He and his Composer were sat atop some building, staring down as the city below. The building must’ve had some sort of significance to the reality bender, seeing as Zach had caught the other here rather often...he never pressed him on it though.
The city was still a far cry from what it would one day become but even now, five years after the other’s ascension one could see the seeds of Shibuya’s future beginning to sprout.
As for his Composer...
The angel couldn’t put his finger on what it was, but Aleph had been rather quiet as of late. Heading into and out of the Library, face buried in a pile of books. From the few glances he got of the younger’s reading material, it seemed he had found an interest in the anomalous within the UG.
Understandable, considering the...odd history that world had with this one. Reality benders in particular. Especially within the Composer’s seat, they were notoriously difficult to work with at times and had a rather...odd tendency to go mad with their newfound power.
Perhaps that was why this city’s former Producer bounced, why he was chosen to take their place...maybe the Plane just wanted to see him fail.
“...Zach...? I’m sorry for dumping this on you but...I have to ask a favour.”
He pulled himself from his musings to look towards his Composer, humming softly to let him know to continue.
“...if I...lose myself, if I ever end up like them. If I ever drown in my power like that...I want you to erase me...please.”
Aleph was staring up at the stars as he spoke, refusing to look the angel in the eye. God knows what was going through the reality bender’s head. But he knew what the other meant, he had heard of the city’s former Composer, a reality bender themselves, one who had grown power obsessed and tyrannical before Aleph had overthrown them and taken the spot for himself.
He’s seen the love this Composer had for this city, and the damage someone obsessed with this type of power could do. He hoped Shibuya wouldn’t have to live through another Composer like Aleph’s forerunner.
And so the angel nodded, turning himself to face the Composer.
“...of course, sir. If the time ever comes, I will Aleph, I promise.”
Oh how he wishes he’ll never have to make good on that promise, though.
While it was true Zach could never be fully remembered. There has always been more to it than just that statement alone.
The further up somebody was, the closer they got to the Higher Plane, to God, the more one tended to remember. Your average, non-anomalous Joe would forget anything about him as soon as the two of them parted ways, the Angel fading from the other’s life as if he never existed.
On the other end of the spectrum, while even God themself could never remember their creation in full. The gaps in their memory attributed to him were far fewer and further between.
To all those in between, it depended. They would at least remember something but depending on who it was, how far up they were, how far from mundanity they got, the more someone tended to remember.
Back when he remained in the Higher Plane, he never thought there was a way to work around it, this flaw of his creation. Perhaps it was merely assumed that it was how it was, and nobody tried.
Under his Composer however, under someone who understood where he came from. Who tried to understand and help himself figure out just what this situation he was in was. Who game Zach the words to even describe what he was. Aleph found a way to work around it. If he hadn’t he doubts they would’ve been able to work together well, not if his Composer couldn’t remember.
In writing things down...in bothering to record interactions, he could be remembered in some manner. Even though he would be forgotten, at least if he was recorded somehow, someone could still look back and have a log of what conversations happened.
We fade from the minds of others but not from our own.
We live with it until we can't live any longer.
Independent The World Ends With You OC
Canon Divergent Main Verse
Semi Selective
Remembered by Kellin | follows from @fallen-phxtxgrapher
|[ about || rules || verses ]|
Until we forget there was ever any way we could live in peace.
His name...it...really did feel like some sort of cruel joke at times.
He remembered when he was first created, an experiment in passively affecting the memory of those around him. Erasing memories of the heavens in ‘lesser’ beings without ever lifting a finger.
Oh...oh how poorly that backfired.
The heavens, the angels, the God that created him, they must’ve messed up somewhere along the line. Yet, regardless of whether the result was intentional, it didn’t change things.
His innate memory altering abilities extended far, far from the bounds they were meant to effect. Memory of him would effectively leak from the heads of his fellow angels. Even in the mind of his God, memories would fade every so often.
(it was only later, once he became Producer, that he found a name for that phenomenon: antimemetic )
And thus, he was labeled a failure. Why he was never dealt with in a more...permanent manner, he didn’t know. Yet, he was kept around, nameless and commonly forgotten.
He still remembered the one who did eventually give him a name, he doubts they remember him, but that was how things went. There had been attempts at giving him one before but, they were quickly forgotten and he was left nameless once more.
“An angel?- does that mean I’m in heaven” asked a young woman seeming confused
“hmm, not exactly.”
“though...considering you can see me you’re...probably not alive, if that helps answer your question.”
Though, admittedly it was...rather interesting he’d been recognized as an angel. It..wasn’t something that others picked up on easy, at least when it came to him as he was now.
No matter. Knowing his...situation he doubted she would remember later.
The angel only shrugged in response, watching the ice swirl around his cup. With a sigh, he set his cup to the side, looking over at Minamimoto.
“Sure. I was going to tell you anyway, but I would suggest you get something to write this down on first.”
“...people...have a habit of forgetting things I tell them.”
If he was going through the trouble of letting the other (and by extension, Joel) know what happened, he’d rather not let this conversation be forgotten.
Sometimes he wonders if he did the right thing, bringing him back.
Sure, he’s observed the harrier long enough to know he had some loose threads. Friends, loved ones, dreams to chase after. To most, it seemed like a life Joel wouldn’t have chosen to leave behind.
But he’s seen the other side of the coin, the endless cycle of erasure that hung over every reaper’s head. the guilt, the regret he felt because of this game. He’s watched from the sidelines as that cycle ate away at him.
But when he saw him get erased along with Shinjuku, Zach felt he had to do something.
Admittedly it took a while to do it but in the end, he did manage to being him back, granting the harrier another chance.
He’s still not sure if doing so was the right thing, but what’s done is done. Only time will tell if he made the better choice.