Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

"No, I have been in this form since time immemorable. The only thing I know about this reality is a being of twilight born of two gods, leaving nothing but crimson and broken hearts in their wake." He says, beginning to step through the rift more completely. "The Queen's counterpart in the linked reality reportedly erased them, but their transgressions live on in The Archives and the silence of the ghost towns they created."

The third eye seems to fixate itself on the skyward gaze.
"I don't seek conflict. I don't believe either of us do."

 

"Hm...so it was him." Shadow Stephanie says, thinking.

The guards - especially Shadow Stephanie's - stand more defensively as Virei'tus steps through the rift. "We've been trying to mend the conflict in your reality's universes, one specifically, since we first discovered it. Our reality has no ill will towards yours."

 

“I’m afraid the Queen is less forgiving than I am.” The Silver King says, once again stopping his advance. “I hoped to ask what we had done to provoke the attack, and perhaps find something to edge her away from a declaration of war. I don’t intend to trespass, should my presence continue to be unwanted.”

 

"What attack?" Shadow Stephanie asks, confused.

 

“I cannot show you directly. If she chooses to allow my presence, I will show her. Perhaps she will then show you.” The Silver King says, looking up to the moon.

 

"Whom?" Shadow Stephanie asks.

The moon shines little in the dark night, the large red eye beside it looking down upon the realm. It doesn't seem to move, blink or show any kind of emotion; it simply stares.

 

The Silver King looks back down towards Shadow Stephanie.
“To quote the child, ‘Those who are not afraid will kneel to mother, and those who do not bend will be cut down in her tribute. In the name of Tenebrae and Lux, bow to your true gods.’ Thus, I am left to assume the one I can show the vision to is one named Tenebrae or Lux. I cannot show a vision of an erased to anyone but the creators of the erased.”

 

"The best I can do is pray to Tenebrae to see if she will speak with you, though I can't say if she will." Shadow Stephanie explains.

 

The Silver King nods, keeping quiet and still.

 

Shadow Stephanie stands around awkwardly for a moment.

"I...meant tomorrow." Shadow Stephanie says.

 

He nods.
“I didn’t expect now. Something came up at a rather inopportune time, however. Pardon the awkward pause.”
He backs up through the rift, what looks to be a draconian Xlentia in gaudily ornate jewelry tapping her scepter impatiently visible behind him.

She speaks in the draconic tongue, however;
“Silver... order... avoid rift... hurt.”
“Curious... source... gods... question...”
“War... late... prepare...”

 

The guards seem even more on edge, though Shadow Stephanie simply heads back inside; seeming tired.

A rogue dark faerie slips through the rift, trying to sneak in on what's happening on the other side.

 

She can’t understand much, and she quickly gets caught by a nearby guard.
“Queen... caught spy.”
“Release... soon... waste...” Xlentia? barks.
“Why... war...” Silver interjects.
“Murder... revenge...”
“Queen... child... tired... calm.”
“...late.” She growls, leaving the library.

The faerie is let go, though dozens of eyes stare directly at her.

 

The faerie seems terrified, quickly darting back through the rift and out of sight.

The shadow palace guards stay vigilant during the night, seeming to be a little greater in numbers than usual. Nobody else attempts to go through the rift, however.

 

A draconian guard steps through only to leave a note, before hastily retreating out of sight.

The note has a time written on it and the word “return,” but only that.

 

A guard cautiously heads over to the note and reads the time written on it.

 

It's written for 10:00 the next day.
There's a bit more writing on the back, though it's not in common tongue. The words similar to Dacori read:

"Silver... arrive... one hour... suspicion"

 

The guard reports back to his group, who take the news to Shadow Stephanie the next morning.

At 10 o'clock the next day, the guards stand ready once more, leading Shadow Stephanie out to the position she was in when she first spoke to Silver. Few forest guardians stay in the gardens this time, and guards at the beginning of the road to the palace block entry - guards in the palace keeping people from leaving.

 

The Silver King is visible idly flipping through a large book, and as the clock strikes 10 he glances through the rift before leaning over.
"I assume I did not leave you enough time to contact your god?" He asks, in a slightly hushed tone. "I do not know how many more distractions for the Queen I can prepare."

 

"I have contacted her, but I have received little response." Shadow Stephanie says, almost sounding apologetic, "Tenebrae is not a god for me to command. If anything, the opposite is true."