Under the Hill - First Circle: Judgement

[Sutoratosu]

"I can't really say I know how it works, it sort of just happened, I suppose."

Ethic began thinking to himself

Maybe... Could he bring a specific item from the past? just how much can his power do...?

Ethic decided to ask Mr.Taylor

"Just out of curiosity.... Do you think you'd be able to do it again... like, at will?"

Edited June 6, 2014 by Stratos

[Supernovae]

"Just out of curiosity.... Do you think you'd be able to do it again... like, at will?"

Mr. Taylor shrugged, "I honestly have no idea, my dear boy. But, if I don't try it out, then I won't be able to do it for sure, so let's give it a shot. Now what did you have in mind for me to try it out on?"

[Flux]

"Nine hells, and I thought the day was over. You've got a memory loss mister? Oh well, could you tell me what you do remember?"

Phantom made no motion for a while, before eventually nodding. He began to speak, seeming to have the same troubles as before.

"Difficult... remembering... words..." he managed, before continuing. "Woke up... sword... and mask..." He paused for a while, holding a hand to his head in pain.

"Phantom..."

[Sutoratosu]

"I honestly have no idea, my dear boy. But, if I don't try it out, then I won't be able to do it for sure, so let's give it a shot. Now what did you have in mind for me to try it out on?"

Ethic turned away from Mr.Taylor for a minute thinking

Should I really tell him? he asked himself mentallly... Lucian answered

I don't see any reason why you can't trust him.... besides, He just told you about how he died, so why can't you tell about what happened with Ixidor?

Ethic turned back to Mr.Taylor...

"All right..." the young man began "Mr.Taylor... I told you all earlier that Ixidor... had betrayed me and Kenny earlier..."

He looked to the ceiling, trying to choose his words very carefully for some reason he didn't quite know himself.

"It was when the three of us were travelling together.... in fact..."

He turned to puddle of Mr.Taylor's blood

"It was right after we found this place right here and the Hermit Arcana showed me your agonized face as you died... but that's all it showed me..."

He turned back to the Elderly man

"That she-wolf that chased us a while ago... well, right after we found this place is when I first encountered it... I knew something was wrong... and so I had Kenny open a portal to get us out of there..."

He paused for a while... the memories were still very fresh in his mind... and too vivid.

"just as Ix... I mean, Ixidor, was about to walk through to join Kenny on the otherside, the Wolf came out of nowhere and grabbed Ixidor and dragged him off... I went after it and so did Kenny... we found it... Ixidor had somehow managed to get out of it's jaws and was running away..."

He paused again, reliving the memory as he told it... he felt something now that he hadn't known he'd felt back then; it was fear... no, it was stronger than mere fear...

this emotion was terror.

he began shaking a little as he continued

"Me and Kenny.. we worked together to try and fight that thing... then I told him and Ixidor to get away, I was gonna try to fight that thing on my own in order to buy them time..."

He forced himself to stop shaking. it was shameful to display such rampant fear.

He laughed a little, looking down at his feet

"Yeah, buying time... that seems to be all I'm good for it seems..." he looked back up at Mr.Taylor

"Excuse me, All I was good for.... now that my powers are worthless... So am I."

Lucian protested in his mind

Stop that self pitying, if you were worthless, you would've died... and not have simply come back from the brink of it, even in this place.

Ethic took Lucian's advice and ended the thought train, looking back up at Mr.Taylor

"Sorry about that just now... Anyways, Long story short, my power couldn't hit the wolf, it was too agile... then it just, dissapeared... and this huge blood red scorpion thing was charging at me..."

His voice began to rise a little as he called more of the memory up.

"Ixidor had drawn it... After I had saved the little shit's life, twice, I might add, he drew up that thing and it came at me just like the lion you lured off did. I'm almost certain that he was trying to kill me now."

a surge of energy began coursing through him as he let his anger rise even more, unchecked.

"it was taken care of.... then you know what happened? some guy comes running up to us out of nowhere, shouting about how some older man had been murdered; stabbed, he said to us.... having seen your... death face... I got a bit suspicious... i asked the guy some questions. while I was in the middle of that..."

the surge grew stronger as the memory of what happened next tore through his mind and he relived the pain and agony of what followed, the pain of the glass tearing into his flesh and the agony of having the most precious thing in the world taken from him. his voice again fell to just above a whisper as his anger from then made resurgence now.

"Ixidor conjured up some glass prison from his sketch pad... and he tried to kill me and Kenny..."

He walked a bit closer to Mr.Taylor as he continued, his anger dangerously hot now... Ethic didn't won't to be getting any closer to the elderly man, he was afraid of what he might do in his current state of mind... but he couldn't stop himself.... He heard Lucian again

"GET THE F*CK OUT OF HERE YOU LITTLE TROLL!"

He heard a familiar voice as his legs stopped moving forward

"Damn you... ruining my fun..."

Ethic ignored this exchange in his mind as he continued to explain what happened, his fury causing energy to flow off him and flare off like before.

"And do you know what he said to me, Mr.Taylor... what he shouted out before it happened? I'll tell you, sir..."

He turned his head, something red had caught his eye in another Aisle... as well as a strange shine... he saw the rubble of the glass prison.

"He shouted 'I did it!' like the little bastard was proud of what he was about to do to me and Kenny... that's when glass started fyling off the prison... it hit me and kenny everywhere... it was horrible... it was like someone had opened fire on me with a tommy-gun at close range... then I fell to the floor face first... and bled out...then I died... or almost... Kenny sacrificed himself inorder to bring me back from the brink and save me from the trap..."

he had reached his boiling point. he turned to the place where the remains of the glass were

"And you now where it happened, Mr.Taylor...? You want me... to show you...? IT WAS RIGHT THERE, JUST IN THE NEXT AISLE."

He threw his arm up, pointing in the direction to show mr.taylor, then flinching as his sight was engulfed by an illuminated pathway surrounded in darkness, he felt himself flying over it, a scarlet light appearing as he flew faster and faster... he collided into the pulsing light and was engulfed...

his sight returned a second later as he watched a small shower of angry sparks issue forth from his outstrectched hand, which was glowing with white Invokaction energy. they created a small blizzard of embers in the air before dying out.

He stumbled back wards a few steps, startled at what he had just done, lucian spoke a loud

"Mother of God... What you just did..."

his anger was replaced by shock as Ethic looked down at his hand, which pulsated with a fading warmth... he thrust out his hand again like he had before, trying to see if he could do it again...

Nothing happened. the energy surging within him retreated back gradually, causing the white glow to fade like a light bulb dying...

"W-what the hell did I just do?" he asked himself as he stared at his palms.

"Lucian, what the hell did I JUST DO!?" he called out, his voice rising as he felt panic beginning to set in.

Lucian answered, speaking aloud once again

"Calm down, you... I'll have to check to see how you just did... that, actually... I'll go do that. you calm yourself and finish what you were saying before..."

Ethic forced the panic to go away, calming himself as he felt Lucian leave his mind and go off somewhere...

He looked to Mr.Taylor, somewhat Sheepish at what just happened.

"Um... sorry bout that too, I guess..." He began uneasily

"Guess I should explain who that was talking just now; his name is Lucian, and he was the former Keeper of the Arcana... until some... stuff happened and he abdicated to join me... all the Arcana have keepers, which are pretty much entitys or people taksed with watching over them or something..."

He shrugged a little

"I don't really know myself what it means, but anyways... let's just get back to what I was saying before..."

Ethic pointed to the remains of the Glass again, this time seeing that the floor around it was speckled in red, even from this distance, he could see it. he knew from where it was located in relation to the prison that it probably came out of himself.

"Anyways... after I came back from the... the brink, I found my jacket destroyed... I found the Arcana cards destroyed..."

He let his arm fall to his side.

"That's when I knew... when I knew what kind of person Ixidor must really be."

He turned to mr.taylor, a look of deep sorrow in his eyes as he tried once again to picture his mother's face like he had often before coming to this hell hole of a place. and like every other time, he failed to do it.

He spoke, his voice a bit uneven

"Those cards... Mr.Taylor, those cards weren't just simple Tarot or Playing cards... not to me, at least..."

He turned back to look at the pile...seeing the shiny slips actually still there... despite his trying hard not to, he felt a tear in his eye.

"Those cards... they were the last thing I had left to remember my mother by. She died when I was just a little kid... barely six... I can't remember her talking to me as she taught me about the Tarot... but it's spotty... and I can't even remember her face"

he turned back to the old man, making no effort to hide the tears now steadily flowing down his cheeks, for some reason, he felt it to be alright if he stopped trying to look strong in front of Mr.Taylor... stopped the Act he had been putting on since the prison incident... the act of looking like he was not being torn emotionally at what happenend.

"I hate my father, I'll tell you that right now, and I won't feel any shame about it. He's an arrogant prick who thinks he always knows whats best for everyone... but I've seen him sometimes... late at night... curled up with a bottle of vintage Murlow while crying in his bedroom. I don't really remember what he was like before my Mom died... but I'm sure he became a worse man after it happened... He killed her... not like murdering her, but his actions led to her dying... at home, my grandfather and a few of my cousins were the only people I was really close to..."

Ethic laughed a little bit as he thought of something

"You know, Mr.Taylor, you remind me alot of him for some reason... except that he didn't come back when he died... he didn't get a Messiah-like resurrection. He ran a business, it was a small shop for those interested in the metaphysical side of things... started it about fifty years ago... it was just a simple store on the corner... but it eventually grew into something much bigger... A lot of folks now a days think that it's all horse shit... but I knew it wasn't, whenever he talked to me about running the shop or I saw him talking to clientele like he knew them... every movement he made spoke to how much he believed that what he was doing was helping people... He taught me how to run the shop... since, with my Mom gone... he had to teach the next generation himself... then he died when I was sixteen... and my Father, with all his arrogance, took over the store's operation, he had no idea what so ever what he was doing. he drove the regulars away with simple, stupid mistakes that would've been avoided if he had listened when I told him not to do something... I knew how to run the place..."

He turned away

"He didn't. and that was ultimately the fact at the end of the day, and he knew. but I was still a minor... so for the next two years, there was nothing I could do... over time, he made more and more bad decisions for the business... we started going under... our profit margin fell by three-hundred percent in one year... had to go to the bank myself along with my cousin in order to get a loan to keep us going... tried even harder once I turned 18 to try and save the business... try to council him even more about what he was doing... but the bastard still didn't want to listen, even when the lights started flicker because we had to skimp a few bucks on the electric bill each month... then the day came... the day when I got up in the morning and saw the foreclosure notice on the front door..."

He turned back to face the old man once again

"Naturally, with our profits steadily falling along with our income, we couldn't pay the bills, let alone pay off the loan we got to keep the place afloat... and so the bank... forclosed... said we had eight-teen months to either pay off the debt or be out of there..."

Ethic smirked alittle

"And you know what I did, Mr.Taylor? when I saw that red slip of paper tucked into the door handle? I stormed up stairs into his bed room, I tossed the slip at him. and then I said this to him: "See this? this is what happened because you can't listen worth a damn! because you think you fucking know everything!" and then I stormed out of there, packed my bag, and left the place. my cousins asked where I was going... I told them I was going to find a way to save the family business... and I told them to stall the bank for as long as they could..."

He stepped forward a little, wiping away his tears

"So you see that's why I left home and started traveling a year ago: to do that. Mr.Taylor, what I'm meaning to ask you with all of this is this:

Could you bring back an object from the past and superimpose it into the present..."

He walked over to the rubble, kicking it out of the way noisily and picking up the glossy strips of what was left of the Arcana. he walked back to Mr.Taylor, the shreds in his hands.

"What I want to ask you... is if you could bring back the Tarot Deck that once belonged to my mother." he stood there, hoping the old man would say yes.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Stratos

[Notus]

Judge Minos

"Oh my this won't do. Generally I don't do this, but this time I'll have to interfere." with that, Minos waved his hand in towards Phantom, who started to glow red. "Now, to make this short, tell me what is your greatest sin. And please speak decently this time."

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor sat quietly during Ethic's tale. He may have wanted to interject at some points, but he knew that it wasn't for the best. Mr. Taylor had figured out some time ago that when people decide to open up, to unload all of there problems, that there's only one thing you can do. Sit back and listen. Take in the information as it is and don't let curiosity control you. People only want to give off the information they want to and prying usually stifles the process. So Mr. Taylor, despite his own curiosity sat back and listened. Until he was asked a question.

"What I want to ask you... is if you could bring back the Tarot Deck that once belonged to my mother."

He wanted to help Ethic at this point, he felt an odd connection to him as though he was his own grandson, just as Ethic had mentioned that Mr. Taylor reminded him of his own grandfather.Mr. Taylor held out his hand, and in a cheery voice responded, "I can't make any promises lad, but I'll do my best."

[Flux]

A wave of understanding washed over Phantom. He still didn't remember who he was, but... he could remember why he was here. He took off the white mask, the red glow around the eyes fading as he did so. Underneath was the face of a young man, likely around twenty. He was fairly handsome, his dark brown bangs cascading over his face, which was shown to have two bright blue eyes and a maturity of one much older. He had a prominent, serious gaze, that faded away into a look of sadness and distress. He began to speak, his words choking up in sadness.

"My sin..." he began in a much clearer tone, on his hands and knees now. "Oh Lyra..." He was sobbing. "I'm sorry... I tried... but I wasn't fast enough..." He stood up, a determined look coming over his face, much more suited to the man than the previous sadness. He faced Minos.

"My sin... is murder." He thought back to the time. "And vengeance. I killed a man out of rage and spite before coming to this hill." His voice choked up as he said the next part. "He... he killed her. He killed Lyra... And I got my vengeance." The determined look returned to his face.

"I know why I'm here and what I need to do. I'll bring her back, and then atone for my sins. She didn't deserve to die."

He put the mask back on, and the red glow returned, almost a physical representation of the determination he had.

"That is why I became the Phantom."

[Sutoratosu]

Ethic felt a wave of elation when he heard Mr.Taylor say he would try.

The young man reached out his hands and held out the strips of the cards to Mr.Taylor

"I won't hold anything against you if you can't bring them back, Mr.Taylor. I want you to know that. If you can't do it, then maybe it was just supposed to happen like that."

[Supernovae]

Mr. Taylor nodded as he took the cards in his hands. He began focusing on the cards as hard as he could, forcing himself to imagine them in there normal state. It took several minutes of Mr. Taylor staring intensely at the cards before anything began to happen. Then suddenly a bright green aura surrounded himself and the cards. Then suddenly the cards jumped into the air and began colliding into each other, reforming and remaking themselves. Then as quickly as the process began it was over. The cards jumped back into Mr. Taylor's hands all within there original state.

Mr. Taylor looked down at the cards confused as to what had just happened. "My boy, why do I have these cards in my hands again?" The last thing he could remember was Ethic telling him to wait somewhere before he rushed over to help the rest of the group. Then a strong smell rushed into his nose, blood. Mr. Taylor looked over and noticed the large puddle of blood, "What ... Is that where I?" he began, staggering away from the puddle and looking over at Ethic. "Why am I here? What happened Ethic?"

[Sutoratosu]

Ethic watched in joy as the cards were restored to their original state... but he had forgotten about how Mr.Taylor had mentioned short term memory lost after using his time ability.

"Why am I here? What happened Ethic?"

Oh... Right, he said something about memory loss...

Ethic took the cards out of Mr.Taylor's hand, putting them in his pocket as he began to explain recent events.

"Well... Mr.Taylor," He began "I don't really know how far this whole memory side-effect of your ability goes... so I guess I'll start at when I left to go see what had happened to rose and the others... I told you to stay here and wait for me until I came back for you; you looked like you had really tired yourself out running from that thing that was chasing us, so I figured I'd let you rest a while..."

Ethic turned to the puddle of blood

"As for where we are right now... This is... where a man named Marcus murdered you... you told me so yourself before..."

He turned to the glass rubble that now was strewn across the field in the adjoining aisle

"That other there is where Ixidor betrayed me and nearly killed me and successfully killed kenny"

He turned to face the man again...

"I found the group alone... the wolf was gone and Kenny was healing rose, though I don't know when he showed up... Damian told me that the wolf dissapeared and everything reverted back to normal in the area... that's when I came back here to get you... you started to walk over, then some smell caught your attention... you found this puddle here..."

Ethic gestured towards the puddle on the floor, nearly dried now, it's scarlet hue turning a bergundy color in some places.

"then you told me... about how you died... after you finished... I got an idea of something you said... about how you said you were able to turn back time...to restore things to how they were before... so I got an idea."

He pointed over to the glass

"I explained what happened over there before I found the group... about the man who somehow witnessed your death... about the glass storm... about how the arcana was destoryed... I asked you if you could restore the Tarot deck to it's former state..."

Ethic looked Mr.Taylor in the eyes before finishing his explaination

"Then I went over and picked up what was left of them and you took them and... put them back like they once were... then you kinda... lost your memory."

Ethic thought of something, and a bit curious, asked Mr.Taylor the question that had come to his mind

"Say, Mr.Taylor... is this short term memory loss... permanent? I mean... do you ever get the memories you lose back?"

[Supernovae]

"Say, Mr.Taylor... is this short term memory loss... permanent? I mean... do you ever get the memories you lose back?"

"Well, I'd only used it once ..." Mr. Taylor began, but cut himself short, he was a little confused about what was going on, but he knew Ethic from the group and he remembered running with him, he was a good lad and he decided to trust him. "I used it right before I died and when I came back, well my memories came back with me." Mr. Taylor stopped and sighed. "I really do hate being old," he let out with a chuckle.

Mr. Taylor then stood up and picked up his cane, "Well then my dear boy, I suppose we should be getting back to the group." he then started moving off in the direction opposite the group. "Now then, I think it's this way!"

[Sutoratosu]

Ethic watched as the Elderly man headed off.

"Now then, I think it's this way!"

"Allright, let's." Ethic said, then he noticed that Mr.Taylor was heading off.... in the opposite direction that Ethic himself had come from after finding the group.

"Mr.Taylor!" he called out "That's the wrong way, here, follow me!"

With that he turned and started walking slowly towards where the group was, making sure to go slowly so that Mr.Taylor wouldn't lose sight of him and get lost; this memory lost had obviously affected the older gentleman's sense of direction as well.

[Supernovae]

"Mr.Taylor!" he called out "That's the wrong way, here, follow me!"

"That little bastard, I've been a navigator since before he was born,'' he thought to himself. But, he quickly relented that thought after remembering his current mental state.

"Right..." he said with a bit more agitation than normal. He wasn't quite mad at Ethic, he was mad at his own memory. His navigation skills were something he had always prided himself in and being incapable of navigating due to his own memory was frustrated.

Mr. Taylor let out a long drawn out sigh, "I must say Ethic, not being able to keep things straight is profoundly frustrating, especially in the situation we find ourselves in." With that he turned around and started following Ethic.

[Sutoratosu]

Ethic watched as Mr.Taylor seemed a bit irritated for some reason, then turned and began following him.

"I must say Ethic, not being able to keep things straight is profoundly frustrating, especially in the situation we find ourselves in."

"Well, don't be hard on yourself, Mr.Taylor." Ethic said "This place is pretty much like Daedalus's Labyrinth... I'm amazed I can even keep track of anything..."

With that he turned and started walking again, before long coming back to where the Group was. Ethic called out as he and Mr.Taylor approached.

"Hey guys, I got him!"

[Notus]

Judge Minos

"Ah, see how much better our bird sings now." the judge said, laying back in his chair. "I think this will be enough. You can keep your memories, I think it will come handy on your sentence."

He then clapped his hands and a big semi circular bench appeared right behind Phantom. "Take a seat, mister. Your fellow indictees will be here any moment now."

===============================================================

While Phantom's judgement came to an end, the adventurers all started feeling something weird. For a moment they all felt like the Library was getting blurry. Then in the next, they were sure that it was happening.

Before they could know what was going on, the corridors shelves and everything else faded in darkness. For a moment they stood in the middle of nothing, and then suddenly they were sitting on the bench in the courtroom.

"Very well, you all know me and you know what you're here for, so without delaying anything further on, I shall give you your sentences." the Judge spoke in his deep voice. "Are you ready?"

((OOC: just for reference, you are grouped on the bench as you were on the Library))

Edited June 7, 2014 by Notus

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

The little girl blinked, waking up slowly. "Hn...?" Enya yawned, then looked up at-- oh! "Hiya Mister Judge," cheerfully greeted the lass, still cradling her big bear, which in turn seemed as if it clung to its owner tightly.

[Rosesong]

Rose groaned. "I've learned my lesson, no more energy expension to that extent until I've mastered this power," she muttered brokenly, clutching her head as she awoke. Looking up, headache having somewhat disappeared, she noticed Judge Minos. To her left and right were those also in the library. "Hello, your honor," she spoke, wondering why she was back.

[Ragnar]

Just about Ixidor was about to reach the end of the aisle, the background begins to become blurry as darkness consumes the place and changes into the courtroom. Not now he mumbles to himself, He stands idle in the middle of the room feeling guilty and his eyes were downcast from the judge as he waits his judgement.

[Sutoratosu]

Ethic didn't know what to think when he found himself sitting on a bench back in Minos's courtroom... except that sentencing must've been finished and the verdict was going to be delivered.

he looked to see the others, who had some how also been called at the same time.

Well... wonder how my trial went...

at that moment, he felt Lucian re-enter his mind

"Ethic," he called mentally "We have to talk... what you did... let's just say it's worth talking about. but not now... I think we have bigger worries at this moment."

A bit worried by Lucian's deduction that they should be worried about this at all, Ethic locked his gaze onto Minos, waiting in anticipation for sentencing to begin. then the judge spoke to the group...

"Very well, you all know me and you know what you're here for, so without delaying anything further on, I shall give you your sentences. Are you ready?"

"Yes." Ethic replied simply

Edited June 8, 2014 by Stratos

[K_H]

"Let's begin the Sentencing, Minos. I am eager to know what the Sentences for all of us are."

Kenny then waited for Minos to speak.

[Notus]

"Very well then. As you're all so eager to know, I'll make it quick." the judge answered. He waved his hand and a sheet of paper appeared on it.

"First I'll call the indictees condemned for the Sin of Violence against people: Marcus, Phantom, Lord Byron the Third and Quickshot Quincy. You were found guilty of intentional murder, and are therefore comdemned to the Seventh Circle of Hell, The Vale of Flagetonte."

"Next come those comdemned for the Sin of Greed: Damian, Kenny Holmes and Ixidor McTracy. You all aspire something badly and won't let anything stay in your path. You will be allocated in the Fourth Circle of Hell."

"Then, the indictee condemned for the Sin of Rage, Ethic Ytilarom. You are hereby condemned to the Fifth Circle of Hell, the River Styx, by your wrathfull conduct over the ones next to you."

"Ellaria Stonewall was considered guilty for the Sin of Treason, and therefore sentenced to the Ninth Circle."

"And finally, the special cases. Mister Taylor, Rose and Enya were found innocent by the jury. However, Enya's partner Ace is condemned to stay on the Ninth Circle as well."

Minos laid back in his chair, an annoyed look on his face."That's what I would like to tell you, but unfortunately you are on a... different position here. Basically, the Circle you are sent to when you're sentenced reflects the path you chose to walk in life. Living Souls have the power to change this path, but once they die and enter Hell, they are locked for eternity on the place they chose to be. The problem is: you're all still alive. As such, I can't go over the power you have with to change your fate, but I can't just let you go either."

"Therefore all of you will have your sentence changed. You will walk through all nine Circles, and will only be allowed to leave when - and if - you reach the last chamber of the last Circle, the true bottom of Hell. For those found innocent, see it as a punishment for having entered this place. For those guilty, see it as a last chance to fix your path." he told them all, a serious look on his face.

"Anyone would like to have a final word before we move on?"

[K_H]

"I'd like to say one last thing before we depart for the Circles, and i'm not even the first to say it:

'The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions.'

I find this extremely fitting in my case, as my thirst to find knowledge in order to help others would have landed me in the Fourth Circle had I died before entering this Hill. However, since we're all still alive, I can kind of compare what we're about to do with Atoning for our Sins. I am ready to begin the journey."

After his speech, Kenny waited for Minos to make his move.

Edited June 8, 2014 by K_H

[Rosesong]

Gingerly moving her hand from her head, Rose looked up. "Ok, fair punishment. When we get to the bottom, we can return to our normal lives?" she double checked, mind racing. Once she reached the bottom of hell, she would forget about trying to finance her schooling the easy way. Even though it would take longer, she would work for the money to get through college. "Let's start the trek then."

[Ragnar]

Fair enough, i would have been insulted if our sin is only greed, for our imagination is limitless! I'll play. Ixidor feeling uneasy after hearing his sentence ..wait I can change my own path? i never had this kind of freedom living under the consent of my parents. but i don't wanna hurt nobody. he thought to himself. Ixidor nodded at the judge and kept his silence.

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

Big, ice-blue eyes widened in fear when she heard that her beloved bear had been sentenced. Enya's grip tightened on the stuffed toy-- even its feral, near-realistic looking eyes seemed to brim with anxiety. The child looked down and bit her lip, staying quiet, and hardening her resolve. She would protect Ace and reach the bottom.