TO: EVERYONE [mid-event #20]

[aquaveiled]

[ This message is sent for all Summoned to see about a week after the dreams and Heralds made their presence known. ]

Hello everyone. I know we're all dealing with a lot right now, but I thought this was worth the surprise eyeball-script.

The Heralds of War likely need no introduction at this point, but some of us still remember when they first arrived a few years ago after a poorly performed ritual in Solvunn. During that time, I'd managed to make contact with Koth and have tried to maintain some communication.

[ Not necessarily advised--Himeka did this of her own accord and curiosity. Those who are aware of her tree-form may have noticed that some of the limbs have been wilting and rotting the more time she's spent reaching out to Koth. But that's neither here nor there. ]

She's not always easy to understand, but when we spoke when they first appeared, one word came through:

"Mission"

For years my friends and I have been wondering what this meant. Now that she's back, I sought clarity. Or...I guess confirmation.

I understand her more easily these days so I reached out to her earlier today and she did confirm that this is that mission. What's happening right now in all of our communities. I'm not sure if war itself is inevitable...but she seems to believe that what she's doing will help there to be peace afterwards.

I know many here have seen war in their own lives and on their own stars before this place. If you'd like to share your stories, I would welcome them. I don't think peace is ever as simple as we want it to be, but as for if this is the only path forward...

I'm rambling a bit. This may not be a grand revelation, but I thought it important to share that what is happening now may have been building for the last few years and mayhaps some time before that as well. Only now, we may have a part to play.

Please take care,

水


[ ooc; This is Himeka's interpretation! So it may not be 100% accurate. Based on the mod response here. ]

Comments

[aquaveiled]

I agree with that. Destruction in and of itself isn't a bad thing, it's how it's applied. It's a difficult nuance sometimes... I know I struggled with it initially. Life would be much easier to understand if it were black and white. But even if it gets messy sometimes, it's much better with color.

No, it isn't very straightforward. It's a lot of suffering...

The fact that this has happened so soon after we got to see ourselves as gods makes me wonder if they might have felt we would be better prepared for the cause?

[ushiri]

What did you war god show you?

[ Was the sword drenched in blood, as it was for him? ]

Maybe that was their intention. But that future feels like a curse too.

[ He didn't feel like a god. He felt like a demon. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Yes, that...Himeka isn't exactly someone who hides her past, but she also just doesn't. Talk about a lot of things unless it's relevant in the moment. It's hard not to answer a direct question, though. ]

A very...well-used sword.

[ She was under no illusion that he was simply touting his own accomplishments. She felt the reflection. ]

It was a lot, wasn't it? Though...I don't believe those events have to happen.

[ushiri]

It was the same for me.

[ So, she's not alone in being forced to see the sum total. However that even matters. ]

I don't either. But the future is like a riddle. You might try to avoid one path, only to find yourself following all the steps.

[ That's what he's always understood from how Rousma explained it. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Ah...Kyle doesn't seem like the kind of person who would wear that burden lightly. So she has to ask-- ]

How are you feeling?

[ There is some solidarity even in dark tidings.

He has a point--thinking on the number of times she's found herself falling into the same patterns and themes that she was trying to avoid. A past she couldn't remember that she was feeling beholden to. Himeka has since come to terms with that, for the most part. ]

Mayhaps. I've never been great at riddles, myself.

But I've been fortunate to know some of the most amazing people who are put up against the greatest odds time and time again and come out triumphant. Not without sacrifice. But still, on the other side.

[ushiri]

I'm alright.

[ He's quick to dismiss concern. He wasn't shown anything he didn't already know about himself and his crimes. ]

Everything has a price. But I trust many of us here.

[ He couldn't say that two years ago. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ Trusting people can be difficult. Himeka's been made aware that she does it too easily, that in and of itself has caused problems. Kyle has been here for a long while as well. ]

We've all been through a lot together, haven't we?

[ She has always been a large supporter of solidarity amongst the Summoned. ]

As long as we keep working with one another, I think we can figure this one out too. They Summoned us for a reason, but I want to believe we can choose what to do with our time here.

We had a saying,

"For those we have lost. For those we can yet save."

[ushiri]

I want to believe that too.

[ That there is some choice to the lives they live here. That he can be the one to make better choices, in this timeline. ]

I'll keep those words with me.

Thank you.

[aquaveiled]

If you believe it, then you can make it happen.

Of course. And if there's aught I can do, now or later, I'm here.