Complete Hylands Ascent Return of Magicka

[Magi Heart]

Hylands Ascent

A forest near the base of the Ascent. A cozy cabin nestled away from the rest of civilization. It belonged to a elderly man. He had helped defend Falderen from the Astoreans during the reign of King Theodore de Falder. He, like so many others that had survived the war, was left with battle wounds so severe they crippled him. Even after the mind control of the late King had left his mind, the old man felt he had let down his country. Exiling himself to this place to let the world of madness around him play out at a distance. His son, a man in his early twenties tried to care for the grumpy old veteran but unlike his father, he worked in Astorea now as a librarian. Coming and going was becoming overwhelming... So when a traveling healer offered to take care of his father. The young man was thrilled!
​

"Hey!"

"..."

"Look!"

"..."

"Listen!"

A book flew across the room passing through the tiny glowing pest and slamming into the wall. "̴W̸h̵a̷t̵!̷?̷ ̷G̷e̸e̵ ̷w̵h̶i̶z̷,̴ ̶d̶o̸ ̸y̶o̸u̶ ̷e̸v̵e̵r̷ ̷S̶H̷U̸T̶ ̶U̶P̶?̷!̷ A heterochromatic girl seethed as she sat in front of another book with white and blue decor. Its writing was in common yet written in a way different than any of the books at the Finweald Royal Reservatory. Some pages looked like they were written in numbers rather than letters... it was a very confusing read and this constant nagging was not helping!

"I-I'm trying to tell you... I saw a wolf momma, with a bunch of cubs playing outside. They ran off now with you shouting and all..."

"...The doggo was probably eating them."

The girl sitting at the desk glanced at the chibi version of herself with her red eye. Before turning a page of the book. She had borrowed this book and almost got killed several times by crazies screaming about purifying all the time. It was only after meeting a random traveler that they followed a peculiar shining thread all the way to Astorea only to have it disappear. She had escaped that weirdness only to still have to deal with... well, herself. Or more like something she'd be better without.

"Isn't it time for his soup? WENDY!"

"Wendel... stop calling me that."

Closing the book she stood up and...

Walked away from the cabin. Wendel held a bag at her of things she would need for the trip, while her magic stored anything extra. Chibi Magi hovered beside her with a sad look.

"It isn't your fault., I'm pretty happy you tried really. It's just sad it went that way. I hope he's in a better place."

"He's in a better place for sure *giggle*, he's dead and not stuck with you. He wanted to be away from all the war stuff anyway, so... now he is.♥ "

"I think we should wait for his son to come home."

"I think I wrote a letter and left the old man's head for him to make peace with. That should be enough."

".I gue... wait I didn't see THAT?!"

Wendel ignored her as she continued through the woods, looking almost like a schoolgirl heading to MIT for class in the middle of a dangerous wilderness. The small spirit chasing after her. Where was she going to go now? Wherever someone was in need, and wherever she could learn more about her condition without being hunted down by wannabe saints. This Dissonance thingy, and what she was exactly, she wanted to understand.

 

[Bradwynne]

Bradwynne found himself cruising into the skies with the wings that he had generated from his battle form in the Hylands Ascent one day. The last couple of days he had heard stories of some exorcists running towards that particular direction to claim what they felt like "the Holy Grail", only not to return some days after they left off. And so he had to pick up the slack and purge more ghosts that they should have purged a while ago. As he then returned to his favorite tavern to eat and drink and take a breather, he then was met by a long-time acquaintance who seemed relaxed that he had found a caretaker for his father amidst all of the chaos going around there. But when he then heard that a pink-haired girl was going to be the caretaker, he was then again overwhelmed with both concern and alarm.

"Could it be...?"

He then quickly sobered up even when he had drank a huge amount of ale, and then set off for the ascent towards the manor of that acquaintance's father. Although he maintained his sleep schedule meticulously so that he would not be tired when it would matter the most, he made generous use of his divine magic, zipping through the skies when he could and just walking when he couldn't.

As he was then flying over a forest, he had seen a glimpse of pink amongst the foliage. He then quickly turned around and see if what he was seeing was really true. A much larger gap across the forest then confirmed his greatest joy, but also his greatest fear.

Magi Heart, one of the persons that he had not fully saved. She was there, in the flesh. But the clothes she was wearing had also confirmed to him that she had not awakened from the path of Dissonance or that she had embraced it altogether. Although, there should be one way to confirm it: He had to wear his heart in his sleeve, although it had been hurting for too much and far too long, and try to have a conversation with her like he always did. Although he should be wary: she might also be the reason why some exorcists had disappeared in this area, and he only got one life to spare at this moment.

The young woman would then find herself stopped by what looked like an angel, but wearing the typical casual clothes that could be found in the other world. When the figure finally descended, the light would then dissipate, revealing Bradwynne's smiling countenance.

"I have come to you as an acquaintance of that librarian who was the son of the person living in the nearby manor. But, also, be not afraid. I also come to you as a guardian angel, although we might have been acquaintances in the past 4 years, I treated you as a friend that I can never ignore. Bradwynne Lambert, if you do not remember."

 

[Magi Heart]

Hylands Ascent

The angel man that arrived wearing those clothes that would bring back blurry memories told Wendel enough. They were back? The people that all fought wars and killed for fun. They actually want to suffer more? The dark heart barely even related to those people anymore. Barely related to being human anymore but...

"Hey... I remember him! Hi... Bradwynne! It's me Wendy, ah... us Wendy... wait. Did I ever tell you my real name? I mean Magi, hehe! Gosh... my memories gone kind of bad, sorry."

Chibi Magi floated up to him and waved her hands to see if he could see or hear her. Without spirit magic, it would be pretty hard. Most of the landers she had encountered couldn't but wasn't Brad a player too? Urgh it was hard to be sure anymore.

Wendel played with the bow on her buttoned-up jacket as if it was the rose that once had pierced her years ago. After listening to him call her a friend she smiled awkwardly. with her lips tight. Putting her finger to her chin she thought for a moment. Honestly, she still wasn't sure who this guy was but the little pest sure remembered something. Then he said friend and well... nothing bad about friends was there?

"Hmmm, Brad? Brady yeah *giggle*. That's a good name for a friend. So... did you... log in or... I forgot the whole menu thingy. so...."

The Dissonant Magi put a finger on the young man's heart. Tapping it before pressing very hard when she spoke. Eyeing him like prey.

"Why were you looking for me? The old man's nerdy son knew you? His dad is safe as he can be now♥. How are YOU doing...? Need any help?

"Uhuh nope! She does not need to help you okay? Brad, it would be so nice if you could take us back to Astorea. Ummm... as quickly as possible?"

Chibi Magi tried to keep things moving in case anything bad happened here in the middle of nowhere. When Wendel offered to help one never knew what she actually meant. Wendel made a pained face for a split second before:

"Anyway, I was going to ask if you wanted to travel together back to Astorea♥?"

She changed what she was going for just to spite that little moeblob. Like she would even think of hurting any friend? Friends were EVERYTHING.
@Bradwynne

 

[Bradwynne]

As Bradwynne was about to start his conversation with @Magi Heart, he then noticed a small spirit flying towards him. As the spirit flew, Bradwynne's eyes followed it, signifying that he could see that spirit which seemed to be a small version of the former Magi he knew. He could also hear her voice whispering through his ears, but he knew he could never converse with her, not without this current persona hearing about it. Sure, as a Divine Magic practitioner, he also could see and hear ghosts; but as when a Spirit Magic user could hold conversations with them, Divine Magic is practically a poison for those spirits who had chosen a different alignment with the user's god (in his case the God of the Abrahamic faiths which he had chosen as his god for his Divine Magic was lethal to anyone of the Evil alignment), and if he wanted to, could purge all of the spirits altogether, good or evil.

"If you do not know yet, I also had been stuck here for four years from that death from battling that revenant with you, Blank and Seigi, if you also remember them. But yes, as of this time, Travelers, new or old, are starting to come again into this land."

But this kind of evil, no matter how much he used Divine Magic, will never be dispelled from this woman, not until the Dissonance had disappeared from this world forever, although he had, unbeknownst to the two entities in front of him, been releasing from his body a Divine force of his god's alignment that in theory should strengthen the chibi spirit and weaken the spirit that was residing inside her body. Not until he would meet that insidious god, Nyarlieth, and completely purge them from existence. But there were too many things to be solved, including the mysterious airship that crashed down Vintergard, and also the rising anti-Traveler group that had claimed Ivàn. Far too many things to sort out, and he was only one person.

"As of now I am just listening on and protecting the new ones, as I am really curious what kind of memes and jokes will they bring here. But while Dissonance is still a problem here, I can not rest until it is definitely purged from existence. Not just for me, but for you. For Sean. For Seigi. For Ivàn. And for everyone else that mattered and will matter to me."

He then flashed another smile.

"And so I have been constantly training day and night until I will be at my peak performance. You will want to see what it will look like."

He then looked towards the direction of the manor.

"I will be glad to accompany you to Astorea, but what about that person? You are entrusted to take care for him, right? I know that he can get cranky, more so against Travelers, but still."

 

[Magi Heart]

Hylands Ascent

So they were back...

Welp! Wendel had changed, she had learned, she'd experienced... but not enough. Not even close to enough. So It would be fun to interact with others of the same origin again... or were they really the same anymore?

When Brady asked about the old man, Chibi Magi made a scolding glance at Wendel, or the best her tiny oversized head could make. Wendel wasn't bothered though. She did her job and he was taken care of. How cruel would it have been if she had never left that last visage of the son's father for him?

"He passed away. Without even telling me. Isn't that the worst thingyt? I never had a chance to help him go but... *giggle* I left the place just perfect for his son. He'll never forget his loving father, never ever.♥"

No a slave to that vermy. Finally able to fully think for herself. Wendel could do what she saw as the human form of kindness, Of course, a little misery mixed in was going to be a must, otherwise, how would the dark magi survive? But that's getting ahead of things.

"Don't we have to get going? Right, Wendy?"

Chibi Magi was disappointed that she wasn't likely coming through to the man as well as she'd hoped but he did notice her existence which was something at least. The two Wendy's had to not only deal with each other but protect one another for now. Since there was no telling what would happen to the other if one ceased to be. The dream from several years ago said, Through death, it shall correct" but wouldn't that be bad based on what happened to...? Who was that one person again? Was it the Seigi person Brad mentioned? Gee whiz! SEIGI!

"Oh yeah, it's been a long time. I'm not sure we are even the same people anymore but we want what we want right? I'm busy now though. I need to learn. Learn something important.

Wendel passed him by and glance back with another awkward plastic smile.

"We'll break up before long but... you think you could tell me more about this Dissy stuff? I wanna know wh- ...more about them from someone who fought them."

Wendel spent long enough being an unknown. She wanted to know what she was or was becoming. She didn't fear it at all. She just was tired of changes that kept happening. So anything he knew would help. Although maybe his memory was bad as well...

@Bradwynne

 

[Bradwynne]

When he heard that the old man had already passed, Bradwynne widened his eyes momentarily, but as the little spirit had not said anything bad, he thought that the person might have passed peacefully. He then replied, "I will pay my respects later when I do the rites for the librarian. But I might need to have the corpse checked before he sees it. I will just hope that it did not get mangled by wolves or something while we are not there." There was a possibility that this current persona of @Magi Heart had done something horrible to the corpse, but Bradwynne did not state this. It would be hard to clean up for who he considered to be his friend, but he had to do it. It was his cross to bear, as he wanted to save her before she would do something unforgivable.

"Yeah, it had been really a long time, and we have both learned good and bad things, depending on our outlooks for the matter." He then sighed as he had reminisced his memories with her, both of her. "Before I was a really rowdy person, killing indiscriminately as my own brand of justice and dominance. But the excessive deaths I have done with my own hands had scarred me for a long time, until I met you." He then stared at Magi's direction, but specifically at the small spirit. "You are the reason that I am the current me right now, saving lives, protecting the weak, helping the needy. Strange though that we seemingly have walked in really divergent ways. Or different ways, as you might point it out."

He then showed his hand, the telltale gauge of what he was feeling right now. As he was feeling lonely right now that the person he had looked up to as his idol had fallen prey to what he thought was a Dissonant power, an eye was poking from it, surrounded by blotches of dark flesh. "This is Dissonance, this particular one I got from battling Titania, or Titanius, to death. Its thoughts were constantly bothering me to do the wrong thing, but I had fought it away every single time. As of now, it is thought that the Dissonance can come in many forms, from many sources, but the ultimate source had been from, from what I remember, was from a malevolent god of this world called Nyarlieth. Now I do not know if that one is related to an eldritch being called Nyarlathothep, but even if it is really Nyarlathothep, even if it is impossible to battle an eldritch god, I will still do it and battle them. For everyone I love."

He then turned his back towards Magi. "You want to go to Astorea right? But before I will lead you there, there are some things you need to remember. There are people that are walking among us that might be really what are called as Dissonant Humanoids. Within this category are two kinds of them: the First Order and the Second Order. Now aside from me, I know that there are some people that knew you, both what you were before and what you are now, and they might suspect you as one that had already given up to Dissonance. You know, someone like Cain Darlite, who we both had met already. He is already here as we speak." He then turned his body enough so his head can face Magi. "I implore you that once we have already there, please refrain from doing something illegal to the laws of Astorea. For if you do that, and someone that we both know had decided that you might have been fallen to the state of the Second Order of Dissonance, I do not know if I can even protect you anymore." The person Bradwynne had he feared could do that was his former liege Roland Rutledge, and he did not know if he had returned. If he did, it might become a major problem.

 

[Magi Heart]

Hylands Ascent

A Second what...? She heard that before a few times while crossing Tertoria back here but during her time with that rose gifting vamp she must have missed a lot of things. Like missing when Seigi died. It started to become clearer and that made the Dissonant Magi confused. She knew she was different but was she the fake one? Was Magi, that weak and helpless girl the real one? Nope! That little crybaby was something that was dead and as soon as she got rid of that floating nag, the better!

"You say a lot of complicated things. I prefer to keep things simple!"

She pulled off one of her hair ribbons as she walked, whether he followed was up to him. She pulled it in both hands and twisted it. When she learned to survive among the normies all around her she found this a way to keep focused. It was hard to do that sometimes.

"I'm not a monster so don't worry♥, I'm just here to help. People persons sometimes don't get that though and that's so... "

A strong twist of the ribbon as she strolled along.

"...So it's true then. I don't doubt Brad. It's not like we didn't think so. I wonder if those others go through what we do? Or I do... oh gosh I'm confused."

Wendel shrugged and gestured back towards the way she came.

"I might be a little weird to you Brady, I'm not going to just leave a dead body to rot like that... just the head *giggle*. I needed him to say goodbye. If you want to ruin a heartfelt moment like that go. I won't stop a friend from doing that... "

As for his comment on doing bad stuff in Astorea. Pfft, no way. EVERYTHING Wendel did was for the good of others. Why should she be scared of something silly like that? It helped that she gained experience with totalitarian laws while she was traveling anyway. She was getting better at what she did even if it wasn't as effective yet...

She just needed time.

@Bradwynne

 

[Bradwynne]

As he then heard what @Magi Heart had done to the body of the owner of the manor, Bradwynne groaned, although he should have expected that. "There are many ways to preserve a dead body, but it's definitely not that! It will definitely attract all sorts of birds and beasts of prey, and I will not be surprised if the rats there had smelled blood and had eaten that head!" He then sighed. She was definitely a powder keg waiting to explode, and he did not know what to do with her. "If you really think of that as a heartfelt moment then I should really go and fix things. After I have accompanied you to Astorea as I have promised, of course."

Bradwynne then exhaled to refocus himself. This was a serious case of Dissonance, if the other people's opinions would give an opinion about it. They might say that she is like a rabid dog, and she should be killed to end her misery. But they were not considering the feelings of those who had loved her and would never imagine a life without her. Even if she indeed had become the most rabid of dogs. Although Bradwynne had made his peace if that would happen, if Magi would be finally be hunted down by people; but as much as possible she wanted to save her. Even if it would cost his only life trying to save her. Even if she was indeed a rabid dog, even if she had 99.9% been become this way, he would hold on to that 0.1%. For Magi to return to her past self, to that form that inspired him to be the hero that would stand against all odds to do the right thing. Whatever it takes.

"My only concern is that if you continue pursuing that way, it will definitely catch up to you. Are you content with that life being chased around by exorcists and the families of those exorcists who wanted revenge? I have experienced that, in my case it was bandits, and it was not fun. 0/10. Do not recommend. More so in this world that is becoming digital with all the robots moving around."

 

[Magi Heart]

Hylands Ascent

"Why? Don't you want the family to have a last moment together? For the son to understand what it feels like... "

Nope, the dummy probably didn't understand. Wendel seemed to just speak a different language than everyone else. She learned to simply do rather than to convince. Hypocrites were what normies are. This if nothing else, she was sure of.

"I think you should have just buried him and left the letter... not the whole, *eh* thing."

Chibi Magi ran her tiny hand across her neck to show what she met.

The people that had gone after her, Wendel had nowhere, no one, but she still would work for the betterment of others. That's all she wanted, a good ending. Why did no one else want it? Why make it so difficult. She was just prepping them for the inevitable anyway but...

"Let's head to the city then. I don't remember where it was... it's been years. Populated places can be exhausting sometimes and like you said, I'm a bit... unique right?"

In the best ways.

@Bradwynne

 

[Bradwynne]

Bradwynne could only sigh as he heard @Magi Heart's responses. Really now, he had always taken the role of the boke in conversations, but this time he had to be a tsukkomi in this convoluted situation. This one simply had no awareness in what she was trying to do.

"If your idea of a last moment is someone swearing to have you dead, then I must really fix it. I don't really want someone murdering another person for a crime they did not really commit." He then walked in the direction of Finweald in Astorea, beckoning Magi to follow him.

"If you wanted to go to a city, then Finweald should be the only place in Astorea that could be considered a full-fledged city. You know, after what happened to Vintergard. Or should I say, Robotgard." He could only curl his lips into a bitter smile, as he might have just made a dark joke that could only pertain to that city which he had helped build. "I would really just hope that you know what you are doing whatever thing you might do. Or else I could only imagine a bunch of people chasing you around seeking murder. And it might escalate as more and more powerful people chase you around. Not everyone takes too kindly on the things you do that are... different to what they do when they were in your situation."