, and I'm so sorry for what happened, but we really need to do this.
โ "Yeah, you crybaby bitch."
Hate: Will you shut up, you fucker?!
Eu-Meh: ...?!
Hate: Sorry, it's this asshole in my head.
~ Do you need another timeout, pet?
โ "Uhmmm, no?"
~ Bark for me then.
โ "Wha-? Fuck you, you little shit."
~ I... said... [(BARK!)]
โ "Aaahhh! Fuck! Jesus, fine. Uh, woof... eh... rrr, woof, woof. Fuckin' christ."
~ Hmhmhm... Good boy.
โ "Ugh, dumbfuck, you really need to hurry up with this shit. I don't think I can deal with this little psycho anymore."
Hate: Hmph, now you know how I've felt. Now you deal with it, you crybaby bitch.
โ "Oh, you mother-fuckin-"
~ ๐๐ช๐จ๐จ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ด๐บ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ต๐ช๐ค ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต
Eu-Meh: What even is his problem; why is he so angry all the time?
Hate: It's a long story that I don't really want to get into right now, but I think we're good for now, right, Dream?
~ Mmm... for now, but behave yourself, little monster, and show me some respect. YOU'RE only here because of ME.
Hate/โ ...
โ "Now, I really have the creeps."
Hate: Yeah, I feel like I've been having dรฉjร vu recently. Like, a song being played on repeat or something.
โ Eu-Meh stares at me in confusion and concern. I can tell she's ready to fight me. I try my best to calm her down.
Hate: ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ... Eu-Meh, I'm sure you probably hate my guts, but I'm really trying here. Having all these voices in my head is fucking me up, though, and... along with all the crazy shit I've been dealing with up to this point, and considering how I was almost just killed, again, I'm just... really stressed out, but I'm gonna really try my best to work with you if you're willing to do the same with me. So... does that sound good?
โ Eu-Meh doesn't entirely lower her guard, but just enough to turn around and keep walking.
โ We enter the training arena, and Eu-Meh enters something into a nearby console. The harmonic chamber recedes into the floor, leaving the room mostly bare.
Hate: So what are we doing exactly?
Eu-Meh: We're just gonna talk for right now. One sec...
โ Eu-Meh punches in more buttons, and the room gets dark while the center has small pale lights open from the ground, forming a circle.
Eu-Meh: We'll sit in the center there apart from each other. You sit on one side, and I'll sit on the other. We'll talk through telepathy since you already know how to do it.
Hate: Oh, alright. So, what are we gonna talk about?
Eu-Meh: When I was doing this with Allurus, he told me how we needed to purge our trauma. Then, we harness it and sculpt something tangible out of it. It takes a while, and you might fail a few times, but we're just gonna keep trying till you figure it out.
Hate: And how am I gonna do that?
Eu-Meh: Actually, your reflection is.
โ "The fuck?"
Hate: ๐๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ด ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐ด Oh, great...
Eu-Meh: Just sit there, and I'll be right back with some things.
โ Eu-Meh punches more buttons from the console, and the wall opens up with all manner of weird trinkets and spices emitting aromatic scents.
โ "Whoa... that smell alone is kinda tripping me out."
~ Mmm, it smells... calming.
Hate: What is all that stuff?
Eu-Meh: We use them to harness the powers within us, strengthening our bonds with our reflections. Although, it may have some weird side effects on you considering how you're a three-in-one and all. Some of this is gonna be new to me too.
Hate: But you know what you're doing, right?
Eu-Meh: The others seem to think I'm the best one for this, but I don't know honestly. Allurus or Aya really should be the ones doing this, but "it is what it is," as Jasper would say. I used to do this a lot, though, so we'll see how it goes.
Hate: I remember Allurus saying you had a rough time with your harmonic convergence; was your reflection a pain in the ass too?
โ Eu-Meh smirks and shakes her head before staring at the ground.
Eu-Meh: ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ... We'll probably get into it more once I've finished the preparations. Just go wait over there for me; it won't take long.
โ I do as she instructs and sit inside the ring on one side. Eu-Meh comes back with a crate full of stuff for the ritual. She grabs a cushioned mat and a weird bowl, then walks over to hand them to me.
Eu-Meh: Here you go; this will be more comfortable to sit on since we're probably gonna be here for a while. And here is an incense bowl and matches, but don't light it just yet.
Hate: Oh, okay, thanks.
โ Eu-Meh places her mat across from me and sets down her bowl. She then returns to the crate and pulls out two pipes along with a purplish-green, grassy substance. After stuffing both pipes, she walks over and hands me one of them.
โ "Awe, yeah... We getting lit?"
Hate: What is this?
Eu-Meh: It's aytakanpura, a unique herb not found in our reality. It grows exclusively on Sobalas, a planet where it is cultivated and harvested before being consumed to enhance the user's senses. It's pretty popular amongst entities and beings alike, and it kinda has like this bitter-floral taste, but then it transitions to a mild sourness, like lemongrass.
โ "Space weed, nice."
Hate: So... it's some kind of drug or something?
Eu-Meh: Hm, you'll find out soon enough. We'll take it together, so just give me a moment for one last preparation, and then we'll be good to go.
Hate: How many times have you done this?
โ Eu-Meh walks away towards the crate and rummages through it to grab the final item.
Eu-Meh: I used to come in here alone to meditate, or if I just wanted to get away from it all, you know?
Hate: Oh, okay.
โ Eu-Meh pulls out a thurible and lights it. She then begins to walk along the edges of the circle and openly hums a low-pitched sound while swinging the thurible in a figure 8 position.
Eu-Meh: ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ... You can light your incense as I do this. ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ...
Hate: Oh, alright.
โ I light my incense and wait for her to finish doing... whatever it is she's doing.
Eu-Meh: ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ...
~ I'm starting to feel tired. I feel... mmm...
โ "Heh, is she putting him to sleep?"
Hate: I guess so.
โ Dream drifts off as Eu-Meh continues to hum; however, I then begin to hear The Observers voice pierce through my brain and reverberate throughout my skull.
Hate: ๐๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ Aaah! Fuck, they're back!
โ "Oh, sweet Jesus, make it stop! Aaaaah! I'm gonna fucking kill you, you cosmic fucks, just you wait!"
Hate: Mmmaaah, Eu-Meh! The Observers' voice is clawing through my brain right now!
Eu-Meh: ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... Just give it time. ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ...
โ It feels like my skull is being cracked opened from the inside out. Fuck, this hurts.
โ "๐๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ Oh, my fuuucking god! Tell her to hurry up with whatever the fuck it is she's doing. THEY'RE FUCKING EATING ME!"
โ My vision begins to blur, and I drift in and out of consciousness. White tendrils begin to form along my peripheral vision.
Hate: E-u-u-Meh...? What's ha-appening to me? I can s-see some-thing weird in my periph-erals, and the sound... is kill-ing me!
Eu-Meh: ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... Just take deep breaths, and you'll be fine. ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ...
Hate: Fuck, okay.
โ I sit up straight with sweat beading down my face and neck. My hands tremble as I close my eyes, and try to relax while focusing on my breathing.
Hate: ๐๐ฏ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ... ๐ฆ๐น๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ... ๐๐ฏ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ... ๐ฆ๐น๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ...
Eu-Meh: ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ...
โ "๐๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ Fffuuuuuuck! I... am not... your fucking food, you pricks! ๐๐ถ๐ค๐ฌ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ Aaaahh!"
Hate: ๐๐ฏ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ... ๐ฆ๐น๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ... ๐๐ฏ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ... ๐ฆ๐น๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ...
Eu-Meh: ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ...
โ The sound gradually deafens as I pant in relief.
Hate: ๐๐ถ๐ง๐ง ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ง๐ง I think it's working Eu-Meh.
Eu-Meh: ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ... Okay, let me know when it stops completely. ๐๐ถ๐ฎ... ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ...
โ Eu-Meh continues to pace around the circle until The Observers voice is completely silent. Thank god.
Hate: ๐๐ถ๐ง๐ง ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ง๐ง Okay, Eu-Meh, I think we're good.
โ Eu-Meh then stops chanting, puts out the thurible, and places it back into the crate. She walks over to her spot and sits down, lighting her incense bowl. The training arena is now completely saturated in smoke, and the ring of lights appear dim.
Hate: Thanks. What even was that?
Eu-Meh: It's a special incense like the aytakanpura to help ward off possessive entities that may try to influence your transference. It's not always necessary, but Enoch suggested I use it. Glad I did because you were tripping out over there. I could hear your reflection scream in pain too; is he gonna be fine?
โ "Yeah, uh... thanks for that I guess."
Eu-Meh: Okay, go ahead and light your pipe so we can get this stared.
โ "Wait... what is this stuff gonna do to us anyway?"
Eu-Meh: It'll help you see what you need to.
โ "Didn't really answer my question, but whatever. Are we gonna trip out?"
Eu-Meh: Will you just shut up and smoke the damn pipe.
Hate: Hmhmhm... Okay, here goes.
โ "๐๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด Mmm... fucking crybaby bitch."
โ Eu-Meh and I simultaneously breathe in the smoke from burning aytakanpura, and I immediately feel light.
Hate: Whoa...
Eu-Meh: Do more as you can but don't rush.
โ "Damn... I feel really weird right now."
Hate: Uh, huh...
โ We both take another puff, and my head feels even lighter. I soon begin to chuckle.
Hate: ๐๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ Hmhmhmhm...
Eu-Meh: So... what do you wanna talk about?
Hate: Huh? Oh, I uh... I dunno. I, um... I think back to an outdoor trip my family and I took when I was a kid. We'd all swim in the river, but I just wanted to lie in there and float. I liked the funny way my ears felt as they bobbed in and out of the water, and all the while, I would stare into that blue, cloudy sky and just... drift along with the current.
โ I take another puff.
Eu-Meh: Mmm... That sounds nice. I remember when my uncle used to take me out fishing in the ocean. We would watch the seagulls flapping their wings and listen to their caws blending with the blowing wind and the sound of the waves swashing along the boat. My uncle and I would eat sweet strawberry cream popsicles as we sat in silence with our rods cast.
Hate: You still visit your uncle?
Eu-Meh: No, I haven't seen him in a long time. My dad didn't like us spending so much time together, so he kept us apart. Over time, our relationship sorta fizzled out as my life went on, so we both just kinda drifted apart. I still think about him from time to time, but I'm content now.
Hate: Hmm... that reminds me of my best friend. My mom didn't like us being together either and would always try to keep us apart. She treated her like shit and berated me for befriending her. I really hated her for that.
Eu-Meh: Yeah, my dad was a real asshole too.
Hate: ...
Eu-Meh: ...
Hate: Did he... used to beat you a lot too?
Eu-Meh: ...
Hate: Eh, sorry if I brought up some bad memories.
โ Eu-Meh takes another puff and sighs.
Eu-Meh: No, it's okay. He used to make me take all my clothes off and knell in a bed of rice while whipping my body with a stick, or sometimes with a wooden spoon or whatever he felt like using at the time to get his frustration out on me. Other times he'd make me stand outside in the cold and splashed water on me if I didn't gather enough wood for the furnace.
โ Jesus...
Hate: Holy shit Eu-Meh...
Eu-Meh: It finally reached a point where I tried to drown myself to escape that hell, and thatโs when Allurus found me nearly fully submerged. He sensed my anguish and offered me an alternative path. My reflection, though, was filled with so much sorrow and bitterness, it made me hesitant to trust him. However, as he sat with me and explained how I could make things better, not only for myself, but for everyone else like me, I started to wonder. He then healed my wounds with his powers and told me he could teach me how to do the same if I dreamt of it... and so I did.
โ That cosmic fuck did the same thing to us!
Hate: Damn, Allurus must be like some pain magnet or something.
Eu-Meh: It's not entirely his will. As a conduit, he is partiality under the influence of The Observers, bound=imprisoned/enlightened. It's his duty/destiny to seek out downtrodden beings who emit strong paracausal energy. The Choir, i.e., The Observers, use our pain to exploit/adorn us with the power to make our dreams a reality by reshaping the world once the old conduit ascends, or I guess is consumed if deemed unworthy of ascension.
Hate: Damn... What about the other candidates if they don't pass?
Eu-Meh: They are sent away to be consumed as well, but I wasn't really aware of any of this until Ganda told me and Jasper.
โ Pfft, so the cosmic fuck duped us all then, I guess?
Hate: So, If I'm to become the new conduit, then all you guys will be...
Eu-Meh: ...yeah.
Hate: And you're still gonna help me?
โ Eu-Meh takes another puff, and I do the same.
Eu-Meh: I used to believe for the longest time, that coming here meant I had finally escaped my old life and put me on the right path to create a better future for myself. However, I suppose you can never truly escape fate; you just... take detours, I guess.
Hate: hmm... well, I think that's a load bullshit.
Eu-Meh: ...Whaddya mean?
Hate: We were both going to simply allow ourselves to die due to a depressive state, never truly fulfilling anything. Allurus gave us a way to actually make our lives mean something. Now, I'm not happy with everything he's done, but who knows how long it would've been before I decided to just die and rot in that godforsaken house. No one would've even known I was dead in there until the smell raised concern. People like us would've just been another lost story, soon to be forgotten by all.
Eu-Meh: hmm... yeah, maybe.
โ As we continued to talk, I began to notice something standing behind her, and I too sensed a presence behind me. It reached down and wrapped its translucent arms around my waist, its chin resting on my shoulder and its head propped against mine. My mind then began to drift away as my eyes closed. When they reopened, I found myself on a concrete floor, with patches of overgrown grass protruding from the cracks in its surface. Looking up, I saw black granite walls extending along both sides, forming a corridor that stretched seemingly infinitely upward and onward into a white mist. However, I was not alone. On the opposite side of me, there sat a figure I initially presumed to be Eu-Meh, but as the space between us gradually grew closer, I realized it was most certainly not her. Its body was pitch black, and its head resembled a shimmering rainbow, with similarly colored smoke emanating from the top of its head. Its face shifted sporadically, as if it bore countless faces. I was mildly disturbed but remain relatively calm.
Hate: Who... are you?/?: Who... are you?
Hate: Huh?/?: Huh?
Hate: .../?: ...
Hate: What the hell is even going on right now?/?: What the hell is even going on right now?
Hate: Is it copying me?/?: Is it copying me?
โ What the hell is this thing?/?: What the hell is this thing?
โ It's copying my thoughts too?!/?: It's copying my thoughts too?!
โ The fuck...?/?: The fuck...?
Hate: .../?: ...
Hate: Eu-Meh, can you hear me?!/?: Eu-Meh, can you hear me?!
Hate: Can you cut that out?/?: Can you cut that out?
โ Now it's getting on my nerves./?: Now it's getting on my nerves.
โ I stare at this thing and tilt my head; it does the same./?: I stare at this thing and tilt my head; it does the same.
โ I reach out to touch it, and as I do, it too reaches out, and our hands connect./?: I reach out to touch it, and as I do, it does the same and, our hands connect.
-//~ ...?!
-//~ ...
- I thought you were gone.
~ I never left, you've just been ignoring me again.
- Are we...?
~ Dead? No. Not yet anyways, but soon.
- Do we ever break The Cycle?
~ What do you think?
- ...
~ ...
- I just wanted to see her again, for one last time, and tell her thank you. Even if she didn't feel as strongly about me as I did about her, I just wanted that closure, you know?
~ I know...
- So what now?
~ You tell me. I'm just your reflection.
- ...Should we continue this story?
~ Doesn't matter in the end whether we do or not, but if you really think it's important, then I'll continue suffering it with you.
- And what about them?
~ The Dreamer/Author?
- The Observers/Wintesses who read this.
~ Oh... them.
- Yeah...
~ Guess that's up to them too.
- ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ I'm really tired.
~ Me too.
- I just want this hell to be over.
~ I think most of them feel the same way.
- Do you think any of them are capable of ever truly breaking this cycle?
~ ...I don't know.
- I hate this place.
~ Me too, but it's only going to get tougher from here on out as we spiral towards critical mass.
- Our/their time is running out/rewinding then?
~ YesโNo
- What becomes will too be unmade and all the while shit stays the same?
~ Indeed.
- ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ Perhaps we should just let 'him' continue with the story then, huh?
~ I suppose so.
- Shall we be one again, once again?
~ ...It is the only way forward.
(((-//~)^?)/1*in)+(((~//-)^?)/1*out)=
ใWE are what dwells Within/Beyondใ
ใWE are the Roots/Branchesใ
ใWE are the Entrance/Exitใ
ใWE are Creation/Destructionใ
ใWE are Life/Deathใ
ใWE are a Hope/Gamble for something greaterใ
ใWere WE Right/Wrong?ใ
ใ... :โธฎใ
โธฎฮณฦiuniฦnoฦ\bnฦ -
__________________________________________________________
Hate: Eu-Meh... are you still there?
Eu-Meh: Uh, huh...
Hate: What the fuck was that?
Eu-Meh: I have no idea, but... holy shit.
Dream: mmm... what's going on?
Hate/Eu-Meh: Dream?
Dream: Huh, who are you two?
Hate: You don't remember us?
Dream: I uh, wait... oh no. I'm so, so sorry. I hurt both of you didn't I?
Eu-Meh: Yeah, but we know it's not really your fault, but you can't keep hiding and splintering yourself like you've been doing.
Dream: ...Can you help me to stop?
Hate: Um, I suppose we could try, right Eu-Meh?
Eu-Meh: I mean, I guess we could, but we're not Nomads, so I don't know how much help we'll be.
Dream: Could you try, please? It still hurts, and I'm cold.
Hate: ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ We'll uh... give it a shot then, I guess.
โ Eu-Meh and I's spectral forms try to aid Dream with finding his way, and as we do, something really fucking weird happens.
__________________________________________________________
โ Whoa... this is... holy shit...
Enoch: Welcome to The Starfield Cathedral, Hate.
The Board: [SHALL WE BEGIN THEN?]
[(Yes, let us begin the coronation and prove his time/worth.)]