- Days before retrying harmonic convergence:
Allurus: ππΆπ€π¬π΄ πͺπ― π΅π©π³π°πΆπ¨π© π©πͺπ΄ π΅π¦π¦π΅π© πͺπ― π±π’πͺπ―, Ah, damn!
β Aya tries to heal Allurus's wounds by reconfiguring matter in the surrounding environment to restore his body, but struggles due to her own injuries.
Aya: "Oh, don't be like that."
Allurus: I don't think you've quite recovered yourself.
β Aya then gives up and sits beside Allurus.
Allurus: Well, let's just try it together then.
β Aya looks up at Allurus, smiles, and nods. They hold up each other's hands and channel the energy around them. Pieces of grass, trees, and rocks dematerialize and enter each other's wounds, gradually repairing them. However, even with their combined power, it is not sufficient enough to heal completely, but it helped.
Aya: "Phew, that was more difficult than I expected... how are you feeling?"
Allurus: ππͺπ¨π¨ππ¦π΄ πΈπͺπ΅π© π₯π¦ππͺπ¨π©π΅. Not great, but... better, thank you. ππ¦π―π΅ππ¦ππΊ π€π’π³π¦π΄π΄π¦π΄ ππΊπ’'π΄ π§π’π€π¦. Are you alright?
β Aya holds Allurus's hand and gazes deeply into his worn eyes.
Aya: "I'll be okay."
Allurus: Aya, I'm so sorry. I couldn't have ever imagined Dream was capable of something like that.
Aya: "No matter how ugly... right?"
β Allurus removes his hand and turns away from Aya to gaze out into the ocean.
Allurus: If the Observers have corrupted him, then I don't know if we can ever truly break the cycle. We're gonna be trapped in yet another one of Dream's inceptions, and now the candidate tells me he can't even hear him anymore... FUCK! ππͺπ¨π©... I'm sorry, I thought saw the way, but now the path has diverged beyond my understanding, and I'm left feeling hopelessly lost.
Aya: "I remember how frustrated Mati used to get over all of this. I really wished she was still here. I miss her."
β Allurus looks again at Aya to consol her.
Allurus: Me too. I'm sorry Aya.
β Aya looks down before turning her head and gaze out into the ocean as Allurus does the same.
Aya: "It's like you've always been telling me, Allurus, like how she always told me, and I just wouldn't listen. And now... she's gone forever. Eaten by those... fuckers."
Allurus: Mm... I do think Mati was wise to choose you as her conduit, Aya. You couldn't have seen it at the time but... having you become a board member was the best thing for us.
Aya: "Hm... So, am I just another tool then?"
Allurus: I think... we all are in some way. But we have witnessed the truth; this nightmare must end, not only for her sake but for us and everyone else, including the candidate.
β Allurus turns to look at Aya once again, she does the same. He places his hand on her thigh and caresses it.
Allurus: She loved you, Aya; I love you. We're all in this together, and even though some of us have become lost or have moved on. WE are still here, WE are still alive, and WE are still laughing despite all the pain and suffering they have inflicted upon us. We... must... endure. Even I have to remind myself of that, but I know it's hard.
β Aya begins to cry and looks down at her sparkling feet. The grass sways in the wind as it brushes against her toes.
Aya: "I... I'm tired, Allurus, and that... thing won't save us. He only wants to destroy; he only knows how to hate. Nothing beautiful will ever come from him. His success will become our oblivion. What is the point then to create a paradise if no one will be left to witness it?"
β Allurus pauses, his mind clouded with turmoil. Despite wanting to comfort Aya, the memories of his past torment him. They scream for vengeance, they demand attention, they... want... war. They mourn for the children who never had a chance to even know why they were being killed, degraded, or abandoned. Allurus knew deep within himself that this monstrosity that dwelled within me was the needle he required to finally pierce through the veil and destroy this nightmare. In me, he saw his own reflection. And he wanted The Observers to witness that. For to defeat a monster, he needed an even greater one.
γ Allurus/ββ=The Abominationγ
β Ganda approaches the pair and calls out to them, breaking Allurus's thought.
Ganda: Allurus, Aya! Do you have a moment? I need to discuss something important with you both.
β They both look back as Aya wipes away her tears.
Aya: ππ―πͺπ§π§ππ¦π΄. "Oh, hello Ganda, what is it?"
β Allurus doesn't respond and turns away as he moves closer to Aya to make room on the bench for Ganda, but he doesn't sit right away and asks them about the incident in the training arena.
Ganda: I need you both to tell me what in the hell happened in the training area the other day.
Allurus: Ganda, we shouldn't be discussing that here. It's no-
Ganda: No, Allurus! Eu-Meh was being tortured by something and it nearly killed her! Jasper and I had to drag her, along with both of your unconscious bodies, from the convergence chamber while that candidate just stood there rambling to nothing! So, you both need to stop lying and tell me what the fuck happened, because my friend nearly FUCKING DIED from it!
β Allurus and Aya are silent as they stare at Ganda in shame. Aya then grips Allurus's hand to which he turns to look at her.
Aya: "Allurus, he deserves to know."
Allurus: ππͺπ¨π©π΄. Please, sit Ganda, and I'll... tell you what happened.
β Ganda complies and sits with the pair.
Allurus: We, er uh, I, found that candidate wolling in a horribly depressing filth. His presence was unlike anything I've ever felt before, and I knew he was exactly what I had been searching for. And I didn't realize it at first, but... somehow Dream bound himself to that candidate.
Ganda: ...What?! Dream... is alive?!
Aya: "We believe it's one of his fragments, actually. He must have splintered himself again when he felt threatened by The Observers' presence. One fragment continued to delve deeper within his subconscious, while the corrupted one remained tethered to the candidate, and that is what attacked us in the training arena."
β Ganda's mouth gapes open for he could barely fathom what he was hearing.
Ganda: Why would Dream feel threatened by The Observers?
Allurus: One of the uh, Observers' entities visited the candidate in his home and tried to consume his essence, along with Dream's. They failed, and... the candidate manged to subdue and kill it.
Ganda: ...?!
Allurus: The uhmm, candidate then proceeded to consume the entity's essence instead, corrupting not only himself, but Dream's fragment as well. I'm also certain he gained some of the Observers' memories and came looking for me to enact his revenge for pushing him down a path he did not want.
Ganda: ...Allurus. Are we all going to be erased because of this?
Allurus: When I discovered what had happened, I had the same thought. Yet, we are all still here, so I really don't know what schemes The Observers are orchestrating. However, we have a plan to rebel agains-
Ganda: Stop. Just, stop. Are You really about to tell me, you plan to wage war against The Choir and potentially end The Cycle?!
Allurus: ππ°π₯π΄. Yes.
β Ganda is distraught by everything he has heard. He turns away from the two and rests back, clasping his hands atop his head as he gazes at the clouds drifting in the orange and pink-hued blue sky.
Aya: "Ganda, we wanted to tell you all, but we were afraid The Observers might hurt you all as well."
β Ganda smirks and laughs.
Ganda: What does it matter Aya? You both have doomed us all.
β Ganda then arches forward to stand up and walk away. Allurus shoots up to stop him.
Allurus: It's not just us, Ganda. Other conduits, entities, and even beings like yourself across all realities have witnessed this nightmare and are working with us to help put an end to The Choir. We could really use your help too, as well as the others. I understand it may not seem fair for us to ask this of you, but I believe, deep down, you knowβjust as we doβthat this cycle is anything but holy. We must break it and silence The Choir's song for good.
Ganda: ...
β Aya stands up and approaches Ganda until they are face to face. She then gently grasps his hands and caresses them with her thumbs. Ganda notices the injuries on Aya's hands from the attack and how reminiscent they are of his mother's. He looks up at her, who smiles at him.
Ganda: Aya, amongst countless conduits, you were not only allowed ascension but were also given the privilege of becoming a member of The Board, and you want to just throw that all away?
β Aya looks down momentarily before looking back up at Ganda.
Aya: "I have seen this process occur too many times now, so I think it would be best to simply let Dream rest. He's been through so much now, and it's not fair to him anymore than it has been fair to all who has been sacrificed to keep him alive."
β Ganda then thinks about his family and the civil war that ravaged his homeland, claiming the lives of his sister, N'semi; his father, Kambili; and his mother, Uzimaβall lost to the dreams of a madman. Ganda closes his eyes and breathes deeply, for he desperately wanted to become a conduit himself, so he may recreate a better world free from pain and suffering.
Allurus: That feeling you're having is what The Observers use to coerce us into perpetuating their madness. They offer you a false promise, and they give you the power of a god, but in the end, you're really just their cattle: groomed and fed until the moment of slaughter. If you're deemed worthy, though, then they let you procreate and seek out new victims to consume. Every success, every liberation, every moment of brilliance, every catastrophe, and every loving moment we've shared with one another is simply... their food.
Ganda: I... I need a moment to myself.
β Ganda pulls away from Aya and returns inside, crying.
Aya: "Are we finished Allurus? Do you think he will inform security or The Board?"
Allurus: I don't know. But now he knows the truth, so we just have to trust he'll make the right call. If you want to go back inside and talk to him, or any of the others, then go ahead. ππͺπ¨π©π΄... I'm going to stay here a while longer. It's a beautiful day today, and I know that despite everything, everything will be okay because one day, tomorrow will come without me.
β Allurus sits back down, and Aya joins him, wrapping her arms around him while he rests his head into her shoulder.
Aya: "I'm exactly where I need to be."
Allurus: ππ¦π¨πͺπ―π΄ π΅π° π€π³πΊ. I'm... so sorry Aya... for everything.
Aya: "Me too."