triverse | What was I searching for here? There must be some reason, I'll try and ask

[Things were pretty nice on Organica in the weeks after Kor's group had stopped Creed's plan to use Gardenia to drain all of the world's Spirias. Sure, there were still monsters around, and even the few rare xeroms still lurking around, needing to be destroyed, but... Compared to everything that happened? It was peaceful.

Almost too peaceful for Kor, all things considered. He'd gotten so used to the adventure and being a hero and having so much action, that living an ordinary life in Seaville again just seemed so... mundane now.

Which is why, when he received a letter from Tekt in Layve Village asking him to come to the former mistbound village at once, requesting his assistance, he practically leapt at the opportunity, making his way to the port as fast as he could get there. It's a good thing Aqua happened to be in port at the time!

Once he gets to the village, he makes his way to the doctor's home and knocks on the door. Just what was so urgent that he needed him to come right away? Was it something to do with Zirconia, perhaps? Kor had no clue what might be waiting for him on the other side of the door.]

[Ruca didn't remember anything except for his own name. That didn't help him any though, since nobody seemed to know him. The kind doctor from the village offered him a place to stay and in exchange Ruca helped him as much as he could, but the missing memories were not coming back.

Even right now there's still nothing, not even the smallest shard of his memory returned. Ruca sighs as he begins to think that maybe he'll never find out who he actually is...

...And then somebody knocks on the door. Slightly startled, the boy inches closer to the entrance. He isn't good with strangers and the doctor is not around, but he has to do his best. Maybe it's someone who needs help?

Slowly and shyly, Ruca opens the door.]

H-hello? How can I help you?

[When the door opens, Kor wasn't expecting somebody on the other side who wasn't the good doctor. He blinks in surprise, staring owlishly at Ruca.]

Huh? Tekt hired an assistant? I didn't think it was so busy here he'd need one of those. [Sorry Ruca. His capacity for tact is... lacking at times.

He pokes his head in the doorway, trying to get a view of the doctor's office on the inside.]

Is he around? He asked me to come here pretty urgently, so I was hoping I could catch him here!

[Tekt definitely didn't seem to be in the building at the moment. Geez, where'd he go, grocery shopping?]

[Ruca also blinks a few times, backing away from the door to let Kor in.]

N-no, I... [He hesitates then starts twiddling his thumbs in nervousness.] ...I lost my memories and Mr. Tekt allowed me to stay here and I'm trying to help him as much as I can... And y-yes. He's not here at the moment...

[Then he realizes something...]

...He said that someone who could help me with my memories would come here soon...

[Ruca a gives Kor a curious look. The other boy is a little older than him. How can he help him when the doctor couldn't?]

[Kor squeezes through the doorway, shutting it behind him. He glances around the office. Huh, so this kid lost his memories and ol' Tekt was letting him stay with him? That checks out. Definitely explains why he called Kor here. Recovering a person's lost memories wasn't the usual application of a Spiria Link, but it was definitely possible. Just... tricky to do without a lead of some kind. But it was still worth a try, at least.

And Kor Meteor wasn't the sort of person who just tried things. He made sure to do them.]

That'd be me. When it comes to matters of the Spiria, I'm the best there is!

[It was... mostly true? He was definitely a very talented Somatic, especially for his age. Even if the field was very underpopulated these days.]

Do you remember your name, at least?

[Hope flickers in Ruca's teal eyes as he looks at the boy again.]

Y-yes! I'm Ruca... Ruca Milda. That's the only thing I remember.

[He steps closer to Kor, looking curious.]

...If you could help me that would be great. But how are you going to do it? Should I do anything?

Ruca, huh... [Kor repeats the name with curiosity, clucking his tongue as his thumbs his chin in thought. He was pretty good at remembering people, so he was trying to think of if he'd ever seen him before, or overheard the name somewhere, or something like that.

But he comes up empty in that regard. Ah well.]

Nice to meet you, Ruca. I'm Kor Meteor.

[He takes a couple more steps into the building, heading back towards the bed area.]

I guess you should make yourself comfortable? This might take a bit. [Or it might take no time at all. The passage of time was so weird inside a Spiria compared to outside.]

Oh, i-it's nice to meet you, too, Kor! [Ruca says quickly with another small bow.

Then when the other boy heads to the bed area, Ruca follows him with confused look on his face.]

...Um, alright?

[Still unsure, the boy sits down on one of the bed. He is pretty nervous because he has no idea what to expect.]

...Is this enough?

Uh-huh, that's good.

[Honestly, there's no way Ruca could possibly have expected what was about to happen. Not even five seconds after Ruca sits down on the bed, Kor's Soma lights up with a strong glow, and then said light engulfs Kor, as he transforms into a small orb of light and flies straight into Ruca's chest, disappearing inside of him.]

[It's a surprise, really, to see Kor turn into an orb of light and disappear inside his chest. Ruca puts a hand over the spot and... just waits. There's nothing better he can do.

What Kor sees inside is an entrance to a castle. Its walls are hight and towers twist in an unusual way. There's a beautiful garden outside, but that's not all. The castle and the square in front of it are not placed on the ground. Instead, the entire structure floats in the sky, surrounded by clouds.

If Kor decided to venture inside the castle, he'll find a bright interior with a maze of paths and stairs. Mysterious statues of figures that don't exactly resemble humans can be found there too.]

[When Kor awakens inside Ruca's Spiria, he absolutely marvels at the sheer beauty of it. The garden, the ornate castle, the really high walls... Now to be fair to Kor, he considers most Spirias he visits to be beautiful. But there was something different about this one compared to any other Spiria he's been to. It seemed almost... otherworldly?

It looked like a real place, and not just a person's Spiria. Which was confusing to him, Spirias usually didn't look like anything except Spirias? There were always numerous variations in terms of how they were laid out, but at the end of it all... A Spiria is a Spiria. So why is this one so special and different?

As he wanders into the castle, he marvels at the interior of it too. The statues especially catch his eye, as he stops in front of one and stares at it. It didn't really look like anything familiar to him.]

I get the feeling, this won't be so simple.

[The halls of the castle are completely empty and their size makes it seem like the potential inhabitants were much taller than humans. Bright light shines through the big windows, but there are are no sounds. Everything is silent in this abandon place.

If Kor decides to follow the stairs and corridors, after a long walk, eventually he'll reach a huge chamber that seems to be the center of the castle.]

[It really is almost eerie to him how empty this castle is. Not that he was exactly expecting it to brimming with occupants, considering it was supposedly Ruca's Spiria, but other Spirias always contained some sense of life to them. But here? It just seemed... abandoned. Was that just because it was so huge? Or some other reason?

Either way, Kor didn't like it.

But at least there weren't any enemies here, no sign that Ruca's amnesia was the result of xerom influence, or anything like that. That was a positive in his book.

As he continues on, he does eventually reach the huge chamber. He doesn't know much about castles, so he doesn't quite recognize that it's the center of the castle, but it sure stuck out to him on account of not being a series of staircases or hallways. He heads on inside it.]

[As Kor ventures inside the chamber, suddenly the silence is broken by the sound of heavy footsteps. Something is standing right behind Kor, casting a big, horned shadow.

It's a demon much taller than any adult human. There are two massive horn on top of his head, black that fade into fiery red. A huge lizard-like tail is the same color. The demon has long, white hair and grey skin. He's wearing a black armor and glowing yellow emblems adorn the chest. Two red eyes look down at Kor with a scorn.]

A guest? Here? [The demon says.] That's a new one. But I suggest you leave. Now.

[Kor catches sight of the shadow first, as it overtakes his own due to sheer size and projects its horned figure over it. But it's when he senses the demon standing behind him that he finally reacts, leaping forward in shock and whipping around to face him.]

I can't do that, not until I find a way to help Ruca get his memories back.

[Kor looks the horned demon up and down. Gosh, he sure was tall. And weird looking.]

Who are you, and why are you in Ruca's Spiria?

[Kor goes on guard, preparing himself for whatever might happen next. He's getting a very distinct feeling that this guy isn't just some manifestation of Ruca's true self like he'd usually find. Could he be related to Ruca's amnesia?]

Spiria? [The demon repeats, crossing his arms over his chest.] I don't know what a "spiria" is, but to answer your question, human, I am Asura and this place belongs to me.

[The demon unfolds his arms, but he still stands tall, towering over the smaller human.]

But you're saying I have lost memory? Well, you won't find those memories here.

[He gestures at the castle's interior.]

This place is a place of the past. Just like me, it should no longer matter.

[Kor stares up at Asura. He was tall, like really tall. Gall and Pyrox and even his own grandfather were pretty tall, but this guy was, like, a mountain compared to them. Just, wow.

But he snaps out of his stupor over Asura's height upon hearing what he's saying. Mostly because none of it makes any sense.]

Hold on... I'm here for Ruca's memories, not yours. [Does Asura have lost memories too? Should he try to Spiria Link him? ...Can he even do that while on a Spiria Link already? He has no clue.

Asura's presence here does put Kor a bit on edge. He's no stranger to being taking up residence in other beings' Spirias.]

...What kind of connection do you have to Ruca?

[Asura is watching him with curiosity, then he shrugs at the question.]

My memories are also his memories... we're one and the same and yet we're two completely different people.

[He looks down on Kor and gives him a grin.]

But I guess that's too difficult to understands for a human. [Even though he says that, it doesn't sound like he's trying to make fun of the boy.]

[There were probably humans who would be able to get it. ...Kor was not one of those humans, he was a simple boy with a simple mind.

He scratches his head in confusion.]

Yeah, sorry, I don't get it. [Kor understood two Spirias sharing the same body but being fully distinct from one another, but this sounded like they were the same person also not. Like two sides of the same coin? It's weird.] You're the same person, but... you're you and he's him? But how can you be the same person and two different people at the same time? Are you an alternate personality of his?

[what a weird look for Ruca's alternate personality.]

Well, whatever! If you and Ruca are the same person, then that means I need to help you out too!

No, I'm not an alternate personality. I don't matter anymore either, so once Ruca remembers everything, ask him to explain this to you.

[Asura grins again, now visibly amused.]

Just focus on Ruca only. If you help him, you also help me.

[He then walks closer to the center of the room and takes a look around.]

But like I said, you won't find anything here. [He turns to Kor again.] Ruca traveled around the world, so try taking him to the places he knows. Maybe that will bring back some memories.

[Kor shakes his head. There was a matter here that he and Asura were definitely in disagreement on.]

If you're here, a part of Ruca... Then you matter, Asura. So I'll help Ruca, and that'll help you out too. I'll help you both out, just like a Somatic should!

[He's feeling pretty fired up about this now.]

So what is this place, then? If I should be looking for places that Ruca might recognize, I figure knowing where to look might be a good starting point, right? But I've never seen a castle like this anywhere on Organica.

[A smile appears on Asura's face, much kinder than any of his previous smiles. This boy, Kor, doesn't understand anything, but it's almost endearing how much he wants to help.

Humans aren't bad. Asura always knew that.

But then there's a problem.]

Somantic, Organica... I know nothing of those things.

[He thinks about it for a moment.]

...Curious. Does that mean there are more worlds out there? Ruca is clearly very far away from home.

[That catches Kor by surprise. He doesn't know Organica? That's weird as heck! How does he not know about Organica? Or Somatics for that matter?!

But then it all clicks in Kor's head. Aha, of course it would make sense, he's talking like he's from the past, so maybe they haven't invented the term Somatic yet in his time! And if he's from the past, then maybe he's from a time where Organica wasn't discovered yet, which means...!]

Oh, I get it! You're from Minera, then! Yeah, that makes sense, no wonder you're so big and are covered in so much armor! You're a mechaknight from Minera!

[...Yeah, he hasn't got a clue.]

Minera? That's the first time I hear about a place called like that.

[He gives the boy another grin.]

And I'm not a knight. I'm a general.

[He shrugs, not wanting to add anything more.]

Well, it does seem like Ruca ended up in a completely different world. I don't know how it happened, so do your best to find out.

Edited 2019-06-19 15:31 (UTC)

Ehh?! [He doesn't know Minera either? Well, shoot, he's out of ideas, then.]

So you two are from a completely different world out there entirely? [That's just wild to him. His mind was already pretty blown finding out one of his planet's moons was actually another planet entirely, but now Asura is telling him there're other worlds out there?! This is more than he can handle.]

This is crazy... But I've got no choice but to believe you here.

[He takes one last look around his surroundings. He wants this place to leave a lasting impression on his Spiria, since it seems like he's gonna have a heck of a journey ahead of him trying to help out Ruca here.]

I don't know how it happened, but I'll find a way to get him back where he belongs, he's probably got friends who're worried about him right now! I'll take care of things, so thanks for the help, General Asura!

[See, he's listening!]

What was I searching for here? There must be some reason, I'll try and ask

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject