“The unfortunate side-effect to soul-binding is integration,” Ren explains.
Which, as far as he and everyone else on the server is concerned, makes sense. Soul-binding isn’t new. When they awoke on this plane and looked off into the world, they were well aware of what the thread fading off into the distance meant.
It was an old practice, born with the Old Gods of Ruin, where rituals could be cast to tie beings to one another. It tended to occur towards the end of life as a method of ensuring people may stay together after death. It was sweet. Romantic, some may even say.
But they don’t do it much anymore.
Not because love or faith is dead but because of the side-effects.
Impulse and BDubs noticed it first. Perhaps it was because they found each other first, or because they were so eager to be together that they hardly let one another out of sight, but they were changing. Impulse noticed it in the sprouting horns upon BDubs’ head. BDubs noticed it in the way Impulse has become suddenly protective of the clock.
“Think of it a bit like equilibrium, right?”
Ren’s lounging on he and Big B’s front yard (no matter the fact that said “front yard” is accompanied by an unfinished base). He’s picking off pieces of a cookie he’s been nibbling on, seemingly unaware of the fact that, as a dog, he should not be able to eat chocolate like he currently is.
And Big B tries his best not to emote such a recognition through his newly-appeared ears. “Like, balancing?”
“For sure,” Ren says. “Two souls tied together, well they don’t want to be. So you get them trying to even out. Tryna become one soul.”
Bad? Rough? Horrifying? He isn’t sure.
Grian and Scar notice it next.
Maybe it’s because they’ve done this before, even if unknowingly. A man swearing himself to another for the sake of righting a wrong, proclaiming that his life is theirs to share.
Scar’s back has been killing him, not in the usual aching but in the pricking, clawing pains he can’t seem to ease. He can feel his back wet with blood, can feel something tearing from the inside out. He relents and rips off his shirt, asking Grian to take a look and, well…
Feathers. Rainbow feathers growing where two wings would be.
And maybe, Grian realizes as he looks upon his flightless-friend’s down, that explains the green in his eyes and the fact that he’s suddenly become quite fond of the Jellies.
“So is there a cure? Can we undo it?”
Ren snorts, a thoughtless shrug matching it. “Maybe? Maybe not? We might just have to ride it out, man. I doubt it lasts outside of this server, but until we beat the game…”
“We become more and more like each other…”
Cleo sits by the water that feeds their crops when she’s certain Scott’s still sleeping. A insect dances across it, tracing ripples, and she swats it away so the water might still. When it does, she can see the streak of yellow weaving through her hair. It’s gotten bigger. Harder to hide. She tucks it behind her ear anyway.
Inside, Scott’s reflection has become unfamiliar. Antenna sit amongst his hair now, fluffy and twitching with every new sound or movement. With a grumble, he gives it a flick, and hopes Pearl can feel it.
Big B sighs and collapses next to Ren, the sound foreign and loud amongst new ears. “I’m really not tryna turn into a dog, man.”
“Eh, you get used to it. The tail’s fun.”
“I do not want a tail Ren.”
Pearl stares at her reflection in the glass, unfamiliar blue eyes blinking back.
Martyn grimaces as an arrow in his back knocks dead skin loose. He’ll add “learning to stitch” to the list of things this server has asked of him.
“I’m not really sure the green streak suits me,” Etho says, pulling at the addition to his hair.
Joel snorts, owlish red eyes tilting towards Etho. “Right because you’ve got it the worst between us.”
Tango spins, chasing after the small, golden wings that have appeared on his back. “Can you even fly with these things? They’re so small…”
“Rude!” Jimmy says, but he’s not looking at Tango. He’s squeezing his eyes shut as if he can rub away the red now in them. But when he opens them again, the world is still foreign and changed and– “How many colors can you see man?”
Big B drums his fingers against a chest, head dipped in careful consideration of the world around him. His ears twitch towards the east and wow Ren can hear far…
“We’re not the only ones,” Big B reports. “Seems like everyone’s woken up changed.”
“Figured. This is gonna be an interesting season.”
annaxmalina
baratheonpilled
titsay
vaporwave
jbbartram-illu
