bravenewworld | Descent into Darkness

Descent into Darkness

As the characters arrive, they will find what appears to be a rather deep cavern. Upon entering, the caverns are quite narrow, with twists and turns everywhere and different tunnels that all seem to be interconnected. As characters travel deeper within the caverns, reality around them will start to warp, they will start to see and hear things that aren’t necessarily there - images of old enemies, past failures, voices of condemnation, visions that strike at the soul and core of the characters. Once this begins, it will only increase in power and volume, demanding it be confronted, lest they be trapped within these caves forever.

[OOC: This event will run for a week. All characters who enter the caves will be subject to some of their deepest fears, darkest demons, and most abject failures. To overcome them, characters must help each other out, finding their purpose through strength of character and resolve to move forward. In general, these visions should require characters to come to grips with themselves. Illusory images and voices can and will appear and can take any number of forms, depending on what is most appropriate to a character. Additionally, characters may thread with each other and are encouraged to help each other out to overcome these personal demons. For those who wish to take part, they are able and encouraged to narrate their own personal demons, which will be on display for everyone who enters their thread. IC threads may be made in this post.]

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I- what?

[The timing of it startles him. Had the voices drowned out something else he should have heard?]

Yes, he heard us.

He always hears us.

[His eyes go wide and he stops breathing for a moment. He shouldn't be reacting like this, of course Hayato couldn't hear it- right? But he'd never heard them say something like that...]

You had your chance to hide, Takeshi Hongo. It's too late now.

[That was too jarringly direct, and it shoves a spike of fear into his gut. Was Hayato hearing this? He couldn't even tell, the voices themselves sounded the way they always did. He barely realizes he's stepping back, away from Hayato, before he turns completely to hurry deeper into the caves.]

[He looks at him to see if maybe he was hearing it to, but his reaction was a lot more drastic than he thought it would be. He was about to ask what was wrong when he ....starts to step back. What-]

Takeshi?

[And then of course, the voices start back up again. He stares up, looking around, trying to see if there's a source. There isn't, it still feels like its in his own head. WHat were they talking about?]

[Then he runs off. Wow- what the heck was happening? He didn't know, but he knew running off into these caves was the last thing either of them needed to be doing.]

Takeshi, wait!

[Why was this happening? Was something in the caves causing it? He wasn't actually in a state to ponder that too deeply, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to... what was he trying to do? Hayato would catch up with him regardless, and then-]

It doesn't matter how far you run.

We aren't going anywhere.

[The dark walls of the cave suddenly gives way to the bright white walls of a square, dead-end room. As he comes to a halt, bars appear behind Takeshi, trapping him there and cutting him off from Hayato. It's far too sterile to be any kind of jail or dungeon, but Hayato is no stranger to this sort of environment.]

[He doesn't turn, however, feeling along the back wall like it should give way as the panic he was trying to deny grew worse. Why, how- this was just a hallucination, he should be able to move past it-]

There's nowhere for you to go.

This is where you belong.

[Hayato gave chase, obviously. he runs, though not wanting to catch him so to speak. But to not lose him and maybe try to talk to him when he finally stops. The bars coming down between them was kind of jarring, as was the rest of the room they ran into.]

[He stops just short of hitting the bars, staring around wildly. Oh no. No, no, no, no.]

[They were- no, there was no way. It was a stupid illusion. He snaps his attention to Takeshi, though his voice is a little more harried than it was earlier.]

Where- There's no way-

[He lunges for the bars to try and pull at them, bend them, find some kind of lock or latch, anything.

[There's no door, no latch, not even a lock. And even with his strength, they won't budge.]

[Takeshi switches from pushing at the wall to beating his fist against it, but only three or four times before he stops and his arms sink to his sides. Whatever this was, it wasn't his usual hallucinations. He couldn't break through it, not like this.]

It's useless.

Out of one cage, into another.

There's no place for you. No place but this.

[He finally turns around and steps over to the bars, but he doesn't touch them. He's not looking directly at Hayato either, eyes downcast. It's subtle, but there are faint lines on his neck just below his face, the first traces of his scars.]

...I don't think you can open it, Hayato.

Tauros shit!

[If there's no latch or door, he'll just start pulling and banging on the bars. He's near frantic and angry. How dare these caves, how dare the gods do this. To the voices ringing over head he looks up, snarling.]

Shut up! You don't know anything!

[Why did these bars have to be so solid.]

We didn't get this far just to be locked up again!

Hayato...

[Takeshi doesn't move despite Hayato's frantic struggling with the bars, though his scars crept up his face to watch him. He wanted to tell him to calm down, but how could he? He understood what he was feeling. He really did, it was just...]

He never escaped. Not really.

Look at him. He won't even fight anymore. He knows there's no point.

It won't give him back his hands.

It won't wash away the bloodstains.

It won't stop the voices.

It's no use. Pathetic. Useless. Monster. Murderer!

[The voices don't stop there, but continue in a cacophony of noise, insults and jabs overlapping as if the room is filled with people. Takeshi, his scars fully formed now, turns away to return to the back of the cell, his hands over his ears. It does nothing to block them out. It never did.]

[Gods. He'd grown accustomed to hearing these kinds of words tossed around inside his head all the time, but this was a new level of unbearable. The white sterile walls made him feel ill to look at, and he couldn't think for the voices shouting in his head. He sinks to his knees, hands still over his ears.]

[He didn't know what to do, but he couldn't bear the thought of Hayato standing there behind him when he was like this.]

Hayato, just go!

I'm not going anywhere!

[And he meant that, even as the voices bearing down on them both. It's hard to think with all of it hitting him at once, though. He tries to shake it off and keep pounding on the bars. This isn't getting him anywhere, though.]

[He stops making racket for a second to try and look around again. Something, there has to be something.]

These- This is here for a reason. If it's the Gods then they're trying to show us something. I'm not leaving- I won't abandon you.

[Takeshi's head lifts slightly, and the mishmash of voices come to an abrupt stop, but only so that they can speak clearly once again.]

Won't you, though?

You should. He's defective.

Even more than you.

This is inevitable. There's nowhere else for a crazy monster like him to go.

Isnt that right, Takeshi?

[His hands lower from his ears and his head sinks again, but he doesn't move otherwise.]

I knew I shouldn't have come back to Union. I'm sorry, Hayato.

[Fuckin' rude ass voices. Still, it's dawning on him that Takeshi ...must hear these voices all the time. Was THIS what he put up with every day? His heart sinks. Still, he's not about to let Takeshi give up.]

Don't apologize. I was the one that urged you to come. I know better than anyone that you have to take it slow coming back home. But it's like I told someone else- You can only run for so long.

[He puts on hand on a bar and then reaches his other hand through, trying to offer him his hand.]

I had no idea that this was what you were fighting with all this time. But- These voices? They're full of shit. They don't know anything.

[He knew that. He could ignore the voices, with their cries of monster and pathetic and worthless. At least, he thought he could. Sometimes it was hard not to believe them. Was he running from himself, or from the voices? Was there any difference?]

I didn't want you to know. I didn't want anyone to know. How could I tell anyone? I'm not- I'm not crazy...

[His usual confidence is absent in his voice as he trails off. The voices laugh derisively in response.]

...

You're not, Takeshi. These voices don't make you crazy. [No, this was all Gigas' doing. This was a cruel joke and Takeshi was being made to suffer for those power hungry bastards.]

But you don't have to deal with this alone.

[He keeps his arm outstretched to him through the bars to emphasize this.]

...

[He finally turns his head, eyes widening when he sees his outstretched arm.]

He's lying.

You're a monster. You'll be locked away.

[His expression shifts, but this time it's the uncertainty and fear fading away to be replaced by something more resolved. He turns away again.]

You're wrong. I can trust him.

He won't help you.

He already has.

He can't save you. He can't give you back what you've lost.

I...

[He hesitates, and the voices are silent. Slowly, he stands, and turns around.]

We've both lost something important to us. But I will not deny... what we've gained.

[He takes his hand, and steps forward to place a hand against the bars.]

[His hand passes right through. The illusion dissipates in a matter of moments, and they're back in the quiet darkness of the caves.]

[He's quiet, letting him talk back and forth with the voices. He slowly starts to smile though, as Takeshi starts telling them what's what. Heh. What they've gained, huh? Yeah, he liked that.]

[When he takes his hand, the grip is firm- probably too firm if either of them were normal, but it was just right for them probably. He gives him a wild grin.]

I wasn't just saying that. I mean it. You don't have to do this alone. I've got your back.

[He doesn't smile in return, and the scars are still clear on his face. But he matches that grip. Even if they'd managed to overcome that illusion, he was still nervous. And those voices wouldn't stay here in the caves once they were gone.]

I know. It's thanks to you that I've made it this far.

Edited 2015-07-27 03:10 (UTC)

And it's thanks to you I made it anywhere at all.

[He owed Takeshi his life. His expression softens a little, and he's yet to let go of his hands.]

Those voices- if they get bad like that again. Let me know?

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Descent into Darkness

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