Touch of the Night
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 7:55 pm
The room was small, perhaps the size of his cell in the dungeon of Yamiyo. Like that cell, there was a door that would presumably lead to where he needed to go. Unlike the cell, there was actual reason to look at the walls around him; an ever shifting, seething mass of differing shades of gray. A few times he could have sworn that he had seen something else in there, but he put it down to hallucinations. A soft light from nowhere illuminated the chamber and the only other item of interest. The door. It looked out of place from the rest of the room simple because of the intricate amount of detail put into it. It was a wooden door, looked to be of oak, and heavily carved. It hung on a pair of silver hinges with a matching doorknob...and the entire construct crawled with symbols that alternated from a deep blue to a dark violet and back again.
He paused before the door, attempting to fix a single rune and decipher what it was. After a minute of attempting he gave up. There were too many sigils and none of them were any of the Wave Signs that he was familiar with. Now...the next question was, what did he do? He wasn't terribly comfortable trying to open the door with his hands, but he had no other option did he? After all, he was here, might as well do what was obvious expected and needed. Steeling himself, his right hand grasped the knob and twisted.
Magic flooded up into his arm, spreading across his body and covering him with the very same runes that were on the door. It flowed into his rope, into his skin, a sheen of white that he hadn't noticed before in-between the symbols. Suddenly he was awash with warmth, with welcome and recognition that beckoned him farther inside of this strange place that he had been taken to. Then, just as suddenly as the magic had gone into his body, it was gone...and the door clicked open.
Well, more like hurled open. It didn't seem to want to stay in his hand after he had released it from the lock, jumping to a wide open position. Takua stared through the open doorway at the room beyond...and knew that he had to be dreaming. The next room was a circle a hundred feet in diameter carved out of a mixture between ice and marble...and strewn with strange black boulders that writhed even within their solid state. It was as if they were constantly trying to escape the boundaries that they had been forced into, to no avail. The rest of the room though was beautiful, and he found himself stepping inside before he quite realized what he was doing.
Then the door behind him vanished completely without a trace, as if it had never been, and it was just another wall. Rushing back, his fingers pried along the rock and ice without finding any purchase. Swearing lightly to himself, he kicked the wall and glared at it. Suddenly, a voice spoke from just a few feet behind him, sarcasm heavily coloring it. “As if that's going to do anything.”
The man froze, unable to believe the voice that he was hearing. The last time that he had heard that voice, had heard anything to do with the woman that it belonged it, the dream had been complete and utter bullshit of the kind that got politicians crucified by the media. So now, as he turned slowly around to confirm that it really did belong to who he thought it did, he did so with a bit of a disbelieving and judgmental glance.
There in front of him stood Gwyneth in all of her green-eyed splendor, looking at him with a bit of a grin. She bowed, black hair sweeping down in front of her, and then straightened back up. Now the smile played for a few moments before Takua managed to get his throat to work, and his own brand of sarcasm whipped out. “Oh no, I hear that kicking a wall is good for your health. Even better if you're bashing your head into it.”
At least he got a chuckle out of that, but he was feeling too sore and too emotionally run over to try and care about this miracle. Hell, this could be another dream from the recesses of his mind, probably was, and she still didn't exist. Not that it should matter, their relationship was twisted anyways...especially now that he knew what she was and why he had been able to see her, interact with her. Ugh, he needed to work that out in his head. However, the mirth was gone from her face and so, for the moment, he put those thoughts on hold as she started to talk.
“Although I come to you in this form, I am not in fact Gwyneth. I am your Guide to this part of the Realm. You may call this the World of Clarity if you so wish, and you can call me that as well, for we are one and the same. I am the best representation of this Realm though, and so until there is another image or person who is a better fit, you'll have to deal with me for the time being.”
Takua blinked for a few seconds, trying to fit any of that into what he knew and drawing an absolute blank. Sighing with the frustration of trying to figure out something that couldn't be solved, he walked forward a little bit and examined this 'Guide' more closely. Annoyingly, all he could find was that she, or it, was a perfect replica of a former alternate personality that was now quite dead. Which wasn't doing anything good to his head. Muttering something pithy about the irony of that statement, he stared at Gwyneth straight in the eyes before finally responding.
“Okay, I give. What is the Realm, and does World of Clarity mean anything beyond just the simple name?”
Everything in the room seemed to tense, as if awaiting something that was about to happen, and the boy looked around quickly. So, he still had his weapons with him, did he? Excellent. Drawing one of them, apparently the Ocean's Rod from the looks of it, he held it calmly in one hand, ready for use. Gwyneth, or the thing that had assumed her form, didn't even flinch or look at the staff, speaking carefully and precisely. “The Realm is what you see around you and the rooms beyond, under the Domain of Bestow Vision and Grip of the Illusionist. Those are not my domains, and I may not travel there. As of this time, I may not tell you what the names mean, other than that there is deeper meaning to them. I should caution you though, all black objects within The Realm, such as the one that is to your right, are representations of your Schizophrenia. Unless you're feeling really stupid or masochistic, or stupidly masochistic, I'd advise not touching them.”
The Wavemaster flinched back even as he noted the odd switch in speaking pattern from the woman. What was up with that? She went from formal and professional to informal and sarcastic at the press of a button. Alright then...sounded like someone else that he knew. Still...a manifestation of his Schizophrenia? Then where the hell were they other than in the Realm? Inside of his head?
A sudden giggle escaped him as he thought of that. He was inside of a hospital room playing a game, and now he was God only knew where in Yamiyo with his mind traveling what felt like a field inside of his head. Yeah, okay, so this was just slightly insane right now, assuming he was right. Which was...well, just about right in the end now wasn't it? After all, he was a Schizophrenic, so it would make sense for him to be fucked up in the head.
But this wasn't quite the fucked up that he had envisioned when he had realized what was going on. He knew that quite a bit of what he saw and heard in the real world was hallucinatory in nature, and he was trying to keep going on what was probable instead of what wasn't, although if he was walking around in Yamiyo, those characters might really have just decided to murder him. He hadn't expected though that the rest of his mind would have broken so easily. While he was insane with the technical definition of the term, he didn't think he was truly insane just yet. Or rather, he hadn't gone crazy, which was the real problem.
Finally speaking again, he met her eyes easily before he started walking around the 'room' and looking at what was near him. “So. The names of all of these...parts of The Realm — nice and unimaginative name by the way, who came up with that one? — are obviously standing in for something. Something that I should be getting at a guess. Bestow Vision sounds like an ability of some sort, and Grip of the Illusionist sounds like either another one or a...an item of some kind. Maybe something different. But if this is just a fucked up field inside of my head, it doesn't exactly make sense that I'd be taking an item or power out of here. What gives?” Irritation at his inability to understand something that he had supposedly devised flared up. God, he would even go so far as to say that he would prefer an asskicking from Kira instead of having to figure out what was going on inside his own head.
But that was pathetic. It was exactly that which he needed to figure out, and he was running from it. The merest fact that he had such a mental field, that he had apparently accessed by accident, meant that it was more important than he realized. How had it been created, what were it's limits, what did it mean that he had one, what was its purpose...how did he use this? If he was really here, if this wasn't just complete bullshit and more delusions, what was the function of this...Realm, and how did he harness that in order to survive? Would there even be a point to trying to use this at all? After all, this was just a mental construction, it wasn't very likely that he could really use this to his advantage if it was all...well, imaginary.
Which was why he was listening to his Guide so intently when she started to speak. The being with the shape of Gwyneth didn't look too terribly happy with him right now either. “Well, maybe if you hadn't been a dumbshit and gotten your eyes blown away by Tritoch, we wouldn't be having this conversation now would we? And we wouldn't have to throw you back out there with an incomplete version of your powers. As it is, the source of all of this, Twilight, seems to be making due with a pitiful imitation of what it was meant to be. What can you do here? You can learn to use what abilities you have locked away in your depths here. That is the point of this place. Of course, you can also try and just discover them without any help, but they won't ever be at maximum effectiveness that way.”
Something seemed to pick him up, dragging him back toward the room that he had entered by. He was kind of aggravated right now, and it showed as he struggled against the invisible something that was taking him away. “Okay, real helpful here. So, I come here to train my powers then? Why am I being dragged out of here right now then?”
“Because there is no need for you to be here. Go, now, and wake. We await your return.” Then he was through the doorway that had opened up behind him, back in that first room, and the world faded away into black...
...and didn't come back when the rest of his senses seemed to emerge from some sort of sleep. At least he was warm, and still clothed from the feel of it, but what was under him wasn't exactly soft. He sniffed...and nearly recoiled at the strong, pungent odor of ozone. All of his hair was tingling, as though he was a vast reservoir of static electricity, or...something. The only thing that came through his ears was the mutters of a single person, to himself no less. His entire body ached, but there was only a little pain in his face...exactly what had happened? The last thing that he remembered was...Tritoch? After seconds seconds of waiting for something else to happen, he decided to risk talking to the person. “Hello? Who's there?”
That got the voice's attention, although not quite in the way that the Wavemaster had expected. Instantly, he felt something cold and metallic start moving across his face, along his chin, up a cheek, across one eye, and then...wait, what? It was gone, right as it went across his eyebrows. “Can you feel this?” He twitched, hard, suppressing the instant urge to fight and paranoia that came with it. “Yes.”
“Interesting. What about now?”
There was a complete absence of sensation, and for several seconds Takua thought that he was just preparing to touch him. When he realized that he'd already started, he felt a little stupid. “No. Where is this place?”
"The Bazaar, my lab. Don't worry, you're safe. Relatively. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with you." Interesting voice that he had. Kind of quiet, maybe a bit of a squeak? Mousey? Eh, fuck it, he didn't know how to describe it.
“"Oh...I see. Thank you. Would you prefer I stay quiet or talk while you work?"
"Just try not to move too much."
Takua didn't...quite know what to do. Obviously, he was being worked on to be healed, but his paranoia insisted that this was something else. Maybe an exam to probe his data for other things, or changing his data to malevolent ends. Or perhaps this was just to earn his trust so that he could betray it later. So many things...and so many questions to see if he could feel in parts of his face or not. Finally, several minutes later, the person on the other end of the...whatever was pressing against his skin sighed. "A lot of damage here. Half of your face will need to be replaced. Also, due to the nature of this injury, I don't think I'll be able to save or replace your eyes."
Which was when he could see again. For a brief second at least...which realy didn't end up helping matters at all. He was pretty sure that he was gaping, because he was, somehow, looking at himself from a different perspective...although, he had to admit. There was a really funny looking array of dots surrounding part of his face. The part that he couldn't feel, he realized in the brief second that he could see for. And then the darkness returned.
“Gu...wha? Uh...not to sound insane, but you say that you can't save my eyes...how come I could just see myself?"
He might have expected some kind of response from that. Instead, there was the instantly reply of...well, a bunch of clicking and shuffling of papers. Another brief shot of vision, of a computer screen with charts and graphs on it. Then the voice came back. "Interesting. Very interesting. it would appear that your vision is... changing." Takua felt his stomach turning with dread. Not what he wanted to hear right now. Instantly the voices chimed in, muttering or screaming about what it could possibly be, why he was doomed, what he had unknowingly done.
“"Uhh...that sounds bad. What do you mean by that?"
"I don't quite know." Even more shuffling. Good lord, what exactly was he looking through. Printouts of data? Then another shot of him, from far farther away. "It would appear your data is reaching out to others. Your eyes no longer exist, so it's finding a new pair, and using them. It has trouble getting through my data, though. What you're seeing is what I see. Fascinating. I can replace your face such that you'll have feeling again, but you will have to let your eyes heal on their own. Such as they will."
Takua hesitated. What was it about being careful about what you bought and what you paid with in Yamiyo? Was he making a deal with the devil just to be able to see again or be able to fight? Well...fuck, how had he gotten here anyhow? “Thank you. What would be...wonderful. How do you want me to repay you?"
There was a long pause. Instantly, the Wavemaster felt his guts twist. How bad was this going to be? "Ordinarily I would charge heavily. However, you have been paid for in advance, mostly. I only ask that I can study you in the future, as your abilities develop. This is new to me."
He breathed a sigh of relief. And then tensed right back up again. Paying him back was one thing, letting someone in Yamiyo study an ability that was meant to be used against the Elites and their lackeys. Not that he had a choice in the matter though...still, it was filling his guts in knots. "Sounds just fine by me. So this is Twilight's doing then...?"
"So it would seem."
There were a few, sudden prods to his face...and then a flicker, one that showed a giant scalpel moving in toward his face. Okay, that was not cool to see. He felt himself freeze up, his voice going distant, an attempt to get away from the imminent betrayal. “On the other hand, is there any way that you can make it so that I can't feel that?"
"You won't."
And somehow, he...didn't. Just a warm tingling, and then it was like he had had a washcloth over his face, the same temperature as his skin, and it was being peeled away. Was that...actually his skin? Okay, definitely a good thing he couldn't see, or else he'd be freaking out right around now. Hard core. “...that's handy, thank you." Of course, that was right when a sharp pain hit hi-
Paranoia blossomed large as he jerked awake, only to stop instantly and stare. Well, if that were possible with closed eyes. His face was pretty sore, but he could feel everything on it...and he could see! Well, more or less. His vision was stable, and looking at him. Someone else was in the view though, a man in a lab coat who...was he...?...yeah, not looking at him at the moment. Damn, he looked like a person who could run a tough deal. Hopefully he...hadn't. “That was...abrupt. Hello again. Who is the other person in the room?"
The doctor turned and looked at Takua's body, and then over at the person he was seeing from, then back to the body. Could he not decide who to talk to? Oh, that was at least somewhat amusing. Hey...would everyone do that? Ugh, that could be awkward. "One of my assistants. I was testing a theory. It looks like your vision has no troubles now linking with the nearest unshielded player. Myself, being shielded, won't work." That was when his vision shifted down...and the Wavemaster's head spun. He was looking down at a pair of breasts and a feminine body, not his own gender by any means. Ow, that hurt his head. Well, nothing like...uh, 'walking a mile in someone else's shoes' eh? "Free." The view shot back up, focusing on the doctor for a moment, and then back to Takua. So, someone hadn't been able to keep focused huh? A new thought struck him. How was he going to walk like this?
“...wow, that's a new experience I never thought I'd have. Looks like I'll have trouble walking for a while. Anything else that you discovered while I was out?"
"Only that you're stable now. It will suck, and will be disorienting, but it's not going to change frequently."
Well that was good. So, at the very least, he wouldn't spontaneously die because destroyed data. The next problem would be learning how to walk all over again. Just what he needed in life. "Well, I suppose that works for me. Am I free to go? I'd have to borrow your assistant at least until I get outside...oh, and can I have your name? I do need to come back here every now and again, neh?"
"Doctor Jaque Derbul. I'll send you a flashmail if I need you to come in. And yes, you're free to go, the door there leads to the street." There was a small gesture, and the assistant turned, looking at the doorway, but he could still see himself. Well then, that was handy. Takua sat up, gripping the edge of the table, and then stood up. Whoa. Balance...wasn't quite the same as it used to be, but he could see himself standing upright at the edge of where he'd been operated on. Figuring out the angle to the door, he started to walk there, feeling the balance shifting because he wasn't able to right. Well, it was mostly trying to figure out angles. Then a thought struck him, and he felt stupid. He deserved a thank you, didn't he? Didn't want to give the guy a bad impression and have him decide to take a petty revenge somewhere, right? He turned, slowly, making sure that he was orientated the right way before bowing. "Thank you for everything."
"Unnecessary. Just try not to do that again."
Takua laughed. "Yeah, I'll try not to make a habit of it." It wasn't a good idea to get perpetually put into other people's debts, now was it? He shook his head wryly, turned again with a little more confidence, and walked out the door. Well...more or less. He nearly hit the damn door on his way out, and then there was a whole other world out there. Thousands of viewpoints that shifted and spun, coming in and out of his range.
He paused before the door, attempting to fix a single rune and decipher what it was. After a minute of attempting he gave up. There were too many sigils and none of them were any of the Wave Signs that he was familiar with. Now...the next question was, what did he do? He wasn't terribly comfortable trying to open the door with his hands, but he had no other option did he? After all, he was here, might as well do what was obvious expected and needed. Steeling himself, his right hand grasped the knob and twisted.
Magic flooded up into his arm, spreading across his body and covering him with the very same runes that were on the door. It flowed into his rope, into his skin, a sheen of white that he hadn't noticed before in-between the symbols. Suddenly he was awash with warmth, with welcome and recognition that beckoned him farther inside of this strange place that he had been taken to. Then, just as suddenly as the magic had gone into his body, it was gone...and the door clicked open.
Well, more like hurled open. It didn't seem to want to stay in his hand after he had released it from the lock, jumping to a wide open position. Takua stared through the open doorway at the room beyond...and knew that he had to be dreaming. The next room was a circle a hundred feet in diameter carved out of a mixture between ice and marble...and strewn with strange black boulders that writhed even within their solid state. It was as if they were constantly trying to escape the boundaries that they had been forced into, to no avail. The rest of the room though was beautiful, and he found himself stepping inside before he quite realized what he was doing.
Then the door behind him vanished completely without a trace, as if it had never been, and it was just another wall. Rushing back, his fingers pried along the rock and ice without finding any purchase. Swearing lightly to himself, he kicked the wall and glared at it. Suddenly, a voice spoke from just a few feet behind him, sarcasm heavily coloring it. “As if that's going to do anything.”
The man froze, unable to believe the voice that he was hearing. The last time that he had heard that voice, had heard anything to do with the woman that it belonged it, the dream had been complete and utter bullshit of the kind that got politicians crucified by the media. So now, as he turned slowly around to confirm that it really did belong to who he thought it did, he did so with a bit of a disbelieving and judgmental glance.
There in front of him stood Gwyneth in all of her green-eyed splendor, looking at him with a bit of a grin. She bowed, black hair sweeping down in front of her, and then straightened back up. Now the smile played for a few moments before Takua managed to get his throat to work, and his own brand of sarcasm whipped out. “Oh no, I hear that kicking a wall is good for your health. Even better if you're bashing your head into it.”
At least he got a chuckle out of that, but he was feeling too sore and too emotionally run over to try and care about this miracle. Hell, this could be another dream from the recesses of his mind, probably was, and she still didn't exist. Not that it should matter, their relationship was twisted anyways...especially now that he knew what she was and why he had been able to see her, interact with her. Ugh, he needed to work that out in his head. However, the mirth was gone from her face and so, for the moment, he put those thoughts on hold as she started to talk.
“Although I come to you in this form, I am not in fact Gwyneth. I am your Guide to this part of the Realm. You may call this the World of Clarity if you so wish, and you can call me that as well, for we are one and the same. I am the best representation of this Realm though, and so until there is another image or person who is a better fit, you'll have to deal with me for the time being.”
Takua blinked for a few seconds, trying to fit any of that into what he knew and drawing an absolute blank. Sighing with the frustration of trying to figure out something that couldn't be solved, he walked forward a little bit and examined this 'Guide' more closely. Annoyingly, all he could find was that she, or it, was a perfect replica of a former alternate personality that was now quite dead. Which wasn't doing anything good to his head. Muttering something pithy about the irony of that statement, he stared at Gwyneth straight in the eyes before finally responding.
“Okay, I give. What is the Realm, and does World of Clarity mean anything beyond just the simple name?”
Everything in the room seemed to tense, as if awaiting something that was about to happen, and the boy looked around quickly. So, he still had his weapons with him, did he? Excellent. Drawing one of them, apparently the Ocean's Rod from the looks of it, he held it calmly in one hand, ready for use. Gwyneth, or the thing that had assumed her form, didn't even flinch or look at the staff, speaking carefully and precisely. “The Realm is what you see around you and the rooms beyond, under the Domain of Bestow Vision and Grip of the Illusionist. Those are not my domains, and I may not travel there. As of this time, I may not tell you what the names mean, other than that there is deeper meaning to them. I should caution you though, all black objects within The Realm, such as the one that is to your right, are representations of your Schizophrenia. Unless you're feeling really stupid or masochistic, or stupidly masochistic, I'd advise not touching them.”
The Wavemaster flinched back even as he noted the odd switch in speaking pattern from the woman. What was up with that? She went from formal and professional to informal and sarcastic at the press of a button. Alright then...sounded like someone else that he knew. Still...a manifestation of his Schizophrenia? Then where the hell were they other than in the Realm? Inside of his head?
A sudden giggle escaped him as he thought of that. He was inside of a hospital room playing a game, and now he was God only knew where in Yamiyo with his mind traveling what felt like a field inside of his head. Yeah, okay, so this was just slightly insane right now, assuming he was right. Which was...well, just about right in the end now wasn't it? After all, he was a Schizophrenic, so it would make sense for him to be fucked up in the head.
But this wasn't quite the fucked up that he had envisioned when he had realized what was going on. He knew that quite a bit of what he saw and heard in the real world was hallucinatory in nature, and he was trying to keep going on what was probable instead of what wasn't, although if he was walking around in Yamiyo, those characters might really have just decided to murder him. He hadn't expected though that the rest of his mind would have broken so easily. While he was insane with the technical definition of the term, he didn't think he was truly insane just yet. Or rather, he hadn't gone crazy, which was the real problem.
Finally speaking again, he met her eyes easily before he started walking around the 'room' and looking at what was near him. “So. The names of all of these...parts of The Realm — nice and unimaginative name by the way, who came up with that one? — are obviously standing in for something. Something that I should be getting at a guess. Bestow Vision sounds like an ability of some sort, and Grip of the Illusionist sounds like either another one or a...an item of some kind. Maybe something different. But if this is just a fucked up field inside of my head, it doesn't exactly make sense that I'd be taking an item or power out of here. What gives?” Irritation at his inability to understand something that he had supposedly devised flared up. God, he would even go so far as to say that he would prefer an asskicking from Kira instead of having to figure out what was going on inside his own head.
But that was pathetic. It was exactly that which he needed to figure out, and he was running from it. The merest fact that he had such a mental field, that he had apparently accessed by accident, meant that it was more important than he realized. How had it been created, what were it's limits, what did it mean that he had one, what was its purpose...how did he use this? If he was really here, if this wasn't just complete bullshit and more delusions, what was the function of this...Realm, and how did he harness that in order to survive? Would there even be a point to trying to use this at all? After all, this was just a mental construction, it wasn't very likely that he could really use this to his advantage if it was all...well, imaginary.
Which was why he was listening to his Guide so intently when she started to speak. The being with the shape of Gwyneth didn't look too terribly happy with him right now either. “Well, maybe if you hadn't been a dumbshit and gotten your eyes blown away by Tritoch, we wouldn't be having this conversation now would we? And we wouldn't have to throw you back out there with an incomplete version of your powers. As it is, the source of all of this, Twilight, seems to be making due with a pitiful imitation of what it was meant to be. What can you do here? You can learn to use what abilities you have locked away in your depths here. That is the point of this place. Of course, you can also try and just discover them without any help, but they won't ever be at maximum effectiveness that way.”
Something seemed to pick him up, dragging him back toward the room that he had entered by. He was kind of aggravated right now, and it showed as he struggled against the invisible something that was taking him away. “Okay, real helpful here. So, I come here to train my powers then? Why am I being dragged out of here right now then?”
“Because there is no need for you to be here. Go, now, and wake. We await your return.” Then he was through the doorway that had opened up behind him, back in that first room, and the world faded away into black...
...and didn't come back when the rest of his senses seemed to emerge from some sort of sleep. At least he was warm, and still clothed from the feel of it, but what was under him wasn't exactly soft. He sniffed...and nearly recoiled at the strong, pungent odor of ozone. All of his hair was tingling, as though he was a vast reservoir of static electricity, or...something. The only thing that came through his ears was the mutters of a single person, to himself no less. His entire body ached, but there was only a little pain in his face...exactly what had happened? The last thing that he remembered was...Tritoch? After seconds seconds of waiting for something else to happen, he decided to risk talking to the person. “Hello? Who's there?”
That got the voice's attention, although not quite in the way that the Wavemaster had expected. Instantly, he felt something cold and metallic start moving across his face, along his chin, up a cheek, across one eye, and then...wait, what? It was gone, right as it went across his eyebrows. “Can you feel this?” He twitched, hard, suppressing the instant urge to fight and paranoia that came with it. “Yes.”
“Interesting. What about now?”
There was a complete absence of sensation, and for several seconds Takua thought that he was just preparing to touch him. When he realized that he'd already started, he felt a little stupid. “No. Where is this place?”
"The Bazaar, my lab. Don't worry, you're safe. Relatively. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with you." Interesting voice that he had. Kind of quiet, maybe a bit of a squeak? Mousey? Eh, fuck it, he didn't know how to describe it.
“"Oh...I see. Thank you. Would you prefer I stay quiet or talk while you work?"
"Just try not to move too much."
Takua didn't...quite know what to do. Obviously, he was being worked on to be healed, but his paranoia insisted that this was something else. Maybe an exam to probe his data for other things, or changing his data to malevolent ends. Or perhaps this was just to earn his trust so that he could betray it later. So many things...and so many questions to see if he could feel in parts of his face or not. Finally, several minutes later, the person on the other end of the...whatever was pressing against his skin sighed. "A lot of damage here. Half of your face will need to be replaced. Also, due to the nature of this injury, I don't think I'll be able to save or replace your eyes."
Which was when he could see again. For a brief second at least...which realy didn't end up helping matters at all. He was pretty sure that he was gaping, because he was, somehow, looking at himself from a different perspective...although, he had to admit. There was a really funny looking array of dots surrounding part of his face. The part that he couldn't feel, he realized in the brief second that he could see for. And then the darkness returned.
“Gu...wha? Uh...not to sound insane, but you say that you can't save my eyes...how come I could just see myself?"
He might have expected some kind of response from that. Instead, there was the instantly reply of...well, a bunch of clicking and shuffling of papers. Another brief shot of vision, of a computer screen with charts and graphs on it. Then the voice came back. "Interesting. Very interesting. it would appear that your vision is... changing." Takua felt his stomach turning with dread. Not what he wanted to hear right now. Instantly the voices chimed in, muttering or screaming about what it could possibly be, why he was doomed, what he had unknowingly done.
“"Uhh...that sounds bad. What do you mean by that?"
"I don't quite know." Even more shuffling. Good lord, what exactly was he looking through. Printouts of data? Then another shot of him, from far farther away. "It would appear your data is reaching out to others. Your eyes no longer exist, so it's finding a new pair, and using them. It has trouble getting through my data, though. What you're seeing is what I see. Fascinating. I can replace your face such that you'll have feeling again, but you will have to let your eyes heal on their own. Such as they will."
Takua hesitated. What was it about being careful about what you bought and what you paid with in Yamiyo? Was he making a deal with the devil just to be able to see again or be able to fight? Well...fuck, how had he gotten here anyhow? “Thank you. What would be...wonderful. How do you want me to repay you?"
There was a long pause. Instantly, the Wavemaster felt his guts twist. How bad was this going to be? "Ordinarily I would charge heavily. However, you have been paid for in advance, mostly. I only ask that I can study you in the future, as your abilities develop. This is new to me."
He breathed a sigh of relief. And then tensed right back up again. Paying him back was one thing, letting someone in Yamiyo study an ability that was meant to be used against the Elites and their lackeys. Not that he had a choice in the matter though...still, it was filling his guts in knots. "Sounds just fine by me. So this is Twilight's doing then...?"
"So it would seem."
There were a few, sudden prods to his face...and then a flicker, one that showed a giant scalpel moving in toward his face. Okay, that was not cool to see. He felt himself freeze up, his voice going distant, an attempt to get away from the imminent betrayal. “On the other hand, is there any way that you can make it so that I can't feel that?"
"You won't."
And somehow, he...didn't. Just a warm tingling, and then it was like he had had a washcloth over his face, the same temperature as his skin, and it was being peeled away. Was that...actually his skin? Okay, definitely a good thing he couldn't see, or else he'd be freaking out right around now. Hard core. “...that's handy, thank you." Of course, that was right when a sharp pain hit hi-
Paranoia blossomed large as he jerked awake, only to stop instantly and stare. Well, if that were possible with closed eyes. His face was pretty sore, but he could feel everything on it...and he could see! Well, more or less. His vision was stable, and looking at him. Someone else was in the view though, a man in a lab coat who...was he...?...yeah, not looking at him at the moment. Damn, he looked like a person who could run a tough deal. Hopefully he...hadn't. “That was...abrupt. Hello again. Who is the other person in the room?"
The doctor turned and looked at Takua's body, and then over at the person he was seeing from, then back to the body. Could he not decide who to talk to? Oh, that was at least somewhat amusing. Hey...would everyone do that? Ugh, that could be awkward. "One of my assistants. I was testing a theory. It looks like your vision has no troubles now linking with the nearest unshielded player. Myself, being shielded, won't work." That was when his vision shifted down...and the Wavemaster's head spun. He was looking down at a pair of breasts and a feminine body, not his own gender by any means. Ow, that hurt his head. Well, nothing like...uh, 'walking a mile in someone else's shoes' eh? "Free." The view shot back up, focusing on the doctor for a moment, and then back to Takua. So, someone hadn't been able to keep focused huh? A new thought struck him. How was he going to walk like this?
“...wow, that's a new experience I never thought I'd have. Looks like I'll have trouble walking for a while. Anything else that you discovered while I was out?"
"Only that you're stable now. It will suck, and will be disorienting, but it's not going to change frequently."
Well that was good. So, at the very least, he wouldn't spontaneously die because destroyed data. The next problem would be learning how to walk all over again. Just what he needed in life. "Well, I suppose that works for me. Am I free to go? I'd have to borrow your assistant at least until I get outside...oh, and can I have your name? I do need to come back here every now and again, neh?"
"Doctor Jaque Derbul. I'll send you a flashmail if I need you to come in. And yes, you're free to go, the door there leads to the street." There was a small gesture, and the assistant turned, looking at the doorway, but he could still see himself. Well then, that was handy. Takua sat up, gripping the edge of the table, and then stood up. Whoa. Balance...wasn't quite the same as it used to be, but he could see himself standing upright at the edge of where he'd been operated on. Figuring out the angle to the door, he started to walk there, feeling the balance shifting because he wasn't able to right. Well, it was mostly trying to figure out angles. Then a thought struck him, and he felt stupid. He deserved a thank you, didn't he? Didn't want to give the guy a bad impression and have him decide to take a petty revenge somewhere, right? He turned, slowly, making sure that he was orientated the right way before bowing. "Thank you for everything."
"Unnecessary. Just try not to do that again."
Takua laughed. "Yeah, I'll try not to make a habit of it." It wasn't a good idea to get perpetually put into other people's debts, now was it? He shook his head wryly, turned again with a little more confidence, and walked out the door. Well...more or less. He nearly hit the damn door on his way out, and then there was a whole other world out there. Thousands of viewpoints that shifted and spun, coming in and out of his range.