Scholar of the Shadows

Ienzo/Zexion

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

The Shadow Realm (Cross FandomRP:bloodybonesnbruises)

Zexion held out his hand and watched as the darkness enveloped him to guide him to his destination. It was often quiet and calm in the darkness, he could hear his own breath for the few moments he was swallowed by it but no other sounds were present until the darkness faded away and revealed a new world to him.

This time was different. The darkness never faded away, only morphed into a different shape. Zexion looked around his new surroundings curiously. This place had never been explored by any of the organization members before.It wasn’t until a huge surge of darkness the Organization XIII even knew this realm existed. Once the darkness coming from this newly discovered realm grew, it was impossible for Zexion not to smell it, this darkness was not exactly like the darkness he was familiar with. This darkness was more intense, almost hungry compared to the darkness the schemer knew well. The smell would linger on even as he went on his daily business, impossible to ignore. He had to know what the source of such rich darkness was coming from.

He glanced around, seeing nothing but a purple haze that would distinguish the place from a dark room.  It was hard to concentrate, he began to get slightly annoyed by a constant noise buzzing in his ears as he tried to scout in the seemingly endless realm. Upon focusing his mind on the sounds, he could make them out better and identified them quickly.

“Screams?” The schemer muttered as his curiosity was only grew. He wandered in the darkness for a while, finding other beings trapped in the darkness, however they were in no condition to converse with him. Zexion found himself surrounded by immense suffering as seemingly endless people screamed and cried.

“Hmmm.” He tilted his head slightly as he pondered what this place could possibly be, his emotionless nature as a nobody coming in handy to not care about the plight of the suffering around him.

[potestasaeterna-a]

    “So…” Xemnas glances over, finally acknowledging the presence of Ienzo. It brings a PANG to his new heart, seeing the one that was once considered his whole self’s FRIEND, “You have finally caught up to me.”

     @scholaroftheshadows ~ short starter ~

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

“Indeed.” he nodded slightly as he spoke.

“It was no easy feat to track you down. I’d be lying if I didn’t find the complications intriguing more than taxing though. You have always been such an interesting specimen.” Ienzo had finally gathered the courage to speak to the other after searching for him and observing him all around Radiant Gardens but neglected to figure out what he was going to actually say when he was face to face with with part of the man he once considered part of his family.

It wasn’t hate or anger that filled his heart as he looked upon him, it was more curiosity and maybe a hint of concern for his well being.

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

Bad End Verse Starter

[potestasaeterna-a]

~ Ienzo ~

Keep reading

     Cruelty has not been something missing from the new God, something that still CLINGS to his being. Those who tried to face against him, attempted to hide and slither away from his all-seeing gaze are met with an UNMATCHED malice. Even was met with such a force, an agony to extract information for the whereabouts of the one he hid. Only when the desired information was obtained did Xemnas remove the heart, taking away the life that Even was trying to rebuild to recreate his Number IV.       The steps halt upon hearing another noise shift the silence lingering in the cold air of the cave. A hand retracts back to his body, fingers twitching slightly as if anticipating what is to come. Will Zexion attempt like many others to escape, to prolong the inevitable for a few moments longer or shall he be brave and stand up against Xemnas willing to lose it all in a vain attempt to survive–or perhaps do what is LOGICAL–a more FITTING decision of one such at the youngest scientist of their little group from before their hearts were torn from body–and surrender himself to the Nothingness that once held him.       His head slightly tilts, watching with intent as the Gummyship reveals the one hiding within. Amber eyes narrow slightly, FOCUSING solely on the figure that stands revealed as the hatch opens. It’s easy for the Superior to see the UNEASE in the stance and the voice of the ex-Nobody. Not an unexpected reaction, another logical state to be in. Alas, it is near AMUSING to see the once unshakable stoic personality of the Illusionist be broken down. A reminder that at one time before the separation of heart and body, Ienzo was just a boy, grown up so quickly as he began his non-existence as a Nobody.      Xemnas’ head angles up a few centimeters, gaze never faltering from staring down the shorter other. Unfortunate he addresses the God of Nothingness without his title–a change perhaps due to the shift in life, being one of of existing rather than non-existing and sustained by the power that is Xemnas.      “Zexion…” An empty voice, void of anything just as the air that surrounds his body, “You were quite the hassle to find within this realm… A…” He breaks the cold gaze, scanning around the cave surrounding them, “desolate and decrepit world to be IMPRISONED upon, but a perfect HAVEN away from the downfall of the light and darkness…” 

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

Ienzo opened his mouth to apologize to the other for being such a bother but stopped himself, looking to the ground. Why did he feel the urge to apologize to the one who was hunting him down? It was foolish to think there was any deeper meaning to Xemnas’s appearance and actions than the desire to erase what represented his earlier life. 

Ienzo moved his arms around his midsection, squeezing gently to try to give himself a little bit of comfort as he stood in front of Xemnas. He could tell this was not exactly the being he once knew, perhaps calling him what he once was wasn’t the best idea. He took a small breath and spoke again.

“Unless Xemnas is a name you no longer answer to?” he tilted his head slightly as he spoke, starting to shed his fear and other emotions as he always did to protect himself. If Xemnas had been anyone else, the dramatic shift Ienzo took in emotion would have been irrefutably creepy, as if the it just drained from him. He stood up a bit straighter, removing his arms from the hug he had given himself, his feelings numbed out and no longer clouding his mind.

“I am surprised you bothered, besides describing this place as a perfect haven is a strong phrase. This place is far from perfect nor has it ever been my haven. It is nothing but a prison in all regards.” he tone fell flat, he avoided adding any sort of emotion into his reply. Feeling was too painful for him to deal with right now. He didn’t need them right now. The fear, sadness and maybe...relief? Gratitude? He wasn’t sure why these emotions even stood anywhere near his other feelings, perhaps the isolation had changed him? No, that wasn’t it.

Ienzo could still feel the nothingness coming off of the other, slowly trying to coax him into giving in once again. Was he going to listen to it and succumb to what he knew was inevitable? Part of him wanted to try and run, to preserve his life and existence at all costs. But what was the point of it all?

He had no where to go, no one to live for and nothing to fight for. Once again he was lost in a suffocating purposelessness, the one thing he loathed more than anything else. Losing his family once before had almost destroyed him as a child, leaving him vulnerable and broken. Now he was in the same situation only even more dire than before with no reprise in sight. He couldn’t take the agony of being broken again.

[glacialisanimus-a]

❅ Zexion‌ ❅

The man blinked in confusion and raised an eyebrow, his normally emotionless eyes dancing with a hint of confusion. He held a tray of bubbling potions while standing in the doorway using his foot to keep the door to the lab from bumping him and causing the caustic chemicals he obtained to spill. He wondered what had put Vexen in such a bad mood, well to be fair… what put him in a worse mood than normal. Vexen, and Even, had always been a little touchy but Zexion never minded, he liked the passions that he and Vexen shared and enjoyed his company.

“Vexen, you sent me to go get these samples?” his voice had a slight confused tone to it, his head tilting ever so slightly to the side. Noticing the chemicals starting to agitate, Zexion quickly entered the room carefully making sure the door didn’t slam loudly behind him. He put the tray down on the table and immediately started separating the bubbling vials by their chemical properties and their labels.

“I take it that interruptions have been a common occurrence as of late?” Zexion had been spending more time in the library than assisting Vexen in the lab, so it wasn’t unlikely that Vexen was interrupted and he was unaware of it. Today already had a lot of promise to be much more enthralling that most recent days. He could finally take a break from his intense study in the library and continue to work with Vexen in the lab. To say he was excited was a gross understatement, although he would never show it on his face.

     Vexen’s own eyebrow raises for a moment before his expression changes into the usual scowl that has made a permanent home on his lips. He exhales a long sigh, running a gloved hand through the long platinum blond hair, “My apologies Zexion.” The only being around that would ever hear him say such words in a calm tone–the only other one that gets something akin to it is a fearful apology to the one that used to be his cohort, and his friend but is now a shell, a terrifying shell.      “I have had a long day dealing with constant irritations,” the scientist shakes his head, standing up from his position hunched at his desk over some paperwork, “it’s as if NONE of them care about the advancement of science!” He throws a hand up in the air in frustration, waving it to brush off the annoyance as best he could, “But I am glad you’ve brought those.”      He shifts, turning to walk over to take the tray from Zexion, “These will do wonders for my next experiment.” For a brief moment the scowl is replaced with a smirk, “It’s the beginning of my next step…” Despite his paranoia and anxiety about his work, Vexen never felt he had to hide anything from Zexion–Even was the same way with Ienzo, the only one–more than their old master–that he would tell in details about his experiments. A bond that he partially misses with the younger scientist, now that it’s hollowed like the both of them.      “I need to find ways to stop the replicas from decaying. My last attempt at a more REALISTIC one ended up dying within two days. Something is not STICKING with enhancing the life of the cells…”

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

“It does seem like they don’t value science as much as we do. What a shame.” Zexion gave a small nod, his curiosity peaked at just the mention of Vexen’s experiment. Zexion found the replica project to be quite interesting, the very thought of making new sentient life filled him with an almost childlike glee. Well it would have had he not been an empty shell incapable of feeling.

“I have looked over your plans for the replicas and everything seemed in order...” He tilted his head to the side a bit as he ran through the process of creating the replicas that Vexen had described to him, his eyes glazing over as he lost himself in his thoughts for a moment. Nope, still didn’t see how something designed so meticulously and made with such precision could be so fragile.

“So this decay you speak of,” his eyes cleared as he brought himself out of his thoughts and he walked closer to observe what Vexen was doing with the chemicals he had obtained for the other scientist. “is it akin to fast ageing or more like rotting? Or is it more like mass unprovoked apoptosis?”

The problem Vexen was describing was severely complex. Zexion was amazed that bodies were able to maintain a state of living without the added complication that Vexen was making life almost from scratch with only examples of life to work from. It was like trying to translate a dead language with little to no knowledge on how to do so.

[glacialisanimus-a]

     “Have you ever heard of don’t bother somebody when they are working? Seems that it’s not a lesson you’ve been taught…” the scientist huffs, “Speak now or get out of my lab.”

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

@glacialisanimus

The man blinked in confusion and raised an eyebrow, his normally emotionless eyes dancing with a hint of confusion. He held a tray of bubbling potions while standing in the doorway using his foot to keep the door to the lab from bumping him and causing the caustic chemicals he obtained to spill. He wondered what had put Vexen in such a bad mood, well to be fair... what put him in a worse mood than normal. Vexen, and Even, had always been a little touchy but Zexion never minded, he liked the passions that he and Vexen shared and enjoyed his company.

“Vexen, you sent me to go get these samples?” his voice had a slight confused tone to it, his head tilting ever so slightly to the side. Noticing the chemicals starting to agitate, Zexion quickly entered the room carefully making sure the door didn’t slam loudly behind him. He put the tray down on the table and immediately started separating the bubbling vials by their chemical properties and their labels.

“I take it that interruptions have been a common occurrence as of late?” Zexion had been spending more time in the library than assisting Vexen in the lab, so it wasn’t unlikely that Vexen was interrupted and he was unaware of it. Today already had a lot of promise to be much more enthralling that most recent days. He could finally take a break from his intense study in the library and continue to work with Vexen in the lab. To say he was excited was a gross understatement, although he would never show it on his face.

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

Bad End Verse Starter

[potestasaeterna-a]

~ Ienzo‌ ~

@potestasaeterna

Ienzo woke up early, as he did every morning but instead of coming out of a beautiful castle into the landscape of Radiant Gardens he left a dingy cave on some dark world where even the sun’s light barely touched it. He sat up in the small bed that was in his gummyship, almost hitting his head on the ceiling, as he did every morning he woke up in the nightmare he was now living.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful to Even for warning him about what was likely going to happen, he just hated being so isolated from everything. The empty world he found himself on barely had anything that could be studied with any real depth and this made the isolation even worse. Not to mention being so far away from those he cared about, not knowing what was happening.

He got up and turned on the gummyship computer and started his daily journal, sitting down in front of the computer and turning on a small camera.

“Day 110. I am still stuck on this world without really knowing what is happening in the worlds around me. I can sense his power growing stronger with every moment, I can smell it. But if I am honest…” he paused for a moment, sighing softly to himself.

“In a way I can hear it call to me. I don’t know if it is him calling me or the nothingness itself, either way it is becoming hard to ignore.” He tapped his fingers on the desk gently in a rhythmic pattern as he thought about what to say next.

“Despite everything that happened with Xehanort and Xemnas I cannot deny that it wasn’t all bad. While we did lose our hearts we did gain a lot of knowledge that would have been impossible to obtain otherwise. Despite all the manipulation and the events that occurred in the organization it was still what I considered to be my home…” he cut off and looked down at his gummyphone at his background picture of his fellow apprentices, including Xehanort and Ansem the Wise standing in front of the castle at Radiant Gardens.

“I hope to see you soon my friends…” Ienzo couldn’t finish his sentence before he started to choke up and tears swelled in his eyes. However, he didn’t have time to cry before something completely unexpected happened.

A scent. There hadn’t been a new one in months, the thought that he was no longer alone made him both excited and scared. Who in their right mind would come to this wasteland?

     So many were elusive from his grasp. Many fled, trying to mask their presence from the one that was once their SUPERIOR, a few catching wind about what HELL would be coming down upon them if they were to be found.      Worlds are falling into the grasp of the Nothingness, one by own drained of light and darkness, of what makes them whole. Without the heroes, the brave two who had valiantly tried to stop such a HORRIBLE fate befalling the worlds, there is only so much the others can do. Despair holds on the hearts of their friends, some strength rising from the loss as well.      Yet, how does one face against a being with the power of thousands upon thousands of hearts flowing through the veins, the void growing further inside the shell, released upon the Realm of Light.     Call it an ATTACHMENT, or something else, but the newly titled God Of Nothingness has sought out the old Nobodies under his control–ones whom had been touched by the Void. And now, the trace of one–one that had been expertly hidden from him, has been caught. A fragmented world, hidden deep away from the others. How cleaver of Even to choose such a place. It did well to mask the presence for this long.     Bootsteps echo against the cavernous walls, each slow, each meticulously placed. He will know of his presence, the scent of the Nothingness unmistakable: it’s an absence of smell, a hole in the entirety of space–just NOTHING. A gloved finger brushes against the rock wall as he passes by, humming softly with a hinted grin.      “Such a pitiful yet secluded world…” Xemnas croons, not caring if the ex-Nobody can hear him or not with the proximity to the Gummiship, “For so long… 110 days if I recall correctly from Vexen.” He has already visited the scientist, already… DEALT with him.     “How could one such as yourself survive without experiments, with such sparse subjects to observe, ZEXION.” There’s no use of Ienzo’s name, just the one that would be discarded with becoming complete.

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

Ienzo’s body tensed up as he realized who was there and small whimper escaped his mouth as he cursed under his breath. How had he missed that the scent, or in this case the lack of scent, was that of Xemnas?

His feelings were still mixed as he heard the nobody walk in the cave, the sound of his steps and voice filling the normally empty cave with more noise than it had in months. In a way he was glad not to be alone anymore and he couldn’t deny that the idea of working with Xemnas again did have a certain appeal, but this feeling was quickly dwarfed by worry as he continued to listen to the other.

Vexen. He said Vexen, not Even. Ienzo went a little pale as his mind raced with possibilities, knowing that it was likely that Even had been Vexen for such a long time and had likely suffered greatly due to sending him away and hiding him from Xemnas. He felt sick thinking about how much Even, well Vexen, probably suffered just to try and protect him. And he knew exactly how long it had been since he had been secluded away on the empty world which was highly unnerving, how much did the lord of nothingness know?

Ienzo sat paralyzed for a moment, caught between his desire not to be alone and his fear of the other, knowing full well that he was in danger. He had no doubts that Xemnas would take his heart with haste, why else would he have used his nobody name instead of his real name? He stood up and shut off the computer, his body slightly trembling as he approached the exit hatch on the gummyship. He pressed the button to open the hatch and watched as the figure of his old friend appeared.

He looked so… different. Not in the sense that he was a different being or anything, but he could just sense the power coming off the nobody. It was almost overwhelming, as if the void that once only called to him was now right in front of him choking him.

Ienzo decided the least he could do is be polite to Xemnas despite the fear that was pulsing through his mind and body.

“G-Greetings Xemnas.” His voice stuttered slightly as he spoke to the nobody, not making direct eye contact but still obviously watching him for any sudden movement.

[musesgonnamuse]

Send 📦 + an object for my muse to react to getting that object as a present in the mail.

[scholaroftheshadows-blog]

Bad End Verse Starter

@potestasaeterna

Ienzo woke up early, as he did every morning but instead of coming out of a beautiful castle into the landscape of Radiant Gardens he left a dingy cave on some dark world where even the sun’s light barely touched it. He sat up in the small bed that was in his gummyship, almost hitting his head on the ceiling, as he did every morning he woke up in the nightmare he was now living.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful to Even for warning him about what was likely going to happen, he just hated being so isolated from everything. The empty world he found himself on barely had anything that could be studied with any real depth and this made the isolation even worse. Not to mention being so far away from those he cared about, not knowing what was happening.

He got up and turned on the gummyship computer and started his daily journal, sitting down in front of the computer and turning on a small camera.

“Day 110. I am still stuck on this world without really knowing what is happening in the worlds around me. I can sense his power growing stronger with every moment, I can smell it. But if I am honest…” he paused for a moment, sighing softly to himself.

“In a way I can hear it call to me. I don’t know if it is him calling me or the nothingness itself, either way it is becoming hard to ignore.” He tapped his fingers on the desk gently in a rhythmic pattern as he thought about what to say next.

“Despite everything that happened with Xehanort and Xemnas I cannot deny that it wasn’t all bad. While we did lose our hearts we did gain a lot of knowledge that would have been impossible to obtain otherwise. Despite all the manipulation and the events that occurred in the organization it was still what I considered to be my home…” he cut off and looked down at his gummyphone at his background picture of his fellow apprentices, including Xehanort and Ansem the Wise standing in front of the castle at Radiant Gardens.

“I hope to see you soon my friends…” Ienzo couldn’t finish his sentence before he started to choke up and tears swelled in his eyes. However, he didn’t have time to cry before something completely unexpected happened.

A scent. There hadn’t been a new one in months, the thought that he was no longer alone made him both excited and scared. Who in their right mind would come to this wasteland?