#(hsr verse)

[wxndswept]

Abundance

She couldn't feel anything. And yet it was so cold. It was strange, how the girl couldn't feel her body. There was no head to turn. All she could do was 'state' into the inifinite darkness before her.

"Where am I? What happened?"

Strange, the words didn't leave her mouth. More like her thoughts were given a voice.

"Ah."

Suddenly, it hit her.

Memories started to resurface. The Darkness, the pain, the Leviathan born from it. The strange sea, Yuuki desperately fighting for her and her own inability to fight.

The rain came to mind, the water, the wind, the quantum energy. She could remember it all. She recalled the anger and hatred that swirled around in her mind at the time, the fear and longing, and most vividly, the desperation from Yuuki in those final moments.

This must have been death.

She remembered the blade. The feeling of being sliced by the imaginary edge was indescribable. The look of horror on Yuuki's face was heartbreaking.

"Ah... that's right. I never told her-"

Suddenly, everything changed. A heat replaced the cold, and the familiar Path space opened up as THIER voice resonated.

"You poor little thing."

The sweet, cold voice of THEM, the warm, nurturing aura. There was no doubt about it. She knew this, from the Simulated Universe tests.

Ah right. She couldn't speak aloud. Or even beg.

"So much time wasted in Destruction. So many things left unsaid. Wouldn't you like more time? Time to utilize this new freedom you've been given?"

"Freedom? I don't deserve freedom. My hands are already stai-"

An ember descended from THEIR form. Nothing else was said from THEM, and she didn't get a chance to finish. Did her input even matter? She wasn't even sure if THEY could hear her thoughts, or if THEY cared. The ember was warm and inviting, enveloping everything as it came closer.

And as quickly as the space came into existence, it was gone. Her view went white, and THEY disappeared.

"Ah!!"

Lyza opened her eyes to a dreary red sky. She sat up, finding herself in a grassy field. Looking down, she found herself...

"Naked. Great. Am I even..." Clenching a fist, she punched herself in the stomach, doubling over in pain for a moment before laughing.

"Ahaha! I'm alive! And I'm... I'm!"

She put a hand to her chest. The Delusion implanted in her was gone, as was the red scarring and pain that sprouted from it. All that remained, the only abnormality was a gentle warmth in the center of her being.

"Was that..." She could vaguely recall a hazy vision of THEM. "Agh, forget it. Before that, I need to get something to wear. And.. find out where I am."

Squinting, Lyza noticed a large tree in the distance. And built into it, was a familiar building.

[wxndswept]

Lyza

dress up my muse by submitting outfits into my inbox and my muse will tell you how they feel about the outfit you chose! (Accepting)

"I... actually own something very similar to this. Freaking March dragged me around Penacony for shopping and made me leave with at least one cute outfit. I never got to wear it, unfortunately. It's kind of a date outfit."

[wxndswept]

"Why did you do that? Why are there three of you? When did you... oh..." / to Io from March

It's Worse than we Thought (Accepting)

"Oh haha, another joke about me and Yuuki looking similar now? Come on, March be- Oh. OH." Then she saw the blood peeking out of March's pink hair. Maybe that tumble she heard wasn't so light after all.

"Oh crap! Stand up March, lemme take you to- No wait, sit down! Stay here March! I'll get you a towel for your head, and... Himeko... no, Mr. Yang? No, Pom... Ly... Pom Pom! Pom Pom and Lyza! I'll go get them! You'll be okay, just hang in there!"

And off Io went, screaming for the conductor and the healer. In her panic, in the flurry of words, she didn't stop to actually help March to a seat. Or ask if she was okay. Seeing her best friend like that, the panic just sort of took over.

[wxndswept]

"Your name was...I guess it doesn’t matter, just one insect among many. Anyway, you planning to join the rest on Amphoreus, or are you just gonna brood around in the lounge?" Void to Lyza

"It's Lyza." Was this how she looked to others during her 'broody and edgy phase'? Despite the amusement she got from March's old nickname, Lyza decided not to antagonize this woman. She looked like she would actually back up her words with her fists.

"No, I'm not. I'm worried about them, but I trust Io and Dan Heng to see things through until they can establish contact with the rest of us."

[wxndswept]

Making an Emanator (Behind the Glass)

a re-hash/retelling of this story bit, told from another perspective

"This isn't funny! C-come on, isn't there a fail-safe or something?!"

Ruan Mei leaned close toward the monitor, setting aside her cake to keep a closer eye on her assistant on the other side. She was starting to doubt if Yuuki was actually situated to combat the second iteration of Skaracabaz. Her assistant had started strong but was now succumbing to her limitations. Now she was against the wall, barely able to stand and begging for it to end.

"Two minutes and forty-seven seconds." Ruan Mei took down a note on her tablet, shaking her head. Yuuki didn't appear to last the three minutes and fifty-eight seconds that Skaracabaz could exist now. "I suppose I should end this trial." Ruan Mei reached for the intercom when a boom suddenly rattled the room. A quick glance at the screen showed a wind wall blocking anything from view. Before she could say or do anything, a roar came from the room below. The entire space station shook so violently, that Ruan Mei was knocked off balance out of her chair.

Standing in a daze, Ruan Mei looked to the console to see the camera had been cut off. An error message could only be seen on the screen now. "Oh no..." Fearing her creation had lost control, she ran over to the windows overlooking the room below, cracked from the explosion. A whirlwind obscured the view inside, but it became clear that the source of this was now Skaracabaz, who had been hurtled into the wall so forcefully that it bent the metal.

The source was Yuuki, who had transformed. Ruan Mei quickly moved back to the console and attempted to connect to one of the other cameras in the room. Only one remained, but it was difficult to get a good look at Yuuki or the Sting. The battle had continued, and while it was difficult to see clearly, it became clear that with this change in appearance, Yuuki revealed enough power to easily turn the tide. She reached for her recording device, but the console popped and buzzed, damaged from the energy released. The timer and controller were also shot, as well as the manual override.

"Voice notes will have to wait until after the fact..." With a sigh, Ruan Mei angled and set her phone against the glass in hopes it could capture a different angle of the battle. Thankfully her data pad was undamaged. Reaching for it, she quickly brought up the profile she was making for Yuuki and started to input the changes she briefly glimpsed from her assistant. "Subject displays enhanced strength, far exceeding her previous limits. Speed has increased to the point the human eye has difficulty keeping track... Her reflexes do not seem to be affected by this... Physical changes are currently difficult to see. However, the subject appears to have grown brightly colored wings. Her hair has also changed from blue to silver." Ruan Mei turned her attention back to the working camera.

"Hmm..." Ruan Mei paused as the two combatants hurtled blasts of energy at each other. "Mastery of her 'Anemo' element doesn't seem to have increased, however, the potency does exceed previous tests. At least visually. Will need to run a... a..." The station started to shake again. Looking back up at the camera, she noticed that it was obscured by black swirling energy. Looking up at the window, the top of a massive swirl of energy could be seen, created by the Sting. "Oh no. Oh no no no..." She could tell just by looking, that it wasn't just enough to damage the station, it was going to kill Yuuki.

Without thinking Ruan Mei ran out of the room toward the main elevator and got in. For the first time in years, her mind had shut down, overrun by panic stemming from one thing. Not the station, not the experiment, not even her own wellbeing. No, the only thing on her mind was-

BOOM

The explosion rocked the elevator, causing Ruan Mei to lose her balance again. The panic setting in only intensified. The elevator ride wasn't impacted by the explosion, but it felt like it stopped, like an eternity was passing. Ruan Mei found herself tapping her foot impatiently, dreading what was going to be on the other side of the door. "Herta..." Ruan Mei muttered under her breath and reached for her phone to contact someone for assistance. A shaky gasp left her lips as she realized she left it in the observation room. But before anything else could be said, the elevator rumbled to a stop and the door opened. Ruan Mei froze at the sight before her.

"Ha... haha..." In the center of the room stood Yuuki, alone. The wind had died down, and the Sting was nowhere to be seen. The damage to the area was clear, and her appearance reflected the destruction. Yuuki held up her hands in silence. They were burnt and bleeding badly, but she must have been high on adrenaline, as she didn't seem to react much to their state. "Haha... I can't even feel them..." Turning her head to Ruan Mei, she only gave a smile before promptly falling to the floor. Without a word, Ruan Mei ran over to her and propped her head up. Thankfully, after a quick search of the girl's pockets, she found her phone and was able to contact her fellow Nameless for assistance.

[wxndswept]

small starter for @intoendlessdreams

"Hey. Mister Sunday. I know you're not technically a Nameless, but you're still here for the time being. So... I got you this. Welcome aboard." Lyza held out a small box with a treat from the Herta Space Station.

[wxndswept]

small starter for @talesforged

"DANIEL! I MEAN DAN HENG!!!" Io spun around in her barstool as her friend entered the party car. "Check it out, lemme tell you about a drink Yuuki and... this fucker..." She pointed to Shush, who was oddly quiet. "Quiet told me about. LONG Island Iced tea! I've had 4 of em! No alcyhol. Ya want one?"

[wxndswept]

"The guestbook is truly interesting..." Yuuki leafed through the names of passengers and Nameless of ages past, from far before the current crew joined. "You think we'll be remembered like this? Or at least in the data archive?"

"Of course. I skimmed it once, and for the most part, it's pretty detailed on the Nameless. Down to their departure and death. Man, how weird is the discrepancy between you and everyone else going to be? We all joined around the same time, but knowing you, you'll be around as long as Pom-Pom."

"What?" Settling on a certain page, Yuuki looked to Lyza before she could read the names. She was hesitant to ask, the answer was likely something she already dreaded. "What... what do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean? You know what you are. Sovereigns live long lives from what Master told me. And aside from Dan Heng, you're probably the only one with such an extended lifespan. You'll likely outlive the rest of us, including me." Lyza leaned up from her seat to look at Yuuki. "Oh... oh shit, did... did you not know that? I thought you got all of their memories."

"I..." It was indeed among the memories of her past self. Dragons, when healthy, generally had incredibly long life spans. And despite her human form, Yuuki was no different. She looked down at the book again, at the names written upon it. How could it feel to sit here, hundreds of years from now, reading and reminiscing on her current fellow passengers like Himeko, Lyza, or Welt? Seeing Durnehviir's name on the page she was on, did they ever experience similar emotions or thoughts? It was all a blur, something she could understand.

"I'll... I'll be back in a bit." Yuuki set the book down and left the parlor car in a hurry.

"Aw. Crap..."