Who told you so, dilly dilly, Who told you so? ‘Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, That told me so.
ouch is one of the most intimate, romantic ways to be close to someone else. The Town knows this very well -- the Town wants everyone to be as close as possible.
Perhaps that's why this bonding is so...aggressive.
Because you're in for quite the shock on this otherwise peaceful day when you brush against the next person on your path.
Maybe you're going out of your way to touch people. Maybe you've got a terrible urge to just see what's lurking in someone's heart. Maybe you trip over a conveniently placed rock -- whatever the cause, you're getting an up close and personal look into someone else's heart.
Welcome to Awash's eighteenth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs and posts for this event!
If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!
[ The tone of Luo Binghe's voice loses its friendly charm and comes out as biting hatred. ]
He lied to me. Every kind word was a lie as he prepared for the moment to betray me. [ He steps closer. ] He betrayed what little trust I had in this world. He gave me a piece of hope only to tear it away. He threw me down into the Endless Abyss and then lied to everyone about what he had done.
[ His posture adjusts to something more casual, something less threatening, even as violence is all but suffocating the air between them. ]
I am merely giving Shizun what he has earned. There is no hate that this disciple feels towards his old master, anymore. [ A warm smile. ] Isn't that why I keep him alive? I could have killed him at any time, but no... this disciple is not so cruel. This disciple will make sure he lives for many years and take good care of him.
There is no hate here anymore. And so... Shizun should be proud of what he has looked after, don't you think?
[ Keeping someone alive for-- who knows how long this has been going on-- only to torture them? That sounds like hate to her.
But whether or not it truly is... the man has taken a step towards her, which means that Pyra is going to be taking a step back. She can't exactly fight while holding what remains of Shen Qingqiu in her arms. ] If you're doing this to him... you're becoming someone who is far worse.
And what are you going to do with your ruined self, Shizun?
[ Annoyance flashes in his eyes at being told he is worst than the man -- thing -- in her arms. ]
Are you going to put yourself to rest? Isn't that a little too much? Staying alive is better, isn't it? Besides ... there is nowhere left for you to go. [ His smile is hollow and lacks even the fake friendliness of before. ]
The sects are all gone, like you didn't know. Your peak no longer exists. Burned. That is what your actions will cost you. You did this with your own selfish actions and hypocrisy! [ He spits out the last word. ] Everything that happened is your fault! Your brethren from the sect ... dead, because of you.
If you were going to betray me, you should have just been cruel!
[ Sects? Peak? She pauses for a moment as she begins to weave more parts of this story and his past together, and when she does... she seems all the more distraught.
It seems Shen Qingqiu will lose more than his limbs in his future; that probably hurts even more. ]
[ But... ] There's still time... to rebuild what was lost. [ She begins quietly, and then she looks up, adjusting Shen Qingqiu in her arms. ]
Immortality... it's a beautiful thing-- but not for this. [ Especially not for something so cruel. ] Because if you have all the time in the world to harm someone, that means you-- the both of you-- have all the time you need to mend the bond that was broken... to heal.
[ And then, she takes a step forward. ] Please. Let us pass-- [ A tremble betrays her voice. ] He's hurt, he needs... help.
Pyra has returned to the quiet, peaceful bamboo forest and the stone path. Her arms are empty, no longer holding the unfortunate thing that is left. The wind blows through the trees and it feels so warm, so bright. ]
〖 Welcome back!
Did you enjoy your journey to "your" future? Immortality is wonderful! Please continue your hard efforts. Though, there is very little that can be changed now! ( ･ὢ･ )
But looking to the future is nice! Very nice! It allows one to reflect on their past and present actions. Congratulations.
Unfortunately, no points were able to be gathered. We apologize for this inconvenience and reward 10 more points. Your current points are now 120!
We shall give you a few seconds to get used to the present and the weight of everything "you" have done! 〗
[ Once more cheerful hold music is played and will continue playing for, at least, a short while. ]
She's standing not in some dungeon, but back in the bamboo forest... Shen Qingqiu's body nowhere to be seen. Pyra gasps, looking around her at first as if she might have simply dropped him out of surprise or fright, but no--
That's right, it was just a "glimpse" of the future. So, so... there really could be more time? To prevent something like that from happening? ]
[ The hold music chases after her as she sprints down the path.
But it eventually fades away to hear voices. They seem to be carried by the wind. Yet each word turns the weather colder, so cold that she feels as though she is running through an ice storm.
But what words are they? Pyra's own. Telling him how kind he is, how generous, and how good a person that he seems to be.
A pop-up box appears in front of her but this time it doesn't seem like it is the System. ]
〖 Wrong. Wrong. It's all wrong. I did everything wrong. I wasn't able to do anything. I wasn't able to return anything. What I returned, what will be returned... 〗
[ The words hover for a little while before the screen breaks, fractures in the center, and vanishes. ]
[ Another box appears but with a cheerful chime. ]
〖 You've run very far from the start. Where are you going? The System is here to help and would like to assist you in what you are attempting to do. (≧∇≦)b 〗
Where is-- [ "Shen Qingqiu", is what she's about to say. But she's going to guess that this System or whatever it is is going to tell her that she is him, or as he is supposed to be.
So instead: ] ....Bring me to my disciple from before.
Indeed, within Shen Qingqiu's heart is all the wrongs that he has done to people rather than any of the good, he can only think of these things about himself -- and so the System brings her to his disciple.
Luo Binghe is not the adult she met but a teenager. His forehead is glowing bright red and he looks terrified of her as he stumbles back. The ground around them has splinted and fractured, underneath the broken earth is the Endless Abyss. ]
〖 Congratulations! We have found a place for you to gather points, too!
Luo Binghe is a half-demon. If he is not sent down to the Endless Abyss, punishments will be swift and without mercy.〗
[ It cheerfully repeats itself from the rules of before. ]
〖 What an easy win! The only choice before you is to betray your disciple and push him into the dark Abyss!
Your future has already been sealed. Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times. ｡^‿^｡〗
System or no system, she is not one to cause more harm, or at least try not to. And when someone looks as scared in front of her as Luo Binghe does-- even when just minutes ago she had seen the merciless way his older self treated Shen Qingqiu-- she can't help but want to reach out to him even if "punishment" is promised in return.
She doesn't know why the ground is cracking beneath their feet, who made it crack beneath their feet, or what it will take to get it to stop, but she knows that it looks dangerous enough.
Pyra reaches out to him, and if she can grab onto his hand, she'll pull him to her. ] --Hurry, we have to leave! It's dangerous here!
[ She doesn't know what she appears like to Luo Binghe right now, if he sees blood from where she-- or rather, Shen Qingqiu-- no longer has an arm. But to her, what lies below her skin and the illusion of a body is a matrix of... light and energy coursing within its cavity instead of where bones and blood might actually be.
...It still hurts, of course. That's how she was built, and the moment it's cleaved off she staggers to the side, crying out. ]
[ This system is something that is... wants her to follow a script. But she refuses to-- she doesn't want to follow it.
So she straightens. Straightens and smiles at him. ]
C--c'mon--....Luo Binghe, [ She says between pained, short breaths. ] It's dangerous here. [ She repeats, forcing herself take a step towards him. ] And... I don't want to see you hurt.
[ There is hope in his eyes as he reaches out to take her hand, but also tears. Of course, there would be tears. The hope in her words turns to upset. ]
Is this because of me?
[ The ground quakes beneath their feet and it seems -- the earth gives way as he falls but still holds onto her hand. Of course, he would.
More cheerful chimes beep. This time, it does not cleave her arm off, but rather has her start to lose sensation in her hand. So that the grip holding onto Luo Binghe's hand is weakening slowly, slowly. ]
〖 Punishment complete. There is only one option. 〗
[ Because this is his heart and the phantoms of everything does not want "him" to succeed. He's a villain. He's evil. He couldn't do anything but save himself instead of save someone he cared about, isn't that right? It's very right.
It is all set up for him to fail. For her to fail. And perhaps, this truth is slowly becoming more obvious. ]
[ It's in that moment that she believes she knows what Shen Qingqiu believes of his fate: that he is helpless, that he is subject to this future, that there is no way to to undo what has been done, to right the wrongs or attempt to repent for his transgressions-- or to even deign to ask for the privilege of forgiveness, much less ask for help from others to change what has already been dealt.
"There is only one option."
Shut up. ╭∩╮（＾ｖ＾）
That is a literal slap of her her (numb) hand flying through the prompt that appears before her, courtesy of Mythra, dismissing the very idea of this future herself as if it is a malleable thing to tamper with, a tool, a toy, her blade like a weaver's edge, a tantalizing taste of the "to be" in any tenaciously stated sentence, tempering with the pursuit of a truth that one might find in the terrible future.
--But they are only words, the loom remains lonely and lacking; they are only dismissive words directed towards some system she doesn't know is an actual program she might interfere or reset herself, not actual coding. Instead they are words meant for him, for Shen Qingqiu, or-- rather, whoever is posing as Shen Qingqiu in this moment-- as the System has suggested--, whether that be herself or the man she has met thus far. Either way, she rejects it outright despite the implied consequences: a hard 0 in the face of affirmative 1s.
Regardless if her words reach him, there is one thing she wishes to show him, or try to; one thing that she knows might help him, something she has learned to cherish and grow through her own interactions with others here: hope. A very strong hope that cannot be found in her own world, but through the bonds and inspiration founded and raised by meeting with those of different worlds and their unimaginable, incredible, uncanny circumstances. She knows they have not known each other long, so perhaps it is to drastic to suggest to Shen Qingqiu that he might change the future, or his past, or whatever it is he needs to change to ensure his future happiness outright.....
But for now, a compromise can be made against his belief that his future is set-- ]
--Luo Binghe...! [ She wills every nerve, every fiber of her her muscles that still remains directly below the superficial skin of her body's facade to contract, to throw for, to reach for the disciple before her who still stares at her in a complex amalgam of fear and despair and-- and the nascent budding of hate-- to take a hold of him and bring him to her, to grasp him and pull him to her, to embrace him and tuck his head into her shoulder. This poor young man-- no, this poor, poor child, so young, so innocent, so vulnerable, believing in a master that he has loved and trusted up into this point.... ] ...It will be alright.
[ She closes her eyes as the ground erupts around them in a fury.
Her compromise is thus: to not push him only into the Eternal Abyss, but to fall with him. Perhaps it's better this way, so that they might be together. Or perhaps not. She doesn't actually know, she doesn't have the full story; but she wants to believe, and she wants to bring that hope she has learned from others from across the worlds here to Shen Qingqiu. It exists, she wants him to see that it does, that it-- ]
It will be alright.... [ She tells him again, softly.
[ The confusion appears on the box! Also, equally surprised to see such a rude emoji chosen. All words on the boxes stop as soon as she begins to fall with him, to hold him close as they fall.
Around them, yes, the earth erupts and darkness surrounds them as they descend. Yet in that darkness, multiple pop-up boxes suddenly come to surround her -- blaring obnoxious alarms all the while. ]
〖 What about your other disciples? What about the Peak? What about the other Peak Lords? 〗
[ Indeed, the System does not like this loophole and is attempting to have her regret her decision by pointing out the mistake of it out. But it seems to understand the futility of attempting to have her feel guilt. Not when Luo Binghe holds close to her, not when he cries on her and his shoulders shudder, not when he is able to feel a little bit of hope.
Softly, with tears upsetting his words, he whispers: ]
Shizun didn't want to do it.
[ She does not crash into the ground. She does not reach the Endless Abyss with Luo Binghe either. Not really, anyway. Merely, she was falling head first into black nothing, but now she is standing on unseen ground surrounded by black nothing. ]
〖 Hidden scenario open. You have located where Shen Qingqiu is. Congratulations. 〗
[ Rather than fanfare and bright chimes, somehow the text and the voice -- though computerized and without emotion -- sound very upset. ]
〖 Shen Qingqiu is unrepentant, lying, manipulative, two-faced and scum. 〗
[ There is an explosion of more pop-up boxes to fill the black nothingness that just have the word "SCUM" on it. ]
〖 The only option is to kill him. Sally forth and kill the villain so others may have a happy ending! 〗
[ A bright chime as the "scum" pop-ups disappear. ]
〖 He did not choose what you chose. He did not make any grand decisions. He only ever hurt everyone around him and lied about it while smiling ELEGANTLY at the pain of others. He is irredeemable.
Sally forth and kill the villain. Or else, others will end up suffering. 〗
[ The pop-up fades and it is as the System told her, Shen Qingqiu is here. He walks through the darkness to stand before her. An unseen light illuminating them both. He looks far more tired than he ever has when he is before her. His smile is self-deprecating before he kneels in front of her. ]
You got hurt because of me. [ So he says as he looks to her arm. What the fuck? He supposes that explains how she was able to recover so quickly in the castle, but he isn't able to say much after that.
A soft ping. ]
〖 Due to your punishments, the System will help you. The villain will die on your command. (•‿•) 〗
[ Annoying-- these pop-up boxes are annoying. Do they ever go away? If this area has manifested because of Shen Qingqiu, is this what he has to deal with himself day in and day out? Mythra abhors it.
So what does Pyra do but continue to hold onto Luo Binghe as closely as she can despite-- or rather, because of the System's protests to abandon him.
It doesn't matter if who she's holding onto is a virtual stranger; this young man is weeping in her arms, frightened about how his world must have been completely upended in the span of minutes. She can sympathize with him, of having the sureness and stability of being among those one cares about, only to have everything go up in flames and lose it all the next second. She wants to be there for him-- and, she hopes, by being there for Luo Binghe in this critical, tumultuous moment also means that she is proving she can be there for Shen Qingqiu as well. ]
[ ...But then she's no longer holding onto Luo Binghe, there is no longer the threat of the abyss consuming her, and the disciple's last words to her are but a mere whisper on the outskirts of the void that now envelopes her. The weightlessness of falling slows and shifts, and then she feels her center of gravity completely flip, and suddenly she's upright and standing within a pitch black matrix of nothingness....
Pyra only is able to draw half a breath to regain her bearings, looking down at her empty hand where she had once been holding onto a scared young half-demon in hollow shock. Yet another prompt appears to her again. Grasping onto her injured arm, she frowns as more begin to manifest adding one set of insults after the other, all repeating one word in the end: scum, scum, scum... ]
[ When he finally stands before her, just how he appears is enough to make her forget about her own pain and confusion. Hope fills her at first, her eyes lighting up brightly as she sees him at last. She can hardly believe it. He's-- here, and he's whole, not bloodied, not broken; he has his arms, his legs-- and his tongue, his eyes.... Yet look how exhausted he seems. How harrowed, how defeated, how lost...
This is much, much worse than seeing only his torso hanging within that dungeon. Pyra's brow knits as she brings her remaining hand to cover her mouth as a gasp escapes her when he kneels. Her fingers remain there, also covering her bottom lip as it trembles. ] Shen Qingqiu....
[ The system is calling him a liar, an unrepentant and manipulative man, a two-faced and irredeemable villain; scum, scum, scum repeated like a holy mantra attempting to dispel the evil that is present. But she cannot reconcile those descriptions with the one she sees before her. Kneeling before her, as if he's already given up, awaiting her judgement-- like it is her right to give.
There are a couple different things she can do right now, she believes. She could try to take him herself and carry him to-- somewhere, she doesn't know, but anywhere but here, even if all that surrounds them is a void. She could try to pat him upon the head to reassure him. She could call him a fool for believing anything that this System is saying. She could call him weak for succumbing to it.
Instead, she drops to her knees to be on his level before she simply throws her one remaining arm over his shoulder to bring him to her. This embrace is tighter than how she had held Luo Binghe; this one is much more desperate, as if he might vanish at any point. ] --No.
[ She repeats again, this time more firmly despite the shuddering breath that accompanies it. ] What... What did I say before? [ She manages to whisper as she holds him, forcing a little bit of a smile. She won't be letting go, not yet, because frankly put the man looks as if he's in need of a hug-- that he has been in need of one for a very, very long time. ]
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ouch is one of the most intimate, romantic ways to be close to someone else. The Town knows this very well -- the Town wants everyone to be as close as possible.
no subject
[ The tone of Luo Binghe's voice loses its friendly charm and comes out as biting hatred. ]
He lied to me. Every kind word was a lie as he prepared for the moment to betray me. [ He steps closer. ] He betrayed what little trust I had in this world. He gave me a piece of hope only to tear it away. He threw me down into the Endless Abyss and then lied to everyone about what he had done.
[ His posture adjusts to something more casual, something less threatening, even as violence is all but suffocating the air between them. ]
I am merely giving Shizun what he has earned. There is no hate that this disciple feels towards his old master, anymore. [ A warm smile. ] Isn't that why I keep him alive? I could have killed him at any time, but no... this disciple is not so cruel. This disciple will make sure he lives for many years and take good care of him.
There is no hate here anymore. And so... Shizun should be proud of what he has looked after, don't you think?
no subject
But whether or not it truly is... the man has taken a step towards her, which means that Pyra is going to be taking a step back. She can't exactly fight while holding what remains of Shen Qingqiu in her arms. ] If you're doing this to him... you're becoming someone who is far worse.
[ She swallows. ]
Let us pass.
no subject
[ Annoyance flashes in his eyes at being told he is worst than the man -- thing -- in her arms. ]
Are you going to put yourself to rest? Isn't that a little too much? Staying alive is better, isn't it? Besides ... there is nowhere left for you to go. [ His smile is hollow and lacks even the fake friendliness of before. ]
The sects are all gone, like you didn't know. Your peak no longer exists. Burned. That is what your actions will cost you. You did this with your own selfish actions and hypocrisy! [ He spits out the last word. ] Everything that happened is your fault! Your brethren from the sect ... dead, because of you.
If you were going to betray me, you should have just been cruel!
1/2
It seems Shen Qingqiu will lose more than his limbs in his future; that probably hurts even more. ]
no subject
Immortality... it's a beautiful thing-- but not for this. [ Especially not for something so cruel. ] Because if you have all the time in the world to harm someone, that means you-- the both of you-- have all the time you need to mend the bond that was broken... to heal.
[ And then, she takes a step forward. ] Please. Let us pass-- [ A tremble betrays her voice. ] He's hurt, he needs... help.
1/2
[ The violence turns to outright killing intent. He steps forward, lashing out with his arm -- ]
no subject
Pyra has returned to the quiet, peaceful bamboo forest and the stone path. Her arms are empty, no longer holding the unfortunate thing that is left. The wind blows through the trees and it feels so warm, so bright. ]
〖 Welcome back!
Did you enjoy your journey to "your" future? Immortality is wonderful! Please continue your hard efforts. Though, there is very little that can be changed now! ( ･ὢ･ )
But looking to the future is nice! Very nice! It allows one to reflect on their past and present actions. Congratulations.
Unfortunately, no points were able to be gathered. We apologize for this inconvenience and reward 10 more points. Your current points are now 120!
We shall give you a few seconds to get used to the present and the weight of everything "you" have done! 〗
[ Once more cheerful hold music is played and will continue playing for, at least, a short while. ]
1/3
no subject
She's standing not in some dungeon, but back in the bamboo forest... Shen Qingqiu's body nowhere to be seen. Pyra gasps, looking around her at first as if she might have simply dropped him out of surprise or fright, but no--
That's right, it was just a "glimpse" of the future. So, so... there really could be more time? To prevent something like that from happening? ]
no subject
1/2
But it eventually fades away to hear voices. They seem to be carried by the wind. Yet each word turns the weather colder, so cold that she feels as though she is running through an ice storm.
But what words are they? Pyra's own. Telling him how kind he is, how generous, and how good a person that he seems to be.
A pop-up box appears in front of her but this time it doesn't seem like it is the System. ]
〖 Wrong. Wrong. It's all wrong. I did everything wrong. I wasn't able to do anything. I wasn't able to return anything. What I returned, what will be returned... 〗
[ The words hover for a little while before the screen breaks, fractures in the center, and vanishes. ]
no subject
〖 You've run very far from the start. Where are you going? The System is here to help and would like to assist you in what you are attempting to do. (≧∇≦)b 〗
no subject
Where is-- [ "Shen Qingqiu", is what she's about to say. But she's going to guess that this System or whatever it is is going to tell her that she is him, or as he is supposed to be.
So instead: ] ....Bring me to my disciple from before.
no subject
[ Does it understand?
The scene changes.
Indeed, within Shen Qingqiu's heart is all the wrongs that he has done to people rather than any of the good, he can only think of these things about himself -- and so the System brings her to his disciple.
Luo Binghe is not the adult she met but a teenager. His forehead is glowing bright red and he looks terrified of her as he stumbles back. The ground around them has splinted and fractured, underneath the broken earth is the Endless Abyss. ]
〖 Congratulations! We have found a place for you to gather points, too!
Luo Binghe is a half-demon. If he is not sent down to the Endless Abyss, punishments will be swift and without mercy.〗
[ It cheerfully repeats itself from the rules of before. ]
〖 What an easy win! The only choice before you is to betray your disciple and push him into the dark Abyss!
Your future has already been sealed. Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times. ｡^‿^｡〗
no subject
System or no system, she is not one to cause more harm, or at least try not to. And when someone looks as scared in front of her as Luo Binghe does-- even when just minutes ago she had seen the merciless way his older self treated Shen Qingqiu-- she can't help but want to reach out to him even if "punishment" is promised in return.
She doesn't know why the ground is cracking beneath their feet, who made it crack beneath their feet, or what it will take to get it to stop, but she knows that it looks dangerous enough.
Pyra reaches out to him, and if she can grab onto his hand, she'll pull him to her. ] --Hurry, we have to leave! It's dangerous here!
no subject
Warning sirens and the pop-up box appears with red font. ]
〖 Punishment complete. Loss of 60 points. There is only one option. There is only one option. There is only one. 〗
[ Luo Binghe turns pale at seeing the arm. He stands but the look of terror does not leave him. ]
Shizun, what happened?! [ He steps forward, panic obvious as he is not certain what he can do. ] Shizun, why did--?
〖 Please complete the task, or more punishment will be given. (◣_◢) 〗
1/2
...It still hurts, of course. That's how she was built, and the moment it's cleaved off she staggers to the side, crying out. ]
no subject
So she straightens. Straightens and smiles at him. ]
C--c'mon--....Luo Binghe, [ She says between pained, short breaths. ] It's dangerous here. [ She repeats, forcing herself take a step towards him. ] And... I don't want to see you hurt.
[ She won't give up! ]
no subject
Is this because of me?
[ The ground quakes beneath their feet and it seems -- the earth gives way as he falls but still holds onto her hand. Of course, he would.
More cheerful chimes beep. This time, it does not cleave her arm off, but rather has her start to lose sensation in her hand. So that the grip holding onto Luo Binghe's hand is weakening slowly, slowly. ]
〖 Punishment complete. There is only one option. 〗
[ Because this is his heart and the phantoms of everything does not want "him" to succeed. He's a villain. He's evil. He couldn't do anything but save himself instead of save someone he cared about, isn't that right? It's very right.
It is all set up for him to fail. For her to fail. And perhaps, this truth is slowly becoming more obvious. ]
no subject
"There is only one option."
Shut up. ╭∩╮（＾ｖ＾）
That is a literal slap of her her (numb) hand flying through the prompt that appears before her, courtesy of Mythra, dismissing the very idea of this future herself as if it is a malleable thing to tamper with, a tool, a toy, her blade like a weaver's edge, a tantalizing taste of the "to be" in any tenaciously stated sentence, tempering with the pursuit of a truth that one might find in the terrible future.
--But they are only words, the loom remains lonely and lacking; they are only dismissive words directed towards some system she doesn't know is an actual program she might interfere or reset herself, not actual coding. Instead they are words meant for him, for Shen Qingqiu, or-- rather, whoever is posing as Shen Qingqiu in this moment-- as the System has suggested--, whether that be herself or the man she has met thus far. Either way, she rejects it outright despite the implied consequences: a hard 0 in the face of affirmative 1s.
Regardless if her words reach him, there is one thing she wishes to show him, or try to; one thing that she knows might help him, something she has learned to cherish and grow through her own interactions with others here: hope. A very strong hope that cannot be found in her own world, but through the bonds and inspiration founded and raised by meeting with those of different worlds and their unimaginable, incredible, uncanny circumstances. She knows they have not known each other long, so perhaps it is to drastic to suggest to Shen Qingqiu that he might change the future, or his past, or whatever it is he needs to change to ensure his future happiness outright.....
But for now, a compromise can be made against his belief that his future is set-- ]
--Luo Binghe...! [ She wills every nerve, every fiber of her her muscles that still remains directly below the superficial skin of her body's facade to contract, to throw for, to reach for the disciple before her who still stares at her in a complex amalgam of fear and despair and-- and the nascent budding of hate-- to take a hold of him and bring him to her, to grasp him and pull him to her, to embrace him and tuck his head into her shoulder. This poor young man-- no, this poor, poor child, so young, so innocent, so vulnerable, believing in a master that he has loved and trusted up into this point.... ] ...It will be alright.
[ She closes her eyes as the ground erupts around them in a fury.
Her compromise is thus: to not push him only into the Eternal Abyss, but to fall with him. Perhaps it's better this way, so that they might be together. Or perhaps not. She doesn't actually know, she doesn't have the full story; but she wants to believe, and she wants to bring that hope she has learned from others from across the worlds here to Shen Qingqiu. It exists, she wants him to see that it does, that it-- ]
It will be alright.... [ She tells him again, softly.
And then, finally, more surely than before: ]
It will be.
no subject
[ The confusion appears on the box! Also, equally surprised to see such a rude emoji chosen. All words on the boxes stop as soon as she begins to fall with him, to hold him close as they fall.
Around them, yes, the earth erupts and darkness surrounds them as they descend. Yet in that darkness, multiple pop-up boxes suddenly come to surround her -- blaring obnoxious alarms all the while. ]
〖 What about your other disciples? What about the Peak? What about the other Peak Lords? 〗
[ Indeed, the System does not like this loophole and is attempting to have her regret her decision by pointing out the mistake of it out. But it seems to understand the futility of attempting to have her feel guilt. Not when Luo Binghe holds close to her, not when he cries on her and his shoulders shudder, not when he is able to feel a little bit of hope.
Softly, with tears upsetting his words, he whispers: ]
Shizun didn't want to do it.
[ She does not crash into the ground. She does not reach the Endless Abyss with Luo Binghe either. Not really, anyway. Merely, she was falling head first into black nothing, but now she is standing on unseen ground surrounded by black nothing. ]
〖 Hidden scenario open. You have located where Shen Qingqiu is. Congratulations. 〗
[ Rather than fanfare and bright chimes, somehow the text and the voice -- though computerized and without emotion -- sound very upset. ]
〖 Shen Qingqiu is unrepentant, lying, manipulative, two-faced and scum. 〗
[ There is an explosion of more pop-up boxes to fill the black nothingness that just have the word "SCUM" on it. ]
〖 The only option is to kill him. Sally forth and kill the villain so others may have a happy ending! 〗
[ A bright chime as the "scum" pop-ups disappear. ]
〖 He did not choose what you chose. He did not make any grand decisions. He only ever hurt everyone around him and lied about it while smiling ELEGANTLY at the pain of others. He is irredeemable.
Sally forth and kill the villain. Or else, others will end up suffering. 〗
[ The pop-up fades and it is as the System told her, Shen Qingqiu is here. He walks through the darkness to stand before her. An unseen light illuminating them both. He looks far more tired than he ever has when he is before her. His smile is self-deprecating before he kneels in front of her. ]
You got hurt because of me. [ So he says as he looks to her arm. What the fuck? He supposes that explains how she was able to recover so quickly in the castle, but he isn't able to say much after that.
A soft ping. ]
〖 Due to your punishments, the System will help you. The villain will die on your command. (•‿•) 〗
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So what does Pyra do but continue to hold onto Luo Binghe as closely as she can despite-- or rather, because of the System's protests to abandon him.
It doesn't matter if who she's holding onto is a virtual stranger; this young man is weeping in her arms, frightened about how his world must have been completely upended in the span of minutes. She can sympathize with him, of having the sureness and stability of being among those one cares about, only to have everything go up in flames and lose it all the next second. She wants to be there for him-- and, she hopes, by being there for Luo Binghe in this critical, tumultuous moment also means that she is proving she can be there for Shen Qingqiu as well. ]
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Pyra only is able to draw half a breath to regain her bearings, looking down at her empty hand where she had once been holding onto a scared young half-demon in hollow shock. Yet another prompt appears to her again. Grasping onto her injured arm, she frowns as more begin to manifest adding one set of insults after the other, all repeating one word in the end: scum, scum, scum... ]
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This is much, much worse than seeing only his torso hanging within that dungeon. Pyra's brow knits as she brings her remaining hand to cover her mouth as a gasp escapes her when he kneels. Her fingers remain there, also covering her bottom lip as it trembles. ] Shen Qingqiu....
[ The system is calling him a liar, an unrepentant and manipulative man, a two-faced and irredeemable villain; scum, scum, scum repeated like a holy mantra attempting to dispel the evil that is present. But she cannot reconcile those descriptions with the one she sees before her. Kneeling before her, as if he's already given up, awaiting her judgement-- like it is her right to give.
And then:
The villain will die on your command. (•‿•) ]
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[ Absolutely not.
There are a couple different things she can do right now, she believes. She could try to take him herself and carry him to-- somewhere, she doesn't know, but anywhere but here, even if all that surrounds them is a void. She could try to pat him upon the head to reassure him. She could call him a fool for believing anything that this System is saying. She could call him weak for succumbing to it.
Instead, she drops to her knees to be on his level before she simply throws her one remaining arm over his shoulder to bring him to her. This embrace is tighter than how she had held Luo Binghe; this one is much more desperate, as if he might vanish at any point. ] --No.
[ She repeats again, this time more firmly despite the shuddering breath that accompanies it. ] What... What did I say before? [ She manages to whisper as she holds him, forcing a little bit of a smile. She won't be letting go, not yet, because frankly put the man looks as if he's in need of a hug-- that he has been in need of one for a very, very long time. ]
This expression doesn't suit you.
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