... And the Answer is Yes

"If I had the key, I wouldn't need to be cruel & turn away so many people." It was the simulant's attempt at bargain, now that violence & pleading had failed. "Far more then five thousand could become Endless & know eternal happiness."

Once again, Ivy found herself producing a snarl from her throat, as her teeth grit. Tiffaine herself too found her jaw going slack for a moment. The whole lot of them learning of this, they knew what that means the simulant was trying to do.

"What!? You mean to steal aether from other worlds again!?"

The fake queen only glanced at Wuk Lamat, before breaking into a smile & making a grand, open armed gesture, motioning towards the screen.

"All is for the sake of his experiments."

It certainly drew the attention back to the screen, at least, for Ivy, whose boiling gaze settled upon the screen, the simulant & Lamat speaking just to the side. She could not be sure, with the horrid state of the lightning from, whatever the heck the feed was being shared from, but the viper could almost be sure he was meeting her gaze back. Though neither said a word, neither moved for a time, & the rage she felt in this silent, prolonged exchange of eyes numbed the violent static that still pulsed through her.

"What do you stand to gain by making everyone Endless?"

Ivy broke the silence first, bringing herself to her feet once more with her question roiling off her tongue with the toxic smoothness of a snake's venom. And for a while, she was also met with silence.

"You're speaking to me?" He responses, & sighs, acting as if the pair did not just exchange a prolonged staring contest. Acting even as if he is exhasted with having to answer this question at all.

"Our goal is to usher in the next phase of mankind's evolution. Since time immemorial, life has used death to facilitate adaptation in an ever-changing environment. The told & infirm are weeded out, allowing the species to thrive. Generational succession- this has been our survival strategy. Yet, this strategy has long since reached it's practical limit. It is outdated."

There's a pause as the man goes on writing something. Ivy's fist clench.

"It relies on progeny, which gives rise to unchecked population growth. Resources become scarce, invariably leading to conflict. All the while, death is ever present & robs our species of untold potential. Where man now stands in his evolution, bodies of flesh no longer make sense. What we must strive for next is carefully managed, eternal preservation."

It wouldn't work. The price paid for maintaining the Endless are souls. And souls are not in unlimited stock. They know this already, they have learned this already, but why would anyone still attempt this?

"Calyx...! You're Calyx, aren't you?" The voice of the real Sphene cut through the fog that hung over them all. And the sigh that left the man's lips seemed to speak enough of an answer.

"You know him?"

Sphene affirms with a head nod. "The young genius who had mastered electrope technology, he founded the scientific collective known as Preservation, & devoted himself to finding a cure for the levin sickness paralysis with plagued our people."

So he was another Alexandrian from Sphene time. And if he is alive now, that means she is likely an Endless himself.

"Calyx! You always had your gaze set upon the future, & I know you do now, but I beg you, do not deceive the people of Alexandria! Do not manipulate them with this imitation forged from my memories!"

"Well, how rude." The simulant saunters up to her true counterpart, head tilted, but still with that damned smile to her face. "Yet, whatever you may say, I'm the one whom the people regard as queen. You may have worn the crown for a few years, bot now, you are no one. Just a frail, fleshy version of me that could die at any moment. The kingdom has no use for such as you."

Whatever confidence Sphene had originally had fizzled out in front of them like a spark dying before it could catch flame, & once more, Ivy grit her teeth. Though she had not once & will never be, a ruler of a nation, she did not need to be to know that Sphene's love for her people was true, honest & pure, nothing that which the simulant was, & nothing that which the people of Alexandria truly loved about their queen. She had always strived to give them hope, not drown them in worry & despair as this bloated imposter was doing.

"Our demand is simple: surrender the key. Refusal will necessitate consequences."

Ivy sneared.

"Getting in my way also necessitates consequences, you should prepare to receive them." A threat, a promise, rolled into a words that bit in that familiar venomous tone.

Calyx said nothing in return. But the way he upturned his gaze, suggested an unwillingness to meet that raging tempest in Ivy's eyes directly anymore. It was both like witnessing a storm ravage the sea, & fire rain down from the heavens on high. The screen went black then & there afterward, the simulant vanishing as well, & soon, power returned to the recreation zone, lights filling the buildings & roads once again.

And yet the burn remained. Not merely the burning pain in her veins, still feeling alit with static, but the rage. That which numbed Ivy just enough, & gave her all the fuel she would ever need to bring well deserved revenge to Calyx's doorstep. If that boy thinks for a moment that striking the Warrior of Light like that came without punishment, his awakening would be a rude & sick one indeed.

"We're going to find Calyx."

"Of course." Bringing her fist to her palm, Lamat could not agree more. She had a bone to pick with that simulant.

"But Ivy, you're-"

"I know." She already knew what her sister's protest would be. She had just taken a bolt of levin that would have normally ash-ed anyone else. The pain still lingered, but lightning that such an effect always. If she waited for it to go away, everyone could already be Endless by then. "Trust me, I will be okay. I can take some pain, & I have had much worse, you of all people should know that, Tiff."

The breath that leaves the younger sister was one she didn't realize she had been holding. Of course, Ivy is stronger then anyone she's ever met, the Warrior of Light, Hero of the Star, the Primal Slayer, & so much more. But Ivy is still Ivy, still her sister, so Tiffanie can't help but worry, she doesn't want her overdoing it again.

"You will get proper rest after you get to kick the little twerps head in."

The sound that leaves her instead in an abhorrent shriek ripe with agony. It rings nearly as loud at the brilliant crash of thunder that strikes the Warrior of Light with not an shred of mercy or kindness. Rocketing sheer suffering through her body, veins burn & crackle, feeling as if they wish to explode under her skin, & every hair on her body stands to attention as they act almost like rods for the levin to connect to & scorch out of existence.

For a small miracle, it is over nearly as soon as it begins. The lightning bolt arrives, strikes it's foe, & then is gone. Yet the pain of the experience lingers still. Every fiber of her skin & muscles left charged with static that left a burning, suffering tingle under her skin, veins still boiling inside her. Ivy struggled to stand, & just about fell forward, catching herself at least from completely dropping to the floor, & instead readied herself down onto a knee, with a hand pressed to the floor for additional support.

"IVY!" The Warrior Light hadn't realized it until now, the boom of the levin strike & the ringing left behind in her ears blocked all other sound, but the others had recoiled in their own horror at what they had witnessed happen to her. Tiffanie was already at her sister's side, hand pressed to Ivy's shoulder, keeping her from being able to fall fully forward if her knee were to give out.

"Hey! Are you alright??" The panic in Lamat's voice was clear, with the Xbr'aal setting herself at the other side of Ivy. Though this entire sector of the Everkeep had lost power as a result of the sheer strength within that levinbolt, the lot of them could care less. Their focus belonged to their fallen friend.

Ivy said nothing yet, but let out a groan of agony, voice horse from the scream she had pitched earlier. In response to this, the older sister felt the younger switch the placement of her hands, to allow her dominant hand to rest upon the viper's back, while the lesser one took the place upon the shoulder. Without even asking, with what little conjury she had learned, she applied one of her stronger healing spells. It wouldn't quite remove the pain, but it would keep Ivy from collapsing.

"So, she didn't die. Vexing, but expected."

The male voice as unfamiliar, & it made the group turn their attentions away from the stuck Warrior of Light, to that screen that hung above the road, the one attached to the bridge. While the rest of the area was without power, this screen somehow had stayed on, or rather, was reactivated manually, by the one whose shadowy visage now was hosted upon it little doubt. Much was difficult to discern, but the vague shapes of the face could be made out, along with something strap to their neck area.

As soon as the group turn their attention to that screen, the man's attention seemed to shift away, movements suggested he was writing something down, as his head shifted downward.

A low growl of sorts rippled through Ivy's throat, her head shifting upward to beam the one responsible for this down with her eyes. The ocean within those orbs beginning to form waves. A hand raises from off the ground, grasping onto Tiffanie's on her shoulder, making the other woman pause in her healing.

"I am fine."

"But-"

"I swear, I am fine, Tiff." Ivy's insistence was truly the only thing that would make Tiffanie pause her actions. She always knew just how much stronger then everyone else her older sister was, but it didn't give her pause to worry. Still, she can do nothing if Ivy refuses.

"That was about the strongest bolt we can produce within Everkeep. What now?" Emerging from behind the screen, atop the bridge, that stupidly unfitting smug grin to her face, was the one that brought them here. The simulant of Sphene. The imposter wearing the face of the Queen of Alexandria, & using their love of her against them.

"We obtain more precise measurements. Narrow the range of variables to avoid unnecessary trail & error. That is the most expeditious course of action." The voice of the man on the screen spoke again. His tone utterly detached & monotone, is sounded nearly as if he spoke with no soul.

"... I know that voice." The true Sphene muttered this to herself softly, eyes trained heavily upon the screen & the man who still seemed to be going about writing something before him.

Eyes flick between the screen & the simulant, only for them to settle upon the imposter when movement is seen. She had cast herself from the edge of the bridge, floating down to the same level as the group. Heels touched the floor with a soft clack, & eyes quickly settle upon Ivy, the Warrior of Light, still knelt upon the floor from static pains coursing her veins, & the Warrior of Darkness placed beside her. The simulant smiled at her.

"You! Yes you there!" The fake Sphene called out then, waving her arms to Ivy, as if she was greeting an old friend, & began to approach her. "We have important business with you!"

The actions of the simulant brought Tiffanie to shoot to a standing position, suddenly on her heels, & repositioning herself to stand Infront of the Warrior of Light. After what just happened, the simple thought of this thing being near her sister churned her stomach vilely.

"Stay away from her." Tiffanie did not shout, but the threatening tone in her voice spoke enough. And the message was clearly received, as the simulant stopped her advance, regarded the Pictomancer quietly for but a brief glance, before reaffixing her gaze back to her original intended target.

I Will:

Draw OCs!

Draw Canon Characters

Draw Animals(Yes, Including Pokémon)

Draw Characters with a few Animalistic/Monstrous features(there are some limitations to this)

Do slightly Suggestive content

I Will NOT:

Do full NSFW content

Draw Machines/Mechas

Full on Furries

Do anything Gore heavy(blood & missing limbs is fine, but I'm not drawing organs on display)

Copy an already Existing Design(applies to Outfit Design commissions only)

Draw in a specific style

Important Notices:

I am only taking up to 4 commissions at a time.

I will give you progress updates as I work

I will request payment after completing the sketching phase of the commission(to avoid anyone skipping payment & anyone paying for something they do not like)

I have the right to refuse a commission(either because of difficulty with the drawing or difficulty with the customer)

I employ the use of Bases sometimes in my art(if you dislike this then do not commission me expecting elsewise)

I take my payments solely through Ko-Fi, as it does not require an account to do so! Other means are generally unavailable unless discussed.

Examples(Feel free to scroll through my blog to find more!):

Headshot:

Waist Up:

Waist Down:

Outfit Design:

"If I had the key, I wouldn't need to be cruel & turn away so many people." It was the simulant's attempt at bargain, now that violence & pleading had failed. "Far more then five thousand could become Endless & know eternal happiness."

Once again, Ivy found herself producing a snarl from her throat, as her teeth grit. Tiffaine herself too found her jaw going slack for a moment. The whole lot of them learning of this, they knew what that means the simulant was trying to do.

"What!? You mean to steal aether from other worlds again!?"

The fake queen only glanced at Wuk Lamat, before breaking into a smile & making a grand, open armed gesture, motioning towards the screen.

"All is for the sake of his experiments."

It certainly drew the attention back to the screen, at least, for Ivy, whose boiling gaze settled upon the screen, the simulant & Lamat speaking just to the side. She could not be sure, with the horrid state of the lightning from, whatever the heck the feed was being shared from, but the viper could almost be sure he was meeting her gaze back. Though neither said a word, neither moved for a time, & the rage she felt in this silent, prolonged exchange of eyes numbed the violent static that still pulsed through her.

"What do you stand to gain by making everyone Endless?"

Ivy broke the silence first, bringing herself to her feet once more with her question roiling off her tongue with the toxic smoothness of a snake's venom. And for a while, she was also met with silence.

"You're speaking to me?" He responses, & sighs, acting as if the pair did not just exchange a prolonged staring contest. Acting even as if he is exhasted with having to answer this question at all.

"Our goal is to usher in the next phase of mankind's evolution. Since time immemorial, life has used death to facilitate adaptation in an ever-changing environment. The told & infirm are weeded out, allowing the species to thrive. Generational succession- this has been our survival strategy. Yet, this strategy has long since reached it's practical limit. It is outdated."

There's a pause as the man goes on writing something. Ivy's fist clench.

"It relies on progeny, which gives rise to unchecked population growth. Resources become scarce, invariably leading to conflict. All the while, death is ever present & robs our species of untold potential. Where man now stands in his evolution, bodies of flesh no longer make sense. What we must strive for next is carefully managed, eternal preservation."

It wouldn't work. The price paid for maintaining the Endless are souls. And souls are not in unlimited stock. They know this already, they have learned this already, but why would anyone still attempt this?

"Calyx...! You're Calyx, aren't you?" The voice of the real Sphene cut through the fog that hung over them all. And the sigh that left the man's lips seemed to speak enough of an answer.

"You know him?"

Sphene affirms with a head nod. "The young genius who had mastered electrope technology, he founded the scientific collective known as Preservation, & devoted himself to finding a cure for the levin sickness paralysis with plagued our people."

So he was another Alexandrian from Sphene time. And if he is alive now, that means she is likely an Endless himself.

"Calyx! You always had your gaze set upon the future, & I know you do now, but I beg you, do not deceive the people of Alexandria! Do not manipulate them with this imitation forged from my memories!"

"Well, how rude." The simulant saunters up to her true counterpart, head tilted, but still with that damned smile to her face. "Yet, whatever you may say, I'm the one whom the people regard as queen. You may have worn the crown for a few years, bot now, you are no one. Just a frail, fleshy version of me that could die at any moment. The kingdom has no use for such as you."

Whatever confidence Sphene had originally had fizzled out in front of them like a spark dying before it could catch flame, & once more, Ivy grit her teeth. Though she had not once & will never be, a ruler of a nation, she did not need to be to know that Sphene's love for her people was true, honest & pure, nothing that which the simulant was, & nothing that which the people of Alexandria truly loved about their queen. She had always strived to give them hope, not drown them in worry & despair as this bloated imposter was doing.

"Our demand is simple: surrender the key. Refusal will necessitate consequences."

Ivy sneared.

"Getting in my way also necessitates consequences, you should prepare to receive them." A threat, a promise, rolled into a words that bit in that familiar venomous tone.

Calyx said nothing in return. But the way he upturned his gaze, suggested an unwillingness to meet that raging tempest in Ivy's eyes directly anymore. It was both like witnessing a storm ravage the sea, & fire rain down from the heavens on high. The screen went black then & there afterward, the simulant vanishing as well, & soon, power returned to the recreation zone, lights filling the buildings & roads once again.

And yet the burn remained. Not merely the burning pain in her veins, still feeling alit with static, but the rage. That which numbed Ivy just enough, & gave her all the fuel she would ever need to bring well deserved revenge to Calyx's doorstep. If that boy thinks for a moment that striking the Warrior of Light like that came without punishment, his awakening would be a rude & sick one indeed.

"We're going to find Calyx."

"Of course." Bringing her fist to her palm, Lamat could not agree more. She had a bone to pick with that simulant.

"But Ivy, you're-"

"I know." She already knew what her sister's protest would be. She had just taken a bolt of levin that would have normally ash-ed anyone else. The pain still lingered, but lightning that such an effect always. If she waited for it to go away, everyone could already be Endless by then. "Trust me, I will be okay. I can take some pain, & I have had much worse, you of all people should know that, Tiff."

The breath that leaves the younger sister was one she didn't realize she had been holding. Of course, Ivy is stronger then anyone she's ever met, the Warrior of Light, Hero of the Star, the Primal Slayer, & so much more. But Ivy is still Ivy, still her sister, so Tiffanie can't help but worry, she doesn't want her overdoing it again.

"You will get proper rest after you get to kick the little twerps head in."

The sound that leaves her instead in an abhorrent shriek ripe with agony. It rings nearly as loud at the brilliant crash of thunder that strikes the Warrior of Light with not an shred of mercy or kindness. Rocketing sheer suffering through her body, veins burn & crackle, feeling as if they wish to explode under her skin, & every hair on her body stands to attention as they act almost like rods for the levin to connect to & scorch out of existence.

For a small miracle, it is over nearly as soon as it begins. The lightning bolt arrives, strikes it's foe, & then is gone. Yet the pain of the experience lingers still. Every fiber of her skin & muscles left charged with static that left a burning, suffering tingle under her skin, veins still boiling inside her. Ivy struggled to stand, & just about fell forward, catching herself at least from completely dropping to the floor, & instead readied herself down onto a knee, with a hand pressed to the floor for additional support.

"IVY!" The Warrior Light hadn't realized it until now, the boom of the levin strike & the ringing left behind in her ears blocked all other sound, but the others had recoiled in their own horror at what they had witnessed happen to her. Tiffanie was already at her sister's side, hand pressed to Ivy's shoulder, keeping her from being able to fall fully forward if her knee were to give out.

"Hey! Are you alright??" The panic in Lamat's voice was clear, with the Xbr'aal setting herself at the other side of Ivy. Though this entire sector of the Everkeep had lost power as a result of the sheer strength within that levinbolt, the lot of them could care less. Their focus belonged to their fallen friend.

Ivy said nothing yet, but let out a groan of agony, voice horse from the scream she had pitched earlier. In response to this, the older sister felt the younger switch the placement of her hands, to allow her dominant hand to rest upon the viper's back, while the lesser one took the place upon the shoulder. Without even asking, with what little conjury she had learned, she applied one of her stronger healing spells. It wouldn't quite remove the pain, but it would keep Ivy from collapsing.

"So, she didn't die. Vexing, but expected."

The male voice as unfamiliar, & it made the group turn their attentions away from the stuck Warrior of Light, to that screen that hung above the road, the one attached to the bridge. While the rest of the area was without power, this screen somehow had stayed on, or rather, was reactivated manually, by the one whose shadowy visage now was hosted upon it little doubt. Much was difficult to discern, but the vague shapes of the face could be made out, along with something strap to their neck area.

As soon as the group turn their attention to that screen, the man's attention seemed to shift away, movements suggested he was writing something down, as his head shifted downward.

A low growl of sorts rippled through Ivy's throat, her head shifting upward to beam the one responsible for this down with her eyes. The ocean within those orbs beginning to form waves. A hand raises from off the ground, grasping onto Tiffanie's on her shoulder, making the other woman pause in her healing.

"I am fine."

"But-"

"I swear, I am fine, Tiff." Ivy's insistence was truly the only thing that would make Tiffanie pause her actions. She always knew just how much stronger then everyone else her older sister was, but it didn't give her pause to worry. Still, she can do nothing if Ivy refuses.

"That was about the strongest bolt we can produce within Everkeep. What now?" Emerging from behind the screen, atop the bridge, that stupidly unfitting smug grin to her face, was the one that brought them here. The simulant of Sphene. The imposter wearing the face of the Queen of Alexandria, & using their love of her against them.

"We obtain more precise measurements. Narrow the range of variables to avoid unnecessary trail & error. That is the most expeditious course of action." The voice of the man on the screen spoke again. His tone utterly detached & monotone, is sounded nearly as if he spoke with no soul.

"... I know that voice." The true Sphene muttered this to herself softly, eyes trained heavily upon the screen & the man who still seemed to be going about writing something before him.

Eyes flick between the screen & the simulant, only for them to settle upon the imposter when movement is seen. She had cast herself from the edge of the bridge, floating down to the same level as the group. Heels touched the floor with a soft clack, & eyes quickly settle upon Ivy, the Warrior of Light, still knelt upon the floor from static pains coursing her veins, & the Warrior of Darkness placed beside her. The simulant smiled at her.

"You! Yes you there!" The fake Sphene called out then, waving her arms to Ivy, as if she was greeting an old friend, & began to approach her. "We have important business with you!"

The actions of the simulant brought Tiffanie to shoot to a standing position, suddenly on her heels, & repositioning herself to stand Infront of the Warrior of Light. After what just happened, the simple thought of this thing being near her sister churned her stomach vilely.

"Stay away from her." Tiffanie did not shout, but the threatening tone in her voice spoke enough. And the message was clearly received, as the simulant stopped her advance, regarded the Pictomancer quietly for but a brief glance, before reaffixing her gaze back to her original intended target.