06-08-2015, 08:06 PM
[TWO DAYS AFTER THE EXTRACTION OF DR. GEARS]
Dr. McNinja ran down the dusty path lacing through the neon green grass of Ereve. Ancient columns grew upwards, like marble trees. As he raced along, he saw many more of the bird humanoids with dog snouts that he had seen before. Many stared at him as he raced along. Some muttered. One jeered at him. Dr. McNinja couldn’t figure out why.
When Doc finally arrived at the Seat of Shinsoo, all of the Head Knights were already there in a circle around Empress Cygnus. There was a hell of a crowd surrounding them, sitting in bleachers. They were also bird-people, but donned in elegant and embellished armor. Neinheart was near the archway that lead to the huge dome, ready to greet our hero.
Cygnus somehow looked powerful, almost sacred. She clearly hadn’t done anything since the fight, but the young ruler had donned a necklace marked by a large, cyan diamond in the shape of an oval. It was beautiful, and indefinable, literally. The shape seemed to mutate from oval to square to diamond to triangle. The colors seemed to leak out of the gem, and its reflective light waved like seaweed in clear waters.
Neinheart caught Doc’s eye and smiled. “Hello, doctor. I assume you’ve had a full recovery?”
“Uh…” Doc stretched his shoulders. “You can say that. Those potions of yours are quite good.”
“Thank you.”
“Even if they’re quack doctor medicine,” Doc thought to himself silently.
He followed Neinheart. Approaching the circle, Doc waved to the Knights. All but Eckhart acknowledged his presence. Doc looked at Mihile, mouthing, “Still pissed?”, to which Eckhart interrupted, “Yes.”
“Eckhart, be still,” Cygnus snapped, “It is time for the doctor to be knighted.”
Eckhart grumbled, but soon enough he was as still as a statue again. Cygnus cleared her throat.
“Right,” she said, “Doctor McNinja. Please enter the circle.”
The physician nodded and solemnly stepped into the ring. There was a sharp beam of light from the Empress’ necklace that seemed to cut the sky in half.
“Whoa,” Doc mumbled.
“Skaia, the conscience of Shinsoo, who is the steed of our Goddess, has declared you as worthy. Ereve celebrates your coming and shelters your passing. May your successes be the flowers of Ereve, and may your failures be the seeds that they grow from. I, the elected Empress of Ereve, hereby declare that you, Dr. McNinja, are fit to be a servant of the Maple World. May the righteousness of the Goddess guide your blade, Cygnus Knight!”
The crowds cheered, throwing confetti into the air as a golden column of light erupted from where Dr. McNinja was standing. From each of the Head Knights, small multi-colored orbs hovered and materialized, revealing themselves, and somehow, Dr. McNinja knew that they had always been there, watching, knowing, guiding, for no logical reason other than to play. These children spirits illuminated the column even more, coursing massive light through the ground. Now the light seemed to illuminate Doc’s very insides, shining every bone, muscle, veins. It echoed through his entire nervous system, coating it with sanctity. The five spirits danced around Dr. McNinja, and a woman composed entirely of golden light descended from the skies. For one, brief moment, Doc saw the truth of the universe, and that it was beyond understanding. The woman smiled and lifted her hand, and blessed him. For her, it must have been an effortless triviality, but for the poor man standing there, it had burned every moment of consciousness, manipulated physics entirely within him, and this mortal, for a moment, was powerful beyond imagination. For one shining moment, Dr. McNinja was beyond the universe, beyond logic, and above the cosmos; he had transcended from reality itself.
And then it was gone.
All that was left was one of the spirits that had been dancing. It glistened dark purple, and black steam rolled up the sides of the orb. It had two horns that jutted out from its top, and Dr. McNinja felt nothing but sheer responsibility. He had a duty. The deeds that needed to be done, the deeds that others were afraid or morally conflicted to carry out, were the deeds that he was born for.
And the spirit saw it.
Dr. McNinja’s soul seemed to leave his body and he and the spirit danced in an instant of time, and they felt a love for each other that was beyond anything humanly comprehensible; it was erotic and platonic, it was devotion and hatred, disgust and respect, in one ballad of knowledge.
The high he felt ended. The spirit was no longer visible. Doc felt himself again. Dazed, he stumbled a little before Hawkeye held him by the arm, supporting him. The physician gasped for breath. He no longer could remember the… the orgiastic feeling of… of beyondness. He could only remember that they happened.
And in the fullness that followed, Doc realized that the feeling of transcendence felt… hollow. It was insubstantial. Somehow, that was okay, because the existence he led during that moment of transcendence was something… superior to existence.
Doc looked at the other five. It was now he noticed that the crowd was gone. But that was… insignificant.
“I saw things-” he spluttered, “Things beyond… It was more than… It was nothing, and more than everything… I can’t… I can't explain it, but it was so... so big...”
“Aye, matey,” Hawkeye grinned, a look of melancholy on his visage, “We all felt it, too.”
Doc could only childishly respond, “Really?”
Everyone nodded. Irena slowly replied, enunciating each letter, “A long time ago.”
“You’ll want to sit with what happened for a bit,” Neinheart added, “It can be quite traumatic.”
“What was that, though?” Dr. McNinja gasped. He hadn’t noticed that he was crying.
Neinheart sighed, then answered, “We have no idea. But it’s been happening for a while. Our best guess? Something so powerful, something that can make us understand things that we were never meant to understand?”
“A goddess.”
Neinheart nodded. “A goddess.”
Dr. McNinja took one last breath, then sighed. The world had stopped spinning. He smiled at Hawkeye and said, “I’m okay.”
“Yer in need of some shore leave, matey,” Hawkeye insisted.
“Okay, now you’re just trying too hard with the pirate talk,” Doc mumbled, “And I’m fine. Just tell me what happens now.”
The others shuffled uncomfortably. Eckhart was glaring at Doc the whole time, unmoving. Neinheart cleared his throat and replied, “Well, the five spirits you saw… One of them chooses you as an apprentice of their arts. You… probably shared a moment with them.”
“Yeah. It was like a- Like a-”
“A dance?” Mihile added helpfully.
“Yeah,” Doc paused, “Exactly. Like a dance. With the purple spirit. Is that important?”
“Well,” Neinheart shuffled again, “you study under the Head Knight of the spirit that chooses you. Do you remember which person the purple spirit came from?”
Doc thought back to moments before the Goddess (ugh, he thought, magic) arrived. The five spirits… The red one from Oz, a green one from Irena, a blue one from Hawkeye, a yellow one from Mihile. Which means the purple one was from…
Neinheart saw the realization dawn on Dr. McNinja. Even though he could only see the eyes, the instant change to horror and disappointment was very clear.
Eckhart glared at Dr. McNinja.
Dr. McNinja glared back.
“Congratulations,” Neinheart lied, then proclaimed weakly, “You’re a Night Walker.”
Dr. McNinja ran down the dusty path lacing through the neon green grass of Ereve. Ancient columns grew upwards, like marble trees. As he raced along, he saw many more of the bird humanoids with dog snouts that he had seen before. Many stared at him as he raced along. Some muttered. One jeered at him. Dr. McNinja couldn’t figure out why.
When Doc finally arrived at the Seat of Shinsoo, all of the Head Knights were already there in a circle around Empress Cygnus. There was a hell of a crowd surrounding them, sitting in bleachers. They were also bird-people, but donned in elegant and embellished armor. Neinheart was near the archway that lead to the huge dome, ready to greet our hero.
Cygnus somehow looked powerful, almost sacred. She clearly hadn’t done anything since the fight, but the young ruler had donned a necklace marked by a large, cyan diamond in the shape of an oval. It was beautiful, and indefinable, literally. The shape seemed to mutate from oval to square to diamond to triangle. The colors seemed to leak out of the gem, and its reflective light waved like seaweed in clear waters.
Neinheart caught Doc’s eye and smiled. “Hello, doctor. I assume you’ve had a full recovery?”
“Uh…” Doc stretched his shoulders. “You can say that. Those potions of yours are quite good.”
“Thank you.”
“Even if they’re quack doctor medicine,” Doc thought to himself silently.
He followed Neinheart. Approaching the circle, Doc waved to the Knights. All but Eckhart acknowledged his presence. Doc looked at Mihile, mouthing, “Still pissed?”, to which Eckhart interrupted, “Yes.”
“Eckhart, be still,” Cygnus snapped, “It is time for the doctor to be knighted.”
Eckhart grumbled, but soon enough he was as still as a statue again. Cygnus cleared her throat.
“Right,” she said, “Doctor McNinja. Please enter the circle.”
The physician nodded and solemnly stepped into the ring. There was a sharp beam of light from the Empress’ necklace that seemed to cut the sky in half.
“Whoa,” Doc mumbled.
“Skaia, the conscience of Shinsoo, who is the steed of our Goddess, has declared you as worthy. Ereve celebrates your coming and shelters your passing. May your successes be the flowers of Ereve, and may your failures be the seeds that they grow from. I, the elected Empress of Ereve, hereby declare that you, Dr. McNinja, are fit to be a servant of the Maple World. May the righteousness of the Goddess guide your blade, Cygnus Knight!”
The crowds cheered, throwing confetti into the air as a golden column of light erupted from where Dr. McNinja was standing. From each of the Head Knights, small multi-colored orbs hovered and materialized, revealing themselves, and somehow, Dr. McNinja knew that they had always been there, watching, knowing, guiding, for no logical reason other than to play. These children spirits illuminated the column even more, coursing massive light through the ground. Now the light seemed to illuminate Doc’s very insides, shining every bone, muscle, veins. It echoed through his entire nervous system, coating it with sanctity. The five spirits danced around Dr. McNinja, and a woman composed entirely of golden light descended from the skies. For one, brief moment, Doc saw the truth of the universe, and that it was beyond understanding. The woman smiled and lifted her hand, and blessed him. For her, it must have been an effortless triviality, but for the poor man standing there, it had burned every moment of consciousness, manipulated physics entirely within him, and this mortal, for a moment, was powerful beyond imagination. For one shining moment, Dr. McNinja was beyond the universe, beyond logic, and above the cosmos; he had transcended from reality itself.
And then it was gone.
All that was left was one of the spirits that had been dancing. It glistened dark purple, and black steam rolled up the sides of the orb. It had two horns that jutted out from its top, and Dr. McNinja felt nothing but sheer responsibility. He had a duty. The deeds that needed to be done, the deeds that others were afraid or morally conflicted to carry out, were the deeds that he was born for.
And the spirit saw it.
Dr. McNinja’s soul seemed to leave his body and he and the spirit danced in an instant of time, and they felt a love for each other that was beyond anything humanly comprehensible; it was erotic and platonic, it was devotion and hatred, disgust and respect, in one ballad of knowledge.
The high he felt ended. The spirit was no longer visible. Doc felt himself again. Dazed, he stumbled a little before Hawkeye held him by the arm, supporting him. The physician gasped for breath. He no longer could remember the… the orgiastic feeling of… of beyondness. He could only remember that they happened.
And in the fullness that followed, Doc realized that the feeling of transcendence felt… hollow. It was insubstantial. Somehow, that was okay, because the existence he led during that moment of transcendence was something… superior to existence.
Doc looked at the other five. It was now he noticed that the crowd was gone. But that was… insignificant.
“I saw things-” he spluttered, “Things beyond… It was more than… It was nothing, and more than everything… I can’t… I can't explain it, but it was so... so big...”
“Aye, matey,” Hawkeye grinned, a look of melancholy on his visage, “We all felt it, too.”
Doc could only childishly respond, “Really?”
Everyone nodded. Irena slowly replied, enunciating each letter, “A long time ago.”
“You’ll want to sit with what happened for a bit,” Neinheart added, “It can be quite traumatic.”
“What was that, though?” Dr. McNinja gasped. He hadn’t noticed that he was crying.
Neinheart sighed, then answered, “We have no idea. But it’s been happening for a while. Our best guess? Something so powerful, something that can make us understand things that we were never meant to understand?”
“A goddess.”
Neinheart nodded. “A goddess.”
Dr. McNinja took one last breath, then sighed. The world had stopped spinning. He smiled at Hawkeye and said, “I’m okay.”
“Yer in need of some shore leave, matey,” Hawkeye insisted.
“Okay, now you’re just trying too hard with the pirate talk,” Doc mumbled, “And I’m fine. Just tell me what happens now.”
The others shuffled uncomfortably. Eckhart was glaring at Doc the whole time, unmoving. Neinheart cleared his throat and replied, “Well, the five spirits you saw… One of them chooses you as an apprentice of their arts. You… probably shared a moment with them.”
“Yeah. It was like a- Like a-”
“A dance?” Mihile added helpfully.
“Yeah,” Doc paused, “Exactly. Like a dance. With the purple spirit. Is that important?”
“Well,” Neinheart shuffled again, “you study under the Head Knight of the spirit that chooses you. Do you remember which person the purple spirit came from?”
Doc thought back to moments before the Goddess (ugh, he thought, magic) arrived. The five spirits… The red one from Oz, a green one from Irena, a blue one from Hawkeye, a yellow one from Mihile. Which means the purple one was from…
Neinheart saw the realization dawn on Dr. McNinja. Even though he could only see the eyes, the instant change to horror and disappointment was very clear.
Eckhart glared at Dr. McNinja.
Dr. McNinja glared back.
“Congratulations,” Neinheart lied, then proclaimed weakly, “You’re a Night Walker.”
![[Image: 665000_mcninja_by_cavenglok-dch0qt5.jpg]](https://orig00.deviantart.net/3590/f/2018/193/c/8/665000_mcninja_by_cavenglok-dch0qt5.jpg)
Odd hours. Call for appointment.