Secret Wars - Ultimate Crossover RP

[Through the Living Hope]

9 hours ago, Hoid Slayer said:

In the first trial

You have much to learn, little one. But first, you must pass this trial. And the only way to do that is to see another path.

A path other than resistance.

That message applies to you as well, rejected one.

The serpents close in, prepared to deliver the final blow. The walls continue to rise, and Alfonce finds it harder and harder to stand back up. Fighting is futile.

As I predicted, you find yourself among those who find this particular lesson so difficult to learn. Did you not watch the actions of your comrades, who already made it out? Did you not observe what caused these beasts to be summoned in the first place? Not everything must be fought, Alfonce. Not in the same way.

And you as well, reborn one. You have spent your whole life fighting with tooth and claw. But that is not the only way to survive.

The circling serpents shriek, and begin to strike on by one, ripping at his arms and legs. The Beyonder's voice sounds with sorrow.

I know you believe that. But not always, mangled one. Not always.

Silvyre tried to fly off until she couldn't be sucked in anymore.

And found the walls of the dimension curving around her, forcing her back in. This plane was shrinking. It was converging on the Beyonder. On the serpents, and the red. The red that had first formed when Evee dashed forward in the pool.

There is no way out that way. This is a lesson you must learn by force.

They heard the voice appear in their head.

Greetings, forgotten one. I see you have been watching from the shadows. Come to me; complete your first trial. Show them who you are.

In the Nightmares

Evee looks back down at Him, the one she loved, and a tear rolls down her face. He looks up at her, and smiles. Warmth returns to her. He whispers to her.

"It's going to be okay. You can do this, Evee."

She begins to believe him. And then he gets ripped away from her. Before she can open her mouth, another dragon suddenly arrives, bringing Him down and slicing his throat in one swift motion. Evee barely gets to choke out a whimper before his body falls limp, blood pooling at her feet. The killer looks up at her with a cruel smile, and she recognizes them. 

She suddenly becomes aware of the entire courtyard burning. Her world, falling apart. Once again.

"Listen to me, Cep. I am not one of them. You can block them out. LOOK AT ME."

Enocs holds all the power. 

And he succeeds.

One by one, his oppressors fall. Felled by knives of scones, they die quickly, and soon, nothing is left but a pool of death and corpses. Enocs gasps, relishing in his power. He now stands alone in the chamber.

His creators are dead. He killed them. He should feel happy. He is powerful... so powerful. But... something still irks him. Something is wrong.

Where does he go now?

 

She sighed, sheathed her knife, and slid down on her feet towards the Beyonder. 

[Through the Living Heir he/him]

On 5/20/2025 at 11:03 PM, Dragonheir said:

Alright, context. Rebus has some pretty significant trauma because he can feel me imagining him (and me not imagining him, which is even scarier), and that results in him acting out situations over and over, partially against his will, with no permanence. Puzzle has these memories, though she's insulated from them a little; if she ended up in this situation she would know the potential effects, and unlike Rebus cannot modify her soul to fix it. And, since it's supposed to be a nightmare, the situations "I" am imagining would alternate between terrible - Rebus dying, Symbol dying, her dying, loss of her powers, loss of the contest, other nightmares I might consider; boring - literally nothing is happening, watching something frustratingly slow play out, oblivion while she isn't being written; and glorious - winning the contest, becoming a Narrator outside the Thread and hence conquering outside the Wall, having actual friends she can trust, pulling of some impressive plan, escaping the loop and becoming real and independent from me - which is then yanked away because it isn't permanent. 

Cole is cut off from his powers and the comfort they provide, back on the ship, and is trying to save the people who died in the fire. Since it's a nightmare, it's all his fault, they die, he might make more people die, and he himself may die. 

@Hoid Slayer 

Quote

It’s funny, actually - Puzzle’s nightmare is actually playing out, since you didn’t notice this. 

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

10 hours ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

Th-that has never happened before. Wh-what?

Enocs slowly stares down into his hands. He then feels the next part of the nightmare beginning. And suddenly, He remembers. A memory he always had, but had repressed.

Flashes. He is still in the tube. Someone breaks him out. He looks up, and there it is. Eikooc. His companion. The only one he could never live without. His... Savior.

They escape, but just barely. Them and another group of survivors have survived. They decide to go to The Bright Side (TBS) because they have only ever seen what had happened on the dark side.

As he looks back, he remembers that these names were decided upon before they met TBS. Who knows what would have happened if they were named after both were seen.

Of the first group sent, none came back. Half of our numbers, gone. No one knows what happened to them there. No one. So, of course, what happens? Eikooc reveals how he escaped and saved everyone. He had the help of The Great Corrupter. Enocs was the first to respond to his call. Enocs had to prove himself to The Great Corrupter. He led the charge to TBS. Half of their remaining force, so a quarter of the Materializers liberated from TDS, went with him. Eikooc stayed back. The charge to TBS was so scarring to Enocs, that even though he gained The Great Corrupter's favor, he could never remember. This time, He was forced to.

Maybe it was the fact that he holds some of The Great Corrupters power, maybe it was the fact that it was somewhere in his memories, but then he remembered one of the few words The Great Corrupter had said to him.

"One day, you will have to remember. When you do, you will have the full power gifted upon you. You will become one of my Agents. So, I gift this to you, PsuedoAgent."

And so, he remembered.

They were walking forward to the stronghold. The stronghold of TBS. They thought it was a misunderstanding. They thought the Materializers would be given back without a fight. Just in case, they brought their troops. Drows. Bats. Kcatta. These were but a few of the Materializers that were gathered for the mission. No one thought that Enocs, the Scone Materializer, would be able to fight. However, when they saw the reason for TBS to be called The Bright Side, they realized what was happening. They were not sure if what they saw was better or worse than TDS. However, they knew it was wrong. What they saw that day, at the top of the that fortress, was a blinding light. A light so pure, so... Materialistic, that they knew only one thing could power the machine inside. The souls of the materializers. TBS had found a way to slowly drain the Materializers of their power, putting them into a sleep so deep, that they never even knew awakeness in the first place. This was a gun. A laser so powerful that it would demolish anything that stood in its way. So, they had to stop it. First, they tried to get the materializers out, especially their friends. However, the TBS agents came, and the Materializers had to be faster. As the Materializers fought against the TBS, Enocs was forced to kill the Materializers still stuck. When he was done, both TBS and his materializer friends were dead. On the ground. He came back to the camp, a wreck. The population of their little camp was rapidly decreasing, and they knew they had to win their war. They had to save all the materializers that would be revived. Although without their memories, the Materializers would be a great asset for The Materializer Rebbelion to finally end the war.

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I am continuing this @Hoid Slayer

@Hoid Slayer

You have become an Agent. Continuing this 'Secret War' will help you prove your worth to The Great Corrupter. That will alow you to fly higher, Junior Agent.

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

Quote

I'm sorry everyone, I can't make a full post today. I just don't have the time. However, I PROMISE I will make a post tomorrow. And on Cuz' I'm Bored, too. And anything else that requires my posting. My inactivity is not permanent.

Thanks for your understanding.

 

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

Quote

Hey guys.

I know I said I would make this post yesterday. Stuff happened.

I should really stop making promises I can't keep.

Anyways, I was going to post last night, but then I figured it would make more sense to post in the morning, so I can respond to your posts in real time and not have to make another super long post like this one.

Except now, the morning is slipping away and I already wrote this whole thing but the editor cleared for some reason and now I have to write it all again 

In the first trial

@Through The Living Glass@Spark of Hope@Tinwatcher@TwinStorm@RoyalBeeMage@Wyver@THE DEMON@SpartanBrigade@SpiritOfWrath

The plane continues to warp; the walls close in around the remaining competitors, and the entire space begins to shrink. Converging on a single, white-robed form.

And the ground... the ground, brilliant red, begins to Change. The serpents everywhere shriek, and begin to... meld? Their bodies fuse together, and the red light connects to the dark substance permeating the water, running through it and setting everything alight. A superorganism. The ground appears to take on a life of its own, and begins to absorb anyone that resists.

On 5/23/2025 at 7:42 AM, Spark of Hope said:

She sighed, sheathed her knife, and slid down on her feet towards the Beyonder. 

She feels a sense of... satisfaction? from the being in her head, and the serpents slowly pull away from her, carving a path for her towards the Beyonder. He comes into view, standing like a God in the crumbling plane, robes illuminated by the red light. He matches her gaze, and she senses the subtlest movement in his masked head. Almost like a nod.

Then he teleports away from her, and stretches his arm out in her direction.

And she falls into her worst nightmare.

On 5/22/2025 at 10:20 PM, Tinwatcher said:

“Huh? That’s too many big words. I ain’t listening to allat. Do you have like a summery? It better not be longer the 1000 pages.” Alfonce says struggling to get out

The Beyonder sighs in his head.

Complete your first task. Not every fight is won through resistance. The rest you must figure out yourself, rejected one.

On 5/22/2025 at 10:14 PM, Wyver said:

Silvrye hissed to the Beyonder. Fine. But only because she had to! She flew to the beyonder, past the sucking-in stuff, and glared up at him.

The Beyonder looked up at her, meeting her eyes as she flapped above the sea of writhing forms, trying but failing to reach her. The Beyonder stood in the middle of that sea. Despite her not being able to see his face, he seemed... amused. But completely serious at the same time.

You know what you must do, loyal one.

On 5/23/2025 at 6:09 AM, SpiritOfWrath said:

@Hoid Slayer

 

Aelorin sees the troubles of the others, crouching and studying the water.

The voice of the Beyonder returns in his head.

Fallen one. Patient one. It is time for you to make your move.

In the nightmares

@CoderDrag0n8@IcedOutPenguin@Kaladin Stormcursed@KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren@Dragonheir@Argenti

On 5/22/2025 at 10:14 PM, IcedOutPenguin said:

If there's one thing training taught her, it was how to kill. She rushed towards the other dragon who had killed him. Nothing mattered, she would kill the other dragon. Out of rage

In a blind rage, she leaps forward, slashing for the dragon's throat. She watches his eyes widen in fear, and feels her claws dig into his flesh. Satisfying. He screams, and she continues to slash, to claw, to bite. Perfect actions of violence, finely tuned by years of practice. As a weapon. Her entire body unites for a single purpose. The doling of death.

And kill him she does. He falls, and she continues to strike, continues to splatter his blood across the stone surface of the courtyard. Covering her scales. Finally, she relents, and steps away from the mangled corpse. Her body heaves with exhaustion, and she can taste the death. She meets the dragon's eyes one final time. And gasps.

For the corpse lying before her is her father's. His eyes are still open in fear, in shock. Evee's own eyes widen, and another tear streams down her face. How did this happen? How did she let this happen?

On 5/22/2025 at 10:12 PM, Kaladin Stormcursed said:

Cep looks up.

"Turn around."

On 5/22/2025 at 10:38 PM, CoderDrag0n8 said:

Th-that has never happened before. Wh-what?

Enocs slowly stares down into his hands. He then feels the next part of the nightmare beginning. And suddenly, He remembers. A memory he always had, but had repressed.

Flashes. He is still in the tube. Someone breaks him out. He looks up, and there it is. Eikooc. His companion. The only one he could never live without. His... Savior.

They escape, but just barely. Them and another group of survivors have survived. They decide to go to The Bright Side (TBS) because they have only ever seen what had happened on the dark side.

As he looks back, he remembers that these names were decided upon before they met TBS. Who knows what would have happened if they were named after both were seen.

Of the first group sent, none came back. Half of our numbers, gone. No one knows what happened to them there. No one. So, of course, what happens? Eikooc reveals how he escaped and saved everyone. He had the help of The Great Corrupter. Enocs was the first to respond to his call. Enocs had to prove himself to The Great Corrupter. He led the charge to TBS. Half of their remaining force, so a quarter of the Materializers liberated from TDS, went with him. Eikooc stayed back. The charge to TBS was so scarring to Enocs, that even though he gained The Great Corrupter's favor, he could never remember. This time, He was forced to.

Maybe it was the fact that he holds some of The Great Corrupters power, maybe it was the fact that it was somewhere in his memories, but then he remembered one of the few words The Great Corrupter had said to him.

"One day, you will have to remember. When you do, you will have the full power gifted upon you. You will become one of my Agents. So, I gift this to you, PsuedoAgent."

And so, he remembered.

They were walking forward to the stronghold. The stronghold of TBS. They thought it was a misunderstanding. They thought the Materializers would be given back without a fight. Just in case, they brought their troops. Drows. Bats. Kcatta. These were but a few of the Materializers that were gathered for the mission. No one thought that Enocs, the Scone Materializer, would be able to fight. However, when they saw the reason for TBS to be called The Bright Side, they realized what was happening. They were not sure if what they saw was better or worse than TDS. However, they knew it was wrong. What they saw that day, at the top of the that fortress, was a blinding light. A light so pure, so... Materialistic, that they knew only one thing could power the machine inside. The souls of the materializers. TBS had found a way to slowly drain the Materializers of their power, putting them into a sleep so deep, that they never even knew awakeness in the first place. This was a gun. A laser so powerful that it would demolish anything that stood in its way. So, they had to stop it. First, they tried to get the materializers out, especially their friends. However, the TBS agents came, and the Materializers had to be faster. As the Materializers fought against the TBS, Enocs was forced to kill the Materializers still stuck. When he was done, both TBS and his materializer friends were dead. On the ground. He came back to the camp, a wreck. The population of their little camp was rapidly decreasing, and they knew they had to win their war. They had to save all the materializers that would be revived. Although without their memories, the Materializers would be a great asset for The Materializer Rebbelion to finally end the war.

Enocs can stop TBS. It will be hard, yes. But he has the power. He can do anything.

"NO."

The voice comes from behind him, but it resonates within his mind.

On 5/23/2025 at 11:07 AM, CoderDrag0n8 said:

@Hoid Slayer

You have become an Agent. Continuing this 'Secret War' will help you prove your worth to The Great Corrupter. That will alow you to fly higher, Junior Agent.

Quote

Umm... what?

On 5/23/2025 at 2:21 AM, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

"I... will find order within myself," Sanadanas began. "So I can bring order to the worlds. So I can... become order." 

Sandy began to glow with far more Mathslight than before, taking pure Investiture and converting it into Light. He was given a bit of Fortune, enough to know that there was still a way. He could save the realms. 

He downed another vial of metal and burned everything. The effect this had... the realms themselves began to crumble. The Physical, the Cognitive, the Spiritual, and the mysterious Dreamscape. A piece of each was ripped off and merged with the other pieces. 

Four very different pieces created a new dimension, one of chaos governed by laws that did not work together. But mathematical Radiants were made for this kind of thing. Sandy's Order had several powers, but only one that was truly a Surge. The Surge of Negentropification. To reverse the flow of Entropy and establish order where there was only chaos. For all chaos was organised at some level. 

The new realm settled into something that still wasn't quite right. But Steelpushing and Ironpulling the laws of physics themselves fixed that. Sandy created a new Mindscape and Pulled on the Realms to enter. 

 

Flowing with the strength of his oaths, Sanadanas Pulls. And enters the Mindscape. A realm beyond the physical. Beyond the cognitive, and the spiritual. A realm of order. Perfection.

He did it. He stopped the others. He not only kept the Mindscape, alive, he recreated it. And yet...

Something is wrong. Off, in the distance, Sanadanas spots a single, small... incongruity. An imperfection. The little dark splotch sits unassumingly, but Sanadanas cannot take his attention off of it.

On 5/23/2025 at 7:52 AM, Dragonheir said:

@Hoid Slayer 

Quote

My bad

There's so much going on here that I miss some stuff

Puzzle doesn't exist. It's an interesting feeling.

She is conscious enough to fell herself slipping away.

But unable to act. Or panic. Or even fear.

Then, a voice joins her in the nothingness. Behind her. Snapping her back to her senses. And she understands what is happening.

"So this is what true gods fear."

Quote

And as for Cole, who I maybe forgot about a while back

On 5/18/2025 at 4:47 PM, Dragonheir said:

Cole felt good that he was able to fulfill the actions asked of him, knowing but not caring that that wasn’t actually the case. Insanity had advantages, such as ignoring reality. 
But once he realized he was on the ship, he began to panic. Was there still time? Had he ran yet? He tried to look at the things that made up his surroundings, not because he needed the information, but because the power was from Calm, and he needed that mental state if he wanted to save the other carpenters. 

The fire wasn't the same as it was the first time. That stood out to him. This fire didn't burn the same way. It burnt everything.

And he and the carpenters weren't the only ones on the ship.

He heard the screams of his family in the lower rooms, his friends by the stern. It all collapsed around him.

Quote

Hey Argenti, do you have any ideas for the Lord of the Hunt's nightmare?

 

[Argenti he/him]

1 minute ago, Hoid Slayer said:

In the first trial

@Through The Living Glass@Spark of Hope@Tinwatcher@TwinStorm@RoyalBeeMage@Wyver@THE DEMON@SpartanBrigade@SpiritOfWrath

The plane continues to warp; the walls close in around the remaining competitors, and the entire space begins to shrink. Converging on a single, white-robed form.

And the ground... the ground, brilliant red, begins to Change. The serpents everywhere shriek, and begin to... meld? Their bodies fuse together, and the red light connects to the dark substance permeating the water, running through it and setting everything alight. A superorganism. The ground appears to take on a life of its own, and begins to absorb anyone that resists.

She feels a sense of... satisfaction? from the being in her head, and the serpents slowly pull away from her, carving a path for her towards the Beyonder. He comes into view, standing like a God in the crumbling plane, robes illuminated by the red light. He matches her gaze, and she senses the subtlest movement in his masked head. Almost like a nod.

Then he teleports away from her, and stretches his arm out in her direction.

And she falls into her worst nightmare.

The Beyonder sighs in his head.

Complete your first task. Not every fight is won through resistance. The rest you must figure out yourself, rejected one.

The Beyonder looked up at her, meeting her eyes as she flapped above the sea of writhing forms, trying but failing to reach her. The Beyonder stood in the middle of that sea. Despite her not being able to see his face, he seemed... amused. But completely serious at the same time.

You know what you must do, loyal one.

The voice of the Beyonder returns in his head.

Fallen one. Patient one. It is time for you to make your move.

In the nightmares

@CoderDrag0n8@IcedOutPenguin@Kaladin Stormcursed@KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren@Dragonheir@Argenti

In a blind rage, she leaps forward, slashing for the dragon's throat. She watches his eyes widen in fear, and feels her claws dig into his flesh. Satisfying. He screams, and she continues to slash, to claw, to bite. Perfect actions of violence, finely tuned by years of practice. As a weapon. Her entire body unites for a single purpose. The doling of death.

And kill him she does. He falls, and she continues to strike, continues to splatter his blood across the stone surface of the courtyard. Covering her scales. Finally, she relents, and steps away from the mangled corpse. Her body heaves with exhaustion, and she can taste the death. She meets the dragon's eyes one final time. And gasps.

For the corpse lying before her is her father's. His eyes are still open in fear, in shock. Evee's own eyes widen, and another tear streams down her face. How did this happen? How did she let this happen?

"Turn around."

Enocs can stop TBS. It will be hard, yes. But he has the power. He can do anything.

"NO."

The voice comes from behind him, but it resonates within his mind.

Flowing with the strength of his oaths, Sanadanas Pulls. And enters the Mindscape. A realm beyond the physical. Beyond the cognitive, and the spiritual. A realm of order. Perfection.

He did it. He stopped the others. He not only kept the Mindscape, alive, he recreated it. And yet...

Something is wrong. Off, in the distance, Sanadanas spots a single, small... incongruity. An imperfection. The little dark splotch sits unassumingly, but Sanadanas cannot take his attention off of it.

Puzzle doesn't exist. It's an interesting feeling.

She is conscious enough to fell herself slipping away.

But unable to act. Or panic. Or even fear.

Then, a voice joins her in the nothingness. Behind her. Snapping her back to her senses. And she understands what is happening.

"So this is what true gods fear."

The fire wasn't the same as it was the first time. That stood out to him. This fire didn't burn the same way. It burnt everything.

And he and the carpenters weren't the only ones on the ship.

He heard the screams of his family in the lower rooms, his friends by the stern. It all collapsed around him.

 

Quote

I PM'ed you a little bit ago. 

 

[The Great Wyver She/Her]

2 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

In the first trial

@Through The Living Glass@Spark of Hope@Tinwatcher@TwinStorm@RoyalBeeMage@Wyver@THE DEMON@SpartanBrigade@SpiritOfWrath

The plane continues to warp; the walls close in around the remaining competitors, and the entire space begins to shrink. Converging on a single, white-robed form.

And the ground... the ground, brilliant red, begins to Change. The serpents everywhere shriek, and begin to... meld? Their bodies fuse together, and the red light connects to the dark substance permeating the water, running through it and setting everything alight. A superorganism. The ground appears to take on a life of its own, and begins to absorb anyone that resists.

She feels a sense of... satisfaction? from the being in her head, and the serpents slowly pull away from her, carving a path for her towards the Beyonder. He comes into view, standing like a God in the crumbling plane, robes illuminated by the red light. He matches her gaze, and she senses the subtlest movement in his masked head. Almost like a nod.

Then he teleports away from her, and stretches his arm out in her direction.

And she falls into her worst nightmare.

The Beyonder sighs in his head.

Complete your first task. Not every fight is won through resistance. The rest you must figure out yourself, rejected one.

The Beyonder looked up at her, meeting her eyes as she flapped above the sea of writhing forms, trying but failing to reach her. The Beyonder stood in the middle of that sea. Despite her not being able to see his face, he seemed... amused. But completely serious at the same time.

You know what you must do, loyal one.

The voice of the Beyonder returns in his head.

Fallen one. Patient one. It is time for you to make your move.

In the nightmares

@CoderDrag0n8@IcedOutPenguin@Kaladin Stormcursed@KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren@Dragonheir@Argenti

In a blind rage, she leaps forward, slashing for the dragon's throat. She watches his eyes widen in fear, and feels her claws dig into his flesh. Satisfying. He screams, and she continues to slash, to claw, to bite. Perfect actions of violence, finely tuned by years of practice. As a weapon. Her entire body unites for a single purpose. The doling of death.

And kill him she does. He falls, and she continues to strike, continues to splatter his blood across the stone surface of the courtyard. Covering her scales. Finally, she relents, and steps away from the mangled corpse. Her body heaves with exhaustion, and she can taste the death. She meets the dragon's eyes one final time. And gasps.

For the corpse lying before her is her father's. His eyes are still open in fear, in shock. Evee's own eyes widen, and another tear streams down her face. How did this happen? How did she let this happen?

"Turn around."

Enocs can stop TBS. It will be hard, yes. But he has the power. He can do anything.

"NO."

The voice comes from behind him, but it resonates within his mind.

Flowing with the strength of his oaths, Sanadanas Pulls. And enters the Mindscape. A realm beyond the physical. Beyond the cognitive, and the spiritual. A realm of order. Perfection.

He did it. He stopped the others. He not only kept the Mindscape, alive, he recreated it. And yet...

Something is wrong. Off, in the distance, Sanadanas spots a single, small... incongruity. An imperfection. The little dark splotch sits unassumingly, but Sanadanas cannot take his attention off of it.

Puzzle doesn't exist. It's an interesting feeling.

She is conscious enough to fell herself slipping away.

But unable to act. Or panic. Or even fear.

Then, a voice joins her in the nothingness. Behind her. Snapping her back to her senses. And she understands what is happening.

"So this is what true gods fear."

The fire wasn't the same as it was the first time. That stood out to him. This fire didn't burn the same way. It burnt everything.

And he and the carpenters weren't the only ones on the ship.

He heard the screams of his family in the lower rooms, his friends by the stern. It all collapsed around him.

 

"No. I don't." Silvrye said.

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

1 minute ago, Argenti said:

 

Quote

Ahh, okay

Yeah, I remember, I've just had so much going on 

I'll take a look at it in a sec

1 minute ago, Wyver said:

"No. I don't." Silvrye said.

The Beyonder sighed.

All your life, you have fought everything that hurts you. But violence is not the only way to respond. Have you not seen what has worked for your cohorts? Those who have already passed this trial? Resistance is not the only way, Silvyre. It never was.

[Through the Living Hope]

4 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

In the first trial

@Through The Living Glass@Spark of Hope@Tinwatcher@TwinStorm@RoyalBeeMage@Wyver@THE DEMON@SpartanBrigade@SpiritOfWrath

The plane continues to warp; the walls close in around the remaining competitors, and the entire space begins to shrink. Converging on a single, white-robed form.

And the ground... the ground, brilliant red, begins to Change. The serpents everywhere shriek, and begin to... meld? Their bodies fuse together, and the red light connects to the dark substance permeating the water, running through it and setting everything alight. A superorganism. The ground appears to take on a life of its own, and begins to absorb anyone that resists.

She feels a sense of... satisfaction? from the being in her head, and the serpents slowly pull away from her, carving a path for her towards the Beyonder. He comes into view, standing like a God in the crumbling plane, robes illuminated by the red light. He matches her gaze, and she senses the subtlest movement in his masked head. Almost like a nod.

Then he teleports away from her, and stretches his arm out in her direction.

And she falls into her worst nightmare.

The Beyonder sighs in his head.

Complete your first task. Not every fight is won through resistance. The rest you must figure out yourself, rejected one.

The Beyonder looked up at her, meeting her eyes as she flapped above the sea of writhing forms, trying but failing to reach her. The Beyonder stood in the middle of that sea. Despite her not being able to see his face, he seemed... amused. But completely serious at the same time.

You know what you must do, loyal one.

The voice of the Beyonder returns in his head.

Fallen one. Patient one. It is time for you to make your move.

In the nightmares

@CoderDrag0n8@IcedOutPenguin@Kaladin Stormcursed@KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren@Dragonheir@Argenti

In a blind rage, she leaps forward, slashing for the dragon's throat. She watches his eyes widen in fear, and feels her claws dig into his flesh. Satisfying. He screams, and she continues to slash, to claw, to bite. Perfect actions of violence, finely tuned by years of practice. As a weapon. Her entire body unites for a single purpose. The doling of death.

And kill him she does. He falls, and she continues to strike, continues to splatter his blood across the stone surface of the courtyard. Covering her scales. Finally, she relents, and steps away from the mangled corpse. Her body heaves with exhaustion, and she can taste the death. She meets the dragon's eyes one final time. And gasps.

For the corpse lying before her is her father's. His eyes are still open in fear, in shock. Evee's own eyes widen, and another tear streams down her face. How did this happen? How did she let this happen?

"Turn around."

Enocs can stop TBS. It will be hard, yes. But he has the power. He can do anything.

"NO."

The voice comes from behind him, but it resonates within his mind.

Flowing with the strength of his oaths, Sanadanas Pulls. And enters the Mindscape. A realm beyond the physical. Beyond the cognitive, and the spiritual. A realm of order. Perfection.

He did it. He stopped the others. He not only kept the Mindscape, alive, he recreated it. And yet...

Something is wrong. Off, in the distance, Sanadanas spots a single, small... incongruity. An imperfection. The little dark splotch sits unassumingly, but Sanadanas cannot take his attention off of it.

Puzzle doesn't exist. It's an interesting feeling.

She is conscious enough to fell herself slipping away.

But unable to act. Or panic. Or even fear.

Then, a voice joins her in the nothingness. Behind her. Snapping her back to her senses. And she understands what is happening.

"So this is what true gods fear."

The fire wasn't the same as it was the first time. That stood out to him. This fire didn't burn the same way. It burnt everything.

And he and the carpenters weren't the only ones on the ship.

He heard the screams of his family in the lower rooms, his friends by the stern. It all collapsed around him.

 

No. 

No. 

She wasn’t back here. She couldn’t be. But she felt them clear as day, the tight hands around her arms, her flailing kicking legs. The grunts of pain from her father. 

And once again she could do nothing but cry and scream. 

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

29 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

In a blind rage, she leaps forward, slashing for the dragon's throat. She watches his eyes widen in fear, and feels her claws dig into his flesh. Satisfying. He screams, and she continues to slash, to claw, to bite. Perfect actions of violence, finely tuned by years of practice. As a weapon. Her entire body unites for a single purpose. The doling of death.

And kill him she does. He falls, and she continues to strike, continues to splatter his blood across the stone surface of the courtyard. Covering her scales. Finally, she relents, and steps away from the mangled corpse. Her body heaves with exhaustion, and she can taste the death. She meets the dragon's eyes one final time. And gasps.

For the corpse lying before her is her father's. His eyes are still open in fear, in shock. Evee's own eyes widen, and another tear streams down her face. How did this happen? How did she let this happen?

No, this isn't real, this couldn't have happened. She thought. I didn't do this, I could have, this isn't real!

[Through the Living Heir he/him]

18 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

Puzzle doesn't exist. It's an interesting feeling.

She is conscious enough to fell herself slipping away.

But unable to act. Or panic. Or even fear.

Then, a voice joins her in the nothingness. Behind her. Snapping her back to her senses. And she understands what is happening.

"So this is what true gods fear."

Puzzle turned to the voice, then reverted to the direction she had been before, watching another contestant win, running - too slow - towards the prize. She tried again, once again snapping back to a projection of the future: her “father”, Rebus, smiling with a blade in his chest, dead and yet victorious over his own enemies as they tore themselves apart. The third time, she - with mental effort - reached a projection of the future after what had just happened, and was able to turn around and speak. “It is. No matter your power, no matter your skill, or foresight, anyone trapped in this place has no way to act. Scenarios, possibilities, actions play out, and yet it has no meaning. Victory is snatched away, over and over, while failure, death, and stagnation slowly wear you down. Yes, this is what any sane being with the foresight to understand should fear.” 

41 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

The fire wasn't the same as it was the first time. That stood out to him. This fire didn't burn the same way. It burnt everything.

And he and the carpenters weren't the only ones on the ship.

He heard the screams of his family in the lower rooms, his friends by the stern. It all collapsed around him.

Cole crumpled to the ground, knowing he was too late. There was no escape, no way to fix his mistakes. The Spirits were gone, his only hope to put out the fire out of reach. He’d failed, and even Madness was not there to provide an escape. 

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

1 hour ago, Spark of Hope said:

No. 

No. 

She wasn’t back here. She couldn’t be. But she felt them clear as day, the tight hands around her arms, her flailing kicking legs. The grunts of pain from her father. 

And once again she could do nothing but cry and scream. 

She could do nothing but cry and scream.

And then, suddenly, a voice broke through.

"It's horrible, isn't it? The way the past can continue to break us, even after all we do to leave it behind."

1 hour ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

No, this isn't real, this couldn't have happened. She thought. I didn't do this, I could have, this isn't real!

"It wasn't real." A voice, coming from behind her. Clear and strong.

"But it is now."

47 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Puzzle turned to the voice, then reverted to the direction she had been before, watching another contestant win, running - too slow - towards the prize. She tried again, once again snapping back to a projection of the future: her “father”, Rebus, smiling with a blade in his chest, dead and yet victorious over his own enemies as they tore themselves apart. The third time, she - with mental effort - reached a projection of the future after what had just happened, and was able to turn around and speak. “It is. No matter your power, no matter your skill, or foresight, anyone trapped in this place has no way to act. Scenarios, possibilities, actions play out, and yet it has no meaning. Victory is snatched away, over and over, while failure, death, and stagnation slowly wear you down. Yes, this is what any sane being with the foresight to understand should fear.” 

"Then why don't I?"

Puzzle turns, and sees him floating next to her. The Beyonder. He wears the same white clothes as he did in the first trial, and his gaze seems focused on an uncertain point in the distance.

"Perhaps I am not sane. But if we are all trapped... why do we live?"

Puzzle hears something odd in his voice, almost like... curiosity? He seems genuine.

"Why do we do what we do to vanish in the end?"

51 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

Cole crumpled to the ground, knowing he was too late. There was no escape, no way to fix his mistakes. The Spirits were gone, his only hope to put out the fire out of reach. He’d failed, and even Madness was not there to provide an escape. 

"Look at me, Cole."

A voice from behind him. The voice of the Beyonder.

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

2 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

It wasn't real." A voice, coming from behind her. Clear and strong.

"But it is now."

Evee spun. "Who are you?"

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

14 minutes ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

Evee spun. "Who are you?"

She spun, and found herself face to face with him. The Beyonder. He stood on the stones of the courtyard, and his white robes were sprayed with the blood of the corpse at her feet. It was an unnatural image, the red tarring the pristine nature of his robes. 

"I am the one who brought you here, Evee. I am the one who sees all."

[IcedOutPenguin He/Him]

Just now, Hoid Slayer said:

She spun, and found herself face to face with him. The Beyonder. He stood on the stones of the courtyard, and his white robes were sprayed with the blood of the corpse at her feet. It was an unnatural image, the red tarring the pristine nature of his robes. 

"I am the one who brought you here, Evee. I am the one who sees all."

"Why?"

[Through the Living Hope]

1 hour ago, Hoid Slayer said:

She could do nothing but cry and scream.

And then, suddenly, a voice broke through.

"It's horrible, isn't it? The way the past can continue to break us, even after all we do to leave it behind."

"It wasn't real." A voice, coming from behind her. Clear and strong.

"But it is now."

"Then why don't I?"

Puzzle turns, and sees him floating next to her. The Beyonder. He wears the same white clothes as he did in the first trial, and his gaze seems focused on an uncertain point in the distance.

"Perhaps I am not sane. But if we are all trapped... why do we live?"

Puzzle hears something odd in his voice, almost like... curiosity? He seems genuine.

"Why do we do what we do to vanish in the end?"

"Look at me, Cole."

A voice from behind him. The voice of the Beyonder.

“STOP! STOP! DONT HURT HIM!”

[Through the Living Heir he/him]

43 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

"Then why don't I?"

Puzzle turns, and sees him floating next to her. The Beyonder. He wears the same white clothes as he did in the first trial, and his gaze seems focused on an uncertain point in the distance.

"Perhaps I am not sane. But if we are all trapped... why do we live?"

Puzzle hears something odd in his voice, almost like... curiosity? He seems genuine.

"Why do we do what we do to vanish in the end?"

“Because you aren’t here. I don’t know whether this place is real and you’re imaginary, or this is a vision and you’re real, but you are not here for real. To feel yourself being imagined breaks you, but this is different. I believe we are always being imagined, but this place is different - to be in the mind, in possibilities, is far worse than being in a story. In the end, we do slowly fade away, but here, the time your actions matter for lasts mere moments.” She knew, in the back of her mind, that even this conversation was snapping back, reiterating points in versions and leaving off on forgotten statements. Hopefully the Beyonder was real, and could remember the conversation even as the imagined scene didn’t. 

44 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

"Look at me, Cole."

A voice from behind him. The voice of the Beyonder.

He looked, tears running down his cheeks, none of the enthusiasm and bizarre friendliness from before. 

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

4 hours ago, Hoid Slayer said:

Flowing with the strength of his oaths, Sanadanas Pulls. And enters the Mindscape. A realm beyond the physical. Beyond the cognitive, and the spiritual. A realm of order. Perfection.

He did it. He stopped the others. He not only kept the Mindscape, alive, he recreated it. And yet...

Something is wrong. Off, in the distance, Sanadanas spots a single, small... incongruity. An imperfection. The little dark splotch sits unassumingly, but Sanadanas cannot take his attention off of it.

Sanadanas stares at the imperfection for a good minute, long enough to conclude that it's shape held no patterns.. At least, on the surface it didn't. Everything was a pattern if you know where to look.

But this... it was different. Sandy could feel something radiate away from it, some kind of... energy. 

Sandy tried to use his Surge.

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

5 hours ago, Hoid Slayer said:

In the first trial

@Through The Living Glass@Spark of Hope@Tinwatcher@TwinStorm@RoyalBeeMage@Wyver@THE DEMON@SpartanBrigade@SpiritOfWrath

The plane continues to warp; the walls close in around the remaining competitors, and the entire space begins to shrink. Converging on a single, white-robed form.

And the ground... the ground, brilliant red, begins to Change. The serpents everywhere shriek, and begin to... meld? Their bodies fuse together, and the red light connects to the dark substance permeating the water, running through it and setting everything alight. A superorganism. The ground appears to take on a life of its own, and begins to absorb anyone that resists.

She feels a sense of... satisfaction? from the being in her head, and the serpents slowly pull away from her, carving a path for her towards the Beyonder. He comes into view, standing like a God in the crumbling plane, robes illuminated by the red light. He matches her gaze, and she senses the subtlest movement in his masked head. Almost like a nod.

Then he teleports away from her, and stretches his arm out in her direction.

And she falls into her worst nightmare.

The Beyonder sighs in his head.

Complete your first task. Not every fight is won through resistance. The rest you must figure out yourself, rejected one.

The Beyonder looked up at her, meeting her eyes as she flapped above the sea of writhing forms, trying but failing to reach her. The Beyonder stood in the middle of that sea. Despite her not being able to see his face, he seemed... amused. But completely serious at the same time.

You know what you must do, loyal one.

The voice of the Beyonder returns in his head.

Fallen one. Patient one. It is time for you to make your move.

In the nightmares

@CoderDrag0n8@IcedOutPenguin@Kaladin Stormcursed@KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren@Dragonheir@Argenti

In a blind rage, she leaps forward, slashing for the dragon's throat. She watches his eyes widen in fear, and feels her claws dig into his flesh. Satisfying. He screams, and she continues to slash, to claw, to bite. Perfect actions of violence, finely tuned by years of practice. As a weapon. Her entire body unites for a single purpose. The doling of death.

And kill him she does. He falls, and she continues to strike, continues to splatter his blood across the stone surface of the courtyard. Covering her scales. Finally, she relents, and steps away from the mangled corpse. Her body heaves with exhaustion, and she can taste the death. She meets the dragon's eyes one final time. And gasps.

For the corpse lying before her is her father's. His eyes are still open in fear, in shock. Evee's own eyes widen, and another tear streams down her face. How did this happen? How did she let this happen?

"Turn around."

Enocs can stop TBS. It will be hard, yes. But he has the power. He can do anything.

"NO."

The voice comes from behind him, but it resonates within his mind.

Flowing with the strength of his oaths, Sanadanas Pulls. And enters the Mindscape. A realm beyond the physical. Beyond the cognitive, and the spiritual. A realm of order. Perfection.

He did it. He stopped the others. He not only kept the Mindscape, alive, he recreated it. And yet...

Something is wrong. Off, in the distance, Sanadanas spots a single, small... incongruity. An imperfection. The little dark splotch sits unassumingly, but Sanadanas cannot take his attention off of it.

Puzzle doesn't exist. It's an interesting feeling.

She is conscious enough to fell herself slipping away.

But unable to act. Or panic. Or even fear.

Then, a voice joins her in the nothingness. Behind her. Snapping her back to her senses. And she understands what is happening.

"So this is what true gods fear."

The fire wasn't the same as it was the first time. That stood out to him. This fire didn't burn the same way. It burnt everything.

And he and the carpenters weren't the only ones on the ship.

He heard the screams of his family in the lower rooms, his friends by the stern. It all collapsed around him.

 

Quote

that was The Great Corrupter recognizing Enocs achievments and promoting him to Agent.

"Who's there?" Enocs cried out.

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

4 hours ago, IcedOutPenguin said:

"Why?"

That seemed to give the Beyonder pause. Eventually, he responded, carefully.

"Because I want to know who you are."

3 hours ago, Spark of Hope said:

“STOP! STOP! DONT HURT HIM!”

"I won't hurt him, Mare. But they did. There is nothing you can do about it. Look at me, little one."

2 hours ago, Dragonheir said:

“Because you aren’t here. I don’t know whether this place is real and you’re imaginary, or this is a vision and you’re real, but you are not here for real. To feel yourself being imagined breaks you, but this is different. I believe we are always being imagined, but this place is different - to be in the mind, in possibilities, is far worse than being in a story. In the end, we do slowly fade away, but here, the time your actions matter for lasts mere moments.” She knew, in the back of her mind, that even this conversation was snapping back, reiterating points in versions and leaving off on forgotten statements. Hopefully the Beyonder was real, and could remember the conversation even as the imagined scene didn’t. 

The Beyonder seemed to think for a moment, then turned to look at her.

"Perhaps we are always imagined. Perhaps even I am just the creation of an idle mind. But tell me, Puzzle. Does that change anything?"

2 hours ago, Dragonheir said:

He looked, tears running down his cheeks, none of the enthusiasm and bizarre friendliness from before. 

The Beyonder stood there, silhuetted by the flames. The flames that burned everything.

"These people are dead. This life is gone. It already was."

53 minutes ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

Sanadanas stares at the imperfection for a good minute, long enough to conclude that it's shape held no patterns.. At least, on the surface it didn't. Everything was a pattern if you know where to look.

But this... it was different. Sandy could feel something radiate away from it, some kind of... energy. 

Sandy tried to use his Surge.

Sanadanas activated his surge, and found something... wrong. He Pulled, and something seemed to break. The splotch, previously small and unassuming, began to grow. To expand. Like a virus, it spread its touch throughout the Mindscape, corrupting all it passed.

34 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

"Who's there?" Enocs cried out.

"Look at me, Enocs."

The voice of the Beyonder.

"And tell me who you are."

6 hours ago, Argenti said:

 

In the Lord's nightmare, he stayed where he was.

Time passed around him. He watched as the others continued to compete in the trials, until eventually, one won. And he stayed there. Frozen.

The vithr in his bones held him back. It didn't let him change. To grow. So instead, the Lord was forced to stay. And watch.

[Through the Living Hope]

6 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

That seemed to give the Beyonder pause. Eventually, he responded, carefully.

"Because I want to know who you are."

"I won't hurt him, Mare. But they did. There is nothing you can do about it. Look at me, little one."

The Beyonder seemed to think for a moment, then turned to look at her.

"Perhaps we are always imagined. Perhaps even I am just the creation of an idle mind. But tell me, Puzzle. Does that change anything?"

The Beyonder stood there, silhuetted by the flames. The flames that burned everything.

"These people are dead. This life is gone. It already was."

Sanadanas activated his surge, and found something... wrong. He Pulled, and something seemed to break. The splotch, previously small and unassuming, began to grow. To expand. Like a virus, it spread its touch throughout the Mindscape, corrupting all it passed.

"Look at me, Enocs."

The voice of the Beyonder.

"And tell me who you are."

In the Lord's nightmare, he stayed where he was.

Time passed around him. He watched as the others continued to compete in the trials, until eventually, one won. And he stayed there. Frozen.

The vithr in his bones held him back. It didn't let him change. To grow. So instead, the Lord was forced to stay. And watch.

Her head hung for a moment. She had been yelling at those men, hoping maybe she could change what happened. She finally looked up at the Beyonder, eyes full of tears. 

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

11 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

Sanadanas activated his surge, and found something... wrong. He Pulled, and something seemed to break. The splotch, previously small and unassuming, began to grow. To expand. Like a virus, it spread its touch throughout the Mindscape, corrupting all it passed.

"NO!" Sanadanas screamed. His Surge failed to work as the Mindscape began to distort under the influence of this imperfection. 

Sandy felt everything fall apart once again...

No. He had said Words. I will find order within myself so I can bring order to the worlds. I am order.

Sandy burned pewter, and this time, it did help. He was able to create a cadmium-duralumin bubble  that contained the spread whilst he tapped zinc and steel to he wasn't feeling the effect. 

He could save this realm.

Edited May 25, 2025 by KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren

[Through the Living Heir he/him]

25 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

The Beyonder seemed to think for a moment, then turned to look at her.

"Perhaps we are always imagined. Perhaps even I am just the creation of an idle mind. But tell me, Puzzle. Does that change anything?"

“We are, unless Rebus is delusional and falsified evidence - my home world is the ongoing product of several storytellers we call Authors. But an idle mind produces this - an unrecorded mess of fluctuating possibilities.” She gestured around her, then continued. “I have made peace with the fact I am probably fictional. Rebus has made it his life’s work to manipulate the Authors and their storylines, but I need not fear this place in ordinary circumstances.” 

25 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

The Beyonder stood there, silhuetted by the flames. The flames that burned everything.

"These people are dead. This life is gone. It already was."

“Then why is it here? Even if the fire no longer burns, my friends and family-who-never-existed are gone. It’s my fault, and that won’t change.” 

[Hoid Slayer He/Him]

1 hour ago, Spark of Hope said:

Her head hung for a moment. She had been yelling at those men, hoping maybe she could change what happened. She finally looked up at the Beyonder, eyes full of tears. 

The Beyonder met her gaze. Within him, she felt a deep sorrow.

"You could never help them. You couldn't do any better. In a way... what happened that night doesn't matter."

1 hour ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumorSpren said:

"NO!" Sanadanas screamed. His Surge failed to work as the Mindscape began to distort under the influence of this imperfection. 

Sandy felt everything fall apart once again...

No. He had said Words. I will find order within myself so I can bring order to the worlds. I am order.

Sandy burned pewter, and this time, it did help. He was able to create a cadmium-duralumin bubble  that contained the spread whilst he tapped zinc and steel to he wasn't feeling the effect. 

He could save this realm.

But it wasn't enough.

The corruption kept spreading. It spread, and once again, Sanadanas watched as his world fell apart. All his powers, combined, couldn't stop it. The darkness consumed everything, leaving no string unraveled. And in the end of it all, Sanadanas found himself standing, again, in the physical realm. Having failed.

18 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

“We are, unless Rebus is delusional and falsified evidence - my home world is the ongoing product of several storytellers we call Authors. But an idle mind produces this - an unrecorded mess of fluctuating possibilities.” She gestured around her, then continued. “I have made peace with the fact I am probably fictional. Rebus has made it his life’s work to manipulate the Authors and their storylines, but I need not fear this place in ordinary circumstances.” 

"Yet..." She could hear the Beyonder growing a little emotional. "Yet, billions, trillions of sentient life forms go their whole lives without knowing this. Without bearing the weight you and I carry. They still live. They live, they love, and they die."

20 minutes ago, Dragonheir said:

“Then why is it here? Even if the fire no longer burns, my friends and family-who-never-existed are gone. It’s my fault, and that won’t change.” 

"You're right. It won't change. It never will. So why do you weep?"

[Through the Living Hope]

9 minutes ago, Hoid Slayer said:

The Beyonder met her gaze. Within him, she felt a deep sorrow.

"You could never help them. You couldn't do any better. In a way... what happened that night doesn't matter."

But it wasn't enough.

The corruption kept spreading. It spread, and once again, Sanadanas watched as his world fell apart. All his powers, combined, couldn't stop it. The darkness consumed everything, leaving no string unraveled. And in the end of it all, Sanadanas found himself standing, again, in the physical realm. Having failed.

"Yet..." She could hear the Beyonder growing a little emotional. "Yet, billions, trillions of sentient life forms go their whole lives without knowing this. Without bearing the weight you and I carry. They still live. They live, they love, and they die."

"You're right. It won't change. It never will. So why do you weep?"

“But my family- my mother, my brother and sister- they still need me.”