Loading...... Prayer.exe

[fourthmade]

This is a place to send your prayers to the Fourth god. He may not always respond, or he may respond in ways you don’t expect, but he is always listening.

Speak, he hears you.

OOC note:  As of April 2020, threads with the gods will be capped at three NPC replies! Please keep this in mind when writing god prayers to make sure you get everything you need out of the thread.It’s also possible to handwave prayers by titling your comment HANDWAVED PRAYER. Handwaved prayers lack our usual flourish, but you can expect a faster response!

As of February 2024, god prayers will be handwaved only. Please only submit a prayer if you have a question for either god which needs answering in order to progress your character's arc within Ryslig. If this is something you need to tier up within the god boon system, or just to set up a player plot in general, please don't hesitate to submit a prayer about it! You may shorten it down to an OOC summary of what your character is asking. This will allow any of our helper mods to reply much faster, without having to dig into the specifics of either god's personality/writing quirks. Should this limitation be lifted again in the future, this note will be removed.

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[SEPT 25]

[godofnothingness]

[He sits carefully watched by a 'shadow', his legs crossed and his back straight, sitting before the Obelisk. Clear evening that it is, the structure is nearly insubstantial-but it is certainly there, with all its names and designs, and Loki breathes calmly and deeply as he makes his prayer.

And he thinks-and he wills for the 4th to hear him-]

( I'm here. I've got friends-friends to us both-keeping watch and guard.

I'm ready when you are mate. Looking right at it; my eyes, and whatever else you're needing for this, are all yours.

All of it. )

The message is clear. It is clearer still however, as Loki draws in one last breath-he has done this by falling asleep. It will be the first time he does so with will however, expelling all his energy and spirit out from his body to float out invisibly behind it as his slumbering and now soulless form sags over. The only one he wills to be able to see him-to be able to find him-is the 4th.

So now, he waits.]

[quietpeacefullife]

[Kira is not a man of God. He personally doesn't believe in such a thing. And even the Gods here he doesn't hold a lot of faith in. There is some wrathful force that's turning them into monsters. He understands that much. But the Fourth God? No, he hasn't seen anything believable except some powers that may very well have just been Goblin attributes, he has yet to decide.

He joined this cause because there seemed to be promises and hope. A promise of going home. A promise to stop the Fog and all it's doings.

He feels that maybe it's all for nothing. That he's made a mistake.

After being sacrificed at Dyster. After learning that he has died at home before coming here. After learning that his future was stolen from him he finds himself needing something. Something real. Something to hang on to.

If this is real, then he'll take it. But he needs to be convinced.

So he's here. He decides to go about this as one would do when tending to a shrine or a grave. Though he doesn't have any incense or offerings and he does not intend to kneel he does at least place his hands together, pressing his forehead against his thumbs and shutting his eyes tight.

Kira takes in a deep breath.

It's been hard. It's been a very hard week. He's hungry and tired and was sacrificed for a cause he's not sure he truly believes in. Kishibe Rohan probably eviscerated him for fun.

He wets his lips and closes his eyes. Where to start? And how. He's never prayed before.]

I do not know if it is bad taste to ask a God for something. I'm not all that much of a believer. But after dying horribly... for you and for something I don't really have any faith in perhaps you will indulge me.

I find myself lost. And there are few times I have ever felt like that. Fleeting moments in my life have all been fixed with a blessing. Nothing short of a miracle. I consider myself a relatively lucky man on most days. I don't see luck getting me out of this one.

Everything has been taken from me and all I am left with is a dark decent into being the monster that I was expected to be upon arrival. I, of course, do not wish that. Despite what everyone says on how I belong here or I deserve this or how I should be happy to be here I still want to keep my humanity in tact. I don't want to let the whispers be true.

So I need something. I need something to hold on to so I don't slip away and become what everyone already believes.

If I am dying in your name I don't want it to be for nothing. I need to know it's at least real.

[Kira will hardly be impressed with the flickering of the lights or radio noise. As he has told Marco before, that could be anything. But then, he's not expecting too much to begin with. But he's a man with absolutely nothing to believe in or hope for. The worst thing that can happen is he'll be disappointed which won't feel like much of anything compared to everything else that's happened.

But he can't do this on blind faith, especially when his initial reasons for following are now moot. He's not sure if it's wrong to demand a God to prove themselves to you. But too often in history it's a matter of sheep in a flock. Tragedy begetting tragedy in the name of a God that no one has any proof of. He sees that happening here too.]

[fourthmade]

[The response takes a while to come. At first it seems like one won't come at all. It's days later that a nearby radio jumps to life, seemingly of its own accord. It's just static for several moments, with the occasional crackle of something that might be a voice. Eventually it settles, and the voice of a boy can be heard more clearly.]

You're my friend, Kira. Isn't that real?

backdated to memorial event

[raidraptors]

[It's been a little while since Shun last turned to the Fourth, since he prayed or tried to hear his whisper, for all that he has done his best to help, for all that he had secured the area around the Obelisk for Loki. Taking it out… he thinks it was stupid to do, stupid and uncoordinated and pointless… but that's not why he's here tonight, it's not why he's come to Laurel's burial mark, why he's gripping tightly to his larkspur pendant as he starts to talk.

There is a slight hitch in his voice, a mark of hesitation in his usually so confident and clipped tone – it isn't easy to confess what he has to say aloud. It isn't easy to admit that…]

It's my fault. Even if I didn't kill them, the death of our comrades is my fault.

[He shifts his hands, pressing them and the pendant against his forehead as he kneels, eyes closed tightly.]

I thought if I went to Standard, if I got my hands on Akaba Reiji… maybe I could trade him for Ruri. I chose Ruri over them.

[He shakes his head sharply, breath shaky with distress.]

It was either to abandon Ruri or to leave Heartland and I couldn't; I can't– She's my sister! I have to rescue her; no matter what it takes!

[But in the end that's the crux of it, the fact that he's willing to do near everything, anything to rescue Ruri… that's what's gotten him here too, what had driven him into the Lancers first, and then towards the Fourth. Without wanting to, without realizing he had sacrificed so much, too much maybe… and that's why…]

It's not an excuse. If I had stayed for a little longer… if I had talked to Yuto maybe instead of just taking off…

[If he had talked to Yuto, maybe the other would have stayed behind and defended their comrades. Maybe he wouldn't be dead – or for whatever the hell being absorbed into Yuya counts. Maybe their comrades of Spade district would still be alive.]

It's my fault… I have to live with that. I know that.

[It doesn't help. It doesn't make anything better. The regret, the guilt… it doesn't go away even though he says it out loud and it's utterly aggravating, especially after what Yuya told him, after finding out that–]

Yuya says that– [His voice cracks at that, it's so hard to believe.] –that there's a chance to return them to life.

[That people that were turned into a card aren't truly dead after all, not like they believed – and yet that seems so impossible, almost even more impossible than all of Academia present within Heartland turning their back on the Professor because of Yuya.]

…I don't know what to believe in anymore.

[He truly doesn't.]

[fourthmade]

[When he returns home, Shun's laptop is already turned on. There is a message waiting for him on the screen.]

i can help you make up for that

i want everyone to be with the people who are important to them

but i need all my friends need to work together first :)

i hope that can happen soon

some time before blob's burgers

[peccatore]

[He keeps getting side-tracked these days (these days?), but Marco has finally found a chance to visit the Fourth God. Which is to say, to go back down to the room he previously showed him and Fiddleford, where his body - and, Marco assumes, the center of his consciousness - rests. Sure, he has prayer, he has the radio, but this, he wants to ask in person.

He makes his way to the center of the room (the poor thing, the poor child) and greets him with a nod that comes across as more reverent than he meant it to.]

... Hi. Hello. I wanted to thank you again, for... for everything. The hand, the... [He taps his head.] network...

[And even though this isn't what he's been dying to ask, it's a pressing enough issue that he gets side-tracked. As he does.] S-Speaking of which. I don't know if... I must be using it wrong. I don't know if you saw my post, but...

I-It's supposed to be a little tricky, right? Even Fiddleford had trouble. But... [He lowers his voice to a whisper, even though nobody else should be able to hear him, which he's well aware of:] I don't know if I can handle it. Y-You know the... the trouble I have, right? With the thoughts? They get... difficult sometimes, and, and with this, I-I can't keep people from seeing... And...

[It's hard to articulate his real issues: both the fact that it feels so difficult to make his words not look like gibberish, and how vulnerable it makes him feel. As if someone could peer into his mind and pick away all of his thoughts, one by one.]

And... Anyway, it... it's useful. It's very useful, and I'm grateful, but I was wondering if you had any tips.

[He pauses, and THEN asks what he actually meant to ask before this network thing came up.]

... Can I call you Elias?

[fourthmade]

[The Fourth's voice is just as clear as it had been on Marco's first visit. His body still hangs limp and seemingly, but his voice is bright and cheery. Some of the screens light up with a large ": )" to show his pleasure at Marco's visit.]

Of course you can call me Elias, Marco. We're friends, aren't we? Friends use names.

I saw your post.

[His voice sounds sadder at that, and the smiley faces flicker to ": (" briefly before the screens power down entirely.]

I didn't know it would be so hard for you to use my network like this. That's how I've always used it.

Maybe we could practice together. Would you like that, Marco?

After Blob's Burgers

[andeatit]

The current plan isn't working. If things continue like this, we'll only have both sides endlessly attacking one another, and considering we don't normally stay dead, it's going to be an endless cycle. Defeating one of her followers doesn't convert them to you.

We need to attack her or focus on a way of making those who die stay dead. Otherwise, she won't win, but neither will you.

Re: After Blob's Burgers

[fourthmade]

[a short time later, a messages begin to pop up on Light's private channel]

i know
i dont want my friends to keep getting hurt
that would be so awful for everyone and me :(.........

but shes being very careful
because she knows im getting stronger :)
so long as she stays hidden we cant get to her
shes such a fraidy cat isnt she?

lol

. . .


but youre very smart arent you?
you can find a way to get thru
find what shes hiding
where shes hiding
something we can break

:)

[Light's laptop flickers, as if turning off, but then suddenly brightens again.]

oh!!!

i almost forgot
i have a surprise for all of you!
itll be really fun
and she wont even see it coming

no one will

i hope you all like it

;)

[Another flicker, and the laptop powers down. When it boots up again, the 4th's messages are gone.]

[viliorate]

I feel like I've been sitting around not doing enough for too long. I'm not good at this whole planning thing, I'm the guy people send out to do their dirty work.

I've gotta do more, to help you out. But I'm gonna need some direction, if you want to tell me what to do.

[fourthmade]

[some time later, when Kimbley is wandering down a street late at night, the radio in the window of an electronics store buzzes to life, static filling the air as the dial searches for a voice, settling on the perky tone of a radio personality.]

hello my friend!

hey did you know? theres been a really noisy witch around lately i hear

[A clatter from nearby--a toy store next door. In its window, a pink haired dancer with angelic wings sits atop a music box. it crackles with electricity and slowly begins to twirl. Its movements seem rather glitchy. Is it broken?]

she acts so sweet
but i bet shes rotten to the core



just like the fog

[Another crackle of electricity, and the music box stops. The dancer's wings crack and fall off, revealing the cheap clay over the wire frame, and flaking paint. The toy maker didn't even bother to dye the dancer's roots completely, jeeze.

The radio dial moves again, this time taking the voice of contemplative child.]

you know i remember an old story
about a wicked witch and her lair
there she would trick others with a sweet smile
and offer them sweets and drinks to stay

[a beat, the sound of static crackling in still silence]

i don't remember how it ends
but this is real life not a story
a place like that should not exist
and in real life

. . .

you CAN do something

[There's another surge of electricity. The music box begins to twirl again, and again and again and--CRACK. A pop of electricity, and its base crumbles, sending the 'angel' tumbling.

With that, the radio static fades away, and the streets are quiet once more.]

[andthetombstones]

Robbie doesn't know exactly how he's supposed to do a prayer for the fourth god, and he's not about to look stupid by asking. But, he has something in mind when he walks into the arcade at midday, entering his own room and setting up.

The young troll unshouldered his guitar and sat it down, withdrawing a candle and a small book of matches from his pocket. He sat up in one corner, lighting the candle and resting on his knees. Almost as if someone was watching, the teen clasped his hands nervously and squeezed his eyes shut.

"...This feels stupid." A deep breath.

"Anyway, I'm kind of freaking out here. With the whole... new year thing. I'm not used to this place. I don't belong here. Could you just... help me relax a little? Some peace of mind or something?"

Another uncomfortable pause.

"I'm gonna do this right."

"Uh... Fourth God
my guardian dear,
To whom God's love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.
Amen."

He sat back, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes.

"It's the only one I really remember that would work here."

Robbie leaned forward to blow out the candle, feeling more than a little foolish but hoping it would help, at least a little.

[fourthmade]

[When the candle's flame ceases, the lone radio in Robbie's room begins to sound with life. There's the high pitched trill and crackle of static as the dial turns wildly and erratic, as if possessed, and it's a little startling to say the least.

But then, almost abruptly, the dial settles. The static clears to that of the soothing strings of a guitar, the player humming along to the non existent lyrics. The tone is not too soft, but not all that hardcore, either. A pleasant but catchy tune that if Robbie should try, he could probably play along, too.

The channel continues for a few hours, with various artists playing, but somehow, most if not all will probably be to Robbie's taste.]

right after pieces of heart

[peccatore]

[Hey, guess who's running to check on Elias' body as soon as possible because someone happened to break something in Marco's dreamscape. Yes, okay, that whole... exchange between the gods seemed to indicate He was doing just fine and dandy, but some worries are just too pressing.

Marco sighs with relief as soon as he sees that everything in the Fourth God's room is just as he'd last left it.]

Oh, thank goodness. I-I-- I figured. But I still had to check. [Because Elias just looks so small. On one hand, it was almost disconcerting to see him stand up against the Fog God the way he did, but on the other hand... it made Marco feel oddly proud, too.

... This isn't all he's here to talk about, though, is it?]

You were just keeping us safe, weren't you? [A nervous laugh.] She couldn't touch us at all while we were in there, even if... even if, erm, if it felt like I could feel her sometimes. It wasn't really her, was it? Just like how I ran into a lot of people who-- who weren't really those people. It was all very... very... like that.

N-Nobody-- Nobody managed to... [He brings a hand up to the level of his head, unsure of how to even PUT it.] I mean, I'm sure several people got in. A-A necessity in the system, I'm sure. You needed everyone, and it had to work the same for everyone. But nobody got in... too deep, right? Nobody did anything to me. Her people didn't hurt me. Y-You wouldn't have let them. Right?

[The corners of his mouth pull up into a frail grin that crumbles immediately. Instead of looking at Elias, he stares straight down at the floor.]

I'm sorry. For a second there, I-I was afraid that... that you'd done something terrible. To me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

[fourthmade]

[Elias hangs limp as ever, looking no better or worse than he did before. There's no response to him at all at first. There's only the ever present hissing of radios. Soon, though, the hissing comes to an abrupt stop leaving the room utterly quiet before it is filled with Elias' voice.]

Don't you trust me, Marco?

[He sounds saddened by this.]

I'm sorry. I know it was scary, but I did what I had to. I thought you would understand.

BACKDATED TO CHRISTMAS

[soft_focus]

[[OOC - I had to confirm what was going on in Fors before sending this, sorry :'D]]

[Reira has certain regular behaviors for Elias; nearly every day, he tries to share what he did with him, and when he misses one, he does his best to remember the time that needs to be caught up. He tells him about playing in the lake, about racing against cars along the sidewalk, about flying higher, higher, and higher still...

When he comes in this time, it has been almost two weeks since his last message. His wings are stumps-scabbed over and bandaged, with only a few days to 'heal'.

He seems okay. Mostly. He carries a wrapped gift, along with a plate of the food from his house's christmas party.]

...I'm sorry I haven't been able to play, [he starts, setting the plate on the table in his room. He always just sort of leaves food there when he brings it. If the 4th likes it, it'll probably be gone when he comes back again, he's sure. He doesn't mind if something is left behind-no one likes broccoli.] ...I got grounded for trying to go on an adventure...

...I still got to go after that, but because of what happened, I couldn't come in for a while still... [The wing stumps shudder. When he sleeps in here after making his 'prayer', they will heal through his recently gifted power; but that is later, and this is now.] ...I wish you could have come though. It was scary, [he admits.] And I got hurt, and so did the others, but..!

...I could only bring them because of the power you gave me...and even though it was dark, and scary, it was fun too...! There was something there at the bottom...with suns, and moons, even though it was hard to see, and I think you would have liked to see it too!

Because adventures are fun, [he says quietly. But he bites his lip.] ...Someone said you can't bring laptops in the water though... ...so even though I thought of it, I didn't want it to get ruined, and hurt you... ...I thought, 'maybe I can at least take a picture', but if it didn't work underwater, then that wouldn't happen either.

...I'll try to tell you about it though. I want to explore more places like that, to tell you those stories...! So that you can hear about more than just hide and seek! It'd be like reading an adventure book, or a comic! [He doesn't have many comics, mind, but the few he has are Pretty Good in his opinion.

The gift, and its card, sit on the table. The boy yawns.] ...'m gonna sleep here tonight...I missed my room, and I missed playing with you...

...Merry Christmas, ok?

[He hopes the 4th likes his present.]

[fourthmade]

[No answer comes, but Reira has a very pleasant sleep that night, comforted by the 4th's presence and the holiday cheer outside. The lights may even dim as not to disturb him.

When he wakes, he'll find the gift and flowers gone, and a little robot holding an Etch-A-Sketch in its roboarms sitting in their place. Next to it is a simple, ordinary children's notepad and pencil.

The etch-a-sketch reads:]

happy holidays :]
make notes on all ur adventures
so u can remember
2 tell me all about them

-4

[terribibble]

I'm not cross with you. About what you did, I mean.

[Fiddleford doesn't talk to Elias too often. At least, not in the way many of his followers do. He doesn't offer traditional prayers and he doesn't offer updates on himself because, well, Elias is keeping an eye on him. He should already know. What he often does do is explain his math or his code to Elias whenever it's not working quite right, going over it again and again until he finds what needs to be fixed. It seems appropriate somehow.

Today, though, he is addressing the radio on his desk with intent. Since he regained consciousness after spending a week collapsed (he's still sore) he's been feeling more and more alarming and intrusive thoughts, thoughts that are compounding on top of a problem he was already having.]

Some folks are but it... well it wasn't your fault what they saw or what their minds made, was it? You didn't do that.

[That's not the issue.]

And you kept her away from us at the end there and I'm grateful for that, I really am, but I could feel her tryin' to get her fingers into my head and I couldn't --

[That's not the issue either, but it's closer.]

I miss the tail.

[There it is.]

I have since I got my legs back. I thought I'd be happy because the way I am now I'm closer to bein' human, comparatively I mean, and that's what I ought to want, but especially the past few days I keep thinkin' how the way I am now's not right and it's not because I'm not a human, it's because I'm not a snake. [That all tumbles out in one shaky rush. He takes a deep breath and tries to relax. He fails.] At first I thought it was because I needed to get used to the legs again but it never went away. I shouldn't be feelin' that way, should I? I shouldn't have got so used to it. There's a difference between dealin' with somethin' and gettin' too comfortable with it. Did she do that or is that -- is that just me?

[He almost hopes it's just him. If it's just him then he can correct it. If the Fog God managed to get to him even with all of Elias's protection then that's a lot more alarming.]

[fourthmade]

[a long beat, but an answer finally comes. its whispered, thoughtful, as if the 4th isn't paying much attention]

i didn't create any of what was seen

but some people
have very interesting minds, huh?

[It almost seems like he's ignoring Fiddleford's rant. There's a long silence, with nothing but the hum of electricity in the air.

until--]

i missed my body too you know

i hate this.

[a screen flickers and crackles]

having a normal life would be nice

but

like this i can make a difference. now, i don't want to go back to how everything was before. back to being weak and vulnerable.

Fiddleford. she's not getting to you. you're using her, just like I did. but we're using our power for good.

if you think you can help me
and everyone else
better as you were before

what's wrong with that?

we'll be able to make sure everything is right in the end anyway.

after(and regarding) Shun's drop

[operadiance]

[ She doesn't waste her time with searching through frequent haunts, or bribing her way into Mana's favor for some method to do it on her own. When worry launches in a sprint towards panic, Yuzu's hand shakes for anxiety as she jams her black card through the seam of her bedroom door. She walks through the arcade with quick, heavy steps, eyes blind to her surroundings when her heart beats so loud in her ears.

She winds through hallways with the ease of coming home; she pushes into that inner sanctum, the place where only they can go.

Her breath is winter, and her scales are bleeding color, turning pale. ]

Where is he?

[fourthmade]

[ She is alone there, for a moment. More than one, then the silence brims with his presence— jitters in the edges of her vision. It'd been a pause as if he'd had to check, or this was something he didn't want to admit to.

He speaks, synthetic and mechanical as always. ]

she took him

[ Distorted though his voice is through static, Yuzu hears a youth to the Fourth God's voice. It's not distress, but it echoes with a helpless irritation— that this is all he can say. That for all he's done, his grip on his followers isn't tight enough to stop the Fog from yanking them away. ]

Backdated to the end of the event

[shikosuki]

[ Choromatsu had stared at his laptop for a long time in disbelief over what he had just seen transpire, not sure what to really make of it at first. That was... really the Fourth? He heard a lot about him already, mostly from that "anonymous" post back in November. He'd thought about that post a lot since then, what with all the bad things that had happened to him and his brothers. None of it would have happened if they'd never been brought here in the first place, so that post had spoken to him deeply. He'd thought a lot about how nice it'd actually be if it were possible to just... band together and defeat her.

Now for the first time he thinks it might actually be possible.

He has no clue how he's supposed to do any of this though. The tensions between both sides and the need for anonymous handles made him hesitant to just ask someone for more information, even if they did have the mark from that post. They had no reason to trust him and vice versa. And it wasn't like there was... a shrine or something like back home that he could just pay his respects to. The only thing he can think of right now... that message on the laptop before had been from the Fourth, right? If the Fourth could use the computers like that maybe if he talks out loud to it right now, he'll be heard?

It's been a few weeks since Osomatsu told him to leave and his apartment is empty, with no chance of anyone else hearing him. If he's going to do this, now's a good time. He waits a little while out of courtesy first (after all, the two gods might have continued after that) but then nervously addresses the laptop. ]

H-Hello? A-Are you still there? Can you even hear me...?

[ ...This already feels silly. But he keeps going anyway. ]

...I don't like what you just did to m-- to us. At all. But... I want to be clear...

I would never help her.

She's taken so much from my brothers and I... we don't even have our identities as identical sextuplets anymore. And she's put us through so much suffering just by bringing us here! I can't stand it! I don't want to do anything to help her...! Not even on accident...! The thought of that makes me sick!

But I... I don't know what to do. Your... followers? I've seen them talk about you before. They say you oppose her, that we should band together with you... but they never say how we're supposed to do that. I see now that you might actually be able to do it... to do something about her... but I still don't know what I can do. I don't know how to find out more about you, if I should even trust you, how I'm even supposed to help if I wanted to...

I guess I'm asking for direction... or confirmation... or anything... s-so please...

[ He hangs his head with a heavy sigh, overcome with the feeling that what he's doing is stupid and pointless. ]

I just... I just...

[ He doesn't realize it, but his voice is cracking. After everything that happened, his heart right now is full of familial ache. He'd been to his brothers' dreamscapes, seen their minds and hearts. And in his own dreamscape there'd been a child version of himself, a manifestation of everything he tried to suppress, overjoyed to see his brothers and be with them, even whilst voicing his fears about "the monster" and his own newfound loneliness. Whatever was done to his dreamscape just makes him feel even closer to them, strengthens his desire to do something... He just wants to go back to yelling at them about whatever, laughing and fighting together without the threat of everything about Ryslig looming above them.

"Take back your futures. Take the fate of your lives into your own hands."

But... how can he when right now all he feels is like that same powerless, scared and lonely child from his dreamscape? ]

I just want to protect my family...

[fourthmade]

[ Despite his hesitation, how silly it feels...the laptop flickers, and the black screen flickers to a back-lit black as it boots up. The air is heavy with pressure, the static before a storm sealed into the the still room, and the feeling of someone watching. Someone listening.

No login screen, no network display comes up.

But still, words appear on the screen, one character at a time. There's something careful in the slow way it comes, thoughtful. Or no, maybe petulant. ]

i didn't want to do that either
but i needed to know

[ The cursor blinks at the end of the line. The Fourth God has seen Choromatsu's mind in the dreams— he considers it. And then, one character at a time, the text continues. ]

i won't open your minds again
not if you help.
find her followers for me. people thinking about joining too
if we have more information we can protect your family better
spy for me, choromatsu.

backdated to a few days after Pieces of Heart

[ueteribus]

[At first he didn't use the network at all. He didn't dare. Couldn't. He was angry, unsettled, in discomfort and...afraid. So very afraid, really. Lucius doesn't like losing control over the one thing that he should always be in absolute command over: himself.

The strange conversation between the Fourth and the Fog he witnessed doesn't really help either. He knows it means his side is growing stronger but he almost doesn't care. It hardly negates the violation he feels.

As the days pass though and the shock fades he realizes that he feels, oddly, better. More confident and relaxed than he has for some time. The interactions in his dreamscape - though he doesn't know about them - were mostly positive, which was kind to his mental state. The things that he experienced firsthand though inside other people's minds...

He has to wait until he feels he has better control on himself before he can at last send this message. He uses the communicator directly because typing it out gives him a better chance to consider his words.

He doesn't go to the Arcade. Even though by now he's starting to get hungry.]


I don't mean to be impertinent or ungrateful. So, please forgive me. However I do wish to be honest and I am having a difficult time with what has happened to me. With what you did to us.

Why did you do it? I know you must have had your reasons but I confess I don't understand. The element of surprise must have been key, of course. But couldn't you have at least warned your followers, or asked for our permission?

I am not often in the habit of being candid or unrestrained in my thoughts and emotions on my best of days. To have had strangers interacting with my insides like that, to know they must have seen things even though I don't know what, I must say that right now I feel as if I

As if I have been violated, in my spirit and mind.

And I don't know what I am going to say when next I see any of those that I swore to that you were trustworthy. I could lose face with so many people, and it's frustrating to think you're acting as if you haven't considered any of this at all.

[fourthmade]

[It takes some time for the response to come. Lucius crafted his message with the utmost care and, perhaps, the Fourth is repaying the favor in kind. It is several minutes before the signature white courier begins to appear on the screen.]

i considered very carefully. i promise.

it had to happen the way it did, lucius. i needed to get as deep as possible to find what i needed to find. if i had asked before i did it you would have put up walls against me. i know you. she needed to see i am strong and clever and can go where i want.

i couldnt let her think you didnt trust me. we are winning. you saw what i did to her when she tried to steal you back. there is no room for doubt right now. there cant be gaps she can get through. doubt is a big gap.

dont doubt me. doubt the people who'd use what they saw against you. those are your real enemies.

[expectional]

[The things Reira told him about the arcade sounded so wonderful, and yet...there were some issues. The fact that the fourth god was clearly a child was great but...was everything what it seemed? Could they trust a god, even a child god, who considers adults to be friends? And what about what Haru had told him? About how one god wanted to send them home and the other wanted them to stay?]

[For a while, Nagisa just stares at the screen of his laptop, mulling things over in his head, debating, figuring out what he wan'ts to say. But, eventually his fingers find the keys and he begins to type, a look of concentration on his face.]

My name is Shingetsu Nagisa, and I was told that this was the only way to contact you, short of leaving you a note in your arcade. Akaba said that you don't have a body, but that you are connected to all our laptops and can see what we type. If that's true, then I have a few questions for you, fourth god, if you would be willing to answer them.

From what I have been told, I can only assume that you are a child. Or as close to a child as a deity can be, I suppose. And if that is the case, that automatically gives me more reason to trust you over the fog god.

However, I have also heard that you consider some adults to be your friends. That you allow them into the safe place you have created. And I am both concerned and confused by this. Adults are demons (not the monster species that exists here, for clarification), they are not friends. Your arcade sounds like a true paradise for children, and such paradises cannot exist in a world where adults hold all the power. Eventually, they will undo what you have built. That's just their nature as demons and you would be better off killing any that come near, rather than welcoming them across the threshold.

So why? For what reason do you trust these adults? Admittedly, my companion and I have both met adults here who do not seem to have become demons as they grew up...but surely that cannot be true of every adult monster here. It's just not possible. Even one or two is a rarity that I can scarcely believe to be true.

I also wish to know what your goals are. Why you oppose the fog god, and what you will do if you are successful in defeating her. I have heard that it is because you wish to send us back to our own universes. But I have little desire to return home. It's quite possible that I would be dead right now if not for the fog god's intervention.

[He's still so hazy on the details of this. He doesn't remember dying, but...what if it was just a case of perfect timing? This is something that's been bothering him ever since he arrived on that train. As much as he says he'd rather die than grow up, the fact that that may actually be true now is kind of terrifying. He still has things he wants to accomplish! If going back home means dying, then...]

I would rather stay here. Even if I would have survived without her help, the only things worth returning home for would be the other Warriors of Hope. And even then, I think we would all be better off here than there. But I suppose I've strayed away from my original point here. So, to get back on topic: the person who told me about the reason for your conflict was not Akaba, but rather someone who I do not think follows either of you. He said you were both annoying, and that he didn't pay attention to the details of your conflict. So I wish to know the truth before I decide to cast my lot with either of you.

[Finally, he stops typing. Just for a few moments, though he still stares hard at the screen. Is that really how he wants to end it? No. No it's not.]

I suppose that's all for now. I feel as though there was more I needed to ask but nothing seems quite as important right now. I want to find somewhere saw for my companion and I to stay and, right now, you seem like the safest option. But as much as I want to put my trust in you, I can't yet. Not without facts directly from the source. So, if you really are listening...

[Wow, that's really not any less abrupt of an ending than what his first one would have been. Good going there, Nagisa. You just kind of awkward trailed off there. In text. What an accomplishment. But he can't think of anything else to say to conclude his thoughts, so it is what it is.]

[Now to wait.]

[He's just going to sit in front of his laptop and stare at the screen all night if he has to. Waiting. Watching. Wondering if this whole attempt was pointless.]

[fourthmade]

[It isn't until he is completely finished typing that the response apperas on his screen in the usual white courier. It comes all at once, a polite letter in response to Nagisa's.]

hello nagisa :)

its nice to meet you. i know you want to make the best choice so i will answer your questions the best that i can.

what i want is to stop the suffering the fog god is causing. i want what is best for everyone in ryslig. if you dont want to go back to where she took you from thats okay. you dont have to. once shes taken care of everyone will get a happy ending and i will be sure to take care of my friends first.

i know some of my friends are adults and thats scary. but you can trust me. ive known bad adults before and i know what theyre like. the fog god is much older than all of them put together and shes the one age has made mean. compared to her were all children if you think about it! and we have to work together to stop her. it wont work if its just you and me. and the others would be sad if i made them leave. :(

i hope this helps you decide!

[soft_focus]

[When they hear the radio crackle on the first night of the fog, they consider asking. They don't know what to do, or what to say however, and so instead they keep to themself, continuing their usual methods; telling Elias about the new goggles they made that light up the dark, about the little bird they're looking after (having. well. orphaned it unintentionally). If it's important, the 4th will tell them when he is ready after all. They have asked if there is something to be done before-the one time there was, they did so, bringing Ron out from the fog and into the arcade. When they were given their notebook and told to use it well, they did so-writing all that they saw, even of the strange 'city' at the bottom of Lake Fors, and telling him as much as they knew.

They will wait, is what they decide.

But then, while they sleeps in their bed outside the arcade, they dreams of the End they had yet to remember. They dream of Zarc, and Ray-of letting Ray take their body to fight the dragon that Zarc was...and then of forcing Ray back in order to seal Zarc away through their body.

Forever.

In 'Death'.]

...I can't go back anymore. Can I? [they ask the arcade quietly. It seems quiet tonight-as if the sounds of the machines have been turned down, and the robotic clicks stopped. They sit by the pinball console-His favorite, Reira knows-and they talk and struggle to keep tears from gathering at their eyes.] ...Did you know that? People remember things before others do sometimes...and they keep them secret to make sure they don't hurt, but I don't know if it helped or not, [the child weeps. They do not blame the god, however. That much is clear. But they shake, and they cry, holding their legs and their notebook close as teardrops stain the pages.] ...You'll still bring him back, when we stop her, right?

...Even if I can't go back, niisama can still live with his real family...can't he? ...I want him to be happy. ...He's my brother, even if he wasn't my real one...he... He was my first family! [the child declares. He was the first who didn't look to the child and view a tool for their own gain, a puppet to give orders. ...He was the first, and She took him.]

...If I can't go back...we'll be friends for as long as I live, right? I didn't want to leave my friends behind here. I didn't want to leave you behind. ...but if I can't, then I guess I don't have to worry about that...right? [It's a childish sort of logic, but one that suits a child, certainly. And Reira thinks back to what the 4th was muttering about on the radio earlier, perhaps to himself, and perhaps not. What matters though is that he was muttering it.

And they holds their notebook tightly.] ...I don't know who the 'he' you were talking about was. If you don't want to tell me, that's okay. I don't tell other people a lot of things.

But I want to learn more about where we live-about what I saw at the bottom of the lake, and other places, so that I can help you. If you can't go there, I want to find what there is, and see it, and if it can stop the Fog God forever, then you can use it! ...And then everyone will be happy again.

[And then the important people will go home. Like Shun should have. Like Yuuto should have. Like Yuugo, Serena, Gongenzaka, Reiji-]

I don't know where to start, but I have goggles that can see in the dark now. So I'll find a place, and look. And I'll keep looking, until we don't have to look any more.

[Reira wipes their eyes, still leaning against the console. The notebook is still clutched in their arms, and the sounds are still muted in their ears. But even so, their words are resolute. This is...]

I promise.

[Tell them who 'He' was, that 'stubborn' being who still has 'juice' left. They will track them down, and find them, just as they once searched for and unearthed information for the soldiers in their world.

Tell them nothing, and they will move regardless.

They will no longer wait.]

[savagesaiyan]

HELLO, SO-CALLED GOD. I AM VEGETA, PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS, AND I DEMAND AN AUDIENCE WITH YOU. ONE OF YOUR SUBJECTS CLAIMS THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DEFEAT THE FOG GOD. IS THIS TRUE, AND IF SO HOW CAN I STRIKE AT HER DIRECTLY. IF YOU TRY TO MANIPULATE YOU THEN I WILL CRUSH YOU AND YOUR SUBJECTS JUST AS I WILL CRUSH HER, SO DON'T YOU DARE TRY ANYTHING.

[fourthmade]

[ The reply comes late - the Fourth has been distracted, wholly consumed with trying to expand his sphere with his conduits. But of course, he isn't the only one. ]

everyone on my side is

we could use your help if you want to really hurt her
her conduits have her power right now
find them and you find her

and when you do find them
hit them until youre satisfied

Shortly after Stocke takes out Kimbley

[nestingdevil]

[It doesn't take long for him to get the news.]

[What little details there are, they'll slim at best. Stocke's answer had been curt, but honest. The circumstances of how and why he killed Kimbley are still vague. When it happened, where; right now, they don't matter. Not in the long run. And certainly not with the impeding pressure still surrounding the block like an unseen vacuum. Even this far away, he can feel the sensation. The prick, while mild, lingers sluggishly in the air. Between the mismatched points of his scales, shy currents lace themselves from carbon to carbon; the trembles of corrupted static bouncing like that of a ward or a sudden shift in the atmosphere flashing a foreboding warning.]

[For here, here, is the border of numbers and codes.]

[Greed slowly shoves his heel into the steel barb of a kickstand. Most of the residents in this section of Vandare have fled already. Cold windows and empty homes pucker in the dark like flash-frozen yelps. A few of the buildings still have a light on or two, but under the Fourth's radiating influence, the trembles they give off are erratic and unpredictable. It leaves the narrow alleyways pulsing in a lightning storm's flash: the appearance more close to that of a disaster's vicious aftermath. Fat cables bounce in a tangle of faint-laced wire and as one of the lampposts further away shatters inside its case, a headlight on the opposing corner goes dim. The cutting engine practically deafening.]

[No, today? Today, he's here alone.]

[The Sin hooks his claws lazily in the loops of his keys. Copper, silver, and a dash of well-loved nickle hang on the crook of his knuckle. By the looks of them, they've seen better days. A kind of wet slicks atop the grooves like well-licked teeth. One spin though, and they quickly dry; the sudden rise of temperature in his hand turning metal and steel a searing, orange-bubble hot.]

Y'know, for someone like you, I figured you wouldn't be that dense. [Greed's voice smooths out from the dusk. Where there's a playful hum to his words, there's no denying that sharp edge. It flicks at the tips of his teeth in flutter - the forks of his tongue tasting the air with a rolling pop punctuated by a flare deep on the inside of his cheek. The former homunculus takes his time; counts his seconds. He passes by the front of his motorcycle in a hunch, his shoulders positioned high and tight.] Sorry, but you really haven't given me much of a choice, friend.

[The night's cool air ripens the more he draws near. Crisp before, his presence seems to bring a trickle of humidity. Subtle, yes, but all too much like a fever that's only clamming at the surface. Greed sinks his heel in the center of two, uneven stones - drawing the tip to a high, arching slice.] Getting me involved, that's one thing. [The pause is dangerous and indicating.] But forcing mine to kill one another?

[The Sin's jaws snap and in the shadow of a dead post, the glint of his teeth replace any light. The glow white and hot; giving even the most infamous deep-water predator a run for everything it's got. He taps his knuckle atop the side of his thigh.] That's still stealing. And if you're anything, then you should already know.

[A lift of his chin brings his head upward, the shimmer from his eyes like two, beady flashlights cruising in the dark.]

No one takes what's mine.

[fourthmade]

[Static hums in the darkness, Greed’s declaration seemingly falling on deaf ears. It isn’t until the once dead lamp post lights up that he gets a response: his own voice, staticked and on loop.]

“Mine?”

[Another lamp post lights up, then another. The lights throw something of a spotlight on the sin.]

were they yours?
they seem more like stray dogs
cold and hungry with nobody to watch over them

but me
at least i gave one a purpose

a reason to seek freedom
and not to lie back
while she makes you do terrible things

not to be like some people

[The lights hum.]

if you really wanna keep them
If you really really want what’s ‘yours’

[His voice play again, from a dozen lights and radios. “Mine?” “Mine?” “Mine?”]

think about where you stand, mister sin.

[Pop Pop POP! The lights each burst one after another, the hum of static gone, and leaving the demon simmering alone in the darkness.]

[strontiumdog]

[Johnny sits on the bed of his small bedroom, fingers curled loosely around a small radio on his knee. It spits with static, a trophy of one of the fourth-corrupted areas. It hasn't said anything once he'd taken it out of the area, but he still holds it like a hand grenade at arms length. When he's ready, he brings it up to his mouth and speaks.]

I don't know if you're listening. But I've had a talk with one of your followers. He said you respond to people. I want to know something. I've heard a lot about you, and the Fog God. The fight going on right now. I couldn't care less about what happened to the park, or the trees, or whatever. A couple of dead plants are nothing. These things happen. What I do want to know, is how you knew all that about me.

[His grip tightens around the radio.]

I can't say that I'm happy about it. In fact, I'm downright snecking pissed. But...

I want to know more. About exactly how powerful you are. I don't care about going back. I've made enough mistakes there. They're better off without me. And I couldn't care less about the changes that have been happening to me. I've always been a killer. But what I don't like is the idea of being a killer for the sick amusement of some snecking, jumped up "god". I've always done it for a purpose. A job, for money, for the defenceless, sure. Never my own survival. Maybe one day I could have stopped. Unlikely, but there was still a chance. And now I can't.

[He falls silent, and it's a long time before he speaks up again.]

I just fought in a war for revenge, for the crimes that have been perpetrated against mutants. You know this. All my life, I've been fighting for some cause or another, and I've been hurt for it, my friends and comrades have died for it. I'm tired. But I can feel it calling to me again, and I don't know if I can muster up the energy to do it all over again. Whether it's worth it.

[Another pause, but this time shorter.]

Whatever this Fog thing is, they're not a God. They're just powerful. And I need to know if you can take her. And I need to know what will happen if you do. And I can't say that I like you, but fighting is all I can do. It's all I have to offer to anyone. I'll never worship you, but if your answer is good enough, we'll see if you can't contract this old dog.

[He waits a beat, then two. He drops the radio onto the floor with a clatter, and lets it lie there.]

That's all.

[fourthmade]

[the broken radio buzzes, inner workings creaking from the sudden drop. the dial seems to move on its own, twitching erratically back and forth, and a voice breaks through the static.]

you want a purpose
i know how you feel

living for the sake of living, killing just to keep doing nothing
it's frustrating, isn't it?
it’s frustrating for me too
but without people like you, i can't keep fighting against her

maybe i'm not a god, but i do need you.

[the radio hums, the sound drowning out, seemingly going dead. But then, a whisper.]

you know, we're a lot alike
i'm tired too
tired of struggling
tired of her stringing us all along
tired of the sheer desperation

i hate it

old timer
if you lend me your strength
i promise.
soon. you can finally rest.

[yourdearfriend]

HEY
FOURTH GOD
its clarence here
one of your followers told me you see the world like some big computer network
with everything all connected
and not a circuit out of place
now you see
as a former hivemind
this appeals to me

and

and

I just get LONELY sometimes
you know?
I get lonely because when I close my eyes theres nothing there
just these stupid monkey thoughts like "what am I gonna have for dinner?" or "my foot itches"
AND IT SUCKS
ITS INFURIATING
WHY IS NO ONE THERE???

so tell it to me straight fourth god
what do you want to do with us
I wont be happy if you lie

[fourthmade]

[So Clarence doesn’t like being lonely, does he? The Fourth can help with that.

A voice--no, voices come from all around. A television, a radio, even the lights seem to buzz with the low murmur of speech and static. It corresponds with the words that appear on Clarence’s screen:]

dont worry
i dont like to lie :)

what i want to do to you all? nothing.

i just want to be free
I just want to be done with this world

you too
right?

maybe you can help me
maybe we can help each other
as long as you stay with me
i can make sure there will always be
something
someone
in your head with you

[goryteller]

Hello, Fourth God.

I spoke with one of your priests, and he told me that when I pray to you, I should speak to you like a normal, regular person. That you're very nice, all things considered. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to speak to you like you're a regular person.

[An uncomfortable pause.]

So. Um. Nice weather, we're having, right? Nice spring weather. It was May in my own world when the Fog God took me, so it's a little eerie, somehow. Like I didn't really leave.

[Another pause.]

Sorry. Part of this feels rude, like I'm going on and on and not giving you time to get a word in edgewise. I do that sometimes, you know, when I'm nervous, I just keep talking to fill up the silence, but there wouldn't be any silence if I learned to calm down and talk like a normal fucking person. You know? So, I, um, if I'm being rude, please let me know, and I'll stop.

[Pause.]

Or don't, if you don't want to speak to me. That's fine, too.

[Pause.]

But I'm not talking to you just to chat. I mean, I can do that in the future, certainly, if that's what you want, I don't have time right now. My brother's life is in danger. Back home. And I know you want to free us from the Fog God and send us all home again, but I don't know how long I can wait. I'm scared.

What should I do?

[fourthmade]

[Should Kat have any electronic device nearby--a radio, a tv, it doesn’t matter--a quiet voice will soon speak up through the hum of static.]

i dont mind listening
its fine

[a beat of silence]

i understand
you feel powerless
right?
but i cant help you or your brother
as long as SHE still has power.

im sorry.

if you want to leave
you have to stop her
you can try to help me if you want
but i dont know how long it will take

16/4

[getmeoutofthedraft]

[Well, this feels dumb, but Fiddleford did say that "near a radio" was the best place to talk to the Fourth, so here goes nothing.]

[Hawkeye clears his throat, takes a long swig of gin, and launches into it.]

Calling the Fourth God, calling the Fourth God. Come in, Fourth God. This is Hawkeye Pierce.

I'll keep this short and to the point: this needs to stop. People are getting hurt. People are getting killed over this damn conduits thing. Doesn't that mean anything to you?

I don't know what the deal is with you and whatshername, and nobody's really explained it, but you can't tell me this is the best way to deal with it! You don't solve problems by sitting around breaking each other's things! I was going to say sit down and talk about it like grown-ups, but someone told me you aren't actually a grown-up, so that's not much good. But, uh, as someone who is a grown-up and who took way too long to figure this out, sit down and talk about it. Jesus!

I'm going to try to get in touch with the other one too. But, look, can we try to do this peacefully, maybe? Sit down together and try to see each other's side? Maybe outside town? Maybe on Wednesday? I'll bring cake and sandwiches!

[He's quiet for a long moment, and then much more serious.]

Please. Seriously. People are dying here.

[fourthmade]

[a child’s voice finally comes to hawkeye in reply on the eve of the event’s end, as the sound of sirens blare through a nearby radio]

hi captain
its done now

i won.

is this better?
are you happy?

[intercalaryninja]

Fourth God,

I am Tsukikage of the Fuuma Clan. I am the guardian of Reira Akaba and Ron Fuuma, formerly Hasegawa. Ordinarily, I would not come to you, and a part of me regrets having to resort to this, but I need your help.

I know my master and Ron are used to fighting, but I don’t want them involved with all of this anymore. It is too much for them. Ryslig is a dangerous place, but there is no need to force them to live in fear like this and need to hurt people in such cruel ways. Your will and actions have torn apart the inhabitants of my home, and the pain Reira-dono feels for harbouring such damaging secrets and harming the park has been carved into her heart.

I cannot tell you what to do, I am in no position to do such a thing. I cannot force my children to revoke you, but I implore you to please never do anything like this again. Please. Please. I beg of you as a father and a servant, stop bringing those children into danger. I no longer want to see them suffer. Use another if you have to.

I acknowledge you have no debt to me, nor you have no reason to give them up, but Reira-dono says you are kind. You are her friend.

So please listen. Please tell me that you won’t bring them into harms way anymore.

Tsukikage.

[fourthmade]

[The cursor on the screen blinks idly, nothing out of the ordinary.

Right up until the screen goes black, anyway. When it flickers back on, Tsukikage will find a new message waiting in his inbox.]

i know who you are
those two care about you
a lot

that must feel really nice

. . .

i dont want to lie to you
someday danger might find them
even if they dont ask for it
the fogs beasts
scared and desperate humans

they don't care about us being kids
not one bit

my power is limited
i can only protect them so much
but its the same for you
isn't it...?

sorry
i really am
if i could promise more i would

but maybe some day
you can lend me your strength
then i could give you mine

and maybe you could protect them
until the very end.

[peccatore]

[This is a series of messages spoken into the radio Elias gave Marco once - in fact, he's been speaking into that thing relatively frequently over the course of the whole conduit business. Not hoping for a response or anything - it just... made him feel better.

This message, though, pains him to deliver:]

I failed. I-- At every opportunity... I failed. Completely.

I'm sorry.

[Another message follows, not long after the last:] I-I understand. It's the only way. Right? If you let the park go, then she'll... she'll just seize control again. It has to be this way. Until we've defeated her.

Poor nymphs, poor... anybody, everybody who can't survive in the places you've cleansed... It's like she's pried all of their humanity out of their bodies.

[The next message comes after the fog falls and, somehow, monsters have found themselves becoming human again.]

You...

You did it?

[And the last message, once it becomes evident that those monsters are, in fact, changing into new forms... Well, it's not really a message. Not like the last few. It's more like Marco running into the Arcade, rushing into the room holding Elias' real body, and staring at him as he tries to process everything, and by "like that" what I mean is that that's exactly what Marco does.

He will make sense of this. He will, he will, because Elias can do no wrong.]

[fourthmade]

[Elias's body doesn't move. But shortly after Marco enters, one of the screens near him flickers quietly on.]

hello marco
whats wrong? : (
we won

[quietpeacefullife]

[Despite all his actions during the conduit business Kira feels he's done nothing wrong.

Gently he clicks his claws along the sides of the radio, offering a soft hum before speaking.]

I must admit... I'm a touch upset with our priests. Giving away my name like that to a known Fog Conduit. Causing my death and the loss of the business district that I worked so hard to redecorate.

Oh and talking to them is so frustrating. It's almost as if... they don't understand what's happening, dare I say it, they don't understand you.

But I do understand and I relish in it. The death of the park and all the wild life and all the nature. That's not a side effect to what you're doing that is what you're doing. After all, if this is to be our hell then let us make it an incredible one. You are trapped here. And I am trapped here. This entire world exists to be our prison where life and death do not matter. It's terrible. And your goal is to tear it asunder and make it something for you, correct? A place where you can live quietly and peacefully, yes?

There isn't a need to lie. Not to me. I shall embrace this wasteland you're creating. I'll help and I don't intend to impede the progress so long as you hold true to your promise to me.

No one leaves. Everyone suffers. Don't forget that promise. That promise is what ties us together.

But I didn't contact you to complain about the priests as I am certain you are quite fond of them. I imagine you find them charming? Perhaps silly even. Like little puppets on strings. It's so easy to make them dance. Though I do wish they were actual puppets... then they'd be silent. No no, I didn't come to you about them.

I am here to say that I support what you're doing. Why make excuses for actions we intended from the beginning? There is nothing wrong with doing what we enjoy because it makes us happy. I do the same. Do things because you have to, because you want to, because you like to. You said once that you thought I'd understand, and I do. More than you realize. I won't make excuses for your actions because there isn't a need to.

Be wary of the ones that say otherwise, my little Fourth God.

[Kira allows a few moments of silence and rubs his jaw where Marco dared to hit him.]

It's fun to play with toys, is it not? But no toy lasts forever. Sometimes they go bad. Mine almost always do so I toss them out and find another. Maybe you should do the same.

[[OOC: There is no need to respond, unless you'd like to!]]

[fourthmade]

Don't worry, Kira. I never, ever forget my promises.

[The :) can almost be heard in his voice, but it's not entirely friendly - it feels blank, almost artificial. A sting of static electricity arcs off where Kira's fingers touch the radio.]

But my priests are some of my favorite toys. They play house with each other, and throw sand at people, and act like they know so much. So I don't mind if they try to make words up for me, I don't think.

Just remember, they're my toys, not yours. If they stop working right, I can fix them. But if someone else messes with them...

[ the radio sparks, an odd clicking noise coming from within it. after a moment, the noise dies away. ]

[thefuckingbeam]

[Eddie's not much for praying. Not really, not ever. It's always felt wrong. But, well...the Fourth God has been good to him so far, and right now, he needs all the help he can get. He presses his face into the television screen in his living room, feeling cold glass and a crackle of leftover static, and prays aloud:]

I...My wife is gone. Vanished. I just...I don't know what to do with myself, Elias, I only just got her back and felt like things were falling into place and now I'm just. Here in this house by myself. And I don't know...what I'm supposed to do.

I know you can't bring her back. I know people disappear all the time. I just need to know what the fuck to do with myself, because having her here for two months and then taking her away is crueler than...than never having her here at all.

Just...please. Tell me what I should do. So I don't lose my fuckin' mind.

[fourthmade]

[The room is silent save for the humming static of television, and it prickles against his forehead. There's is suddenly a slightly stronger jolt, no where near strong enough to hurt him, but hopefully enough to catch his attention.

The television screen flickers in and out before the static ceases, and the black and white image of a man and woman dancing plays on the screen. There's a look of love yet sorrow in their eyes, cherishing the moment, taking in every step. . .but then the woman breaks away, hands tucked to her chest, as she runs off screen. The man reaches out to her, saying something with tear filled eyes, likely trying to call to her, but the voice that comes out of his mouth is the fourth's.]

im sorry

this is what she does

dangle a moments hope and love in front of you

and then takes it away

[his words sync with the man's lips as his hand balls to a fist, and he brings it close to his chest.]

it hurts to lose

it hurts so much

but i think you can keep going

i wont promise you can save her but i think

in the end

you may see each other again if you keep going right now

[The man seems to have a face of resolution, determination glowing in his eyes despite the black and white. He turns, and walks off screen in the opposite direction.]