Scene #8329: Cave of the Time Streamer

Owner	Pose
Raziel	'The Oracle's Cave, where Kain's first fateful meeting with Moebius occurred. Moebius played the role of a doddering soothsayer, stirring his pot of visions while dispensing enigmatic predictions to gullible visitors. Underneath the facade was Moebius the Time Streamer, sorcerer of the Circle of Nine - a ruthless manipulator with the power to bend time. Since his murder at Kain's hands centuries ago, these caves have stood vacant... though like Moebius himself, they are rumored to be only a facade for a much larger, more elaborate complex...' The caves that were recently opened up by the earthquakes caused by the parasitic empire that still festered on Nosgoth revealed much of its ancient history. Remains of old cities buried beneath the earth, the occasional artifact, and sometimes a partially revealed skeleton. However, these caves lead to a singular place. Odd, that these caves were so elaborately carved, or...perhaps maintained. Lights hung along the way, indicating that this was far from abandoned. Perhaps Kain had simply hidden the entrance, which now became visible due to the earthquakes. Regardless of what happened, it leads down one path. The lights cut out right as one gets to the edge of the cave system. Here it opens up into a chasm. Apparently, an entrance to a building, and sitting here seems to be the remains of a room. Pillars that once held items scattered on the floor, and the tatters of cloth that were likely banners remain. So fragile they threaten to turn to dust at the slightest touch. "Moebius's museum...I heard that the Timestreamer liked to steal artifacts out of their timelines," Raziel bends over to look at an object. It's a shield with the banner of the Sarafan on it, depicting an angelic being, eclipsing a sun, with blue 'beams' of light of various shades shining from it. Nearby was another ruined relic. Two swords, a spear, some sort of fist weapon, and another shield. Raziel's eyes narrowed, continuing to wander the room. Next to these was a ruined figurine of an angelic-looking figure, but different than the one on the shield. It depicted something with blue skin and large black feathered wings. Beside that was a broken (and obviously fake) Soul Reaver, made to be a statue than a real sword. The broken sword, however, remained impaled into a skeleton. Looking at the head, however, reveals elongated fangs...the skeleton of a vampire. Raziel frowns at this, even more than before. "Some sort of sick joke, or perhaps that old snake decided to plan a joke from the past..." Though Raziel's eyes lingered on the ruined figurine. Its head missing, but enough of the body remained to make him wonder. What was this creature..? Perhaps a clue lay somewhere deeper, or perhaps that knowledge was lost to time itself. Depressing, if that were the case. Moving into the next room revealed a circular chamber. In the center of the chamber revealed an unlit cauldron, its suspension held up by three pillars that stuck into the ground and at equidistant angles. Three orbs, apart from the pillars lay on the ends. The walls themselves had markings and patterns, but the pictures that lay in each center seemed to be damaged from the age they had spent down here. Oddly, the cauldron setup, however, seemed untouched by time itself. Oddly, this is where any path ends. This room is a dead end, and the only obvious path was back.
Hellwarming Trio	One path means the way forward should be fairly straightforward. There's nowhere else to go, no other paths to get lost in, and only a straight line to follow. It should be simple enough for everyone to end up in the same place, and yet... Satori and Rin arrive first at the Timestreamer's chamber, with Utsuho nowhere in sight. They don't seem worried about her missing presence, at least, busying themselves with looking at all the funky artifacts (or remains thereof) lying around. Rin even goes as far as picking up the spear to heft it in her hands and spin it around a few times while Satori takes the fist weapon and puzzles out how to even put the thing on properly. "You think Kain went back in time to play some pranks?" "Stranger things have happened. Altohugh... I'm fairly certain this goes beyond any kind of prank you or Okuu might come up with." As Rin starts reconsidering how to up the ante on her pranks, Utsuho finally shows up, her control rod still covered in a hazy light while a thin trail of burnt stone can be seen (and smelled) just behind her. For whatever reason, she's decided to leave a clear line indicating the path she's taken from the entrance all the way to the Timestreamer's room. Upon heading into the circular chamber, the three spot the cauldron, the pillars, the orbs, and it takes all of five seconds before Utsuho is already getting started on lighting up the cauldron. "What do you think goes in this here? Does anyone have soup stuff, or is it just rocks and equipment around here?"
Timespace Riders	Zi-O, in the red, silver and black FaizArmor, descends with his retainer Woz, in the silver and purple ShinobiArmor. Zi-O's armor is rounded and connected by a thin red line that runs across the bodysuit beneath, like a circuit, with bulky shoulderpads that appear to be large cell phones. Woz's is much more stripped down, emphasizing range of motion, with the breastplate and pauldrons sporting purple shuriken, and a flowing purple scarf blowing in the stale air as he walks. Neither rider has much to say about the museum, nor the implied joke--but Zi-O does rest a gloved hand on Raziel's shoulder for the second time, gently squeezing; a gesture meant to reassure and comfort. "Huh," Zi-O ponders, looking around the final chamber. "Did we take a wrong turn somewhere? It doesn't feel like we did... but this sure is a dead end." His helmet turns towards Utsuho, and an index is raised sharply, with sudden realization. "Maybe that's it--lighting it up shows the way, or something!" "Woz, could you help me look under the pillars here? There might be a button, or switch, or something..." The two of them circle around the room, checking the bases and lengths of the pillars, while Utsuho lights up the cauldron. If that doesn't prove fruitful, Zi-O moves to checking the walls with his hands.
Trudy Grimm	Given the prevelence of ordinary lights through most of the caverns, Trudy Grimm has seen fit to stow her personal lantern for most of this leg of the journey. She had conjured up, instead, approximations of small animals to dash ahead as scouts, though all these critters managed to accomplish was confirming the actual linearity of the caves all leading to the same place. Those same critters wait at the initial entrance and, as the witch passes them, bound into her shadow whence they came. "Pilfering things from other time periods, hmm?" she hums at the thought, eyes resting on the tattered banners overhead. Moving on, she closes her eyes briefly, "Not what I envisioned of the man, though I suppose in this sort of place, you find your joys where you can." She moves past the collection to the cauldron room, circling the cauldron itself while Zi-O and Utsuho examine it more closely. A finger taps at her lips in thought while she considers her broader knowledge on occultic things, "Three pillars and two orbs worth pondering... Is it waiting to be activated?" An eye closes, "Do we want to activate it?" A straightforward musing that isn't stopping her from producing her sickly green lantern on a stick and taking a closer look at the more damaged carvings, "No sense leaving it be."
Raziel	"No, not Kain. Moebius. He's known as a trickster...though his pranks are only for his own amusement...or plots," Raziel says, rising from his crouch and giving Sougo a soft smile, thankful for his comfort in this time. "Those weapons...each one a symbol of me and my brothers. The shield there is a Sarafan shield. The...figure I am not sure...but the last is obviously a depiction of the Soul Reaver...though why it is embedded in the skeleton of a vampire I am unsure." Trudy's examination of the murals is...strange. Though much of them is damaged, the events seem disconnected and disjointed from one another. One mural depicts two armored men, shielding what looks like to be a winged figure. Another is what appears to be a woman with two animals on either shoulder, once more the winged figure walks with her. The final is a wise figure, cloaked in robes but with green 'flames' surrounding their arms. The same winged figure walks. Other murals are simply too damaged to reveal anything else. Sougo and Woz's scanning of the central pillars doesn't turn up any strange buttons. On closer inspection, this setup seems /completely/ unaffected by time. It looks as pristine as the day it was built, and the cauldron is in peek condition, with no rust. The firewood under the setup is perfect. Though they will be able to find two mirrors in two of the three pillars. Their purpose, however, is not immediately clear. As Utsuho lights the flames, and activates the cauldron itself, something boils in it. There was certainly /no/ liquid there a moment ago. The room lights up, and something...odd happens. There is a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree shift in your position. However, you did not move. It was like the entire area shifted. The room previously is now in front of you, and...not the room you exited. This room is now intact, but different artifacts lay strung about. Armor and a book lay on one side. There is a doll that sits on a pedestal. Sitting next to the doll is a shield with an unknown sigil on it. Next to that is a guillotine, still wet with blood. A Shield and a banner with another unknown sigil on it, different from the shield near the doll. The way you 'came' however is devoid of Utsuho's marking. Sougo and Woz discover a phrase written on the pillars now, that was not there before. It reads: 'To advance, one must consider the past. The path forward, is inmutable, only the way you decide to travel it.'
Trudy Grimm	Trudy waves her lantern to and fro over the carvings, a little frown on her face. The connecting figure is clearly the winged one; and the skeleton in the previous chamber had wings as well. Is it all Raziel? Her free hand rubs at her chin as she shifts her lantern to another location. If so then who would the others be? Armored knights; woman with familiars; mysterious sage... She connects some dots, but others remain frustratingly out of reach. With nothing definite, she keeps it to herself for now. The lamp is lowered and she turns in place to address the cauldron question just as Utsuho lights it. The whole room spins around. Immediately Trudy goes for the Grimoire dangling from its strap, though doesn't unfasten the buckle just yet. Her posture relaxes and she lets out a long, eyes-closed sigh, "So he's that kind of wizard." Eiwaz manifests over her palm and she thrusts it down. Her shadow expands to consume the resulting runic circle and from its depths climbs the Doctor; an abnormally tall, gaunt man in a Victorian longcoat and, most distinctively, a beaked mask. One lens is cracked, both sporting small points of green light glowing within. As he rises into position, the Doctor adjusts the wrist fasteners of his gloves one at a time. "It seems our friendly crow has unwittingly jumped us into another time, or a parallel plane," it's just a guess she offers, "Mister Raziel, are you quite certian that this Moebius fellow is well and truly dead?"
Hellwarming Trio	"Lighting...? Oh! Uh. Sure, I guess." Utsuho answers Zi-O with a blank stare and a slow nod, eventually just breaking into a proud grin. No sense revealing that she really just wanted soup since it's turning out to work, right? Right. Satori, noticing this, just looks away briefly to hide a light chuckle before getting her investigation face back on to continue checking out the room while Rin mulls over what Trudy brings up. "What if we put the orbs on the pillars? We won't know what they do if we don't get them working, right?" "I agree. Leaving them alone wouldn't get us anywhere, anyway, and it couldn't hurt to try." "Oh! What if we put 'em in the pot?" "We'd need liquid if we wanted to boil them, but there's no-" "We've got soup!" Somehow, Utsuho doesn't look all that surprised about the fact that the cauldron is boiling despite the lack of anything in there moments ago. The room lighting up and moving does catch her (and Rin and Satori) by surprise, though, even though none of them fully aware of what just happened. Rin's the first to notice the room from before being in the wrong place, though, and she hurries back into the now-front room to check out all the changed pieces. Notably, she eyes the guillotine, and she even gives that blood a sniff to make sure she isn't seeing things, and also to test the machine and find out if it's still functioning. "This wasn't like this before we got here, was it?" "I don't believe so. Everything was much older moments ago, and not nearly so bright. I wonder what the next trigger will be, then, if we've already started going through another... Plane, was it?" Giving Trudy a curious eyebrow raise, Satori looks up at the Doctor that appears to just stare at him for several moments before spotting the doll and the shield next to it. She takes the latter to check out the sigil, seeing if it matches anything else in the room.
Timespace Riders	"The pillars here look just as new as the cauldron does--even though this place has been buried for so long..." A gloved hand runs curiously across the surface. A startled cry erupts from the rider as the room shifts, nearly hitting his head on the pillar as he jolts upright to wheel around and witness the change. A glance at the doll, then the book. The shield beside the doll, then the guillotine, then the other shield. "...I guess you were right to mark the way here, Utsuho." "My Demon King, there is more. A phrase inscribed on the pillars. 'To advance, one must consider the past. The path forward is immutable.'" The retainer's armored fingertip denotes the writing. "Huh... so, maybe it wasn't a joke, even if that's what he was known for. Maybe this is here, the way it is, so that you'd know how to navigate it. There might be something further in that he wanted you to see, Raziel." Woz, meanwhile, inspects the guillotine. "In the previous configuration," he notes, "There was a headless figure." He lifts a hand, making a theatrical flick of his wrist and gesturing towards the guillotine. "Given the message on the pillar, I suspect we are meant to recreate what we saw. With the doll, perhaps?" Maybe there's some writing on the guillotine? Or perhaps on the doll?
Raziel	"Another time or plane.." Raziel considers and takes a moment to look around. "No, I can still feel Kain ahead. Perhaps it is spacial distortion? Or an illusion..?" Raziel isn't entirely sure, but he knows that they haven't changed locations or times. "I don't think the orbs come off, but rather are part of the architecture," Raziel says, kneeling near one and looking at it. "Yes, these are more capstones to hide the bolting to the floor. Decoration," He comments, "Typical with human architecture a few thousand years ago, turning potential flaws into part of the artwork." Following Sougo into the next room, he stares wide-eyed at the various bits. Raziel shakes his head, "No...these items are rather important...but not to me. These are artifacts representing Kain's journey. The vampire skeleton in the other room had wings and a skull..." he says, and looks at the Guillotine. "That...well let me start at the beginning." "The armor and book...these...yes. This armor is Malak's armor. I know not why, but he became a specter trapped in his armor before Kain killed him. This doll.." he thinks, "This was the dollmaster's, the item used to cure the king of Willendorf's daughter. With this, he enlisted his help to fight against the army of the Nemesis." He continues, "This shield and banner show markings of Moebius's Mercenary Army. Willendorf's forces did not win against the Nemesis. During the battle, they were routed and Kain was forced to retreat, during this he was forced into the sanctum of another member of the circle, one who had a time-streaming device. Though forced to retreat, Kain did kill the Nemesis, and take from him the Soul Reaver." "There he went back in time, armed with the Soul Reaver. To kill William the Just, before he became the Nemesis. However, at that time he found out that William was also armed with a Soul Reaver, the blade in the hands of a human was too much for him, and over years William was driven insane, which is why he became the Nemesis. Kain killed him in the past, and instead of the Nemesis, he became martyred." "Moebius arranged this all to happen, setting up the dominos. All for the purpose of driving the people into a genocidal hatred for the Vampires. When Kain came back to his time...Vorador was under that same guillotine. Kain...was left as the last surviving vampire in Nosgoth, having at the time been the linchpin of his own species' demise." "All setup and calculated by Moebius. These are a trophy of his victory, even though his life ended at the end of this..." Raziel pauses, considering. "I am sure he is dead, or else he would have interfered more with the Empire than he did. As to why these trophies were gathered before the events transpired...arrogance on his part, perhaps?"
Trudy Grimm	The witch listens intently as Raziel provides some history. As he does, her eyes drift to his right arm where the wraith blade resides, "This weapon of yours has been through quite a lot, by the sound of it. The downfall of vampires-- and an obsession I suppose with recreating lost glory brought to an end by his own hands. Understandable, if a little crazy." Her guarded posture relaxes a bit, though, and she cradles her chin in thought. After a moment, she steps past Sougo and Woz into the neighboring chamber, "Well, if the Streamer's quite deceased, all we should have to contend with is possible traps or squatters, I suppose." Beside her, the Doctor follows. His mind isn't empty, but his thoughts seem to be generally observational. Almost diagnostic. A brief evaluation of Satori's apparent physical condition crosses his mind. Seemingly satisfied, his gaze shifts, and she winds up reading his cursory examination of Sougo, as incomplete as it is through the Rider armor. All in all, harmless and unintrusive. He's not scheming anything but his thoughts don't contribute a whole lot either.
Timespace Riders	"...punishment," says Zi-O, after hearing out Raziel's explanation. "Um, that is... it's why Malek was bound to the armor. It was punishment for failing to protect other members of the Circle, a long time before you or Kain were in the picture." "In any case," interjects Woz, "Esteemed Raziel's explanation, taken with the inscription on the pillars, leads me to believe we should do exactly what they imply, and proceed forward with Trudy Grimm." Zi-O nods in agreement, and the two of them head for the room as-yet unmarked by Utsuho, intuiting that as 'forward' for the purposes of the pillar. "Oh--Utsuho, would you mind doing what you did earlier? Just in case we get turned around somehow."
Hellwarming Trio	"She was?" "Of course I was. You know it's right because a Rider said it." "That's... Hm. Yes, why not." After encouraging her pets' mental efforts, Satori fixes her gaze on that doll again when Woz brings up the headless figure and recreating something with it. It's not until Raziel mentions Kain's journey that some of it starts to fit together, though, and the three face him properly once he starts explaining the significance of the different pieces. "Wait, so Moebius is the real bad guy?" "Sounds like he started off this whole mess, yeah! But he's dead already, so we're just... Stuck?" "It seems so. Unless we can go back in time before he went back in time, we're left with cleaning up the mess he created." Eyeing the doll and nearby shield again, Satori leaves the shield alone to take the doll next. Following Woz's recommendation, she sets the doll up under the guillotine with Rin's aid without questioning why Rin was already playing with it. Rin, of course, does the honors of possibly decapitating a doll. Meanwhile, Utsuho joins Zi-O as he heads into the next room. "Sure. Uh... But if it's going to get wiped off once the room gets all weird, you think it's gonna help?" She asks while heating up her control rod again, dragging it along the ground once more from that cauldron room into the next. She's not expecting the markings to stick, but it's better than nothing! Maybe.
Raziel	Raziel nods once in agreement with Woz's assessment. "That does appear to be what it means. Mmm," though to Utshuo he shakes his head. "Is our goal not the same? I would not be so quick to label Moebius as evil, especially in the eyes of Kain's transgressions.." Though he said those words, something about them seems unconvincing. As if he doesn't quite believe them himself. There are many reasons why, but it seems that at best Raziel considers Moebius no better than Kain and his own machinations. Though without an idea of his actual motives. Walking forward into the tunnel that SHOULD take you out, actually takes you deeper. At some point, the rough walls give way to chiseled walls. The path becomes an underground structure. Eventually, it opens up into a very large room, but no obvious exit. In the center of the room is a large statue. The statue is of an old wisened man, dressed in robes and carrying a staff in one hand...and the head of a vampire in the other. Below this statue is a portal, stone in design, but as your approach it, it springs to life. It hums with red energy and almost seems like it should be sucking you in. "I think the way forward is this..." Raziel considers. "Likely connecting this space and another..."
Trudy Grimm	"Evil, no, I wouldn't say that," Trudy offers, "If his goal was to rid his people of the scourge of vampires... Well, we've seen what becomes of the world if vampires run unchecked, right?" "From the perspective of someone who isn't a vampire, doing something like that would be almost heroic." She pauses, eyes lifting up to this latest statue-- presumably, Moebius himself, "Though I suppose it also incited Kain's plan and ultimately led to the current state of affairs..." She shrugs, eyes closing, "Maybe he didn't see this timeline coming. Time magic isn't something I touch in the least, but I imagine it can't be easy." When the portal activates itself, her eyes snap to it. After a moment, she glances up at the Doctor, jerking her head to the opening. Without complaint, the Doctor steps past her and approaches the portal. A good litmus test to make sure it won't kill people who go through it before she opts to take it herself.
Hellwarming Trio	"Is It? I mean, if Moebius set up Kain to go all nuts on humans and have all this crap happen, then he's kind of responsible too, right?" Utsuho herself doesn't sound all that convinced, either, although she's finding it slightly harder to focus when she's talking and marking the ground at the same time. "Nn. This would be so much easier if they were both just jerks." "It's not so simple as calling both as the same, but... Hm." Satori trails off as she seems undecided herself, focusing instead on just moving along with the group and pulling Rin along so she doesn't waste too much time seeing what else she can shove into the guillotine. "Trudy does have a point there. If Moebius's plans went awry because of Kain going as far as he did, then... I doubt any humans would absolve him of responsibility there, even if the results were unintended." Coming to the portal, Utsuho keeps wracking her brain while Satori makes sure she doesn't fall behind. Rin manges to get further ahead, joining the Doctor at the portal and peering into it while reaching into her pocket. "Think this'll take us to Kain? Ah, wouldn't be that convenient. He would've set somethin' up to kill any intruders on the way by now, I bet." She concludes, suddenly looking more wary of the portal moments later and backing away. "Maybe a bunch of spikes, or a tunnel filled with rolling boul-" Rin doesn't get to back out of it, of course, because Utsuho just shoves her right in with a laugh before heading in herself. Utsuho, in turn, is followed by a worried-looking Satori.
Timespace Riders	>I would not be so quick to label Moebius as evil, especially in the eyes of Kain's transgressions. Zi-O makes a soft, thoughtful 'mm.' "I agree that 'evil' is premature... but I also don't know that he wanted the same thing as us at all." He shakes his head, making a swiping motion with his hand as if to dispel the thought. Traveling down the tunnel and into the underground structure, he continues. "Ariel didn't see who helped Kain kill Malek, but I'm starting to think it was Moebius. He was the oldest, except for maybe Mortanius, so he had plenty of time to use his power and set up the timeline he wanted. Or to correct it away from one he didn't want. Maybe it was even because of him that Mortanius... well, changed, and killed Ariel." "He could have made mistakes along the way, and we don't have the whole story, but..." His helmet dips, slowly, contemplating the floor in thought, before he rises to look at the portal. "Somehow, I think things would be better if we wanted the same thing. Even if only by a little bit. We'll figure out more the further we go, though--I'm sure." And then, his catchphrase: "I have a good feeling about this," he says, triumphantly holding an index aloft, parallel with the Phi-imitating hands of the clock on his helmet. Once Trudy's satisfied that there are no pits or spikes as mentioned by Rin, both Riders jump in.
Raziel	There is no trap, no pitfall, no spike pit, nothing. The doctor reports it is fine on the other side. With the rest of the group, Raziel will walk in too. However, on the other side, you are all separated. The only person you see is yourself, and nobody else. Woz is without Sougo, the Hellwarming Trio is stuck in their own location, and Trudy is alone... Raziel is nowhere to be found. All around you, it is mist. Thick and unpenetrable to sight. Moving 'forward' seems impossible, but somehow....you move. Regardless of what direction you take, the mists slowly start to part...
Raziel	Trudy. Before you as the mists of time part, you see a scene before you. You see yourself, sitting next to a fallen person. This person seems to change each time you turn your gaze at them. Sometimes it's Ishirou, sometimes it's Tamamo, sometimes it's Strawberry Princess, and sometimes it's completely faceless. Perhaps someone you have yet to meet? Magic is visible on the chest of the person slain, regardless of who it is. A curse is obvious as the source of their demise. Tears in your eyes are there, but...there is also a look. A concern...that these tears are not real, that it is the opposite of what you really feel. The mists thicken, and thin again. This time, it is Lilian, facing you down. Sometimes it is with a friend, either Ishirou, Tamamo or Strawberry Princess...or sometimes she is alone. This scene plays out repeatedly, showing you that the two fight. Each time, someone wins, and it's not always Lilian. In those moments, with you standing over Lilian's body, you cackle gleefully. The book in your hand brimming with power, you have done better than your father, you have unlocked the book's true power, And with it, Lilian twitches on the ground and rises again. The mists clear and part again, but this time... Trudy sits alone in a giant castle. Well, alone in the sense that nobody else that is /living/ is with them. Around her the corpses of friends, a family that she likes, family that she doesn't like...and people she does not know stand there. A twisted smile on Trudy's face, as the power of the book beats in the same beat as her own heart. Your father would be so very proud of you... With that the mists part...
Raziel	Sougo. It's a scene you've seen before. A wasteland spreads out before you as the mists clear. Behind you the statues of past Kamen Riders stand motionless, as you can see YOURSELF. A Kamen Rider in Gold and black stands there, with two silver clock hands on his back that function similarly to a cape. Ohma Zi-O stands before a field of makeshift fighters, some on bikes, some with just tattered clothing, all armed. Not that it matters, all of their shots don't even get close, seemingly bounced away by a barrier they can not see. Missiles fly, and machines rain down. All of them were stopped by Ohma Zi-O's power. They can not stop him, and not a single person knows why. Even when he asks them. He flicks his wrist, and a wave washes out, turning all of the fighters to dust...save one woman who was luckily shoved into a trench at the last moment. Wiping out the entire force, as if wiping excrement from a boot. The mists thicken, and thin again. This time, another future. The Earth, is no longer a wasteland but instead, torn apart by war. Battles are waged everywhere, but those battles are unimportant to you, Sougo. The battle you care about plays out before you, once more as Ohma Zi-O stands there. To his right is Gold Drive, the drive that was supposedly banished back to his time. On the other side is a fusion of rider and monster, having a cobra motif, and surrounded by an air of immeasurable power. Then the battle commences, and the three Riders fight over the world. However...as the fight goes on, with no clear winner...the world burns more. It spreads out, and the Multiverse is soon brought into the self same conflict. The mists thicken and thin once more... But this time, it is not the figure of Ohma Zi-O that faces you. Instead, it is you as you are now, perhaps a few years older. You looked panicked as if searching for something...or someone. You can hear yourself call out for Woz, but...he's not there. However, a moment later a wave washes over the place you are at. And you turn to dust. It doesn't stop with you. Kamen Rider after Kamen Rider disappears. Each one disappears in the same way until none are left. These three futures are what seem to await you.
Raziel	Woz, on the other hand. He only sees one future. Carrying the Ride Watches to a man in a red outfit with black outlines. He stands, smiling as he takes the watches from Woz. Woz asks the man something, and he smiles and nods. Of course, he says...of course. However, what happens next... Woz enters the door back home, probably having to explain what happened to the Ride Watches. Except that, as he opens the door, he sees Sougo disappear. Breaking down into dust, with a look of betrayal in his eyes before he's gone completely.
Raziel	For Satori... The mists clear, revealing an empty mansion. There are things there, of course. Furnishings, paintings, decorations...the mansion is large and expansive. It stretches far and wide...but there is something missing from it. You travel through this mansion, familiar as it is to you. The day progresses at an accelerated rate. And you see yourself, but...nobody else. No Rin to cause mischief, no Utsuho to get into fights or accidentally knock something over. Neither of them is here to say something stupid, but funny. They are...gone. This Satori simply walks, almost...dead inside. Crippling loneliness grips her, but she can't express it. Instead, she goes through her day, doing the same routine. Over...and over...and over... Until the mists thicken again. Utsuho, on the other hand... Around her things are on fire. Buildings burn, and people burn. Those who challenge her fall to her might, and nothing seems to be able to stand up to her. She fights, and she kills, and she destroys over and over and over. However, Utsuho, you see in the other you's eyes something is off. There is no soul there. No happiness. No /joy/. You've reached a strength you may have always sought... But is it worth the cost? Your friends? Your happiness? Your Master? Rin? You stand alone, while the world around you burns. Over...and over...and over. Rin finds herself... In the underworld. She seems to be doing her work, predictably. She was always good at it, always true to it. Sure she messed around with Utsuho, and went on adventures with Satori. Her time in the Paladins was eventful. However, here...she is alone, doing the same job again and again. Shoveling corpses into a lava pit. There is no Utsuho there to laugh with or to prank. Your master hasn't come out of her mansion. You are stuck, alone, doing the same job. Over...and over...and over.
Raziel	The group will walk out of their respective futures, out of the mist, and out into another room that looks like the one they just left. The difference is that behind the Moebius statue, is a large door. However, the portal is also there. Standing in front of it is Raziel. He is watching a scene, perhaps his possible future. What he see's is... Raziel stands before Ariel. Without words, without seeming mercy... The Soul Reaver swings at the specter, and in an instant destroys her. The Reaver glows with a golden light, and the only thing that can be heard is her scream before she disappears. "What...what madness is this..?" he asks, unaware that you have come out of your own harrowing visions.
Trudy Grimm	Portal mists-- Trudy's heart sinks when, through the transitory gloom, she spots herself. Familiar figures. Familiar worries brought to horrifying life. Each action she recognizes. Every motion, every gesture, every spell, every emotion. All thoughts that have gone through her own mind at some time or another. When she finally emerges on the other side of the portal at the proper destination, she clutches the Grimoire in a white-knuckle grip, staring wide-eyed ahead at some point on the unseeable horizon, given the underground locale. She stands like this for a solid minute or more as others move around her. Suddenly, inexplicably, she lets out a frustrated scream. Malice is wrenched off her shoulder, spun about on its strap, and hurled away. The Doctor, seemingly left alone by whatever effect the portal had as his story has technically Already Ended, dutifully steps away from the party to retrieve his mistress' property. Trudy doesn't stop him, instead squatting down and resting her elbows on her knees, burying her face in her hands. The normally cheerful witch might need a minute.
Timespace Riders	"Woz?" "My Demon King?" Each Rider calls out for the other, but neither has their answer from the occluding mist. They each come to the same conclusion--that the only way out is 'forward.' It's hard to define, in this, where even the ground is obscured, but it's all either of them has--until they are shown something else. Zi-O has seen this vision before. Once, when the sole survivor of that assault showed it to him. Another, when a fellow traveler of time and space took him to witness it first hand. That doesn't make it easier, or better. It makes it worse. The Rider stands, paralyzed, helmet down, eyes boring holes in the ground through the lenses of his faceplate. But no matter how much he tries to ignore it, he still hears the question. It is impossible for you to defeat me. Do you understand why? Unlike the resistance fighters, he knows the answer. In the shadow of his own statue, he says it, in unison with his future self, as tears streak down his face and his hands hang limply at his sides. "...Because I was born to be king." Born to create a world devoid of hope, and to fight over the ashes with two other despots. Zi-O stands in the wake of his own destruction and weeps. Everything changes, fading away. The Rider is standing in the living room of his uncle's house, a place of warmth and safety in an uncertain world. But something is wrong. The counter near the kitchen is missing something. It's missing the stand he and Woz use to store their Ridewatches. A sinking feeling fills his stomach--even if he weren't an observer in his own body for this vision, the growing sense of dread would make it feel that way.
Timespace Riders	"My Demon King, a humble request, if I may," Woz hears himself say in this vision. He is surrounded by others, mantled in the same double-breasted coats and grey scarves as he. It was never a fashion statement, but a uniform--the uniform of those who consider themselves the wardens of a particular timeline. Knelt before the 'true' Demon King of Time, SOUGO Tokiwa, the words leave the vision of him as honeyed as everything else he says. "Would that your substitute be given a timeline of his own, his memories erased rather than his very existence..." Woz had always told himself that he wouldn't get attached. That everything he'd do would be in service of the true king, whose rule would be more just than the king of one timeline, and more certain than the king of the other. But the rule of SOUGO Tokiwa will be iron-fisted. He will not tolerate any loose ends, and he does not ask forgiveness, much less permission. The retainer should have known that. But then Persephone had to complicate things. Didn't she? Did she know of everything that she'd thrown into disarray? Was she aware of the carefully laid plans she'd dashed, the ruination she'd gleefully pointed out with one simple word? She had to--she seems the sort to delight in such things, after all, with purely, knowingly affected innocence. His composure cracks, at the sight of exactly what he thought he wanted. There is no sense of fulfilment or satisfaction, but the cold, sharp sensation of a dagger plunged in the chest. To his shame, Woz can't even look the vision of Sougo in the eye, recoiling from the look on his face as if struck. The vision is over. "Woz! I was so scared..." Zi-O 's voice is tearful as he removes his Ridewatch, and the armor disappears. He wraps his arms around his retainer and buries his face in the other Rider's chestplate. Woz feels the dagger in him twist, as Sougo's tears roll down the Shinobi Armor. "I am here... my Demon King." He removes his Ridewatch, and returns the embrace, hand running through Sougo's hair--but his expression is deeply troubled, beyond even his ability to conceal it.
Hellwarming Trio	Rin is the first to head through the portal, although not by choice. She screeches when she's shoved, as expected, largely because she's expecting something a lot worse than... Home? It's actually not too bad at first, although it's kind of weird seeing herself from the outside. Did she fall through time? Where's everyone else? With nowhere else to go but forward, she wades forward slowly through the scenes unfolding in front of her, eventually realizing that it's... Dull. Horribly dull. Lonely, too, without the usual energy from meeting Utsuho on the way in and out, and without the reprieve from heading back home to meet back up with her and Satori for a night of rabble rousing, eating, and just enjoying that routine. This routine sucks. --- Utsuho is the second to head in, and she moves at a relaxed pace since she knows Rin'll be okay. As much as the kasha freaks out, she's always okay when it comes to springing into danger, especially when the raven's not far behind. Except... There's nobody else there. There's mist, there's fog, there's a forward path, and there's... Herself? Weird. Is it that other Utsuho from the Concord? No, this one looks more like herself, but... Off. Stronger, but even less animated. More boring. More... Where's everyone else? It's not too strange seeing herself reaching such a height, but with nobody else to celebrate it with, there's nothing to celebrate at all. This power sucks. --- Satori's in a rush to head in through the portal, even if she's the last of the trio. As much as she can count on Utsuho to bail Rin out of a mess if it comes to it, she can't help but worry over those two when they're left alone. To make matters worse, the portal separates them all, and Satori doesn't even slow her stride despite the impeded vision. She starts sprinting. She nearly runs into the door to her mansion, too, only pausing briefly in confusion at how she got here before heading in and seeing herself. She can't hear herself in there, though. She doesn't need to read her own thoughts, though, since Satori's never been particularly good at hiding her emotions from her face. The other Satori's expression tells her enough while watching those lonely days unfold, remembering those terrible early days when she had just moved into that once lonely place. It's a terrible feeling to be reminded of, and thinking about how it could happen again with just one wrong step... This future sucks.
Hellwarming Trio	The trio emerge from their respective time in the mists, none of them looking any better than they did when they first went in. Rin's glancing around frantically, Utsuho has a vacant look on her face (but in the bad way, not the usual way), and Satori has a somewhat dead look on her face that mirrors that of the Satori she had seen in the mists. When they see each other, though, their faces take on color again, and they sprint towards each other to go for the relieved group hug! A lack of coordination, though, means they're sprinting headfirst into each other with the expected collision of heads. They're more relieved about that than reeling from the pain, though, even if none of them can get a proper word out yet. At least, not until they see their companions in this task again. Exchanging quick glances, there's a delay before they finally break off from their head-bumping embrace. Rin approaches Trudy to squat nearby her and nudge her shoulder with her head, Utsuho heads towards Raziel with a slow raise of her eyebrow, and Satori approaches Sougo and Woz with a brief moment's hesitation before placing her hands on their backs. "You okay there, sis? I dunno what that was, but... We're back. Didn't happen! We're gonna be okay, alright?" "Uh... Wasn't she helping us before? You sure that was a good idea, Raziel? Or... Was all that stuff we saw her fault?" "We're... Safe. Don't worry, whatever we saw was... We can't let it happen. We can make sure of that now that we know what to look for. Or... Whoever made us see this."
Raziel	Raziel is shaken out of his shock as he turns to face Utsuho, shaking his head. "This is...I wouldn't do that.." he says, shaken by what he saw as well. To strike down an innocent. How could he..? She was a victim, more so than even he was. However, things seem to have broken down, Trudy is screaming, and Sougo and Woz look like they've seen hell. The Trio came through pale but quickly recovered. He knows not what they saw, but he shakes his head. "It's...it's fine. This was just a trick from Kain. He's trying to unsettle us, being underhanded to try and shake our resolve. It's fine, we can still do this." He looks at the door. He starts walking. He's come too far to stop now. He'll keep pushing until he's found Kain. He'll keep going until he /kills/ Kain.
Trudy Grimm	You okay there, sis? Trudy shifts slightly when bumped against, then rocks back to where she was before. Her voice comes out very small, wavering, "Not really" Shifting, she props one hand over her knees and rubs tears form her eyes with the other arm's sleeve. When she opens her eyes again, the first thing she sees is the Grimoire, held out to her by the Doctor. Immedietly she shoves out with both hands, knocking the book away, "--I don't want to see that thing right now!" It swings back on its strap and simply sways back and forth. The Doctor is unmoved. Slowly, the witch glances sidelong at Rin, "...Sorry. I'm having a tough time." The smile she puts on is forced, clearly so by the cant of her eyebrows, "I'll-- I'll be fine." She takes a deep breath with her eyes closed, letting it out in an unsteady sigh. When she opens them again, she snatches the Grimoire from the Doctor's hand and rises to her feet. Purposefully, she follows after Raziel, wiping at her face again. It's just like she said. A rotten girl from a rotten family. All I can do is pretend to be nice. If mister mischief Moebius thinks this was a some kind of joke... I'll show him just how funny he is. And then he can be my cute friend too. This new smile on Trudy's face is almost identical to the one she'd seen on her own face in her vision.
Timespace Riders	Of the king and his retainer, the first one to notice Satori--to even acknowledge the world around them, really--is Sougo. "Trudy, you, Utsuho, Rin and Raziel... the rest of you saw things that hurt, too, didn't you?" He smiles weakly at her, reaching up to wipe his eyes with the sleeve of his peacoat and stepping away from Woz. "I think... Raziel is right." Or at least, he'd very, very much prefer it if he were. "Even so, thank you for that." Sougo isn't very tall, but he is taller than Satori--perhaps relevant because he steps closer and gives her a brief hug. Stepping back, "That wasn't the first time I've been shown what I saw. At least... that's the case for most of it. But that doesn't make it easier to see, you know?" Woz shifts uncomfortably, fingers tracing across the rough surface of his uniform. "Let us be on our way," he says, trying to focus on the door. On anyone but Sougo. The two of them fall in behind Raziel, heading through the door right after.
Hellwarming Trio	"So that was a Kain thing! Huh. But how'd he get powers like...?" Utsuho strains a bit before letting out a frustrated noise and shaking her head, clenching her teeth to suppress her temper and to try not to think of what could be in a worse timeline. "Tch... Doesn't matter. Once we find him, we're going to make him regret pulling that crap on us!" She snaps briefly, her wings flaring out behind her for a moment. Despite the brave and angry front, though, Utsuho's quick to rejoin Rin and Satori after that. Speaking of Rin, she's still with Trudy after that little outburst towards the Doctor. Using her keen sense of deductive reasoning between Trudy screaming and shoving her book out of the way, Rin can reason out that she might not be as fine as she says she'll be. "You sure about that? Looks like we all saw some crap in there, so... you just gotta stick with us and your friends, you know?" Rin puts on a brave smile as she claps a hand against Trudy's arm, but it's clear she's trying a little too hard. "We just need to.. Not do stuff that'll make what we see happened! " She makes a bit of a show of it as she hurries over to Utsuho to give her a playful bump/side tackle, but it's clear she's wary of straying too far from her friend or master, too. Satori, meanwhile, answers Sougo with a slow nod at first. "I did. We did. It-" Taking as long as she does to get any further words out, she's surprised at first by Sougo's sudden hug. Despite that, however, she gets it together quickly enough to reach up to tousle his hair a bit in a way not unlike how she'd usually handle Utsuho and Rin to calm them down under any other circumstances (like a minute ago, probably). "No... I suppose it doesn't get any easier. We will be alright as long as we..." She pauses, falling into step with Raziel while considering what else to say on that matter. Also, while holding Utsuho and Rin close. "I guess... We can start with destroying Kain for making us see these things."
Raziel	Raziel pushes open the next door... And through it, they enter a circular room. The chamber had three large stepped tiers which curved around the outside of its sides. Each of these contained several semi-circular control panels, arranged in vertical lines along each tier; with each control panel consisting of a decorated back plate. A large central 'pointer' needle is pivoted at the bottom, and five symbols are arranged along the outside of the back plate. Across from where you entered, is another portal. This one is rather ornate and much larger than the one you used to get to the last room. It swirls with energy but does not quite seem to be activated yet. The ceiling of the chamber is also decorated like a moving and flowing starry night-like pattern with the only feature being a rotating piece of machinery in the middle with a large central sphere. The Sphere has four claw-like parts hanging from its sides and several smaller spherical bodies. Currently, you are on the second layer. A voice speaks, across the way from you at one of the control panels for this complicated device. From the angle you entered, he wasn't visible but seems to be walking across the third layer, walking towards a control panel on the other side. The voice is carefully measured, well spoken...and just a tad bit mocking. "At last. I must say I'm disappointed in your progress. I'd imagined you'd be here sooner. Tell me, did it trouble you to murder your brothers?" he asks, Raziel almost immediately deploys the soul reaver, moving down the stairs in a determined walk. The man that stands on the third floor is shirtless. His body was seemingly covered by inhuman-like skin. He wears a pair of leather pants, and his feet are cloven and claw-like, similar to Raziel. He has long white hair, and dark eyes which he seems to sneer at you through. He wears a clasp over his left arm, which connects to a half cape that covers his right. He wears two greaves on each hand, and each hand is covered in three claws. "Did it trouble you when you ordered me into the abyss!" It seems...that this is Kain. Kain chuckles, "Eternity is relentless Raziel. When I first stole into this chamber centuries ago, I did not fathom the true power of knowledge." He moves one of the devices, and the sphere and claw-like structure start to spin. "Though it seems like you have decided to acquire the power of allies.." he says, though continues. "To know the future, Raziel and allies, to see its paths and streams tracing out into the infinite. As a man, I could never contain such forbidden truths." He looks at each elite with Raziel in turn and walks across the front of the portal, but not into it. Instead still casually walking across, presumably headed to another control panel. Completely unconcerned that you are here to kill him. "But each of us is so much more than we once were. Do you all not feel, with all your soul, how we have become like gods? As such, are we not indivisible? As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion..." he says but continues before anyone can answer. "However, the futures of those of Nosgoth are predestined. Mobius foretold mine eons ago. We each play out the paths that fate has written for us. Free will is an illusion." ...But the rest of this story will play out in the next scene.