05-12-2015, 06:20 AM
What a curious man, this Charles. An older gentleman, presumably human, didn’t look like much, but he vibrated a power so deep and so complex that she didn’t even have to concentrate to feel it buffet against her skin. He was right; his energy was definitely different than what she was used to. Maybe it was a quirk with this realm or there was more to this energy business than what she knew.
Could he really help her recover the memories of life before this reality? Would it even matter if she did suddenly relearn everything from her past? We are indeed a product of our past.It wasn’t much of a question anymore whether or not she should pursue his offer to help her regain those memories. They were already there, but they were clouded and it drove her up the wall trying to recall details but not being able to get past that barrier. Even if they weren’t the most pleasant, she had to know.
“Will it hurt?” Violet asked quietly.
“Physically? It shouldn’t,” Charles whirled his chair around, the suddenness of the movement forcing her to stumble back a few steps. “I try to be as gentle as I can, but some experience a little discomfort.”
“How exactly would you do it? I mean, you’re not putting your hands on me or anything, right?”
“I might have to touch your hands or head, but nothing invasive.”
“I don’t like the idea of someone fucking around in my head,” she clenched her hands at her sides, trying hard not to fidget or something else that would give her nervousness away. He would know anyways, wouldn’t he?
“You don’t have to do it, if you do not want to. I am not going to force you to do it if you’re uncomfortable.”
An out. He gave her one and all she had to do was say yes. “I have to. Maybe not for you, or anyone else but for me. I have to know.”
Charles smiled warmly up at her, grabbing her hand and giving it a quick, gentle squeeze. That one movement sent a spiral of electricity up her arm, then fizzled away as swiftly as it had happened. His expression fell, a sadness cloaking his face as if he saw something that broke his heart. Maybe he had.
“Why don’t we wait until tomorrow to do this? Enjoy the evening; nights like this come few and far between.”
“If we hold off, we might not get the chance later.”
“If we do this tonight, you will find no rest for some time,” he warned.
“I won’t have any regardless.”
Charles took a long, hard look at her. She wondered what he was thinking with such an intense gaze, or if he was already reading her mind. “Are you ready, then?”
Nodding, Violet swallowed a lump she didn’t realize she was holding. “I am.”
A moment later, she felt herself relax. Her body felt as if it were submerging in a pool of warm, warm water, inching slowly towards her core. Riding on that sensation, was something that felt like fur, just beneath her skin, sliding upward along her limbs and into her chest. It was strange, and she wanted to wrench herself away, but Charles held firm. She could only drop to her knees in front of him, eyes locked with his. The warmth and the furry sensation combined, moving upward along her neck and into her skull. “No…” she breathed. “Oh, Kami…”
Quickly, images fluttered before her eyes, and it was no longer Charles she was looking at. What once was icy blue eyes grew dark and beguiling. Black tufts of hair came into focus, straight and unruly as it jutted from his head. So familiar he was, his skin darkening as if kissed by the Sun, the scent just a memory but it made her think of home. It made her think of someone she cared about once upon a time. As soon as the name blinked into memory, the face faded away and replaced by another one, still just as familiar, and similar in their features. Where the other man’s hair was black as a moonless midnight sky, this younger man’s hair was lighter, taking on a cyan hue. His eyes were like her own, his face pocked with little freckles. Her son.
“Galen…” the name sprung to her as naturally as her own, and she reached out with her free hand to touch his face, a tear slipping from her eye and sliding down her pale cheek. When her fingertips made contact, the vision faded once again, and she was left cradling this stranger’s jaw. Jerking her hand away, she hastily apologized for her brazen caress.
“Don’t be,” he murmured, not only seeing her pain, but feeling it within himself. He let the power that flowed between them abate slightly. “We have to keep going. Are you well enough to continue?”
Vi smudged the wetness from her cheek and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
The warmth intensified until her vision went completely dark. It rocked her so thoroughly, she collapsed against his wheelchair, mouth agape in a silent scream. More images, more people, places and so much death fluttered before her. Throughout it all, so much power surged within her as she recalled lessons she had painstakingly learned through the years. The fog had lifted, and her past was laid bare. Charles flicked through the pages of her history with the interest of an adept student. “You will need to be retrained on much of this, I’m afraid.” He kept searching, the fingers of his psychic energy delving deep within her mind. “Ah…” he shifted himself in his chair as he leaned in a little closer. “A latent telepath yourself, I see. The ability has been damaged, however, but it is there. It shouldn’t be too difficult to repair. Time, patience, and a lot of practice should make it possible to relearn what you’ve lost quite easily.” He released her hand, and she fell backward against the edge of a coffee table.
She blinked up at him, suddenly feeling so exposed, but not able to determine how she should handle it. “S-should be cake,” she stumbled over her words like a frightened child. Memories from the past few decades randomly flickered before her eyes and faded just as quickly as they had come. It shook her deep to experience what amounted to an entire lifetime in the expanse of a few minutes. Charles was stronger than he let on, she noted. Strong, and perhaps very dangerous, if he chose to be.
“Before we begin redeveloping your skills, I believe it would be a good idea to get you started with some basic training.” Her host moved past her, towards the door that separated them from the reception area. He opened the door and motioned to someone outside of it. A piece of paper came into view, and thanking the messenger, he dismissed them, closing the door behind him. “It was a surprise to see you are already familiar with this tournament that has recently been advertising its events here.”
Confused, Violet tilted her head, eyebrow rising as she awaited further information. “Do you recall a ‘Dante’s Abyss’?”
Could he really help her recover the memories of life before this reality? Would it even matter if she did suddenly relearn everything from her past? We are indeed a product of our past.It wasn’t much of a question anymore whether or not she should pursue his offer to help her regain those memories. They were already there, but they were clouded and it drove her up the wall trying to recall details but not being able to get past that barrier. Even if they weren’t the most pleasant, she had to know.
“Will it hurt?” Violet asked quietly.
“Physically? It shouldn’t,” Charles whirled his chair around, the suddenness of the movement forcing her to stumble back a few steps. “I try to be as gentle as I can, but some experience a little discomfort.”
“How exactly would you do it? I mean, you’re not putting your hands on me or anything, right?”
“I might have to touch your hands or head, but nothing invasive.”
“I don’t like the idea of someone fucking around in my head,” she clenched her hands at her sides, trying hard not to fidget or something else that would give her nervousness away. He would know anyways, wouldn’t he?
“You don’t have to do it, if you do not want to. I am not going to force you to do it if you’re uncomfortable.”
An out. He gave her one and all she had to do was say yes. “I have to. Maybe not for you, or anyone else but for me. I have to know.”
Charles smiled warmly up at her, grabbing her hand and giving it a quick, gentle squeeze. That one movement sent a spiral of electricity up her arm, then fizzled away as swiftly as it had happened. His expression fell, a sadness cloaking his face as if he saw something that broke his heart. Maybe he had.
“Why don’t we wait until tomorrow to do this? Enjoy the evening; nights like this come few and far between.”
“If we hold off, we might not get the chance later.”
“If we do this tonight, you will find no rest for some time,” he warned.
“I won’t have any regardless.”
Charles took a long, hard look at her. She wondered what he was thinking with such an intense gaze, or if he was already reading her mind. “Are you ready, then?”
Nodding, Violet swallowed a lump she didn’t realize she was holding. “I am.”
A moment later, she felt herself relax. Her body felt as if it were submerging in a pool of warm, warm water, inching slowly towards her core. Riding on that sensation, was something that felt like fur, just beneath her skin, sliding upward along her limbs and into her chest. It was strange, and she wanted to wrench herself away, but Charles held firm. She could only drop to her knees in front of him, eyes locked with his. The warmth and the furry sensation combined, moving upward along her neck and into her skull. “No…” she breathed. “Oh, Kami…”
Quickly, images fluttered before her eyes, and it was no longer Charles she was looking at. What once was icy blue eyes grew dark and beguiling. Black tufts of hair came into focus, straight and unruly as it jutted from his head. So familiar he was, his skin darkening as if kissed by the Sun, the scent just a memory but it made her think of home. It made her think of someone she cared about once upon a time. As soon as the name blinked into memory, the face faded away and replaced by another one, still just as familiar, and similar in their features. Where the other man’s hair was black as a moonless midnight sky, this younger man’s hair was lighter, taking on a cyan hue. His eyes were like her own, his face pocked with little freckles. Her son.
“Galen…” the name sprung to her as naturally as her own, and she reached out with her free hand to touch his face, a tear slipping from her eye and sliding down her pale cheek. When her fingertips made contact, the vision faded once again, and she was left cradling this stranger’s jaw. Jerking her hand away, she hastily apologized for her brazen caress.
“Don’t be,” he murmured, not only seeing her pain, but feeling it within himself. He let the power that flowed between them abate slightly. “We have to keep going. Are you well enough to continue?”
Vi smudged the wetness from her cheek and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
The warmth intensified until her vision went completely dark. It rocked her so thoroughly, she collapsed against his wheelchair, mouth agape in a silent scream. More images, more people, places and so much death fluttered before her. Throughout it all, so much power surged within her as she recalled lessons she had painstakingly learned through the years. The fog had lifted, and her past was laid bare. Charles flicked through the pages of her history with the interest of an adept student. “You will need to be retrained on much of this, I’m afraid.” He kept searching, the fingers of his psychic energy delving deep within her mind. “Ah…” he shifted himself in his chair as he leaned in a little closer. “A latent telepath yourself, I see. The ability has been damaged, however, but it is there. It shouldn’t be too difficult to repair. Time, patience, and a lot of practice should make it possible to relearn what you’ve lost quite easily.” He released her hand, and she fell backward against the edge of a coffee table.
She blinked up at him, suddenly feeling so exposed, but not able to determine how she should handle it. “S-should be cake,” she stumbled over her words like a frightened child. Memories from the past few decades randomly flickered before her eyes and faded just as quickly as they had come. It shook her deep to experience what amounted to an entire lifetime in the expanse of a few minutes. Charles was stronger than he let on, she noted. Strong, and perhaps very dangerous, if he chose to be.
“Before we begin redeveloping your skills, I believe it would be a good idea to get you started with some basic training.” Her host moved past her, towards the door that separated them from the reception area. He opened the door and motioned to someone outside of it. A piece of paper came into view, and thanking the messenger, he dismissed them, closing the door behind him. “It was a surprise to see you are already familiar with this tournament that has recently been advertising its events here.”
Confused, Violet tilted her head, eyebrow rising as she awaited further information. “Do you recall a ‘Dante’s Abyss’?”
![[Image: visig2018.png]](http://epiqz.com/mysigs/visig2018.png)