Two Days Of Experimentation (2)
A darkness all above, pitch black with nothing interrupting the endless sea of blankness. White hues all below, so much so that if this place followed any natural law perhaps it would be blindingly bright…yet here it was natural, as if it were always meant to be.
The cheery Cyrus had no time for this, however, as he quickly produced the familiar purifying light that he had mastered in his last trip to this place. Locating his partner, he began cleansing the darkness that wrapped around him threatening to consume his reason and perhaps very soul for a purpose unknown.
"That was not so bad" said the cold Cyrus, stretching as he recovered from the insanity that was descending upon him mere moments ago.
"Not bad huh…good for you that your theory was correct and not off whatsoever. For example, what if I did not follow this time for whatever reason…how would you fare then hmmm? Furthermore, while I may not ask, that does not mean I am incompetent so I can clearly guess the consequences to such actions. As even an idiot would put two and two together with what happened in regards to the night dwellers" said the bright self, clearly exasperated at the recklessness of his counterpart.
"You are so meticulous when it comes to most things, but the moment you are sure of something you chase it blindly no matter what as if you are infallible and anything you decide is correct must be so…or perhaps you care not of the consequences?" wondered the bright self.
In response the dark self shrugged and said,
"It would have been highly improbable but I was confident enough in myself to deal with this influence. In fact, it would most likely be beneficial for me to constantly enter a state similar to what I was in just now. So that I can gradually become used to this influence on my very soul, this calling from who knows what or where."
Rolling his eyes at the nonchalance of his counterpart, the bright half sat down and said
"So, are you going to elaborate on this whole possession thing. I can continue to be tactful about it, but two heads are better than one after all. In here both of us can combine our intelligence, seeing the same issue from two viewpoints. Why not make good use of that?"
Mirroring his contemporary, the dark self sat down as well while mulling over the proposal.
"As I had thought, he knew all along…yet why does he not eradicate me? He has had his chances time and time again…is this that lauded kindness?" thought he.
Making up his mind, the dark half decided to let loose the information he had been hiding all along.
"The key points are as follows: We were picked up by Cato at a young age where we somehow entered a hidden lair on our own under the nose of someone who would shortly become a Grandmaster. Secondly, we have far enhanced hearing and vision than what should be normal. Thirdly, we clearly became two distinct personalities with the mask usage. Finally, the night dweller spoke more than just of a true god…it also said that I was one and the same with it before willingly giving me its power" said the dark half, laying out the facts one by one.
"Hmm, as expected. We are not so simple after all, although I still doubt the malicious intent you are implying in regards to our mentor…that aside, thank you for revealing all" said the bright half with a smile on his face, causing the dark half to be visibly confused.
"Even if he knew all along, should he not be somewhat annoyed that I withheld such key information?" thought the dark half, unable to comprehend his counterpart.
"While my beliefs may be getting more radical, as my inner hopes and firm optimism for the world born out of perhaps a childlike view of everything is shaping the world that I see… I firmly choose to believe that what Cato has done for us is due to his benevolence not his cruelty. Even if he had noticed something off about us, which is likely as he is not a simple man, I choose to believe that everything he has done is for our better including giving us the mask. Perhaps he framed it in a somewhat manipulative way in your view, but in mine he did it so that we could discover things for ourselves and not meddle in a rather delicate situation. One person, two selves…how could that be a simple thing to delve into for any man?" explained the bright half, tactfully moving past the crux of the previous conversation.
Having seemingly taken the bait, the dark half shook his head and countered with:
"Naïve. Belief and hope, such things are brittle and do not stand the test of reality. Evidence and facts that can be confirmed through more than just ourselves and replicated in both theory and reality…was this not the way of the mage that we read about? If you are so sure then we can put that belief to the test: Do not use the mask for a week of time. It is clear that by using it the separation of ourselves is hastening. Why would Cato do this? Perhaps it was a natural process that would have occurred either way, but why hasten it then? My other half, I am related to something that appears to be a large and dangerous hidden enemy for all of the Empire yet it very well could have been years before problems due to our true nature was made apparent…why hasten it so during such a critical period, where we decide our position in the Empire and the world at large? Is the mask beneficial to us, it is a cure or a cause of disease?"
"I do not disagree with that, we can test things to gain more information if you truly wish for it to be so. But do know that I have no problem with the state of things as they are now, in fact, the benefits speak for themselves even if the waters are dangerous. If we play our cards right, we will always have the advantage of two against one in all situations. We can make use of this inner world to effectively add more hours to our days, doing more work per day than anyone else ever could. Not only that but the powers you have gained from the night demon are clearly nothing to scoff at, seeing as they even have the effect of increasing our focus and sense to a certain degree. Think of it not as a burden, but a new frontier to conquer! Why be the slave of whatever dark entity we are perhaps related too, when instead we can take control and grab the reigns for our benefit. Is that not what you are always thinking about anyways, of what benefit you can gain out of any situation? It is clear that in here my ability can bring you back from the brink of despair at any time, so experiment freely. Even more so, in the real world I can assist you in taking off the mask and then I can easily defeat that which ails you…there are benefits indeed, so many of them for us!" said the bright half, looking at the silver lining as always.
"With great risk comes great reward, a common saying among some merchants. It may hold true here, but you must agree with my idea of puzzling out the true nature of the mask and then I will be willing to concede on the rest" replied the dark half, opting to negotiate.
"I already said I do not disagree, that is easily done" waved the bright half easily.
"Good…" started the dark half before looking at his counterpart, trying to say something but stopping each time. Eventually, under the eyes of a bemused bright half, he was able to speak the words he thought would be most appropriate…even if it felt repulsive and quite out of character for him.
"Also…thank you for allowing me to live" said the dark half with extreme difficulty.
"You are welcome. And might I add, the very fact that you thought of and were willing thank me proves that we are not so set in stone as you might think and that we can do more for one another than just help with the small things like falling to insanity or almost getting skewered by an insane bandit" said the bright half cheerfully.
"Perhaps, but do not forget that our situation is not normal. Who has two distinct personalities living inside of them as if it were the natural state of things? There is very likely to be some kind of long term side effect of our existence being like so, even if in the now things appear to be stable. We can make use of the time we are like this to our benefit like you say so, as it would be foolish to not take advantage of it while we can. But do not fool yourself, we should always be aiming towards the goal of reunification of these two selves" said the dark half pessimistically.
"But would that not mean one of us would have to…disappear?" asked the bright half unsteadily.
"Make no mistake, it is necessary. There are too many possibilities to say for sure, but it is a definite that I am the manifestation of the 'demonic' part of us. Or should I say, of you. It would be best for both of us if I were to be integrated into you, making us whole again" said the dark half seriously.
"So you are sacrificing yourself. Did you not chastise Minerva for doing much of the same, quite hypocritical to say the least" said the bright half.
"No, I am being realistic. It is the best outcome and it allows for the continued existence of whatever we are, just in another form. If we remain separate there is a high chance that we are noticed and noticed by the wrong people at that, be it the Inquisition, Umbra, or some other faction who takes the security of the Empire seriously" said the dark half definitively.
"I don't like it still…" mumbled the bright half, not convinced in the slightest.
"You are just having an emotional response, not one based on any fact or theory. In the end it is my decision to make, if you wish to convince me otherwise you should think long and hard to provide proof the contrary of what I currently believe to be true" said the dark half, ending the conversation there.
Some time passed in silence, one side trying to come up with something to continue the conversation while the other was waiting for his counterpart to fail in doing just that.
Eventually the bright half gave up, for now. Sighing in defeat he readjusted his mental state back to a more positive mindset before saying,
"With that…discussion… out of the way, how about we get down to business then? We have two days in the outside world…which I am unsure of how much that is in here. Hmm, we will need to solve that as well but that aside we have two important things that we can accomplish during this time" began the bright half.
"Become more familiar with my abilities, to avoid being overtaken and learn to become the master of my deepest flaws through slow incremental improvement. As well as learn how to make the best use of this space, perhaps figuring out how to access this area when not in control like you mentioned the last time we were here" finished the dark half.
The bright half nodded happily while saying,
"Good! I am glad we are on the same page. While we may on two opposite ends of how we see and interact with the world, we technically experienced all the same things so in the end we seem to be quite similar after all"
The dark half declined to comment, instead he began to channel his demonic power. Together, they slowly began to acclimate themselves with both the world around them and the dark half with his newfound prowess.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone