Holy High - IC 2 - Open

[Ranoria]

Sylvia pulls herself a bit father up the beach. "Most don't have the "like" and "love" difference figured out either. The difference doesn't matter past a point. You're not being weirder than any other person at any time is." Sylvia looks up at him. "Please come into the water, I can move better in there."

Tsuki frowns, and takes a few steps forward. "I... I don't really know... how to swim..." he mutters.

She stepped back, still smiling, separating herself from Xavier and Kyoko.
"I just want to hold her w moment longer..." Then she smirked, clenching the hand that was supporting the baby's head, and extending her claws, sinking them into her neck. Then she dumped Kyoko on the ground, breaking her baby bones.
"It's been so long since I've done that..."

And a sword, cold as ice, passes through her from shoulder to hip.

And it's been too long since I did that...

Lamashtu looks down at the blade, somewhat in disbelief. "Oh." She looks up at Genbu, then scowls and enters her terrifying true form after pulling herself off the blade. "Damn you all!" She blasts Genbu back with Hellfire, then bays, like a goat, "Now come!"

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Tsuki frowns, and takes a few steps forward. "I... I don't really know... how to swim..." he mutters.



And a sword, cold as ice, passes through her from shoulder to hip.

And it's been too long since I did that...

Lamashtu looks down at the blade, somewhat in disbelief. "Oh." She looks up at Genbu, then scowls and enters her terrifying true form after pulling herself off the blade. "Damn you all!" She blasts Genbu back with Hellfire, then bays, like a goat, "Now come!"

Demon... You face a God of the North. You have no chance.

And he disappeared into snow, then temperature dropping suddenly, below zero Fahrenheit. He reappears, in three different places, as if made of ice.

[Sunken Island of Rhinomuraena]

"Tsuki, it's shallow enough to stand right here. If you do fall in, I am strong enough to lift you out."

"Are you sure? I... I don't want to be a burden...." he says, looking at the water as if it were sentient.

And wanting to kill him.

Sylvia looks at him. "Did you offend a water spirit or something? I won't make you go into the water, but in high tide the land is completely covered with water. All of the cool stuff i've found here is under the water here, and I want to show you it."

[Luminesa]

Tsuki frowns, and takes a few steps forward. "I... I don't really know... how to swim..." he mutters.



And a sword, cold as ice, passes through her from shoulder to hip.

And it's been too long since I did that...

Lamashtu looks down at the blade, somewhat in disbelief. "Oh." She looks up at Genbu, then scowls and enters her terrifying true form after pulling herself off the blade. "Damn you all!" She blasts Genbu back with Hellfire, then bays, like a goat, "Now come!"

Xavier jumped in front of him and grabbed her neck.

"...So that's what you are, huh?...You know what God says to the goats?...BEGONE."

SNAP.

One swift movement of the wrist, and her neck was snapped in his hand.

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

"Are you sure? I... I don't want to be a burden...." he says, looking at the water as if it were sentient.

And wanting to kill him.

Sylvia looks at him. "Did you offend a water spirit or something? I won't make you go into the water, but in high tide the land is completely covered with water. All of the cool stuff i've found here is under the water here, and I want to show you it."

"Oh, okay..." Tsuki whispers, then seems to mutter something in another language and steps into the water.

[Ranoria]

Lamashtu looks down at the blade, somewhat in disbelief. "Oh." She looks up at Genbu, then scowls and enters her terrifying true form after pulling herself off the blade. "Damn you all!" She blasts Genbu back with Hellfire, then bays, like a goat, "Now come!"

Xavier jumped in front of him and grabbed her neck.

"...So that's what you are, huh?...You know what God says to the goats?...BEGONE."

SNAP.

One swift movement of the wrist, and her neck was snapped in his hand.

She laughed for a moment.
"It was worth...one...last...meal..." Her body goes slack, a blast of Hellfire blowing Xavier back and scorching his chest and arm.
Lamashtu was gone. And dead.

[The Dystopian Isles of Frisct]

I honestly don't know why he came to me, but he needed the Blade of Water to do what he did. Ryujin wishes to kill my special person. Now I don't know how old he is or the experience he has with relationships, but I've found someone extremely important to me since I was born fourteen billion years ago, and I intend to protect them if it costs me my life!

He stood up and breathed deeply, calming himself down.

Sorry. I'm getting too heated for no good reason right now.

He tended, realizing that he had all the truth he needed, now, and it was wicked. A terrible truth. "So you summoned a demon and told him to go kill Ryujin?! Is that what this is?!" he demanded. "Who is this chick and where did she go? I'm guessing you know where she's going, too, since you two are together now?!...Oh, wait...You two fused together, didn't you?" Because the two were now combined, he could sense Lamashtu's emotions as well as Frisct's.

Evil...

She's planning to kill...

To kill an innocent baby...

At Holy High...

...No...

He instantly drew his sword and rushed at Frisct. Pinning him by his neck to the wall, using his forearm, he held his sword right in his face.

"This girlfriend of yours is gonna try and kill Kyoko, isn't she?! That's why she left! I bet she was going to kill Ryujin's kid, too, huh?! Was she planning to kill Otohime?! Answer me!" he demanded roughly.

A shockwave came from Frisct, sending Patriah sprawling across the area. Frisct floated into the air, and his eyes turned black.

I think you need to realize where you are before I kill you. Also, you should really listen to other people's stories before you assault them on your thought up charges.

[Charlia]

Haruka simply stayed kneeling, weeping bitterly over Kyoko's body.

"Please... please wake up..." she wailed. "Don't leave me... Kyoko... Don't leave me... I love you... Please don't go..."

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Xavier jumped in front of him and grabbed her neck.

"...So that's what you are, huh?...You know what God says to the goats?...BEGONE."

SNAP.

One swift movement of the wrist, and her neck was snapped in his hand.

She laughed for a moment.
"It was worth...one...last...meal..." Her body goes slack, a blast of Hellfire blowing Xavier back and scorching his chest and arm.
Lamashtu was gone. And dead.

The temperature returns to what it was, and Genbu sets his blade back in it's sheath. "Damn it... I wanted to kill her..." he mutters, then watches Xavier as he obviously runs over to heal Kyoko.

[Sunken Island of Rhinomuraena]

"Hand it to me and let me test it." Letting her blood flow through the reed, Morrigan smiles. "It is the right reed. Take the leaf shell of the reed and eat it, but leave the reed itself there to grow." Handing the reed to Charlotte, Morrigan smiles. "I hope you heal quickly."

She smiled in return, and followed Morrigan's instructions.

Soon after she swallowed the shell, she felt a strange warmth inside her.

She was healing, slowly, the scarred, destroyed cells regenerating.

She felt... so strange...

She stiffened, exhaling deeply, a long stream of white escaping her lips, carrying the strange song in the forgotten tongue with it. Now, though, instead of sad, it was joyful.

Xavier would hear:

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!

To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Amen!

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.

Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for You have taken Your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding Your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear Your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.

Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed."

Speaking under the singers, however, were several frightened voices, crying out, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

And then a sharp voice cut across them all, silencing the singers and the screamers alike.

"Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth!" it called.

The light blackened, and coalesced into a scene, two people in a darkened room...

A thirteen-year-old Charlotte, an infinitesimal bump the only indicator of her condition, and Michael, the father of the child within her, a familiar vicious leer crossing his face.

He took a step towards her, and then another. She backed into the wall, trembling with fear, and he reached out, undoing the top button on her shirt, and then the next one--

"Wait!"

He stopped. Just for a moment--she hoped it would be enough.

"Michael... Please... don't do this. Not for my sake--"

"Then whose? Certainly not mine," he said sarcastically.

She closed her eyes tightly.

"Michael... I... I'm..."

"You're what? Scared?" He finished unbuttoning her shirt as she struggled to finish, and then removed it, reaching down to remove her skirt as well, and she finally finished, the fear galvanizing her to speak.

"Michael... I'm pregnant."

He stopped short.

"You're what?!"

The young girl nodded.

"If you can't be merciful for my sake--at least have mercy--for the sake of our baby..." she whispered, her voice small and quavering. "Nine months, Michael. That's all. Just nine months... let me alone for nine months, until your child is born... Please..."

He paused, gazing at her exposed stomach, taking in the evidence, and for a moment she found hope.

Then she felt a blow to her abdomen, and she fell to the floor, staring up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Michael... why..."

"If you're lying to me," he said cruelly, "then it doesn't matter, now does it? But if you are telling the truth..."

A sharp pain in her belly, a glint of steel. He--he had a knife?! Another blow, and she struggled to breathe.

No, she wanted to scream. Don't hurt my baby! Please, don't kill our child!

But she could barely even breathe, much less speak.

All she could do was lay there, bleeding and crying, as he moved in closer and the pain grew steadily worse until she knew there was no hope for the tiny child within her womb.

I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry...

She started to weep as the vision dissipated.

"My baby..." she whispered, bitter tears streaming down her face. "My poor baby... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you! I'm sorry I couldn't stop him, I'm sorry I couldn't save you, oh, my precious child... I'm so sorry... I failed..."

Morrigan hops closer to Charlotte. "I'm sorry for thine loss. I wish that I could heal your hurts, but I know that nothing will, that time will just smooth the edges of the ground around the pit. I would offer my soul to you if it could keep you from pain."

[Sunken Island of Rhinomuraena]

Sylvia looks at him. "Did you offend a water spirit or something? I won't make you go into the water, but in high tide the land is completely covered with water. All of the cool stuff i've found here is under the water here, and I want to show you it."

"Oh, okay..." Tsuki whispers, then seems to mutter something in another language and steps into the water.

Sylvia drags herself back into the water, moving much quicker than before. "There is a sunken temple here, built on this island before it fell into the depths. Can I show it to you?"

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

"Oh, okay..." Tsuki whispers, then seems to mutter something in another language and steps into the water.

Sylvia drags herself back into the water, moving much quicker than before. "There is a sunken temple here, built on this island before it fell into the depths. Can I show it to you?"

Tsuki bites his lip, looking into the depths of the water. "Uhm... can I breath down there?" he asks, very worried.

[Sunken Island of Rhinomuraena]

Sylvia drags herself back into the water, moving much quicker than before. "There is a sunken temple here, built on this island before it fell into the depths. Can I show it to you?"

Tsuki bites his lip, looking into the depths of the water. "Uhm... can I breath down there?" he asks, very worried.

"In the temple, yes. You will not be able to breath on the way down to the temple, but I can give you air as you swim."

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Tsuki bites his lip, looking into the depths of the water. "Uhm... can I breath down there?" he asks, very worried.

"In the temple, yes. You will not be able to breath on the way down to the temple, but I can give you air as you swim."

"Okay... Uhm... Let's go?" he says, unsure.

His clothes suddenly turn bright white and reform around him, becoming a swim suit.

[Luminesa]

Haruka simply stayed kneeling, weeping bitterly over Kyoko's body.

"Please... please wake up..." she wailed. "Don't leave me... Kyoko... Don't leave me... I love you... Please don't go..."

Xavier nodded thankfully to Genbu, as he reappeared, and he then ran to Kyoko's side. Cradling her, he held her to him. "Kyoko-tan...Please...wake-up..." He bowed his head and began to pray desperately to God, begging Him for the baby was now going to be his daughter.

As she laid in his arms, her body slowly became warm again, and she began to cry. "Ah...there we go...God didn't take her yet, Haruka-kun..." He held Kyoko close to him, pressing his cheek to hers as she came back to life. "That's right...Daddy's here, Kyoko-tan...I'm not going anywhere, I promise..." he whispered affectionately to her.

[Sunken Island of Rhinomuraena]

"In the temple, yes. You will not be able to breath on the way down to the temple, but I can give you air as you swim."

"Okay... Uhm... Let's go?" he says, unsure.

His clothes suddenly turn bright white and reform around him, becoming a swim suit.

"Follow me!" Diving into the water, Sylvia swims down to the temple, stopping occasionally to check on Tsuki. "Shrug if you need air at any time. It's a little while till we reach the temple."

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

"Okay... Uhm... Let's go?" he says, unsure.

His clothes suddenly turn bright white and reform around him, becoming a swim suit.

"Follow me!" Diving into the water, Sylvia swims down to the temple, stopping occasionally to check on Tsuki. "Shrug if you need air at any time. It's a little while till we reach the temple."

Tsuki shrugs immediately.

Swimming was harder work than he thought it would be, and so was holding his breath.

[Charlia]

Haruka simply stayed kneeling, weeping bitterly over Kyoko's body.

"Please... please wake up..." she wailed. "Don't leave me... Kyoko... Don't leave me... I love you... Please don't go..."

Xavier nodded thankfully to Genbu, as he reappeared, and he then ran to Kyoko's side. Cradling her, he held her to him. "Kyoko-tan...Please...wake-up..." He bowed his head and began to pray desperately to God, begging Him for the baby was now going to be his daughter.

As she laid in his arms, her body slowly became warm again, and she began to cry. "Ah...there we go...God didn't take her yet, Haruka-kun..." He held Kyoko close to him, pressing his cheek to hers as she came back to life. "That's right...Daddy's here, Kyoko-tan...I'm not going anywhere, I promise..." he whispered affectionately to her.

Kyoko turned slightly, and bit his finger.

She was definitely okay.

Haruka's tears continued, but now they were tears of joy and relief.

"Thank you... Thank you so much..."

[Sunken Island of Rhinomuraena]

"Follow me!" Diving into the water, Sylvia swims down to the temple, stopping occasionally to check on Tsuki. "Shrug if you need air at any time. It's a little while till we reach the temple."

Tsuki shrugs immediately.

Swimming was harder work than he thought it would be, and so was holding his breath.

Sylvia takes a reed from the seabed, putting one end into Tsuki's mouth and the other into hers. She blows air to Tsuki through the reed, fresh air.

[Luminesa]

She smiled in return, and followed Morrigan's instructions.

Soon after she swallowed the shell, she felt a strange warmth inside her.

She was healing, slowly, the scarred, destroyed cells regenerating.

She felt... so strange...

She stiffened, exhaling deeply, a long stream of white escaping her lips, carrying the strange song in the forgotten tongue with it. Now, though, instead of sad, it was joyful.

Xavier would hear:

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!

Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!

To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! Amen!

Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.

Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with His presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for You have taken Your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding Your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear Your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.

Great and amazing are Your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed."

Speaking under the singers, however, were several frightened voices, crying out, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

And then a sharp voice cut across them all, silencing the singers and the screamers alike.

"Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth!" it called.

The light blackened, and coalesced into a scene, two people in a darkened room...

A thirteen-year-old Charlotte, an infinitesimal bump the only indicator of her condition, and Michael, the father of the child within her, a familiar vicious leer crossing his face.

He took a step towards her, and then another. She backed into the wall, trembling with fear, and he reached out, undoing the top button on her shirt, and then the next one--

"Wait!"

He stopped. Just for a moment--she hoped it would be enough.

"Michael... Please... don't do this. Not for my sake--"

"Then whose? Certainly not mine," he said sarcastically.

She closed her eyes tightly.

"Michael... I... I'm..."

"You're what? Scared?" He finished unbuttoning her shirt as she struggled to finish, and then removed it, reaching down to remove her skirt as well, and she finally finished, the fear galvanizing her to speak.

"Michael... I'm pregnant."

He stopped short.

"You're what?!"

The young girl nodded.

"If you can't be merciful for my sake--at least have mercy--for the sake of our baby..." she whispered, her voice small and quavering. "Nine months, Michael. That's all. Just nine months... let me alone for nine months, until your child is born... Please..."

He paused, gazing at her exposed stomach, taking in the evidence, and for a moment she found hope.

Then she felt a blow to her abdomen, and she fell to the floor, staring up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Michael... why..."

"If you're lying to me," he said cruelly, "then it doesn't matter, now does it? But if you are telling the truth..."

A sharp pain in her belly, a glint of steel. He--he had a knife?! Another blow, and she struggled to breathe.

No, she wanted to scream. Don't hurt my baby! Please, don't kill our child!

But she could barely even breathe, much less speak.

All she could do was lay there, bleeding and crying, as he moved in closer and the pain grew steadily worse until she knew there was no hope for the tiny child within her womb.

I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry...

She started to weep as the vision dissipated.

"My baby..." she whispered, bitter tears streaming down her face. "My poor baby... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you! I'm sorry I couldn't stop him, I'm sorry I couldn't save you, oh, my precious child... I'm so sorry... I failed..."

Morrigan hops closer to Charlotte. "I'm sorry for thine loss. I wish that I could heal your hurts, but I know that nothing will, that time will just smooth the edges of the ground around the pit. I would offer my soul to you if it could keep you from pain."

Xavier hugged her as well, crying beside her. "...Charlotte...I'm so sorry...I wish I could take your hurt away too...I promise you, we're going to help you to heal..."

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Tsuki shrugs immediately.

Swimming was harder work than he thought it would be, and so was holding his breath.

Sylvia takes a reed from the seabed, putting one end into Tsuki's mouth and the other into hers. She blows air to Tsuki through the reed, fresh air.

Tsuki breaths in, and holds his breath, nodding his thanks.

If that's how works, maybe I can get her to kiss me again.

That's a weird thought.

Maybe I should stop thinking if that's going to come up often now...

He follows her without a shrug for a while.

[Sunken Island of Rhinomuraena]

Sylvia takes a reed from the seabed, putting one end into Tsuki's mouth and the other into hers. She blows air to Tsuki through the reed, fresh air.

Tsuki breaths in, and holds his breath, nodding his thanks.

If that's how works, maybe I can get her to kiss me again.

That's a weird thought.

Maybe I should stop thinking if that's going to come up often now...

He follows her without a shrug for a while.

Sylvia reaches the temple. "Just a little while to go from here! I promise you will like what I found inside!"

[Luminesa]

He tended, realizing that he had all the truth he needed, now, and it was wicked. A terrible truth. "So you summoned a demon and told him to go kill Ryujin?! Is that what this is?!" he demanded. "Who is this chick and where did she go? I'm guessing you know where she's going, too, since you two are together now?!...Oh, wait...You two fused together, didn't you?" Because the two were now combined, he could sense Lamashtu's emotions as well as Frisct's.

Evil...

She's planning to kill...

To kill an innocent baby...

At Holy High...

...No...

He instantly drew his sword and rushed at Frisct. Pinning him by his neck to the wall, using his forearm, he held his sword right in his face.

"This girlfriend of yours is gonna try and kill Kyoko, isn't she?! That's why she left! I bet she was going to kill Ryujin's kid, too, huh?! Was she planning to kill Otohime?! Answer me!" he demanded roughly.

A shockwave came from Frisct, sending Patriah sprawling across the area. Frisct floated into the air, and his eyes turned black.

I think you need to realize where you are before I kill you. Also, you should really listen to other people's stories before you assault them on your thought up charges.

"You're the one who needs to think a bit before he goes and falls for a murderous demon!" he shouted, as he got up. "Who the heck was she going to go kill, huh? Answer me that and tell me I'm not wrong for wanting to beat you to a pulp!" He held his sword ready, not afraid of his trickster opponent.

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Tsuki breaths in, and holds his breath, nodding his thanks.

If that's how works, maybe I can get her to kiss me again.

That's a weird thought.

Maybe I should stop thinking if that's going to come up often now...

He follows her without a shrug for a while.

Sylvia reaches the temple. "Just a little while to go from here! I promise you will like what I found inside!"

Tsuki nods, and starts speeding up a bit, not wanting to do the whole reed thing again because he might get... a thought again.

[Sunken Island of Rhinomuraena]

Sylvia reaches the temple. "Just a little while to go from here! I promise you will like what I found inside!"

Tsuki nods, and starts speeding up a bit, not wanting to do the whole reed thing again because he might get... a thought again.

Sylvia leads him into a tall room, with dark corals at the bottom, and a gleaming white room at the top. "There is air in the room."