❪ event ❫ a moment in eternity

[natha]

TO THERE AND BACK     It has been a month of chills uncharacteristic of what you might remember as summer — cold days and even colder nights. The days are short and the nights feel eternal. With the recent disruption of the network and no sign of a resolution for the world outside of Nadril, one has to wonder what the future holds for El Nysa. What of Olympia, Wyver, and their residents? The animals you cared for - are they destined to remain as frozen as wretched Ysverai forever? What will become of the sleeping ones in Thesa when there is nowhere else to go but this icy city? Yet not all hope is lost just yet. The woman that appeared at the start of the network errors finally shows up again in another network post. Greetings to you all. I apologize for my abrupt appearance and departure before… My name is Nurray, and I am the closest thing to a monarch that you will find here in Nadril. Magda is... indisposed, so I am here to speak to you in his place. First and foremost, you will notice that your network devices are fully functional once more. Should you experience any further issues, please report them to me immediately so that it can be taken care of. Secondly… Investigating the strange frequency interference we've been experiencing has brought some troubling data to light. The passage of time outside of this colony has been halted, of course, but the hold seems... unstable. Whatever it is that Darma has done to contain the calamity, I doubt that it will last for long. Time is an unpredictable force, and attempting to control it can only have adverse effects on the world. You could stay here if you so chose, outside the reach of that magic... but to do that would be to abandon the rest of this planet to an unenviable fate. ...ah, but there is no need to take my word for it. You can see the effects for yourselves, if you wish — merely look outside. "Seeing is believing"... isn’t that the phrase? Nurray has a point: refugees have not been given a chance to see the outside. The frequent snowstorm barrier of Nadril has made it impossible to see what it's like beyond the colony. Soon after the network post, as though the snow has been "turned off," clouds will clear. With the barrier created by the snow gone, the red sun shines brightly upon the dreary city with its warmth. You can see a purple haze on the south horizon, a indication that Yservai wasn’t all just a dream. He's still there, so far away, yet so close anyway. Near the entrance, a mound of snow melts, revealing steps leading towards the underground. It seems to be a part of the subway station you might have found earlier during your exploration of the colony — this time, the station has been powered on. Two trains lie in wait — their destinations read: Olympia and Wyver. — El Nysa is waiting. FREEZE FRAME     The technology found in the subway station of Nadril is truly out of this world. The combined efforts of Natha technology and alien minds have truly created state-of-the-art transportation never before seen by the typical Nysan. It takes no longer than one hour for the intercoms to announce their arrival to the outskirts of the Dranbu Kingdom — though, even with the platform available, the train never stops; it instead continues for another half hour for it to reach the North Gate of the Olympian Empire, where it sits until it's time to return to the tundra. All in all, it takes a mere hour and a half for this high-speed subway travel from Nadril to Olympia. The second train does make a quick stop at the Olympian Station, but it will be another painless hour and a half until it reaches the jungle of the Wyver Kingdom. Because Wyver is its own island, connected only by a bridge, you might notice that a small part of the travel was underwater. The trip takes only a total of three hours, but there's plenty of time for sightseeing. After all, isn't that the whole point of this trip? BE STILL MY HEART. Leaving the train, you are immediately hit with the still, warm air of the underground. It's hot, much different from the winter of the north, but perhaps a welcome change. The station is old, but it still has a fairly new smell to it, and not just because it's been unused for so long. It feels out of place compared to the rest of this world, and this is especially true when you reach the surface. The entrance was hidden under the earth right near the North Gate. Upon leaving the station, you're immediately hit with the familiar wretched smell and atmosphere of the undead. Even if you're new, you won’tt be able to miss Ysverai, the risen Great Dragon. You see this massive creature on the horizon, mouth wide and ready to blast El Nysa into nothing. Yet he remains still — as are all the terrified residents of Olympia. You've only seen this on the monitors of Thesa Station, and now you're able to experience first-hand how utterly quiet and still the world is now. The native Olympians are all over — you see most of them running away from the Great Dragon. Others equipped their armors and rode their steeds straight toward the danger in hopes of protecting their Empire. And the civilians, having lost all hope, are huddled together — at least they would have been able to spend their final moments with loved ones. Up on Thesa Station, you felt dread when you'd observed Ysverai for too long — this remains true here. That dread reaches your heart and clutches it. You feel his pain and suffering, and for those too in tune with emotions, it may be too much for you to be near him. Best to steer clear from him, or perhaps return to the underground. There is much more to be seen, after all. PRAYING WITH FIRE. Another hour and a half south on the subway, and you'll reach the Wyver Station. It's far warmer here in the station this further south, but Ysverai's dread doesn't reach here. On the surface, you are instead immediately hit with the overwhelming humidity of the jungle. With summer in full swing, the layers you've brought with you from Nadril become a burden. In Wyver, the mood is far different. The Great Dragon Yservai was once a being that was respected and worshipped by the Wyver people — not to mention that the one responsible is none other than Prince Raysc — thus his revival is met with somber resilience. Most of Wyver natives, instead of running away, had gathered around fires in prayer. Trained dragons that were unaffected by Ysverai's influence bow by their master's sides in acceptance of what they feel in their heart is to come with the Great Dragon's final blow. You may even spot your own dragon, eyes beamed up toward Thesa, like it knows you were up there at the moment time stood still. It's hard to imagine where one can go from here. You might start thinking about clean-up efforts, how to achieve proper burials for the fallen ones... but with time frozen, you will find that you cannot actually move anything or anyone. It will be dusk, as Thesa's shines across the skies, when storm cloud gather before Thesa's light. And from the clouds is a familiar figure — Once again, she has descended. TIME & TIME AGAIN     Darma is glowing as bright as the naked eye can perceive. Her massive, true form floats before the world she's built from dust. Is this world salvageable in your eyes, Refugee? We held time in hopes that we fould find a way to dissolve this Ysverai back to the ashes from which he was reanimated. Unfortunately, we continue to be unseeing, thus uncertain of the future... after all, our powers are near depleted. Nurray was correct, Refugee, in that I cannot hold time for much longer. There is... another way, however. It is not ideal by any means, but we shall do what we must to keep Ysverai frozen. As for us... we have expended far too much of our energy — Refugee, I am too aware of the misfortunes you've experienced in your time here. I have failed in my promise to provide better living... perhaps, with more time, I may yet see a better future. Until then, I leave Thesa, our hearts, in your hands. Farewell, Refugee. Her brightness dims as she says her final words — at the same time, raises her arms, palms wide, then closes her hands into a fist. In that instant, time is resumed. It's slow at first, as though time is trying to catch up with reality. It takes a several moments until the slow-motion picture before them reaches normalcy. Darma turns her attention to Yservai, whose motion is also returning, but not for long. In her true form, they are comparable in size; Darma's glow continues to dim as she draws closer to the Great Dragon, and then she coils herself around him, holding him still before assimilating into the wretched creature. By the end of it, time has completely returned to normal, and all residents were able to witness the Natha holding time still for Ysverai — The process turns the Great Dragon, as well as Darma, into stone. HIT PLAY TO REPLAY     Darma has resumed time, and Ysverai is no longer a threat. However, it comes with a hefty price for the Natha. The massive, stone statue of Darma embracing Ysverai looms in the valley between the cities of Olympia and Wyver. It's no doubt an intimidating addition to the world, but there is some peace in knowing it's all over. When civilians finally come to, they can't help but look upon the statue in awe — and their respective cities. It's much to take in all at once. Much destruction has been wrought— buildings lay in ruin, and of the citizens still alive, many look to be in poor physical condition. 1. I. The Sanctuary has sustained much damage, and with the high demand of medical care, cannot serve as the central healing place for those in need. Instead, it is up to individual citizens to find resources and establish places of care. Those with a medical inclination or healing powers may set up medical tents, or work out of their homes. Not everything has been destroyed, and it is still possible to obtain supplies from the market or request them from The Sanctuary. There is also, unfortunately, the tragic task of transporting corpses to graveyards and giving fallen citizens a proper burial. The Temples thank you for your service. II. In order to have a functioning city again, buildings and facilities must be repaired and rebuilt. It's possible your own home was demolished in the battle. With so many important buildings needing to be repaired, city officials are too overwhelmed with the coordination of such tasks to double-check that buildings are restored to their original form. What's more, they seem to encourage design innovation, believing that a new, fresh look to the city will revitalize people's morale. Now is the time to put your own unique flair on the interior or exterior of Olympia's infrastructure. Even parts of the Palace need repair. Time has resumed, yes, but the magic that Darma employs isn't flawless. As powerful of an entity as she may be, to tamper with time is difficult. Some would say it defies the laws of nature. Nature seems to agree, and in the next few weeks, El Nysa will be facing a few hiccups as it finds its equilibrium once more and citizens try to return to normalcy. Strangely enough, El Nysa natives are not disturbed by the occurrence of these events. III. Characters may find that they occasionally (or frequently) suffer from lapses in memory. These difficulties with memory may range from light to severe, although they are thankfully not permanent. Within the span of a few minutes to a few hours, difficulties in remembering people and events are resolved. That isn't to say a similar problem won’t happen again tomorrow… IV. Is it just you, or is your housemate looking a bit old lately? No, it isn't just stress making some citizens appear older. For a short amount of time, some characters may find themselves advancing or regressing in age, both physically and mentally. This particular kind of time hiccup is rare and may be particularly disturbing to the affected person’s friends. Thankfully, there have been no cases of this effect lasting more than an hour. V. At times, it seems as though objects and people in El Nysa will feel a bit out of place. These are beings and things that belong to what some may call "alternate universes." Their presence is transient, and some will only appear for a few instances before returning to their rightful existence. The ones that linger a bit longer, however, may make your day more interesting. Before you stands a pet just like yours, except it talks...? Perhaps you'll meet another version of yourself, a more bloodthirsty version of yourself. Or maybe you'll run into a version of your friend that really enjoys your company. The possibilities are truly endless, and potentially mortifying. VI. Towards the end of the month, the frequency of the aforementioned disturbances will decrease. Following this will be an increase in a different sort of disturbance: one that will either make literal seconds seem like an eternity, or force you to move and talk at a speed you never thought possible. It's as though some higher entity is pressing the fast forward or slow down button on life, and considering your mind works at the same pace as normal, the phenomenon is as frustrating as it sounds. Hope you weren't planning to be on time for anything, because it might be awhile before the universe allows you to take that next step. But these phenomena does draw to a close — and with it, you may wonder what will happen now to those sleeping ones in Thesa now that Darma has turned to stone. After all, it will be near the time of which more refugees should wake... Repairs to Thesa Station should remain ongoing so long as parts can be salvaged from Nadril, at least. And with speed travel via subway possible, it should make travel far easier than ever before. Even with Darma gone, you will have to move forward. There is still much to be done. FINAL OOC NOTES     You may acquire REP for Nadril, and either Olympia or Wyver in this log. An AC-eligible thread for ONE (1) NADRIL REP POINT may be submitted HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. A second AC-eligible thread for 1 REP for either Olympia OR Wyver may be submitted HERE OR HERE BY AUGUST 26TH, 11:59 PM EST. Please direct questions to the questions thread below! Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

[thetaintedsorrow]

Control fetish my ass.

[He just enjoys being someone’s pet, apparently...

His eyes widen considerably at the mention of Dazai’s name.]

How did you know?

[meinwaifu]

Oh, I have my ways... but we're not acquainted, if that's what you're wondering.

[And unless Chuuya insists, Mephisto will be happy to keep it vague. He doesn't think Chuuya would be the type to have an existential crisis about it, but he still tends to refrain from busting down that fourth wall unless pressed.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

...right.

[He won’t press or ask how or why Mephisto knows the name, even if he is a bit curious about it. Mostly because talking about Dazai is putting him in a sour, almost depressed mood.]

There. Now you know all the dirty little secrets about my past.

[He crosses his arms with a huff.]

And I still don’t know all that much about yours.

[meinwaifu]

[...]

Then ask me whatever you'd like. I'd say we've grown close enough that there's nothing I would be inclined to hide from you anymore.

You've earned that much of my trust, after all.

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Trust, huh?

...that..actually means a lot to Chuuya. Trust has always been of utmost importance to him, after all, and he’s not gonna waste it by asking stupid questions.]

You got pissed at me for asking about Lucifer before.

[Nobody said he’d pull any punches though.]

What’s the deal there, anyway?

1/2

[meinwaifu]

...just how long have you been wanting to ask about that?

[HE HAD THAT QUESTION READY TO GO AWFULLY QUICK]

[meinwaifu]

Well, you might as well settle in! It's a very long and unpleasant story.

[He's gonna poof back another glass of wine for himself, thanks.]

Lucifer... is the king of light. My older brother, and the most influence demon in all of Gehenna. He is among the most powerful demons who exist... but as a result of this, finding a suitable vessel that can contain his power is quite difficult. It's the fate of all demon kings, though he certainly has it the worst -- his bodies rarely last more than ten years before painfully breaking down in the same manner you saw when I was afflicted by the dragon's rot.

But more excruciating than the process itself... is to lose the freedom that comes with having a body. While ordinary demons would simply die, we cannot. Instead, we return to the concept from which we were born -- a state of being that becomes simply unbearable when compared to the sheer intoxication of having one's own sense of self, and the ability to process the world around us through our senses.

I find it's rather difficult to explain such an existence to those who've never experienced it for themselves.

[thetaintedsorrow]

Ever since you dropped me several feet in a free-fall for asking.

[YEAH HE REMEMBERS THAT.

Chuuya sits quietly for once and listens to everything Mephisto has to say. He remembers the older brother part, and the king of light part, but everything else is news to him. It sounds excruciating, to have that freedom, to be a living thing that can perceive the world through different senses, only to have it ripped away again...

Chuuya slides a finger around the rim of his empty wine glass, looking thoughtful.]

Sometimes I have these dreams where I’m trapped in that research facility back in Japan, and all I remember is darkness, and being unaware of time or space or anything like that. Just...existing.

[As Arahabaki.

But this isn’t about him, and he quickly turns the subject back to Lucifer.]

...that phrase you told me to say, if I ever saw your child form again. What’s that about?

[meinwaifu]

Then you can perhaps understand that better than most.

[He didn't say Chuuya was among those who wouldn't, after all.]

...Lucifer and I have always been somewhat at odds. But in the past, we were on the same side, so to speak. Hierarchy is important to demons -- and as the King of Time, I stand directly below him in terms of power. I looked up to him, and respected him a great deal.

And when the pain of losing our host bodies grew to be too much... I joined in him in turning our frustration against humanity. Those were the dark ages-- as I'm sure they were likely called in your world as well. But in ours, the chief cause for a period of such wanton death and destruction was because of the demons being called to war against the humans who had no way of defending themselves from our wrath.

I've never claimed to have been an ally of humanity from the start. Hundreds of atrocities can be attributed to me, as well as indirectly through the demons loyal to me. Humans turned on each other, wars were started... and at one point, nearly a third of the human population was wiped out by a plague.

[You'd think he should sound a little more somber while describing all of this, but the smile on his face remains. He is a demon, after all. He feels no guilt about his role in all of this.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya nods. He still struggles with his identity, whether he ever existed apart from Arahabaki, whether he would even be alive without it inside of him. Dormant as it is, it’s still a part of him in every way, and he can only assume his ability exists because he draws power from it. To lose it completely...who knows what would happen?

He also understands the hierarchy thing. There was no one Chuuya respected more than Mori, for his genius and power, aside from Kouyou, the woman who took him under her wing. He understands respect and ranks all too well. Apparently that’s not a requirement for climbing the ranks of the mafia though, considering Dazai had no respect for Mori, or anyone else really.

Everything else Meph says though...that’s a lot to swallow. He doesn’t know what he expected, because demons, and maybe he shouldn’t judge considering all the lives he’s taken, but...]

Are you saying the plague was intentional?

[That’s...well, it’s pretty goddamn terrible is what it is, and for a moment Chuuya can catch a glimpse of child Meph as the demon continues to smile...

It’s clear that he feels no guilt for any of it, but then again, Chuuya himself feels no remorse for ending the lives of the various lackeys and criminals he’d disposed of. Even if he was a criminal himself...]

Then what changed? Why did you decide to aid humanity?

[meinwaifu]

In a manner of speaking. The demons responsible for that were not the sentient sort. All they did was exist -- it's not as though they consciously chose to be demons who breathe toxic miasma. And even we didn't know the effects would be contagious.

[Not to make himself sound more innocent or anything -- but it's not like the complete eradication of humanity was ever their goal.]

As time wore on, it became clear to some of us that humanity would soon be wiped out if nothing was done. And so, demonkind split off into two groups. Those who supported Lucifer and allied with demonkind, and those who supported myself, and allied with humanity.

It was necessary, you see-- humans are our vessels. If they were to die out, we would have no means of crossing between planes and entering the physical world of Assiah. And all that aside-- your kind was simply far too interesting to be allowed to disappear over a simple temper tantrum.

[This still doesn't make him sound very nice. But just because he wasn't sympathetic towards humanity doesn't mean he couldn't become their ally.]

We provided humanity with the knowledge necessary to fight back against demons-- the power of exorcism. And eventually, the world reached a sort of equilibrium. As demons became less of a problem in daily life, less and less humans were able to see them -- and in modern times, many doubt we even exist.

[He's still leaving out a pretty big part on why ol' Lucy was such a sensitive subject...]

[thetaintedsorrow]

So like bacteria sort of.

[It’s odd to think how many things could’ve been caused by demons that would’ve otherwise been attributed to nature or simple human greed. Even now Chuuya isn’t sure if that was the case in his own world, but it’s definitely eye-opening nonetheless.]

So you save us because you need us. And because we’re neat to watch.

[He doesn’t sound irritated or angry when he says that. He’s simply stating facts as he sees them. Demons are what they are, after all, and of course Chuuya is no saint. At least humans had a fighting chance with exorcism.

He isn’t quite satisfied yet, though.]

Okay, but the grudge between you, or whatever it is, seems more personal than that. You hate talking about him, I can tell. So what’s the deal?

[meinwaifu]

[It's nice not to hear any anger in his voice -- stating facts, as they are. It's not as though Mephisto can just turn back time and convince himself to feel remorse for his actions-- or at least, not anymore.]

Although peace may have reached Assiah proper, behind the scenes, things weren't quite as stable as they seemed. It was about a hundred years ago... Lucifer called all of us together and informed us that he had finally reached the limit. Being with a body was painful, being without a body was painful...

And so he planned to kill himself by unleashing all of his power onto the world -- effectively destroying everything, and returning both worlds to the state of nothingness they were before light and life existed.

That is the sort of power we possess, you see. Lucifer is several magnitudes more powerful than myself -- and even I could bring about the end of times if I were so inclined.

[Or, well-- he could before. But he can't anymore, obviously. Not that he'd ever be inclined to do so. One hardly needs to know Mephisto well to see he greatly enjoys living.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya listens closely, and it’s clear by the way his eyes gradually widen that he’s surprised to hear all this. To think that one being could be powerful enough to destroy the world and return it to nothing...

...could Arahabaki wreak the same kind of havoc without Chuuya to contain it? No, he doesn’t think even the old god/demon/whatever the fuck could match Lucifer’s power, if the way Mephisto speaks of him is any indication.]

So he’d end the world because of his own suffering?

[Chuuya frowns, hands clenching into fists.]

What the fuck? That’s the most selfish bullshit I’ve ever heard. Just because living is painful doesn’t mean you get to take everyone else out with you.

[He’s speaking of Lucifer, of course, but he’d say much the same thing to Mephisto. He cares for his master deeply, but he couldn’t just stand by and let him bring ruin upon the world. There’s always a reason to keep on living in Chuuya’s mind, even if he’s never endured the kind of suffering that Lucifer must have. Call him foolish, but that’s just how he sees things.]

And that’s why you’re on bad terms? Because you told him to cut the bullshit?

1/2

[meinwaifu]

I'd like to ask that you don't speak so lightly of suffering you cannot possibly imagine.

[He's still smiling, but there's a definitely edge to it as he glances over at Chuuya. The sort of smile he didn't make all too often, but betrayed the demon blood running through his veins. There are many reasons he doesn't like talking about Lucifer. The fact that, deep down, he still cares is definitely among the top reasons, even if he'd sooner die before he admits to it.]

[He holds up a hand as if to cut off Chuuya's question -- he's getting to it.]

But naturally, I couldn't allow such a thing to come to pass. And so I appealed to him in the way only a demon can -- and concocted a plan that I thought might come to be a solution to his problem.

[...]

[meinwaifu]

[He stops for a moment, his expression softening as he closes his eyes.]

...what I'm going to tell you is something I would have rather spared you from hearing. But I think you'll be able to handle it, as you are now. Perhaps you of all people deserve to know about this sinful part of my past.

[...]

If there were host bodies readily available for possession, there would be no need for us to suffer in our current bodies until a new one came to be. It's rather rare for a human to be born who is capable of containing us, after all.

And so I proposed we clone our present host bodies, in the hopes of creating an endless supply of human vessels for our needs.

1/2

[thetaintedsorrow]

[That reaction definitely catches him off guard, and the look Mephisto gives him makes his blood run cold. He’s definitely treading on thin ice, but his words hadn’t meant to cut so deeply. He’s just kind of opinionated on suicide is all. Especially if you, you know, blow up the world along with you.

But it’s true that he could never imagine that kind of suffering, and so he relents, albeit begrudgingly.]

Tch. Fine.

[He thinks he’s prepared to hear whatever else Mephisto has to say, warning or no...]

2/2

[thetaintedsorrow]

[But the look on his face makes it clear that he wasn’t expecting that.

He’s quietly for a long moment, eyes hidden behind the brim of his hat as he tries to process this information. It shouldn’t shock him so, especially considering how he’d gotten a taste of Mephisto’s true nature during his encounter with the child demon, but it does, and he’s not sure what to say.

Except...]

...it was that or let the world die, right?

[Maybe if he can convince himself that there was no other way, he won’t be so upset at the idea of cloning humans and using them as meat suits.]

[meinwaifu]

If there had been another path, we would have taken it.

[He can't lie. And he wouldn't lie now -- not about this. This really had been the only way Mephisto knew how to prevent the terrible calamity Lucifer promised to bring.]

But even that venture was, in the end, a fruitless endeavor. No matter how close one may get to a perfect genetic clone, in the end, they were not the same soul. Your kind is far too complex, and even those raised in identical environments turned out too different from one another. They could not become proper host bodies.

And when that plan proved to be failure, one of the scientists from my laboratory suggested we shift our research towards elixirs instead -- a fabled cure-all potion capable of bestowing immortal life. In that, we found more success...

[Perhaps if he were back home, he'd be able to keep talking in the same casual tone. Perhaps if he hadn't grown so close to the likes of Mipha or Chuuya, or perhaps if he hadn't experienced first hand what it's like to be tortured in a medical facility-- maybe he'd be able to keep going without letting on exactly how he feels about all this.]

...but the closer we came to the answer, the more cruel and inhumane the experiments became. Using samples from the initial groups of clones and lesser demons bearing immortal vessels, we worked to create an elixir that could sustain Lucifer's deteriorating body.

But as the years went on, we faced more and more failure. My words could no longer reach Lucifer, his mind torn apart, driven into insanity from the pain he fought to endure with each failed experiment. I tried to convince him to give up his body and return to Gehenna until a new body could be prepared -- but he only spat in my face.

[He wasn't just trying to stop Lucifer. He was trying to save his brother.]

[And the fact that he couldn't is one of the few things he regrets to this day.]

We never did succeed, in the end.

[...]

But the price we paid for our hubris was a heavy one.

[thetaintedsorrow]

[He knows Mephisto can’t lie, and that’s what makes hearing this so very painful. All of these atrocities, committed by the man he’s sworn his very life to...but can he really be all that upset when Mori was guilty of plenty of terrible shit as well? Not to mention the lives Chuuya himself had taken, and all the families the Port Mafia had no doubt torn apart from their activities. He’s no saint, and he never claimed to be, but this...

Human experimentation...well. It hits a little close to home.]

I don’t have to say it, do I? How I feel about using human beings as guinea pigs. Even if they were clones.

[Mephisto had been trying to save Lucifer, his brother, and Chuuya has to respect that. He’d also tried to spare the world from destruction, and Chuuya can’t fault him for that either. In the end, despite the terrible things he’d done, he hadn’t achieved his ultimate goal, and had to watch Lucifer go insane anyway.

...]

You really have been paying for it, huh?

[Chuuya removes his hat and sets it aside before running his fingers through his hair. This is so much to process, but in the end he’s glad Mephisto had told him, even if he’s still unsure what to think.]

I get it now. Why you didn’t wanna talk about this before, and why you didn’t like what I said, so.

[He glances away, expression softening.]

Sorry.

[About his selfish bullshit comment, about asking so many questions about a past best left buried. And for never being able to truly understand the suffering of someone like Lucifer or Mephisto.]

[meinwaifu]

You don't have to apologize. Curiosity has always been one of my favorite traits in humans. As unpleasant a story as it is, there is a part of me that's happy to be telling it to you now.

[Even though he doesn't look it. But it's a demon's happiness -- the sort that would be difficult to explain without simply having to use a different word all together.]

But I'm afraid this is only the introduction. The real cause of the rift between Lucifer and myself is what became of it all in the end.

As I've mentioned before-- Lucifer and my other siblings are special as far as demons go. We're born from the concepts from which we're derived and have always existed, long before we first incarnated. As the incarnation of light itself, Lucifer is considered the most powerful demon in Gehenna... but there is still one demon more powerful than him. A demon born from the consciousness of Gehenna itself.

And because of our research... that demon was able to incarnate in Assiah for the first time in history.

[There's really only one entity he could be talking about here.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[He’s glad to hear that Mephisto doesn’t bear a grudge against him for being curious, and honestly he is glad to know the truth, even if it isn’t pleasant in any way. He wants to understand Mephisto as best he can, even if it means never being able to look at him the same way again.

But then again his feelings towards Mephisto have already changed significantly since they met...

Ah. So there’s more. Chuuya was afraid of that.]

A demon more powerful than Lucifer...?

[At first Chuuya doesn’t think that’s possible, but then he recalls their conversation about angels and demons, and about just who Mephisto’s father is.

...

Oh. OH. Just. This face as Chuuya realizes what Mephisto is implying.]

Hang on. Are you saying the experiments you did summoned actual Satan???

[It would only make sense that Daddy would be more powerful than his sons, after all.]

[meinwaifu]

"Summoned" isn't quite the right word. Our experiments led to the creation of a human vessel more powerful than any other born before it. But instead of being possessed by Lucifer, that entity took over instead.

[If Chuuya thought Lucifer was a difficult topic for Mephisto, clearly he was mistaken. The real trigger here is Satan, if the look on his face is any indication.]

Up until that point, "Satan" was only a hypothetical existence. Although the concept of a great evil has existed for millennia, for that concept to then sprout and ego and try to walk the earth... naturally, no vessel is capable of withstanding such a thing. And when that vessel began to fail, it went on a rampage -- causing a catastrophe most humans know as the Blue Night, named for Satan's signature blue fire.

Nearly everyone involved in the research was killed that night as a result. The facility was dismantled, and everyone involved was forced into silence to prevent the research from falling into the wrong hands.

That was about 16 years ago.

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Perhaps unsurprisingly Chuuya doesn’t like that look. It’s the same look he gets when he talks about his own past with a certain bandaged disaster, but 1000x more intense. Satan is truly a sore spot it seems, which means Mephisto has daddy issues. Which Chuuya obviously isn’t going to say out loud, but he’s definitely thinking it.

He’s quiet for a moment, letting it all sink in as he gathers his thoughts. It figures that no human vessel could contain actual Satan, and somehow Chuuya isn’t surprised that the devil went on a rampage.]

But all of this-Satan, Lucifer, the research-all of it is stuff in the past, right? The storm destroyed your world. Unless...

[Ah...]

Unless Lucifer is in the pods. If that’s even possible.

[Satan surely couldn’t be contained by such a device, right? But perhaps Lucifer could...]

[meinwaifu]

...he is, yes. Although I confirmed with the Natha that Satan himself perished with Gehenna, it seems many of my siblings have been saved. Including Lucifer.

And I've gone to the station every week to confirm that he remains asleep.

[Every week since he's arrived, save for the period of time when the station was inaccessible. Truth be told, it's actually made talking about Lucifer much easier than it would have been a year ago.]