hadriel_logs | Event Log: Dreamwalker the Second

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Event Log: Dreamwalker the Second

Who: All characters participating in the event
What: The event log for the Dreamwalker part 2 event
Where: In your dreams
When: October 14th-20th (the second log will go up on Oct 23rd, please keep the two weeks of the event separate!)
Warnings: All different kinds of dreams falling under the umbrella of Delight, Rage, Sorrow, and Hope.

This time, the weird stuff doesn't happen when you're awake- as a matter of fact, your waking hours are the normal ones. That's because you're forced to sleep by some unknown entity, getting more and more exhausted by the moment as night falls. Better make sure you're always around a soft pillow.

Once asleep, it doesn't get any less weird- your dreams will be influenced by one of the four gods that make up the first week. Something to make you smile, something to make you angry- or something that reminds you of your deepest regret or most vulnerable hope, they're all things that you're dreaming about now for some reason, no matter how hard you may try to pull away from them.

To make matters more complicated, there are others intruding on your dreams who definitely don't belong there, and while they may seem like manifestations at first, it becomes clear that these others are actually the consciousness of other members of Hadriel, getting some top quality exposure to your angriest, happiest, most sorrowful moments. Hope it doesn't get awkward when you see them tomorrow...

► This log covers October 14th-20th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you die in dreams you don't die in real life, but if you somehow die in real life anyway, please let us know here.

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It's dark, cold and damp. A combo of nope that you typically don't want to be waking up to from an involuntary slumber.

As your eyes adjust, you find yourself in a room of some abandoned place. The walls are crumbled, eroded and the smell of rust from the rebar within them is pungent. A door in front of you is open and leads to a dimly lit hall. Here is probably where you realize the windows are way too high to see through, since the only ambient lighting is seeping through them. It's a weird architect design choice, but hey, you'll just get outside and figure out where you're at anyway. When you find the stairwell, the next floor down is flooded with... water, hopefully. And when you look up? Well, you can't see the top. There's no other choice, is there? All the floors you enter just look like more of the same anyway.

Don't worry though, just work those thighs and climb a few more levels and...

...

Finally.

It might have taken you hours to get there but there's a door and no more stairs.

You open it and step out onto the roof. The air is moist. But a little dusty.

The space around you is filled with other buildings like a City. In the distance, they seem to come from the sky— Oh. There's no sky. You're not underground. You're not outside either. As you look off the edge of the building you just spent countless hours climbing, you can see more buildings. And beyond, more buildings. Structures fill the space as far as your eyes can see. Miles above you are large spires jutting out from the architecture of a ceiling, various cables and wires streaming down to the buildings around you. Likely to provide power.

When you bring your eyes to immediate reality and check the roof, it's barren except for the first man you've seen since you woke up.

He stands at the edge of the building near a large, wide cable leading up to a spire.

But he isn't looking up. He's staring out. Then looking down.

There is something, no, someone who grabs this person by their wrist, giving them the gentlest of pulls towards the other side of the void. When the taller man tuns around, he'll see this rather small, odd looking young man, dressed in strange old fashioned clothes. His breathing seems a little labored, (those were a lot of stairs, dude!), and he looks a little tired.

He says nothing, not yet, he simply stares up at the other, something pleading in his eyes.

Normally there would have been some sort of reflex. But in that moment, there's nothing.

Kyrii simply turns with the pull and accepts whatever fate has grabbed him. Except he sees a man instead of any monster he expected. The clothes aren't right but for some reason he doesn't find it odd. His optics try to pull up a scan and he closes it before they can complete. It doesn't matter if this man is human or not. Or if he has the genetics to save humanity...

Those stairs and this building are just like these levels of this City. He's lived so long and climbed so many.

It never ends. It will never end. No matter how high Kyrii climbs.

They don't speak. Only stare at each other.

A cold, tired stare.

The young man expects a reaction, he braces himself for it, but it doesn't come. He takes the opportunity to pull further into safety. With little steps, and the faintest of smiles starts taking shape, trying to pierce like a dim ray of sunshine through the gloom.

Atem doesn't speak, he doesn't wish to break this silence, it seems fine.

Once they reach a place he thinks it's safer, the stops, but doesn't let go of the other.

How human it is to smile. Kyrii has never had a reason to, as human as he thought he was. It doesn't instill the same feeling of hope that it does in humans. But at least he understands why the man is doing it. So he steps with him to safety. Into a light that isn't physically there.

Except the darkness is all around. The air is thick. The distant groans of a slowly deteriorating environment echoing far below. And above.

The grunge covering Kyrii's body— Scars across his face, clothes beaten and worn. It all adds to the total look of fatigue. The look that he's been doomed to this journey for eternity. Even when the humans are long gone, he'll be left to wander in search of their extinct species. And he can't say no.

It starts to seem strange now how the man is dressed. He looks at the man's hand still holding him. It's real. He isn't some AI. Where did he come from...?

Atem is, actually apprehensive to let go. He's not sure who this man is, or what is going through his head. Why was he standing so near the edge? He takes in the details, the scars, his clothes. They match perfectly with the environment, it is only the small Pharaoh who clashes terribly with it all, dressed in pristine clothes, adorned with way too much gold. It is like, he shouldn't be there at all.

But he has to let go, (now, especially when the other looks at his hand) and he does, slowly, as if he were to scare the man if he did any rapid movement.

"Are you okay?"

He is so hard to read, this man. Atem makes the most ridiculous mental note of how he'd probably be really good at dueling... But then, he focuses back, all his attention on him.

Technically he's okay. He's uninjured. That's not what the man meant though, was it?

Kyrii is driven by powerful programming to find a human with the genetics he needs to save the human race. Though something deep down is desperately trying to dig its way to the surface to tell him to stop. He would be free from continuing on aimlessly for however many millennia more— At the cost of their survival.

And as much as he tells himself that it isn't even an option...

It can be.

"No."

The Pharaoh can appreciate the honesty, feeling a little guilty that if he had been in his shoes, he'd probably would have lied through his teeth, saying that yes, he was okay, even if he was in fact, probably dying.

"How can I help you?"

Light from distance sources gives a moonlit glow on everything. Blinking red lights flash from different places. And the gold glimmers with every small movement, even in the dark environment. It's a substance that isn't even around; It's too weak to be practical or valuable.

His silence now is because there is no answer. There is no way to help.

He won't find humans any faster than Kyrii can. He won't find the Net Terminal Gene...

"...Can't."

The answer doesn't seem to dampen Atem's spirit, there must be something, anything he can do.

But for that, maybe he needs a bit more perspective. He finally unglues his eyes from the stranger, giving a much more thorough stare at the place they are in. Depressing as hell, that's what it is.

"What is this place?"

He looks out in the distance. Lightning emits from some of the spires further off; A discharge of electricity to maintain balance of energy for the entire level. An afterthought: that it would probably kill him if he got to close to one.

Most residents don't understand where they are. They normally scavenge with their tribes to survive without worrying about such trivial things. They learn where and where not to go and stick with that. Kyrii can't blame them for that either. It's safer that way.

"A power grid..."

Atem looks up at the... lack of sky. He cannot really imagine a place where there is no sky, where there is no sun. Only... only he does, he spent thousand of years of isolation in a prison of the mind, no sun, no sky, nothing, just walls of sandstone and darkness. He closes his eyes quickly, not wanting to be reminded of that, this place, it cannot compare. Hopefully.

"What are you doing here?" It is a trick question, whether the other sees it or not. Why was he there, standing and contemplating the void, or, what is his purpose here? Either answer works for him.

Kyrii decides on the more literal answer.

"Going up to the... next level."

The suspension cable going up to the next stalactite spire connects to other larger cables leading the ceiling way up there. They seem climbable from the angle they stand at, while other cables positioned around the canyon of buildings would make the incline impossible to ascend.

How many times has he done something like this? How many more times would he have to...?

"To search for humans... with the Net Terminal Gene." He adds.

"Net Terminal Gene..."

Of course that makes absolutely no sense to Atem, but it does seem pretty important and that's more than enough. There is a reason that he's here, he might as well make himself useful in some way.

"Let's go then." He seems more than ready to follow this guy.

Let's go then.

He stares blankly at him. Because the man doesn't look dressed for the trek at all. Who is Kyrii to question how anyone gets through the day in this place? If the guy wants to go then sure. It's not his problem.

"Fine."

And just like the many times before, Kyrii steps forward to climb onto the cable. There's a narrow space where the curvature isn't too intense. Walking straight isn't an issue at all, just an uphill climb where any normal person may become winded after the hour or so they seem to walk it. When they make it to the next spire, they are visibly closer to the ceiling of the space than where they stood a mile ago. The grated catwalks they heave onto lead them around to the next one. It's thinner than the last. One wrong step might lead to a fatal slip.

Kyrii keeps going without much of a break. He also doesn't often look back to check on his companion. The expansive ceiling grows closer and closer with every step, locking in the sensation that they'll get to a surface once they cross it. As he reaches the catwalks lining the horizontal structure, he finally waits and looks back.

Atem asked for this, didn't he? He follows, although a little unsure. He keeps telling himself that he is here, for whatever reason. At least, instead of looking down, he keeps looking forward and up, not a single time he turns back. But his companion doesn't offer much conversation and time seems even more unbearable like this. It's okay... if there is something Atem has, is time, infinite time in his hands to waste as he wishes to.

At least, it's what he likes to think.

Finally they get somewhere, and the boy seems expectant. "Are we there yet?"

"No."

A ladder at the end of the walk leads up to the expansive ceiling— a circular cable chamber sealed by a valve which Kyrii easily turns open. The confined space is dimly lit by small work lights placed at each rung the entire way up to the top far above them. He motions for the man to go first this time. Even if the man's weight gave out half-way through the climb, Kyrii would be able to carry him the rest of the way. With difficulty, considering the narrow passage and nature of the climb.

They begin again. Hour after hour, Kyrii moves at his partner's pace. Waiting when he needs to wait. The walls are slick. Small bugs skitter in and out of small crevices, sometimes along their bodies if they scurried fast enough. An unsettling sensation... And just when Atem's muscles burn so badly and his grip may slip from the rails, there's the exit. Kyrii moves around him carefully to reach up and unlatch the lever locking the breach above them. He pushes it open then grabs Atem's arm to help him up and out ahead of him.

The environment is eerily similar to the last: Structures as far as the eye can see. Lights blinking and glowing in distance places. A dull roar nearby gives a factory-ambiance to the area. Far, far above them the same sort of structure boxing them in...

Kyrii pulls himself from the hole next. He lets himself sit and stare at the new backdrop as he catches his breath.

Rinse.

Repeat.

For as long as it takes.

Atem follows and climbs and follows a little more, the best way he can. Hell, he even is thankful and a little embarrassed when he's helped, but he allows it. He may not be as fit as his companion but not once he complains even if yes, he does stop a little from time to time to just breathe.

"Does it ever end?" He mutters, welcoming the small respire, sitting next to this guy.

Far above them is movement. An enormous machine, lumbering around the structures. From it's head emits a beam as blinding as the sun when looked at. As the light fades, there's a new piece of structure formed. Then the machine lumbers on.

Kyrii watches it the entire time. But he isn't blinded. He's discouraged.

"No. It won't end until I find it."

He waits. A little too long.

"I won't find it..."

Atem does not follow his stare, but keeps his own on the taller man instead.

"Why not?"

"There are so few left. And after all this time..."

Especially with the Safeguard hunting them— The chance of finding even one more human in this hell is slim to none. And Kyrii knows it.

"After so long..."

He's tired. It shows.

Ah, he was afraid they would reach this point at some moment. He's familiar with the despair of not being able to find something might cause, he searched for so long for himself after all.

But, he didn't do it alone, no, which is why he sticks to him, because maybe they can find it together. Even after all this time, even after how tired the kid might also look, he still manages a little smile. Just for this guy.

"You must believe... What is your name anyway?"

Edited 2017-11-16 05:26 (UTC)

He can never stop. The coding deep in his mind won't let him. His eyes close.

"My name is Kyrii."

Lights in the distance start to fade. The grinding sounds of metal slow to a halt. In a world that has so much ambient noise, the silence that follows is the most unsettling. Kyrii takes a long breath. He doesn't recognize how abnormal it is. The darkness creeping toward them from the distance isn't something he notices.

"Maybe it is out there. But it... isn't. It never is. It's always gone by the time I get there."

Maybe if he rests for a while and regains his strength. Then he might be able to go on.

"But I have to keep going."

Atem notices the darkness falling on them, he, unconsciously leans towards Kyrii's and grabs the leash of the inverted golden pyramid he's wearing. The darkness is something he's almost inherently afraid of, he's a child of the sun after all, and his subconscious feels something odd going on.

Something occurs to him... He stands, looks up where he believes the sky should be even if he cannot see it, and raises a hand towards it, the other firmly holding the Millennium Puzzle. It starts shining, piercing through the darkness as he meant it to be, and after a moment that seems like an eternity to him, the faraway ceiling to tremble and break in some spots. Debris falls and dim rays of light (sunlight) come from the small gaps he manages to make somehow. That's all that's needed, from the threads of light a shape starts appearing. It is not as flashy and showstopper as it usually is for Atem, he doesn't even voice his call relying solely in his bond, not wanting to threaten this place even more with his voice. Finally, a dragon, blinding as if made of molten gold appears before them and breathes down on the pair. The fact that the child doesn't seem frightened in the slightest might be telling that this is not something to be afraid of, of course.

"Come." Atem extends a hand at Kyrii, inviting. "We are going to find it."

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Event Log: Dreamwalker the Second

sorrow; cw:ideas of suicide

i hope this is ok, lemme know if it's not ♥

aaah its def ok, i love it ♥♥

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