Injustice

[Aeon]

Aeon didn't know many things, he certainly wasn't what one would call knowledgeable, either, and he wasn't certain about the things he did think he knew, but there was one certainty in his mind at that very moment. And that was that Kata, the Immortal, was not there to help him. He knew that the Immortals weren't there to help the mortals, and he was certain about that, to the level where nothing and nobody could convince him otherwise, or so he thought.

He had even completely disregarded the fact that she failed to remember his name, all because he was so focused on that one word; 'help'. Why did she think she could help him, and how was she planning on helping him? Last time he had heard an Immortal say something about help, he witnessed hundreds of mortals perish for a war that wasn't their own. Immortals and help, those two things didn't go together, never.

When her hand moved to his chin however, Aeon didn't have the confidence he had mere bits earlier, and as much as he wanted to do something about it, his hand was frozen in space and time. Looking away was another thing he thought about doing, but the moment he attempted to move his head in another direction, the Immortal's hold on him seemed to strengthen just enough to keep him in place. He couldn't escape her gaze, and for some reason, the thought of closing his eyes never came to him.

"I..." weak...bested...defiled... the words floated in his mind and even though he didn't want to admit it, everything she said was true. The Immortals had bested him, they had turned him into a toy, a pawn in their games. But that was what she wanted to do with him as well, right? She was no different than the others. Aeon blinked twice at the thought, as his hand managed to move an inch or two upwards before falling completely limp. He summoned her? He didn't summon her. He couldn't remember summoning her. Were the images of Oscillus and Treidhart what summoned her? And why was he seeing them now? A thousand questions with no answers. Aeon now stopped trying to look away and simply let his eyes connect with hers.

"That...sounds...No...I don't..know..." His gaze was one of a confused, poor child that had lost their mother in a busy marketplace. On one side, her offer sounded tempting, it sounded like exactly what he wanted, and he couldn't say no to her, but on the other, he knew she was a danger to him, and that she was no good. But that changed swiftly, as a strange wave erupted from a corner of his mind he never knew existed, and traversed each and every part of him. It seemed to wipe all the things he was certain about. The Immortals were bad...the Immortals caused pain...she was bad...she would cause him pain...all of it, gone in an instant. And just like that, his gaze shifted from a confused one to that of acceptance, and he rose to his feet alongside her.

Completely disregarding Kata's demeanor, Aeon decided not to answer her with words, but with a smile on his scarred face. A smile that for the boy's standards, was all kinds of strange. With that smile, he would follow Kata wherever she decided their exploration might take them first, leaving both his armor and his weapon behind. Would he enjoy it? He wondered for a trill, the woman seemed nice enough, surely she wouldn't take him somewhere he wouldn't enjoy. He thought about bringing his sword for a moment, just for protection, but a weird tingling in his palm stopped him from doing so.

[Whisper]

The Immortal of Insanity’s smile remained wide and excitable as Aeon failed to fend off her control and fell into step beside her. Mortals really were so malleable… perhaps that was why they all seemed to follow one Immortal or another. A deeply ingrained sense of subservience? A need to be commanded and used? Kata did not not, but now that she was slowly breaking out of her centuries long comatose state, she would help Aeon to do the same. He would be used by no one.

“Fresh air is always nice,” the Immortal of Insanity chattered as she pulled her companion to the door, though narrow corridors and finally through the door. “I always feel like clean air gives me a clean mind. And the noises on the wind… so much better than the stale stuffiness of inside. Dark and dank… who wouldn’t want to be outside, especially on a day such as this one.” It was busy outside - hardly heaving, but it was more populated than Kata, who generally preferred her own company, would have liked. Without hesitation, she guided Aeon around to the right.

The pair drew the occasional odd look from passers-by. A wild-looking girl, wearing clothing that was bordering on the indecent, flame-red hair and iridescent eyes, was walking, arms linked with a man whose features seemed to be arranged into a look bordering between confusion and blank dispassion. They were a curious pair, to say the least, and a great number gave them a wide berth. Kata was likely the cause of this; there was something about her piercing gaze, as she met the eyes of people walking past. It was like a caged tiger, barely contained. Even if she could not be described as beautiful, Kata was alluring to a fault - as if there was a great desire to stick a hand through he metal bars of the cage and stroke the tiger, even if experience said not to. Experience might save their lives.

They walked aimlessly for a while, Kata chasing at random routes to take. Occasionally she let the mortal decide which way to go, but she gave no indication of having any destination in mind. “Do you walk for fun, Abel? Or do you always know where you’re going?” She asked, bright eyes curiously looking up as she turned her head. “I like to just… walk. But… it is nicer to do it with friends. I didn’t have any friends. Do you have any friends? Besides me, of course?” Regardless of what he said, memories would be stirred. She would find what she wanted from him.

[Aeon]

With his full, undivided attention focused on Kata, Aeon listened carefully to what she had to say, as if it was the greatest thing ever said, and nodded in agreement. He truly did prefer fresh air to being inside, although a part of him had forgotten that small aspect of his personality during all the conflict. He didn't like this specific trial though, it was too hot for him, he prefered colder weather.

But alas, it was not up to him to choose whether he was going out or not, and if asked, he would say he didn't even want to choose. He liked it better that the woman chose for him, she seemed to know him, and he trusted her to make the right choice. He trusted her, although her name eluded him. It wasn't even on the tip of his tongue, it was just lost somewhere inside his mind. He shouldn't tell her that though, she might get angry and leave him, he thought.

At the moment, Aeon wasn't even sure why he didn't want her to leave him, but he knew there was a reason for it. Surely he wouldn't think something like that without a good enough reason. She was a pleasant lady, smiling brightly and proudly, so that was definitely one reason. But whether there was more than that, the boy simply couldn't recall.
Perhaps there was some major reason why he wanted her to stay, why he needed her to be around him at least for a little bit longer, perhaps there wasn't, and he was simply exaggerating the situation, the Immortals only knew.

As they walked, their arms crossed together, the young swordsman paid no mind to the strange looks of others. He didn't care about others, he never really did. His long-gone father taught him not to care, but to be himself and do what he wanted even if that meant being rejected by society. But obviously, the fact that most of the strange looks were towards his companion meant something different for him. He liked the woman, and the fact that others did not made him feel strange. Borderline agitated. He wanted them to like her, but then again, he didn't care. It was a strange, impossible to describe emotion that was coursing through his mind at the moment.

"I like walking for fun, I suppose." He said after a brief couple moments of looking at the sky and thinking about her question. He seriously considered it, thinking about it like it would save the world if he answered truthfully and fully. Her words seemed to echo in his mind, almost as if she said them twice, once from the outside, from just a foot away from his ear, and once from the inside, literally, from inside his brain. It was a strange, but not unwelcome sensation.

Then, as he started contemplating her next question at the same level as the one before it, a wave rippled throughout his mind, a single word written on it, echoing and bumping against the edges of his skull. Faith, his only friend. No, she wasn't his only friend, Kata was his friend too. But why did he feel like Faith was his only friend then? Would Faith get jealous if she found out he had another friend, was that the reason? No, Faith wasn't the jealous type, but would it be the other way around? He was worried once again, that the woman beside him might leave if he answered the question.

"I do have another friend. Her name is Faith, but she's nowhere near here." He said, attempting to make sure Kata felt like she was important to him, and like Faith wasn't. But Faith was important, very important, only he didn't want to admit it. "She lives in Scalvoris," he said as he put his free hand inside his pocket and pulled out what was a relatively small scroll. "but she writes to me almost every trial, using this." He finished, offering the echo scroll to the Immortal if she wanted to take it for examination. If she were to open it, it would be completely blank, with no words or ink on it.

At that moment, another similar wave passed through his thoughts, this time the word was something else,Ryqos. The wave said, but Ryqos was dead. He didn't want to talk about dead men with the woman, he wanted to talk about happier, brighter things, even though she could still easily see through his eyes that there was another person worth mentioning, what she did with the information was none of his business.

[Whisper]

Faith… the word alone was enough for Aeon’s emotions to flash across his face and mind, giving insight into exactly what the girl meant to Aeon. She was a sister… but wasn’t a sister. There was no blood, no shared inheritance, but the bond there was just as strong, if not stronger than most siblings. Kats frowned. This man would do anything for Faith. He would die, he would kill for her. He would do anything to keep her happy. A surge of green envy rose inside the unhinged Immortal, though she had the sense to suppress any visible reaction to his words. Astatar was her friend now. Not this… Faith’s.

Then, he showed her the piece of paper, and the jealousy was all but forgotten for the moment as she examined it, genuine curiosity evident. She stroked the paper, and sensed the power it held. How the world had evolved in her sleepy absence… she had missed so much. “You use this to talk to your friend Faith..?” Kata asked, her brows furrowing in feigned, yet flawlessly so, confusion. “Why would you need that? She’s just over there, no?”

And she pointed forward, where five men dressed in the uniform of the Uthaldrian policing authority were dragging a limp form. The form, even from a distance, was clearly beaten and bruised, her pale skin caked in dried mud and blood. Her ebony hair was matted and filthy and her plain dress torn ad falling from her shoulders, displaying more to the public than was decent. Arm still linked around Aeon’s, the Immortal slowly walked them closer as the guards continued to drag the unconscious form towards them.

As the six passed, the mark of slavery was evident on the emaciated female. More scars, some old, some wounds still red and raw, littered her body - evidence of whippings and beatings. It wasn’t Faith, of course, some other slave, or whore. The Immortal didn't care which, but she was perturbed by the injustice radiating from the girl regardless. She fought the urge to act, already on a self-appointed mission. She couldn't even kill two birds with one stone... if the human acted as she wanted.

Kata’s hold over Aeon’s mind was secure now. Along with the constant, drip-fed reminder that Kata was his best friend, sister, lover, anything… the one he should protect… she caused him to hallucinate seeing the form of what Faith once was. She couldn’t see such a memory in the mortal’s mind, but she could tell enough of this Faith’s past to know it couldn’t be far from what was once true. Perfect. “She doesn’t look too good…”

[Aeon]

”No she’s not, she’s in-” He attempted speaking before raising his gaze from Kata’s hand up to the men and the beaten up woman. Aeon wanted to run, to catch the bloodied woman in his arms and to make sure she was alive, firstly, and secondly to make sure it wasn’t Faith. It couldn’t be Faith, no. But as his right foot moved ahead of the left one, a strange instinct stopped him from moving forward. Kata didn’t start running. So why would he? She, after all, knew best, and if she decided they should simply walk onwards slowly, then they should walk onwards slowly, there wasn’t the slightest bit of doubt about that in the boy’s mind.

As the men came closer, along with the ruined form of the woman, he could see it clearly, it was Faith. She even had all the same scars and brands from when they met, in Saun last arc. Then the strangest thought passed through his mind. Didn’t Moseke heal all of Faith’s scars and remove all of her brands? No, she couldn’t have, because this here, this lifeless body, it had Faith’s face, although it was red and blue.

The same instinct which prevented him from running only trills earlier now prevented him from jumping onto the men and demanding they release the woman at once, or take her to a healer. Anything which would help her. He couldn’t just stand by and watch. Except he had to, and yet he didn’t know it. What he knew was that he could, since Faith wasn’t what was most important to him, Kata was. If Kata desired it, he would attempt to help his friend as best as he could, but if she didn’t, then he would not.

”F..faith…” He said with an unconscious whimper escaping his lips as he attempted to stop the woman that held his arm in order to look at the beaten form better. If Kata allowed him to stop, he would lower himself to look at the eyes of the woman, to touch her neck gently in an attempt of proving she was alive. She couldn’t be dead. But if Kata willed it, they would keep moving wherever she desired, and Aeon would simply follow, not looking back at the slave, his mouth filled with a bitter taste and his eye showing a sign of resentment towards the woman with whom he walked.

If, however, they stopped and he lowered himself to the ground, he would raise his eye swiftly towards the guards that carried the woman. There would be anger filling the hazel-colored orb that stood alone on his face. If she was dead, he would kill them, he would kill them all, and he would do it without a second thought. Except he wouldn’t, if Kata only said so through the corner of his mind she now owned. Aeon, however determined, couldn’t fight his own mind after all.

[Whisper]

With a secret smile, Kata loosened her grip on the man’s arm, allowing it to fall away only when Aeon stepped forward to check the state of the illusion of the ex-slave. He would find her alive, but barely so. Her breathing was light and shallow and erratic… and slow… far too slow. The Faith he saw in front of him was not dead, but even a slow-witted fool would be able to see that she was not long for this world.

The two guards dragging the body looked at each other, and one nodded. they hitched her higher in their arms and diverted their course slightly as two of the three spare pushed back at Aeon, “Move alone, Sir,” one ordered, his voice cold but polite, “This is not your business, she is just a slave. No harm has come to anyone who matters.” Once they had pushed him out of the way, enough so that they could cary dragging the Faith-illusion along their path, the two guards would incline their heads with respect and turn away, continuing on behind the procession.

The Immortal, who had remained silent and watchful during the entire interaction, mostly curious to see just how loyal a friend this mortal was, stepped forward. when she spoke, her voice was soft, almost timid in quality. “That’s barbaric…” she whispered, resting a hand lightly on the back of Aeon’s shoulder. Through this hand, she continued to leech away at his free will. But she was careful not to rid him entirely of it. Whatever path he chose to follow, she wanted him to feel overwhelming guilt at the consequences of his actions.

“She’s…” the sing-song quality of Kata’s voice had diminished. No longer did she appear vague and disinterested with the world, as she had when she had first appeared. Nor did she seem to be filled with child-like energy at the prospect of dragging Aeon out of the for to explore. “Asha… what did she do? No. That doesn't matter. No one deserves…”

!	Message from: Whisper
	Apologies for the delay. If you heard about the month I just had you'd understand! Also apologies for the relatively short post. But this is a post to provoke Aeon int action... one way or another. Whatever you decide works for me, trust me!