CAVERN.

[atrueheroine]

[Another encounter with the Shimmer, another round of confusion, frustration and exhaustion. It's probably going to be a fairly unanimous opinion, but Page much preferred the circle of peaceful corpses over the tree of suffering.

She emerged from the river just in time to hear what the Shimmer had to say, and it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. But regardless of feelings, it's probably wise that they don't move away from this cavern for the time being; the fire, remnants of that horrible tree, is providing light and warmth. They couldn't really ask for much more, especially after spending the past week in darkness.

So Page will swim back to the fire, placing herself in front of it and unwinding her headpiece, letting her locs fall free around her face. She's soaked, miserable and cold. As awful as the source of the heat is, she needs to dry off. The last thing she wants is to fall ill.

Not that it would mean much - sounds like a problem for her body. Wherever that is.

You're free to join her, or do what you will; time to rest, before the new week begins.]

Comments

[pr159]

Interesting... That doesn't sound anything like what I'm familiar with.

[ It's a little difficult to wrap his head around, actually... Hm. ]

So it's the energy produced by the motion of particles within this substance, is that right? Is it something your world would be at risk of running out of sometime down the line?

[planetary_bonds]

It was newly discovered, but...it doesn't seem like we can run out of it. Once the Momentum starts turning, it can go on without stopping until it's manually halted.

[That sounds miraculous, but...by the way Yusei shifts uncomfortably, he doesn't seem to entirely regard it as a good thing.]

Honestly, the thing we have to worry about is more how dangerous it can be...

[pr159]

[ So it's something they're just starting to work with, then, and not something they're already dependent on, like his world with spyrix. He's curious where it was "discovered" in that case, and how it formed in the first place, but. ]

How so?

[ He can imagine it might be difficult to control, at least, and doesn't have a clear idea of what manually halting it would entail. ]

[planetary_bonds]

[Well, when Yusei means "newly discovered," he means "almost 20 years ago," and at this point it's integrated into almost...everything. ha ha. So maybe Yusei's kinda giving the wrong impression here.]

The problem is if it ever turns in reverse...

[At this point, Yusei's face visibly crumples.]

When that happens, the energy it was giving out ends up rebounding. It can be...catastrophic.

[pr159]

[ Hey, 20 years is still a lot better than 2000. Presumably this isn't the only thing they've ever used unless they just invented light bulbs. ]

I see. [ Hm. ] Sounds like you've seen that happen.

[planetary_bonds]

...In various ways.

[Yusei frowns.]

Given that it was able to be used as a portal to the Underworld itself...I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of spiritual quality to it that we haven't discovered yet.

[He's right, but he doesn't know it.]

[pr159]

[ blinks ]

A portal to the Underworld?

[ That kind of took a turn. And sent me down a rabbit hole of confusion as I suddenly remembered Pluto the Great Spirit of the Underworld existed and realized I had to reconcile that existence with soul purification and reincarnation, thank you Xillia, never stop being you ]

I will say that if spirits are involved, you're probably better off finding an alternative, dangerous or not.

[planetary_bonds]

Mm. The Dark Signers used it as a portal to summon the God of the Underworld...thankfully, we were able to stop the ritual in time, but it was close.

[ahahahaha im so fucking sorry]

That's...something I want to do, when we finish this. Rather...I feel like it's something I should do...

[pr159]

Well, good luck with it, then. I don't imagine you're past the point of no return, at least, if this is all relatively new.

[ Unless everything went into reverse while you were gone, in which case lmao RIP. ]

[planetary_bonds]

Well, thanks.

[noooooo don't say thaaaaaat]

I honestly hoped I could find answers to figuring that out while I was here, but...all this has been so beyond that it's kind of...

[ha ha ha yikes]

[pr159]

It's not exactly conducive to breakthroughs in technological innovation, in any case.

[planetary_bonds]

No...it isn't.

[oof.]

It feels like instead of finding answers, we only run into more and more questions.

[pr159]

...It does, yes. I really expected we'd be in a better position by this point.

[planetary_bonds]

[...]

...Do you think we've bitten off more than we can chew?

[It's not like Yusei to sound so defeatist. Maybe this is getting more to him than he lets on.]

[pr159]

I think some individuals among us probably have, but on the whole, I wouldn't go that far. I personally have no intention of lying down to die, anyway, regardless of what some other version of me may have decided.

[planetary_bonds]

["Some individuals," huh.

Yusei briefly wonders if he's counted among them.]

I doubt that version of you intended to lie down and die either, you know.

[It was a few weeks ago, but remembering that sight is still...chilling.]

[pr159]

I wouldn't think so either, but it didn't exactly look coerced, so it's hard to be certain of that.

[planetary_bonds]

...It might have been slow.

[Yusei grimaces as he says that.]

You feel it too, don't you?

[This place...how its starting to get into their heads. How it's starting to feel like they're arriving to where they should have been all along.]