[center][b]The Kick spread in front of [i]This One[/i], and it seemed strangely familiar.[/b][/center][hr] The loop of transience it had found itself in was a curse to add insult to the injury of the memory loss. There was no home to be found in the places. The only common thread from where it started to now was itself, movement, and a lack of familiarity. The spikes offered only pain. The hut offered a place of lonely respite that felt all wrong. The beach offered someone with an explanation. The continent on the way to this one offered amusement. The journey offered purpose. But none of this offered what this “Kick” offered: familiarity. The protective rocky cliffs, the embracing stone trees, the watchful mountains. This place held an arms-reach familiarity in it. [i]This One[/i] was pulled up the beach by some part within it, and this is ever cold, yet Heliopolis is shrieking like a bird. The sky is eternal, and something creeps up from the core of [i]This One[/i]. Something encumbering and slowing, slowing its mind to a crawl. [i]This One[/i] heard footsteps approaching, but had not the strength to see who or what it was. [color=DarkGray]“An unusual sight, this is.”[/color] The person said. [color=DarkGray]“Not only have you left your domain, but you also made it this far from its entrance.”[/color] The person lowered himself next to [i]This One,[/i] putting himself within the field of vision, but it didn’t see them. How could it, when all that mattered were the trees? It continued to slowly crawl up the beach, paying no mind. The footsteps followed and the person kept pace with [i]This One.[/i] Perhaps they realized they weren’t noticed given the silence, but they followed still. Or, he followed until [i]This One[/i] collapsed, pieces rolling over the ground in a puddle, spreading further with each second, running down the beach. Just before it reached the water it stopped, as if it had hit a wall. It slowly coalesced back into its regular form. The sand around it formed little pinpricks, rising up from the ground, pointing towards a curled up Eurysthenes. The person lowered themselves next to [i]This One[/i] again. [color=DarkGray]“Eurysthenes. Can you hear me, brother.”[/color] The person called out. There was no response from the thing that was curled up, but the sand spiked taller. The person then laid their hand on [i]This One[/i] and shook him lightly. [i]This One[/i] jerked around. The gaze it put forth, considering a lack of eyes, was like glass. Piercing and empty. The sand fell back to the ground in little piles. [color=DarkGray]“Can you hear me, Eurysthenes?”[/color] The person called out, louder than before. It crawled up the beach like a puppet, towards the other. [color=cc0668]”Who are you?”[/color] it asked. [color=DarkGray]“Abanoc, one of your brothers.”[/color] The person replied succinctly. It stood. Not in a way that looked natural, not even remotely. More how an atrophied person who was just learning how to walk again might. [color=cc0886]”I was meant to find you for something.”[/color] [color=DarkGray]“Then it is fortunate I came for you.”[/color] Abanoc stood back up. [color=DarkGray]“What brought you here?”[/color] [color=cc0668]”I don’t…”[/color] It looked at Abanoc, brows creased in a moment of painful clarity. [color=cc0886]”I brought me here. What else?”[/color] [color=DarkGray]“Have you forgotten what you came here for?”[/color] Abanoc showed a look of surprised. So far Melantha had been the only god Abanoc had witnessed to forget. Perhaps this had been of her doing. [color=cc0886][i]”I didn’t come here [b]for[/b] anything, I just did!”[/i][/color][i] This One[/i] shouted. It aggressively reached out towards Abanoc, and fell over in the sand. It looked up at its alleged brother. [color=cc0886]”Help me,”[/color] it said, thick white fog spewing from its mouth. [color=DarkGray]“Calm yourself, brother. What happened to you? How can I help you?”[/color] He said while holding Eurysthenes’ arms to help him up. The sand melted, thickening into a shiny black sludge which sucked [i]This One[/i] down as Abanoc helped it up. It held on for dear life, pulling the other god down with it. [color=cc0886]”How can I be calm whe- when the whole… is?[/color] Noticing that the sand was pulling them down, Abanoc held Eurysthenes and lifted off from the ground, but the sludge pulled down with twice the force. It dragged and dragged, then leapt up, encasing the two gods. And there was nothing but blackness and the two of them. The sky, the beach, the water. All distinctively separate places, but pitch. [i]This One[/i] only whimpered. Abanoc took in his surroundings, but didn’t notice anything that could threaten him, aside from the fact he was trapped alongside his brother. However he couldn’t discard the possibility of it getting worse. [color=DarkGray]“You are losing control of your powers... If do not calm yourself I will not be able to help you.”[/color] He said maintaining his calm demeanor. [color=cc0886]”[i]Calm[/i] myself? [i]Help[/i] me? How… how cou- could that happen, when…”[/color] it shouted, throwing its arms up in a vague gesture of [i]”everything”[/i]. [color=cc0886]”You don’t. You just haven’t been here before or seen what I’ve-”[/color] A thick white fog rolled in from the sea. The blackness folded back to reveal stars. They were falling, the wind was rushing around them, and the ground reached up for them. It was the Observatory, and it was ablaze. For a moment Abanoc’s eyes widened, but he soon saw the vision for the illusion it was. His brows furrowed. [color=DarkGray]“I am beginning to lose my patience. You lost your memories somehow and I have some power over that aspect of the mind. If you allow me to I can help you.”[/color] The flames stopped flickering, the stars stopped twinkling, everything on Galbar below stopped moving. The world was at a halt, excepting the two gods. [color=cc0886]”My memories? How’d I lose them?”[/color] [i]This One[/i] asked. It was standing stock still, not moving a single piece of itself. [color=DarkGray]“Melantha has shown to be able to erase memories, even her own. Have you met her as of late?”[/color] [i]This one[/i] made a face. [color=cc0886]”Who?[/color] Abanoc frowned. Eurysthenes not remember Melantha was a very faulty proof of her involvement. He would likely not get an answer regarding how his sibling lost its memories. [color=DarkGray]“I suppose that response is fitting… I have no records of you being present in Galbar as of late and I cannot see much within your Maze, so I cannot recall your memories for you… There is one thing that may work. If you’ll excuse me.”[/color] Abanoc raised his hands to the height of Eurysthenes’ face. He saw the past few days of travel. To the beach, to the So’E, to what could barely be recognised as the “Maze”. And then he hit a wall of… sound? It stood there like a wall of black static. It was dark as night, but close as a closet. In front of him stood this colossal presence, and behind him were the memories. He stepped forward, trying to delve deeper to find the secrets. And sank into the wall. The static seeped into every pore, gushed into every orifice. It was like being drowned from the mind outwards. He felt the border of what separated [i]him[/i] from this space fuzz about the edges, softening. His eyes, or the region where his eyes should have been, widened, and he flailed, pulling himself up. Outwards, towards where he came in, back to the memories he had just witnessed. And fell out of the mind of [i]This One[/i], back into his own head, where everything felt glassy by contrast. Crisp edges, vivid colours. The sand of the beach was warm, and the sky was a clear blue. Eurysthenes was standing with its face ajar, looking up to the heavens. Abanoc’s hands trembled, having been dazed by the sights. With a shake of his head he recovered and looked back at Eurysthenes. He had seen some of his brother’s memories, but there was a significant gap between his return to the Maze and his arrival on the shores of The Kick. [color=DarkGray]“A gap… Parts of your memory just disappeared. No, more like a page stained in ink. I… I cannot recover your memories.”[/color] [i]This One[/i] looked down at Abanoc and made a confused face. [color=cc0886]”Are you Abanoc? Orvus told me to find you.”[/color] The question surprised Abanoc. He had already spoken his name to Eurysthenes earlier on the conversation. [color=DarkGray][i]”Their memory’s deteriorating…”[/i][/color] He thought. He could already tell he couldn’t recover the damage done to his brother and it was spreading. The only questions Abanoc had now were how fast it would progress and whether or not it would bring the rest of their mind with its collapse. [color=DarkGray]“I know not that name…”[/color] His heart sank with his own words even though he knew nothing could be done about it. [color=cc0886]”Oh, he’s another god. Either way, that matters less than the fact that I needed to find you. He said my memory was gone, but I remember everything just fine.”[/color] it said to Abanoc. Its tone was casual, nearly offhanded, which was odd considering the recent past. [color=DarkGray]“Indeed, you seem to be fine. There is no need to request aid, mine or otherwise.”[/color] He faked a small smile. [color=cc0886]”Well that settles it, then. Goodbye.”[/color] the other said. It walked away, realised that it didn’t want to cross the ocean just yet, and sat down. [color=DarkGray][i]“In all my years I have never seen something so...cruel.”[/i][/color] Abanoc thought as he turned to leave with a depressed look on his face. [hider=Summary] Uh. So. Eury shows up at the kick and it seems familiar He has an episode, during which abby shows up Shit happens Yeah Cool It’s kinda emotional Have fun dealing with Eury, whoever I choose next. [/hider] [hider=might] Nothing but the illusion Eury did which was a discounted 1 thing. Sike. [/hider]