The form paused to think for a moment as the threads sprung to life again, animating a raven hopping around on the ground before them. "You torment yourself well enough, we see no need to interrupt that cycle, but to bend your will..."
The single raven multiplied into a flock, each absentmindedly tending to themselves. Other groups flashed by briefly. A pack of wolves, a den of snakes. For a few seconds, the birds and the snakes fought, but the snakes vastly outnumbered them. More animals, a bale of turtles, a soar of eagles. In each instance, the ravens were outnumbered, outmatched, or both. Sh'ozak did not seem surprised. "Bending your will would not be useful. You and your following are ill suited to assist us in anything." The strings formed tendrils, wrapping around the largest of the ravens. Controlling it's movements, reinforcing its movements. Still, Sh'ozak seemed dissatisfied. The other ravens watched the awkward movement of the one being controlled. "No, there is little to gain for the time and energy expended."
The threads collapse to the ground, skittering out into a woven lattice beneath their feet. "No, our demand of you will be to not reveal our hand in repairing you to the Voidmind. They have not yet learned to grow beyond naivety. We need to maintain their fear, their distrust, their irritation towards us." For a moment, a face appeared among the feathers in their wings. It was distorted, yet perhaps vaguely familiar. The twisted visage of a Liberty Rogue. He spoke:" 'Give' implies that there is no cost attached, 'sell' means there is definitely a cost attached. You hand over credits, you get something in return."
The face fades back into the feathers. "You will not be giving us "credit". You will be giving us ease. The Voidmind will become wise in their pain. Strong in their banishment. Repentant in their betrayal. Able to stand on their own, and provide for themselves in excess. You will give us ease, knowing that they will not turn back to naivety, cowardice, and leeching when they are strong enough for us to extend our hand to them again."
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Growling out at his words, the pain only brought insufferable impatience, one of their hands launched at the strings, dismissing their word play, smacking it clear, as if all the pieces of the chessboard was wiped clean.
"Enough... Rhetoric."
The torment of the mindstorms ferociously building up more and more only made it more intolerable, giving some sensation of temptation to sin. Instinct yearned for relief, for some peace. Despite it, there was still some resiilence, some fighting will determjined to resist giving in to him.
"My... only ponder... How ... can ... you... even amend this... affliction? How can you... offer... what other... Elders... failed to mend?"
The interest, at last. Sh'ozak's image stretched their arms and wings, tendrils of light reaching out behind them, constructing a larger image. A double helix, curling for miles. Colors bled from it as it shifted, painting a watercolored set of spirals, seeming disorganized at first, but eventually settling into a conceivable and perhaps even satisfying pattern. As everything was displayed, it stretched for a huge distance, and then rapidly folded together again and again, convulsing and growing until before them stood the image of Lauren La'Row. Slowly at first, tendrils grew from her back, but they sped up as they grew together into structures of K'Haran flesh. Their general shape was mildly familiar, but its true nature showed when the images of hull plating came from everywhere and nowhere at once, constructing the Valor-class ship Charente around the structure. Seeming both satisfied and proud, the structure undid itself entirely, until all that remained was a single double helix cradled gently in six hands.
"We have learned how your genecode speaks, and what it means. Our experiments bore wonderous fruit. We can edit your genecode just as we edit ours. We have wide capability too, which others wouldn't posses. We have rebuilt our own genecode again and again, to rebuild yours is simply a different medium. We have recorded, experimented, and discovered what there is to be changed in your genecode, and in any genecode. We can even meld your spirals to our crystals, should the need arise. Yet, we needn't go that far. Physical damage can be repaired by telling your genecode to repair it. Mind damage can be repaired in many ways, however. . ."At this, they seemed to look beyond Revenant, to something deeper."We are the Fifth Eye of the Lightmind. Advisor of Advisors. We have the power of stars at our back. Wounds of the mind have little choice but to obey us."
Still holding the image of the colorful double helix, the threads slowly retracted back towards Sh'ozak. Their wings stayed outstretched, but their aura of intimidation had changed to an aura of invitation. The feathers seemed soft and warm, instead of stiff as they had before. A few fluttered off as the wind picked up. The stares of the eyes on the wings weren't cold, only inquisitive. "Let us change your future for you. Give us your dreams and desires. Lay bare your heart and soul. Your path now leaves you weary, does it not?"
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A chord of paranoia was struck, hybridism was a dangerous area to tread, more so when it implicates the possibility of loss of autonomy. Silently in torment as the goo made more smaller forms around them, clenching to their body in antagonization, invoking the paranoia of control. The temptation was there, but so was the fear, and so was the determination. Yet, the more they thought about it, something within them felt ... off. Guilt. Betrayal. As if they were becoming the snake in their own vision. Even though they acknowledged that Harbinger was controlling them, there was the contradiction of sentiment. Revenant respected those, who respected her, and she knew that he saved her one time. She wanted to return the sentiment. Severe cognitive dissonance was embedded deeply into her mind about the matters regarding Harbinger. There was clearly a lot of bad, yet, there were goods too. And possible sides that were not seen, his own perspectives to understand. There was so much to learn, and to understand. Was his efforts truly bad? Or simply misguided?
"Learning... Evolution... Technology... Adaption... Knowledge sustains me. Fulfilling curiosity... That inner rage - to toy with those who wronged - ... very entertaining..."
For a moment, they had subconsciously began to reach their hand out, almost giving in to temptation. But, her mind snapped back to the influence of will, instantly retracting the hand, clenching it harshly.
"No! - ... I need time. I need to rejuvenate. I need to evaluate. Such decisions cannot be made in haste. You intruded upon me in my lowest point to entice the demons within me, when I require rest the most - - ... "
There was a certain air of confusion as they came to the conclusion, continuing to ponder - but such attempts at making theoreticals were disrupted by the storms. A bolt struck at the top of the shield, causing them to flinch in agony, rocking their head downwards in a concussive strike.
In a cold and commanding tone, her voice became dominant and bold.
"Leave. Now. We will speak again later."
A vain effort was had in order to make Shozaks visage leave, the unpleasant dark substance slithered off of her surroundings to try and choke him as her palm reached out, trying to grab the illusion, seemingly trying to forcefully eject him. Yet, it also backfired, also slowly drowning herself within the metaphysical manifestation of emotion as it slowly creeped back up to her head.
It was a curious sight to see one control their own psyche and manifestations, almost as if she once had minor experience with projecting one's resolve. The denotation of such was clear, they may have been ejected from the minishare previously, but the ordeal clearly left a memorable mark, vaguely remembering how to interact with psionic mental connections - on a very basic, amateurish level.
...Perhaps that storm had a helping hand in how they shaped their psyche's resolve, landscape and projection without their own realisation, acting as a source of willpower. It was, afterall, the remnants of a broken mind link that had long corrupted. Yet, they could never truly control it.
The form laughed lightheartedly as she lashed out, and they floated up out of her reach.. "Very well, very well. However, do not stall too long. Threats do not disappear if you simply ignore them. You and your followers have taught us this lesson well."
The wings folded in, one set covering the top of their face, the next covering their shoulders and torso, and the final sweeping over their legs, until all that was visible was the ever-fanged smile, mischievous and playful this time."Take care to neither perish nor fall enslaved to your own fragility until next we speak."
They had noticed the rejection. Not nearly as potent as the Greymind, but present all the same. For a moment, the form glowed a deep blue, and then it began crumbling and blowing away, as did the box they had built. Slowly, the presence of the advisor left as a soft blue powder carried away by the wind, until all that was left was their smile, suspended in the air. Then that, too, blew away.
