Complete ✪ Finweald Séance

[Askera Question]

"...I am to use this bullet as a locus around which the ritual must be conducted. Using this Antagonite, I will conduct the majority of the magic around the center. End note. This test run integrates the curses of death and planar tearing to cause a hole intended to be used to contact with the underworld. End note, add highlight to page four. Next... Ygma..? Yugam. Yugam."

His sharp pronunciation of the name brought the assistant out of his stupor. It seemed as if it were finally time to conduct the experiment in question. Couldn't Askera just write the outlines of the experiments in advance? He had been asked that once, actually.

"I'd rather like to get a good night's sleep, thanks."

Fair enough. Askera wasn't the one being paid to stand here, after all.

With a pair of helping hands, the circle sprung to life. Black flame burst forth and outlined the complex quicksilver circle. Soon would it be that an entity would come to bear, and Askera could only hope it was the one he had been looking for...

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Per Aspera

Ad Astra

"Hm?" Yugam muttered, shaken from his sleep-deprived stupor. "S-sorry, yeah let's do it," the man apologized, before stepping up to his designated spot and doing what little he could to assist the researcher. Yu's magic was blood magic for god's sake, not animancy, so he felt kinda useless just standing there and letting Askera do all the hard work, but hey...if something went terribly, terribly wrong, at least Yu would be there to write it all down. Or, maybe the terrible things would happen, to him. With his luck, the latter was more likely.

The orange glow of the candles suddenly went dark as they bloomed into spouts of flame, their color shifting to deep black, the emblem scrawled onto the floor reflecting the strange, physics defying darklight. Halos of light floated into the air between the two men, and Yu's eyes went wide with both surprise and awe. A part of him didn't really believe that this would work, his mind still rooted in the laws of reality outside the game. And yet, here they were.

A pale, ghostly figure seemed to rise up through the floor, transparent body allowing Yu to see straight through them to Askera on the other side. A tall lithe figure, with long hair and an androgynous face. The entity spoke with a quiet, ethereal voice. "Travelers, why have you summoned me?"

Wait a second...

"Travelers?" Yu repeated, confused. "Aren't you a Traveler?" Yugam peered (unnecessarily) around the entity at Askera with a puzzled, concerned look on his face, as if to say, 'this is a wash, do you wanna keep going anyways?'

@Askera Question

 

[Askera Question]

"Please comply with us if you are able. Are you a spirit of a Starcalled man?" So as to capitalize on the man's question, Askera asked the shackled soul the question a second time. Perhaps this could have been the eponymous 'Haru' that he had heard about...

"It seems... you have no idea who it is that you are speaking to." The was the barest amount of befuddlement in the spirit's voice. Had this entity been expecting to be summoned, albeit by someone more knowledgeable than he was? It was a curious thought, one he took note of in a personal notebook aside from his usual reporting log.

"No, I do not know who I am speaking to."

"Then you are foolish, indeed."

"I see." Askera did not have much else to say to that. Frankly, he assumed by default that this spirit was important somehow-or at least was arrogant enough to believe so. Either way, he wouldn't be giving any useful information today.

"Alright, then. I believe that's all we need to ask of you. Unless, that is, you wished to know something, Yugam?"

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Per Aspera

Ad Astra

To say that the entities responses surprised Yu would've been an understatement. He wasn't quite sure if the researcher should call this a failure, a success, or just completely unexpected. After all, they had indeed managed to contact something, but just what that something was was a complete mystery. The dark-haired assistant actually found it a little odd that Askera didn't press further about just what this entity was, it's purpose, or really anything, if only out of curiosity. Instead, the researcher passed his turn on to Yu, who blinked in surprise.

Anything he wanted to know?

Yu lifted his left arm, looking down at his wrist. His forehead creased slightly as he gazed at the red threads tied around his wrist, almost like the poorly made friendship bracelet that was tucked away somewhere in the back of his dresser drawer in the real world.

"Yes, there is something I'd like to know," the man would finally say, looking up the entity. "What can you tell me about these threads?"

The man would lift his arm in front of his face, his right hand gently tugging on the makeshift bracelet. Some long stray lifted strands into the air, their ends jaggedly cut, fluttering gently, despite the lack of a breeze. Unbeknownst to Yu, the researcher across from him would not be able to see the bright scarlet band around his wrist. Nonetheless, the entity answered Yu as if it too could see these ephemeral threads.

"They are your fate," the entity replied, as if this was a fact known by all beings.

"My fate?" Yu repeated skeptically, almost scoffing.

"Yes. Your fate. That which ties you to people, places, events. Fate." The entity then turned to look towards Askera Question, raising a hand lazily and gesturing towards him. "Your threads, they are tied. This meeting, Fated."

Yu looked at the threads around his wrist again, and watched as a thin strand slowly faded into existence, crossing the room and through the ghostly entity to tie itself around the researcher's wrist. "Wait, you have one of these two? Why didn't I notice it before?" Yu asked, his eyes darting from the man's wrist to his face.

@Askera Question

 

[Askera Question]

"What are you referring to, Yugam-san? Are you able to see something out of the ordinary right now?" Askera... asked. According to his own account, it seemed as if Yugam was the only one able to take note of these threads of the two. It seems that, even if Yugam could see the newly born thread, Askera still had yet to be able to.

The hand of his that was tied by fate reached up to his breast pocket to take out a smoke. Yugam felt the barest of tensions between their arms as he pulled the string tauter while putting the cigarette into his mouth, and a few other times whilst he pulled out an implement to properly light it with.

"There seems to be something I'm unaware of. Keep the conversation up, Yugam-san," The researcher instructed. Frankly, while he was interested in the knowledge to be gained, he more-so prompted Yugam to continue in case that this was a personal event for the boy. Askera didn't want for him to miss up on an opportunity.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Per Aspera

Ad Astra

"You mean you can't see it?" Yu asked, a perturbed look on his face. Why was it that only he and this strange entity could see these threads? The small part of Yu's brain that responded to everything with sarcasm made note of the fact that this was sounding like some kind of shitty anime protagonist plot point, but the rest of his rational brain wanted to know why.

"Why can Askera not see the threads?" Yu asked, figuring that the summoned stranger might know the answer. Strangely, the entity did not deign to answer the man, ghostly eyes missing his.

"Okay then...Can you tell me why these threads are severed?" For a moment, it appeared that the entity would refuse to answer again. About to tell Askera that it might be time to dismiss the summon, it spoke, "Severed threads, severed Fates. One could not accept the life they granted." Without another word, the entity began to fade away, disappearing entirely.

"Uh...do you know what the hell we just spoke to?" Yu asked Askera after a few moments of silence.

@Askera Question

 

[Askera Question]

Instead of answering for a short time, Askera took the moment so as to detail as much as he could inside of his notes. He was flipping through several pages to write information where it was relevant. Only when he neatly stacked up the papers again, placing them on the relatively safe side desk, did he then turn back to his assistant to give a response.

"I do not. Would you like to summon him again to find out?"

...Such a suggestion would surely anger the spirit, wouldn't it? The idea felt so tempting, though... Was it not the dream of man to poke at the threads of fate from time to time?
Askera would not take no for an answer.

He alit the candles once more. Dark flame wreathed over sorrowful quicksilver that burned in the black light. Once more, the spirit arose from the center of the circle.

"...Why did you summon me once again?"

"Oh, I wanted to know your name. Do you have one? Also, do you have a family name?"

Destiny and her strings trembled, for Askera had begun to ask questions in earnest-just as Yugam had before expected the man to do.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Per Aspera

Ad Astra

"Uh, I dunno if that's the best idea, bo-" Yu hadn't even finished replying before Askera had already began to move towards the summoning circle and commencing with the ritual once more. Yu's jaw practically hit the floor, and his eyes went wide as he watched the man do what felt like flipping the bird at the cosmos, or the afterlife, whatever.

Evidently, the spirit felt similarly as it responded with indignation to the researcher, who proceeded to only ask it for it's name. Yu slapped his hand to his face, covering his eyes, in utter disbelief, quietly whispering under his breath, "If this thing starts haunting me, I'm blaming you."

"My name?" the creature repeated, narrowing it's eyes at the researcher. "I have no need of one. We do not separate the self from the whole such as you...Travelers. We are all singular and multitude."

Now that response caused Yu to peek between the cracks of his fingers. "Wait, what exactly are you?" Yu asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I am one of many," the creature responded. As if that was helpful or meaningful in anyways. Yu gave the researcher a deadpan look that said 'I give up, this is your rodeo now.'

@Askera Question

 

[Askera Question]

A long series of questioning ensued. This was a process that could not be described in mere text, save for that which was described in the fifth page of his dossier that he was writing. The entity would depart, assuring Askera that he would regret the entirely of what had just occurred.

The entity conveniently did not say the same of Yugam. Was he to be fearful or relieved about such a result?

"It appears that this experiment has come to a close. Thank you for your time, Yugam-san. You'll find your pay given to you as standard on the way out-you can speak to the same counter girl you've been talking to before. She's on shift-You're welcome."

...There was no way he had actually caused such a thing to come true. He was just taking credit for something he hadn't caused, just as he had when pouncing on the opportunity to question the spirit.

Was that so bad, though? It all came up well in the end when Askera was involved.

@Yugam