touchscreens | [video + a̴̞̰̩ư̲̩̳d̘͘i̶̝͖̩o]

Hello, guests of our fair city!

[A young woman appears on the screen, dressed in white robes with a very ornate pattern on the hood and sleeves inlaid with gold thread. She stretches her arms out in welcome, a warm smile crossing her lips.]

My name is Rhea, and I am the one who presides over our ancient traditions - including those kept within our temple that was only recently reclaimed by the plight that has infected our homes.

[She bows her head in thought, and despite herself, tones down her youthfulness into a more serious tone.]

My fellow priestesses, the monks, and I hope you had a festive winter holiday season despite those creatures who seemed taken with us all. Let me ease your fears and say that those slain shortly before your Earthen holiday of Christmas were the last, and our... partners in the science department are s-

[And just like that, the video cuts as a laugh echoes through the now-staticky feed as though they weren't being broadcasted by something that had been linked directly to the network like the initial feed. Judging by the tone, it is decidedly male.]

Shown yourself to give them a sense of safety, have you my dearest Rhea? And I thought the priestess you succeeded had taught you better than to lie to your guests.

[There is a clearing of a throat and further pause before the video cuts back to Rhea, looking quite at a loss for words.]

...A-As I was saying, the science department as collected a few of the rocks for study. Though I doubt they'll find much on an object that has lost it's magic, if what history reads.

Iif you have any questions, I would be glad to answer them.

[As the feed cuts, she mouths "What was that?" to someone off-screen.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...It doesn't look good. [To put it plainly.] As priestesses, we're trained to sense the very environment around us and listen to it's cries.

[Any hint of a smile fades as she leaves a hand close to her heart.]

I haven't heard anything in a long time.

...What could that mean? Is there any relation to the voice who interrupted you?

I don't know. Much of what's happened in recent memory are things we don't have all the answers to. Those who might are long since gone from our world and in the next.

...Though I can't shake this feeling of impeding darkness. Much like it was back around the Autumn Festival.

[The Autumn Festival - now that rings a few bells. Perfect opening to ask a few things about what had happened back then.] Could you elaborate on that? I had encounters with both kinds of spirits, but none of the natives seemed to notice them.

[Or were even attracting them. It was odd.]

I'm not exactly sure why we weren't, either - in fact, I haven't heard of spirits actually wandering the city like they had during the festivities in over a century.

[She pauses, placing a hand against her chin.]

The Autumn Festival was, in the past, a celebration of life and rebirth as the earth prepared itself to be eclipsed by winter. In the old texts, there are records of souls of the departed being more active during this time and that priestesses of old would send them to their resting place...

Though from what I saw while there, I doubt you and your other guests only came across the dead...

[SO MANY QUESTIONS???]

What could they possibly be, if not dead? And if they used to come to the festivals and there was a long period of them not doing so... Is it possible that whatever boundary in this world that lies between the living and dead is...weakening? Is there a way to test it, confirm it?

There are more spirits than simply those who have passed on in our world. Some good, some not, and some in between.

As for boundaries between ephemeral and physical...there is a way to test it, but it requires a lot of energy to do so - energy the scientists will not let us have.

... You mean like those shadowy demon spirits. [Terra might just have shivered a little from the memory of what they'd made him relive. He looks away from the image of Rhea and at Aqua, and lowers the volume of his voice a little to explain.] The ghosts weren't too bad - you relived a part of their last moments when you made contact. It felt like they were trapped, or needed some kind of help to move on. The demons were worse; if you made contact with them, you relived your worst memories.

[Well, back to Rhea - because he's now recalling the end of the Autumn Festival...] Was there a reason for the lanterns we lit back then? All of the spirits disappeared afterwards.

Correct. Sounds to me as though you've met them firsthand. And yes, there is a reason for them. In the past, we used special incantations and enchantments on the materials used to make the lanterns to usher the deceased and malevolent spirits back to the spirit realm.

My associates at the festival noticed it was recurring once again, so we who remained in the temple worked tirelessly to send them to the Beyond where the dead may find peace.

So...were the spirits then sent from the residents dealing with them to you? Is the temple the sort of last gateway?

And, to go back a moment- ...You said it would require a lot of energy to test. Does it have to be electrical power? Or...whatever you use to power the city.

[video + a̴̞̰̩ư̲̩̳d̘͘i̶̝͖̩o]

three derps in one thread oh nooooo

much derp. such goof. wow.

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