castorice .

Things to do outside… ah, Castorice was a busy girl wasn’t she? A smart girl, though she had never stood out much in their class sessions to him. Quiet, always keeping a slight distance from other people. Becoming the Demigod of Death…

She had surely only become even more isolated. He can’t help but wonder; did she leave because she was lonely?

The scholar sighs softly, staring down at his transparent right hand, at the bright red crystal embedded within it. He had long been a brilliant alchemist and scholar, as his body and life had slowly deteriorated around him, but his knowledge and passions never seemed to be acknowledged, thrown aside as nothing more than a blasphemer and heretic. If anyone knew anything about being lonely, it was him. Not as if he’d ever admit that. As far as the world knew, he was simply a strange and mad scientist who cared more for his work than other people. (Though that wasn’t exactly a lie sometimes.)

loneliness . . . could have been a contributing factor , to finally have that feeling fade , only to return back to it . . . leaves you with a longing feeling , especially when you finally have the ability to change it .

as he spoke , boasting that same usual confidence , she could see it , the change in his demeanor , almost as if he didn't believe in the words he spoke , some of them , sure . . . but specific ones didn't carry the same weight they did , was something eating away at him ? would it be rude to ask ? she wasn't sure what she should say .

It was all that anyone could talk about, was the dire portend of every novel, from beginning to end – neither static nor entirely changing but unequivocally dangerous, if one just looked at these passages, here, encoded throughout all volumes, arrayed in this manner spell out certain -  

Shenhe could not understand it, entirely. When she pressed her senses outward, she could feel nothing more strange than the normal threats, perhaps more murky in the dreamspace, less mundane and more ethereal here – but certainly nothing with such tight reins on the fabric of reality as to bring the lives of all crashing down with...a book? 

She had read it. Or, one of them, rather. There were supposedly many others, different versions, but the one that she had read had seemed straightforward enough that she had deemed it to be as innocuous and nonthreatening as any other novel, and had moved on, disinterested. 

But the people here were insistent. 

"Did you not read the one where the bridge appears overnight?" 

"No," Shenhe replied, crossing her arms. "I read the volume wherein the main character works at a teahouse. This is the one that was available to me." 

"Oh man...a tea house? Does that come before or after the bridge?" 

"There was no bridge." 

"No I know there was no bridge, they're different versions. But does it come before, or after?" 

Shenhe's frown dipped. These sorts of conversations always occurred this way, but that didn't make them less irritating. "There was no bridge. He worked in a tea house. There was chrysanthemum oolong." 

but it seems the time she came at was certainly interesting , so much talk about literature , yet not the kind she expected , treating it as if it were some sort of divine prophecy sent from above , was it something akin to the propehcy the titans would give ? no , it felt less . . . definitive .

to Castorice , this began to feel almost like a playground rumor that spread like wildfire , that grew into something much bigger then it was , yet , she still didn't have the full scope of things .

when she managed to overhear some sort of debate about exactly what had been on her mind , of course it would interest her , moving a bit closer and listening , waiting for it to be finished before she could softly call out .

" Pardon me . . . "

she stepped a little closer to Shenhe , once the conversation reached what seemed like a spot where it wasn't going anywhere productive , her voice soft , yet enough presence to hopefully catch her attention .

" if you don't mind . . . do you think you could elaborate on what you know ? i've only heard bits and pieces , but nobody seems to wish to talk in depth about it . "

yet one stuck out , one that shined with an eternal radiance , even in death , even in passing , her eyes widened as it passed by , yet . . . would it be okay to do this ? to act upon her own greed and call out to her ? drag her out for a moment and deny her rest for a little longer ?

. . . it was selfish , but she never really had the chance to act on her own desires until now , she didn't know how it happened or why , what caused all of this to go down . . . but she knew she wanted a chance to say goodbye , so she wasn't going to miss it .

letting the vision of her manifest , she spoke in her very soft tone , eyes unable to meet hers for a moment . " . . . aglaea . " she wasn't sure what to say to her , moving a little closer before she could speak . " i'm sorry , for dragging you here like this . . . "

"...You do not need to apologize," she says gently, stepping carefully through the flowers to avoid treading upon the beautiful blooms. "You called me gently, and I would have come even if you had not spoken aloud."

Her eyes break away to scan over the flowers that surrounded them, a sea of soft petals that rustled in the gentle breeze. She knelt, uncaring of the dirt that pressed into her dress as her fingertips brushed the tops of the blooms.

" . . . I see . " eyes drift downwards , unable to lock eyes with her for long , watching as Aglaea broke off -- towards some of the flowers that had been tended to since before she got here -- another duty she had taken up since coming here , hours , days . . . tending for these flowers , something that has become a part of her life she can't imagine herself without , things she can touch without death claiming them .

" I've spent a while taking care of them , when it's so quiet here . . . they are what fill my ears and vision . " she stepped closer to Aglaea , kneeling down nearby next to her , staring out at the flowers before them as the two spoke . " As well as one can be here , yes . . . it's been quite nice here , I've grown accustomed to it quickly .

Was that stone transmutated from your own heart? If so, rebirth… is no longer an option for you.

Cerces’ words echo in his mind, and their offers time and time again to reshape his body surface in his memory. He had turned them down each and every time, knowing that only through his various flaws could his humanity be truly preserved. He had been half dead for a long time before he had extracted his own heart as the purest substance at the core of his philosopher’s stone. Anaxagoras had always been a dead man walking, even long before he had died that day at the Luminary Throne.

It had simply been a long time coming.

Even he didn't have the answers , after he mentioned his death moments after the Coreflame was torn out . . . he passed on , he was one of the first souls she passed on after taking up her new role , as Thanatos , she should know why Anaxa stood before her , of all people , she should know how one defied death . . . yet she doesn't have a clue , eyes wandering over to his body , the same look of when she'd speak to the departed , was it a similar situation to this . . . ? no , it felt so different .

" Even someone as genius as you , has no idea how you still stand here . . . ? "

yet one stuck out , one that shined with an eternal radiance , even in death , even in passing , her eyes widened as it passed by , yet . . . would it be okay to do this ? to act upon her own greed and call out to her ? drag her out for a moment and deny her rest for a little longer ?

. . . it was selfish , but she never really had the chance to act on her own desires until now , she didn't know how it happened or why , what caused all of this to go down . . . but she knew she wanted a chance to say goodbye , so she wasn't going to miss it .

letting the vision of her manifest , she spoke in her very soft tone , eyes unable to meet hers for a moment . " . . . aglaea . " she wasn't sure what to say to her , moving a little closer before she could speak . " i'm sorry , for dragging you here like this . . . "

When it was said and done, she was the one who had done the work to help him prove his most important theory. Of course, he had helped her as well. Equivalent exchange. He guided her towards the answers she had been seeking her entire life, and she in return had completed the proof that he had asked for. In the scholar’s last performance, they had locked eyes across the boundary between life and death, both of their tasks done and presented before the other.

The objective had been completed. That was all.

“That is like you,” He says softly, with a tone that is only reserved for his students, “Of course I will help you. I am not a cruel man, especially not in the face of a world that has seen such terrible destruction.”

Were he still within his physical form, his fingers would have dragged along the rubble in sorrow, remembering the rubble the place that had always been his true home now lay in.

a slightly painful existence , yet one she knew she could bare , if it came down to it , she was able to help Anaxa in his grand reveal and answer all of her own questions , she had no complaints , yet even still , she gets to reach out her hand towards those she once knew ? perhaps . . . things were not so bad , hopefully . . . that's what she would tell herself , despite knowing its' not the truth .

" Right , then . . . please , join me . " the hesitation was clear as she began walking , attempting to find what she could amidst the rubble , trying not to think too hard about just how he'd been here .

Anaxagoras tries not to think too hard on it, on what had happened on the tours that had started from this very planet. The wreckage of Destruction engulfs the once flourishing resort, the IPC calls for people to help find any survivors, Anaxagoras wonders why he found his way back here when there was hardly anything he could do.

Find people, sure; but what of them once he did find them? It was not as if he could help them from the awful fates that may have befallen them with this useless spectral body of his. The scholar would only be able to stare helplessly, trying to erase the images of his own hometown caught and destroyed by the Black Tide.

An IPC employee stationed on this ruin tries to hand him a mask to protect against the lingering Destruction they claim is upon the Empyrea, and Anaxa only stares at them blankly. What do they think that’s going to do for him? He’s already dead. How much more could the Destruction harm him anyway? It already was the reason for all of the pain upon Amphoreus, and the fates that befell them all in the end. He wouldn’t have cared anyway, even if he had still been alive.

For the pursuit of something higher, death and destruction was little more than a roadblock. That was all.

Anaxagoras walks the ruined streets until he stops suddenly, singular eye catching on familiar strands of white hair. What was she doing here…? Of all the people to run into outside of Amphoreus, the last one the scholar would have expected was Castorice. He had… never thought he would see her again, let alone outside of her realm.

“Castorice,” His tone is sharp yet gentle at the time as he walks towards her, a hand hesitating near her. Touch her in life, and he would have died just grazing against her skin. Touch her in death, and he would not be able to touch her at all. The softer side of him longs to comfort his dear student over whatever woes she may be feeling - and Cerces only knew how many she had felt before - but the practical side of him knows that he is not capable of such things anymore, “I did not expect to see you again. Do you intend to look for survivors or are you simply mourning for any that may already be gone? If you wish to search together, I, Anaxagoras of the Grove of Epiphany, would be more than happy to indulge a dear student of mine. Though… I fear I won’t be much of a help outside of being a discerning eye.”

riding upon the back of Pollux with the directions she'd been given , once she finally laid eyes upon the island , the dragon lowered , flew over and allowed her to drop down and land gracefully , spending her time removing the rubble she could and guiding survivors to safe places . . . it wouldn't feel out of the ordinary by any means , until that voice called out to her .

head turned to the semi transparent figure that approached her , a surprised expression , left in awe of the person before her . " Professor Anaxa . . . ? " the surprise in her tone was apparent , was this some strange dream ? the island playing a trick on her ? no , this was definitely him , judging by the way he spoke and carried himself , this was her professor , or a really impressive impostor .

as i'm no longer busy , this is being updated ! the best way to reach me will be through discord , but i will try and recieve messages here if given them .