[IC] A Hero Tale {Complete}

[Jensoman]

Jenso clenched his fists. "I see...I guess we should have known, since she has her own dimension and whatnot. Having more than one should be easy, considering that the Order has limitless energy..." He muttered. "No matter which path we took, Shaidra would have tricked us, huh?" He added. "Why are you here, man? Aren't you putting yourself at risk?" He said, with a frown. Jenso didn't care about his own safety too much. He was in enemy territory, after all, so hostility was to be expected. But he was concerned about Nexus.

[tex]

"Don't waste time worrying about me," Nexus grunted, "Yzeira has already figured out that I've helped you in the past." He sighed and scratched at the rip in his mask, under his left eye. "And he doesn't care. I shouldn't have been surprised. You, on the other hand, are in a situation from which there is no turning back." Nexus narrowed his eyes and looked at Bill. "While you're in here, you won't be able to communicate with your friends. But, I will, and I intend on doing so." He looked back to Jenso and sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. "But, I cannot harm anyone in the order. My powers do not affect any of them... If this situation becomes a serious threat to Yzeira, he will acknowledge it." Nexus shook his head. "You do not want his acknowledgement."

[Jensoman]

Jenso frowned at Nexus and nodded at him. "Alright...so, what's the plan?" He asked Nexus, taking note of the spot he was scratching at. "The tattoo that all of the Order members, or at least some of you, seem to have...is that how Yzeira can track you guys? And is there more to them? I know that Vale had one, and that Zelriane had one when he fought Bruce and Jeff." Jenso said to Nexus.

[tex]

Nexus looked at Jenso and blinked. His pale blue, shimmering eyes flickered for a moment. "I cannot speak of it," Nexus insisted. A great pain filled his gut, and his mind went foggy, but he snapped out of it, quickly. "I cannot share anything that he does not want me to. I'm fortunate enough to have the freedom that I do." Nexus picked at the tightly fitting fabric slightly. There was no tattoo under his left eye. Was it under his right? Or somewhere else? The mystery behind them wasn't something that Nexus could help with, at any rate. "As far as plans go, there is little that I can actually do. Of the order members, my understanding of Shaidra's abilities are the least developed. What I do understand, will make very little sense to you." He stopped and patted the ground in front of him. "Shaidra will be preoccupied with one of your friends, for a short while. She is not present in here, or the Tower. Thankfully, the flow of time in her Voil dimensions is inconsistent." He sighed again, and took a deep, calm breath. "I wanted to use this time to tell you part of a story."

[Jensoman]

Jenso nodded at Nexus, and he smirked a little as he said that he couldn't mention anything about the tattoo's. If they were simply trackers, why would Yzeira want Nexus to remain silent? No, there was more to it. Despite not knowing their true purpose, he was certain now. Trying to damage those tattoo's would certainly work in favor of the Trumps. He frowned at Nexus as he tapped the ground, and sat down where Nexus wanted him to sit. "I'm sorry for the lack of trust here, but I have to ask. You're not just stalling and keeping me here so Yzeira can destroy my universe, right?" He asked his friend. "I don't want to believe that you are, but...I honestly can't make any more mistakes at this point. You guys could just be trapping me in this dimension, while Yzeira destroys my dimension just to show up later to convert me to the side of the Order."

[tex]

Nexus was quiet. He couldn't answer.

"A very long time ago, perhaps something like... Ten thousand years to you, I was part of a proud race of magically talented beings. We hailed from a Terra, known as Primeira. Yzeira, much like myself, was born their as well." Nexus formed a small circular frame between his hands that projected images of the two of them, standing with a short woman with long blue hair, wrapped into a pony-tail. "Nexus, Teshra, and Alexis, those were the only names I cared about back then." The mirrors imaged glinted, and shifted to something different. It showed Yzeira, standing alone in a white tiled room, all alone. The edges were sealed shut, and lined with large windows. "We worked together for some time, working on dimensional theory. The basis of a magic that could possibly tear a hole in the fabric of space time. A magic that we- Or rather, Teshra excelled at." The picture changed again. Yzeira's face was unmasked, and displayed next to the young woman's. His hair was short and blue, much like Nexus', and his eyes shined with the same docile aquatic light, a light of creation. He smiled, sincerely, in the image that Nexus showed Jenso. "These two had been studying together long before they even knew about me, researching the possibilities of atoms, and arcane energy. Testing the limits of the only magic we could see, with our Primeirian eyes." The picture shifted again, to the two standing in front of a massive, ivy-covered tower. It was at least 100 floors high, and had a familiar theme to it. Of course. "Teshra's initial theory was incomplete, and ineligible for testing. But he did so, anyways. Alexis supported the idea. She knew it could work, and she believed in his natural talent with arcane energy... But the results were a disaster, and the faculty of arcane study forbid further practice of such an unstable magic. They lost investment, they lost their laboratory, and they lost all of their reputation." The picture changed again. Yzeira was standing inside of a tiled chamber like before, only it was much smaller. "Without the approval of anyone, they two of them funded their own private studies. It was here where I met them, and added my own research to the mix. The theories, they were perfected. It might have taken 20 years, but with the proper love and care, we would have been able to open a gate between worlds." Nexus let the disk disappear, and felt his mind go foggy.

[Jensoman]

Jenso listened with great interest. He could see the similarities between the Ivory Tower and the Tower of Chaos. He frowned at Nexus. "I see...keep going, if you can." Jenso stated. He was aware that there were certain things that Yzeira would not allow Nexus to say. "This is all really interesting to hear.." He muttered.

[tex]

Nexus closed his eyes tightly and tightened his hands, lowering them back into his lap.

"He went off on his own and tried doing things his way when Alexis sided with me. She knew better. He didn't. He was stubborn, and he still is. All this wisdom and knowledge didn't fix that." Nexus rose his hands again, and summoned his mirror. Inside, now sat an image of him and Alexis in the same tiled room. "We looked for a mage as skilled as Teshra. But, there was nobody like him. Just as we thought, our research was going nowhere without his hands in the mix. We couldn't see atoms as clearly as he could, we couldn't manipulate electrons, and we couldn't shape the portal. In a year, our experiments went nowhere. With no progress, and very little money left, we were forced to retire the project altogether. Alexis was disheartened, but not because of the experiment's failure. For that entire year, Teshra had been missing." He sighed, and showed Jenso an image of Yzeira. His hair was longer, about the same length it was now, and he had a tattoo underneath his right eye, similar to the one that Zelriane had. "He approached us like this. 'I've done it' he spat in our faces. Alexis was furious. I was confused. The way he spoke, his mannerisms- everything about him has changed. His usual arrogance had redoubled. Instead of spouting claims without any backing, everything he said... We couldn't argue with it. He was more willing to put himself, and the people around him in danger. And his attachment to things, like the tower he'd met Alexis in, had become distant memories. It was like he was gone for much longer than a year." The picture shifted again, back to Nexus, alone in his home. "We didn't want anything to do with his research. I had my own reasons, Alexis had hers. So, Teshra went back to wherever he'd been working. We didn't hear from him again for the next decade." Nexus' eyes closed again, and his disk disappeared. "Then it happened. The Tower disappeared. Gone, overnight. Alexis told me about it, nearly broke my damned door down. We both went to the base of the old library, and it was just as she said. The entire thing- Gone, like it was never there to begin with. No rubble, no signs of destruction, just a circular crater where it once stood." Nexus' hands trembled. "I was 70 when he came back. I'd never married, but I continued my studies. I learned more, and I improved my skills. I became one of the most acclaimed names of my generation. Alexis would have been there, right next to me, if she hadn't taken her own life after that tower disappeared."

[Jensoman]

Jenso began to bite his lip, out of frustration as he heard the story. He tried to remain calm during the whole story, but he was unable too. The entire story was so sad and tragic, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Nexus. And Yzeira.

For Yzeira, the man who started it all, the one who gathered a handful of people to do his bidding and to destroy universes left and right. All while calling themselves the Order of Chaos.

Jenso frowned at Nexus. "He must have discovered the Void when you guys were apart. Judging from Shaidra's behaviour...do you think the Void can affect the mind, too?" He muttered. "Or is she that way because of a different reason?" He asked. "If you're not allowed to answer those questions, just ignore them..." He muttered, not wanting Nexus to suffer needlessly.

[tex]

Nexus remained quiet. After a short pause, he spoke again.

"It was only Rajaka, back then. He'd picked him up from another world he'd visited. That morning, I awoke to a startling noise. My door was kicked down by that lumbering oaf. Yzeira walked in to my single-room apartment with an air of superiority about him. He called himself something else, some stupid name that he'd picked up from Rajaka's universe. Worst of all, he was wearing the arcane lab-coat that Alexis had given him..." He summoned the disk of blue energy one last time, and revealed the image of Rajaka, standing behind Yzeira. His hair was the orange hue it appeared as now, he wore a black mask alongside the mighty muscle-head, and his coat was stained blood-red. "The arcane lab coat exists to..." Nexus stopped and clutched his head lightly. "...This wasn't the same coat. This wasn't the same man." The disk disappeared.

"I joined him, and he spared my home, our home, from destruction. Now I wonder if it still stands. But through the years, we've travelled so far through the void. The likelihood of finding my way back has long since passed, just like the likelihood of bringing back Teshra has disappeared, entirely."

[Jensoman]

Jenso nodded. "I see...so he does keep his word, despite the fact that you'll probably never see your universe again." He muttered, and paused for a moment. It made Yzeira's offer more tempting to accept, despite everything. "So Teshra is beyond saving, then..." He muttered, and clenched his fists. "Please keep going." He stated.

[tex]

"I cannot say anymore," Nexus grunted, standing up. He looked around and sighed. "She will be here soon. That little wraith likes to play, and has no intent to kill, but if you are not careful, she will kill you." Nexus' body began to disappear from his feet upwards, fading into a blue dust. "I will contact your friends. If you are able to free yourselves from these wretched dimensions somehow, I wish you the best of luck. If nothing else, I am happy you gave it your all." His voice echoed and his body faded completely, whispering his final words with a tinge of hope.

"Farewell"

Jenso's miniature universe began to work into motion again. Bill's sandwich landed on his head and he chuckled to himself. "Nice catch, Jenso," He mocked.

[Jensoman]

Jenso blinked and took the sandwich off his head. He glared at Bill and revealed to him his middle finger. "Fuck off, buddy." He stated, flipping him off with an annoyed look. He began to wander through the strange universe, trying to see if there was anything out of the ordinary going on.

[tex]

Bill reeled back and watched Jenso as he began to walk off. "W...Well now..."

Jenso could see it all, just as before. It was Arcadia. The people seemed so real. The houses, the marketplace, the kids, and the statue- Was this really a copycat dimension? If so, why? Something tugged at Jenso's pants as he walked by a few children. It was the little boy that Prisma had slain back in Arcadia, at the start of his adventure.

"Um, Jenso? Could you help me?"

[Jensoman]

Jenso leaned forward towards the little boy, and smiled at him. 'If this is part of Shaidra's game, I guess I should play along..' He thought. "Hello! What do you need help with?" He asked in a kind tone.

[tex]

The boy turned back to his friend and they began running towards the edge of town, beckoning Jenso to follow. In only a few moments, they lead him to the old well that sat next to Arcadia's outer rim, surrounded by fencing that had long since degraded. The well was falling apart, and a huge stone was on top of it. Legends always spoke about a monster hiding inside, but it was just to keep kids from hurting themselves.

"We wanted to see inside the old well, but we can't move this rock."

[Jensoman]

"Alright...I'll do my best to move it! Stand back, kids. Make sure you don't fall in, okay?" Jenso stated, attempting to lift the rock to move it out of the way.

[tex]

The kids cheered and stepped back as Jenso lifted the rock. But it didn't budge at first. It took a little while, and, with a resounding crack, it flew up. From beneath it, a shadowy blur erupted, and landed next to the children. They scattered and screamed:

"THE LEGENDS WERE TRUE! RUNNN!"

Shaidra turned towards Jenso slowly and tilted her head.

"Golden boy..?"

[Jensoman]

Jenso looked up at Shaidra, with neither joy, anger or hatred rushing through his body. It was the first time that they had a chance to speak directly, with nobody else around to interfere. Besides the two children, at any rate. "Don't worry kids, there is no monster." He stated reassuringly to them. "Hey...nice to properly meet you this time, Shaidra. I'm Jenso, as you probably know, but you can call me Golden Boy if you'd like!" He stated with a smile.

Jenso never had any reason to hate Shaidra specifically. After all, he'd only vaguely seen her around during several situations, mostly focused on teleporting people back and forth. He was aware that she'd killed someone that Alvios cared about, and indirectly caused the majority of Alvios's village to be whiped out by being struck by Alvios, due to Yzeira's interference. At any rate, he didn't want to anger her for now.

[tex]

The kids froze disappeared into a smoke, as did most other people, when Shaidra arrived. She reeled her head back like a startled bird and stood up on two legs. The matt black cloth that clung to her body like skin ended at her elbows, neck and knees, like some kind of dark vortex that encompassed most of her body. Her eyes, as usual, were black pits, but there was a profound curiosity peering through. She began to circle Jenso slowly, walking on two feet still, focused on Jenso's curious was of addressing her.