INBOX for purgastory

[aerodynamic]

HELLO

"Yo. Is this thing on?"

GOODBYE

TEXT | VIDEO | VOICE | ACTION

Comments

[lucentia]

[this is a lot to take in.]

I... see. It sounds almost as though you were placed into some sort of play.

Though of course, as you likely understand by now, I personally have been here this entire time.

[aerodynamic]

We each had our own roles in everything so that's not a bad analogy, I guess. I know now that you were here, but it wasn't even just you. There were a lot of you there with us, and to us it all felt so natural. That's why it was hard to figure it out after we got back.

... doesn't help that our entire expedition party either got split up, killed, or split up then killed.

[lucentia]

Mm, I did hear other names that you allegedly saw. [...] Including the four of you, or...?

[in terms of. getting killed.]

[aerodynamic]

[ he shakes his head. ]

We set out to stay alive to reach the summit, and we did. Even if we did it alone. [ and maybe the survivor's guilt is hanging on. ] None of us remember dying so you can guess how much waking up freaked us out.

[lucentia]

[...]

I'm sorry. Whether it was real or not, I can't imagine having to carry the burden of being the last ones alive.

[aerodynamic]

[ mm... ]

When we didn't remember who we were and were convinced we belonged to that life, I think we all knew the risks. Nobody comes back from the expeditions alive. But it didn't make watching it any easier... not to mention the visions from the god or whatever it might've been.

Seeing everyone here alive and in one piece helped. But it's still... an adjustment, I guess.

[lucentia]

Visions from the god...?

[he blinks.]

... Indeed. If anything, it would be alarming if you had already recovered from such an experience, and I would immediately assume that you were faking it.

[aerodynamic]

Yeah, pretty sure. And they were visions about you guys who split from us, so it's not like we could tell if they were real or not at the time. We had to assume the general idea was the same.

[ that everybody was super dead. ]

It got a little hard to focus back in the morgue with everyone saying they've been here and that nothing happened, but my head's more clear now. I can only hope it's the same for the others. But knowing this can happen... it's not great.

[lucentia]

[frowns.]

You said there was no warning for it, correct?

[aerodynamic]

Right. One minute I was out walking somewhere else and the next I was a puppet in a village who'd been there for my whole life. There was, like, zero buffer.

[lucentia]

So we cannot even prepare for it, it seems.

[at least, not to the extent that he'd like.]

Still, at least we know now.

[aerodynamic]

I'd say we could start walking around armed, but that didn't even help. I always have my knives on me and they were missing when we got there. And we can't prepare mentally either if this place can screw with our memories.

[ so yeah. it's difficult... ]

But you're right. At least we know, and it's more than we knew before. I'll take it as a sign.

[lucentia]

[a sigh, as he runs a hand through his hair.]

A sign, huh... Well, in these circumstances, it's true that perhaps we ought to see a change in events as better than nothing happening at all.

[aerodynamic]

Yeah... usually it's no news is good news, but I don't think that's the case here. I just hope whatever changes we see are ones we can all manage.

[lucentia]

Indeed. Though... I would like to think we are a resilient group, from what I've seen.

[aerodynamic]

Nobody's completely fallen apart so far. I wanna think that counts for something, but that probably has more to do with the fact people are pretty supportive of each other, too. It's easier to keep moving when you have people behind you.

[lucentia]

[a nod]

It is foolish to think that one can do everything with solely their own power. [lucien's tone is still mostly calm, but there is a certain degree of energy because he loves power of friendship.] With allies, you gain their strength as well.

[aerodynamic]

[ oh? gently unlocks this in him... ]

Definitely. [ he visibly perks up at this because bonds are important to him and he always likes when people agree. ] I know sometimes it might feel like it's better to do it alone, but we can't. So we just have to remind each other there's strength in numbers. Kinda helps that we're all going through the same thing, doesn't it?

[lucentia]

Having a common goal helps, yes. Even though we may not know what we're here for [yet], we are united by a desire for answers and to seek a way out of this place—and to endure until we do.

[aerodynamic]

I guess the good thing is I can't think of anything major that would actually divide all of us by this point. Even if what we're here for is different, it's still something we want bad enough to say yes. That's the motivation we need for ourselves and each other.

[ he scritches the cat behind the ears as it flops over in his lap again. ]

... that's what we heard at the summit, too. About endurance. So I have to believe that's something we're being tested on.

[lucentia]

[hmmmm.]

So you think this place is deliberately seeing how much we can withstand?

[aerodynamic]

"The truth waits for those with the ability to endure. You have lasted long. How much longer can you go?" That's what we heard, and don't you think it kinda sounds like what we're doing here?

[lucentia]

... Yes, you're right. Though to what end, I wonder. Are we meant to endure for the sake of enduring, or are we to prove something?

[aerodynamic]

This feels a little drastic to endure for the sake of enduring. [ they nearly died and for what. ] So then the question is... what're we trying to prove?

[lucentia]

That we're worthy of the truth, perhaps? However, I'm not sure what that entails.