The Linear Thread

[xinoehp512]

7 minutes ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

Either Ellis didn't hear Melody or he simply didn't care, because he weaved around all the bursts of warped space and launched his first attack against the octopus, feinting at one of his tentacles before stabbing at his face.

Ellis's blade clattered against the hard exoskeleton of Dr. Who Octopus as the robotic cephalopod stabbed at him with the sword.

[Channelknight Fadran]

16 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

Ellis's blade clattered against the hard exoskeleton of Dr. Who Octopus as the robotic cephalopod stabbed at him with the sword.

24 minutes ago, Condensation said:

"Ellis!" Melody ran and grabbed his arm.

He wrenched his arm out of Melody's grasp, face contorted into dark hatred. "Don't hold me back. DON'T hold me back."

[Condensation]

2 minutes ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

He wrenched his arm out of Melody's grasp, face contorted into dark hatred. "Don't hold me back. DON'T hold me back."

"I thought you said we were going to get her back!"

[Channelknight Fadran]

"I know I did! I know we are, but--" Ellis stopped midswing, a look of realization flashing across his face.

No. There were no buts here.

"I... you're right."

@xinoehp512

[Mystic Syn]

I'm not hearing a no, so *cracks knuckles* here we go.

Spoiler

Q floated.

All the pain melted away, leaving her in peace. The pain from her past lingered, but was eventually taken away by the serenity. It soothes the old pains, undoing the knots built up. The peace flowed, while she wanted to stay in her knot, but it eventually coaxed her into letting go of the knot within her. It convinced her to let go of her body, her life, letting her fly away.

And yet, she didn't.

When she opened her eyes, she found infinite whiteness, stretching as far as she could see. Q still floated, the feeling of weightlessness soothing her, but she found herself reaching down to touch something.

Her bare feet landed on something. The ground? Would one call it that here, in the Inbetween? Either way, it didn't matter.

Her white robes billowed when she touched down. How she got those robes, she didn't care. The Inbetween was something that one couldn't easily explain. It was the place between life and death, but where it was... well, no one knew. Back home, if one found themselves in the Inbetween, it was considered to be a second chance given from Ko'ad Himself; how long they stayed was up to Him.

But this wasn't home.

It looked empty. Her footsteps echoed; on what she didn't care to know. She could wander, but never find what or who she was looking for. Everything would go on forever. It was very similar to how she got here, so she wasn't unfamiliar to the place. Death will take her, sooner or later. She lived her life, and was defeated. It wasn't the best way to go, but she knew it had been time. She didn't know how she knew, but she willingly gave herself up. It would give the others a chance to save him, even if it cost her her life.

It didn't matter. She really didn't deserve to live anyways.

Q walked for what seemed like forever, even if it might only be a few seconds in the real world. Coming to a stop, she saw something start to materialize in front of her.

A reality of sorts, though she couldn't tell where it was to. It rippled in front of her, like a body of water on a windy night.

She reached out, touching its surface. It rippled again. It didn't feel wet, but something soft and comfortable.

"Krow?" she asked, instinctively, then realizing that he probably wasn't with her anymore.

Without thinking, she stepped into the rippling surface.

It was bright, very bright. Q had to squint to try and figure out her surroundings, although the smells gave the place away almost immediately.

It was home, right on the hill beside the actual manor. The scent of the woods wafted to her, causing her to relax. Below her sitting body, the lush green grass flowed in the pleasant breeze. In front of her were the rolling green hills, the forests waving from side to side in the breeze, letting their scents flow towards her, allowing her to relax. Beyond the hills, the sleeping volcano––Huo––loomed over the capital, its usual sight causing her to catch her breath. She didn't know how, but that sight always––

An arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer to a warm body.

She jumped, looking to see...

Huoyan. Smiling towards the capital. His green eyes were full of life, unlike when she had last saw them. His lopsided grin grew when the breeze caught on again, the scent of the woods catching his attention. He closed his eyes for a second, taking in the smells, then opening them to turn to her. His grin grew again when he saw her.

"Yulong," he said, fondness appearing in his eyes. "You're here."

Before she could respond, he kissed her.

Yulong didn't know what to do. Her first and only real friend was here, and she knew that she held feelings for him, but she didn't think that this would be the first thing he did when they were both in death. No "How was life?" or anything like that. Yet, she melted into the kiss. It didn't take her long to lean against him, closing her eyes. The last knot within her unravelled to reveal the person she had been hiding all along: The truly caring human. The person who had grieved hard when Huoyan had passed. The one she'd shown sometime, but not too often. Yes, she still held feelings for him, and this was when she really let those feelings show.

He was the first one to pull away, touching her forehead with his.

"Are we dead?" she asked, quietly, gazing into his eyes.

"I am," he said, a sad smile playing on his lips. "You're not there yet. Mors is working hard to make sure you stay alive."

The image of her broken body came to mind. She was laying there in her own blood, eyes staring into the eternities; but if she looked closely, tiny trails of smoke streamed from the corners of her eyes. Her eye color itself was pitch black, but it flickered every so often, showing her dead sapphire eyes. He was working to keep her just a little bit alive as the chaos ensued around them.

"I don't want to go back," she whispered, not meeting his gaze. "Please."

"You still need to fulfill––"

"No. I can't. I don't want to. No one was able to heal me from my past. No one was able to give me a remedy."

"What about Ellis?"

She didn't respond.

"Yulong," he said, putting his finger under her chin to lift her face to meet his smiling gaze. "I know you have feelings about him, but still harbor feelings for me. You can't change the past, no matter what may have happened. If you dwell too much on the past, it will affect your future. It's okay to have feelings for someone else; I can't control them, and all I want is for you to be happy. I forgive you for what happened with me, but please don't let those memories distract you."

"I can't," she said through tears. "I can't let go so easily. It'll just get everyone kill––"

He interrupted her with a soft kiss, lingering for a second before pulling away again.

"You can. I believe in you."

"I... Please." Her eyes plead along as well. "Don't leave me again. Please give me a remedy. I don't want to go through the pain of losing you again."

"I'm not your remedy. I was never meant to be your remedy."

She opened her mouth, unsure about what to say. Her gaze fell to the ground. "Please... I don't want to be alone. I don't want to go back."

"I know." He smiled softly. "You know you have to, though. If you don't, Mors will fade. Ellis might turn into you, with how you handled my death. Just because it's painful does not mean that you can't keep pushing forward. It will take time for you to heal, but you can make it."

"I..."

"Yulong."

She looked up at him, his smile still shining brightly, despite him and the surroundings fading.

"I love you, okay? I know Ellis does, too. We'll meet again, but please remember my words."

Yulong tried to protest, but she was cut off by another kiss, this one fading quickly.

"I love you" was the last words she heard before everything faded away. Those three words. The ones she avoided on using was said by Huoyan, and they clearly had feeling to them.

She was left alone again, in the infinite whiteness.

Looking behind her, Q saw the ripping wall again, this time she knew where it led: Real life. She rose to her feet, walking over to the wall. Hesitating, she reached up to touch the surface. She paused, honestly considering the chance she was given. She could go and see her family again, or she could live life and experience all its pains. She desperately wanted to see her family again, but Huoyan had a point. Every time he said something, he was usually right when he said it.

She touched it, returning back to life.

Pain.

Fresh and new pain grabbed ahold of her immediately, making her want to do something, yet she lacked the strength to do so. She couldn't even open her eyes. The sounds of fighting filled her ears, almost deafening her. The pain sank in, as well as the blood in her clothes. It made her want to go back to the Inbetween, but she made her choice.

Boss, Krow said, excited. Welcome back.

Yeah... Can't... do much.

Don't move. I'm still working. You'll be able to get up here soon, but that wound isn't going to do you any favors.

She inhaled softly when Krow touched the wound, pain coming back.

But she was back, even if it were against her will. She was back to try again. For now, though, she would drift into the Inbetween, waiting for when her body was ready.

I've put it in le spoiler box, since I thought it was a bit long for one to read. But ye, I might make some edits in the morning.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Mystic Syn

[xinoehp512]

Dr. Who Octopus switched out his sword for a gun and started blasting away at Ellis.

The arm, having enough of waiting, extended to grab onto the portal on one end and Melody and Ellis on the other.

Then it yanked.

[Channelknight Fadran]

Ellis cried out as a bullet took him in the chest, but found himself being yanked into the portal moments after. He reached for Melody's hand, clutching his chest where the bullet had hit him.

[xinoehp512]

As they passed through the portal, time spun around them. The skies flashed in a thousand variations, the sun shooting forwards and backwards and forwards again.

And then they were through, standing in the exact same place but with no trace of Dr. Who Octopus.

[Channelknight Fadran]

Ellis collapsed, clutching his chest but still holding Melody's hand.

@Condensation

Quote

Guess we're waiting on you now.

 

[Condensation]

3 hours ago, xinoehp512 said:

Dr. Who Octopus switched out his sword for a gun and started blasting away at Ellis.

The arm, having enough of waiting, extended to grab onto the portal on one end and Melody and Ellis on the other.

Then it yanked.

2 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

Ellis collapsed, clutching his chest but still holding Melody's hand.

Melody felt Ellis's dead weight on her arm and looked down. "Ellis? Are you all right? Oh, please say you're all right."

[Channelknight Fadran]

1 hour ago, Condensation said:

Melody felt Ellis's dead weight on her arm and looked down. "Ellis? Are you all right? Oh, please say you're all right."

"Fine. I'm fine."

[xinoehp512]

@The Technovore, the past has been reached.

[Condensation]

4 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

"Fine. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"I'll be alright. We need to... save them. Q and Gerald." Ellis grunted loudly, holding a fist to the bullet wound. "I can hold out for long enough to do that."

[Condensation]

"Do you think Fate will save Q too?"

[xinoehp512]

The arm repeated the projection it had shown before the group had traveled through the portal. It also produced a first aid kit.

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Agh. Melody, you think you could... unkill me, please?"

[Condensation]

16 hours ago, Channelknight Fadran said:

"Agh. Melody, you think you could... unkill me, please?"

"You're dying?!" Melody grabbed the first aid kit. "What do I do?"

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Pull this stupid bullet out of my chest."

[Condensation]

"Oh... I don't know how to do that? What do I use?"

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Why would I know? I've never removed a bullet from someone's chest before. At least, I don't remember ever removing a bullet from someone's chest."

[Condensation]

"So do I use... I don't know. My fingers or something?"

[xinoehp512]

The arm pulled a first aid manual from the kit and proffered it helpfully.

[Channelknight Fadran]

"I'd try... maybe tweezers? How large are bullets?"

[Condensation]

1 hour ago, xinoehp512 said:

The arm pulled a first aid manual from the kit and proffered it helpfully.

"Ooh, a manual. Good. And I'm not sure, but I don't think they fit into tweezers unless they broke, which would be bad." Melody flipped to the table of contents.