24th moon [It is a 4th, and it is a wall]

[vibrafinal]

[Today, on the roof of house 9, there is a Cecil. A Cecil that is quite possibly staring at you, wondering where you came from, and pondering whether to invite you in for lunch. Bother?]

Comments

[rising_drive]

They find out what they can in the midst of the conflict...

[paladinlost]

And do they share their findings?

[rising_drive]

I don't know. It's not easily done, since much was often forgotten with each new cycle.

[paladinlost]

Our memories were tempered with? Why?

[rising_drive]

The revival process somehow robbed us of memories.

[paladinlost]

It was that world's death penalty, then.

[rising_drive]

'Death penalty?' What do you mean?

[paladinlost]

People who die in this world are brought back, but at a price. It can be powers, memories, senses... Anything the Malnosso feel is appropriate.

[rising_drive]

That sounds truly horrible, and I hope you've not had to suffer it often. We only lost memories, but as you can imagine that takes its toll after a while.

[paladinlost]

I've been blessed. It's not happened to me yet.

[By Kain himself, and many others...]

What happens when people have no memories left?

[rising_drive]

Ah. It sounds like a terrible burden to bear, anyway for those who must...

Those who lose all memories make the ultimate warriors for Chaos and Cosmos, with no recollection of home... knowing nothing but the constant battle. But most of us had at least regained some memories.

[paladinlost]

That is no way to live. How could you keep fighting, knowing that you might lose those few recollections at any time?

[rising_drive]

That was why we sought an eventual true end to the cycles.

[paladinlost]

You've found it, I hope.

[rising_drive]

We did... it was a difficult road to get there, but we found a means to the end.

[He doesn't quite look him in the eye, not exactly wanting to go into detail about the whole "traitor" thing.]

[paladinlost]

I'm glad. You deserve much better than an endless war.

[rising_drive]

Likewise. I'm glad you also escaped it... eventually.

[paladinlost]

...Eventually. Better late than never, I suppose.

[rising_drive]

Yes, even if it took some time. Many cycles had already gone past by the time of the one I remember.

[paladinlost]

...Who knows how long we were caught in them...

[rising_drive]

I dread to consider it. Those of us with more memories were there the longest, is all I can determine.

[paladinlost]

That'd make it hard to tell who arrived first, unless everyone shared all they knew.

[rising_drive]

Even worse, defeat in battle meant that memories were purged as part of the revival process... I suspect I had been through many cycles, yet even now I still only recall the latest, with any clarity.

...Golbez remembered far more about the cycles. Chaos had the upper hand for a while, it would seem.

[paladinlost]

How long it's had the upper hand matters not. It must inevitasbly lose in the end.

[rising_drive]

...and it did, or so I was told.