[ He had. Right in Clive's arms, while his older brother wailed and begged him to open his eyes. So forgive him for - not wailing now - but crying so obviously. For holding his brother's head tightly like if he lets go maybe Joshua will fade away like an Akashic.
His inhale is rough and he reaches his other hand up to wipe away his tears hastily so they stop freezing to his cheeks and lashes. Then steps back just a bit to undo his cloak. Joshua is not dressed for this weather and ... and he doesn't know if the Phoenix's fire had healed everything.
So that cape goes around Joshua, clasped tight, to keep the worst of the wind out. And up goes the hood too. ]
[ Wh-- Clive you aren't dressed for this weather. Joshua starts, almost moving to halt his brother's hands in the process of fixing the cloak to him, but he holds off because there's... there's really no stopping Clive, especially not when he's overcome by emotion like this. ]
I'm fine, Clive, really. [ Somehow. ] You've been out here longer than I, and surely your clothes are soaked and freezing--?
[ But they need to get to the inn regardless, or both of them will freeze. Joshua summons a ball of fire to act as their lantern, but even it threatens to gutter out. They'll need to be quick. ]
[ Joshua he is your shield and he has, somehow, perfected the puppy eye look. You cannot stop him. The cold biting into him is nothing compared to the idea of his brother's illness getting worse. ]
I'm fine. I'll be better once we begin to move.
[ Standing still is dangerous, it leeches the will to move, makes the body tired. Lulls it to simply lay down, close his eyes, sleep. Thank the Founder Joshua is there, it lets him focus. ]
Come. Quickly. Don't stop.
[ He grips his brother's hand with his own and begins to pull him in the direction of the Inn. The winds have calmed and the cold isn't as biting, but the Weather is still bad. Also: ]
Do you have an amulet in the shape of a snowflake around your neck?
[ He knows. He knows, and he can't do anything about it. So, with a sigh, Joshua follows his brother's lead. Whatever gets Clive in out of the cold sooner. If the ball of flame hangs closer to Clive, he's just imagining things, clearly.
But he'd forgotten about the amulet in the rush to aid Clive. As Clive mentions it, he lifts his hand to where it lays beneath his shirt. It still hangs heavy around his neck. The voice that sounded so much like his own, and the cold seeping into his bones, had also been forgotten in the flurry of activity forced by adrenaline, but now that it's over...
No. He can't. The lights of the town are ahead through the snow, and they have to make it. ]
[ He thought so. Origins final curse on them? Or, considering the circumstances, this lands curse? He won't respond again, pushing through the thick snow with as much haste as he can, hauling his brother after him. Joshua is far more susceptible to the call of it, and he needs to get his brother into the warmth of the Inn... without bodily throwing him over his shoulder.
Thankfully neither of them were too far out, and the lights of buildings bloom suddenly through the snow when they stumble into the Grove proper. Clive instantly bee-lines towards the Inn, forcing the door open with one hand to let Joshua step in. The Inn's fire is blazing away, offering a warmth that seeps in instantly despite the clutching cold. ]
Toss the amulet into the fire.
[ Before he rips the damn thing from Joshua's neck. Angry, protective brother. ]
[ By the time they've made it to the inn doors, Joshua is tightly clutching the cloak around his shoulders. Nothing he seems to do can cut through the bitter cold, and every footstep is a struggle. But no matter how much the voices - his voice - call for a sacrifice, he has to keep going. For Clive.
The ball of flame lasts until they reach the doors, where it fully gutters out and disappears. But even in the inn's warm embrace, he can't get warm. The heat may be melting the snow in his hair, but the cold in his body won't abate.
Clive tells him to burn the amulet, and he lifts his hand to grasp it out of his shirt, but his fingers feel so numb that it takes a couple of attempts. Prying it off is a whole other matter, and he has to yank hard to break it away.
He tosses it in the fire, and it fizzles and spits. But the more it burns away, the more the cold seeps from his bones. ]
[ There. He would have done it for Joshua, but he didn't know if the curse would be lifted that way. He works to pull the gloves off his brother's hands, shedding his own after, to begin briskly rubbing them between his to warm them. And move to sit Joshua down into a chair he kicks towards the fire, his brows furrowed as he frets and works to get the last of that cursed chill out of him.
But he pauses as his eyes lift to land on the spot on Joshua's chest where the wound was, his hand coming up to lightly shift aside some cloth to look. It's not there, Ultima ripped from him, and on top of that it's healed. As he had thought but seeing the spot up close whisks away the last of his tension and his shoulders slump a little with a heavy sigh.
Now he can tease, relief flowing over him like water. ]
[ Normally, Joshua would balk at being coddled so, but it's his brother, and he's also so cold that he really has no energy to do it anyway. He allows Clive to maneuver him, sitting in the chair and closing his eyes as he tries to will the warmth to settle into his bones faster.
He barely even notices Clive inspecting his chest for the numbness that the cold has brought and the near burning warmth of his skin attempting to regulate. It's only as the cloth is moved that he opens his eyes, looking down. There is indeed a mark there, but it's nothing like the blatant blue that had been there before. Perhaps the Phoenix had healed it... He really doesn't know the extent of the damage, other than it felt as though he'd been pulled apart from the inside.
Clive's comment makes him huff out a soft laugh, and he tips his head back, eyes locking on the ceiling. ]
No rest indeed. Though, I daresay we've earned a little regardless.
[ His tone brooks no arguments. There's too many unknowns in Clives mind to do anything but rest and plot their next move, shifting his brother's hands over more towards the fire to let the magic heat from it flow into him. Standing he moves to remove the cloak too, hanging it up so more heat can reach Joshua, then summons his fire. Just to test, the flame flickering in his hand before he quenches it. Still dampened. ]
We're not in Valisthea.
[ The only place he can think of is the lands beyond the oceans, but Ultima said they were blighted beyond repair... ]
[ More warmth is good. The longer he sits before the fire, the more he feels as though he can move. Soon enough, he doesn't even need Clive's help in angling himself, and the warmer he gets, the more he sinks into his chair.
Not in Valisthea... What happened to them? ]
I wondered as much. I don't know of anywhere this plagued by frost, outside of the northern lands.
[ And while Clive doesn't sit, he does stand by the fire as much as Joshua, arms folding over his chest as he ponders the flames. ]
It doesn't match anything from Father's stories.
[ The small Grove does seem very... tribalistic, yes, but there's something else to it as well. The Beastman he met. The large man running the Shop that called himself Heimr.
And Magic is still working, so either he failed - brother, forgive him - or something is quickening their abilities beyond the lands lifeblood. His head bows, his brow vee'ing down aggressively as he frowns. ]
[ Not that he's had a good look at it yet, not with the snow whipping around in the wind out there, but he'll take Clive's word for it. He brings his hands closer to him, rubbing them together slowly as if spreading the warmth around.
No, unless it's severely isolated village. Father spoke of mountains and a lack of trees. We're surrounded by a forest, from what I hear tell and what I have experienced.
[ The question makes his expression soften and he turns to look at Joshua again. The hands rubbing together makes him cast about. There was a blanket... ah. Here. Snagging the blanket he had been given when he first arrived up, he moves to wrap it around his brother.
When he replies, his voice is just as soft. ]
I don't know. I have been told our souls have been called to a world that claims it is the origin of the birth of them, but... I cannot-
[ Believe that. Not after all they've experienced and everything told of them. ]
[ Valisthea only has a small handful of places that one could consider a forest, and if Clive isn't familiar with it from what he's seen, then it's an odd situation indeed. Doubly so once Clive relays what he's learned. Joshua furrows his brow, taking the blanket and pulling it tightly around him. ]
I can't say that I understand... But once I've warmed myself and this snow storm dies down, I would like to do some research. There must be answers somewhere.
[ That gets both a fond sigh out of him and a soft huff of a laugh. ]
I figured you would say as much. You're going to be waiting a while. It seems this Winter is not keen on letting up until we offer it a sacrifice.
[ The distaste in Clives voice is obvious, as he moves to sit himself on the floor by the fire, curling one leg under and the other up so he can rest his arm on it. ]
Yet we know those Wraiths can be fought, and their death eases the hold, so I say let their death be the sacrifice they wish to see.
Hah, and I figured you would say that as well. Like I would do it without you. Together, brother.
[ He smiles and gently shifts to hold his fist out towards Joshua. It may be a different world, but it looks like it has it's own set of problems that need fixing. And who better to help than them? ]
[ They are indeed bonafide world-fixers. Or, well on the way to it, at any rate. He still doesn't know if they've succeeded in their world, but Clive alone has done enough good that it has to count for something.
He reaches out to meet Clive's fist with his own, bumping their knuckles together gently. ]
On that note, I'll be surprised if you haven't started without me. I don't know how long you've been here, but I feel like you dropped everything to go fight those wraiths the moment you learned of them.
[ There's a twinkle in his eye as he says it, teasing. Clive have you rested? ]
[ He's trying not to think of it. His body should be at it's limits, should be turning to stone under the weight of him casting that magic. He shouldn't even have magic left, according to what he knows of his deed.
But here he is. The blessing, the Eikons, Ultima still within him.
The fist bump makes him smile and he gently drops his fist after, then somehow manages to look awkward. ]
Ah. Actually. I have arrived but today. I have gone out several times already. To. Look for you.
[ He absolutely has not rested. He waited for his armor to dry, then stomped his way back out into the woods. ]
I have my theories, but that is all they are. I am not you or Harpocrates.
[ He says it with a smile, a little tease. He understands theorycrafting and the deeper thinking needed for research is not for him, but he's heard enough from others. ]
If this is our world, something has gone horribly wrong with the spell that was cast. [ That he cast, his fingers lifting up to call Phoenix's flame to it. The blessing only. ] I should not be able to do this, brother. Ultima's power was overwhelming, I was... fading. [ Petrifying. ]
I'll still take your theories into account. It's an excellent place to start, and I trust your judgment.
[ Anything is better than what he has now, a net zero of information.
What Clive tells him makes his brow furrow again, though. Clive was... dying? And what Clive told him earlier, once the wraiths had been dealt with... Are they being pulled from the brink of death? Is that it? ]
... you'll have to tell me all that happened after the last I can recall. Every detail.
[ He curls his fingers and clenches the flame, snuffing it, before sighing and turning his head away to look at the fire. He doesn't want to, but his brother asked. And he can't deny him anything. ]
The way Clive's hands come together, the way his fingers fold and clench at one another, should be enough to warn Joshua. Just say it, Clive. Just say it so you can both grieve properly and move on, because Joshua is alive and that's all that matters. ]
It... was fatal. Ultima ripping his 'brother' from you. With your last bit of strength, you gave me the Phoenix.
[ While Clive begged and sobbed and asked him not to, to stay with him, to not leave him. Because though the Phoenix's fire raged through him, he was cold and alone and Joshua was limp in his arms. ]
It was the strength I needed to defeat him, however. And at the end, as he lay dying, I- I took his powers. I healed your body, but you remained- [ No. ] Using the Phoenix after Ultima's powers flowed into me, however, showed me it was too much. So I used my strength, every ounce of it, to cast a Wish. No magic. No crystals. To let people live on their own two feet, to walk into the future on their own terms. That's... that's the last I recall.
[ The brilliant all engulfing white. The pain, the fire. ]
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sticksandbones2025-01-03 12:00 pm
no subject
His inhale is rough and he reaches his other hand up to wipe away his tears hastily so they stop freezing to his cheeks and lashes. Then steps back just a bit to undo his cloak. Joshua is not dressed for this weather and ... and he doesn't know if the Phoenix's fire had healed everything.
So that cape goes around Joshua, clasped tight, to keep the worst of the wind out. And up goes the hood too. ]
Come, there's an Inn nearby. Can you walk?
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I'm fine, Clive, really. [ Somehow. ] You've been out here longer than I, and surely your clothes are soaked and freezing--?
[ But they need to get to the inn regardless, or both of them will freeze. Joshua summons a ball of fire to act as their lantern, but even it threatens to gutter out. They'll need to be quick. ]
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I'm fine. I'll be better once we begin to move.
[ Standing still is dangerous, it leeches the will to move, makes the body tired. Lulls it to simply lay down, close his eyes, sleep. Thank the Founder Joshua is there, it lets him focus. ]
Come. Quickly. Don't stop.
[ He grips his brother's hand with his own and begins to pull him in the direction of the Inn. The winds have calmed and the cold isn't as biting, but the Weather is still bad. Also: ]
Do you have an amulet in the shape of a snowflake around your neck?
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But he'd forgotten about the amulet in the rush to aid Clive. As Clive mentions it, he lifts his hand to where it lays beneath his shirt. It still hangs heavy around his neck. The voice that sounded so much like his own, and the cold seeping into his bones, had also been forgotten in the flurry of activity forced by adrenaline, but now that it's over...
No. He can't. The lights of the town are ahead through the snow, and they have to make it. ]
Yes. But I'll be fine. We have to go.
[ For Clive's sake. ]
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Thankfully neither of them were too far out, and the lights of buildings bloom suddenly through the snow when they stumble into the Grove proper. Clive instantly bee-lines towards the Inn, forcing the door open with one hand to let Joshua step in. The Inn's fire is blazing away, offering a warmth that seeps in instantly despite the clutching cold. ]
Toss the amulet into the fire.
[ Before he rips the damn thing from Joshua's neck. Angry, protective brother. ]
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The ball of flame lasts until they reach the doors, where it fully gutters out and disappears. But even in the inn's warm embrace, he can't get warm. The heat may be melting the snow in his hair, but the cold in his body won't abate.
Clive tells him to burn the amulet, and he lifts his hand to grasp it out of his shirt, but his fingers feel so numb that it takes a couple of attempts. Prying it off is a whole other matter, and he has to yank hard to break it away.
He tosses it in the fire, and it fizzles and spits. But the more it burns away, the more the cold seeps from his bones. ]
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But he pauses as his eyes lift to land on the spot on Joshua's chest where the wound was, his hand coming up to lightly shift aside some cloth to look. It's not there, Ultima ripped from him, and on top of that it's healed. As he had thought but seeing the spot up close whisks away the last of his tension and his shoulders slump a little with a heavy sigh.
Now he can tease, relief flowing over him like water. ]
No rest for the wicked.
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He barely even notices Clive inspecting his chest for the numbness that the cold has brought and the near burning warmth of his skin attempting to regulate. It's only as the cloth is moved that he opens his eyes, looking down. There is indeed a mark there, but it's nothing like the blatant blue that had been there before. Perhaps the Phoenix had healed it... He really doesn't know the extent of the damage, other than it felt as though he'd been pulled apart from the inside.
Clive's comment makes him huff out a soft laugh, and he tips his head back, eyes locking on the ceiling. ]
No rest indeed. Though, I daresay we've earned a little regardless.
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[ His tone brooks no arguments. There's too many unknowns in Clives mind to do anything but rest and plot their next move, shifting his brother's hands over more towards the fire to let the magic heat from it flow into him. Standing he moves to remove the cloak too, hanging it up so more heat can reach Joshua, then summons his fire. Just to test, the flame flickering in his hand before he quenches it. Still dampened. ]
We're not in Valisthea.
[ The only place he can think of is the lands beyond the oceans, but Ultima said they were blighted beyond repair... ]
no subject
Not in Valisthea... What happened to them? ]
I wondered as much. I don't know of anywhere this plagued by frost, outside of the northern lands.
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It doesn't match anything from Father's stories.
[ The small Grove does seem very... tribalistic, yes, but there's something else to it as well. The Beastman he met. The large man running the Shop that called himself Heimr.
And Magic is still working, so either he failed - brother, forgive him - or something is quickening their abilities beyond the lands lifeblood. His head bows, his brow vee'ing down aggressively as he frowns. ]
no subject
[ Not that he's had a good look at it yet, not with the snow whipping around in the wind out there, but he'll take Clive's word for it. He brings his hands closer to him, rubbing them together slowly as if spreading the warmth around.
And then, softer: ]
What do you think is happening, Clive?
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[ The question makes his expression soften and he turns to look at Joshua again. The hands rubbing together makes him cast about. There was a blanket... ah. Here. Snagging the blanket he had been given when he first arrived up, he moves to wrap it around his brother.
When he replies, his voice is just as soft. ]
I don't know. I have been told our souls have been called to a world that claims it is the origin of the birth of them, but... I cannot-
[ Believe that. Not after all they've experienced and everything told of them. ]
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[ Valisthea only has a small handful of places that one could consider a forest, and if Clive isn't familiar with it from what he's seen, then it's an odd situation indeed. Doubly so once Clive relays what he's learned. Joshua furrows his brow, taking the blanket and pulling it tightly around him. ]
I can't say that I understand... But once I've warmed myself and this snow storm dies down, I would like to do some research. There must be answers somewhere.
no subject
I figured you would say as much. You're going to be waiting a while. It seems this Winter is not keen on letting up until we offer it a sacrifice.
[ The distaste in Clives voice is obvious, as he moves to sit himself on the floor by the fire, curling one leg under and the other up so he can rest his arm on it. ]
Yet we know those Wraiths can be fought, and their death eases the hold, so I say let their death be the sacrifice they wish to see.
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If only we knew how many we need to defeat... But I have a feeling you're willing to defeat as many as it takes.
[ Which means, he'll be going as well. He turns, tossing a smile at his brother. ]
So we'll do it together.
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[ He smiles and gently shifts to hold his fist out towards Joshua. It may be a different world, but it looks like it has it's own set of problems that need fixing. And who better to help than them? ]
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He reaches out to meet Clive's fist with his own, bumping their knuckles together gently. ]
On that note, I'll be surprised if you haven't started without me. I don't know how long you've been here, but I feel like you dropped everything to go fight those wraiths the moment you learned of them.
[ There's a twinkle in his eye as he says it, teasing. Clive have you rested? ]
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But here he is. The blessing, the Eikons, Ultima still within him.
The fist bump makes him smile and he gently drops his fist after, then somehow manages to look awkward. ]
Ah. Actually. I have arrived but today. I have gone out several times already. To. Look for you.
[ He absolutely has not rested. He waited for his armor to dry, then stomped his way back out into the woods. ]
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Then, you're lucky I was brought here as well, wherever this is.
[ Clive could have gone out there and frozen to death. Or worse, with whatever those wraiths had planned. ]
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[ He says it with a smile, a little tease. He understands theorycrafting and the deeper thinking needed for research is not for him, but he's heard enough from others. ]
If this is our world, something has gone horribly wrong with the spell that was cast. [ That he cast, his fingers lifting up to call Phoenix's flame to it. The blessing only. ] I should not be able to do this, brother. Ultima's power was overwhelming, I was... fading. [ Petrifying. ]
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[ Anything is better than what he has now, a net zero of information.
What Clive tells him makes his brow furrow again, though. Clive was... dying? And what Clive told him earlier, once the wraiths had been dealt with... Are they being pulled from the brink of death? Is that it? ]
... you'll have to tell me all that happened after the last I can recall. Every detail.
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What do you last recall?
[ Give him a place to start. ]
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The last I can remember, Ultima was being torn from my body. After that, everything went dark, and then I woke up here.
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The way Clive's hands come together, the way his fingers fold and clench at one another, should be enough to warn Joshua. Just say it, Clive. Just say it so you can both grieve properly and move on, because Joshua is alive and that's all that matters. ]
It... was fatal. Ultima ripping his 'brother' from you. With your last bit of strength, you gave me the Phoenix.
[ While Clive begged and sobbed and asked him not to, to stay with him, to not leave him. Because though the Phoenix's fire raged through him, he was cold and alone and Joshua was limp in his arms. ]
It was the strength I needed to defeat him, however. And at the end, as he lay dying, I- I took his powers. I healed your body, but you remained- [ No. ] Using the Phoenix after Ultima's powers flowed into me, however, showed me it was too much. So I used my strength, every ounce of it, to cast a Wish. No magic. No crystals. To let people live on their own two feet, to walk into the future on their own terms. That's... that's the last I recall.
[ The brilliant all engulfing white. The pain, the fire. ]
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