Voidus

The spren emitted a happy shower of sparks when the candle became lit, it held onto the wick with one arm, face pressed close to watch where the flame started in an intense show of curiosity. "Better?" Temeria asked it. The spren nodded rapidly, eyes still fixed to the candle to watch as it burned. The white wax-wrapped string of the wick slowly blackened as it burned, the spren was familiar with that. Most things did that when they burned. But this was slower than most things burned, it was still only a tiny little flame at the top of the candle, not spreading to the rest in the way that it would when other things burned. It's head tilted back when it saw Temeria reaching towards it, staying still and watching curiously as she moved her fingers towards the sprens body and glowing a warm orange as she made contact. "Maybe program can tell us if that ring allows us to light a fire using that connection. Would you like to try?" Temeria asked. The spren tilted its head to one side curiously. It wasn't entirely sure what she meant, but she'd mentioned lighting a fire using a connection. The spren flared up for a moment in excitement, nodding rapidly to Temeria before remembering to speak. "Yes! Make the fire, light the fire. Connection." It said, words tumbling rapidly from its glowing mouth. "Fire light. Light makes fire, fire makes light. But different light." Still glowing brightly it twined itself around Temeria's hand, holding onto her and staring up with burning enthusiasm. It couldn't remember exactly what it needed to do, but it remembered a little. Temeria needed a connection, then she would be able to make fire. But she needed to do something first, needed to know something. "The Words?" The spren crackled quietly, a much more subdued murmur.

Voidus took measured paces as he walked the Alleys back towards his office, there were faster ways to get there but walking the Alleys had always helped to relax him. The chaos around every corner, exciting discoveries being made behind each door, unspeakable horrors lurking in every sky. It was chaos, chaos kept barely controlled enough to not destroy the Alleys, but that was all it needed to be. The Alleys didn't need to be ordered, they were expected to be a mess. Voidus sent a tired smile skyward as some immense shadowy being passed overhead, swimming overhead through a tear in reality and passing out through another. There were many such creatures that had been drawn to the Alleys, to the chaos of interwoven pockets of space that crossed through universes. Some had been researched and categorised, but many appeared to be individuals, the only members of their species. Or at least the only members that had so far been found, who knew how many more there were, in the pockets between universes, waiting for some opportunity to burst out into reality to finally taste existence. "You're not missing much." Voidus told the creature as it vanished into another crack in the sky. He stared at the place where it had vanished, watched as the crack repaired itself only to tear open in another direction, a new spiderweb of cracks spreading through the sky. But his attention was taken a moment later as he noticed a different kind of twisting of reality, the familiar changing of Alleys that signified someone else Alleytravelling nearby. But the way they were forming, one hastily connected to the next in rapid succession. It may have just been someone unfamiliar with Alleytravelling, but the placement of each Alley was too precise for that. Someone very practised, but hurried. Changing his own path, Voidus strode forwards again, a little faster now as he connected this Alley with the last to be twisted in front of the other traveller. It was possible that it was simply a Denizen in a hurry, with the discovery of an Atium cache and an attack at the same time there was certainly enough to keep people busy. But it could be something else, another problem arising that would need to be taken care of. And he couldn't turn a blind eye to such things, not yet. Space warped around him as he stepped into another Alley, only managing one more step before something collided with his chest. Placing one arm on the shoulder in front of him, Voidus kept a firm grip on the figure, staring over their head to see what it was that they were fleeing from. The Alley was lined by dark gray blood-stained stone walls, shadowy tendrils spilling down them and grasping towards the center of the Alley. But nothing that would cause a Denizen any concern. Looking down for the first time to see what had collided with him, he saw a familiar face, wide, bloodshot eyes, long brown hair that was still settling from the sudden shift in momentum. And a mouth that was still either screeching in horror or cackling with glee. "Vivica?" Voidus asked @ZincAboutIt

"How do I keep her safe now? It was so easy, just find an answer. I could devote myself to that. But now she's here again, with all the danger that entails.She's out there, exploring, facing the dangers of the world. Should I tell her? Explain? Bring her back here, safe within the barrier?" Voidus slowly opened his eyes again, staring once more at the silvery light dancing across the barrier. "If not, then what should I do?" He asked quietly, eyes wandering in search of something. "I managed everything else because I had to, had to keep things running to find an answer. But now it's answered, and everything else just feels so tiring." He sagged in place, allowing himself once again to feel the bone-aching weariness that plagued him of late. The apathy towards everything and the difficulty in finding the energy to solve the problems that continued to arise. "Mac left." He said after a moment of silence. "I don't think he plans to come back. Should I feel relieved or upset? He was progressing well, very well. The most talented with the Void that I've seen in a long time. The Stranger was always a big hope for me as well, but I doubt he'd ever be able to bring himself to do what needs to be done. Mac though, Mac might have managed, with the right pressure." With a sigh, he slowly picked himself up from the ground, straightening his shoulders. He'd spent enough time here, it had helped a little but the rest of the world would not wait while he spent his time here, time would always move forwards. "I'll have to find someone else now." Voidus said, giving the spike one final look before turning around and heading back towards the barrier.

Final Voidus backstory for this arc The Professor felt his muscles strain as he struggled to keep from being torn apart, felt the tension permeate every part of his being as he struggled to maintain his existence against the crushing pressure of the void that surrounded him. His jaw creaked as it clenched in determination and his gaze did not move at all from Voidus' face above him. He stared at that face and summoned every last bit of concentration he could, all of his anger and hatred of the man who claimed to be a god. The man who would destroy the universe if he wasn't stopped. The man who would destroy the Professor's wife and daughter. While feeling as though he were being simultaneously crushed and torn to pieces, the Professor struggled back to his feet. He hissed out a breath between clenched teeth as he rose from his knee, leg shaking under the pressure before firming and allowing him to stand at his full height once more, matching Voidus' gaze with his own. It was more power than he'd ever felt before, orders of magnitude beyond what he'd used to disintegrate objects. With both he and Voidus pulling so much on the void, the concept of existence itself seemed a very precarious thing. As though with just a little more strain they could obliterate even that, and reduce this universe and all others to nonexistence once more. Voidus' expression remained flat, but a small droplet of sweat slowly beaded on his forehead before beginning to trickle down. God or not, it did not seem to be as easy for him to end this as he had claimed. He was straining too, perhaps not as hard or desperately as the Professor but it was not a one-sided contest. The Professor latched onto that thought, dredged up even more hatred for Voidus to fuel his focus, his will to deny Voidus' existence in this world. He recalled Voidus' smiling expression as he'd ignored the mother of his child. Remembered the way he had stretched that hand out towards Laurelai to annihilate her and the son that she was holding. Remembered his words when he had threatened to destroy the Professor's wife and child in the same way. "I hate you." The Professor hissed, not sure if he was reminding himself or trying to distract Voidus' concentration. Voidus blinked in response, but said nothing. A vein at his temple began to bulge and his jaw was beginning to clench in the same way as the Professors as he slowly lost ground. More sweat flowed down his brow until his dark hair was as sweat drenched as the pale golden hair of the Professor. The two stood facing one another, breathing heavily. Their gazes flickering as they invisibly struggled back and forth to gain an upper hand in their conflict. "The end has already started." Voidus whispered. "Do what you want but you can't stop it, they will die. Your world will be unmade. Even I couldn't prevent that now. Everything that is in this universe, anything that is even Connected to it will vanish." The Professor faltered, just for an instant, the slightest breaking of the stare off that the two had been engaged in. But Voidus saw the gap and exploited it, watching the Professor begin to shake under the pressure once again as Voidus gained the upper hand. "-that-" A faint whisper emanated from the Professor, tension began to leave his body. His jaw loosened, his shoulders drooped. The condescending smile returned as Voidusstared at the Professor, a touch of respect that he had made it this far, but Voidus had never doubted who would be the victor of this conflict. He prepared a final surge, one more pull on the void to destroy the Professor entirely, but he hesitated a moment before releasing it. Curiosity overcoming him as he wondered what the Professor had said. The Professors eyes locked with Voidus' once more, but there was none of the defeat that Voidus expected in them. He wasn't straining anymore, but Voidus was still unable to overpower him. "Then that Connection." The Professor said. "What binds them to this universe, I'll destroy that too." Voidus' final expression was one of surprise, before the void reduced him to nothing and he vanished without a trace. ---------------------------------------------------- Laurelai stared at the place where the two men had vanished, her dad and someone else she didn't know. She had wanted to ask who he was but the darkness had scared her as her auntie Laurelai, the woman with the same name as her had vanished along with her friend. She didn't know where they had gone, but the darkness scared her. it scared her even more when it surrounded her dad as well. The room had begun making strange sounds, creaking and cracking sounds as everything began to break apart. Laurelai had run to her mother crying, seeking some comfort. But her mother seemed just as scared as Laurelai was. She had scared at the sphere of darkness that the two had been engulfed in with a hand over her mouth, eyes roaming in search of something, some way to help. Finally she had picked Laurelai up, holding her close and stroking her hair. Laurelai had held her back, nestling her face in her mothers collarbone. The sounds in the room suddenly stopped, and when Laurelai noticed, she looked up, turning around and casting fearful eyes at the spot where the sphere of darkness had been. But the sphere had vanished, leaving one figure to collapse to the ground from within it, just barely managing to catch themselves with their hands. Laurelai's mother ran towards the figure, throwing her arm around Laurelai's father. She pulled both of them in closely, and Laurelai threw her arms around them both as well, sitting there quietly for a moment and trying to understand what had happened. "Almost nothing left." Her father had whispered, looking at them both with a mixture of relief and terrible sadness. "I don't know if I can." The creaking resumed in a sudden burst, the entire building groaning in protest and on the verge of collapse. The timber boards began vanishing one by one, disappearing into pockets of darkness that had begun opening up all around them. Laurelai screamed again, clinging tightly to both of her parents. "Her!" Laurelai's mother screamed. "You know what to do, we talked about this." Laurelai looked up with a tear streaked face into the exhausted and mournful eyes of her father. Tears began spilling out of his eyes as well as he placed one hand against her head, a hand wreathed in darkness. "I'm sorry." The Professor whispered as his daughter vanished. He collapsed to the ground, eyes struggling to stay open. He had meant to promise something to her, what had it been? Everything was blurry, difficult to focus on. He could only make out one face, framed in blonde ringlets and looking down at him. His wife smiled at him, whispered something that he could no longer hear, and then vanished into the darkness. It was difficult to think, difficult to even summon the effort to try. But he would have time later, the empty void within his chest assured him that now he would always have time. The rest of the world collapsed around him, leaving him floating in the darkness. As he floated without direction even the sun and the stars were slowly consumed, one by one, until all that remained was an empty universe. He drifted through it aimlessly, with no way to note the passage of time. Was it a thousand years? Or only a day? He struggled to remember. Struggled to remember anything other than the endless void that surrounded him. People, places, names. Time erased everything from memory. Or at least, almost everything. He remembered a promise. A promise and two names. He turned one of the names over in his mind, was it his? Had it always been? It seemed fitting at least, for some reason he could no longer recall. But he could recall the promise. Voidus had to get his daughter Laurelai back.

"I should get back soon/" Voidus said, making no motion to leave. "The chaos continues to pile up, and I've been getting this feeling. Something... off." He closed his eyes, inhaling the cool air and taking a moment to simply rest against the spike. "Do I make the chaos worse? Or better?" He asked the air, eyes still closed. "I'm never sure. Is the world on the edge of destruction so frequently because I intervene? Or would it just have been destroyed long ago if I didn't?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Penultimate backstory post for this arc. Floating in endless darkness, the Professor held onto the only other thing that seemed real in this void. He held onto the arm of Voidus in front of him, the professors own arm trembling in either rage of fear, even he wasn't sure anymore. "You're really just bored." The Professor said, surprised at how clear and calm his voice was. "You're going to destroy a world out of boredom." "Yes." Voidus replied, holding loosely onto the Professor's arm. "I've done everything, experienced everything. A god with no purpose, I've travelled and searched, I've helped and I've destroyed. Raised civilisations up and torn them to the ground. I've been burned, beheaded, poisoned, shot, blown up and stabbed. And still an eternity of existence lies before me." The Professor stared into Voidus, stared into his eyes and saw the endless pits that dwelt there. An eternity of darkness with no end, no light. A reflection of the darkness that surrounded them, a boundless void. "And nothing is going to stop you from doing this." He said. Not a question, just an acknowledgement of the truth. "Nothing." Voidus agreed. "Everything you are, everything that exists in your world, your home, your family, your friends. They will meet with the oblivion that is denied to me." The Professor nodded, with his free hand he brushed a lock of blonde hair from his eyes and then met Voidus' gaze in understanding. But beneath that understanding was a fierce spark of opposition. "I still have to try." The Professor said. His eyes became pitch black as he pulled at the empty void that surrounded them, tried to pull it into them, to crush them both beneath the weight of nonexistence and extinguish both of their lives before either of them could harm the world any more. Voidus smiled as the pressure around them grew, he gave the Professor a pitying look and gripped his arm tighter. The darkness in his iris spread until it encompassed his eyes entirely, forming two dark pits that seemed to suck in even the darkness surrounding them with inexorable force. "You want to try to Voidmake me?" Voidus asked incredulously. "The one who taught you how to in the first place? You still don't understand, even after all of this." The Professor staggered as the darkness pressed in around him, struggling to hold it back his leg buckled underneath him and he fell to one knee. He stared defiantly back at Voidus but a thick sheen of sweat had developed at his brow. "I am god." Voidus said, voice cold as ice and pinning the Professor with the weight of his stare. "And you can't kill god." "No, you're not." The Professor stammered out through gritted teeth. "You're just a bored, lonely man." "Then try it." Voidus hissed. "Keep pulling at the void until we're both consumed by it. Void us."

"Seventeen years I was trapped here." Voidus said, head still tilted back. "Is that a long time? The blink of an eye? Long enough for her to grow up. Long enough for her to forget about us. That's probably for the best isn't it?" The heavy thud of footsteps echoed within the barrier. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Star wars crawl, a long time ago, etc. The Professor stared blankly at the dwindling light as the unnatural darkness slowly lifted. Dead silence filled the room as all eyes were glued to the spot where two figures had just vanished, but then the silence was broken by a clatter of wood as the Professor hurled his chair backwards and rushed towards Voidus. Grasping him by the collar, he slammed the still-smiling Voidus into a wall, glaring at him with eyes of disbelief. "What did you just do?" The Professor asked, voice a hoarse whisper. "I answered the question." Voidus flatly replied, smile finally dropping from his expression to leave a blank mask in its wake. "You wondered whether or not I was capable of caring? Told me I wasn't brave enough to find out. Well, now you have your answer, is that enough for you to stop questioning my resolve?" The Professor stared mutely back, grip loosening as he stared into Voidus' blank eyes, tried to understand. Finding no answers, he tightened his grip again and slammed Voidus back against the wall. "I never told you to do this." The Professor said, voice growing louder. "This isn't bravery, this is insanity!" "I've lived for an eternity" Voidus replied. "How could I possibly still be sane? How could you even begin to think that you might be able to understand what drives me? That it would make sense to you?" Voidus' voice grew louder, matching the Professors as they both stared into each other, faces mere inches apart. The cold light of Voidus' eyes began to spark in rage as his voice climbed to a yell. "I am a god. Do you understand that? Your entire world could be destroyed and I'd barely bat an eye, I was here before this world and I'll be here long after. Everything you do here, everything anyone who lives on this rock does is ultimately meaningless. One day you will be gone, and I will remain. Alone, until I find something else to occupy me again." "You were the one who came to me" The Professor roared back. "You asked me to help you save the world, the universe. Tell yourself you don't care all you want but your actions say otherwise." Dark light began to gather around the two, an intense pressure that warped reality as it wrestled against itself. Two invisble forces vying for dominance. Within the darkness, Voidus began to push the Professor back, pulling himself away from the wall and straightening to his full height. "I was bored." He said, spitting the last word out in a laugh. "Did you think it was real? That you were special? That you would be the hero of your world, saving it from certain destruction? What do you think could be the source that draws this universe into the Void? The source that seemed to show up wherever we travelled but we never quite found?" The Professor staggered back a step, sagging under the weight of the thick darkness that enveloped the two. He stared at Voidus with growing horror, losing all strength in his grip, in his legs. "It was you." The Professor said, voice dropping to a whisper once more. "You're destroying the world. Because you're bored?" Sneering down at the figure before him, Voidus gave a single condescending nod. "And now the time has come for this game to end." Voidus said. "And you and your world along with it." The Professor turned slowly around, looking at his wife standing horrified behind him. And then both the Professor and Voidus were engulfed completely in impenetrable darkness.

The spren had tried holding the fire in its hands, grasping it with its arms, even tried to kick it over with its feet. But the fire was stubbornly refusing to move from one candle to another. The spren didn't mind that, if someone had come along and tried to pull the spren to somewhere it didn't want to go it would have tried to resist as well. But if this fire didn't want to move to the other candle then how was it ever going to be lit? It jumped down from its candle, racing in a streak of light towards the unlit wick of the other candle and stared at it, bright orange eyes challenging the wick, tried to communicate to the candle how much more fun being lit would be, that it might even call other spren here to itself if it could just light its wick on fire. The candle did not move, did not light and did not say anything in response. Perhaps the spren should try speaking as the humans did? ------------------------------------------------------------- "It's not an artefact I'm familiar with." The construct said, bowing its head regretfully. "But I shall endeavour to explain as best I am able based on what I am able to understand of it." The symbols of its body spun around rapidly, causing a constant shifting to its surface that distorted its shape slightly, still recognisably human but otherwise just a featureless mass of shifting lines with few clear details. It continued to silently shift for a moment before the symbols finally began to still once more, settling back into place with only a few Aons sluggishly moving about the surface. "This ring." The construct began "Carries a Connection to the Dor, a source of Investiture not dissimilar to Stormlight in some ways. Tapping into this Connection should allow its user to temporarily make use of that power in the creation of Aons, certain symbolic forms which are able to channel Investiture into specific effects based upon cognitive and spiritual aspects of the local geography and conceptual understandings of somewhat abstract concepts which can modify the core form." The construct paused, seeming to wait for some sign of understanding before continuing, but at this moment there was a small crackle from the nearby unlit candle where the spren still waited. "Burn!" The spren crackled in frustration. @Sorana

Releasing a sigh that seemed to contain all the tension and worry that he'd been carrying, Voidus turned around, placing his back against the spike. He slid down until he was seated on the ground and stared out at the barrier, the bright silvery lines that obscured the outside from view. He watched the enormous figure of the Guardian as it looped back around, crossing in front of his vision once again. "I found her. Did I tell you that already?" Voidus said, brow furrowing as he tried to recall. "Too much to remember, too much to keep track of." He leaned his head back until it thudded against the cool metal of the spike, tilted upwards to let him see the top of the dome. "She grew up without us, without me. Doesn't even know who I am to her, doesn't even know me at all anymore." Cold eyes stared at the light above, the deep inexpressible sadness within them seemed almost ready to swell into tears, but Voidus had none left to cry. "I wonder, do I even know who I am anymore?" The skittering light overhead gave no response. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a time long ago, and I'm running out of new ways to do this now. But somewhere far away and long ago. "It's been getting worse." The Professor said, frowning. "People vanishing without trace, meteorological disturbances from unexplained temperature drops. Astronomers reporting record numbers of black holes being created as stars vanish without a trace." "I know you're worried." His wife said, placing a large chunk of meat onto his plate. "But not in front of the kids please." "Sorry." He replied sheepishly, glancing over at a young boy and girl playing together by the lounge room as a young blonde woman watched over them. Laurelai shot him the same look that his wife had, causing the professor to lower his head in apology before seeing her smile. She looked tired, worn out but the smile seemed to radiate out from her as she looked down at the two young ones playing together. It warmed the hearts of those who watch and seemed to lift the weariness from her face. "It's fine." She said, waving a hand at the Professor. "They're too distracted to pay attention right now. Just happy to see you back again." In the years since the Professor had stormed out of his trip with Voidus the children had grown, playing with each other and learning. During that time they'd heard barely anything from Voidus, just the brief message to the Professor of where he'd been and where he was going next, noting that wherever he went things seemed to be getting worse. The Professor had needed to travel as well, investigating strange events to see if they might be related to the looming end of the world, but when he could he made time to come home, to see his family, and Laurelai who had remained close friends with them even after everything that had happened. "Mum." One of the children said, walking up to Laurelai and holding their arms aloft until she picked them up. "Is it time for dinner?" "Just about." She replied, "We're just-" The door swung unceremoniously open, clashing against the wall as it was forced inwards by a figure that waited outside. A tall man, a slight smile on his face as he stepped into the room, looking awkwardly, almost nervously downwards as he entered. "I suppose this has been a long time coming." Voidus said. All those inside the house froze, unable to process or understand what had happened. At almost the same time, the Professor and Laurelai lurched into motion, both wearing expressions of anger and confusion. But Laurelai took a step forward, cautiously, holding one hand up while the other held the child on her hip. The Professor glared furiously at Voidus, but his eyes jumped to Laurelai and he seemed unwilling to interrupt her. "But I couldn't run forever. I needed to see." Voidus seemed to freeze mid-sentence, uncharacteristic uncertainty blooming on his face. "See if I can feel anything." Laurelai paused, hand still held up but she looked at Voidus cautiously, confused and guarded at why he was here. Her eyes trailed down as he slowly lifted a hand in response, reaching out for her. The two took a step almost simultaneously towards each other, fingers outstretched. The Professor watched, fury subsiding to a slower rage. He would need answers, but for now he would let this play out. For Laurelai. As the hands reached out, the Professor was too slow to see, too slow to react. He only felt a rush of foreboding as the room dimmed suddenly, darkness wreathing the tip of Voidus' hand as it touched Laurelai. There was no sound, no explosion or dramatic flare. But both Laurelai and the child suddenly vanished into the darkness.

Zyn cautiously watched the retreating back of the huge figure that had loomed over them all moments ago. Zyn could see a number of items just on his person that would sell for a pretty penny, but were they really about to try to rob a heavily defended military base? "Higher reward." He muttered. "But much higher risk. That's not going to be some schoolhouse filled with kids and inattentive teachers."

Voidus rested a hand against the silvery wall of light in front of him, recalling with a grimace the years that he had spent within this dome with no easy means of escape. What would have changed if someone hadn't decided to help release him? What would Sudiov have done if Voidus had never returned? Would that entire affair with PlasmaCore have happened at all? Or would it have been worse if he hadn't been there to help end it? With a sigh he removed the hand and stepped slowly towards the centre of the barrier, to the large spike that rested there. He barely even payed attention to the hulking shadow that loomed over him as the Guardian continued its rounds. He allowed his shoulders to sag under the weight that they carried, allowed his upright posture to collapse and his expression to crumble as he reached the Worldspike itself. "Hello again." He said quietly, resting a hand against the cold, hard metal as it thrummed with power. "Sorry its been a while, things have been busy again." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At a point in either the distant past or future, the wheel of time turns and so on. "I'm going home." The Professor said coldly. Voidus turned with an amused expression, staring calmly back at the enraged face before him. "You think you'll find what we're looking for there?" Voidus asked. The Professor met his stare, cold fury burning within him as he stared at Voidus' eyes, crinkled at the edges as if in good humour, but the cold black depths of those eyes held no joy, humour or anything else within them. "I think I'll find what I'm looking for there." The Professor snarled back. "I have a family there, friends. Which I now realise does not include you." "I'm hurt." Voidus said, still smiling just as easily as before. "You're possibly the only friend I have you know." "Then what about Laurelai!" The Professor yelled back, face growing red. "What about your child! You said you're afraid to find out how you feel but I think you've answered that question yourself. No parent could so completely remove themselves from their child's life out of their own fear unless they were completely incapable of caring anymore." The room fell into silence as the two stared towards each other, Voidus with the same expression he'd held the entire conversation, the Professor red faced and breathing heavily. The tension that had been building up over months finally snapping as he'd read a message that he'd received on his phone. "Money." The Professor said, spitting the word out at Voidus. "You sent her money and a one-sided goodbye that she can't reply to." "It's better that way." Voidus said, eyes breaking off as he was unable to maintain the stare any longer. "Better for-" "It's better for you." The Professor said. "You wouldn't know what's better for them, because you won't ask. Won't know what she's going through, what they're going through." He began rapidly clearing his bed of the items strewn over it, hurling them roughly in a bag and collecting his other belongings from around the room. Moving in a furious wind he quickly cleared everything up and closed his bag before throwing it over one shoulder as Voidus speechlessly watched. "We can cover more ground this way anyway." The Professor said,. "After I go home to check up on things I'll keep looking, I know how well enough by now. So I'll handle my side, and you can handle yours. Alone. It seems like that's best for you." Wrenching the door open he shot Voidus one last look filled with loathing before slamming the door and storming away. Voidus continued to stare at the door, the same quiet smile ever present as he watched the Professor leave with cold, empty eyes.

"Of course." The construct replied "I apologise for insufficiently interpreting your intended destination, one moment." The figure gave a shallow bow of apology, its voice remained monotonous but it seemed to attempt to express its sorrow at this misunderstanding. As it bowed its body dimmed save for a solitary Aon which shimmered and burst into a radiant silvery light which encompassed the two, the people on the street took hurried steps back and away from this phenomenon, fear overpowering their curiosity. The flash enveloped the two and they vanished from sight once again. "We have arrived at the location most recently purchased by the administrator Mac." The construct intoned "You may once again feel some momentary disorientation which should pass." The light slowly faded, revealing that they had arrived at the familiar, simply furnished interior of the boarding house. The room was currently unoccupied save for the two who had just arrived and the spren that still sat atop the candle that Temeria held. The spren sat stunned at the instantaneous transition of its environment, but quickly recovered and glanced about the room they were now in. Spying the candle on a nearby table it excitedly tried to gather up some of the flame from the wick it was sitting on to carry over, seeming undaunted by its inability to do so. "Did you wish to rest?" The construct politely asked after Temeria had had time to collect herself. "Or did you wish to inquire something further?"

Already put that at maxed out, so end result is: Approved

^ Not sure what you mean by reision (precision?) but intelligence could be increased to the next level up while within point limits, yes.

The construct gave a nod and raised one hand towards Temeria, giving a final nod towards Voidus before its hand made contact with her and the two vanished in a burst of silvery light, leaving Voidus behind in the study, alone. He stared for a moment at the spot where they had vanished, eyes roaming over the lingering light as it faded. Wondering if he would see her figure again, if she would be able to learn her way in this strange and unfamiliar world and survive long enough to make further waves. He wondered what would become of the spren that followed her, would she manage to swear the oaths? Manage to hold to the ideals long enough to realise what it was, and what it meant? But a moment later he dismissed the thoughts, he would hear from her again or he wouldn't, but he'd repayed the favour that was owed with a promise, all that was left was to wait until it was invoked. There were other things that needed attending to. The air in the office warped faintly, much less bright and flashy than the previous blast of silvery light. And then the room stood empty once more. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Appearing near the center of the city in a flash of silver, the construct withdrew its hand from Temeria and gave another polite nod. It ignored the stares of onlookers from the streets and nearby buildings, focusing it's attention on Temeria. "We have arrived in the city." It informed. "Approximately 2,000 feet North, north-west of the barrier. You may experience some brief discomfort if you are unfamiliar with Aonic teleportation but it should pass shortly." The stares from their surroundings intensified as people's curiosity about the construct grew, but it determined that such matters were unimportant when it had a task to perform. It waited respectfully for any question or request, watching the small figure of light that Temeria held as it glanced about it in surprise, it seemed to stand atop the candle flame to look about it and see their surroundings. "Please let me know if you have any questions." The construct continued. "Although my knowledge is primarily related to Investiture, my purpose and my creators I do have some general knowledge of the city."

45 + 30 = 75 M 30 + 40 = 70 S -10 W Total: 75+70-10 = 135 Approved based on those abilities, but this is excluding the cytonic jumping. Cytonics would put this well over point cap. @Spaceferring Also a quick announcement regarding some changes to character limits, this won't affect most people but we have had a few who have hit the cap for character's lately so we will be replacing the hard cap of 5 characters with something a little more flexible. So anyone who wants to submit characters for approval over the character limit may do so, but we will be scrutinising them much more to ensure that they're actually contributing to the narrative in a useful way and not just throwaway characters. The mod team also reserves the right to withdraw approval for such characters if they are not active or not meaningfully advancing the narrative. Preference is still that people work to develop characters and their story rather than simply create a bunch of characters to participate in every possible plot, but this means that those who want to take on a little more characters can do so if those characters are justified. @Invocation

"You can leave them with the construct." Voidus replied, waving a hand towards the Aonic figure. "I can collect them from the barrier another time." The glowing figure gave another respectful bow towards them both, silently confirming its assent. "It will also be able to take you safely back to where you entered." Voidus continued. "And will be available at the barrier should you have need of it in the future. People tend to stay away from there, so it's usually quiet but it can also move some distance as long as it's still within the city." The construct gave another nod, turning its featureless head towards Temeria. One Aon shined brightly from within its body, Aon Tia separated from its surroundings and grew larger as it moved towards the constructs hand which it slowly extended outwards in an offer. "Whenever you are ready." The construct politely intoned. "I can transport us to the city and answer any further questions you may have there." "My thanks once again for your assistance and your time." Voidus said, giving one final nod of his head to Temeria.

Voidus watched the construct fondly, his gaze followed along the endless lines of interconnected Aons, recalling when he had first created them. But he could not stay endlessly lost in the past, the present had an unfortunate habit of making itself a priority. "I would not turn your assistance away if you offer it." Voidus replied, moving back to the desk and rummaging through one of the drawers. "But if you have other business to attend to then it's easy enough to find someone else to take care of it." He pulled out a simple white candle and match, striking the match he watched the Spren's face move to follow the tiny source of flame as he moved it back and forth before lighting the candle with it. Spren were admirable in their simplicity sometimes, they didn't complicate life needlessly, simply enjoyed the things they were attracted to and accepted that they didn't understand everything about the world. "Here" He said, holding the candle out to Temeria and watching the Spren eyeing it eagerly, ready to jump into the flame as soon as she held it. "And if there was nothing else, we had best be moving on soon, time waits for no one, not even me."

Zyn followed quietly behind Lena, carefully studying the map she'd provided when possible and idly looking around when there were other from the church close by. It seemed like whatever they had been hoping to find here wasn't on the table, which didn't mean there was nothing of value, but it did make the return significantly less than the risk. Well-funded or not, the church was still a great guild, they had some sway if they cared to. Which meant they could send precursors on the trail of any potential thieves quite easily. "So what's the plan." He whispered under his breath, matching his pace with the others. "Do you want to keep on scoping it out? Or look for somewhere a little more lucrative?"

*Breaks out into bittersweet tears*

The glowing figure paused at the question, turning towards Voidus and waiting for his nod before it gave another bow. It held this position, Aons whirling over its body in complex patters as it replied. "Yes, I am capable of speech, vocalising the output of process results." The figure said. "I have also been given a semblance of personality to ease communications and reduce sensations of discomfort. I am a fragment of a much larger program, designed to interface with those who approach the primary program and to detain those who attempt to access it without authorisation. At a more basic level I am an Aonic program, a collection of interlinked Aons drawn by my creator using a connection to the Dor and filtered through cognitive interpretations of-" "That'll do." Voidus interrupted, causing the figure to immediately silence itself as Voidus continued. "It's something like a very complex Awakened object, like a lifeless but not animated by Breath. Or I suppose you could think of it as an artificial spren, a relic from a time when I had the leeway to spend time on projects like this." Voidus gave the figure a nostalgic smile, losing himself in fond memories before coming to again with a small shake of his head. He reached his hand up once more, this time directly into the figure. Tiny symbols crowded around the finger like excited animals rushing towards food scraps, they followed the finger as it traced out another complex sequence of lines in bright silvery light. A few seconds later the finger withdrew from the figure, leaving new symbols behind to join the others as they shifted back and flowed around the figure once more. "This program is constructed from the same form of Investiture as that ring grants, and while it's not entirely self-aware of its own construction it is certainly capable of instructing in the basics. Ordinarily it wouldn't interact with those from outside our organisation but it should respond to you now." He gestured towards it once again, offering to allow Temeria to interact with it if she wished. As he did so he smiled at the spren on her shoulder which had seemingly lowered its guard and was watching the glowing figure with some interest, seemingly having perked up when it heard Voidus mention spren.

"I appreciate the offer, but we should have this handled amongst ourselves." Voidus said to Temeria, nodding in agreement to KanMien's statement. "If you were interested in working with us then you're most welcome to join our organisation, but we don't hire outside mercenaries to clean up our mess." He gave another apologetic nod of the head but was also unmoving on the issue. The DA did not rely on others to fix their problems, especially not a mercenary, no matter how helpful that mercenary may have been with other matters. Remaining insular and self-contained in these kinds of matters was one of the only reasons the balance between the DA and the other guilds had been maintained all these years, the DA kept to themselves and the others didn't intrude on their business. "But there is plenty of work available in the city for your skillset." He continued. "Especially should you manage to develop further with these gifts. I'm sure you won't have too much trouble finding someone willing to pay for your services." Voidus watched the spren again, it seemed to have perked up a bit at the prospect of fighting, looking curiously around at each of the inhabitants of the office. But it maintained it's position on Temeria's shoulder and didn't seem likely to part with her anytime soon. It didn't seem like she was aware of what the spren was, what it might mean, but if a bond did develop between them then Temeria would certainly find no small number of offers, likely invitations from other guilds as well. Radiants were more common than some other forms of Investiture but they were still in short enough supply that there was some competition for their services. "As to your potential instructor." Voidus said. "It's more of a construct than a person. Not dissimilar from an Awakened item, just more complex." Showing would likely be more useful than telling, so with one hand Voidus quickly sketched a complex symbol in the air, silvery light bursting forth from the tip of his finger and hovering in its wake. With a series of quick, efficient strokes he finished the Aonic formula. It shone brightly for a second before vanishing from the room. Silence stretched out as nothing immediately happened, but just as it seemed someone was about to break the tense silence there was another flash of bright, white light. As the light faded a figure was left at its center, still giving off a faint luminescent glow. It was formed into a human shape but with no clearly defined features, its body made entirely of Aons, thousands and thousands of Aons linked into an enormous, ever-changing chain. "Good day." The figure said, giving a deep bow to each of the people in the room. "How may I be of assistance?"

"The Woodwyrd?" Voidus asked. "Elsa's usually managed to avoid being entangled into any conflicts." His brow creased as he looked past the pair and into the distance, but he quickly gave a tired shake of his head. There was no point in trying to micro manage every little uprising that took place. There were plenty others who could take the situation in hand, and one who had already volunteered to do so. "Please do." He said. "Take who you need, but with the news about an Atium cache there may be some competition in finding people." He gave a weighty sigh and turned back to Temeria, giving an apologetic nod before looking at what she held in her hand. The coin that Mac had given her, and the ring that they had found. There were certainly plenty in the DA who could teach AonDor to someone with the ability to use it. The coin would be even simpler, though Temeria would likely need some explanations of the potential dangers of over-storing health and how exactly a metalmind worked. But the question was, who would be available to give such lessons? Much as Voidus might wish to return to the days where he had the time to simply share his knowledge with someone else, it was no longer practical. Others in the DA had their own research and operations to run. For a moment his mind flitted to a familiar blonde haired young woman before he dismissed the idea, even if Laurelai was available she had not shown a particular preference for teaching. And while she had some experience with Selish Investitures she was no Elantrian. Who else then? Preferably someone who could be more easily accessible than most Denizens tended to be. "I can think of a few." He said slowly. "The easiest for you would likely be those in the canton of combat. I could show you there if you'd like? There is one other who comes to mind, but that may be an.... unusual experience for you." His eyes met with Temeria's as he spoke and he stared intently into them. Voidus still felt tired more than anything else, but also curious about this young woman, curious as to what Mac had seen in her. What had she made him realise that caused him to leave as he did? And underneath the weariness and curiosity, Voidus still felt the pain. Long since tempered by the parting of so many others, but Mac's loss was still a harsh blow. The last in a series of thousands of cuts that had built up over the near eternity of life that Voidus had held. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the distant past on a distant world "Why haven't you been answering her calls?" The Professor asked. He was unusually angry as he stormed into the room, glaring down with a red face at Voidus as he sat at the table pouring over a map. Voidus looked up with a slightly bemused expression, equal parts confused and amused as he stared patiently back into the Professor's eyes. "Answered who's calls?" He replied. "You know who." The Professor said flatly. "Laurelai. I've heard she's been trying to talk to you for days. Weeks." He stared defiantly back at Voidus, trying to read the other man's expression. But Voidus' face revealed nothing as he gave a soft sigh, looking away. He seemed to think deeply about something before managing to look back at the Professor, still staring challengingly at him. "Do you have any idea how long I've been alive?" Voidus asked. The Professor stood, taken aback by the unexpected question, but quickly regained his frustration. "No I don't. You're as evasive about your past as you are at answering direct questions." "I've had a lot of practice." Voidus said as he gave another amused smile at that, nodding along in agreement which served only to bristle the Professor even further in his anger. "But truth be told I don't actually know either. At a certain point you only count the decades. Then the centuries. And then, well at a certain point I lost track altogether." "What does any of that have to do with the question?" The Professor interrupted. "I'm getting to it. Let an old man prattle sometimes." Voidus said, still smiling. "If I've lived that long, how many people do you think I've known over that time? Once again, I don't actually know myself. I remember some of them, some names, faces. Probably misremember a lot of them actually, and so many others that I've forgotten entirely. Thousands? Millions? I don't even know the scale let alone the number." The Professor calmed slowly, still visibly angry, but also curious. He stared patiently into Voidus' eyes, waiting for the man to continue. "And as you can tell by how many I've introduced you to, none of those people are still with me." Voidus said, eyes breaking off and staring into the distance. "I've lost more people than you've ever known. Maybe more people than there are alive here today. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?" "I-" The Professor stammered "I couldn't even ima-" "Nothing" Voidus interrupted, still speaking in the same quiet, vaguely amused tone. "Absolutely nothing. Maybe I'm just numb to it by now, maybe I was always like this. I don't know anymore." "But this is someone you love." The Professor said after a moments pause. "She's about to give birth to your child, surely that must be difficult." "Maybe I'm afraid to find out." Voidus said, voice dropping to a faint whisper. "Because what do I do if I can't even muster up enough emotion to care about that anymore?" The room faded into silence as Voidus stared off into the distance and the Professor stared at Voidus, looking into his eyes and trying to understand the inscrutable man before him.