The Forever King x Prologue [Closed/Plot]

[Akito]

Theme Music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMHmyF6rQGM&feature=related

The Forever King x Prologue
>>What they have come to understand

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"...Y-You...You ignorant peasants can never understand what it means to be a King," Alexis breathed, ragged and wounded as he was, he dragged himself to his feet using the grandiose white door as support and proclaimed aloud. "Just sit in your mud homes content with your little lives!...I have an empire to destroy," He spoke with such wanton courage, such bravado, that one could be forgiven for forgetting his heavily injured state.

Blood trickled down from the edge of his mouth before it came splurging out in a wave mixed with vomit. His body was telling him to lie down; moving would only bring him closer to death. But he refused. He refused stubbornly. Trying desperately to retain some semblance of dignity amidst the blood and vomit, Alexis finally brought himself to full height and glowered.

With the large ivory door at his back and what lied beyond it exactly what he sought, Alexis could not afford to give up now; not when he was so close to his ambition for the last thousands of years. To end all of the regret he had to feel, the sins he had to bear. He would not be stopped now; whatever the consequences, he was willing to risk them for this one chance. He slowly raised his right arm, the broken bones almost refusing to obey him, and held out a palm. Instantly, a crimson magic circle formed before him, still as menacing as ever; threatening to unleash too absolute a destruction. Alexis' eyes hardened and his voice carried a sheer hatred and border hysteria thought impossible for someone as calm and precise as him.

"I'll say it once more; leave and do not look back or I will have you disappear," His eyes showed no hesitation; even if he was fond of these people, they were in his way. A few weeks friendship weighed for nothing against an ancient duty several thousand years old. If they continued to ignore his warnings, he could no longer show them mercy.

[lysander]

[Well, this is new to me, so I guess we'll see how it goes.]

Lysander leaned back against the wall, across from Alexis. Bloodshot red eyes looked up to the man, and the cowboy suddenly felt small in comparison. He hadn't been in a fight like this in a long, long time. Must've been years, looking back on it. A real fight. A real, wrench-your-heart-out sort of confrontation. His guns were loosely gripped in his hands, the cleavers lying upon the ground. There was no doubt that he was exhausted. It was a real effort to lift even one of the four silver swords, and holding just one gun up to aim was no small feat in and of itself. And yet...

The gun in Lysander's right hand slipped from his grip and clattered to the white marble tile. His arm rose, palm facing outward toward Alexis. It was hard to see the regal man in such a beat up condition, and he moved on impulse, not keeping himself in check. Being a reflexively natured person certainly had it's drawbacks. "Life Aura..."[/color] He whispered, and a ray of blue-white light shot from his hand, bypassing any of Alexis's defenses, restoring the man to a certain level of glory. He realized what he'd done, and grit his teeth in frustration. He spat red venom from between his teeth off to the side, and forced himself to stand on his own two feet, scooping up the gun back into his right hand. He almost fell, but he managed to stay standing. Just tired.[/color] He chanted to himself, inside his head, a mantra to keep him going. Just tired. Just tired. Just tired.

The cleavers rattled against the ground around him as he tried to lift them upwards, his telekinesis wavering under the strain. "I don't know what you mean to achieve by all this..."[/color] The cowboy grunted, planting his feet and rising up to his own full height, powered by his own sense of pride. "But I don't think I can just walk away and let it happen."[/color] Blood dripped from under his fingernails and his hands glowed a silvery, blue-white as he forced the cleavers up into the air, ready to fight.[/size]

[nascent]

"You're wrong, Lord Alexis!"

The voice came from the back of the group. There, a man staggered forward clutching his chest, his clothes in tatters and open wounds covering much of his body. Even still, the shadowmage would not be deterred.

He had to act. He was possibly the only one who could talk The Forever King out of what he was about to do.

"This is not the only path left to you -- you still have a choice!" The scythe dragging loosely in the mage's other hand vanished in a spray of sparkling crimson light. "I know... I know because I do understand what it means to be a king! I didn't tell you before... because my memories were lost to me..."

He forced himself to stand completely upright, looking Alexis straight in the eye as he did so. The mage's voice rung brave and strong as he spoke. "I am Janus, crown prince of the Kingdom of Zeal, which was lost to disaster in antiquity. I am also the Fiendlord Magus, who waged war against the Kingdom of Guardia in my own world. I have felt the weighty mantle of leadership, known the recklessness of the ignorant masses... and I have seen kingdoms fall because rulers did not know their limits. Alexis! No king -- no man -- should have to carry such weight forever!"

One leather gloved hand was extended, an offer made. "Come with me, Alexis! Leave the kingdom behind! For better or worse, it is time! Time your people learned to bear the weight themselves -- taste of their own folly, and come to understand all you've endured for their sake. It's time for the children of the Forever King to grow up and carry themselves in the world. You have a choice, Alexis! Come with me, and live as a free man!"

Liquid darkness gushed now from the wound in his chest and Magus fell forward onto his knees, gripped with pain. Looking at the floor now, he muttered those same words he had spoken upon the death-knell of a kingdom so very, very long ago.

"If history is to change, let it change."
"If the world is to be destroyed... so be it."
"If my fate is to die...
... I must simply laugh."

[Iris|Kairi]

Betrayal.

That was the strongest of the emotions she was feeling right now. Somehow, that emotion overshadowed the physical agony she felt. With each labored, raspy breath that sang of the life-liquid collecting in her left lung, new and intense pangs of pain traumatized her body. Yet..she was "calm." Calm in the sense that she was standing straight up, with the exception of to cringing that threatened to double her over every time she breathed; calm in the sense that despite the trembling her eyes and mind was unclouded by the battle that left them all so wounded and exhausted. She still possessed her collected and cool battle mind.

Her battle mind had only little to do with the feeling of betrayal, though.

"Alexis.." she wheezed, though it was a loud sound that pushed blood from her lungs and throat into and trickling from her mouth. She hated the taste. Now coughing, she struggled to suck in a stablizing breath. She wasn't dying, but she sure sounded it. Sweat trickled down her brow to mix with the dirt and blood, possibly not all hers, on her pretty face.

"You can't do this!" she continued on, limping slowly closer to him a few steps before stopping. Was she stupid? Fear seemed lost on her, all she cared about was convincing him not to do it. "Going back...is wrong. We didn't fight to keep the thing from being used for time travel..just so you could!" Yeah, that was the biggest part of the betrayal. She was well aware he'd probably planned it all along, so that accounted for the usually very soft look in her eyes being hardened into a stiff "glare", though since it was Iris there was still a large amount of potential forgiveness in them.

There was also a hurt unrelated to her extensive injures and betrayal in her eyes. The sight of him was hard to see. Lysander's healing had meant she hadn't had to. It was hard to see him in such terrible condition..mentally. She was spoiled to his cool demeanor, his elegant movements, the smoothness of his words. The elements were there, but they were eerie and strained, wavering on foreign. Despite herself, she wanted to run to him and hug him. In truth, that's why she had moved toward him without a thought.

Maybe that's why her arms were lowering from her torso to fall against her sides, palms facing him vaguely as if she'd lift them to offer an embrace.

"Please...listen to us.."

[LEO LION]

“Magnus! Uh- l-let him follow his own path… don’t… make him choose yours.” Said a meek voice from the Fielndlord’s left. She was battered as well, her right eye closed, purpling, and bloodied from a punch; her lip split, clothing torn and bloodstained. The events that had transpired to this point were a mixture of so much confusion to this party. So much friendliness, only to suddenly turn with the flip of a dime. She too, like the others, felt betrayed. To think that Alexis could want to do such a thing! Well it was preposterous. But at the same time, he was her friend; friends had to stand beside one another, particularly in time were rough. But the others, they were her friends too.

Akane limped a little to position herself closer to Alexis, as if to show him that she was for his cause. And yet, even standing here she hadn’t made up her mind. What would the consequences be? Would their lovely friendship become bitter animosity between them? How was that supposed to help anything?
She coughed a little, blood spattering against her hand from her lip and tongue that she had bitten after being socked. Cringing her tabby cat tail lashed once before hanging limp, marred fur matted with red just as sweat tangled her lovely orange ringlets even more. “We need to be supportive of each other – we shouldn’t pressure him…” She brought her hands down to the hem of her green shirt, twisting it and wringing it nervously. Her cat ears were limp, hanging down as she hunched over and glanced at all four faces. It hurt her that everyone would come to fight like this. It was so saddening. But then, someone had to stand by Alexis. Someone had to believe in him, and she did, he was a good ruler in her eyes. He would become an even better one, she was sure. “It was his choice to do this, and we helped him get here. We… we should keep helping him.”

She looked to Alexis nervously, then to Iris, and Lysander, and Magnus. What were they going to do? Part ways after this? It was obvious that she was on her own in the choice of standing with the Forever King. Maybe it’s not a good idea, but I’m sticking with it. This is my choice, just like he made his… even if… Tears stung her eyes – particularly her sounded one – but he choked them back with another cough. This fighting couldn’t continue. Right or wrong, her directive was clear. The bell child felt sick, her stomach churning. Maybe it was from all the fighting, getting the wind knocked out of her, maybe it was her body telling her that she was wrong and should be with the majority on this one – no, she couldn’t deviate now.

[Akito]

Alexis trembled. Not from his wounds, Lysander has seen to it that he could at least stand without being an utter mess of a man; however, their words made him waver. Lysander was firm but kind, Janus preached but was always reliable, preciously naïve Akane and Iris…Iris was…Their words made his resolution of thousands of years shake.

…When did he become so weak? He had done so many unforgivable things before without hesitation; so why now did his legs feel like they might give up under him? Why did his eyes dampen? And worst of all, why did he want so bad to run into her arms and forget everything? Even Akane’s endearing fealty gave him room to pause, made him doubt…

Alexis’ arm lowered ever so slightly as he looked, hard, at the people he had made the mistake of getting to know. He should’ve kept them at an arm’s length, he shouldn’t have let his guard down. Alexis had survived for ever so long by this creed, without any real companionship. “You’re right. The logic of your words is hard to dismiss,” Alexis said softly and, for a moment, he looked almost hopeful.

“But I am past the point of reason,”

Too bad. It was because he had done so many unforgivable things that he had to do this last unforgivable act, a hypocrisy though it may be. His eyes hardened once again, dry now and cold. His lips thinned and his brow furrowed. Standing before them was not the Alexis they knew; it was the Hero King Alexis Fon Sariah, former monarch of more worlds than there were people in a whole city.

Lysander, stern and rough, perhaps, but when he thought nobody was looking, Alexis knew he, more than anyone, valued the worth of real friendship Alexis had never wanted to betray this person’s hard-earned trust. A pity all dreams must die. Magus, or rather Janus, was wise and cautions, just like a King ought be. His real identity did not come as much of a surprise; Alexis had long had his suspicions. The man had the bearings of a vicious King; Alexis thought he of all people would’ve understood why Alexis had to do this.

Unfortunately, Alexis had not expected the others to have accepted his decision with an easy smile; they were such good people. How could they betray the justice they had fought so hard for? How could they let Alexis ruin everything they had worked towards? No, Alexis knew they would not; he knew it would come to this. Just as he knew Akane, out of all of them, would follow him blindly. It was as he had planned, Alexis knew she would not be able to raise a sword against him. He had exploited her affections for him far too much.

He could laugh naturally with them. Alexis knew it well himself, but he simply did not deserve to be happy; out of everyone in the universe, there was none who was as undeserving as he. Evil men sinned because that was their nature; it had never been his and that is what made his transgressions all the more heinous This is why he sold his heart and auctioned his soul to the abyss, so that he might have a chance. Just a chance to...start over.

“I wanted to love you,” Alexis voice lacked any compassion it might’ve once given to Iris. If he was a warm breeze back then, elegant and calm, he was ice now; apathetic and unreachable. “I won’t ask any of you to forgive me,” This time, he spoke to all those gathered to stop him. They would have been better off never having known him. Though his legs threatened to buckle, Akane was quick to his side, supporting him up from under his left arm.

“This is goodbye,” An absolutely massive blast of blue energy, certain destruction, encompassing most of the room escaped from the magic circle Alexis held in front of him and sped towards Lysander, Janus and Iris before they and their beaten bodies could act. Here was where everything will end...and where everything will begin anew.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

What awaits me in the dark abyss of my heart

I already know

It is everything not you

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Let us retrace our steps, back from this terrible future to the days we hoped would go on forever....

(OOC: And cut. Good work, people. I'll start the thread where everything started as soon as I decide on where would be an appropriate meeting place.)