#me: mostly writing threads for chev

[lystsyn-blog]

her ‘other’ self is almost like witnessing a window back through time.

viewing the world from behind the eyes of another is not a wholly unfamiliar experience for vira, of course; skydwellers and primal beasts were never meant to bond, let alone become one. luminiera’s thoughts seep through the cracks sometimes, when she becomes unfocused, and vira gets to see the world as her companion does; in sharp focus, with eyes meant for battle and battle alone, quickly identifying (and wrestling with an urge to dispose of) threats.

she was built a weapon, and though she has outgrown her purpose -- the marks of the astrals remain on her, as they always will. now that vira is also her -- or rather, her host -- they are her scars, too; burdens from before she was born are hers to bear.

( but she was born nobility, so she supposes this was always the case. )

but there is an unfamiliar factor in it all; rather than be memories of someone else, they are of herself, but different. different in the sense that she can feel that unbridled viciousness and pragmatism that characterized her days as lord; it is like looking into a dark mirror of her current self, without luminiera’s calming influence and allies at her back. there is who she would be if she had stayed cut off from the world; cold, distant, and deluding herself into thinking she was content with it.

living a ghost of a life.

but even she deserves saving. if not for the moral duty of a knight that vira bears, then purely for her own safety; for luminiera’s safety, too, as she is reminded of the primal beast curled around her shoulders. she has another to say goodbye to as well, though her thoughts are now closed off to vira; she chooses to remain within herself, withdrawing to spare her partner the weight of another’s anxieties.

both of them, led on by the application in vira’s hands, are drawn to the city of yesteryear. hopefully there, in its ruins, they can give their mirror-images another chance, and spare themselves from an unfortunate fate.

the city is frantic, but they arrive outside the limits of spirale without incident. there are others here, most likely saddled with the same task; some travel in groups, taking refuge in companionship even as the dark cloud of their limited time hangs over their heads. despite luminiera’s warmth, vira finds herself feeling distinctly alone; vulnerable for it, as well, even though lyst sin is a comforting presence at her hip, as always, with a grip made for her hands and her hands alone.

-- but maybe, there’s someone she can find, too. scanning the scattered residents figuring out their own directions, she spots him; garbed in gallant red, looking decidedly ridiculous holding a smartphone, but familiar.

...even if he’s an absolute pain of a man, most of the time.

“ lord of flames, ��� she calls, and her voice carries clearly, as it always does. 

“ do you, too, seek your doppelganger? would you be bothered if i were to accompany you? we seem to be heading in the same direction, after all, and i must confess that i would like the company of an... ally. ”

@idealflames