sorceressarle started following you
sorceressarle:
jellyclowndarle:
“Might want to watch your mouth, Arle,” the reflection blurted with an alerting tone, taking her hand off her eye. “We appear to be dealing with a soul-stealing genie here. This probably isn’t their true form.
“But at the same time, maybe they just need it to talk?” Dia shrugs, trying to note a possibility of non-hostile reasons. Didn’t want to claim this thing was an enemy or friend just yet, but she had doubts this thing had good intentions.
The horned Arle seemed momentarily bewildered. She hadn’t expected Dia to figure out about that. Her lips were pursed for a moment, but she relented. “…That’s very… ‘observant’ of you?” she replied somewhat hesitantly. Frowning with distaste, she averted her eyes for a moment. “Everyone thinks they’re too good for dark magic until they get in over their heads and they need something to save them. I had to make a lot of very difficult choices to be able to stand here before you today. Deus was an evil creature, and sealed away like that his existance was probably suffering. The only difference now is that he’s sealed inside me. Arguably an improvement for everyone involved. I’m a much nicer environment to live in than the void…” she explained, mildly disgusted with her own choice of words. She didn’t care for how intimate it sounded, even if everything she’d said was true as could be.
“After what feels like eons, I’ve got a nice thing going on. My own world where I’m relatively safe. I get to make the rules. Nobody’s using me or forcing me to do things I’m not comfortable with. Maybe someday I can start to live a normal life again. Why would I risk any of that just for some revenge?” she went on to explain, gesturing to Arle.
“I definitely don’t remember beating up any doppelgangers last time I visited this place, but never mind what I did for a moment–What about Septum??” Arle demanded, not appreciating all of these distractions. She just wasn’t having it!
The horned Arle glared at the ‘original’ for a moment, but relented. “…Of course you don’t, stupid. Last time we fought was on ‘his’ world. But Septum…” she began, becoming a tad pensive. “When I absorbed Deus’s soul, Septum… was drawn into the mix, somehow. I wasn’t able to stop myself. Something supernatural forced them together. I’m sorry, big sis…”
One could just see Arle tense with horror at that last line. Suddenly it all made sense what this horned apparition had been alluding to. Septum was right here. …Part of her. That look on Arle’s face. She was screaming internally.
All that talking was kinda getting to Dia as well. Many eerie familiarities unsettled the reflection as well. Holding a deity inside her, wanting to live a more normal life, having been sealed in the void herself (which she actively uses occasionally)… It almost felt like she was looking at another Dia. Wanting to explore this further, Dia prodded her own couple questions.
“You wouldn’t… happen to have been locked in the void at one point, were you? Does the name ‘Lilith’ ring any bells?” The reflection scratched her head a bit, trying to put all this together.
The horned Arle gave Dia a very confused look and for a moment it might seem she hadn’t a clue what the other was talking about, but then.. “...I had long given up hope of anyone recognizing that name. And yet, here you are--you charming little ‘doppelganger’ you--on my doorstep digging up memories older than this entire universe.” she replied in an amused, slightly accusing tone.
She seemed to deflate a bit as she moved on, though. “I’ve spent what feels like most of my existence in the void. The human mind and body w-were never intended to endure in such a place--Haha... You can’t help but go a little mad. It speaks to you, you, y’know? I can still hear its call. My very humanity was undone. ...And for what?? NOTHING!!” the horned Arle went on, revealing a deep-seated hatred that stretched far beyond her apparent disdain for Arle, who was just kinda still reeling from earlier. The blue mage offered no comment. She was a little overwhelmed.
“...Now that I’ve borne my broken heart to you, I’d like to think you owe me a little honesty.”
“Who are you, really?”
