Scene #8410: The Pillars of Nosgoth

Owner	Pose
Raziel	'The Pillars of Nosgoth. Pristine, whole, and uncorrupted. I have never beheld them in this undefiled state, yet something profound and indelible resonated within me at the sight. And there, waiting at the very heart of the pillars was the canker that was destined to destroy them.' Raziel, with your help or not, pushes a gate open that cuts off the Pillars of Nosgoth from the path you were just on. Though you could see the Pillars themselves reaching up into the sky, ending somewhere far beyond anyone's sight. One might think they go up so high that they keep up the very sky itself. Those with the appropriate senses can sense something from these pillars. They were indeed an embodiment of the soul of Nosgoth itself. The very heartbeat of the planet runs through this, what might be considered, a holy site. The base of the pillars was quite a bit different than they were in the future. There is circular marble flooring. There is a circle of black marble, which is divided into various segments. Each segment seems to have a gold symbol on it. Each pillar itself was farther back, beyond the darker circle. On each pillar was another symbol, but these ones seem to be subject to the translation effect of the Multiverse. From left to right, Mind, Dimension, Conflict, Nature, Balance (which is the central pillar and pushed forward slightly from the rest), Energy, Time, States, and Death. Each pillar was pristine, white marble except for a slightly colored portion that contained the symbol that marked which pillar they were. Not only a central focal point for the entire planet of Nosgoth but a lock that kept out one of its most dangerous enemies. And standing before the central pillar was Kain himself. Arms crossed over his chest, and apparently waiting. Beside him, would be another enigmatic figure, familiar to the entire group.
Raziel	"I know you're there, Raziel.." Kain says but does not turn to face you, "And your friends." "Moebius lead us to you Kain, though I might have guessed you'd meet me here." Kain gives a slight laugh, "And if Moebius told you I was hidden on the underside of hell would you throw yourself off into oblivion to pursue me? Moebius truls for the ignorant and unwary, hauling his gasping prey from the streams of their destiny. Stay out of his net, Raziel." "Spare us your elaborate metaphors, Kain. If not for the advisement of my allies, I'd only be here to do one thing, make you pay for your betrayal, and then balance will thus be restored to Nosgoth." "Who's will is satisfied then? The will of Raziel or Moebius?" "Would I be better manipulated by you instead? Now turn and explain yourselves to us, the chase is over." "This isn't a chase Raziel, we are merely passengers on the wheel of destiny, describing a perfect circle to this point. We've been brought here for a reason. I've seen the beginning and the end of our story, however, and the tale is crude and ill-conceived. We must rewrite the ending of it. You, I, and our new allies." Raziel can be seen rolling his eyes at this, "Turn and face us Kain, we should at least hear your side of this and when we find it's unsatisfactory you shouldn't have a coward's death!" Of course, Raziel is still hot under the collar, leaning towards not listening to Kain... but instead hearing him out and knowing that whatever story he has will cause his allies to join in his revenge. "Isn't it customary to grant the condemned a final request?" "I recall no such courtesy from you." "Indulge me, all I ask is that you and your friends listen. In fact, one of your friends already has." With that Raziel doesn't seem to aggress more, and at least quiets up enough to really hear Kain out. Though one can guess that his bias in this matter will lead to perhaps not giving as much thought to the words as he should.
Hamada Haru	//... you shouldn't have a coward's death.// "I'm not interested in killing anyone," Dynamic Era says dully, his voice echo-y and electronic from within his helmet. He crosses his arms over his chest, and adds, "I'm not especially interested in stopping this death in specific, either. But deliberate killings aren't a part of my repertoire." Instead, he moves away from the group and walks between the pillars, examining them as if he was inspecting a particularly interesting museum exhibit. It may be that he's seen some shit, but even among those things, one doesn't see pillars literally holding up the sky all that often.
Timespace Riders	Stepping out from behind a pillar is the Demon King's retainer, Woz, strange book tucked under one arm, as always. He stands beside His brown eyes sweep across the others, and fix pointedly upon Sougo for one weighty moment. "Woz... why?" A complex series of emotions plays across his face--fear, concern, maybe even a little bit of hurt. After all, Woz had been absent for so long, only to return now, by the side of someone untrustworthy at best, and an outright enemy at worst. "I assure you," says Woz, with pursed lips. "That I have given Lord Kain's perspective every bit of due consideration." He purses his lips, moving to interpose himself between Raziel and Kain, to focus his eyes more on the other vampire than Sougo. "It is my wish that the rest of you, do, as well." He reaches into his greatcoat and procures the black-and-green transformation belt he uses--the Beyondriver--and holds it aloft, before resting it theatrically upon his shoulder. "I am naturally prepared to defend that decision, as surely as I will defend him." Sougo's gaze turns downward, and his hands anxiously fidget with the hem of his shirt.
Hellwarming Trio	"Don't say it." "But we're right here." "Don't." "It's better that he doesn't know. Uh. Right?" "Exactly. Now shh." Floating somewhere vaguely behind Kain are the three yokai from Gensokyo's former hell, the two relatively larger ones being more or less kept in check by the smaller one in blue. They keep their own personal conversation quiet as Satori tries to listen in as Utsuho and Rin settle down sooner rather than later. Sensing Raziel's ire, they both spare a quick glance back at their master, who gives them a brief nod before approaching him from each side. "Easy, bro. Maybe he'll give us some good info." "Hnn... And even if he doesn't, it doesn't change much, right?" Satori approaches them soon afterwards, nodding in agreement with Dynamic Era, and then holding her tongue when Woz makes his dramatic appearance. She doesn't look too bothered, though, looking almost like she might have expected this sort of development! "That's correct. We still don't have all the pieces, and frankly..." She looks off to the side briefly, then lets out an annoyed sound. "... He could be useful for getting back at Moebius." Noticing Sougo's reaction, though, she clears her throat and floats over to him, resting a hand on one shoulder softly. "Do you trust him? Has Woz ever steered you wrong before?" She didn't, but it's easy enough to take it all in stride and sound like she did.
Trudy Grimm	Trudy Grimm accompanies, to the right and a few paces behind Raziel. At some point she had dismissed her Cute Friends, and so the witch has no current entourage but those living and breathing (of sorts) already spoken. Her arms folded behind her back, regarding Kain with an indifferent green gaze, the Grimoire dangling from her elbow by its strap. Her eyes wander to the others as they speak up, biting the inside of her cheek in thought. I'm not interested in killing anyone. I have given Lord Kain's perspective every bit of due consideration. We still don't have all the pieces, and frankly... "I'll listen," the witch speaks of her own accord, "My only condition is that I get a go at Moebius myself next time he dares to cross my sight. I can't imagine much objection to that, save those who also want a swing at him."
Timespace Riders	Sougo turns to Satori, putting his back to Kain and Woz, that there might be some shred of privacy, between that and the hushed tone of his answer. "Steered me wrong?" Sougo frowns thoughtfully. The 'it's complicated' is all but plain on his face, after a moment's thought. "Well... it's more that he does what he thinks is best." Even if that means not telling anyone else. "I have to admit," Sougo whispers back to Satori, "This being the first time I see him again, after days of quiet..." Clearly, he isn't happy about it. But, at the same time, there is an undercurrent of trust which runs through the hurt. "I want to believe in him," he quietly resolves. "So I will." Even if it gets him hurt. He wants to believe in everyone--but Woz, most of all, because Woz believed in him. The Demon King hopes beyond hope that it's still the case. After a moment of further reflection, Sougo stuffs his hands in his pockets, to keep himself from more fidgeting, then turns to face Kain once more. His gaze isn't directed at the elder vampire, however, but at Raziel. "Rin and Utsuho are right. You have every right to be angry with Kain... but I'd like to hear what he has to say. Kain... there's a future that I'm trying to write, too. What kind are you building? And why do you need our help to do it?"
Raziel	Kain can not hold back a smirk as Woz reveals himself. Kain is not about to leave anything to chance, which means he will take any opportunity to make sure his point gets across... even if it might seem like a dirty trick. This is far too important, for both himself and Nosgoth to only pull half punches. Kain takes a step forward, not minding Dynamic Era's examination of the Pillars of Nosgoth. In fact, Kain rests a hand on the central pillar, the pillar of Balance as the scene unfolds. Those who look closely can see that he's anxious about something. Those who can read into his mind know that something is happening soon... but it seems unrelated to Raziel's presence. If anything he /wants/ Raziel to see whatever is about to happen. Raziel takes a step forward, but Woz's appearance causes him to rethink his decision. His eyes narrow at the retainer, who has chosen to stand with Kain. So if Kain's words do not move him... Woz would still stand with Kain against himself and Sougo? The thought gives him pause, he knows he left after the revelations at the portal room... but why would they cause this? Utsuho and Rin come to try and ease Raziel back, and he relaxes, though isn't very trusting of the Elder Vampire, the one who sired him, the one who stole his purity, the one who defiled him, and the one who threw him away. He turns his head to Dynamic Era and shrugs, "This dispute is personal, if you do not wish to get involved then I can not motivate you." He does raise a hand up to Utsuho and Rin though, indicating he will listen. That and he won't like it. But he will listen, and knowing Raziel as someone who makes good on the things he says he will do. Raziel pauses when Sougo speaks up again. Sighing, he relents fully and places a hand on the younger man's shoulder. He knows the weight of betrayal all too well, though he hopes beyond hope that Woz isn't betraying them. He does hook a look towards Woz, a very heated one. Kain, however, laughs at Trudy's condition. "In just one sentence you have made me like you. I'll remember that... Ms..?" he asks, wanting a name to a face. "However, you'll have to take a number behind me, and eventually my wayward son," he motions towards Raziel, "Unless of course you jump the gun... and I won't be too broken up over that," Kain laughs, "I did kill him once before," he says with a slightly fangy smile. Sougo's question causes Kain to pause, and hold up a finger. "It is important to watch what happens first before we talk about the future. A lesson in our history... because the past all too frequently shapes the future in ways we don't understand at the time."
Raziel	"Well, if we're all settled in now.." Kain says and starts to speak in earnest. Kain moves, waving his arms at the Pillars. "This is the sublime moment of our undoing, Raziel. The ineffable fulcrum upon swings the entirety of our history," he starts. Those who can see magic, or have a special affinity with seeing things through the earth will sense something coming. It's a build-up of psychic energy, a shockwave of immeasurable importance and consequence. "This is where all of Nosgoth is betrayed. In this instant, Ariel the Balance guardian is murdered by dark forces bent on overthrowing the Pillars. Her spirit is just now tearing free, lost in the aether, trying to find its way here. You've already seen how she's come to haunt these Pillars," he says turning to the rest of the group, pointing one of his clawed hands to them. Raziel snaps back though, "Bound here by your refusal to die. YOU are the reason this land becomes diseased," he says pointing an accusing finger at the Elder Kain. "As long as you remain alive, you condemn Nosgoth to an eternity of decay!" "Be still Raziel, /see this/!" he says, losing the confidence and smirking overlord, and has taken the voice of a parent, as one might speak to a child who doesn't know what he's talking about. "As Ariel dies, I am being born to take her place as Balance guardian. Such is my destiny." It's obvious now, the psychic shockwave washes over the area. It's filled with pain, grief, hate, anger, suspicion, and so many emotions mixed in... it's literal madness made manifest. As it washes over the area something profound happens. From bottom to top, the Pillars start to blacken. The growing corruption is obvious in the world as it slowly creeps up each Pillar. The white marble turned to black, and cracks formed along each pillar. The change is noticeable in the world around them too. The sounds of nature are muted, the air feels colder than it did a moment ago, the skies are slightly darker, and the sun that was peaking a moment ago somehow feels less bright. An eerie stillness washes over the area of the Pillars and seems to be spreading out from them. Whatever happened to the Pillars, is affecting more than just them. The entire world itself, connected to these ancient artifacts, is now starting to become sick. "My god..." Raziel says he has only ever seen the broken Pillars. Ones that had hundreds of years to decay. Before now they were only ever the seat of Kain's empire. The throne which he built everything... but now? The sight chilled him to the bone more than anything else he has ever seen. Kain, meanwhile, places a hand over his chest. Presumably clutching at his heart as he appears to be using the Pillar of Balance as support. This is affecting him too, but to a much more pronounced degree than it does for you. Tied to this Pillar, it affects him on a more basic level. However, he pushes through it and starts again.
Raziel	"At the moment of my first cry, Ariel's beloved; the guardian Nupraptor finds her corpse. Wracked by grief, and tormented by suspicions of treachery, Nupraptor plunges into a madness which overflows and infects all of the guardians which are symbiotically bound, /including me/. The repercussions of Ariel's assassination were expertly calculated. The entire circle descends into madness, and I am tainted at the moment of my birth. Instantly, rendered incapable of fulfilling the role destiny has prepared for me!" "Shall I show you that you showed the rest of the circle then? You blithely murdered them to restore their pillars, yet your hand faltered when it came to the final sacrifice. What makes you exempt Kain? You're merely the last man standing. Why condemn me, for carrying out what you hadn't had the courage to do yourself?" Kain, however, claps back. "Let's drop the morale posturing, Shall we? We both know there is no altruism in this pursuit. Your reckless indignation lead you here, I /counted on it/! There is no shame in it Raziel, revenge is motivation enough... at least it's honest! Hate me, but do it honestly!"
Hamada Haru	"Kamen Rider shouldn't kill people. Even if I'm not Kamen Rider right now, I'm not disposed to change that," Dynamic Era rumbles towards Raziel, glancing subtly towards Woz with the lightest shift of his head-- just enough to put him in the peripheries of Era's lenses. He considers saying what's on his mind, but doesn't. Therefore, Satori is the only one who gets a snapshot of it: << If Oma Zi-O's attendant is disrupting things in this way, more than likely there is some immediate trickery of time involved here. He's trying to flip a switch in a specific direction that he thinks benefits, or at least minimizes harm to Zi-O. I suppose that's fine. >> He moves from the central BALANCE pillar to the surrounding pillars, examining each of them in turn.
Timespace Riders	Woz endures Raziel's glare with an uprturned chin, brown eyes peering imperiously back as he bounces the Beyondriver on his shoulder. This is not the first such look he's received, and it won't be the last. Perhaps a part of him even enjoys this sort of scheming. Either way, neither he nor Sougo can conceal the effect of the psychic backlash. Woz grimaces and looks away, as one might at the sound of nails on a chalkboard. Sougo shudders, one hand racing out of his pocket to press uselessly at his temple, staggering backwards. Having known Persephone, their experience with things that tug at the mind isn't zero--but this is very, very much unlike her. Undirected, visceral, painful, ureprentantly negative in its presentation. The would-be king looks around when the wave has passed, his hand lowering, fingers curled as it rests along the seam of his pants. "Mnh... He's telling the truth, Raziel. Everything he said, I saw, when I looked into her past." "Consider who it was that set you against Lord Kain in the first place," says Woz to Raziel, gesturing to the elder vampire with a sweep of his book, before it returns to its place tucked at his side. He struts slowly around the corrupted pillars. "Is your hatred for one enough to outweigh your mistrust of the other? Remember, also, that Moebius, too, ultimately serves your mysterious benefactor." The Beyondriver is tucked back away, inside his greatcoat. With his now empty hand, he makes a sweeping motion, indicating the subtly spoiled landscape. "Where is he, in all this?" The corner of his mouth upturns, slightly, as his hand flicks upward theatrically, fingers brushing against the back of his ear. "My, my~--but his silence in this moment is intriguing, is it not? Ah, but forgive me, Lord Kain--I've read too far ahead." Woz bows his head deferentially to Kain, making an appeasing 'please, continue' gesture and stepping aside.
Trudy Grimm	"Grimm," the witch dips slightly with a bend of her knees and a sweep of her arms out from behind her back, a little curtsy, "Trudy Grimm, a humble witch. Selfish creature that I am, I can't promise I won't jump the line to satisfy my own desires." Her eyes flit to Raziel as he faces off against the elder vampire, then back to Kain when the tale he shares ramps up. The arm her tome hangs from lifts up, fingers curling just shy of her cheek, supported at the elbow by her other hand. "Ariel is the ghost haunting this place in the present-- the future, I suppose," Her fingers uncurl into a presenting gesture, "The curse tying her here is quite powerful," She speaks over the world seeming to wilt around her, either unaffected by or ignoring how the suffering of the Circle desaturates the world, "I unravelled that before I came here, though it certainly put up a fight." Only then do the witch's eyes glance skyward, up the visage of the pillars to the faded sun. She feels out through the despair and madness with her magical sense, grasping at threads; is this perhaps the same manner of curse, then?
Hellwarming Trio	Satori's eyes slowly drift to the side once she realizes that the answer coming from Sougo isn't as easy as she hoped. Still, she can tell (even without cheating via mind reading, but also with) that the trust is there, and she closes her eyes briefly before nodding and giving him another nudge from behind once he turns around to address Kain. "Good. It'll be... Your faith won't be unrewarded." Leaving him with that vague-ish message, it's time to actually listen to Kain! And do a bit of mind-probing, as Satori often does, taking note of that upcoming something and Kain's actual desire to see Raziel involved. It piques her curiosity rather easily, and she stares right at Kain while gesturing at Rin and Utsuho to join her once it seems Raziel's calmed down enough to listen as well. Utsuho and Rin, of course, laugh easily at Kain's reaction to Trudy's condition. "Yeah, we've got a beef with him, too." "Doesn't mean we like ya, but he sucks big time." "Was that on purpose?" After Rin's momentary confusion, they listen! And watch, as Kain shows what else happened after Ariel's untimely demise. It lines up with what they can recall seeing about her death previously and what it ultimately led to, but the shockwave in particular has two of them (Utsuho and Satori) slowly furrowing their brows as more of that context is revealed. "So things were already going to crap once she died, and... " "You got caught up as the next piece in all of this." "The last one, right? But... Damn, that sucks. So... What's your plan now?" As Rin asks that latter question, she slides on over beside Raziel to place a hand on his shoulder and holding her other palm towards Kain. "Easy, easy! So... We know one way to fix all this crap is for Kain to die, but you-" She looks towards Kain. "-probably don't want that, yeah? So... What's the plan? You know any other ways to clean all this up? 'cause if we can do that, you two could just beat the crap out of each other the normal way, yeah?" Satori, meanwhile, manages to catch those errant thoughts from Dynamic Era and winds up looking in his direction as she does. She doesn't speak up on that matter, but her gaze eventually drifts back to Woz again. What kind of path with Kain continuing to exist would actually help Zi-O more than just killing Kain to finish Raziel's journey? Ideas about Raziel or Zi-O gaining more power through this... All of this come to mind, and she looks to Kain once again. "Does it involve Moebius? Or that disembodied voice?"
Raziel	Raziel gives a glance towards Dynamic. Perhaps it was like a code, that Kamen Riders follow. He grunts slightly but doesn't argue it. If they have a vow against killing, then it's something he was honor-bound to respect. Dynamic's inspection of the pillars shows that whatever happened to them has seeped into them from both an outside source, but also an internal one. These things are connected to their guardians... and it's especially obvious when Kain himself looks pained by the corruption. Though he outwardly seems fine... perhaps it is something that either he's gain resistance to, or has struggled to live with all these years. Either way, he isn't gripped with madness. Kain smiles at Trudy, "Well, Ms. Grim, I am happy to meet someone who can also see through the Timestreamer's game. It's very heartening that you are with Raziel to help guide him out of that old man's net. But make no mistake, do not underestimate him. He'll use anything and everything to manipulate you into doing what he wants... rather that's ignorance or anger." "Yes, the same Ariel," he answers, then looks surprised, "Did you..? Interesting..." he says, with a thoughtful expression. Gears are turning, and it seems that Trudy's interference has created something of an opportunity. Utsuho, Rin, and Satori's confirmation of their dislike of Moebius gets another smile out of the vampire. Good, he thinks, because the more who can see through the likes of this world, the better Raziel will be prepared, he thinks. Rin asks her question, but Kain holds up a claw, much like one would hold up a finger indicating that he was getting to that. Utsuho mentions the disembodied voice, but Woz says something. Woz goes on to mention the Elder God, asking what his role was in all of this. Kain doesn't appear to hear this, or the comment about the disembodied voice. It's strange because he's aptly paying attention to you all. When Woz asks for his forgiveness, the Elder vampire looks slightly confused. "As you say, but I did not hear anything that requires forgiveness," the confusion is real because he doesn't understand something important. Raziel picks up on this, squinting his eyes at Kain. He notices this, but something is weird and it causes him more pause. Something isn't adding up... and despite what Raziel thinks about Kain, and how little he feels about his continued existence... Kain isn't a liar. It isn't like him to act in this way, nor does it serve him. What is going on?
Raziel	Kain, however, continues. There is more to his story, and he seems keen on continuing it. "Thirty years hence, I am presented with a dilemma. Let's call it a two-sided coin. If the coin falls one way, I sacrifice myself and thus restore the Pillars. But as the last surviving vampire in Nosgoth, this would mean the annihilation of our species, Moebius made sure of that. If the coin lands on the reverse... I refuse the sacrifice and thus doom the Pillars to an eternity of collapse. Either way, the game is rigged." "We agree then, that the Pillars are crucial, and must be restored?" Raziel asks, trying to figure out where this is going, and what point Kain is making. "Yes, Raziel. That's why we've come full-circle to this place," he says, voice filled with regret and apprehension. "So after all this, you make my case for me. To end this stalemate, you must die so that the new Guardians can be born!" "The Pillars don't belong to them, Raziel... they belong to us!" "Your arrogance is boundless, Kain," Raziel says with a slightly annoyed tone, but an unsurprised one. Kain chuckles at this response but says something else. "There's a third option..." Kain says as he points a finger up, and then points it right at Raziel. "A monumental secret, hidden in your very presence here. But it is a secret you and your allies have to discover for yourself. Unearth your destiny, Raziel. It's all laid out for you here..." "You said it yourself, Kain there are only two sides to your coin." "Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day it lands on its edge."
Trudy Grimm	"A curse is like a tapestry," Trudy simplifies it to her favorite metaphor. Lifting her hands, she slips the fingers of one hand between those of the other, "Intricately woven together. To unravel it, one need only..." She pulls her hands apart, "Tug at the right thread." Her hands lower, tucking behind her back once again, "And I've no small number of dealings with sketchy wizards. It takes one to know one, after all." She flashes her teeth in a slightly too-wide, shark-toothed smile that dimples her cheeks just right. It's not an entirely honest one, but few here would know her well enough to tell she's hiding her own pains. Her eyes shift to Woz as he speaks up, then back to Kain when he-- dismisses it entirely. The smile disappears, replaced with a neutral look of curiosity. Confusion ill-suits Kain's demeanor. That's clearly not an expression that belongs on the vampire's noble face. The contrast is-- more than a little perplexing. Kain picks up where he left off though. A back and forth with Raziel that she opts not to interrupt. The witch only speaks on that last comment of his, "Bold. You're risking a lot on that coin toss. I can admire that kind of self-assuredness."
Hamada Haru	In fact, Hamada Haru takes after a more idealistic strain of Kamen Riders, and there have been many that kill without thinking much of it. But his origins are largely rooted in the elder idealists, and so those are the ideas that he adheres to... more-or-less. His attitude doesn't sync up with that pattern of ideas, but that's another 'problem' entirely, insofar as it could even be called one. "Hold still," Dynamic Era says to Kain, striding over purposefully. He raises his left hand and says to himself, "Deletion Protocol: Filter." This was a power of Tetra's, but it is one that Era still has. The wings on his back dissolve into a cloud of nanites that attack the subject matter around -- or perhaps within -- the elder vampire. It's possible they don't have an actual target, however. Regardless of the obvious result, the nanites withdraw and re-form into Era's wings. He turns to Woz, and says, "Try again."
Hellwarming Trio	Why is Kain so concerned about Raziel's preparation? Is this man truly thinking so far ahead? Or does he actually care? Actually meeting Kain is certainly throwing Satori for a bit of a loop, and it's not hard to tell just from the look on her face that she doesn't even look annoyed at the Elder Vampire at this point. Confused, curious, but there's a notable shift in her demeanor before long as he continues answering questions. The two most obivous options are presented: Destruction of the vampires, or destruction of Nosgoth. Thankfully, Satori doesn't have to spell it out for her pets, as Utsuho and Rin are both just listening with rapt attention until he finally reveals the existence of a third option, complete with whooping when he actually says 'third option'. "Hah! Knew it!" "Heh. Figured." They most certainly did not (at first), but Satori's body language and facial cues are easy enough for them to have figured it out by then. Eventually, the three decide on their next course of action, with Utsuho and Rin moving to join Raziel on each side. "Hey, you heard the old man. Let's take a look for this third thing and figure it out from there, alright?" "Worth a shot, right? I mean, if he's right, your vampire bros'll live, AND this world gets fixed!" "And if it doesn't, we'd just do what we came here to, anyway. Couldn't hurt." Satori, meanwhile, floats on over towards Kain while giving Dynamic Era and Woz a wide berth when the wings dissolve for some reason she's unfamiliar with. She waits until whatever happens/doesn't, then looks between Dynamic Era and Woz a few times. "Kain. Is it... Really necessary to be so cryptic with him? If you've known him as long as it sounds like you did, it..." She trails off briefly, looking over at Raziel again before turning to Kain once more. "... You trust him quite a lot, don't you?"
Timespace Riders	Sougo smiles faintly at Dynamic Era, despite the surroundings and the circumstances. Woz places a hand over his heart and bows to Kain, nonetheless--his usual catlike grin is on his face, as he returns upright, gone by the time Kain might notice it on his face. His surface thoughts, Satori finds, show that he's quite pleased. Revealing Kain's inability to even hear talk of the Elder God which so often speaks to Raziel and the gathered Elites is part of his plan. "My lord Kain," says Woz, prompted by Dynamic Era's deletion protocol, "Are you aware of who it was that sent Raziel before you? I speak not of Moebius, but his master." Again, there is that curl upwards at the corner of his mouth, as he makes a grandiloquent flick of his wrist towards Raziel. "I think..." Sougo says to Satori, "It has to do with what Woz said, a minute ago, to Raziel. That bit about... time not working properly, here. Woz doesn't pass through time like most people, and when there's something wrong with it, or when it's... weaponized, it tends to bounce off of him." His eyes drift up thoughtfully to the tarnished, faded blue sky. "I think maybe he feels like he has to be cryptic because he's afraid that, if he doesn't, the timeline will be weaponized against us. And... having looked at his past," admits Sougo, eyes drifting back down to look at Satori, "I don't really blame him."
Raziel	Kain does not immediately answer Trudy's comment on the boldness of his plan. Though he does smirk ever so slightly at her pointing out how much hinges on chance. Though, perhaps, his faith in Raziel is stronger than it shows. Then again, why would he throw his favored son to his death? When Satori comments on his crypticness, he pulls up a single claw as if to motion for her quietness. However, she can hear the thoughts behind his eyes. He knows they are clear to her, which makes it more interesting how he's been playing his cards. The thought she can pick out is, 'Because destiny needs to be uncovered for himself. He needs to find his own truths, and to guide him to one would cause him to dismiss it easier than if it came to him on his own. Changing history is very challenging because every action creates a ripple.' Though Satori's pets get a grin from the Vampire. Oh, these two are dumber than bricks, but they are loyal friends to Raziel... and seem to be perfect servants to the smart one of their group. Good, because this is going to require strength and cunning. And perhaps a bit of the kind of stupid these two are. Kain also nods to Sougo's deduction, but it's not the entire story. Well, Satori has the entire story now, so she can easily piece it together and fill in Sougo. That, he's not worried about. What he becomes worried about is when the Nano-cloud bursts around him. "What sorcery is th-" It doesn't immediately hurt him, he's not regenerating, though he was caught by surprise. He waits, patiently...but there IS something that changes. Dynamic can see that the filter is insidious. It's wrapped throughout the mind of Kain, acting like a cognition filter, blinding and deafening him to the truth of the Elder God. It's like a bit of DNA was encoded to make this path of neurons happen...and it can be disabled without hurting Kain.
Raziel	When the nanites turn back, Woz speaks again asking him a very important question. One that he can now hear, "I do not, no. I wasn't aware there was any other entity involved in this other than the dark forces I mentioned earlier..." the thing is... the dark forces did already have a pawn in the Circle. Mortanius, the man who created Kain to clean the circle of its infection... because he was the worst afflicted by it, and was trying to make amends. "In each timeline, I looked at, Raziel came back on his own in each. Each time seeking revenge... which would make him susceptible to attempts by the Time Streamer to guide him toward me, but I was confident that my stories of the man stuck with him. I am many things, but..." "A liar you are not. Damn you Kain, this isn't a story you can write and predict everyone's moves!" To /that/ Kain smirks, "Tell me of this entity..." "He loves the sound of his voice far too much. He claimed to have resurrected me but tied me to that body. Until Xion freed me from it. He claims to be the hub of the Wheel of Fate.." "...The Wheel of Fate, you say..?" He pauses, looking troubled by this... "There is another reason, that you two should know about my motives in not outright telling Raziel my thoughts. It is..." he pauses, not sure if he should speak so openly here, but it's unavoidable now. "All people of Nosgoth are tied to the Wheel of Fate. /All/ of them. Including me..." "But there is one person freed from that. Because of Raziel's remaking, he is the one unbound person in all of Nosgoth," Of course... that might not be true anymore, thanks to our local not Kamen Rider.
Hamada Haru	In answer to Sougo's smiling, Dynamic Era just makes a loose, acknowledging gesture at the wrist-- a sort of half-hearted wave, perhaps. It could be taken as dismissal in other circumstances. He seems to be watching Woz for a short while after that particular deletion protocol, but shifts his attention back to Kain when questions and thoughts are put forward. All things aside, he actually can't meaningfully perceive the 'filter' that is attacked, nor its particular insidiuousness. He hasn't got the perception to actually do much with that. Being made aware that it's there is still enough for him to attack it, though. Even so, he makes an agitated noise that the 'filter' deletion worked. That's not the sort of thing that he likes to be correct about. "What did you say Xion did?" He asks Raziel. It sounds familiar, but he's had a lot on his mind. If he was there for it, he might have missed the particulars. As to what Kain has to say to him, he grunts. "Dynamic Era. And maybe. To be 'freed' of a binding, somebody like Xion has the tools for that. Mine is more general. If you need something like that, I can contact her."
Trudy Grimm	The Witch watches, keeping her arms folded still behind her back; listening, watching-- she does stiffen when Dynamic Era steps up and performs his trick for Kain, uncertain how the vampire will respond or what it will do to this guy she's actually somewhat fond of already. Mutuals over brutalizing sketchy wizards, perhaps. When Kain is uninjured though, Trudy takes a few steps closer, the Grimoire swaying on its strap, "In my experience, destiny is more of a suggestion. You're free to ignore it, though that can be more difficult." The words of an heiress of a potent dynasty of dark magic who rejects the evil swimming in her blood even now. "So this is about breaking free from a locked-in path. Mr Moebius clearly had something to do with setting all of that up..." Her head dips forward, casting those softly glowing green eyes into the shadows cast by her bangs, "Oh, but we can just let him continue to think it's still in place... No wizard's arrogance could resist flexing control over someone as powerful as this."
Hellwarming Trio	Catching both that gesture and the thoughts fed into her through Kain's head, Satorifights back to the urge to grin and just shrugs dramatically instead. "Hm. An unsolvable mystery, then. What a shame. I do hate leaving those alone, but." The message is loud and clear, at least, and she doesn't comment on Kain's thoughts further for the sake of what has to happen next. "It'll be a good opportunity for the girls to grow, too." She does, however, have to comment on Rin's and Utsuho's roles to come. "Ment-" As she's about to finish that statement, Utsuho and Rin let out a startled noise at what Dynamic Era does. "Whoa! Cool." "Hey, are you melting him?" They ask at the same time, prompting Satori to get a thousand-yard stare in the meantime. Thankfully, they get a little less stupid later, and just in time for Kain to explain more of the different timelines. Discussion turns to the Hub, the Wheel of Fate, and then Raziel being the sole person disconnected from that. Recalling what Kain had not-really-but-sort-of said to her, Satori remains silent on the matter, and Utsuho and Rin both look to her for several moments before starting to piece things together themselves. Kind of. "If he's not connected, then..." "He might be able to do something that the timeline's can't predict, right?" "And then... Edge of the coin?" "Edge of the coin! How, though?" "Uh... All this stuff here?" Utsuho gestures at all the pillars and circles, the segments with all those symbols. "Something to do with these, because..." She rubs her head, clearly straining a bit while considering what Sougo had mentioned to Satori earlier. "If time doesn't work properly here, and time doesn't work properly for him, then maybe... He could double it?" She guesses with a, untterly confused shrug, losing too much brain power at the moment to continue trying to figure it out. That gives Satori some time to approach Sougo, mulling over both the location and the timeline things as well. "This might be the safest place to change things. Or, at the very least, plot out a course away from prying ears." She guesses herself, stopping by Sougo and floating up a bit to whisper. "We can trust their judgment. We just can't... Shouldn't pry for answers from them. Timeline things, it sounds like."
Timespace Riders	Woz, having succeeded beyond his wildest expectations, thanks to Era, holds himself to silence, for the moment, letting Kain connect the pieces for everyone else. "Well, the fact that you can even hear his name is a very good thing, for that future you want to write," says Sougo with a faint smile. It's shared by Woz. "There are some other things you should know about him, too. The sickness, the infertility that spreads through humans in the future--I think that has to do with the Hub, somehow." His ability to describe such things is limited, unable as he is to see souls. But--"By the future--the point we met you--the Hub is much larger than he is in this time period." Woz's posture shifts subtly, his head held just a bit higher. He's proud of Sougo, Satori can detect. "You probably guessed this already, now that you know about him... but the hostility between humans and vampires is his fault, too." Sougo frowns, looking pointedly at the corrupted Pillars. "Vampires weren't human to begin with--humans came later, I think. You were his favorites, until you weren't. The Pillars, he made them for the people that vampires used to be, and they only became what they are because fighting off an enemy of his, on his orders, changed them. Kain..." The would-be king takes his eyes off of the pillar, and interlaces his fingers, brown eyes meeting the elder vampire's. "The reason he wanted you to be the last Guardian is because you'd be the last part of his plan to get rid of vampires. I don't know why, but I know that every bit of fighting between the vampires and the humans traces back to him or Moebius, working for him. I think... humans and vampires can live together, peacefully. But if they're ever going to, the Hub needs to be stopped." "Indeed," Woz finally pipes in, agreeing with Trudy, Rin and Utsuho. "Such would be the weaponized timeline which Sougo Tokiwa mentioned. The peculiar feeling that dear Raziel spoke of could best be described as..." He smirks impishly, before gesturing towards Trudy with an upturned palm. "Places where the Elder God's grip are weaker than they otherwise would be. Unfortunate--for him." Satori can glean from his surface thoughts that he'll attempt to use his peculiar resistance to temporal anomalies to signify, in however cryptic a way, those spots, when and where they occur.
Raziel	Raziel responds to Dynamic Era first, "My soul was bound in my former body at the spiritual level. I was basically forced to inhabit my corpse, regardless of whatever form I could project into. Xion separated that from me, and it is why I am able to take the form I do now." While Raziel clearly isn't human, he isn't a corpse either. Kain, looks to Dynamic, as he explains about Xion herself. "Hmm. I won't turn down such a generous offer. If she is willing to aid me with this, I would be foolish to accept. Every tool that can be used in this fight is one I will take." Kain lets a smile run across his face at Satori's comment about being truly unknowable. Kain shakes his head at the Pillars themselves, "No, that is simply representations of the binding that is placed on the world that keeps the other race out. Yes, Sougo, I am aware of the war. However, you have one thing incorrect.." "Vampires are not born, any longer. We are created, from humans. Slowly, over time, we take forms closer to the original race. The original Vampire Race, or the Ancients. This is their creation, not a human creation...but I suppose /I/ am the one going too far ahead in the story." However, Kain listens to the illness of the future. He is larger in the future than in the past..? "I would encourage you to find him in this era and learn something about him. Specifically, what knowledge does he not have here compared to the future? It will be good to know just how dangerous this unseen enemy truly is." "As for why humans became his favored... I know not. There is something there, but until we can ascertain the truth of it we should file it away until later. It is another mystery we have to unravel... and I am afraid this rat's nest of a mystery will keep us up all night should we choose to try and untangle it now." "Slightly incorrect, Woz. However, the truth about these distortions will be important in our next meeting... Until then." he says, standing next to Woz. Letting his new retainer take care of the dramatic exit. Kain always did like a dramatic exit.
Hamada Haru	"I just got done saying I don't kill people. Why would I melt anyone? I do occasionally delete verterbrae to end a lethal problem quickly, though," Era replies to the Hellwarming Trio, shrugging faintly. Dynamic Era makes an acknowledging noise at Raziel. This tracks with what he knows about Xion, and he's certain he's heard of it before. Had he witnessed it? He can't really recall. Doesn't matter in the short-term, he supposes. His gaze shifts back to Kain, visible by a vague twitch of his head. He's not capable of freezing the air between them and his helmet certainly obfuscates his expression, but his posture gets a whole lot less friendly with the way Kain just described Xion. He looks back at Raziel, "I'll see if I can get in touch with her about this." He remains silent until Kain leaves, watching him exit with parting remarks evidently intended to be shunted aside to Woz. Slowly, his gaze slides back over to Woz. "For somebody who is so eager to describe an unknown potential-friend as a 'tool', he certainly was the biggest one with us until he left." He pulls out a cell phone, dials a number, and begins talking, "Hey. Might have something for you to do, if you have time. Something about breaking the chains of fate. Raziel. No, not right now..." This carries on for a while. Long enough to ruin a dramatic exit completely. Satori can tell that it's just because he's annoyed at Kain for implicitly unpersoning Xion, so he's just pettily ruining Woz's window of opportunity.
Timespace Riders	Sougo nods, his expression one of resolute determination. "I'll look for him and see what I can find out." He has a pretty good idea of where to start--even if he doesn't know where the Elder God is presently, he does know where Moebius is, and knows that the Time Streamer ultimately takes orders from the Hub. For someone so notably obsessed with being correct, Woz is surprisingly unbothered by his mistake. Perhaps it suits whatever his aims are here--either way, he places his free hand over his heart. "At once, Lord Kain," says Woz--over Haru's phone-bleeps and conversation. There is a slightly annoyed twitch of his mouth, but not enough for him to say anything. What would he even say? 'Could you keep it down, so that I can teleport out coolly?' Ridiculous--better not to justify it with a response. At the bottom point of his bow, his eyes do flick towards Sougo--but as he rises, his hand finds his scarf and flings it outwards. It envelops both the retainer and the elder vampire in a rustling sphere of fabric, before disappearing into a single point. Sougo is left by himself again--still, Satori can tell, worried about Woz. That the retainer had avoided calling him his king isn't lost on Sougo, even if he does still want to believe in Woz. "Right... Era, can you make a ramp for me to get back up to the stronghold?"
Hamada Haru	"Don't have a good enough jump height? Alright," Dynamic Era says to Sougo, leaning his still-helmeted head to one side to trap the cell phone against his shoulder while he directs his nanites to produce the requested ramp.
Timespace Riders	The Sougo of the present is joined by the Sougo of a few hours from now, who steps out of a pillar of pink light. Present!Sougo goes to find Moebius--in truth, to peer through his past and find conversations with the Hub to deduce what the god does and doesn't know, in this timeline. He waves gratefully at Era, heading back up the ramp. Future!Sougo, meanwhile, sticks around, helping to look around the platform with the Pillars for any sort of hidden entrances.
Hellwarming Trio	Woz's posture shift tells Satori quite a bit, and she always gets to cheat when it comes to mind-probing. She won't tell Sougo, though. Not yet, anyway! Instead, she'll settle for listening along with Utsuho and Rin about why Kain and Raziel were chosen for their roles. She even lets out a pleased noise when it seems that they, Trudy, and Woz are all on roughly the same page regarding the timeline. She does raise an eyebrow briefly at the thought of weaponizing those locations, but quickly looks away so as to not draw too much attention to that yet. Raziel explains the strangeness of his body, and that gets knowing 'ahah's from all three of the yokai in unison. "So that's why you looked so different from that slideshow..." Somehow, she remembered a thing! The origins of the vampires, weirdly enough, don't draw too much attention from the three in comparison. It's when Kain mentions the Hub's favor of humans that they nod again, with Rin speaking up next. "Yeah, this is way too much stuff to figure out all at once. One thing at a time! Or you're gonna make Okuu's head hurt." She taunts, promptly yelping as Utsuho grabs her by the head and traps it with her arm.. "Not-Kamen Riders can usually do that melty hand thing, right?" Utsuho asks Dynamic Era in the middle of noogieing Rin, drawing a tired sigh from Satori and prompting her to nudge them apart firmly. "If that's all... Hm. We do certainly have a lot to check into. Be well, Kain. Try not to annoy Raziel too much next time." They'll help Future!Sougo with DIGGING AROUND, although their searching might be a little too focused on things that are higher up rather than what's on the ground.