Re: Juuban Land (Open)
Daigoro padded along side Aki as the five humans made their way out of the darkened tent and once more into the light of the world. No one outside seemed to have taken any notice of what had occurred, and eerily, when they turned to look back, the circus tent had disappeared - fading away from reality as though it had been just a dream.
But certainly for those four other souls, it was not a dream, and the discovery of their powers and of the awful hidden truths continued to weigh on them.
"Just so you're aware, the only people who can hear me are you five," Daigoro commented, his head swiveling from side to side, looking like a well-trained but still curious dog. "Everyone else will just think I'm a normal dog. I'm what's known as a companion. Technically, I am bonded to Ronin Pure. I act as an adviser, mentor and familiar, and generally try to keep him out of too much trouble. You four might have companions as well, but it seems they haven't awakened yet. As your powers grow, you might find that your soul energy will call them to you, but not every princess is known to have had a companion."
"So just what is this business with princesses?" Akane wondered aloud. "You're speaking as though this sort of thing has gone on for a long time. Has the world always been under attack from this Negaverse?"
"Not just this world. Many worlds. Our universe of light is mirrored by the Negaverse. Every star is a physical representation of a burning hope for life and all its wonders, but those stars are separated by a daunting expanse of void, an absence of life and emotion. That dark matter is the physical representation of the Negaverse. It is ever present and it attacks all worlds with life, seeking to feed on it and eventually crushing it under its own oppressive need for sustenance."
"Sounds morbid."
"B-but what is this stuff about physical representation? These terms don't make much sense. The sun is just a burning ball of gas, isn't it?"
"That's true, in one sense, but in another sense, no."
"Great. This isn't confusing at all," Kousuke said.
"Everything you see has a dual nature. A rock, a tree, the ocean, the moon, and the stars. There's what you're used to seeing, the scientific reality that keeps your universe making sense and explainable for those who don't have the connection to the other side of things, which is the spiritual side. For example: is a rock hard and heavy because its mass is dense? Or is it that way because its attitude is stubborn and it simply refuses to give in? Is gravity a natural force? Or is it just the charisma of the ground convincing objects to come back to it?"
Akane snorted, "That's pretty trippy."
"You are having a conversation with a talking dog," Daigoro reminded her. "The world is far more complex than you realize. Sometimes two completely incompatible explanations can both be true. Your powers allow you to affect parts of reality based upon this second system of understanding the universe. Your soul energy speaks to the elements that you are tied to, and can convince it to do what you say. Lighting, ice, heat, or metals... you can create these things, using their inherent power as a weapon against the powers of darkness."
"A handy ability," Kousuke nodded.
"Even though you don't have a natural connection, the mark on your soul will let you start to perceive this world in a similar manner Kousuke. If you're not careful, you might start to seem very odd to your fellow humans. Having conversations with trees and the like... it's one of the reasons Ronin Pure suggested you be allowed to forget."
"I'll be sure to limit my conversations to humans," Kousuke said. "And perhaps the occasional dog."
"Naturally," Daigoro wagged his tail, before continuing on. "Anyway. To get back to the earlier question. Yes, this has been going on for quite some time. Each world has its defenders, souls chosen by the light to protect our reality from the depredations of the Negaverse. On Earth, we have been relatively lucky. Only border skirmishes and the sort between ourselves and the Negaverse. If you've ever wondered where these tales of monsters find their origins, now you might understand. There have been things that go bump in the night, and we've had real heroes and heroines working to keep things under control. Now we have you four."
"No pressure," Akane remarked.
"Indeed. And what's a bit concerning is that recently, the Negaverse has become extremely aggressive. For beings like myself, which have the ability to travel between worlds, there have been some disturbing signs. A few worlds have had all travel and communication cut. We're not sure what is going on, but we fear that the Negaverse is conducting invasions. Some dark power is isolating solar systems, one by one. And after today, I'm worried that Earth may be the next target. If that's so, we need to make sure that the Negaverse doesn't get a foothold onto our planet."