05-09-2016, 05:18 PM
It had been an eventful evening prior to this, but now he stood at the precipice. Events would crumble into disaster at any moment, and Ace had no power to stop it. He just stood, watching a man with a gun take aim. He felt the barrel pressed against his chest, but with his hands tied to a cold, metal street lamp he could do naught to stop it. Foul words were spit at Ace in Japanese, but Ace responded only in English. "Fuck you." The barrel left his chest, only so his assailant could ram the butt of the shotgun against the side of Ace's head. The captor shouted at Ace, obviously demanding a response he could understand.
Ace could speak the language. He may not be a native speaker, but he knew enough to know what this was about. Submit or die. It was always the same demand. Submit or die. Submit and accept defeat in the final round to a mobster-child, or die and lose by default. It goes without saying which he would chose. He was not interested in the prize, but he had gained the honor as a warrior he desired since childhood. He could not give it up. Ace again responds with a royal F-bomb, before switching to a language his captor could understand. ["Kill me. I will never sacrifice my honor."]
The gun returned to his chest. A snapping sound just barely makes it to his captor's ears. He stands frozen, face shifting from dominance to fear. Was it...? No... couldn't be...
It was. With a quick flick of a bloody wrist, Ace swats the barrel of the gun to the side, just before the barrel ignites. His ears ring, but his free hand still strikes true, placing a well aimed open palm to his captor's chest. The Japanese man fell to the ground, clutching his chest as he gasps for breath. Ace kicks the gun away before walking to the unguarded door. "You should not underestimate me."
Alas, as Ace gathered his sword, improperly propped against the door frame, his next step towards the door is shrouded by darkness. He felt nothing around his head, so nothing had blinded him. Nothing had fallen over the narrow window shedding sunlight into the partially underground room - and even if something had, this was simply too dark. This was not a natural darkness.
Then it appears. Ace could not tell if the figure was male or female, just a silhouette in the darkness. He leaned more towards male as the figure spoke. “My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”
The entity known as "Omni" handed Ace a glimmering orb. He accepts the gift questioningly as Omni began the explanation. “This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most." Right now it would be fore more information - alas when he tries to ask a question, his voice did not make it past his lips. He was silent, listening to Omni as if this were all but a recording, playing back as it had countless times before and would continue for countless times more.
“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn."
“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”
Do not fear death? Though he had come to accept it long ago, the fact that it no longer mattered struck a cord. The image before him faded. The world brightened. It was not the same world he had left, not in the slightest. Everything was white, except for the fountain - which reminded him of the cobbelstone fountain he played in as a child back in America. Quaint, but irrelevant.
As Ace's wit returned to him, he feels the weight of his weapon in hand. It was properly sheathed again. His attire had changed - he was apparently in his uniform. The black silk felt comforting in this uncomfortable situation. His wrists were bandaged too. It feels as if he had just appeared before that strange entity, yet it seems several hours had passed. Ace, more confused than ever, simply sits where he had appeared.
"This is too much," he said, verbalizing the biggest obstacle in his mind. His eyes closed, his breath slowing. In his meditative state, he reflects upon Omni's instructions and advice. It was all so much to deal with, he had to refine his way of thinking. Deal with it one step at a time.
Omnilium. It appeared to be a magical essence. Whatever it really was, the way Omni described it, the material was omni-functional but not omni-potent. He would need more, like building blocks. No, he thought. Like Experience Points in a videogame. He could use this Omnilium - these "experience points" to empower himself in any manner he saw fit, even non-magically, he assumed. What would he do with it though? Use it now, or save it? Save it, he decides. Maybe someone else will give him a few good ideas on what potential this material really possesses.
Death. What would he do now that death was no problem? Was there a purpose to being a hero? Unless not everyone is capable of this "respawning" trait. Omni had said there were others like Ace, but not all others are like Ace. This was but speculation, and he feared it was quite unfounded. Not worth investigating, but for the moment it was not the most troubling of matters.
That last bit Omni spoke of - watching and waiting... it baffled Ace. Waiting for what? Was Ace supposed to do something? He took an exceptionally deep breath, breaking his rhythm. "Fuck..." His shoulders slump as did his head. So many other things flooded his head it was overwhelming.
Ace could speak the language. He may not be a native speaker, but he knew enough to know what this was about. Submit or die. It was always the same demand. Submit or die. Submit and accept defeat in the final round to a mobster-child, or die and lose by default. It goes without saying which he would chose. He was not interested in the prize, but he had gained the honor as a warrior he desired since childhood. He could not give it up. Ace again responds with a royal F-bomb, before switching to a language his captor could understand. ["Kill me. I will never sacrifice my honor."]
The gun returned to his chest. A snapping sound just barely makes it to his captor's ears. He stands frozen, face shifting from dominance to fear. Was it...? No... couldn't be...
It was. With a quick flick of a bloody wrist, Ace swats the barrel of the gun to the side, just before the barrel ignites. His ears ring, but his free hand still strikes true, placing a well aimed open palm to his captor's chest. The Japanese man fell to the ground, clutching his chest as he gasps for breath. Ace kicks the gun away before walking to the unguarded door. "You should not underestimate me."
Alas, as Ace gathered his sword, improperly propped against the door frame, his next step towards the door is shrouded by darkness. He felt nothing around his head, so nothing had blinded him. Nothing had fallen over the narrow window shedding sunlight into the partially underground room - and even if something had, this was simply too dark. This was not a natural darkness.
Then it appears. Ace could not tell if the figure was male or female, just a silhouette in the darkness. He leaned more towards male as the figure spoke. “My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”
The entity known as "Omni" handed Ace a glimmering orb. He accepts the gift questioningly as Omni began the explanation. “This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most." Right now it would be fore more information - alas when he tries to ask a question, his voice did not make it past his lips. He was silent, listening to Omni as if this were all but a recording, playing back as it had countless times before and would continue for countless times more.
“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn."
“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”
Do not fear death? Though he had come to accept it long ago, the fact that it no longer mattered struck a cord. The image before him faded. The world brightened. It was not the same world he had left, not in the slightest. Everything was white, except for the fountain - which reminded him of the cobbelstone fountain he played in as a child back in America. Quaint, but irrelevant.
As Ace's wit returned to him, he feels the weight of his weapon in hand. It was properly sheathed again. His attire had changed - he was apparently in his uniform. The black silk felt comforting in this uncomfortable situation. His wrists were bandaged too. It feels as if he had just appeared before that strange entity, yet it seems several hours had passed. Ace, more confused than ever, simply sits where he had appeared.
"This is too much," he said, verbalizing the biggest obstacle in his mind. His eyes closed, his breath slowing. In his meditative state, he reflects upon Omni's instructions and advice. It was all so much to deal with, he had to refine his way of thinking. Deal with it one step at a time.
Omnilium. It appeared to be a magical essence. Whatever it really was, the way Omni described it, the material was omni-functional but not omni-potent. He would need more, like building blocks. No, he thought. Like Experience Points in a videogame. He could use this Omnilium - these "experience points" to empower himself in any manner he saw fit, even non-magically, he assumed. What would he do with it though? Use it now, or save it? Save it, he decides. Maybe someone else will give him a few good ideas on what potential this material really possesses.
Death. What would he do now that death was no problem? Was there a purpose to being a hero? Unless not everyone is capable of this "respawning" trait. Omni had said there were others like Ace, but not all others are like Ace. This was but speculation, and he feared it was quite unfounded. Not worth investigating, but for the moment it was not the most troubling of matters.
That last bit Omni spoke of - watching and waiting... it baffled Ace. Waiting for what? Was Ace supposed to do something? He took an exceptionally deep breath, breaking his rhythm. "Fuck..." His shoulders slump as did his head. So many other things flooded his head it was overwhelming.
