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Post by JeY k on Jan 9, 2014 20:48:08 GMT -5
The two young adventurers stepped forth from the portal as they had many times before, this time in a side street in the ornate and wonderful Radiant Garden. It was midday, it was quiet and no one was around this particular area since there was nothing really to do, but there was a curved road loading more towards larger buildings. "Wow... This place is pretty cool, don't think I've been here yet!" She said, forgetting about the conversation they had before about her having explored a majority of these worlds before, but not really... seeing them quite in person.
Everything was pretty and bright, plants were neatly plotted all over and the brick on the ground seemed pristine. Just what was this place anyway? She didn't quite recognize it. "That guy though... Even though he's me sometimes I just don't understand him. If I had to guess, he was making some preparations for this hunt on Murdoc we're conducting." She said, letting out a small laugh afterward. She didn't think it was too much a big deal, plus she got to be alone with Neal again. As fascinating as having an alternate self was, she didn't really... enjoy his company all that much. Weirdly enough, she wanted him to be around much longer although with occasional breaks every now and again. And Neal? Well, at this point, she could hardly see the two splitting apart after everything so far.
"We'll come out on top, yeah?" She assured him. Their talk earlier had been pretty deep, perhaps they were just getting over it but she just couldn't help that maybe there was still a slight doubt on his mind. She wanted him to be as comfortable as possible... but, maybe she was trying too hard at this point? Yeah, they just should take their mind off the subject completely. "Anyway, JeY will be able to find us really easy no matter where we go, so let's explore a bit!" She said, urging him on and began taking the road down toward the main business square.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2014 21:00:28 GMT -5
The portal opened up on this new world, and Neal stepped out of it, dragged by JessY before he had even had the chance to open his mouth in protest to JeY just sending them on their way. His yellow eyes glanced at the scenery in front of him, however, and brought any complaints he may have had to rest. It was simply beautiful. The roads, the buildings, the light- it was almost as if this world was simply created to lift someone's spirits- and Neal surely needed that at this moment. The earlier conversation with JessY had left him happier than before, but still unsettled. Hearing JessY's excitement snapped him out of his mind, and he couldn't help but smile a bit at her reaction.
Once she mentioned JeY and the hunt on Murdoc, his smile faltered and his face went back to being slightly sullen. Then again, he hadn't gotten too much time alone with JessY since they had encountered JeY, and the young magi was definitely happy about that. Hearing the girls reassuring words, Neal's eyes wandered around this glorious world once more, and for the first time in a while- his hope solidified. Glancing over at JessY, he smirked a bit. "Of course we will. We always do."
A light wind brushed past him, rustling his brown mop of hair and bringing a new sense of rejuvination to him. He lifted his arms up and to his sides, closing his eyes as he lifted his head and drank in the beautiful feeling this world was already bringing to him. With a gentle sigh of relief, his yellow eyes opened once more and rested on the sky. Hearing JessY mention exploring, memories of their first few travels emerged to him, causing his smile to grow wider as excitment flashed through his eyes.
With that, he followed the girl down the road, as she had already gotten a head start and seemed eager to drink in this new area. It was nice, having a moment to themselves and being able to simply enjoy new places again. Yeah... everything is going to be fine.
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Post by JeY k on Jan 11, 2014 1:51:34 GMT -5
In a neatly pristine and bustling city, there were plenty of things to walk around and see even without just stopping anywhere. JessY wasn't the craziest about shopping too much, since she wasn't full acquainted with a female lifestyle yet, but looking around was still pretty fun. Eventually, something had stricken the girl's mind that wouldn't get silenced in his mind right away. It would be a bit aggravating, so maybe it was time to sit down for a minute and get it off her chest.
"Hey, let's sit down over here for a second. I wouldn't mind a short break." She said, casually walking over to a bench on the side of the walkway, lined with beautiful flowers. She took a deep breath and savored this quiet moment of sitting down without much to worry, until she looked at Neal with concerned face. Well, it was now or never. "Don't, uh, take this the wrong way... but would you rather not have JeY around? I mean..." She said, losing her conviction a bit. No, she had to stay strong and carry this through.
"He's helping us out quite a bit right now, but you two seem to have a bit of abrasion and as cool as it is to literally meet yourself from another universe... I don't think that's happened. His powers are strong, but... It's like he's not even human anymore." She said, voicing her concerns. Maybe she wasn't completely crazy, but perhaps they would be better off without this crazed guy who was the same person but at the same time not... She could contact him anytime of course, but he seemed to be lost, with nothing to do. She feared he might stick around for a longer period but she wouldn't be in favor. This whole thing was just... weird.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2014 13:04:41 GMT -5
While drinking in the cites of the city, Neal followed JessY throughout the bustling streets of this unknown world. The event was easing the young magi's mind immensely, allowing a wave of serenity to wash over him. Glancing over at the girl at his side for a moment, a painful thought struck into Neal's thoughts. I wonder if she'll leave, once all this is over... It wasn't as if he wouldn't understand, hell, he was surprised she had come this far along with him. It seemed like the two had done an incredible few things together. Traveled to other worlds, meet new people, it was all so... glorious.
JessY's voice pulled Neal out from his daydreaming, as she walked over to a nearby bench. Neal's yellow eyes lingered over that bench, the flowers that lined it only making the girl look so peaceful, so composed. Shaking his head a bit, Neal scolded himself mentally. What the hell was THAT all about??? Shrugging it off, he casually sat down next to the girl, and the moment she gave him that look, his heart sank a bit. Damn... something's wrong.
Her question of having JeY around definitely took him by surprise, afterall, he had thought they were hitting it off so well. Then again, once the young magi began to think of the chaotic beings personallity, he definitely understood where she was coming from. Glancing over at her, he shrugged his shoulders casually. "Er... well... if I'm being honest..." Rubbing the back of his neck, it was clear that he was embarrassed of what he was going to say. "I thought... you two were going to... I dunno, like... leave together after this was all over or something?"
The thought had been plaguing the young magi's mind for awhile now, as he wouldn't have blamed the girl for wanting to run off with her universal double, as it must of been interesting. Shaking his head a bit, Neal forced out a small laugh and made a literall wave to berate the question away. "Sorry, that didn't really answer your question." Crossing his arms he glanced up at the sky, his yellow eyes finally finding their way back to JessY's face.
"To be honest, I respect him a lot for all he's done for us..." There was a short pause, followed by a sigh, to which the young magi slouched down into the bench, letting the back of his head rest on the back of it while his yellow eyes seemed lost into the sky. "I'm sorry... I just can't stand the guy. He's so.... blank!"
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Post by JeY k on Jan 15, 2014 15:41:06 GMT -5
"Yeah, no kidding." JessY replied. She was sincerely glad the boy was honest, otherwise she would have to have second thoughts about how their friendship could progress since she could feel it in his demeanor that he wasn't the... happiest he was around. No matter, despite how thrilled she was about the encounter, she didn't feel like she was looking into a mirror at all. Then again, an unfathomable amount of time all while be tortured the entire time tends to change a human being. Or rather, what was left of a human being.
The point is, Neal was honest so he had absolutely nothing at all to worry about. "But no, I would never make any permanent incorporation of him into my life. Holy. Are you nuts!?" She said, a bit jokingly and laughed. "Yeah it's cool he's helpful and all, but... gosh. I hope I never end up like that." JessY admitted. As awesome as it would be to inherit all of those crazy powers and become some sort of demi-god or something (which he wasn't but that doesn't mean she couldn't exaggerate) though her interest in losing her humanity was slim to none. Actually it was just none.
"Thanks for being honest though. It means a lot. But... when this is over, I do wonder how we can get rid of him without being... awkward or anything. I dunno. I'll think of something." She said. Maybe he would have a good idea of how to get him to do his own thing while Neal and JessY continued-- wait, what could they do after this? Well, have more adventures maybe, since she did know a lot about the worlds in this universe and it's very true that they haven't explored them all yet, so maybe that could be a thing. But, with her ocarina, she couldn't quite control where they went. Oh well. Cross the bridge when they get there.
Being alone with Neal again was something else entirely. She wasn't quite into guys, but now that she was, well, a she as opposed to what she's been for many years prior maybe things could change. She couldn't see it though. Neal was an awesome friend and great to travel with, but in terms of enhancing their relationship... that would be tricky. Of course, her mind started going into direction probably shouldn't have causing her to look away suddenly which was embarrassing. "...One problem at a time though, right?" She assured him, trying to keep the subject from going in a terrible direction.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2014 20:52:44 GMT -5
As the two continued walking throughout this luxurious world, Neal's brilliant yellow eyes continuously seemed to find their way back to the sky- an old habit he had built up over the years. Whenever his mind was running rapidly he tended to find solace in the clouds, which were making very intriguing shapes. Despite his eyes being elsewhere, his ears were attentive, and thus the young magi listened closely to what JessY continued to say. Part of him took comfort in knowing that, in fact, she did NOT plan on abandoning him to run off with her alternate self- leaving him stranded.
That left the next question, Neal had no idea what on earth his plans were once this was all over. Part of him liked to think that maybe he could live a life without so much violence- though that was instantly dashed when he remembered that the Heartless were still evident in many different worlds. Maybe that would be his goal… use his magic to defeat the Darkness that could harm other innocents. It seemed good enough, for him.
At the girls mention of how they should depart with JeY, Neal was also stumped. His approach probably wouldn't be the best kind, either- as it would most likely go along the lines of 'Bye', and that'd be it. Putting his hands behind his head, cradling it as they walked, his golden eyes left the sky and landed on JessY, before shrugging. "I dunno... we could probably just... leave him behind somewhere? Or maybe just do the whole 'Look that way!' and run technique..." At that he grinned a bit, before shaking his head and laughing.
It was after the girls last sentence that his eyes seemed to travel once more, but not to the sky this time- just mostly focused on her. Noticing her look away for a moment, Neal almost gave a thought to the behavior- but remembered their latest conversation back in Twilight Town, and decided to let her mind be alone. Giving her his best reassuring smile, despite the uncertainty that lay wake in his chest, the magi slipped his hands into his pockets. "Yeah... one problem at a time..." Glancing back towards the clouds once more, his mind continued wandering. He wasn't sure where they were headed, or what the future had in store for them, but Neal hoped that considering everything else the two had been through together that their hope wouldn't fade.
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Post by JeY k on Jan 18, 2014 23:50:59 GMT -5
Looking over and smiling at Neal, she certainly appreciated his sense of humor. Of course such lame tricks wouldn't work on someone like JeY, but she definitely had it in her to dismiss his presence. He would probably understand, not only that, probably wouldn't care much since he's lost all of his emotion pretty much. She specifically remembered him mentioning no need for friends really... but meeting yourself was a whole different story than the standard friendship. He seemed skeptical of Neal's presence at first, but seemed to take a liking to him regardless. She was glad.
Of course, Radiant Garden was so big it was easy to get lost and go wandering in circles for what seemed like forever but was only around fifteen, twenty minutes or so. After another brief wandering, JessY sighed in exasperation. "It feels like we're getting nowhere! Just what the heck did JeY want to show us anyway?" She said, although as if right on cue there was a gust of wind and a familiar portal opened up beside them to which their strange, stoic friend stepped out, walked next to them and crossed his arms. "Sorry I'm late." he muttered loud enough for them to hear.
"Jesus, there you are! We're bored half to death roaming aimlessly in this random city where I have no idea about anything and y--" JessY said, beginning to rant though JeY put his hand up to stop her and begin speaking himself. What he had to say would seem far more important than a meaningless rant that didn't get anywhere. JessY complied. "Well, wait's been worth it, as Murdoc has been dealt with." He said, trailing his voice. Wait, he wasn't going to say more? He barely explained the situation at all! Murdoc was there? Just... what happened?
"Wait WHAT!? He was there?! What happened! What do you mean 'dealt with'?" She said, emulating a machine gun with her rapid fire questions. JeY shook his head. Uh oh, that wasn't a good sign. "He appeared as you guys left. After seeking him out, I learned that his heart was lost to darkness at an irreversible level; he transformed fully into a Heartless. I had no choice but to kill him." He said, bearing little emotion while doing so. Typical. You'd think killing someone that important would be a bit of a big deal such that there would be something to express in his voice, but it was completely lost.
JessY had a horrified look on her face. Wasn't there... supposed to be some hope of saving him? Wasn't Neal supposed to be involved in the fight somehow? Just- wha-- why!? What was going on? Unfortunately, the blonde girl was rendered completely speechless, leaving the air wide open for a certain someone to voice his own concerns over the matter. No matter how he reacted... what's done is done, and there won't be any changing that. Technically, JeY wasn't done speaking but he figured he would let everyone wring out their reactions now so his next batch of words wouldn't be so easily undermined by what he just said. He took on the suffering of an entire race, the heartbreak of a single kid wouldn't dent his demeanor one bit.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2014 22:18:17 GMT -5
The air brushed past Neal, the sudden gust of wind billowing his cloak about himself, creating the illusion that he was a simple head on top of a moving black wave. Suddenly JeY was standing before the two of them, which brought a relieved sigh from Neal- for a change. It's about time... Before the young Magi could even get out a sentence, however, JessY and JeY began to speak. It was sudden, but before he realized it, there was only one sentence bouncing through his mind. Murdoc... dead...? It's almost as if the world around him slowed down for a moment, and everything went silent to his ears. His golden eyes were wide, his body rigid, and his mouth slightly agape. He saw that the two were still speaking, but no sounds left their mouths- instead there was a steady ringing in his ear.
The wind around him began to pick up, as his eyes began to shimmer a brighter gold than ever before- the artificial mana that coursed throughout his veins began burning, to the point where there were burn marks beginning to appear on his flesh. Neal didn't feel any of this, however, as he was still in a stunned silence. Murdoc... is dead...? It couldn't be, everything him and JessY had worked for, everything they had gone through- all of the inner stress and turmoil he had suffered in silence through- all to end so... anti-climatically. The Magi felt robbed, cheated, hurt, betrayed, all in one swirling pool of emotion. It was all too much, and the rage that was beginning to boil throughout him was overwhelming.
A yellow aura began to consume him, the burn marks escalating into scorched ones, his flesh itself beginning to steam and his entire eyes were a brilliant golden hue- even the whites. Wind erupted around him, the very energy of what was bottled inside, now without a cap to silence it. Teeth clenched, Neal balled his hands into fists, which immediately erupted into blue fire. His mana was beginning to grow out of control, the world around him still silent- and distant. There was something stirring in his heart, and whatever it was it felt like it was causing his own Light to fade, as if something else was devouring it.
Taking a step towards JeY, the ground beneath him cracked from the sheer energy and raw power that was bubbling out, and his entire body was beginning to shake as he felt his bones beginning to crack. The pain was a blur, something he didn't truly acknowledge- as if his brain was shut off. His body was on auto-pilot, completely fueled by hate and rage and just as Neal was about to pounce onto JeY, the man who had made his world disintegrate, something happened. It wasn't the mana energy ripping his body apart that halted the Magi, no... it was something far greater- something even he didn't know was lurking.
Darkness.
Within a moment the yellow aura around him changed into a deep purple and black hue, though his eyes remained the same gold. W-what is this!? It caught him off guard, though all he felt was raw power coursing through his damaged body- not aware that it was causing even more detrimental effects. It was then that Pain became existent- though it wasn't an external one- but the one in his Heart. The Darkness was tainted, impure, and devouring his Light- which felt as if a part of him was ripping out. Before he could take another step, a loud shriek of pure agony erupted through his throat, though he couldn't hear it. All Neal heard was the whispering, promising voice of the sudden Power that had bestowed upon him- though he refused to allow such a thing into his heart.
No! Get out! Get out! GET OUT!!! Darkness erupted around the Magi, though this time away from him, into the air as it faded into nothingness- and suddenly Neal's vision was black. He had meant to storm up to JeY and teach him a lesson... instead, he wound up unconscious- his mind and heart severed for the moment. His body was brittle, wounded and scorched from the artificial Mana inside of him, which was slowly eroding his insides- leaving the shattered Magi on the ground, face first, eyes shut. The energy around him had faded, Darkness and all.
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Post by JeY k on Jan 24, 2014 23:07:43 GMT -5
The silence was overwhelming, but once JessY looked over to Neal, it would be broken immediately. "Neal? Wha-what's going on!? Neal!?" She yelled running over to him but once she got close the burning of his aura began to radiate and the girl had to step back. Amazingly, JeY looked over to Neal with piercing eye contact and sans the natural blinks that would occur he wouldn't close his eyes for a moment. He stood with his arms crossed and confident that what was occurring was only natural. Neal had some control over that energy coursing through him but not near the level of control that he should, or at least what JeY thought.
For him to experience such a heavy and traumatic emotional impact all at once was a deadly combination but there was no other way to deliver the news. This event was unavoidable, while JessY had no idea JeY knew perfectly all along something like this was going to happen. He didn't bother to tell the girl because she would try to be as unrealistic as to prevent something like this. No, it couldn't be prevented, but JeY hoped to keep the damage minimal. He would have to wait until the peak of his power and then knock him out. Neal still had quite a lot of energy to burn.
"Neal!? Say something! What's happening to you!?" She said, then she realized she was the only one trying to act. Looking over at JeY with a certain tear in her eye, she also became consumed with rage that he had to audacity to just stand there as if nothing was wrong, especially not one of her friends burning himself alive right in front of their eyes. "Why are you just standing there!? Do something!!" She pleaded. JeY didn't budge an inch. "I recommend not being between him and me." He said, tilting his head to the side as if to say step aside in a single gesture, then correcting the tilt right after.
JessY hesitated for a moment, but she turned to Neal who began to finally start taking steps toward the man. Her eyes widened and she had a slight fit of panic, but finally scrambled her legs and stumbled to the side only to watch in silent suffering what happened to her friend. His body was burning up in the amount of energy contained within him boiling and boiling. It was the internal energy housed brought up several magnitudes with sheer willpower. Emotion was a crazy thing, it even gave JeY an insurmountable level of strength, whenever he had the capacity to feel it anyway. Still, his outrageous power wouldn't exactly threaten JeY, since without any comprehensive control he would never be able to land a finger on the chaotic man, who is in full control of his mental capacity. Neal would only have a mind to 'do', which can never overpower a mind to 'do but smartly'.
As such, he saw it in the boy's legs. He was going to leap, but then something JeY didn't quite expect happened. He only detected it moments before the eruption of energy from the boy, but he was suddenly consumed by darkness. "Neal!!" JessY called out in a shriek of terror while reacting to his cry of pain, holding both arms up to her mouth, afraid to get any closer than how dangerously close she already was. JeY narrowed his eyes. So, he was going to have to kill this one too? How unfortunate. He probably wouldn't put up as much of a fight as Murdoc did, but it would break the poor girl's heart. JeY opened his hand to form an orb of Chaos energy, but instead the unthinkable happened.
Neal took control of himself once again and blatantly forced the darkness out of his body. Not something an ordinary human could do. "Oh?" JeY said, raising his left arm with an open hand as the darkness erupted from the boy and dispatched into the air. A few moment later, a dark purple flame lit at the end of JeY hand and slowly calmed down and formed a solid purple-black sphere. JeY brought his arm down and studied the orb carefully. "I'll have to keep this for studying. You certainly are an interesting young man." JeY spoke again as Neal collapsed to the ground with his aura fading. "Oh my gosh, Neal!" JessY ran over to his side and touched on his back to see if he would react. He was still scorching hot and JessY recoiled as a result. There weren't any burns on her palms thankfully.
With the orb of darkness floating in his hand, JeY formed two solid discs on both sides of Chaos energy, which formed intersecting bars around the orb to create a canister of energy. JeY brought up his other hand and clamped the discs shut, making one small disc of energy, drawing his hand behind him and having the disc vanish from his hand. It was an energy storage of sorts where he would be able to access it later. He was certainly eager, but he could wait until the boy was adequately healed first. He could sense his aura was weak, but alive and kicking. It flickered with a diminished heart, but one still trying its best to survive. This boy was truly something. "He'll be okay. I'll take him somewhere where we can work on healing him." JeY said to break the silence.
JessY looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Really? He's okay? thank goodness... But, how can you tell?" She asked, a bit doubtful. She wanted no shred of doubt on his assumption. "You've forgotten who I am. Let's go." He said, flicking his hand to open a portal to the nearest inn, JeY single-handedly picking up his scorched body and carrying him off. Once at the inn, he'd explain the situation, pay for a single room on the second floor and take him there. Resting him on a bed, JeY hovered beside him and sat cross-legged.
Pointing both of his hands, he took what little soul was left in the boy and began slowly repairing it from the inside with his light energy. His healing prowess wasn't perfect nor instantaneous, but effective. He slowly and internally healed the spirit and restoring his energy to live. He was quite badly damaged, and the burns on the outside would leave permanent marks probably, but at least his healing process dulled the pain. As this process worked, slight waves of light energy spiraled out from JeY's hands and encompassed Neal's body, making him glow slightly and trimmings of energy also phased up and down from head to toe at random intervals. It was stunning process, to which JessY watched in silence. She had faith in her alternate self, if he was who he claimed to be. She would wait however long it took.
And it would probably be a few hours before Neal had the strength to regain consciousness. However, whenever it was he opened his eyes the first thing he would see is JessY's concerned face, probably turn to something outright happy once she saw him awake once more. She would go nuts, celebrating outwardly of his slight recovery, and JeY would assure him to keep still, that there was still a little work left to do before he let his own human processes take over the healing naturally. No matter what, JessY would assure the boy that whatever he did, she would be by his side. No matter what.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2014 9:03:13 GMT -5
Why is everything...so...?? The word to describe it didn't come to mind- not for where he was. Neal stood in the center of a small podium, something radiating with an odd yellow light- though everything else around him was the darkest black he could possibly comprehend. It was bizarre, being inside of his own heart, but luckily the young Magi didn't have to worry about that, since he had no idea. Glancing around, Neal didn't notice anything extraordinarily out of place, other than the fact he was standing in the center of complete darkness on a random structure forged from his own creation. As he took steps forward, his foot falls echoed loudly, almost more than he'd like- as he made his way towards the end of the large podium. Glancing over the edge, he cupped his hands around his mouth before deciding that if there was anything lurking he'd rather have it out in the open.
"HEY!!!!" His voice echoed across the nothingness, the very volume of it causing him to wince. After a moment of awkward silence, the magi began to walk back towards the center before feeling the very ground under him quake. Stumbling for a moment, Neal almost lost his footing as shadow Heartless began pouring onto the podium from the very sides itself. Climbing over the edge and onto the circular platform, they began to rush towards the only possible thing with a beating heart. Shocked by the sheer amount of these basic Heartless, Neal grimaced just as he held out his hand, prepared to fire out some of his magical ability- but instead a dark swirling purple energy began to seem from it. The aura from the energy felt vile, as if it didn't belong there, and it seemed to calm the Heartless that were advancing on him. The energy that was now within his palm scorched him, however, and it made his entire body seize for a moment as his breath stopped. Everything began growing colder, and when Neal was finally able to take another breath, it was a ragged one, and he could see his breath escaping his lips.
The Heartless were now simply sitting there, waiting and watching, and the young Magi looked down at the Dark energy that he was grasping, and that was when it began to devour him. With a yell and harsh flailing, Neal was beginning to be covered by the evil energy, the Shadows simply watching as his form began to be lost.
It was that moment that Neal's eyes opened and he jolted upright with a yell- his golden eyes wide with fear and confusion before he felt the jarring pain in his body, causing him to instantly gasp for air and lay back down. He had jolted back into consciousness, though he had no idea where he was. That was when he saw JessY, and instantly grew worried. He didn't recall what had happened... to be honest he only remembered hearing the news and then... well, nothing. He also noticed JeY, who was currently focused on healing him, causing him to feel much more guilty than he already did. Damn... I'm pretty sure I owe him an apology and a thank you now... Groaning a bit from the pain, he looked down at himself, wincing just by the sight of some of the gruesome marks on his skin. Shit... how did that happen? It felt horrible, the pain- though it was nothing compared to how guilty he felt. Neal glanced at JessY, almost too worried to truly ask. "W-what... happened?"
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Post by JeY k on Jan 27, 2014 15:29:23 GMT -5
Once the boy sprung up and yelped, of course the girl would have a pretty gut-wrenching reaction. "Neal!!" she called out, taking a step forward and holding out her arm, realizing that wasn't really going to do much and let it drop after a couple seconds. "Hey, be careful, you're really banged up!" she decided to say with a spot of nervous laughter afterward, talking over to his bedside and leaning on the wall where the back of bed was. She was so glad to see him awake but awfully concerned about his current state regardless. Of course, there was the inevitable 'what happened'.
Seemed there would have to be a little recovery of memory. JessY had been informed already that he probably wouldn't remember anything, so she would treat him as if he literally had no recollection whatsoever. Hopefully he'd be able to recover a bit of the pieces and fill in the blanks as to how or why. "Well..." JessY began, her voice a little shaky from worrying so much. JeY was mentally prepared to take over, but would let the girl have an honest shot first. "I don't know, I shouldn't even-- JeY knows more about what happened than me." She said, deciding to throw in the towel for this one pre-emotively since she know what she saw but not quite what it could mean. JeY could easily provide a much better explanation. Plus, she was so nervous she could faint.
"Simple. The news from last night cause a shock reaction that fueled your energy with so much mana at once you couldn't control or contain it, what being worse was your heart opening itself to let darkness take over from the lack of control. You took control back at the last second and flushed it out though, but not without consequences." JeY said. There, eloquently put and wrapped up neatly with a bow and everything. All that was left was for Neal to understand a single thing the man said, which he was aware of might not translating properly. He decided to simply give some good news to ease what trouble his mind might be having from the internal conflict he suffered. "Had it not been for that split-second action you took at the end, you might not have even survived." He said.
JessY looked over at the Chaotic man with widened and shocked eyes, not aware of how serious the situation actually was. "He could have died!? How were you so calm yesterday if you knew that!?" She asked, getting a bit steamed up. As she recalled, the man stood there the whole time until Neal actually collapsed before taking action. She knew something should've been done sooner but for his life to actually be at such risk... she had no clue. She was mad because of how emotional she was more than anything, and she needed a minute to calm down for sure. JeY wouldn't humor her anyway, remaining completely silent to let the boy express his own mind first before JeY would tell JessY to leave and go vent somewhere else.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2014 15:56:04 GMT -5
Neal's golden eyes stayed attentive and slightly widened as JeY continued to proceed the explanation as to what had happened to him earlier. The Mana energy inside of him had finally convulsed against his body, ripping it apart and scorching it up- and then… Darkness? I… let darkness into my heart…? It certainly explained the odd dream he had had earlier, though the thought itself was uncomfortable. He could feel something different within him, now more than ever- and it was boiling inside of him, discontent with idleness. Whatever it was, it wanted chaos, action, lusting for power and destruction- though it's voice was silent, for the most part. It was a single whisper in his mind: Power. Give in to the Power. The voice was foreign to him, and he wasn't entirely sure what it was- but he knew better than to listen to it for the time being.
Instinctively, the young Magi lifted his leather gauntlet covered hand towards his neck, where he always kept the small book pendant beneath his black long sleeve shirt- which was actually his spell book- filled with the multiple spells Murdoc had taught him. Once his fingers reached their mark, however, his heart stood still for a moment of silent panic. The necklace was gone. The one thing that allowed him to keep his memories of spells and other useful tricks had vanished- most likely burning up from the energy that had escaped him; as it was a simple book shrunken with a spell, after all. Despair began to work its way back into his heart, and the whispers grew louder. Shaking his head, Neal discarded what they were saying, deciding instead to focus on the two people that were nearby.
Looking over at JeY, Neal attempted to do his best at swallowing his pride. "Er… sorry. I know what you did was for the best- I probably wouldn't have been able to do anything, anyway. So…. thanks for keeping your promise, to help us." His golden eyes were dim, filled with turmoil and anxiety, but mostly fear. It was the whisper again, only this time a bit louder. Devour. The voice caused him to nearly jump where he sat, though he kept himself composed, as he was kind of in the spot light currently. Looking over at JessY, he forced a small smile and lightly reached his hand out, grasping her nearest wrist lightly. "Hey. Don't look so shaken. You know I won't die so easily." With that his smile widened a bit, his voiced confidence giving his inner heart peace, the voice quieting down. He knew things couldn't stay peaceful for too long, however, and glanced over at JeY.
"I can still hear it. The Darkness, if that's what it is." He let go of JessY's wrist, instead clasping his hands together on his lap as he sat there on the bed, his eyes glazed and looking down, his face developing a much more serious demeanor. "I don't want to end up like Murdoc- a shell of a man corrupted and consumed by the Darkness." His eyes lifted, looking at JeY sternly. This next part he didn't want to say out loud, instead, he decided to take advantage of the chaotic beings telepathy. JeY… if the Darkness overwhelms me, I know I don't have to ask- but I'm choosing to- make sure you kill me. I refuse to end up like a Monster. Though the thought was silent, it was loud in his head, filled with determination and thoughts of JessY. He knew she was by his side no matter what, but he'd be damned if he let himself do anything he'd regret.
Deciding that the mood probably was dark enough, Neal decided to resort to the other thing on his mind, holding his stomach with both hands as it gurgled in protest at being empty. "Food." He felt sleepy, drained, and most of all, damaged. His head began to sag a bit and his eyelids fluttered, sleep felt so alluring. Shaking it off a bit, he rubbed the back of his head, eyeing JessY. "Do we get room service here?"
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Post by JeY k on Jan 28, 2014 22:25:04 GMT -5
Due to his heavy concentration on the healing process which was still ongoing evident through the ribbons of light streaming down from JeY's arms and vertically across Neal's body, there wasn't a single motion down to every last twitch that Neal made that JeY didn't notice. He could easily tell when he shuddered or nearly jumped, but he wouldn't alert the boy as it was unnecessary to make him feel self conscious or uneasy about acting completely natural after such a traumatic event, but he would make a mental note to go easy on him due to seeing how troubled he actually was.
Though he had the girl to thank, it was more for her sake than to respect the boy, but for JeY to consciously 'go easy' on someone was certainly a big deal. He typically wouldn't hold back no matter what, but there was a time and a place despite the fact that JeY disregarded that little condition for a simple lack of caring. For JessY and her relationship with the boy, he decided to care a little. Well, at least pretend to. "Sure thing. You wouldn't have wanted to see him in that state anyway, so consider not seeing him so far lost as a favor." He simply said, not budging an inch or showing much inflection in his voice.
"Neal..." JessY replied, once he stated that he wasn't going to die so easily. She looked more sullen, almost like her eyes were going to tear up, but they wouldn't. She let out a heavy sigh, glad that he was still so optimistic about the situation. Of course, that was just typical Neal at this point. "You better not." She decided to say anyway, trying her hardest to smile though making it look a little awkward at the same time. She tried to return his strange optimism but it was a little harder for her as a cynical realist herself.
When the boy continued on about being able to 'hear' darkness still, that's when worry really washed over the girl's face. "...Do you... feel okay, though?" she said, contemplating the probability that he would go berserk right here and now and do... whatever people consumed fully by darkness do anyway. For some reason she just assumed he would attack JeY, which was baseless at first but her mind was too rapidly moving to ponder about it for long. The chaotic man instead focused more on maintaining his healing channel as he still had a little bit of energy left to restore the boy to normal.
He couldn't ignore the thought transmission though. 'Well, you're absolutely right, since the only reason why I mentioned surviving earlier was because if you didn't take control back I probably would've ended up having to kill you; though I didn't want to break the girl's heart. She's roughed up enough as it is and she isn't even the one with any problems so to speak.' JeY transmitted back, though left his voice trail as if there was more to say still. 'As for the darkness taking over again, you won't have to worry because I have a little solution. We'll talk later.' He said, giving the boy a bit of hope. He had a way to fight and contain his darkness, even if it was only temporarily relief one little burst of energy at a time. But, at least he would be able to control himself.
As for room service, JessY giggled a little bit when he mentioned his need for food, and would be happy to oblige. "Yeah! I'll see what I can find for you." she said, walking briskly out of the room and down the hall to find some food. If she couldn't find an attendant she vouched to be room service herself if need be. However, this left the young magi and the Chaotic man alone in a room once again. "The solution won't cure your issues for good, but give you reliable way to survive. It may not look like it, but I can tell: she's lost faith in me, so you're the only thing she has left." JeY said, still continuing to fluctuate light energy to finish the healing process, not even batting an eyelash at the meaning to what he just said. He seemed unphased and unaffected, and to any normal human it could be seen as a strange wonder.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2014 0:46:08 GMT -5
The young magi's golden eyes watched JessY as she left the room. He smiled, leaning back against the head rest of the bed and cupping his hands in his lap. Hearing JeY's words, the smile faded off of Neals face, the realization of his responsibility to the girl becoming more clear. Looking over towards the man, he could only really manage a nod. "Sounds good, when can we do it?" He wanted to get start as soon as possible; the voice was quiet for now, which he was relieved of, and hearing that JeY knew something that could at least help him somewhat was comforting. Gazing up towards the ceiling of the small inn room, a yawn managed to escape him despite his best efforts.
"Man... who knew almost dying could be so... exhausting." Neal chuckled a bit as he said this, his eye lids steadily closing until his vision was black, though he didn't manage to succumb to sleep just yet. I wonder... what do we do now? The question seemed like it didn't really have an answer. Deciding it best to leave the Future alone, one of his golden eyes opened, falling back over to JeY. Since it was simply them in the room until JessY returned (hopefully with food), he decided to attempt a conversation. Certainly beats sitting here in silence... Closing his eye once more, he nestled into the bed, finding ecstasy in its comforting embrace.
"So, JeY. What do you plan to do now?" Neal realized as he asked the question that he had never truly given it any consideration- what this man's plans were, or his goals. He had been so wrapped up in all that had happened that it had simply slipped his mind a bit. Now that the question was asked, however, the magi found himself a bit curious.
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Post by JeY k on Jan 31, 2014 1:24:43 GMT -5
"As soon as you regain proper motor function." He said, realizing that his explanation may have been a bit complex. He didn't think Neal was dumb by any means, but it was a common reflex for JeY to put his elaborate phrases into laymen's terms right away no matter the audience since he was asked what he meant quite often. "Once you can walk." He added whether or not the Magi would ask or not. Once the boy could move again he was certain to be able to foster dark energies that he would need to contain and practice a discharge at least once.
The healing process however allowed JeY some spare time to internally investigate the nature of the boy's aura and really delving deep into its structure and the meaning. It seemed energy that was his artificial stream was working against as darkness continually built up in attempt to overtake him and turn him into a Heartless. It seemed like a slow irreversible process, but he knew from experience he didn't have to become a Heartless. He hoped to find the solution to carry that boy to that end soon. He would need to accept the darkness that is Murdoc's death. Though, he was in no condition to attempt to come to terms with that fact yet. he seemed pleasantly distracted, and JeY would keep it that way for now.
And with that, JeY felt the energy reach a peak. His own light could do nothing more to heal Neal and he retracted the energy that created a thin veil around him and lowered his arms. "I've administered the full duration of energy necessary for you to make the best-case-scenario recovery, but you still need rest for your body to catch up to your internal energy presence." He said. "When it is no longer too difficult to raise your arm above your head, you'll know you're ready." he said. Of course, he had a question to answer at this point despite ignoring it at first. "As for what I am doing..." he said, trailing off a bit.
He had to think about it. How much longer was he going to stick around? Well, he decided only long enough to see them properly off. After that it was pretty much routine. There was no point in hiding anything from him, so he'd tell it to him straight rather than refusing to answer (since he wasn't the type to lie, he'd rather remain silent than say something dishonest). "I'm going to see the two of you off properly, perhaps go back to training my protégé for a little bit, and continue seeking the mystery behind the restoration of my full power." He said. He also noticed that JessY was taking her time getting back... he wondered just how long he would have to be alone with the boy attempting to make any and all possible conversation.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2014 19:13:59 GMT -5
Once the light faded, Neal sighed in relief, as his pain was now down to a minimal. He knew the muscles in his body would need some time and patience to adjust, though truth be told; he wasn't really the patient type. As JeY began to explain to him the pace at which he was healed, the young magi began to attempt to push himself up more and swing his legs over the bed. The moment he moved anything, however, the pain came rushing back in, causing him to grimace and wince a bit, leaving his body how it was. Gritting his teeth a bit, Neal had an idea. With his spellbook gone, he was concerned on his own ability to use magic anymore- and this seemed like a better time than ever to make an attempt at a basic 'Cure' spell.
Holding his left gauntlet covered hand to his chest, he closed his eyes in order to focus and muttered the word of the spell softly, waiting for the classic green energy to engulf him with warming light. After waiting a few seconds, his golden eyes opened back up- dim, rather than glowing like whenever he used magic. Nothing had happened. This fact caused a slight panic in him at first, and caused him to simply stare at the yellow orb in his gauntlet, which was supposed to channel his artificial 'Mana' energy into physical form, shaping into different spells. It... it's really that way? I can't do... magic? Without magic, he was defenseless, as that's all he knew how to do for combat, and had been what he practiced and trained so hard for his entire life. The Darkness in his heart felt this fear and weakness, and began to stir towards his attention- that is, until JeY spoke once again. The distraction took Neal's mind off of the sheer panic he was feeling inside, and instead allowed his mind to overlook it for a moment- keeping the whispers at bay.
Once JeY spoke about his departure, Neal's eyes simply rested on the man- the one who had been a mixture of a pain in the ass, a beneficial instructor, and his best friend's alternate self. It was weird, the emotions that bubbled in Neal's heart. He wasn't normally one to get all sentimental, but he had shared quite a journey with this emotionless man, and despite the fact that the two could probably never become close friends or anything like that, Neal had began to grow used to him being around. This didn't mean he wanted him around forever, of course, it just meant that the 'good-bye' portion of it simply seemed a bit more... meaningful for him. With another grind of his teeth, he forced himself to sit up more, leaning his back against the head of the bed with a slight heave. If he took it slow, the pain didn't occur, and that he was thankful for.
There was one part of the chaotic beings sentence though that tugged at his ear- a protege. Oh god... there's ANOTHER person like him? The world's doomed... The though made Neal smirk a bit, but he shook it off. Instead of saying anything, Neal simply looked at the Man, the one who he had felt a consuming rage for just a day before, but now gazed at him with more understanding, especially after all that had happened. He held out his right hand, ignoring the small prick of pain in his shoulder as he did so. "Well, whatever you go and do- I wish you the best of luck, JeY. Try not to do anything to crazy while you're gone." He smirked once more at this, imagining the crazy man blowing up worlds or whatnot- but he knew he (probably) wouldn't go about destroying things for no reason.
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Post by JeY k on Feb 1, 2014 20:18:46 GMT -5
Quite predictable really, the young boy was as resilient as ever. Even after warning him of the necessary time required to let his body adjust to the healing process he tried his best to be active again and experience quite a lot of pain while doing so. Well, it would certainly allow him to get over the discrepancy in his muscles faster but it would be more inconvenient, due to... well, the immense pain. Oh well, JeY expecting nothing less from the tough youngster who seemed to always have something to prove.
JessY was definitely right, he could see why she wanted him to stick around. They were good for each other, the girl was broken, alone and had no self esteem, yet here was someone willing to boast himself always strive for the best. He couldn't ever imagine a situation where he would be willing to admit he was useless. But, he was also a tad naive and a bit lost when it came to people, whereas the girl knew the ins and outs of every function related a human being out there. It was a clunky balance, but a good one. JeY would no longer hold anything back for this boy he had respect for. He would've loved to have had him as a friend if he were back home...
When he stretched his arm with only a mild wince and a declaration of a hearty farewell, JeY actually let his lips curve upward just ever so slightly into the tiniest of satisfied smirks. He gently gripped the boys hand but with enthusiasm. Then, he began to speak with a full articulation of emotion, emulating an excited teenager himself: "Don't? Well, clearly you don't know me very well, since crazy is all I live for. Heh." He said, letting off a single brief of laughter afterward, letting go of the boy's hand. His expression faded back to a bland, flat and boring face. After all, he never truly expressed emotion, just pretended.
Along with the face, his voice would also be rather monotone after as well. "...What the hell though, where is that girl, seriously? I could've brought food-- you know what." He said, giving slight inflections at the end of his speech. He closed his eyes and vanished, a whole five seconds going by before he reappeared in nearly the same spot, holding a platter with a hunk of buttered bred and a glass of milk. "this should stave your hung--" He began to say, but was only interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Iiiiii'mmm baaack!" JessY announced, returning with a platter of a roast beef sandwich with lettuce, cheese and mayo, a side of applesauce and a glass of water. JeY and JessY looked at each other with their eyebrows raised. "You fucking assho--" "It literally took me five seconds, just now, to grab this myself during the whole time you were--" JeY began to retort while cutting her off, but of course she wouldn't let him get away with that. "Can't you just let me do one nice thing by myself JEEZ!!" She shouted, walking over to Neal and setting the platter next to him. "Do what you want." she said, scoffing, walking over to the wall and facing the doorway trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
"...Spoiled brat." JeY said, setting his platter to the side of JessY's which was farther away. He then kicked back, leaning backward and then bringing his legs up while floating midair, hovering and pretending to lay in a bed that was a foot off the ground higher than Neal's. He closed his eyes. Hopefully the boy would ignore both of them and just eat. "Eat, get your strength up, we'll just discuss what comes next after." JeY said, waving him toward the food. "Yeah, hopefully you dying." JessY muttered aloud, though loud enough for everyone to clearly hear. JeY merely opened one eye and glared, but closed it back up and made no verbal retort.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2014 11:31:03 GMT -5
As JeY disappeared and reappeared with food within a solid five seconds, Neal couldn't help but still be surprised by what the man was capable of. The sight of food made his stomach gurgle in lusting greed just as JessY came into the room- a large plate of food in her hands as well. The bickering the two got into next simply made the magi laugh, shaking his head a bit and rolling his eyes. "You guys are both ridiculous." The smile on his face would show both that he was simply teasing, and in actuality, he had gotten used to them fighting. To be honest, it was rather funny to him, watching the two go at it over so many small petty things. They really were two different versions of each other.
Once both people set down the food, it took Neal a total of maybe a single second to grab both platters and set them on his legs, beginning to immediately tear into everything. The sensation of it simply brought him so much joy he swore he was in a state of ecstasy. As the two argued, he continued to shove everything in his mouth, devouring it as if he were a starving animal who hadn't eaten in weeks. Within the span of five minutes the sandwich, applesauce, and bread were all cleared off, the glass of milk and water also gone. With a large content sigh he rested his head against the backboard of the bed, patting his stomach lightly.
Yawning a little bit, his golden eyes fluttered slightly before he shook his head a bit, refusing to succumb to the food coma that was awaiting him. Truth be told, he didn't want to sleep, despite it being an old favorite past time of his... because when he slept the whispers in his heart only grew louder. Neal bit his bottom lip a bit, knowing all too well that he would steadily grow more fearful of slumber. Shaking off the daunting feeling, he glanced over at JessY and JeY, before attempting to push his legs off of the bed again, groaning in pain, he simply clenched his teeth, grinding them down as he forced his legs off the side of the bed, using most of his energy to sit up straight on his own. The very task itself left his breath ragged, but he was determined to not be a burden for too much longer.
Gazing at JessY, his look was that of confusion but also held a slightly more serious demeanor than usual, his head tilting to the side. "So... uh... what's next?" He wasn't sure what they'd do, especially with his absence of magical prowess, meaning if anything he was like a kid adventurer, simply exploring with no means of self defense.
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Post by JeY k on Feb 3, 2014 15:46:41 GMT -5
Well... that was quite impressive. Before either of them could realize it, the boy scarfed down all the food in record time. JeY stared at him with an eyebrow raised and JessY stared wide-eyed for a moment, but he decided to break the silence with declaring the obvious question of what came next. JessY shrugged, looking over to JeY hoping to indicate to Neal to do the same exact thing. The chaotic man let out a sigh and figured this would be the best time to explain the situation.
"Simple. I'm going to give you this--" JeY said, reaching behind him and pulling out a disc of fluorescent pink Chaos energy. "So that maybe you can manage your darkness a little bit, give you some brief instruction on how to manipulate the energy, and then see you two off." He said, reaching over his other hand and putting it on the other side of the strange disk, pulling it open and revealing an hour glass-like object with a sphere of darkness in the middle. "I imagine that with the passing of Murdoc, your goal's complete and my presence isn't required." He said, looking over at JessY who was the main proprietor in him being around in the first place.
Despite a slightly worried face, she sighed and decided that it was pointless to hide her concerns anymore. "Pretty much. But, of course we know to contact you whenever we're in need of help." She said, trying to make the best of the situation. Although she didn't outright say 'I'm sick of you' they both mutually were aware of the situation without having to say anything, not that Neal would know much about their internal struggles. JeY merely nodded in return, then started to hand the strange device to Neal. "This is the darkness I recovered from you yesterday." He said.
Pausing just a minute to clear his throat, he immediately went into more detail. "You can collapse it by pressing on both sides, open it by pulling on them. Whenever you feel like you have a surge of energy you can't control, pull this out and channel it in. It won't ever run out of capacity and it can't break so don't worry about dropping it or anything." He said, pausing slightly to let the boy internalize everything he said, to which JeY sat upright and then let his legs descend back to the ground and he folded his arms once he stood normally again. "This way, it should never fully consume you." He said.
JessY also folded her arms over in the corner, raising an eyebrow at what was being exchanged between them. Apparently Neal's condition was pretty serious, that he needed a container to fuel excess energy into in order to... well, maintain control. What if he gets to a situation where he can't access it? But... without any way to shed his darkness at all, what would happen to him? The blonde girl shivered at the thought, deciding not to delve down that route. She would simply wait patiently for their conversation to be over before potentially voicing unnecessary concerns.
The man waited until the boy would have some grasp of what's going on and let him internalize it a bit further before moving on once more. "As for being able to use your energy, well, we'll go to the outskirts and have a little practice. Once you get even some semblance of control, the rest comes with practice and imagination. Maybe even JessY can help you." He said, glancing to her quick. She... nodded actually, agreeing with him. "After all, my own ability is based solely on imagination. Heh." She replied. Seems things wouldn't be so bad for the boy after all. Once he agreed, they would be off.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2014 21:17:13 GMT -5
Grasping the odd device JeY had pulled out, Neal's golden eyes glanced down at it with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to even attempt to call upon this power, especially after seeing what it did to Murdoc. It's fine... if it starts to go wild I'll just force it back... The thought seemed reassuring, but in actuality it simply made his stomach hurt. But... how strong is my heart? That was the question he wouldn't know an answer to until he tried. Taking a deep breath, Neal slid the small disk into one of his many pockets on his camouflage cargo pants before grasping the edge of the bed with his hands tightly.
Closing his eyes, attempting to find inner strength, the young magi slowly forced himself out of the sitting position he was on at the edge of the bed, and attempted to stand. At first, he nearly stumbled forward, having to grasp onto the mattress of the bed tightly in order not to fall. The pain shooting up his legs was horrid, but he knew it was simply aching muscles that had gotten a little too used to laying around. Gritting his teeth and glaring down at his feet, he scolded himself. C'mon you useless body, GO! Pushing against the bed one more time, Neal forced himself to his feet, swaying only slightly before shaking his head and grasping his footing.
Shifting his eyes over to JeY, his look was determined but cautious. "I'm ready." Truth be told, Neal never thought he would truly be prepared for something like wrestling with an evil force that lurked inside of him- but he didn't think anyone would be, truly. So, the young magi figured to treat it like any other unexpected challenge that came his way: Fuck it. I got this.
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