#coa 2

COA2 Trailer + Transcript (https://coa2lore.carrd.co/#cinematicvideo):

There was a place once known as Steam City. It was where adventurers congregate and where outlaws flee to for asylum. Among them were a few nameless individuals relentlessly pursuing their goal: to put out the city's great inferno.

The battle between ice and fire was reaching its conclusion. The great roar that once reverberated through the whole city is now but a whimper. And the remaining fire reflected the shadow of the slumbering snow.

When meltwater seeped into the thermal core, those who were cold hearted grew deranged. The weak lost their sanctuary and chaos erupted. Those who had perished had already been forgotten by those who remained. It was then that a courageous youth had finally exposed the traitor’s identity. On the other hand, the convicts who hungered for the treasures’ powers finally set an even more dire plan into motion. Their century old ship had long since decayed, yet it was still a nightmare for those in the tower. The bone-chilling blizzard brought about despair.

No one was afraid of living in ruins. Those who would complain might as well die out in the cold. The battle reached its climax.

We cannot hesitate under the petrifying gaze of the abyss. Was it darkness or hope that was casted in the city's great flame?

In the journey through the abyss, only if you remain determined and reached the summit, will you be able to oversee everything with no regrets.

Before I go into COA 2, I want to discuss the “evil eye”.

The evil eye is the connection between COA 1 and COA 2, as it was retrieved from R’lyeh by the predecessors of the expedition, the ones Optical Mirror is referring to in his description (aka, the characters of COA 1). We know this is where it came from as R’lyeh is the last stage of COA 1.

Optical Mirror: As the commander, his mission is to guard the Eye sealed by the expedition and their descendants. He dares only to satisfy his desires of possession in the illusion of light and shadow - until the betrayal completely crushed him.

Based on my COA 1 analysis, the eye may have been retrieved by Kurt (as Voyage or Lost) or Helena (as Last Vacation or Good Old Times). Specifically, I think the eye came from Infected. The eye on Infected looks very similar to the evil eye, not to mention the eye is in him the same way it’s in Evil Eye Host. There’s also how Infected warns against staring at the eye too long, which matches up with how Margaretha turned into Vile Blossom in COA 3 after seeing the eye open when Netherwalker showed it to her according to the 2nd anniversary package. Infected likely got the eye from Poseidon’s Crown, who would be a reference to Cthulhu as R’lyeh is where he sleeps in the Cthulhu mythos (“Poseidon” would relate to how R’lyeh is underwater).

Infected: Those red eyes really make one's hair stand on end, so don't stare at them for too long.

Poseidon: He rules the oceans and lakes. His fury will rouse monsters from the abyss that will destroy everything.

2nd Anniversary Package (Netherwalker’s Offer) Information:

When the auctioneer showed me that eye, it was still closed.

I was curious to see what color that lidded eye would glow, but I also wanted them to stay closed, quietly and forever, to escape any malice that might be stirring.

That night, I gave it to her.

When I framed the scene, everything changed.

It seemed to have heard my faintest wish.

I wanted to capture the most beautiful things and the things that aren’t even allowed to exist in this world on the same canvas, if only for a moment.

At that moment, my wish came true.

It opened its eyelids.

And for the first time, a smile appeared on her face.

In a moment of ecstatic madness, I had completed the masterpiece of my half-life.

The moment I put down my brush, I knew this was all I had left.

Last thing regarding COA 1, but maybe the mention of the “century old ship” from the trailer could be referencing the ship that was used to reach “R’lyeh”. It it has been 100 years since COA 1, that would explain why it was said to have “long since decayed”. Maybe the reason the ship was said to be “still a nightmare for those in the tower” because it’s referencing the expedition, or at least it’s predecessors (people like Helena and Kurt from COA 1), who worked to seal the eye away after the events of COA 1. Basically, it’s a nightmare because it brings back memories from the voyage and their encounters with monsters from the Cthulhu mythos, as well as when they got the eye, the very thing they are trying to keep sealed. They probably realized it would’ve been better to keep the eye in R’lyeh.

Back to COA 2.

The conflict in COA 2 is all about the fight over the evil eye.

COA 2 takes place in Steam City, which has an extremely cold environment. This is why the tower in Steam City is so important, as it produces heat for everyone. Banker goes so far as to say heat was the “currency” in Steam City. Unfortunately, we learn from COA 2’s backstory that the fire in the tower is going to go out.

Banker: Currency in Steam City is not coin, but the geothermal heat extracted by the furnace tower. Soon after the tower core was extinguished, the key to the tower he kept was lost.

COA 2 Backstory:

In the extreme cold, there is a capital of steam.

It lit the torch in this forgotten corner of the world and became the home of all wanderers.

But the fire will eventually burn out.

Only by awakening the madness frozen in the ancient abyss, overdrawing all reason and hope as fuel, can the torch be rekindled.

Everyone will be faced with a choice: whether to fight the fire like a moth in madness, or to be swallowed up by the bone-cutting cold in silence.

The fact it says the fire will “eventually burn out” means it hasn’t happened yet. This is where Sands of Time comes in. She has an ability that allows her to “foresee the city engulfed by the cold”, which relates to how she says “the hands of time could be turned back slightly”. As a result, she knows in advance about the problem that’s going to occur, that the fire will “burn out”, and the threat the city will face.

Sands of Time: Under the energy-starved, icy tower, she foresees the city engulfed by the cold, but it is impossible to foresee the boy's choice - fate cannot be controlled, even if the hands of time could be turned back slightly.

Sands of Time, as a member of the expedition, led by Optical Mirror, informs the expedition of the upcoming problem. Her forewarning allows them to debate about how to deal with the issue. Sound Wave is possibly the one who learns of the only solution to the problem due to her abilities and connection to the abyss, as she is said to be able to hear the “call from the abyss”. This solution was to use the eye to reignite the tower’s core. The problem with this is, as seen from the COA 2 backstory, Evil Eye Host, and Steam Teen, this would result in everyone going mad (corrupted).

Sound Wave: She pursued the call from the abyss and finally located the traitor in the furnace tower. Everything will be resolved there.

Steam Teen: The Eye can reignite the tower's core and save the frozen city, but it is more likely to plunge everything into another unknown abyss. How will the teen act when presented with choices after facing the truth?

Evil Eye Host: During that moment of Betrayal, he knew that the resurgent evil eye would cause him to fall into the abyss, plunging the whole city into madness along with him - but it is preferable to the silence offered by ice.

Optical Mirror refuses to do this, as it is his duty to guard the eye. But not everyone agrees with his decision, as we see from Evil Eye Host’s description, who’d prefer madness over freezing. Iron Hat Commander is another in this camp, as he explains “the desperate… regard Steam City as their last shelter” and will do anything to continue living there.

Iron Hat Commander:The desperate formed the Iron Hats, and they regard Steam City as their last shelter. They will live on here no matter what it takes.

Evil Eye Host is also a member of the expedition, which is how he knows about the solution to the fire burning out. Due to Evil Eye Host’s dissatisfaction with Optical Mirror’s (his leader’s) decision, this leads him to meeting with the Iron Hats, and more specifically Punk. The reason he goes to them is likely because he knows how they feel (the Iron hats are “the desperate”), and that they’ll do anything to survive in Steam City. This means they would likely agree with his feelings and be willing to help him out.

During this meeting, the Evil Eye Host explains what he heard from Sands of Time and Sound Wave to the Iron Hats, about the upcoming problem and the single solution to it. He then asks them for help to take the eye and use it to reignite the tower and keep the fire burning. As he is basically talking about betrayal (due to going against Optical Mirror’s and the other expedition member’s wishes), he wanted to keep this meeting secret. Unfortunately for him, Spring Hand interrupts their meeting.

Punk: The meeting between an oddball from the Iron Hats and the expedition's traitor would have remained a secret if it wasn't accidentally interrupted by that guy playing with a spring.

Punk is the “oddball from the Iron Hats”, Spring Hand is the “guy playing with a spring”. Evil Eye Host is the “expedition’s traitor”, as both him and Optical Mirror reference a “betrayal”. Due to happening into their meeting, Spring Hand also overheard what they discussed, including the details about the problem in the city’s future and its only fix. This would be how Steam Teen knows “the truth” in his description.

Spring Hand was also the boy Sands of Time saw with her foresight making an important “choice”. Despite not being able to see what decision he would make, this is why the expedition knew Spring Hand was important and thus why they let him join.

Spring Hand: "The roaming teen relies on his self-made equipment to fight alone in Steam City, dreaming of joining the diverse ranks of the expedition and displaying his talents."

Spring Hand is saved from Punk by Sound Wave and Inventor, which is how he becomes a “new recruit” of the expedition. Inventor at this point then provides Spring Hand with “steam equipment”, which is how Spring Hand becomes Steam Teen (confirmed by how in the trailer, one of Spring Hand’s springs is on the table in front of Steam Teen).

Inventor: He rescued the distressed teen from the weirdo, and introduced him to the expedition as a new recruit, providing steam equipment.

It’s likely due to Spring Hand interrupting Punk and Evil Eye Host’s meeting that Evil Eye Host is revealed as a traitor. This is confirmed by the COA 2 trailer, which says “It was then that a courageous youth had finally exposed the traitor’s identity. On the other hand, the convicts who hungered for the treasures’ powers finally set an even more dire plan into motion”. It’s likely due to being discovered that Evil Eye Host and the Iron Hats decide on stealing the eye based on the trailer saying they “set an even more dire plan into motion” after the “traitor’s identity” was “exposed”.

To do this, they get help from Schemer (Iron Hat Black Hand), who steals the chest containing the eye using information from Evil Eye Host. This chest is the one we see in the trailer, which we know is the Flesh Devourer pet. Schemer talks about how an “aggressive little thing is giving him grief”. We know this is Flesh Devourer as in other versions it basically says this “grief” was because the chest was biting him, which goes with how the Flesh Devourer has a “taste for human flesh” (due to corruption from the eye it contained inside itself).

Schemer: He stole the treasure chest from an expedition with a clue from a traitor, but this aggressive little thing is giving him grief.

Flesh Devourer: A treasure from the abyss, passed down through generations since R'lyeh is locked within. Over time, the chest developed a taste for human flesh.

Now that he has the eye, the next step is getting it into the tower.

It’s around this time that Sands of Time’s prediction comes true. The core is “extinguished”, and the fire goes out. According to Banker, this is when the “key to the tower he kept was lost”. I believe Banker willingly gave the key to Evil Eye Host. The reason I think he was on the side of reignite the tower with the eye even if that meant madness is in part because he is a “banker”. As the currency of the city was “heat”, and no more heat was being produced once the fire went out, that also means he can’t do business anymore (as “heat” would’ve been the thing being taken out of and stored in the banks). Therefore, it’s more beneficial for him to have the core reignited.

Another reason could’ve been because he was corrupted by the eye the same way Chemist was, as her description says the cold couldn’t stop the eye’s effects. This also tells us that the reason the expedition’s predecessors brought the eye to Steam City, or at least to where Steam City would be built with the city around it, was because of how cold it was there. From Optical Mirror, we learn they sealed the eye in the chest (Flesh Devourer), while Chemist tells us they brought it to this location as they hoped to further “delay the eye’s awakening” with the extremely cold environment.

Chemist: The severe cold delayed the Eye's awakening, but could not stop its effect on the human mind. She gained inspiration, stimulated her potential, and fell into madness.

There’s also how the trailer says “those who were cold hearted grew deranged”. This would then explain why Chemist was said to have fallen “into madness”, and thus why it’s possible Banker could’ve been corrupted as well. This line also explains to us why only some people went mad, and not everyone including those of the expedition, but also why the expedition didn’t want the eye to be brought into the tower, as at that point everyone would’ve gone mad.

From here, this is where Sound Wave’s description comes in. It says she “pursued the call from the abyss” to find Evil Eye Host in the tower. Based on how she says “everything will be resolved there”, that is likely when the battle starts, the one we see during the COA 2 trailer. This battle, between Steam Teen and the expedition against Evil Eye Host and the Iron Hats, is likely the same one Wasteland Traveler refers to in her description.

Wasteland Traveler: The steam city's famous tower is already visible; the wonderful battle there must be worthwhile to watch.

Speaking of the Iron Hats, I don’t believe all of them fought against the expedition to use the eye to reignite the tower. Specifically, I’m referring to Iron Hat Sheriff. Iron Hat Commander says “the desperate” formed the Iron Hats and made the city their “last shelter”. Iron Hat Sheriff on the other hand calls it a shelter for “outlaws”. This is the same wording the COA 2 trailer uses, as it says Steam City was where “adventurers congregate and where outlaws flee to for asylum” and later on says “the convicts who hungered for the treasures’ powers”. The fact Iron Hat Sheriff calls the very people Iron Hat Commander refers to as “the desperate” instead as “outlaws” I think shows a difference in opinion. There’s also how his description of life in the city as only the strong survive is his way of pointing out Steam City’s flaws, as he likens it to the same principle pirates follow. Based on how Iron Hat Sheriff says “vigilantes”, I believe this is referring to himself. He’s different from the others.

Iron Hat Sheriff: Steam City is a shelter for outlaws. The principle pertaining to survival pursued there is one similar to that of pirates, respect is given to the strong. That does not mean that some do not call themselves vigilantes.

During the trailer, it says “When meltwater seeped into the thermal core, those who were cold hearted grew deranged. The weak lost their sanctuary and chaos erupted. Those who had perished had already been forgotten by those who remained”. I think this is the issue that bothers Iron Hat Sheriff, as I think he’s concerned with how “the weak lost their sanctuary” as well as how “those who had perished had already been forgotten by those who remained”. This parallels Kevin’s backstory with the Native Americans. Iron Hat Sheriff being with the Iron Hats who are actually on the bad side and want to reignite the tower even though that means madness spreading parallels Kevin being with the colonists who are the reason the Native Americans are dying and being pushed out of their homes. The Native Americans match up with “the weak” that lost their home, as well as “those who had perished” because the colonists would be “those who remained” that had “forgotten” about the Native Americans that died (the ones they took the land from).

As to what happens to Iron Hat Sheriff, I think he left Steam City eventually (before the end). This would parallel how Kevin left America to instead “roam the European continent” (the official IDV website for his backstory says he left because the tribe had died out, but to add to this, it was also likely because he didn’t want to watch the colonists kill the rest of the Native Americans).

Moving on. From the COA 2 trailer, Steam Teen seems to have defeated Evil Eye Host and retrieved the eye from him. This is why we see him holding it during the trailer.

Steam Teen seems to have chosen not to “reignite the tower’s core” even though that would “save the city”, as he didn’t want to “plunge everything into another unknown abyss”. The COA 3 intermission trailer, which shows everything covered in ice and snow, as well as everything destroyed, seems to confirm this.

Locomotive’s description seems to back this up, as it mentions a “world… frozen still”. Frost’s description, as well as an official tweet about him, also talks about everything freezing, not to mention his package being called “Snow Storm”.

Locomotive: The train he vowed to protect never reached the station. When the world is frozen still, the interminable engine he carries shall power the last train that has no terminus.

Steam Boiler: With the last bit of residual heat, a final and unrelenting energy bursts forth.

Package – Last Train: It never stops, there is no end of the line. The last train at midnight, never stopping forever.

Frost: Passion only brings a full head of steam that destroys one's process of thinking. A rational thinker must stay cool and calm at all times.

Frozen Core: Condensation - the greatest magic given by science to time.

Package – Snow Storm: Cool your heart if it conceives the delusion of warmth.

Tweet about Frost: “A passion that overflows from within. Don't you know that it is destroying you? Then let's freeze everything now. Even the tears that spill from your eyes.”

If the tower really hadn’t been reignited (and had pretty much left to ruin), and everything had been consumed by ice and snow, this could mean Steam City is the “snow land” Teleoperator refers to, as well as the “Snow Kingdom” mentioned by Michiko’s Edelweiss, Yidhra’s Ice Crystal, Margaretha’s Snow Lotus, and Murro’s Snowfear skin. Speaking of Teleoperator, the “dispute” she references that came over “from the far away snow land” could be referencing the events of COA 2 and the battle at the tower Wasteland Traveler went to go see. With the tower’s core out, and no more heat or “steam” being produced, it doesn’t make sense to still call the city “Steam City”. That could explain why Teleoperator just refers to it as a place of only cold and snow (“snow land”).

Teleoperator: Only the Abyss can confront the Abyss - when the dispute from the far away snow land came over, she finally realised this is all but another pipe dream. "The Surveyor will be devoured by his own creation." She sent numerous messages to her companions, yet she couldn't foresee this ending.

Snow Lotus: Legend has it that this flower can only grow in the holy land of Snow Kingdom. It was given as a gift to the Dancer, and although it was taken out of Snow Kingdom, it continued to bloom miraculously.

Edelweiss: Who will put this ornament from the Snow Kingdom on Geisha?

Ice Crystal: The work of the craftsman from Snow Kingdom exudes a strong chill every moment.

Snowfear: The Snow Kingdom has a legend that at the height of the storm, two huge figures will appear in the plains. People call them the Snow Monsters, but Snowfear does not buy it.

The fact she says the “dispute” came over could be referencing the eye, as that was what the battle in COA 2 was over, and we know the eye is tied to COA 3 from the 2nd Anniversary package stating Auctioneer gave it to Netherwalker. This eye also essentially caused the conflict in COA 3 as it is what transformed Margaretha into Vile Blossom and Pickman into Netherwalker.

How Auctioneer acquired the eye we don’t know. The last thing we know is Steam Teen had it. The fact Teleoperator mentions the dispute from the “far away snow land” could imply the events of COA 2 and COA 3 aren’t too far apart.

Random theory, but maybe Steam Teen gave it to Banker.

From Banker’s description and how he just made the key seem as if it went missing, that could imply the expedition didn’t know who Banker actually sided with (Evil Eye Host). As someone who normally keeps stuff (the city’s currency), maybe he convinced Steam Teen to give it to him for safe keeping. But, if Banker is also Trickster, this would’ve just been a “trick” so he could actually give it to Auctioneer.

The trailer says the people going after the eye “hungered for the treasures’ powers”. Trickster, if he’s tied to the those of the Investigation Bureau that worked with the Pharmaceutical company to create a container, would be someone who’d be interested in the eye’s power. If his goal is to create a container, that would be why he may have caused Puppeteer (and Margaretha as Vile Blossom) to become corrupted by Netherwalker. As such, it would also make sense for him to possibly get the eye from Steam Teen and then give it to Auctioneer, who’d pass it on to someone who’d use it and become a container for the abyss.

Whether or not that theory is true, I want to finish up by trying to connect a couple more things.

First is the possibility Frost is related to the world (Steam City) being “frozen still” according to Locomotive.

Frost’s accessory Frozen Core mentions condensation. Condensation is when steam, without heat, begins turning back into liquid. We know that the fire in the tower began to go out, and the core itself was eventually extinguished, meaning no more heat was being produced. Then, with how cold Steam City’s environment was, this would mean the liquid would begin to freeze (aka “frost”). Therefore, it’s possible when the core stopped producing heat, it “froze”, which could mean Frost’s “Frozen Core” may be the core of the tower. Frost wanting to freeze Steam City and everything is backed up by an official tweet about him that mentions him wanting to “freeze everything”: “A passion that overflows from within. Don't you know that it is destroying you? Then let's freeze everything now. Even the tears that spill from your eyes”. His package even says “Cool your heart if it conceives the delusion of warmth”, with the mention of “warmth” relating to the issue of heat in Steam City.

The trailer mentions there were “a few nameless individuals relentlessly pursuing their goal: to put out the city's great inferno”. Maybe Frost, as “individuals” without an actual “name”, combined with how all the details about them say they wanted to “freeze everything, were the “nameless individuals” that wanted to “put out the city’s great inferno” (aka the tower). This could serve as actual evidence to back up the idea Locomotive is canonically connected to COA 2.

Maybe this is where Locomotive comes in. As the tower can no longer produce heat, what if Locomotive and his train that “has no terminus” is attempting to replace it? Maybe keeping the train running can somewhat help produce heat in place of the tower. The fact it “never stops” could relate to how the tower was also supposed to “never stop” producing heat for Steam City. This could be backed up by the “1309” on Locomotive’s head. This is likely a reference to Chesapeake and Ohio 1309, which was essentially the last steam engine. One of the waste products of steam engines is heat, and if Locomotive has an “interminable” engine (“interminable” means “incapable of being terminated; unending”), this would mean it would continue to produce steam to power the train, which also means it would continue to also produce heat. If this is true, that could be a way to keep Steam City and the people still living there from completely freezing and/or dying. Basically, Locomotive is the one thing keeping Steam City going after the tower stops producing heat.

This idea is also backed up by Locomotive’s Steam Boiler accessory. As I said, the boiler would also end up producing heat, but from the description, it mentions “the last bit of residual heat” was used to produce “a final and unrelenting energy”. This last bit of heat could be the last of the heat that was produced by the tower before the core was extinguished, and this last heat was used to produce this “unrelenting energy” that allowed the “last train” to be able to keep going, “never stopping forever”.

This could also mean that, when Frost talks about “cooling” a “head full of steam”, especially as he talks about “passion” and it “destroying you”, this may mean Frost wants to take out (or freeze) Locomotive, to try to prevent him from producing any heat for Steam City.

To further back up the idea that Locomotive is connected to COA 2 comes from the tentacle designs on his outfit.

To compare, this is a common theme for COA. At least in terms of COA 2, most of the COA 2 skins have actual tentacles or tentacle designs on their outfits.

After Locomotive is Snowfear. He’s at least connected to Frost as Frost (because of Black and White) is the 2 “huge figures” he mentions, while the “height of the storm” relates to how Frost’s package is called “Snow Storm”. Also, Snowfear’s outfit fits with the extremely cold environment Steam City is said to be in. The reason he doesn’t look steam punk like the others could connect to how Murro is the Wildling and would parallel his canon backstory where he prefers to be away from people, with his companion and other boars, out in the wilderness.

Snowfear: The Snow Kingdom has a legend that at the height of the storm, two huge figures will appear in the plains. People call them the Snow Monsters, but Snowfear does not buy it.

Next is Netherwalker. It’s possible he is (was) Iron Hat Commander. Iron Hat Commander could’ve been one of the “cold-hearted” that became “deranged” due to the eye’s effects. If he was “inspired” and had his “potential” stimulated by the eye, that could explain why Pickman was interested enough to get the eye from Auctioneer in the 2nd anniversary package. That could also mean, as Pickman is an artist good at imitating items from the abyss and people “couldn’t get enough of his work”, he might be the “craftsman” making items like Edelweiss and Ice Crystal or giving Margaretha the Snow Lotus (which I explain in my COA 3 analysis is likely actually a Nether Flower).

Last is Chaser of Time. Her design definitely fits the steam punk theme of COA 2. As to her description, it talks about “time” and there being “no point in hiding. I’ll always be there in the end”. From this plus her name “Chaser” of “Time”, it’s possible she may be in part based off a Hound of Tindalos from the Cthulhu mythos, and the way to attract the attention of a Hound of Tindalos is to time travel. In COA 2, this “time travel” that might catch Chaser of Time’s attention may come from Sands of Time, as she talks about how “the hands of time could be turned back slightly” and would relate to her being able to “foresee the city engulfed by the cold” as well as attempt to “foresee the boy’s choice”.

There’s also how Violetta is chasing “time”, and Vera is called the “sands” of “time”, with “sands” referring to the sand in an hourglass (which is what her perfume bottles look like for that skin). Basically, Vera is the “time” Violetta is “chasing”.

Or maybe it’s a reference to how Sands of Time, Steam Teen, and the others attempted to avoid the result that would result in the abyss spreading. Maybe Chaser of Time is basically just saying you can’t ‘’hide” from the abyss, and it will always “be there in the end”, which is what we see happen in COA 3 (Auctioneer gave the eye to Pickman, who became Netherwalker and also turned Margaretha into Vile Blossom, and Auctioneer plus these 2 work to spread the abyss to a lot of people).

Chaser of Time: Tick tock. Tick tock. Time waits for no man. There is no point in hiding. I’ll always be there in the end.

Mathias walked into sight, Phael not far behind him, likely silently protesting whatever it was he had decided to hate today.

“Are you waiting for winter?” Asked the doctor as they passed, a twinkle in his eye.

“Waiting for my brother to stop being an idiot,” Vjeran spat out.

“Me too,” Phael replied.

Vjeran chuckled, watching them walk off and go about the rest of their day. Together, no doubt, and he was glad of it. Mathias was a good influence and seemed to be the only one capable of controlling the fiery rage that Phael had surely inherited from his parents.

When the doors opened slowly, Vjeran stepped back out of the way, not wanting to look open to conversation with the others. Watching the Council members walk out, Alek and Cyran were the first to appear side by side, both looking irritated. Behind them Elaria grinned at him, muttering something about how he should have let his brother have it instead of walking out. She was probably right.

Meira and Gabriele walked out next, and behind them Adrian, who slowed down to say something.

“You’re right, you know. Everything you said in there.”

Vjeran scoffed, “My words fall on deaf ears. Besides, I didn’t hear you say anything.”

He looked him in the eye, “I say things in my own way.”

And with that said, he too walked away. Vjeran stared after him, his head beginning to ache.

“We’re celebrating Moonsayde tonight, Vjeran, the least you can do is stop glowering.”

He snapped his head the other direction, ready to stop glowering and ready to begin a fight. His body was instantly hot with anger. 

“I’m sorry, celebrating what, exactly?” Vjeran let his voice rise to just below a shout. “The utter chaos you’re about to bring to our region? Or the hundreds of people that are going to be killed because of you?”

Jeren adjusted his vest, the glittering crescent shaped buttons were loose, hanging dangerously by thin threads, just like his temper these days. And just like Vjeran’s patience these days.

He began to walk away, his expression utterly unbothered. “That too, it’s all the same.”

Vjeran lunged forward, grabbing him by the arm, his nails digging in, “Don’t walk away from me!”

Turning slowly, Jeren glanced at the hand that had gripped him and raised a brow. They stood there a long moment, both of them unsure of how to proceed – this was the first time Vjeran had allowed himself to be this aggressive with Jeren. He was tired of being reasonable, of being the calm and friendly brother.

In the corner of his vision he could see Adrian hesitating after noticing the conflict. He was a ways down the corridor, but had clearly been paying attention. Jeren either took no notice or didn’t care. He ripped Vjeran’s hand off of him and smoothed out his sleeve.

“I’ll do what I want.”

Vjeran opened his mouth, only to be slammed backwards by a rush of magic, his head slamming against the window with enough force to cause his vision to flicker. He willed his anger to flow through magic of his own, but his brother had already seized him by the neck, his skin burning like fire.

He yelped, attempting to surround his attacker with threads of magic to at least get him away. But the pain was already taking its toll on his ability to do anything but cry out and grab at the hands nearly strangling him. Jeren’s magic was too strong – and this was only the start of what he was capable of.

“If you’d like to continue to be able to run around Blackwater pretending that you have a place here, then you need to keep your mouth in check.” Jeren dropped him, “I know you fancy thinking that leading the Council is a collaborative effort, but it’s not. I’m the oldest, you are not. I have the crystal, you do not. I am the head of the Council, and you are not.”

Vjeran held his shaking hands to his neck, hot blood sticking to his skin and dripping down, soaking into his shirt.

He coughed, gasping for air when he attempted to speak, quickly giving up and allowing himself to slump into the floor, his forehead pressed against the cold stone. He couldn’t do anything more as Jeren turned and began walking away. A heavy feeling of dread began to grow within him as he realized, perhaps the first time, just how far his brother was willing to go to stay in total control.

*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.* *.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

COA Taglist: @etjwrites​ , @alwolfesblog​ , @project-nightshade​ , @bexminx​ , @ruth-lund​ ,

Written for Your Antagonist’s Backstory ( @yourocsbackstory​ )

Reaching out, he grabbed a tree to pull himself up, the pale trunk curving oddly towards him as it moved downhill with the soil. As he found his grip, something nearby snapped. He stilled, feet sliding slowly backwards as he listened for another sound.

Moving his head slightly, he attempted to see around the tree blocking his view, letting his grip loosen as a small object whistled past his face, grazing his ear as it disappeared behind him.

Humans.

Vjeran ducked back behind the tree, preparing to throw out a strong current of magic at the first person he saw, his palms already tingling with energy. He didn’t, however, see anyone before he was suddenly hit. The sharp object pierced through his pants and into his leg by the time he saw movement from the corner of his eye. The energy in his hands dissipated, the strength in his legs gone in a heartbeat.

He took a deep breath, bracing himself for what was about to come, and was swallowed by darkness.

Vjeran awoke gasping for air, his body snagged on the stones in the shallow stream. Smoke scratched at his eyes, scraping against his skin and burning his throat. The sky above him was tinged red, the trees ablaze crackling loudly.

Running a hand over his leg, he couldn’t locate what had hit him, assuming it had been taken out or had fallen out. But it didn’t matter, the Velridrun was still running through his body, leaving him weak and helpless.

“Oh, hello.”

Craning his neck, Vjeran saw none other than his brother, standing up on the path with a wry grin on his face.

“Wanted to join in on the fun, did we?”

There hanging around his neck was the crystal, glowing the same deep red as the fires around them. It made Vjeran’s blood boil.

“What happened? Did you forget how useless you are in battle?”

He forced himself to sit up, the water that had soaked into his clothes was painfully cold now, biting into him with every movement.

“You’re nothing without the crystal.”

“Sounds like someone’s jealous,” Jeren took a quick glance around before leaping down into the stream.

“That crystal isn’t meant for someone like you… but it isn’t meant for someone like me either. I certainly don’t want it.” He glared up at his brother, feeling small beneath him, “anybody with possession of the crystal is an enemy of mine.”

He gave a short laugh, “I can live with that.”

“You’ll die with that.”

He would have said more, but Jeren had finally snapped. With one swift motion, hit foot collided with Vjeran’s face.

Bringing his hands up, he rolled onto his stomach, desperately willing his magic to be restored as his breath caught in his throat from the hot pain spreading across his entire face.

He could the taste blood in his mouth, pooling in-between his lips and his teeth. With a trembling hand, Vjeran grabbed his brother’s leg, letting his blood stain his clothes as he clenched his fist into his pants and met his eyes.

“Die with it and know that I had a hand in your death.”

He expected another violent kick for that comment, but instead was hit with a deluge of magic. It struck him once before seemingly engulfing his entire body, slowly building pressure, depriving him of breath and setting his nerves on fire.

If Jeren wanted to kill him quickly, he could. This was meant to be slow. He wanted him to suffer. To burn with the trees and blow away as ashes in the wind.

His body jerked and twisted, and he couldn’t tell if he was screaming or if it was simply in his head.

And then it stopped.

He became limp, keeping his eyes shut and nearly allowing himself to lose consciousness.

A voice shouted in the distance, something about the fire and getting out. Vjeran wondered if a Council member would come across him and drag him back to Blackwater only to have Jeren finish him off there.

But a few moments later, as he opened an eye, his brother was already retreating.

The woods were all but screaming around him as it burned.

A wave of nausea hit him as he let out a choked sob, realizing that he could no longer feel or move his legs.

So this was it.

Vjeran didn’t move until he could feel the heat of the flames fill the air. Reaching an arm out he clawed at the ground in an effort to move his body away from the flames and towards Valindra. Towards any region that wasn’t Arishore.

Jeren wanted him dead?

Then so be it.

He pulled himself forwards, misplacing the stream’s rocks and tainting the water red with his blood.

Today was the day he would die.

*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.* *.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

COA Taglist: @etjwrites​ ,  @alwolfesblog​​ ,  @project-nightshade​​ , @bexminx​​ , @ruth-lund​

Written for Your Antagonist’s Backstory ( @yourocsbackstory​​ )

Week 1 can be found here! 

“There’s been important business I’ve been… putting off.” He fought back a smile as the human rolled his eyes. “I’m afraid the situation has become too dire, and I need to take care of it.”

“You slacker,” Warren cracked, his voice rising with suppressed laughter.

He pushed on, sorry to have to do this tonight. Sorry that this couldn’t have been another unimportant chat.

“Warren, I won’t be back again.”

His smile faded, dark Haladavarian eyes widening with concern.

“What do you mean?”

Sighing, he shook his head. Not that long ago he’d considered leaving without saying anything, not wanting to deal with this.

“It’s for the best, I assure you,” he began slowly. “I wouldn’t be saying this unless I felt I didn’t have another choice.”

He was staring at him now, unnervingly quiet. Though he seemed to be slowly understanding what was happening, he certainly didn’t deserve it. but perhaps it wouldn’t all truly hit him until it was all said and done. It couldn’t be that simple to accept the fact that your friend of many years was going to leave to take care of something that was a complete mystery, and had no intentions of seeing you again.

It didn’t sit well with him; there was a low, rumbling anger within him, threatening to rise up and lash out the longer the silence stretched on.

“But I want you to know that your friendship has meant a great deal to me.”

Warren nodded slowly, “Do you plan on being killed then? Is that it?”

He threw out his hands when he didn’t receive an answer, his book sliding from his lap and landing with a loud slap on the floor.

“Regardless of whether I live or die, I won’t be returning here again,” he answered quickly. “I don’t know how many times you want me to repeat that.”

“Wh-.”

“Please, do not make me say it again.” His voice faltered, and it took everything in him not to shout. “This isn’t easy for me.”

The room was getting noticeably darker as the fire began to dwindle, having not been tended to in a while. He took the opportunity to get out of the chair, moving to the fireplace. Reaching down and pressing his fingers briefly against the wood, he had to settle his energy with a deep sigh before allowing his magic to bring the fire back to life. He certainly didn’t need his magic flaring along with his anger.

“I was never sent to this region as a messenger for Arishore,” he said as he turned back to face his friend. “I’m not who I said I was.”

Warren nodded thoughtfully, “Alright then. So who are you?” He gave a short, nervous laugh. “You’re not about to tell me that you’re actually Phael Elaéyadar, are you?”

“Kind of you to assume I’m that young,” he retorted, giving himself a moment more before giving him the truth.

“My name is Vjeran Elaéyadar.”

*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.* *.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

COA Taglist: @etjwrites​ , @alwolfesblog​ , @project-nightshade​ , @bexminx​ , @ruth-lund​ ,

Written for Your Antagonist’s Backstory ( @yourocsbackstory​) 

For this event, I will be writing about Vjeran, a character in COA 2, aka, The Coast of Arishore: The Crystal Guardian.