zerotohiro | Some Legends Are Told, Some Turn To Dust Or To Gold [CEREALIA INBOX]

Do you know where the tech shop is? Come down there and tell whoever's up front that you're looking for me. They'll direct you to my workshop.

No, but I can find it. Will the person up front be able to at least hear me?

[Seraph woes.]

[...shit.]

...right. Forgot about that part. Baymax will meet you at the door. That cool?

[At least Mikleo looks amused rather than offended.]

That's not a problem. I'll see you in a bit, then.

[The water seraph signs off and eventually finds the tech shop that Hiro mentioned. Mikleo raises his hand in greeting, smiling slightly when he sees the friendly robot waiting for him.]

Hi, Baymax. I hope things are going well for you. [And he's ready to follow him back to the teenage genius' workshop.]

[Baymax is patiently waiting and he can see Mikleo there, lifting a hand in a wave in response.]

Hello, Mikleo. Things are very tense. [And a scan...] It will be all right.

[Off they go to the workshop, Baymax waddling to lead the way before entering a small messy workspace. Hiro's at his desk typing on a laptop when he looks up and spots the pair. He can't see Mikleo, but he's looking in his general direction.]

Am I ever going to get a way to see you in person?

[Mikleo makes a sound of agreement with Baymax. It might not be right now, but things will turn out alright. At least, that's the hope he has.

Hiro gets a video call and he'll see a dryly amused expression on the seraph's face.]

Well, if I'm code, then you should be able to come up with something else that can allow you to perceive me, right? Just so you're aware, though, I don't even have a reflection. I'd have to concentrate on making it show.

[The mask, at least, is completely visible and looks like it's floating in Mikleo's hand. He holds it up to Hiro.]

You're going to have Baymax scan the blood?

[He sets the CereVice to hover so he can look at it and at the mask at the same time, grinning to himself.]

I might just have to treat you like a ghost. Maybe some infrared glasses or something, I'll figure it out. One project at a time though. [Especially when it's something that big.

He gets up then, walking the short distance to eyeball the mask.]

It's one of the things I'd like to try, yeah. When did it start bleeding?

[Mikleo sighs.]

You wouldn't be the first human to do that, and I highly doubt you'll be the last. Honestly.

[Still, he's not going to deny Hiro from figuring something like that out for the future. He thinks it'll be an interesting endeavor.

Mikleo shrugs at that.]

I dunno. I was gone for three days, so...mine might have started when I got back.

...wait you were gone for three days? When did you get back? Why didn't anyone say anything?

[Mikleo's expression softens into what looks like a hint of affection. He's touched that Hiro cares about him like that. A year ago, he never would've thought he'd have more than Sorey as a human friend. A few months ago, he didn't think it'd extend passed the handful he made through Sorey. Now...it's so refreshingly different.]

I came back a couple days ago. Sorey didn't say anything because he didn't want to worry anyone. Typical. If I'd been gone longer than he'd been, then he would've spoken up. Everyone else just respected his wishes.

That could have been really dangerous, guys. [Is he actually pouting? A little. He's worried, especially knowing now how many people have disappeared lately. It's a relief that Mikleo came back at all. He doesn't say anything else as he sets up some things on his computer (setting up a file, it looks like) as Baymax waddles to the mask.]

But I guess I can kinda get it. I've had people disappear for a couple of days here, too, and I didn't say anything. That's the same amount of time Sorey was gone too, isn't it?

You're preaching to the choir. [His tone's a little dry. He always worries about those things.]

Yeah. He figured that if I disappeared the same way he had, then I'd be back within the same amount of time. And, also like him, I experienced a progression of events in my world.

[Supposedly. Mikleo's interested to know how these people got that information in the first place.]

[There's a pause. Suddenly the mask is just a little less important as he openly stares at Mikleo for a moment.]

You mean several months. And it didn't feel like it was only three days when you came back, right? Did you have to go through the powerpoint all over again?

[Mikleo nods.]

Longer than that by three months, in my case. I might be the furthest along out of those from my world right now. And, yeah, I had to go through the PowerPoint and ViViD all over again. Very much like how I first came here, but the only difference is that I could log out immediately.

Which means they saved your data from before. Like sitting through the load screen of a video game but being able to activate your save file right away. What's the last thing you remember from your world?

[There's an unmistakable flash of pain that cuts across Mikleo's expression at the question. It's not an unexpected question, and yet....]

I....

[He has to talk about it, though. It's the only way he's going to be able to get used to living a long time without Sorey. At least it's temporary and not permanent like it would've been. So...Mikleo takes a deep breath.]

I was walking back with the others away from where Sorey's sleeping. [The water seraph knows that Hiro won't be satisfied with that answer, so he'll elaborate.] He's fused with Maotelus to purify him so that Maotelus' blessing can be restored to the continent. At the same time, Sorey's working to increase the humans' ability to naturally perceive seraphim, which means that all of his senses will be cut off. Until the purification is complete, he'll be asleep. The process could take centuries.

[That's…not good. He doesn't want to hurt his friend by asking questions but there's so much he suddenly doesn't understand. And if these things are related to why his mask is bleeding, he needs to know.

But it's hard to ignore the fact that his own expression is starting to appear disheartened. Sorey…this isn't what Sorey had told him at all.]

Mikleo…["Who's Maotelus?" He can guess he's a Hellion or something based on the context. He knows Sorey works to purify people and seraphs and protect the lands and that's why the seraphs hang out in his chest, but this is a new name. Maotelus. Maotelus…Maotelus' blessing. He must have been a seraph of some sort, though the whole continent? He was a Lord of the Land then that was destroying their world, maybe. He's silent through this whole process of leaps and bounds while he puzzles it out, and the fact that Sorey's fused with a seraph means…it's a weird form of armatization? He knows the Shepherd is powerful but…centuries?]

…what happens if he…[Even he's not callous enough to ask, though he's sure Mikleo knows where he's going with it. "What happens if he doesn't wake up?" He's taking a few slow, deep breaths to really let that sit.] Seraphs live for centuries, don't they? You told me that when we first met, that seraphs live for a long time and how their aging works. Sorey will be the same when he wakes up because he's part-seraph now or something right?

[Mikleo doesn't answer the unfinished question. He can't think about that. The seraph knows full well that doubts like that will only lead him down to the path of becoming a hellion. He never, ever wants Sorey to wake up to learn he became a dragon. It's a promise he's made to himself, one he's determined to keep.

He shakes his head.]

Not entirely. When it's all said and done, Sorey will most likely come out of it as a full fledged seraph. The human body simply won't last long enough. In fact...when he first became a Shepherd and tried to help Alisha hear us, he had to stop breathing in order to cut off his senses of smell and taste.

[The water seraph remembers telling Hiro about seraphic rebirth, so the teenager can tell how one thing will lead to another in rapid succession.

He pauses again before continuing.]

Sorey told me that he'd be doing this some time before that happened. I said that I'd wait for him, no matter how long it took.

[His eyes show steely determination to keep that promise to his friend. Sorey's more than worth the wait.]

[That's horrifying. This is all very much horrifying and he doesn't say anything else as he thinks about that. Right. Cutting off all senses and knowing what he knows about the longevity of the human body...]

...if he becomes a seraph...then the two of you can be together fore--a long time. ["Forever", he almost says.] He's safe, isn't he? While this is happening...he'll be safe. What'd Sorey say when you told him after you got back?

[Mikleo nods at that first part. Their parting won't be because of Sorey's human lifespan in that situation. Something he's grateful for, as saying goodbye to his best friend would've been the hardest thing he'd ever do in his life.]

He's safe, don't worry. I put a stronger seal on the entrances to Camlann—where he's sleeping.

[His free hand falls to rest on his hip.]

Sorey wasn't exactly surprised. He was just happy to see me back. [Mikleo shakes his head slightly, a tiny affectionate smile appearing without his knowing.] He never told me that would happen back home, but he's been taking this as an opportunity to have more time with us.

Good. [The word is sharp and quick and after that he seems to relax a little bit. Hearing that Sorey didn't tell them doesn't surprise him, but he smiles slightly even if it's a little crooked.]

Yeah. I think I know how he feels. …take all the time you can with him, dude. It'll be worth it even knowing what's going to happen when we get off this planet. [It's said without much thought and he looks away back at the mask.] Let's see what Baymax comes up with. I scanned someone else's mask earlier this week but it had fingerprints on it. This might yield different results.

[Mikleo agrees with the sentiment. It's best not to dwell on how neither of them might remember all that's happened here.]

Possibly. Just let me know what I need to do.

Just hold still and let Baymax do all the work. [Baymax waddles closer to scan the mask, getting used to this now. The results are soon displayed on Baymax's stomach and…it's still nothing.]

This is exactly what happened with Adelina's mask, too. And when you touch it the blood's not there, is it?

[So...then it must not be blood that's on the surface of the mask, at the very least. He nods at Hiro's question.]

Right. It doesn't feel like blood or even paint. It's almost like it's part of the mask itself.

Freaky, isn't it? [He chews on his lip in thought.] I know a couple of other people who have this mask, but...the correlation doesn't make sense when we throw you in the mix. It also doesn't make sense since others with similar situations didn't receive the same mask.

[Video]

[Video]

[Video]

[Video --> Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]