[IC] ANKL, Chapter II: Touching Oblivion

[Shamitako]

Lilith

Lilith's morning had been a blur. She had awoken in the nurse's office and been through a number of tests before being given a clean bill of health. She wasn't sure what had happened, but people seemed to be looking at her even funnier than before. She got her room assignment from Miss Katherine and had somehow managed to make her way to her room. She opened the door to find her partner already inside. The rooms were essentially split in half, there was a set of a bed, nightstand, desk, and chair on each side with a window in the back separating them. The floor was of a gorgeous dark wood and had a rectangular rug that was patterned in alternating rings of gold and black--Lilith wondered a moment if this might signify the lines of the occupants--in the center.

She turned to Arya and did her best to smile, before noticing a rather nasty burn on her partner's face.

"Oh my!" Lilith exclaimed, "What happened? Does it hurt? Why is everyone staring at me?"

The last question wasn't really related to the burn, but Lilith had been dying to ask it all morning. It wasn't just that people were looking at her different, Layla felt different too. She felt there was something she had forgotten, something sat at the back of her mind demanding she reach out and grab it, but whenever she tried it just fell back into the oblivion beyond her reach. It was agitating, because she was sure it was important for her to remember, but she just couldn't.

Lexi

In high contrast to Lilith, Lexi's morning had been painstakingly slow. Her partner, Sharp, had seemed interesting at first, but seemed nigh impossible to hold a conversation with. Currently Lexi was laying on her belly staring at the blue and purple rug on the floor whilst Sharp engrossed her self in a book.

"Ugh, I'm bored." Lexi groaned finally, "What are you reading?"

"It is a book about a hypothetical subatomic particle known as a quark." Sharp answered matter-of-factly, "Currently it is discussing the possible implications of a star composed entirely of these particles."

"Ooh, that sounds cool."

"Indeed, for it to exist it would have to be at temperatures near absolute zero."

"No, I was showing interest."

"Then why did you not say so? If you like you may read it, I have many other books." Sharp held out the book.

"Oh nonono, I much prefer hearing you talk about it, you have such an interesting voice."

"Really? Thanks." Sharp said, her reddish skin seeming to flush a shade darker, "I've been told many things about my voice, mainly that it's very monotone and too deep for a girl. I believe this is the first time it has ever been complimented."

"Wat? People don't like it? But it's so awesome!" Lexi had finally broken through, she had no intention of letting this drop anytime soon, though she did kind of want to hear more about quarks.

"I quite enjoy my voice as well. But seeing as most I have encountered do not like their own voices, this may be indicative of an abnormality in mine."

"Hehe, well I think abnormalities are good." Lexi said, sitting up, "But anyways, tell me more about these quarks, then I can hear your voice and learn about kewl sciencey things at the same time."

"Very well then." Sharp turned back in her book a bit and began explaining while Lexi sat and listened intently.

(OOC: The way to Lexi's heart is through quarks Meanwhile complimenting Sharp is pretty much guaranteed to surprise her, people generally think she's P odd. Riley got her eyes, Lexi nabbed her voice. Grab your slice of Sharp compliments before it's too late! )

Katherine

Katherine sat at her desk mulling over a few of her students' information. Currently she was reading about Emberly. And from what she was reading, she had made a good choice in picking who she wanted to support her. She set down Emberly's file and sat back, turning on the radio. Unlike most women, Katherine used a radio over an MP3 player. She also listened to classical music, which was a rare taste and only even had a station to play on because it originated in Kallistle worship and thus the Church of Kallisto made certain at least one station in Kalo kept playing it. Kallisto smiled to herself, it was nice to know she had started such a beautiful art style, even if most failed to appreciate it. She reached out and grabbed another file, this one for Lilith Perdita, after what had happened last night, there was no doubt that Lilith was indeed the incarnation of Layla. She would be a bit of a wildcard on the road ahead, as there was no way to predict who she would side with. Kallisto would do everything in her power to make sure it was with her, she would really rather not have to go through Layla to achieve her goals.

Placing down the file, she reached for another. this one had a picture of an irritatingly pompous redhead, Natalie Opium, on the front. Her file was predictably perfect, but Kallisto knew better. Nayru had always been a brat, now she just had the social status to cover it up. If there was one thing Kallisto could count on, it was the two of them being on opposing sides, not that she really minded putting Nayru in her place. That just left Alexus, and that was the most important of them all. Kallisto was certain she could count on Alexus's aid, which meant she needed to find her before she could set her plan in motion. Based on the ages of herself and the other two, Kallisto figured Alexus would be fifteen right about now. But that still left her plenty of possibilities. She needed to narrow them down, and quickly.

(OOC: Oh, forgot to mention, Rein is gonna be alone in her room at first. Also, the carpets are indeed color coded by line. Black for Laylite, gold for Kallistle, blue for Alexian, purple for Nayrist. They're solid if partners share a line and banded if they're different)

[Sutoratosu]

"I...don't really know..." Arya admitted. She'd spent most of the morning trying to piece together whatever she could recall, but... there simply wasn't enough there. To be honest, after a few hours she had just given up on it altogether...decided it was best to just get some sleep. "And It doesn't hurt too much right now I guess, not with the pills nurse exubrence gave me. Just feels kinda numb to be honest." She didn't need to take much time to think about the last question though, the one about people starring...Lillith had gone into a some type of weird mini-coma, afterall, and after some strange light show to boot...

"Anyway, the only real reason I can think for people to stare is it has to do... with whatever happened...last night."

((There's probably a lot more I could've done for this response to make it better, but for the sake of just saving time and getting things back on track... so yeah, corners have been cut.))

[Chevaleresse]

Arturia leaned back into the bed in her dorm, getting comfortable. She didn't really intend to take a nap, but the beds were comfortable and out of sight of prying teachers. Her laptop was balanced on her legs as she laid atop the blankets. Her body might have had different intentions, however, as a jaw-cracking yawn came unbidden. Yesterday had been a long day, after all. Abruptly, she realized how long she'd been ignoring the room, so she peered out at the other half of the room, checking on what her roommate was doing. She was fairly happy about the whole situation; Emberly seemed like someone she could get along with, and even the room's decor matched her personal tastes fairly well.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Emberly was scrawling something on a blank page, though it was probably out of sight for Arturia. However, she was writing something about the day. Emberly... being a forgetful person liked to write about the day she had experienced... not really in a diary sort of fashion; More of a fancy account of the day she had. Sometimes she wrote other things as well... being inspired to do so. She wasn't particularly so this morning. Nothing was all that fantastic or different... other than when that Lightning bolt struck that girl. What on earth was that about? It was not normal... that was all Emberly knew. She wondered what it could be... if it was a sign or ill omen. She wasn't used to thinking such things... it wasn't like her. She didn't believe in fate... or that type of thing. She barely even believed the existence of the so called Goddesses. It was a strange time to be thinking of stuff like this.

Normally, she'd have slept like a brick. It wasn't like her to be up all night or not sleep well. Mostly because she just knocked out when her body told her too. However, it bothered her at least a little. Enough she remained awake most of the night. It was clear in her emotions and her facial expression that something was on her mind. She had honestly forgotten that Arturia was there. Emberly... was as said before... forgetful at times. Usually she was pretty aware of her surroundings, she usually had to be being so tall in a world not made for someone as tall as she was. Always having to crouch through doorways that were too short and the like. But every now and then it lapsed. Especially when something was on her mind.

[Chevaleresse]

Arturia sat up a bit and looked over at Emberly. It seemed like she was drawing, or maybe writing. Deciding that her game could wait for a moment, she shifted to face her roommate. "What are you doing over there, anyway?" she asked.

[Shamitako]

Lilith

Last night? what happened last night? Lilith wondered, The last thing I remember is partnering with Arya.

She could tell Arya was nervous about it, so it had to be important. Lilith wasn't exactly a forgetful person, so the thought of forgetting something important worried her. She must have been there for it, otherwise it would be unrelated to the staring...

"Um, can I ask what exactly happened? I don't remember much of anything after we partnered." She asked sheepishly.

Natalie

Natalie stormed into the room with a huff, barely paying Rein any mind. That Katherine woman was infuriating beyond belief. One day she'd have to find a way to put her in her place. For whatever reason Natalie just felt convinced that Miss Katherine was the embodiment of the worst person she could think of. Well, that wasn't entirely true, the worst person she could think of was her older sister. She didn't really rememeber much of her life before being adopted by Helen Opium,
but she did remember her stupid :holier than thou" older sister. she had been young so she couldn't recall the name or face, but she could remember her hatred. She flopped back on her bed, feeling exasperated by old memories.

"Hey, Rein, I'm curious" she said, "what do you think of Miss Katherine?"

Kallisto

There was a knock at the door. Kallisto quickly stowed the files she had been reading through in a drawer, she didn't need any of her students knowing she was checking them out, just in case another of her sisters had regained herself.

"Come in." She called.

She immediately regretted making her presence known when the girl behind the door turned out to be none of than Natalie Opium.

"Hello Miss Katherine." Natalie said, her fake smile betrayed by the scowl in her voice.

"Good morning Natalie, did you need something?"

Natalie gave the radio, which was still playing classical music, a short glare before responding, "Yes, I wanted to speak with you about a girl named Lexi Aislin."

Katherine knew the name, "Yes, what of her?"

"Earlier she made a mockery of me by placing an electronic squeaking device on my shoe. I don't know how exactly she got it there but I'd like her dealt with."

"I don't see the problem there, she hardly violated the rules." Katherine replied calmly, "Unlike a certain redheaded brat."

"Excuse me?" Natalie said, her fake smile gone, "Are you calling me a brat?"

"No, you came to the conclusion yourself, I just said a redheaded brat broke the rules." Katherine gave her politest smile, a face she had often worn when dealing with Kallistle priestesses.

"I- Grr. Just, do something about her!"

"Like I said before, Mrs. Opium gave me strict instructions not to interfere with you and I intend to follow them to the letter."

Natalie gave one last grunt of anger before turning and storming out.

Kallisto was relieved to have Natalie gone. Not long ago you'd have been hard pressed to convince her Nayru could get any worse. and yet here she was, worse.

she pulled back out her files and was surprised to see that the next files to look over was Lexi Aislin's. She flipped through it, Lexi was fifteen, though that was a very common age among her students so it couldn't mean anything. And yet, something kept picking at the back of her mind. She skimmed through through the whole thing several times, trying to figure out what had caught her attention. Then she noticed it, Lexi's graduation quote from first stage school said, "Give Luck, keep Hope, and steal pain." Which was similar to a common Alexian proverb, "Give Luck, keep Hope, and heal pain." Though the way Lexi Aislin had said it was actually how the original speaker had spoken it. That was too big a coincidence, it had to be her. Kallisto was almost thankful to Natalie, had she not mentioned Lexi's name, she might have missed such a seemingly minor detail.

New Prichina, Nayo

Eden watched nervously as her "mother" preached her message to the large crowd that had gathered in the stadium.

"Unlike the rigid fools heading the Kallistle Church, the people of Nayo have become willing to accept new ways of thinking." She said.

The woman who insisted on calling herself Eden's mother was known as "Her". No one knew her real name, not even Eden, but almost all of Nayo knew of her message. The Prophetess Her, the woman who had found the way to Eden, the fabled birthplace of the Goddesses, in the form of a young orphan girl.

"Thus why I bring my message to you first, the message of freedom. Not just for the elitest follows of Kallisto, but for all who are willing!"

She motioned for Eden to come forward, and the girl complied. She held back the tear she felt welling up inside of her, chocking them back for the sake of of the truth. She would endure this torment for the time being, she did have plenty of time on her hands after all. Besides, it wasn't like she wouldn't have been happy to help Her perform miracles, if that's what she was doing.

"This young girl here is the way to our paradise, I have appropriately named her Eden, and I now welcome you to come and allow her to place her hands upon you, bringing you back the energy of your youth."

Eden rolled her eyes at the propaganda; all she was really doing was doubling their time consumption. It made it seem like everything about them worked doubly quick, it also practically halved their remaining lifespans. Eden was more or less murdering them. And even though the end result was just, she had always believed that your actions were far more important than your intentions. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks and the bewildered looks of the gathered crowd, women and men ranging from around thirty-year-olds who were too self-conscious to eighty-year-olds who just wanted to play with their grandchildren again.

"I'm sorry." She said, her voice barely more than a whisper and yet somehow carrying itself to each and every one of their ears, "I'm just so happy to be helping so many reach paradise."

She tilted her head slightly and gave the cutest smile she could manage, allowing the stream of tears to flow freely. If only death was truly the way to paradise.

(OOC: K, so, finish up things. Next post I'm going to take control of everyone characters for a bit)

[Code: PIRULUK]

"Hey, Rein, I'm curious" she said, "what do you think of Miss Katherine?"

Rein tilted her head toward her visibly annoyed roommate. Miss Katherine, the teacher? Rein had not seen any reason to pay particular attention to her, aside from her youth.

"...no opinion. Young?"

She had not seen much of the woman, but what she had seen was unimpressionable. Then again, Rein rarely made it a point to pay attention to teachers. Or to anybody, for that matter. Still, she supposed she should humor her partner with what little she did observe.

"...low muscle density. Minimal battle presence. Not a brawler."

[Sutoratosu]

"Well, I guess you wouldn't..." Arya sighed. "After we agreed on being partners, you... looked a bit hesitant for a minute and sat beside me. After that, the lights shorted or... something, and... just a few seconds after they did, something flashed." she stopped for a moment, letting her eyes drift to the alternating colors of the carpet. The fact still remained that as much as time as she had spent trying to piece it all together, she probably only had precious little more memory after that point than the other girl.

"I don't what it was, or where it came from, but... I think it was close by. When the lights came back on though, You were out cold beside me- and somehow I'd gotten this" She jabbed a thumb indignantly at the burn stretching across her cheek, not taking her eyes off the floor the whole time. She was still able to feel it, even with the meds and the lie to Lillith about it, and It was hard for her to keep some of the bitterness about that end of the stick from seeping into her tone "Anyway, it looked like we were the only ones that anything happened to. I got some help from this other girl, Rein- I think her name was -and... we wheeled you to the nurse's office. And that's about all of it..."

[Shamitako]

Natalie

Even Natalie couldn't help giggling at Rein's response.

"I suppose she does seem rather weak physically." She replied, "Though she's more known for her skill in verbal combat than physical so it doesn't matter all that much."

She was about to try to explain her frustration with Miss Katherine when the fire alarms went off. That was odd, there shouldn't have been any drills this early, but the only way there would be a fire was if someone started it intentionally. The building was made with every possible precaution built in, it was nearly impossible to start a fire on accident. She shrugged it off and simply gathered her things before walking out into the hallway.

Sharp

The instant the fire alarm went off Sharp shut the book and stood up, marching straight out the doorway with a protesting Lexi in tow. She wasn't paying too much attention, but figured Lexi had things she wanted to grab. But Sharp knew enough about fire to know that going back was never a good idea. She simply held Lexi's wrist tightly and walked out. Their neighbors, the conveniently located Riley and Mary, were already out. Riley was dragging Mary in a similar manner, which was interesting since Sharp was under the impression Riley would have had the same reaction as Lexi

Lilith

Lilith was still trying to sort out what Arya was telling her when the alarm went off. She suddenly found herself outside in the hallway barely recalling the process that brought her there. Something was nagging at the back of her mind and she felt so close to realizing what it was. Her mother would have scolded her for not being focused, but she felt it was something important. She stopped in the middle of the hallway, about ten feet from the emergency exit. Arya reached it and turned to see that Lilith had stopped. Lilith thought she heard Arya telling her to hurry up, but she couldn't tell. Arya didn't seem panicked, so why should she be hurrying? And what was that loud ringing noise?

She clutched at her head, trying to remember. It was so close, she just had to reach out and grab it.

Kallisto

Kallisto rushed quickly to Emberly's dorm. She had to act quickly, before Emberly and her partner made it to the exit. She arrived just as they exited and quickly called out.

"Emberly!" She yelled, drawing the girls' attention, "I have something I need your help with. You'll have to forgive me later, but right now you don't have much choice."

Without giving Emberly or Arturia a chance to respond she reached out her hand, a sphere of Light energy forming from it and quickly growing to envelope the two girls. She closed her eyes and spoke a chant in ancient Kallistle

By the light of my heart

By the strength of your trust

By the fires of those who believe

And for the salvation of all humanity

I bestow upon you my strength

That you may bring light to the world

Although they couldn't understand it, Emberly and Arturia could feel the chant's power surging into them. It freed their internal potential, granting them powers beyond that of any normal person. They were now more or less demigods. With the awakening ceremony complete, Kallisto had to quickly move to intercept Alexus.

"Alright, I'm sure you both felt that." she said, turning, "If you want to know what I did you should probably follow."

Lilith

Lilith could vaguely sense the girls flowing past her to the exit, some ignoring and shoving others staring but being careful to stay out of the way. Arya was back now, probably trying to get Lilith to leave. There were also two more girls with her, Lilith recognized them, she had met them the night before, Lyre and Sion? Names were important, but that wasn't what she needed to remember. She shoved thoughts of her friends aside, reaching desperately for that memory. Suddenly, something snapped. She felt a tingling at her feet and sparks began to form around them. They quickly grew into a cloud of sparkles that travelled up her bosy, replacing her clothing. First her shoes changed, turning into black leather boots that went about a quarter of the way up her legs. Her legs became covered in black tattoo-like markings in the shape of wild vines. She now wore a short, sleeveless yellow dress with black frills at the end of the skirt and over the shoulders. Her arms were adorned in the same markings as her legs and her nails were painted in alternating black and pale yellow. her curly hair broke free of its messy bun and grew out, forming itself into two neatly wrapped braids sprouting from just behind her ears and held tight by yellow ribbons tied into bows.

Though she knew not what was happening, words began sprouting from her mouth in a language she didn't know but somehow understood

In the frightening dark

With sheer force of will

Through the power of the thundering storm

And the might to overcome any obstacle

I lend you my power

That you may free yourself

A storm of electricity erupted from her body, enveloping those who were trying to help her. Unlike the power she had unleashed the night before, this storm did not burn, it empowered

Natalie

Natalie was suddenly overcome by a strange feeling, as though her very soul was collapsing in on itself. She fell to her knees, barely holding herself off the ground. Rein nearly simply continued on, but after a pause turned back to help. Not that Natalie really cared either way. She then heard taunting laughter, turning her head as much as she could she saw the girl she had tussled with in class the day before, as well as another girl that she assumed was her partner. The floor beneath her palms suddenly felt extremely cold and ice began to spread throughout the hallway. She began speaking in Ancient Kallistle, the words simply coming to her from thin air

By the soul of my being

By the strength of your logic

By the cold ice of those who can reason

And for the salvation of all humanity

I bestow upon you my strength

That you may understand the world

Energy surged into the two girls and Rein, filling them with power

(OOC: So apparently Rein isn't a girl )

Lexi

Despite her protests, Sharp simply dragged Lexi along towards the emergency exit. But when they went through it, they weren't outside. They were somehow in the gym. They weren't alone either, there was a group of girls surrounded by ice and another inside a storm of electricity. The door at the other end of the room opened, and Miss Katherine walked in.

"You'll have to forgive me for the deception Alexus, but I needed some way to gather us all into one place." She said, "Having a Light Eye at your beck and call is more than a little handy."

A pale blue haired girl stepped in behind her, followed by another pair of girls who looked even more confused than Lexi did.

"Unfortunately not everything can be faked, and not all outsiders can be left out. So I had to set a fire to help clear everyone out of the building so that we'd have minimal external involvement. Though it seems we still managed to catch quite a few."

"Miss Katherine, what are you talking about?" Lexi asked bewilderedly.

At the same time, something had begun to nag at her, she felt like she should know more about what was happening.

"Come now Alexus, you remember don't you?" Miss Katherine urged, "I remembered, Layla's been working on remembering, surely you can manage it."

Then it hit her, Alexus's memories flooded back into her like a raging river. And then she realized what she needed to do. She turned to her friends and held out her hand, an orb of white exploding from it and enveloping them. A chant brought itself to her lips. She didn't know what language she was speaking, but it came to her naturally

In the raging light of hope

With the flow of chance

Through the river of luck that is life

And the unwillingness to surrender

I lend you my power

That you may find your path

"Alright Kallisto, what do you want?" She demanded, turning back to her sister.

"I just wanted us to be reunited." Kallisto replied innocently.

"Oh give it a rest, you always have an ulterior motive." Alexus scowled, "Just because I support your choices doesn't mean I agree with your motives."

"Fine, fine." Kallisto replied, "I'm sure you're wondering why we're here, human, and that's why I brought us together. There's a foe we have to fight, one who has managed to outsmart all of us, I thought it best if we joined together to fight her."

"You know Nayru will never agree to that. But at least now I know why you let our friends get involved."

"No, she won't, but I thought it best to give her the chance, after all, being human changes one."

"Hah, you haven't changed a bit."

"I suppose I haven't. So, shall we try to explain what's going on to these poor innocent bystanders? I know I promised Emberly and Arturia here explanations if they came along."

Alexus sighed, "Fine, I'll take my friends and Layla's group while you talk to Nayru's group and the people you dragged into this?"

"That sounds like a wonderful plan." Kallisto said cheerfully.

Alexus and Kallisto walked over to their respective groups, dispelling the excess energy from the awakening ceremony. Layla and Nayru both collapsed, and Alexus didn't blame them.

"Alright, I don't know most of you, but if you could come join me and my friends I'll try to explain what's going on."

Kallisto said something similar to Nayru's group.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Emberly didn't really understand what was happening. She felt what ever Miss Katherine did a certain... lock switched off in her body and she felt something flow through her. But it wasn't something she understood at the moment let alone could quite grasp. Just a whirl of things were happening that she couldn't keep up with. In fact so much was happening she was still holding her journal in her hand not having finished the entry for yesterday. It was that fast of an occurrence of events. She was surprised she didn't crash her head into anything at this rate.

"What is even happening here?" she vocalized. She was thinking it and happened to say it aloud rather than in her head. "After all... I am owed an explanation I believe." she continued realizing that she voiced that last thought.

[Chevaleresse]

What the hell is going on? Fire, and now I feel all funny. . . "Wait, was that Ancient Kallistle?" She wasn't exactly an expert in the language, but she had picked up a bit in various research projects over her school career and random Internet crawling. "Something about light and fire? Those, are, uh." She stopped, her questions trailing off temporarily. "You called her. . . And she called you. . ." She gestured, pointing back and forth between the two women who were referring to one another as goddesses. "I would think those were, like, code names or something, but. . ." In the back of her mind, Arturia was frustrated at her sudden inability to finish a sentence without trailing off. "I guess I'll start with the most relevant question first. What did you just do?"

[rustytengo]

"Umm..." Lyre blinked a few times as she tried to work her mind around everything that was happening,but she quickly got over that when she saw Lilith collapsed on the ground. Then girl who started taking, Lyre somewhat remembered from class was telling them to come with her and she would explain what was going on, but getting an explanation wasn't the first thing on her mind. No what was was that for the second time in a few days someone Lyre considered a friend was collapsed. So Lyre did her best to try and pick up the collapsed Lilith in her arms well finally managing to get out a few words

"Lilith needs help, explanations can happen after she's better." she said well staring stubbornly at the girl.(Alexus)

[Code: PIRULUK]

Rein scratched her neck. She felt weird. After Natalie had done the circle-of-ice thing her body got all tingly and felt like something was running through it, changing her. She tilted her head. Odd. She didn't recall being allergic to ice. Maybe she had to go for another allergy test, they might have missed that one out. Looking around, she noticed both Natalie and Lilith on the floor. Lilith, for some reason, was dressed in a super cute black-and-yellow outfit with matching adorable ribbons in her hair. Rein averted her eyes, a red tinge on her cheeks barely noticeable, given close scrutiny.

Miss Katherine stepped up to her and asked them to ask questions or sonething. She didn't have any questions, nor was she particularly concerned about the recent events. For some reason, they were in the gym. Nothing was actively trying to attack her, and there seemed to be no outright hostility in the atmosphere. Therefore, there wasn't much worth pondering.

[Sutoratosu]

"..." Arya had no comment on what had just occurred. She simply rushed and knelt beside her partner as the other girl once more was unconscious on the floor, sighing briefly when she still saw some breathing at least. "First the blackout last night, then me getting burned by...something. Then this whole fire alarm deal and... this?" She could feel the effects of whatever supernatural mojo had just gone down even as she thought it. It was strange... like something surging through you, water flowing through a channel without resistance... almost like a miniature sun or something had lit in the core of her being. But... why was Lillith apparently able to conjure up lightning storms? And just who were these others and why did it seem like they knew each other so familiarly and...hmmmm...

"What the hell is going on here?" She demanded, glaring up at Alexus from where she knelt. Her voice was far more forceful and blunt than she had meant the question to come out, but... at the moment, she didn't give a damn. Getting Answers was a bit more important than acting polite.

[Shamitako]

Kallisto

Kallisto took a deep breath. she was normally perfectly confident, but she couldn't help feeling a little nervous about revealing the truth.
"As promised, I'll explain everything." She said, "Starting with the hardest to stomach part."
She pointed to each of her sisters in turn, stating their names as she went.

"Alexus, Nayru, Layla."

She paused momentarily when she got to herself, Arturia already seemed to grasp the situation, though she didn't seem to believe it. Kallisto was mostly just worried about Emberly, as she really didn't want to break what she hoped would grow into a strong friendship.

"And I am Kallisto. We're the Goddesses you've grown up learning about." She said finally, "Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner, but I highly doubt you'd have believed me. To be honest there's little reason to believe me now. Yes, that was Ancient Kallistle, even if I were just Katherine Lucille it shouldn't surprise you that I am perfectly fluent in it, after all I've gone toe to toe with some of the higher ups in the Kallistle Church's hierarchy. As for what I did, I used some of my own power to unlock the power hidden within you, I'll explain to you how to use it shortly.

"Long story short, my sisters and I got knocked out of our home, a place called Eden, and ended up here. There is an extremely powerful foe who managed to best us previously, so I came up with a plan to get us some help. That would be you all. I'm very sorry for having to deceive you, but it won't be long before this entire school is under siege. Like it or not, and probably not, you're all involved now. Whether or not you choose to help is up to you, but I would very much appreciate it."

Alexus

Alexus looked down at the collapsed Layla.

"She'll be fine, she's just exhausted, let her rest." She said, "And, I'm going to be frank, I don't know the full of it. But, in case you hadn't already figured it out, we're the Goddesses. I'm Alexus, Natalie over there is Nayru--and boy is she gonna be pissed at Kallisto when she wakes up--Miss Katherine is Kallisto, and Lilith is Layla. The storm of lightning you were caught in a moment ago was part of the awakening ceremony, like I just performed on my friends there, Layla used some of her power to awaken your own powers. Though since she wasn't in full control of herself she wasn't able to stop and it caused her to overload and wear herself out."

[Hiss13]

Sion's heart pounded as she felt a chill throughout her entire body. Whatever had just happened had caused her body to react in a way that it felt like something was flowing through her veins.

But it was not just that. Beyond this fire alarm business and the fact that her body was feeling slightly weird was the fact that four goddesses were all standing in one place. She had many questions come to mind just from that alone but she was too afraid to ask them. After all, it would probably be incredibly rude for a mere human to question a deity.

She had been silent up till now but there was something nagging her to the point where she had to ask it. So, she swallowed her fear and forced herself to talk. "W-Why would the four goddesses be present in one place?"

[Chevaleresse]

"Uh, okay." Arturia had to stop once again to consider what Kallisto - if she was who she claimed she was - had said. "I still haven't decided if I believe you're a deity, but it is clear that you possess at least one ability I don't understand, and it doesn't seem like you have any reason to wish ill upon me in particular. In the interest of time, I'll ask both of my questions at once: what do you mean by 'the school will be under siege,' and what latent powers are you referring to?" She was still quite surprised and anxious about the situation, which showed in her body language. "And, um, if you really are Kallisto, sorry about the whole 'not-believing-you-exist' thing."

[Shamitako]

Katherine

"Apologies are hardly necessary." Kallisto said to Arturia, "I mean it's not like we've done anything Goddess-like in the past 700 years, and nothing obvious for at least 3000, there's really no evidence of our existence beyond stories from the past. As for your questions... Now that I've gathered the four of us together our nemesis will be able to detect our presence and send his servants to kill us. We're not exactly Goddesses anymore, we're more or less human, meaning that while we retain most of our powers we can still be slain. As for the powers, each of you has a tiny bit of ability passed down through the generations. The original humans were just short of being gods themselves, but as time went on they gradually lost their abilities. Using some of my own power, as well as what little was still retained in your blood, to restore you to the state of early humanity. Once Nayru and Layla wake up I'll explain to you how to use them."

Alexus

"That's, actually a really good question." Alexus said.

The girl had a good point, why were the four of them in one place? Which raised the even bigger question of why only four of them were there...

"If I had to guess it's a mix of Kallisto manipulating us into one place and sheer Luck. Probably mostly Luck, which I suppose makes it my fault? Not sure if I could have done that without being aware of who I was. Gah, this whole incarnation thing is confusing."

[Chevaleresse]

"Since the explanation is waiting, shouldn't we move? Lilith and that b-" oh god I basically just called someone I should be worshipping a - "Um, I mean, Layla and Nayru aren't super huge, we could probably carry them out of here or something if we're really in trouble." Underneath the stress of the situation was a sinking feeling of realization. The source of some of the principles she had chosen to dedicate her life to was not only all too real (despite her arguments to the contrary), she was. . . Natalie Opium. One of the few people she legitimately disliked as a person, which was saying something, because she could get along with almost anybody if they ended up in a social situation.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Hmmm, so you do exist. Can't say I ever thought that you did... and I still don't really believe it. And yet what you did... was nothing that a normal person could do. I felt something unlock... a piece of me open that was never opened before. It's energy flowed through me and touched the rest of my being. You can't be ordinary if you could do that by any means. I don't know if I can really be of any help if you are that which you say you are, I am just ordinary, an everyday person. I'm not really that special. Some not sure what you see in me and why you believe I can help. But, you must have some reason, so... I will help you." Emberly said. Her confidence didn't waver she had said what she meant to say, in the way she meant to say it.

She fumbled with the Journal in her hand, a little bit of nerves, though mostly she just didn't know what else to do. "Today's entry is going to be weird..." she mumbled to herself under her breath.

[Sutoratosu]

Arya looked down at Lill- Layla's unconscious form yet again. Goddesses. They were the freaking goddesses. This... was crazy. But yet... she had to admit, it made sense given the context of what she had just seen. Up until now, the girl had always thought they existed, somewhere, simply withdrawn from the mortal world for whatever reason- perhaps to allow the human race to develop on it's own, or they had gotten bored, or, as she had more often thought, perhaps even because they had simply gotten tired of all of them and were just waiting for the day when the hairless apes finally finished digging their own graves and died off -But... now she had proof sitting right infront of her. And strong proof at that.

"This just keeps getting ever more stranger..." "Um... Lady Alexus," She began, careful to keep her voice a bit more controlled this time around. "What exactly did you mean by reincarnation? Aren't you...well, immortal?"

[Code: PIRULUK]

Rein simply stood there and acknowledged all she'd heard. Goddesses, huh. She looked at Lilith, lying on the ground, and was relieved that the Goddess she worshipped was at least a super-cute girl.

She then turned her attention to the unconscious Natalie. Goddess or not, she did feel a slight tinge of concern for her partner, especially when they had made a handshake-bound contract.

She trotted over to the unconscious girl, squatted down, and started poking her cheek with her left index finger, her face a mix of apathy and disinterest.

[Shamitako]

Natalie

This had to be the most humiliating thing she had ever experienced.She still had no clue what was going on, but she knew she was lying on the ground incapable of moving with her partner poking her cheek. Natalie Opium could not have been more upset if she tried. And since she couldn't so much as open her eyelids, she had to lay there and listen to whatever bullshit Miss Katherine was spouting.

Alexus

"Well, um, not really no." Alexus explained, "I don't know why, but for whatever reason we're human. Extremely powerful humans, but humans nonetheless."

She really wished she knew more of the situation herself so she could help the others understand.

Suddenly, Riley's voice cut through the air, "So, does this mean we aren't sisters anymore?"

"What? Nononono." Alexus said quickly, "I'm still the same Lexi you grew up with. I'm probably more that Lexi than I am Goddess of Luck Lexi. I've spent fifteen years as Lexi Aislin, and only the past five minutes as Alexus... Well I mean technically I spent thousands of years as Alexus but you get the point."

Riley smiled, although it held a hint of sadness to it, "Alright then sis, glad to know I didn't lose you to the teacher."

Kallisto

Kallisto sighed in relief when Emberly agreed to help. She would have been devestated if she'd managed to push her away with what certainly must have seemed like insanity.

"And no, it would not be a good idea to move." she explained to Arturia, "This is a fortified position, you can thank Helen Opium for that, leaving this gymnasium is far more dangerous than staying here. Though it would be good if we could wake them up so we can get to explaining your powers."

She looked nervously at the youngest of her sisters, Layla's assistance was going to be key, and she still hadn't confirmed which side Layla would be on. Nayru was pretty much guaranteed to side against her, which she honestly didn't mind. It would be nice to finally decide which of them was superior once and for all.

[Chevaleresse]

Arturia nodded hesitantly. She wasn't particularly fond of the idea of just sitting and waiting for whatever danger was coming. "Um, maybe you could start explaining now while we wake them up. I mean, they should know already, right?" She took another look at the pair of unconscious girls, finally noticing Lili- Layla's unusual outfit. I can't really say that's like anything I've seen before, and as far as I know, none of the girls have access to some weird high fashion wardrobe. She moved over to the girl and started to lift her up, hooking underneath her armpits and trying to lift Layla to her feet. "You've gotta get up, cmon. There's no time for a nap right now." She wasn't going to lift any further than getting the supposed goddess to a seated position, though; most would consider it a bad idea to drop the goddess of power and fear, regardless of her state of consciousness.

[Sutoratosu]

"But... what good is that power if you can be taken down with a silenced shot and the element of surprise though?" Of course she didn't dare voice that. Chances were she might've gotten a demonstration- Suicide by Goddess wasn't on her bucket list though. She simply stared at the young woman- no, diety...?No? oh, whatever -as alexus and someone else she hadn't noticed before conversed. "And how is it even possible for a deity become mortal... doesn't that defy the whole point of religion- the idea of something greater, of something undying? Something that can and will forever outlast the mortal coil? What good is the fear of god if god can be assassinated like any-" She Stopped herself, shaking her head as she averted her gaze; as if that would send the train of thought away like some rebuked vagrant. It wasn't like this was really the time for blasphemy...

Whatever was going, it would probably be better if she just kept quiet and went with it.