[DREAM] Rising Sun - May 20th 2025

[bufudine]

[The dream begins with Serph, Heat, Argilla, Gale, and Cielo near the top of a tower with a spiral staircase leading to its peak. Swirling around them are what looks to be clouds, or snow, though on closer inspection, the particles seem to be... hexagonal shaped. Oddly artificial.

But after a shudder that shakes the entire tower, the swirling clouds disintegrate, clearing the sky so they can see the world tens of thousands of feet below them. There are clusters of buildings in five distinct territories, a massive crack in the ground, as well as other buildings scattered across the land between. The lights on the buildings are the only signs of life from this height; there are no clusters of trees or greenery on this land, only barren grey wasteland. But as Serph watches, the world is... deleted, starting from the edge of the world and rapidly advancing inwards. Everything disappears from the outside, rapidly advancing towards the very tower he stands on, leaving nothing but void in its wake.

Argilla's voice pierces the scene, but it's like it's coming through a thick fog, as if Serph is barely aware of it. "No... The Junkyard is... disappearing! Our comrades are still down there!"





When Serph wakes, his eyes snap open into alertness. He doesn't say anything; he just... rubs tiredly at his face and stares at the ceiling.]

[ooc: Let me know if you're interacting with Serph in the dream, or with Serph afterwards in the subject line!]

Comments

interacting o7

[contemptibility]

[Remembering the last time Vatheon transported them into another world, Tiir is rather wary as he walks through this one. Its appearance does nothing to help sooth his nerves either, for that matter.

He relaxes slightly when he sees the others, though—at the very least, it's always a comfort to see his friends.]

Ah...

[bufudine]

[At the odd presence, Serph's attention immediately goes to Tiir, eyes narrowing and tattoo glowing, ready for a fight to the death. But it does not seem like this stranger is aggressive like all the other demons in the Temple.]

Who are you?

[There's a niggling feeling of familiarity, but he cannot place where. But this black haired man looks nothing like anyone from the Junkyard... is he another person related to Sera?]

[contemptibility]

[Tiir takes note of Serph's change, though his own posture doesn't appear to change—still somewhat tense at being in a foreign place, but more relaxed than one would expect it to be. Of course, though, it belies how alert he actually is.]

... Do you not recognize me?

[bufudine]

[Serph would definitely recognise someone as distinctly different as this guy, but he both does and doesn't. This guy looks so different from the Junkyard, so his first thought is that he may be Angel. But the voice is so different from the one he heard during that meeting.

His eyes narrow.]

Do you serve Angel?

[contemptibility]

[He tilts his head.]

Angel? Who?

... Ah, well, I suppose the answer is no, then, as I don't know whom you're referring to.

[bufudine]

[It's not an answer Serph particularly likes. He'd just dealt with people who were not affiliated with Angel but wished to kill him. He had little patience to deal with more.]

Then who do you serve?

[contemptibility]

Who do I serve...?

[Well, there's a definite answer to that, but Tiir doesn't recall having ever told Serph about Ene. Not that it would seem to matter anyway—he doubts Serph would remember even if he had.]

No one you would know. No one relevant to you either, for that matter.

after!

[livingvessel]

[The screen flickers to reveal Ilya peering into the screen. More than anything, she looks a little confused, but she wonders about what she has just seen. So she decides to quietly ask the other person.]

Serph? Are you okay?

[It looked rather dangerous and not a place in Vatheon at all... but she doesn't ask, for now.]

[bufudine]

[At the sound of Ilya's voice from the SFC, Serph turns his head. Seeing that it's recording, Serph sits up and reaches for the device. He nods.]

I'm... fine.

[But he closes his eyes for a long moment.]

[livingvessel]

[She frowns, but doesn't say anything. It's not her place to tell Serph what he should and shouldn't tell her. And why would he want to put his trust in someone he doesn't know that well?

All the same, Serph is someone who's helped her a lot. At the very least, she can offer some sort of help in kind]

If you don't feel well, I can help you! ... but it's good if you're okay.

[bufudine]

[There's a moment while Serph flicks through the SFC to see just what was posted; he certainly didn't make this post on purpose. This seems similar to something he experienced quite some time ago...

Well, no point hiding it. Serph shakes his head.]

It was a memory of a time shortly before my first arrival here.

[livingvessel]

A memory?

[Ignoring how she actually even managed to see it on the screen...]

So that tower and the land below... that's your old world?

[bufudine]

[Luckily Serph isn't too bewildered by the fact the dream was broadcast; it had happened before, though that one had been... strange. Serph nods.]

Before it was destroyed.

After

[not_heavens_adam]

[Serph's world looked just as depressing as he'd imagined it to be, although it was a bit worse actually seeing it.]

Why was it disappearing like that?

[bufudine]

[Ah, Johnny... How to explain...]

My original world was created by humans... and was destroyed by them.

[He doesn't know exactly the reasons why they would delete the Junkyard, but Serph has his suspicions.]

[not_heavens_adam]

[Oh...that says a lot]

But what about you and the others, what happens to you when it's destroyed?

[He can guess based on what makes sense, but it's not what he's wanting to hear.]

[bufudine]

We escaped to the world of our creators.

[That's the best way to put it. Serph's tone of voice doesn't sound any different, but there's a long pause before he speaks again.]

... The people you see here are all that's left.

[not_heavens_adam]

[Well...that was more along the lines of what he wanted to hear, but he knows how important 'comrades' are to Serph.]

I'm sorry.

[bufudine]

[Serph shakes his head.]

It's fine.

[From the very beginning, they all knew that they could die serving him, and Serph knew he would lose many comrades in the name of Nirvana. He just never could have predicted just how many he'd lose.]

I'm grateful for the extra time.

[From what Roland had told them, and the what the people from the Karma Society have said to him, they were not intended to have lived in the end, anyway. But... if they return to that world, their ends will be soon.]

After!

[donotcomprehend]

[This dream is easy to recognize. The Junkyard is unforgettable, after all, and the view from the top of the Tower even more so, for all that they were only there for a short amount of time.

When the dream is over, he eventually gets to his feet and leaves the "strategy room" to go in search of Serph.]

beep boop sorry for the slow; was on hiatus heh

[bufudine]

[Though Serph had laid in bed for a while, he eventually opted to get some air. Not something that was particularly safe in the Junkyard, but in Vatheon, he can afford that.

Serph will be standing by the olive sapling they had planted some time ago, gaze sweeping across the garden.]

No prob!

[donotcomprehend]

[Gale hunts through the base first, so it takes him some time to get outside and check for Serph there. As soon as he exits the doors and sees him, he calls out to his leader.]

Serph!

[bufudine]

[It takes a moment longer than usual before Serph reacts to his name, turning his head in Gale's direction. He nods in acknowledgement of Gale's greeting. Does Gale need to speak to him?]

[donotcomprehend]

[Gale can usually always find something to speak about, is it that surprising?]

That dream... It has been a long time since any of us saw the Junkyard.

[bufudine]

[Well, no not really. The real question is how many dialogue boxes will it take for Gale to say what's on his mind.

Serph nods. It truly has been a long time since his first and second arrivals in Vatheon.]

We've been here longer than we had demons in the Junkyard. [There's a pause, before he adds--] We have lived longer in Vatheon than in the Junkyard.

[Though they certainly existed in the Junkyard for longer, was the time before their demons really living? It's just a shame that so few of them have been given the opportunity to further explore emotions.]