Are There Nightmares on Mars? | Shinzu

No jump scare would frighten Shinzu, nor would any monster leap at him. The arena-esque area would be empty, save for the twenty-foot tall form of Irilys, and his attendants. The owl did not move, but he locked his great eyes on Shinzu.

“Shinzu,” he would say. His voice would boom, the acoustics of the arena acting like a natural loudspeaker system. “No doubt you have determined that this is a dream. But it is not one without meaning. Come forward, and I shall show you.”

When Shinzu approached, or even if he stood still, the ground would shake gently as a square platform raised from the ground, sand spilling off it. It was larger than several stages put together, perfectly flat, made of marble, and projecting a foot from the sandy ground.

“Step on the stage, and we may both learn something this day.”

If he did so, when he stepped on the platform, a show would appear. Extremely realistic depictions of a familiar scene, though obviously an illusion, or a hologram. It would depict Cadence, Soak, Stoke, and Geno, in their little community center, talking and laughing around a fire, cooking something in a pot while others fiddled around the camp, preparing food or fixing things. Suddenly, a look of panic from them all. Hunters would emerge from behind a building, and gun everyone down. Shinzu saw a realistic scene; the children, bleeding and riddled with bullets. Cadence, doing her best to protect them, but ending up just like them. Geno would be taking down with a single shot to the chest. The screams, the cries, the shots; they were all unnervingly real. Any attempt to physically move in and stop the scene would fail, as he would phase through any person or building he touched.

Once everyone was dead, the scene would freeze.

“Hunters will find them,” Irilys would say. “They cannot be safe forever. Tell me, Shinzu; what do you feel is the best course of action to prevent this?”

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334

M U S I C
xxx

T A G
Shinzu

N O T E S
Open-ended, of course

The Owl regarded Shinzu’s replies with silence and an unmoving, unblinking stare. He sat this way for many moments, before the scene faded entirely.

“Answers in due time, Shinzu,” he would say. “For now, we observe. Warn.”

At the last word, another scene rose up on the display. This time, an image of Shinzu was warning all of them, to good effect. They left the scene entirely. The buildings of Dagos flattened against the platform, and a new scene rose before them. This place was unfamiliar; it seemed to be in the mountains, near a large river. The walls and structure of the place were reminiscent of an old relocation camp, but it was distinctly transformed; the walls were covered in stone, dirt, and vines. Fire magi lit lamps. Water magi moved water from the river into a basin within the walls. People were dancing and singing.

There were familiar faces, too, but different. The same four; Cadence, the kids, and Geno, but they all seemed older by a few years. The peace, however, would not last. Day faded quickly to night, and a large detachment of hunters would approach, streaming down the mountains. They’d pass the walls quickly, and despite magi resistance, it would be another brutal massacre.

“Temporary, but ultimately fruitless,” the Owl would say. The scene would flatten. “Reform.”

This time, scenes would raise and flash before them, covering years in the span of a minute. They focused on Shinzu; there were images of him talking, to hunters and magi, to spending nights up researching things, to praying for guidance from Irilys, and seeking to curb the overly violent ways of hunters. He would argue with officers, and face distrust from his peers. The scenes slowed down to focus on Shinzu walking with a group of hunters in the woods. River walked next to him, and they seem to be engaged in communication. It would not last long, however. A pair of hunters behind them would raise their guns and shoot each of them in the back of the head, then again when they fell to the ground. The scene froze.

“Followers are few. You alone cannot change their ways from within. They are devoted.”

The Owl would silently consider any number of replies from Shinzu. His response would only be simply thus:
“Do you truly wish to protect the Magi, Shinzu?”

The deep, short tone indicated he was looking for a simple answer from the man. Whether or not he would give one was up to him.

W O R D S
420 (Ahuhuhu~)

M U S I C
xxx

T A G
Shinzu

N O T E S
Open-ended, of course

As before, Irilys was silent when Shinzu spoke, reasoned, and explained. It was only when Shinzu said that he wished to protect them, the golems would stand still with their arms to their sides, and the great Owl would turn his head 180 degrees, to face directly away from Shinzu. Rather than the platform displaying scenes, the entire arena around them made a great grinding noise as the walls sank into the sand, kicking up dust and bits of stone. Nothing dangerous, and the structure did not crumble, but the dust it kicked up made it impossible to see.

The only sound that could be heard over the grinding of stone was a deep, guttural laugh. It started almost birdlike, before becoming a deep, hearty chuckle. Shinzu would not be able to see past the dust, but he could feel more vibrations in the ground, and perhaps see rising shadows around him in the shapes of trees. The laugh rose higher in pitch, slowly, until it became a distinctly feminine laugh.

It would be a full minute before the dust cleared, revealing forest instead of structure, grass and brush instead of sand. Irilys’s head was still turned away from Shinzu. A small black and white owl was perched atop one of the golems. The laughter continued, echoing throughout the forest with no other sounds to mute it.

The laughing head of Irilys turned slowly, but rather than an owl-like face as before, it was a humanoid one, with a predatory smile that he would recognize all too well.

Kalidas.

Suddenly, the owl body would burst into a dazzling rain of feathers, revealing Kalidas’s entire body, muscular and fair, adorned with pelts and bones. She took a casual posture, leaning in the throne with her knee up, her laugh finally tapering off into a dark smile.

“Oh, Shinzu!” She would say. “I’ve kept my eye on you, you know. Did you forget the oath you swore upon dedicating yourself to my service? My dear Shinzu, your lips simply drip with betrayal! My devoted are misguided? My, my, my…”
She laughed once more and stood, her gigantic form towering stories above Shinzu.

“You wish to help the Magi. You wish you dismantle everything my guild is, everything I represent. Quaint, but in vain. You cannot stand against a goddess.” She held one arm above her head, and a silver bow, began to materialize in her hand. “You wish to associate with my prey? To help them? Perhaps you want to be one. You have ten seconds; I suggest you start running.”

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Shinzu

N O T E S
Oh deary me.

His almost taunting call back towards Kalidas was met with a silver arrow slamming into a tree next to him, splintering wood and causing cracks to wind up along the length of the trunk, as if it was ice over a lake. And just like ice, the tree shattered behind Shinzu in chunks. Her laugh echoed from every direction once more.

“One of my own?”

Another arrow whizzed over Shinzu’s head and slammed into a tree directly ahead of him, this time causing an explosion of wood that would leave him unharmed, but not unhurt, likely pelted by bark shrapnel. If at any point he would look back, he would see the shining form of Kalidas, sometimes in branches above, other times next to trees. It seemed he couldn’t put any extra distance between them. Her voice would come as if she was whispering just over his shoulder.

“You are not one of my own,” she said. “You show mercy to magi and hunt my devoted. You are nothing but prey.”

The hunt would continue on like this, and so long as Shinzu kept going, her shots would continue to narrowly avoid him, but come closer each time, until he could feel the displaced air caressing his skin. He would have to push himself until he felt his lungs burning and body giving way. Only then would he come to a forked path; one to the grand structure of the University, and the other would transition to a familiar alleyway in Dagos, with several familiar figures of children and air magi instantly recognizable to the man. However, that path was devoid of cover, a hundred yards between the treeline and the city entrance. The university was much closer, and in fact, the brush was thicker, too. In any case, Shinzu would have to make a choice, as the trees directly ahead of him were thick enough to form a natural wall that forced him along either path.

Either way, he would hear Her echoing laughter once more. “I will say this, Shinzu; you are better at being exciting prey than you ever were at being a hunter!”

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357

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T A G
Shinzu

N O T E S
As you know, open-ended. Doin' fine so far, sorry for the railroadiness

Ah, clever boy, as always! Nevyne laughed to herself as her owl guise flew overhead, watching the scene below. Oh! Towards the university? How interesting~ It seems he’s figured something out. No wonder he’s so close to the Owl. A shame, too; that stuffy old bird should learn to share his followers. This man is too interesting for Him!

On his way to the university, he would notice a distinct lack of arrows flying in his direction. In fact, the university was much closer than it looked; he was already at the front entrance before he knew it.

“Hiding, Shinzu?” Kalidas called. “Very well. We’ll resume this in the waking realm. Until then, it’s time for new prey.” She laughed again, and for a moment after it faded, Shinzu had a brief reprieve. Silence. Peace. A break.

It was all shattered with a cry that seemed to come from within his own head. A child’s cry? One of pain, of suffering. Another one, screeching in his ear. Then another scream from a soft, smooth voice. And then the death call of a dying old man. It would seem Kalidas moved on to other nearby prey.

Then, in his own voice, he would hear a whisper. “Oh, tough luck for the Magi. Guess you can’t help them all, huh? Better to save yourself anyway, that’s what I always say!” He would hear himself giggle in his own ear. “Shinzu, don’t be coy. You’re a clever fellow; why wouldn’t they be here? They’re close to you in their own way, are they not? But if you really wish for more answers, step into the university, and your professors will guide you from there. You trust them, don’t you?”

And his voice was gone from his ear, leaving any questions or replies to be answered with silence. If Shinzu would indeed step into the grand entrance of the university, he would see the familiar faces of the professors and headmaster, standing in a semi-circle, watching him. In the center of them sat a table, and upon it, an ornate pen, a jar of ink, a ceremonial, curved dagger, and a single piece of paper with a complex rune on it. One he would recognize from spotting it on some professors, or from looking deeply into books and research.

The rune that bound people to the University, that infamous brand of total submission.

Above the staring figures, on a ledge where the wall and ceiling met, a familiar black-and-white owl would perch and watch. The Headmaster spoke.

"Shinzu, you are a bright student, and a brilliant mind. Step forward and take this vow of loyalty to the University, and we will give you all the answers you could ever think of questions to."

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T A G
Shinzu

N O T E S
As you know, open-ended. Nobody's making you go in if Shinzu wouldn't. Just trying to let it flow!

Nevyne laughed to herself at his words, his actions, and the overall situation. Ah, this one was always such fun, for a time. But if her life had taught her anything, it’s that it’s much less entertaining to frighten them once they’ve figured things out. However, this mortal could still prove entertaining. And so she didn’t reply to him when he tried to talk to her, instead silently floating overhead in her form, watching his concentration. For the first time in many dreams, she had to actually stop herself from laughing out loud at him.

She spiraled down to the man, who was concentrating far too much to take note of her. Shinzu would certainly feel a sudden weight in his left hand, though after any initial excitement wore off, he’d quickly note two things; one, the weight was on his forearm, not his hand, and two, there was now a pitch-black owl perched there, looking at him with eyes as blue as the deepest reaches of the ocean. Shinzu would notice now that the dark feathers of the owl were beyond black, as if there was simply… a void. A texture glitch in a videogame. Nothingness. Claws would dig in and he wouldn’t be able to move his arm. Whether or not he struck at her would be his choice entirely. If he did, she would disappear in a puff of feathers. If he did not, she would speak with her voice from the beak of the black and white owl.

“Chess is such a dull game,” she would say, her voice sing-song and conversational, as if she had not just inflicted mental suffering on the mortal. “You are bright, but also… very dull. You’d rather talk than play, and in doing so, you’ve made the game dull. No wonder you and that stuffy old bird get along so well.” She let out a hoot that sounded like a disappointed sigh. “But you have interesting bits to your mind, so I will indulge you until I grow bored.” She would shake her feathers and stretch her head forward. “Though before I say more, you must scratch my chin, ahuhu~”

W O R D S
361

M U S I C
xxx

T A G
Shinzu

N O T E S
As you know, open-ended.