First Reply Manifestations and madness

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | Coruscant Lower Levels

Tag | Open

Mood tunes: X


The smell, it was something you could never get over no matter how long anyone called such a place home. Be it from the trash and waste that leaked down into those murky depths, or the pieces from the battle that had fell down so far that the vehicles and their crew were dishonored and forgotten.

Within this cavern of darkness people would cling to whatever light they got their hands on, even if it was far from a light.

Rumor had spread about a group of fanatics that dwelled in the seemingly bottomless void in the foulest guts of Coruscant, tales of how at times they seemed to vanish without a trace, or how the whole area was afflicted with nightmares but them.

Day by day, more focked to this once meager cult.. And with no authority around to hamstring them, it has swiftly become an issue.

Woe onto thee who tries to pierce past the blackness of their depravity...

Why do you happen to find yourself down here? And why does this cult fascinate you so?

Answers you may seek could lie within this supposed house of crazed occultists, before you stands a house, its body long since taken by grime and rust.

Sounds could be heard inside, perhaps some form of music? Anytime you tried to focus on what it was it simply became more a blur.

The door was shut, it would be up to you if you sought to knock upon it or find another way to investigate.




​

 

[The Nobody]

The Overseer's fist hovered over the surface of the door. His other hand rested leisurely on the handle of his sidearm. He fidgeted with the holster for a moment, and then his limbs fell slack, and his eyes concentrated on the capricious dimensions of the building.

The house had a particular presence to it, and it seemed to beckon The Nobody with its confusing aura.

The music was textureless and without a predictable beat - he tried to click his teeth together with the rhythm, like an internal metronome, but the music faded further from his attention the more he attempted to perceive it. Everything was wrong - and The Overseer was here to understand it.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, as he relayed a literal "mental note" to the other Overseers within his organization. His brain could communicate information into a sort of mental cloud, in which he shared his findings constantly.

[X]"Expedition report 139... I've arrived at the anomalous location. Its dimensions appear to exist in realspace, but sensory intel suggests its effects could be cognito hazardous. I hear music playing... It's not discordant, but my senses are having trouble articulating the information. Protocol SHAMAN is on standby."

There were certainly safer ways to approach unpredictable situations like these, but The Nobody operated directly, and with unrelenting certainty in every action he took.

All he could do now is...

Knock... Knock.

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | House

Tag | The Nobody

Their nocks would be heard, the music seeming to not exist once the door had been slightly opened. It was dark inside, from what you could see at least...

What came from the dark was a singular sickly looking eye, its sclera seeming to be worn, faded with a tint of red. Whoever this eye belonged to perhaps hasn't slept in days.

Whoever this was, they made sure the chains on the other side of the door remained tightly locked down.. Not a huge fan of visitors.

"What door do you seek?"

A raspy voice questions the visitor at the door, the very area around seeming to become void of sound as the sickly eye stared deeply at whoever this was, unblinking, almost inhuman to an extent.







​

 

[The Nobody]

[X] Now Playing - Witchhelm - Phooka
[X] Prepare to Enter - House

---

The Nobody exhibited an unnatural calm in the face of the mysterious entity. As the sound was sapped from The Nobody's surroundings, his expressionless gaze pondered upon the eye that greeted him. He stared at it in contemplation, and whispered a single sentence in reply.

[X]"The door to answers I am allowed to comprehend, please."

The Nobody began to relay more data to his peers.

[X]"Entities similar to this usually operate within certain rule sets that define their existence - but I'm not here to make assumptions. For now, all I can do is play along, and mind my manners. I am a guest here." [X]"Be aware, if my mind is compromised, I will self terminate immediately. I don't want to risk The Cloud being invaded."

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | House

Tag | The Nobody

Whoever or whatever was behind the door had stepped back, whatever could be seen faded back into the blackness before the door slowly shut. The sounds of chains echoed as the lock on the knob gently unlocked.

It would seem they were invited to find the answers they sought.

Once entered, you could see past whatever darkness had been at the door. The difference being night and day you could say, a handful of people were laying around in a deep sleep, while others seemed to be in a state of meditation.

Dark tendrils wrapped around the cultists like a comforting blanket, no one seemed to be in any harm... If anything they slept rather peacefully.

"What answers do you seek?"

The same voice from before whispers to you, the rest of the house was able to be explored if desired...






​

 

[The Nobody]

The Nobody was wise enough to avoid tampering with the peaceful dreamers. He took a few slow steps into the construct, and began to observe his surroundings with keen perception.

He had a select few questions he defaulted to asking extraordinary beings.

[X]"Do you wish me harm?"

Question number one was simple, but important.
He didn't take any answers at face value, but instead he would dwell on any response given with a subset of questions he'd ask himself.

[X] Would they lie? Do they have the capacity to lie? Can I pick up on any negative inflexion in that voice? Is it an external voice, or is it something in my head?

He would make deductions on the answer, and anticipate a number of different scenarios. Even if all the cards were stacked against him, he'd just fold himself with a simple slug to the skull in the end. His ace in the hole, so to speak.

[X]"What is the origin of your existence?"

He whispered his questions, just in case his voice woke up any of the meditating individuals. He didn't discard the fact that they might already recognize he was here, either. It was almost as if he entered the maw of a giant creature. It was something very old, and very slow - the way it cradled the dreamers in binding tendrils was reminiscent of a Sarlacc pit, but The Nobody knew this was something much more complex.

He decided on his final question - this time he wasn't referring to his usual script. This was a personal inquiry.

[X]"Do you bleed?"
Not a hint of malice was described on his lips. Just a sunken and empty frown. ​

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | House

Tag | The Nobody

For a moment he received no answer, up until he could only faintly now hear the music. It had no distinct pattern, yet it was made of sounds you knew best... Sounds that would seem like utter madness to anyone else but you, for it was designed for only you to hear it.

The fact the music never woke anyone should be a sign..

"Harm, takes many forms."

The whispers share, the voice almost one with the music.

"Primordial."

Would be the next answer, the sounds of the door locking behind you could be heard past the music. At a glance, it did indeed look locked..

"Dreams bleed, scarred and twisted, lady of nightmare.."

The final answer to your questions, followed by the gentle slight opening of the basement door. It was guiding you, if you decided to follow.







​

 

[The Nobody]

Was this a dream?

Was this all real?​

Was this reality?
​

While the music attempted to inspire a sense of grim nostalgia in the back of The Nobody's mind, all that would manifest was a distinct feeling of emptiness. The music failed to fit into any distinct mold or predictable genre, as The Nobody could only hear the sound of wind chimes.

It was a song devoid of any spark or consistency - it could only begin to develop texture once the entity put a voice to the rhythm in the wind. The sound of wind chimes...

Its voice traveled on the gale and clashed with the unperceivable instruments. It was a sound only The Nobody could understand. The sound of a peaceful past life, now gone forever. For a moment, The Nobody's eyes began to well up.

[;;] Overseer 0-130. [;;] ... MNESTIC BREACH DETECTED. DISABLING PALEOMAMMALIAN CORTEX FUNCTION.​

The Nobody suddenly deeply exhaled - his body quickly undulating in pain and exhaustion before he stood completely still. His gaze returned to looking deflated and aloof.

He took another mental note of the answers given. They were vague, and spoken in riddles, but The Nobody was undeterred. He would ponder these answers as he slowly shambled towards the basement door.

He twisted the handle, and slowly opened the door...

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | House

Tag | The Nobody

The door opened with no issues, allowing you to make your way deeper, into the guts.

Down here within the dark depths of this illogical abode, a ring of people from all sorts of backgrounds and races all sat in a perfect circle around what seemed like nothing.

The tops of their heads cut open crudely with a nearby bonesaw, allowing you to see their minds.

Blackened by a shadowy substance, or perhaps shadow itself? Eyes dotted the top of the brain of each person, the pupils darting in your direction, following you of course.

"Answers, you strive to find them, but alas not all were meant for frail minds. Enlightenment is reachable when humanity is.. Gone."

The last word was spoken in a far more feminine voice, not deep or raspy, but smooth as silk and pleasing to the ears.

"I see you.."

Each of the slumbering cultists say in unison, the softer voice coming from all of them.

You could feel it, a strange sensation. As if someone was gently caressing the side of your face, but your eyes saw no one, nothing at all.

"Why do you find yourself here, little one?"




​

 

[The Nobody]

[X]"I just have a duty to fulfil... That's all."
[X]"..."
[X]"Am I sleeping too?"

Even the cold sensation of a hand caressing his face didn't instigate any sort of reaction.

The entity's descriptions of dreams, and the imagery of darkness overwhelming the exposed brains of these people made The Nobody come to a few disturbing conclusions.

[X] Addendum... I fear I've already been compromised. To protect the secrets of The Monad, I will self terminate as soon as I believe I am no longer in control of my own actions. If this is some grand delusion, and I'm already a puppet with a warped perspective on reality - [X] ... [X] ... Then nobody can hear me. [X] ... [X] ... This is probably for the best.

The Nobody looped his finger inside the trigger guard of his sidearm, and spun it into a comfortable position aimed it at his own head. He pressed the cold metal into the flesh of his temple, and loosely rested his index on the trigger.

Even if he was being digested in the belly of the beast, he wouldn't slip gracefully into meditation like the rest. The current theory was that this entity was using these brains to manifest its own tangible form - and if the nightmares in the area were of any indication, this being existed in a psuedo state of dreams and realspace. Maybe. It would explain the riddle responding to his question about blood.

Whatever the case, The Nobody sauntered on towards the small circle. He thought about shooting one of the cultists in the head, but he knew there would be an ethics inquiry at the end of this mission if he did so. Still, that decision was always in the chamber incase he needed it.

[X]"You wouldn't have let me in here without a reason. Unless, you let any pedestrian from the street wander in?"

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | House

Tag | The Nobody
​

"Am I sleeping too?"

"Are you?"

You could almost see a fanged smile, the words either playful or malicious.. Perhaps both?

"You are interesting.. Why do you so easily place that cold metal against your anatomy? Perhaps there are indeed answers you seek, even if you do not know it yet."

He was seen as challenged, not in some mean way.. More akin to a bird wanting out from its cage, to fly if even for a moment.

Before him, in the middle of the ring appeared a black door. It gave off a gentle ringing and thrumming within the ears, if you grasped upon the handle, it felt like the cold metal pierced right into your mind. Whatever could lie beyond this door, it invoked a primal fear.

The turning of the knob, the act sent sensations of rotation within the body, making your stomach churn with a sickly dread.

If opened, your eyes would be met with nothing but an emotionless void, the only way forward it seemed was down. Down into that thick inky abyss, there was no other way.

"I await you, little one."





​

 

[The Nobody]

[X]"I apologize, but due to the nature of my "career", I cannot divulge that information."
[X]"But since you've been courteous enough to answer my questions... I'll give you a hint."

[X]"It doesn't matter. Not anymore."

As he stepped between the seated bodies, he could feel the eyes in their brains prying at his mind. The Nobody felt exposed, and some part of him wished to retreat. It was a human instinct that he had fried into near nothingness, so the whispering warning was discarded, much like the control of his limbic system before.

He froze up as his hand gripped the handle of the door. Primal fear - something even The Nobody couldn't ignore.

CORTISOL SPIKE DETECTED. REDUCING EPINEPHRINE LEVELS... APPLYING DEXTROAMPHETAMINE SOLUTION... APPLYING APPLYING LYING LYING LYING LYING

And then silence. The Nobody's connection to the cloud was severed as his body loomed over the now opened door.

No surveillance, or men in suits peeking into his mind. The Nobody was now alone - faced with an emotion he had buried long ago.

And yet...

He let himself fall...

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | The Nobody

In a place like this, it was hard to know the time. Watches, clocks, internal systems? All useless, the only time here in the void was what you thought it to be. And as you continued to fall, it would be easy for anyone to think they had been falling for days into an endless nothing. The boundaries between you and the surrounding abyss felt as if it had become unstitched, the pin gently plucking away at your very threads as your soul became cradled by the abyss.

Everything we normally used and felt, every sense... It felt dulled, there was no sound, no light. Just the endless black and you, little, you.

Your body, mind, and soul.. Feeling so stretched, akin to a fine taffy... Until?

Tock, tick, tock, tick..

You were laying on the floor, motionless for a time.

As your eyes finally get to see textures and colour, you could see what appeared to be an office space, the decor having a lovely dark academia feel to it.

The ticking of the clock matched the rhythm of shoe that tapped against the floor, rising up you saw a strange woman in a dapper little black dress.

"Greetings, little one."

Interesting she called you little, considering her build was petite. But alas, you didn't delve this far to trust everything at face value yes?

"Curious that you show clear signs of fear, yet after a moment it stops."




​

 

[The Nobody]

The Nobody descended down into the void without a hint of panic. His limbs seemed to splay weightlessly in the air, and his expression remained neutral as he attempted to perceive the bottom. In time, he allowed his senses to escape him, like floating in an isolation tank. This could've gone on for days... Years... There was no concept of time in this place, but The Nobody remained strangely content. He could finally think without all those voices in his head, for a moment...

Eternity had finally lead to the present. How long had he been lying down in the middle of this room? How unbecoming. The Nobody slowly got up, and dusted off his uniform - more out of habit than out of necessity, as everything in this place was spotless. Timeless. Even the very floor he laid on lacked even a speck of dust.

He responded to the mysterious woman's greeting with a brief bow, before responding to her latter statement in his usual dreary tone.

[X]"It's only natural to feel fear in a place so alien, but it's a fool's errand to stew in that instinct."
[X]"I'm just glad we're finally alone... I can speak my mind. No more corporate hogwash."

He craned his neck to the side, which produced a loud snap. He began to fiddle impatiently, as if he was expecting something else to happen before he even had a chance to speak.

[X]"... Why have you brought me here?"

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | The Nobody

"Corporate and the desire to take a quiet pill go hand in hand, maybe here you can find some temporary respite?"

What was ironic was that even though this place was so detached from reality, had you not had moments to enjoy? Like a nice dream..

"Why does any being in existence ever do anything? I simply didn't want to kill you, then again.. There are fates worse than death, I am sure you already know this."

She gestures for him to take a seat across from her.

"Might I also add, it was your own choice to come here.. I can't say it has been dull, you have an awfully delicious mind."

Implying she had been gazing right into his brain either all this time, or was in the process of doing it right now.



​

 

[The Nobody]

The Nobody sat down in the chair, seemingly unphased by the revelation. He huddled his feet up onto the top of the seat and flopped his elbows over the arm rests in a strange position. At least he seemed comfortable.

[X]"Yes... Fates worse..." - He said as he began to chew the skin off his own thumb in idleness.

The Nobody's brain was an overwhelming complex of psychological guards and repeating mantras that served to protect the secrets in his head.

His mind was filled with false memories and conflicting origins. It was a labyrinth of moving parts that were reinforced by years of hypnotic therapies and dubious psychological experiments, all in the attempt to dissuade prying eyes.

If the mysterious woman were to persist through the folds of his mind, she would gain a faint understanding of his circumstance. At first, all she could see was... Death.

Riddled with holes here, or harvested for his organs there... The Nobody had a gallery of fading memories of moments where he had been executed by various entities or environments. How could he be sitting here then? Were these false memories too?

A round table of shadowy figures appeared at the bottom of his conscious... They all shared The Nobody's face... Or did they have no face at all?

No face.

No face.

He only ever had himself to blame.

[X]"It was always my choice... Long ago. I'm just a diluted copy."

[X]"It wont matter if I'm put to sleep. I'll just be beside myself again - ready to continue marching."

[X]"... Thank you for this moment of peace."

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio

Location | ???

Tag | The Nobody

"Such is what I wish to do, sweet dreams or nightmares... I deal in both. The house you were in, those people were never forced to worship me, nor to try and open their eyes. They relish in the fact that their devotion was rewarded, the people around who wronged them now slowly wither away in my web of nightmare."

The strange woman smiles gently.

"If you retain all your memories... Don't be afraid to summon me, call to the void and nightmare. With even my most gentle touch I can aid your slumber."

A kind offer, from an often unkind being.

"Mm, but alas. You have better things to do rather than entertain me, till next we meet...... Little one."

The next time you would blink, you would find yourself laying on the floor. The living room of the house appearing much better compared to earlier, just outside the door was the peaceful sound of wind chimes.

Had it been a dream? No cultists were around...

Stepping outside the house didn't change a thing, your eyes could watch as the busy traffic made its way around. Perhaps none of it was a dream?








​

 

[The Nobody]

As The Nobody was exposed to the serenity outside the door, he could hear a voice fumble its way through his peaceful illusion.

CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. OVERSEER 0-120 ONLINE OVERSEER 0-110 ONLINE ... ... [;*]"130. Your connection to The Cloud was severed during the expedition." [;;]"Tell us about your experience. All the visual data you gathered has been... Tampered with." [;*]"It's just darkness. There were no audio files to recover either... Was it a cognitohazard?"

The Nobody looked back at the house, and pursed his lips shut.
Even with the psychological procedures performed on him, a slither of humanity seemed to worm its way past the darkness and to the forefront of his mind.

For the first time in his life... He lied.

[X]"The entity was a simple mind-altering parasite. It had been feeding on the minds of the surrounding locals. I terminated it."

[;;]"That is not your decision to make. You will be reprimanded severely once you return."
[;*]"This has been a waste of time... Proceed to your respite chamber immediately. We'll send a militia to your location for further evaluation in your stead."

The voices finally ceased, leaving The Nobody alone with his thoughts, for once.
The feelings that were conjured from his blank slate of a personality during his experience in the house was an anomaly in itself. He felt... Nostalgia, for things and events he didn't remember. For sounds and tastes far beyond his palette.

New questions he never considered began to well up in his mind.

[X]"Who is Overseer 0?"

[X]"Why are we doing this?"

[X]"What is my name?"​

---

ANOMALY REPORT #??? TERMINATED

PENDING EXPLORATION LOG BY MILITIA "BAD COMPANY"​

---

END.
--
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