hadriel | Audio

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[Kain sounds exhausted when he speaks. He's still got some recovering to do, clearly. He ended up in a hell of a shape after being defeated by his double, and now he’s only just coming to enough to really think about what that battle had meant… Failure. He had failed to defeat his darker self, the one thing he’d devoted his life to achieving…]

[He's seriously wondering again if Hadriel is some sort of eternal punishment.]

So… it sounds as if the doubles are gone entirely? A shame. I for one wouldn't mind if mine returned. He owes me a rematch.

[No, it's probably not a good idea to even wish for such a thing, but he doesn't care. He needs this to happen, one way or another. He has so much to prove.]

Did anyone manage to defeat their other selves? If so… how did you manage it?

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Next time, I can't hesitate.

[Sigh. He knows he may not ever get that next chance, but he can't help but hope for it anyway.]

But you're right about this place. It seems that every time the gods inflict something on us, it's a terrible punishment.

Next time, you won't. [ See, lesson learned, Kain. ]

Don't think of anything they do to us as punishment, think of it as a group of beings using and abusing us. You think of it like a punishment, you may start to think you deserve it.

[He only hopes that's true. He may feel confident about that now, but... who knows what may come in the future...]

But I do deser... [He trails off and cuts off, realizing that it's pointless to insist on this. What's going on here is bigger than his own problems.] No, never mind that, you're right. This place and what's become of us here isn't natural or right. We must continue to fight it.

[ Sharon knows exactly what it's like to feel that way; to feel as if she deserves every ounce of pain or suffering that gets thrown her way because she's done some truly reprehensible things, but these gods do not get to dole out her punishment just to get what they want.

That's not punishment. ]

Good, I'm glad you realize that. [ Even with exhaustion clinging to her, she still knows who the real enemy is. Sleep, for now, but in the end it will always be the gods. ]

The only problem is the risk of losing sight of it...

[Something he's determined not to succumb to, if he can help it. But this world does seem to have a way of messing with one's mental state.]

But I can't let that happen. I must do all I can to remind myself of the truth of this place, and its gods. They're the true enemy.

How can you forget when it's easy to remember all the things they do to us for the sake of themselves?

Good point, I know how confusing that probably seems. But... sometimes when things settle for a time, it seems very possible to start feeling complacent. It's something I cannot ever allow to happen.

Most people here become complacent. Don't turn into one of those sheep. [ She almost sounds angry. Never stop fighting! ]

Thanks for the reminder. [And he's sincere in his tone, he really does mean that.] That's something I needed to hear... something I need to keep in mind. I refuse to fall in such a way.

You'll have to remind yourself over and over here because they do their hardest to make us soft.

I wonder what their ultimate goal is by wearing us down in such a way. What do they really want of us?

They want our emotions, their way to power. That's it.

And that's it? They'll just keep us here indefinitely, gathering more and more power? I can't help but wonder if there's more to it, something they plan to do with such power...

Supposedly it's so that they can deal with whatever killed them before the Door was opened. I don't know. Fear says he wants to leave the place, so who knows.

The more I hear, the more complicated it all seems. I thought the gods to be mere enemies, but now... there's more to it than that. I hope that's true, that they're able to help us at least leave this cave.

Enemies? No, they're more like a family than enemies. Why do you think Hope tries so hard to bring them back? [ Would you be bringing back your enemy? She doesn't think so. ]

There's a lot more to this place than we know. About them. About what killed them and when it will come back. There's a bunch of shit we don't know, shit they won't tell us.

Or me, at least.

A very dysfunctional family, considering some of their abilities... but I can see that. I guess we have to learn to live with them for the time being.

I wonder whether or not they've ever spoken with anyone else, though... told anyone anything useful...

You won't be saying that after you've been here a year. [ Sharon's pretty tired of living with them, especially when the godly roommate number seems to increase by one every couple months. ]

They probably have. Some are more open than others. If you want to know something, or even need something, just go ask them. [ Not that this is something Sharon approves of, mind you, which also makes her gigantic hypocrite but it's cool. ]

I suppose, after so long, it's possible... [He sighs, but then realizes something in what she'd said.] You've been here for a whole year already? How has that been?

I'll keep that in mind. I've never considered approaching them, because I've been wary of trusting them, but... there may come a time when I want better answers. It's worth knowing that's an option.

It's actually been a little longer than a year but who's counting, right? It's just the same shit day after day, week after week, month after month. [ And fuck if she's not a little tired of it all. ]

Keep that wariness; it's best not to trust them.

That must get discouraging fast, to be stuck here month after month, with no sky, and no escape from the gods' meddling... Impressive that you've endured this for so long.

I'll be sure to. The last thing I want is to be swept into yet another gods' conflict.

There are no other options but to endure. [ But she's also snapped and shoved everyone into an alternate reality once, so it's not all that impressive. Give it time and something will make her take insane action once more. ]

There certainly aren't. I don't want to succumb to this place somehow, to let those gods win overall.

Good. [ Because that's what matters. ]

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