#◟༺✦༻◞ may one day the oceans know the joy of your return; o' léviathan ┊neuvillette → seraphicus.┊

[twilightichor]

Pouring rain falls like a balm to soothe raging flames that will never die. Labored breaths return to normalcy as Twilight straightens himself to look over his head, his palm open to watch sapphire drops fall atop the onyx leather that covers his hand. ◜...◞ Astral gaze falls upon the snow-haired man thereafter, narrowing in quiescent acknowledgement. It's been a while since Dáinsleif had realized the nature of this man —or as he would rather say, superior being— ever since the beginning when they joined forces to purify the Weeping Willow in Fontaine. Now, after a voyage to Ochkanatlan and what Natlanese would say the end of the world where they were caught by an unpleasant surprise, it's all the more clearer. ◜You did what must be done.◞ Not necessarily to Natlan— but to him. The suffering soul caged within the abyssal shell that had fallen before them.

✧ @seraphicus liked for a mini-starter!

[reginrokkr]

◜You have changed.◞ Deep and serene voice punctuate twilight's awakening, oddly in a luxurious-looking room and not in the wilderness as it happened in the past when they had last taken matters into hands to restore the Weeping Willow's vitality. It is not only the appearance —now more refined and elegant, more neat and tidy—, but the different disposition he has: more modest, more like equals. If this is his residence, maybe living among humans is what ultimately changed him. Dáinsleif sits on the bed, a soft grunt of pain from the previous battle and the exertion on flesh and marrow escaping past roseate lips as he looks over the snow-haired man. ◜What sparked the change in you?◞

✦ @seraphicus liked for a soft starter!

[twilightichor]

Something is amiss. To the logic-driven individuals such as Dáinsleif, relying on gut feeling is opposite to their rationale-bound modus operandi. It goes against justifying in a analytical manner what is happening around them, and thus finding a solution to fix the problem. But letting oneself be driven by their instinct is akin to drifting in the sea on a raft with no destination in mind, it bears no ounce of explanation to why feels such way or why they're moved to do what they are.

But something is amiss, he can feel it. The excruciating pain he felt was no laughing matter, ever consuming to the point of being nigh incapacitating. He didn't outperform in his duty of protection in any fight to warrant this, nor there was any abyssal wave that might've brought a new kind of disease that wasn't discovered yet —even so, long ago had he found out about himself that he possesses cleansing properties that negate the abyss—. So, what was happening?

Dáinsleif doesn't use to take at heart his brother's arguments of why he mustn't rely solely on logic, but allow himself to be betwixt both roads if he wants to transcend beyond the limits he's shackling himself in. Perhaps it is seeing how Vedrfolnir performs as an oracle that pushed him to this decision, or perhaps his want for finding an explanation of his sickness that ultimately made him embark on a journey outside of Khaenri'ah that led him to the outskirts of an incipient nation.

Thus his instinct drew him towards a willow amidst a lake that surrounds it, its colors so dull and lifeless that would make anyone wonder if it's standing on its last legs. His logical mind calls nonsense, that it is unlikely that a single tree would be calling to him through a pain that only now he discovers that it must be just an extension of its own— it is crying. And so his investigation began on the vicinities of the tree first, on the depths of the lake thereafter for as long as his lung could get, unbeknownst that a majestic entity is observing him from afar.

It took him three days: one of which he could use to unveil the mysteries behind a mechanism somewhere on the other end of the lake and the next two to realize that the pain is growing deeper the closer he gets somewhere, as if it were telling him that he's on the right track. Alas, no matter how much he pushed the amount of time he can spend without breathing, it is insufficient for investigating farther— he isn't as rash as to risk being unable to return to the surface and pass away for lack of oxygen.

Twilight Sword is surprised when he's approached by a man whose presence sends all the alarms haywire that there is something about him that he must not neglige, that for now, he chooses to push back until the other shows hostility towards him. ◜I am not seeking any treasure.◞ What does he mean by inciting the waters' wrath? Are his actions worsening this place's condition? Unless... the willow is connected to these waters beyond extending its roots in order to get enough of it for its self-preservation.

Glacial sapphire irises move to the willow, then to its crown of leaves glowing with faint gold. ◜This tree isn't presenting itself as it would usually do, right?◞ His gloved hand rises to grasp the wet clothes over his chest, right over the spot of his heart. ◜Its life is declining, and so is the vitality that surrounds it in this lake. I''m looking for a way to stop that.◞

The Weeping Willow is in pain, its lament loud and clear submerged within the waters that surround it, unlike the luster it had lost and the blue it was stripped away from to crown it with muted gold. Léviathan could feel it all the way from the distant waters of northern Fontaine he came from in order to trace the source of sorrow. Its Ley Lines are losing their power gradually as a consequence of the sudden filth that has been building within, ever devouring their vitality. And ever since, rain fell over the area— a manifestation of the crownless sovereign's sadness for his inability to do anything about it. What little he can count with are a set of vague memories that inform him of the importance of these spirit veins, but no solution as to alleviate their pain whatsoever.

To make matters worse, it's been three days since the coming of a human from unknown lands. From his observations from afar he could tell that he does not belong to the barbarians living in nearby areas nor those that live well underwater in that golden kingdom of music. Every day at dawn, he would waken from the base of the willow and dive underwater for a limited amount of time before he resurfaced, visibly spent from the lack of oxygen (humans can spend as much time without breathing in the depths of the waters, he knows). This process would repeat over and over until night falls and he rests by the tree. Léviathan, meanwhile, would scan the waters to see if there is any disturbances to no avail: nothing changed.

He allowed it to happen for three days, until he could sense freight in the deep waters that pushed him to confront the stranger. The marine beings are agitated for reasons unknown that he could only attribute to this man's activity. But unbeknownst of him, this man's only fault was the discovery of an opening through which the void filters in. "Abandon these waters, lest you desire to incite their wrath." And by extension, his own. He's had enough of this man's fancies to come and go as he pleased, the concern that he would only aggravate the tree's situation alongside the water lines prevalent over anything else as his arms cross over his chest. "If it is treasure you seek, you will find none here." From his very limited and sparse observations of the humans, he had learned that they have a fascination for collecting treasures hidden in inauspicious places. But to this man's misfortune, this is no place to play.

[twilightichor]

Tag dump repost #3

◟༺✧༻◞ immortality won't last forever to gods nor humans┊yìng xīng → seraphicus.┊

◟༺✧༻◞ tears of life; chasers of withering death┊dáinsleif × yìng xīng.┊

◟༺✧༻◞ may one day the oceans know the joy of your return; o' léviathan ┊neuvillette → seraphicus.┊

◟༺✧༻◞ scattered dreams will reunite— yours and mine┊dáinsleif × léviathan.┊

◟༺✧༻◞ may your flaming sacrifice bring lasting peace and prosperity┊chánglí → lunaetis.┊

◟༺✧༻◞ ruby and sapphire; suspended on torn wings┊dáinsleif × chánglí.┊

◟༺✧༻◞ spirit of verdant life and wisdom┊nahida → apocryphis.┊

◟༺✧༻◞ perpetual fighter of nocturne terrors┊xiao → apocryphis.┊