Private Innerwyrm

[Onrai]

Kinoss, Private Room

Onrai stared at herself in the mirror. There was nothing physically different about her avatar, but she could feel something had changed since her return from the dark dimension the fallen celestials had been imprisoned in. She knew what it was - that the parasitic lifeform spawned from her now-deceased apprentice, which had devoured everything that remained of her and left Sasmay naught more than dust on the wind, had firmly entrenched itself within her essence. She had not felt it attempt to go on a feeding frenzy, but it was something she had chosen now to acknowledge.

“I know you’re there.”

Her words resonated both in the physical room and within the infinite abyss of blackness that Kurineth was within as she continued. “I don’t intend to hurt you. You are free from your mother’s machinations. But I want you to come out and talk.”

Kurineth Cull

 

[Kurineth Cull]

LOCATION: Kinoss, Private Room
TAGS: Onrai

She had remained in a latent state for the duration of travel that her new carrier had done. Doing her best to blend with the essence of the one that had helped bring an end to her creator and host in the between. There was little chance of her continued existence if she had done otherwise.

A fact that did not escape her given how readily the being had dispatched her host.

More a reality when push came to shove but the distinction was minimal in the end. Her worries had been largely kept to a low until the one known as Onrai began to inspect herself.

Thoroughly.

She was addressed properly. The inevitable upon her as the being assured her of no intent to harm. Kurineth scrutinized the wording, made note of what was and was not spoken before daring to slowly remove herself from their twined essence within that dark abyss.

In her time of reflection, she had taken the chance to gaze through the precious existence of her host. Pulling information as she could before being made to deal with what was unavoidable in the end.

Her form became real, having peered long and thoughtfully at the being who she had twined herself into to produce the form of a small golden locked child before her.

Choosing to mimic a form similar to the one Onrai had revealed to Sasmay.

"Bacathe was my creator and nothing more." Her tone falling between bitterness and loathing. Inflection born of the one she had consumed. Her voice childish, body sharing that same visage of innocence that escaped her eyes.

The icy blues set upon Onrai as she explained further.

"My host, she could be called such. But not the other." She stared at the more powerful entity before her. Unblinking in the face of what had destroyed that which had brought her into existence.

 

[Onrai]

Onrai could not help but take a hand and gently pat the head of the young creature whose form had manifested so human-like from within her essence - she was fortunate enough her fluidic form allowed the parasite ease of exit as opposed to violent expulsion. The tone, flat and bereaved of emotion, was as she expected for such a being formed from the husk and lifeforce of an immortal, whose connection to mortality and the society within was likely that of curious schoolchild observing insects and worms in the backyard. Her lack of blinking was surprising as well given the circumstances.

"You ate your mother." She said, once more reflected to the memory of her dearly beloved apprentice turned to naught but dust in her arms, a husk sapped of all life and energy by the thing - no, the child that stood before her. "Now that you are here, though, what would you have me do? Do you intend to devour my own essence as you did the ones who forged you? Or do you have other desires, my dear..." She let her sentence traipse off, waiting for perhaps a name or pseudonym to come to the young woman's lips.

Kurineth Cull

 

[Kurineth Cull]

LOCATION: Kinoss, Private Room
TAGS: Onrai

The hand atop her head brought a memory not her own. Her....mother's. An image of training preceeded it as Onrai reached out in much the same way and touched Sasmay upon her head.

A pleased expression worn by the one before her in the memory.

"I absorbed her. She is part of me now and always." Her expression was puzzled. The posed questions made her chin turn slightly.

Was that possible?

Not as she was now. It had taken surprisingly little effort it seemed for Onrai to deliver a final blow to her life giver. And while she was certain that one day she might have the strength to do so.

Now was not that time.

The pause of speech brought her back from those musings. It seemed Onrai was searching for a title. Or a name. A descriptor. She finally blinked, remembering one of the same pleasing memories that had formed around herself and her mother.

She spoke the words that had been sung to her by another.

"Kurineth...Cull." Were the offered words. Her eyes drifted to the floor of the room before looking around once. A strange place, but now wasn't the time for pondering.

What did she desire?

"Bacathe would have me devour all without relent. Sasmay wanted-" Her chin tilted once more, searching the memories before finishing her statement. "Wanted something else. To see the planets. The mortals upon them. Be seen and see them. A strange idea for something like me."

Her hands rose, eyes staring at them before looking up to Onrai.

"I. I don't know what I want." She hadn't been given autonomy or even the idea of freedom. Presented with the concept genuinely stumped her.

"If I were to begin consuming without restraint. You and others like you would destroy me?" A bland tone, an almost rhetorical question meant to confirm a suspicion. Her hands fell to her side for the time being, small form still looking up at Onrai.

If she were to continue living, she would have to figure out what she had to do to avoid such troubles.

 

[Onrai]

Kurineth's affirmations had at least made it clear there was an element of Sasmay within her to temper whatever innate darkness filled the soul, or whatever served as a soul, for her unnatural creation. A soft sigh indicated what little satisfaction Onrai could offer given the circumstances, however unsatisfying the results had been, The name - how interesting that Kurineth had chosen to take the last name of her mother. Perhaps there was more of Sasmay to the parasite than she had originally expected.

When Kurineth said she didn't know what she wanted, Onrai kneeled down and gave her a firm hug, embracing her and picking her up in a firm yet not oppressive embrace. "Yes. If not I, then someone else. There is a term for those who devour all ceaselessly without any regards for other life. Monsters." She had witnessed such a monster in the form of Kyrel Ren 's ritual sometime prior to the incident in the dark dimension. "But there are ways for you to feed nonetheless. The greatest way is supplication."

She paused for but a moment, before sitting down in a chair, the young Kuri rested on her knee. "You know much of what Sasmay knew, I presume. Do you know what I told her about godhood?"

Kurineth Cull

 

[Kurineth Cull]

LOCATION: Kinoss, Private Room
TAGS: Onrai

The hug was another sign of affection that seemed to confuse Kurineth. Something that had only existed in the memories that played in her mind.

Affection had seemed like a strange concept until she had been given the smallest inkling of it.

She wanted more.

"There will always be monsters." She remarked rather matter of fact. "And those that believe themselves to not be such things."

The shift into a seated position causing her to look around as the question was posed.

She stared into the distance briefly before turning back to Onrai.

"Worship. A name sung. The draw of power from those that believe. You have that. I do not. I am a monster. You are a god." Another matter of fact statement as she pondered the implications.

 

[Onrai]

“You may be a monster now, but even a monster can become a god.” She said, looking at Kurineth with as kindly a look she could give. “Do you think I was always this deity, so supportive and benevolent to those in my domain? No. I was mortal once, a being of unfathomable cruelty and carnality. But over time, I evolved, sought out sources of power, and became what you see today. The process of becoming as I am now is not as straightforward as one would lead you to believe - and there are many who fall into the brevity of falsehood, to believe themselves gods that they will never truly be.”

She paused for a moment. “You are a parasite, that much is certain. Or you were made to be one. The state I found Sasmay in speaks to that. But you do not need to always be so parasitic. There are other ways for you to receive nourishment - perhaps you could take advice from the life-bearers of Leria Kerlsil for such.” She said.

“But right now, you are looking to receive love from another. Aren’t you?”

Kurineth Cull

 

[Kurineth Cull]

LOCATION: Kinoss, Private Room
TAGS: Onrai

The explanation was recieved, the small being plainly contemplative as she pondered on what the process could entail with such a seemingly drastic change in initial existence to what was holding her on their knee.

Her eyes shifted back to the being as she listened more.

"The life-bearers are a stop gap, though their knowledge might prove useful in refining some way of supplication." An observation as she let her mouth draw tight, the corners turned down slightly.

"The feeling is new, and pleasant. I enjoy it." She fiddled with her hands, understanding an image of Sasmay doing much the same when an obvious point was made at her expense.

 

[Onrai]

Onrai decided then and there that the best option was to give Kurineth a proper hug - so she did. "And presumably you would enjoy having an actual parental figure who actually showcased affection to you, given both of your progenitors are no longer among the living." The hug eventually ended and Onrai motioned for Kurineth to sit in a chair that allowed them to roughly be at eye level with one another. She pondered over what else to do given the circumstances.

"I am willing to raise you, train you, and guide you on your journey through the galaxy in what we call life. And until we find you another way to feed, I am even willing to offer some of my essence to you. It can be replenished after all." She pondered a bit more on how best to begin her offerings to the young creature in question. "To survive in this galaxy, you will need to learn how to fight. You are as unorthodox an entity as they come and there are many who will seek to exploit you or do many other worse things to you."

She pondered for a bit. "What would you like to learn?"

Kurineth Cull

 

[Kurineth Cull]

LOCATION: Kinoss, Private Room
TAGS: Onrai

The idea of having a parental figure was an intriguing one. Given the lack of such from her mother's stolen memories and the entirely foreign concept being presented to her directly

"It would be welcome." She nodded slowly, examining her hands before listening to Onrai explain herself.

Appreciation was the word that came to mind at the extended deal. She wasn't beholden to Kurineth for such things and could have easily cast her out or even simply dealt with her and be done with the ordeal.

Instead she offered kindness and the chance to exist. The means to protect herself would likely be an ongoing thing given her mother was supposed to bring whatever lay before her to knee.

Simply designed to collect what remained, she only had the knowledge of how to fight but not the practice.

"All you are willing to share." She began, making an addition shortly after. "I can affect the minds of those I choose if they are sufficiently unprepared or feeble of will. It would be in my best interest to refine this."

 

[Onrai]

In response to Kurineth’s affirmation of acceptance of affection, as well as of Onrai taking the role of a parent, she gave the young blonde another gentle hug. “Hugging is a common sign of affection. In your case it also allows you to get close enough to someone to be able to drain their life force.” She pointed out, before letting Kurineth sit back down.

“Affecting people’s minds is easy enough. One merely needs to understand how a person thinks, as well as understand how the brain works in order to best affect them.” She paused for a bit before further elaborating. “For most humanoids, dopamine is the key. It is a reward system - the brain receives it when good things happen and lacks it when bad things happen. Providing them with dopamine when they engage in appropriate behavior encourages that behavior, potentially compulsively.” She explained. “Trying an aggressive route of forcibly overriding the neural impulses in one’s mind is a difficult task - let alone for multiple different people.”

Kurineth Cull

 

[Kurineth Cull]

LOCATION: Kinoss, Private Room
TAGS: Onrai

The following hug was well received as well as the information regarding her proximity to devour life force through the act. A fact that she kept close to heart. The following explanation of how best to affect a mind was met with unwavering attention focused on the topic.

A small question forming as she pondered other possible avenues of influence.

"Is it possible to embolden the mind of another with anger if they are already feeling anger? To influence them in your favor if you give them something to direct that anger towards?" She asked quietly.

"One would imagine tapping into their emotions as well as giving rewards through dop-a-mine would be the best combination."

 

[Onrai]

"People when angry do not often think clearly." She said. "Anger fuels hatred which fuels the darkness in the heart of mortals. Male or female, humanoid or exotic, powerful sorcerer or ordinary man or woman. The darkness is always ready to strike. Taking advantage of one's... compromised emotional state is never a bad option in order to influence them towards a course of action, but remember, you never have control. Mortals are illogical and irrational beings, who are never guaranteed to follow along patterns. Yes, they typically will, and yes, they can in theory be predicted, but never allow patterns to lull you into a sense of security, for they can change in an instant."

She paused for a moment. "You know that I care for you. And as I care for you, you can reasonably expect, based on my past pattern, that I will show you the affection deserving of the surrogate daughter you are to me. But there is always the possibility that I may for no apparent reason grow angry. I could demean you. Insult you. I could even attack you. Is it likely I will? No, and I do not ever intend to. It makes no sense to do so. And yet it could happen, and to survive, you would need to be ready to adapt your strategies." She said.

Kurineth Cull

 

[Kurineth Cull]

LOCATION: Kinoss, Private Room
TAGS: Onrai

The information about the possible fluctuation of mortal whims was noted. Her head nodding with what was presented. Mortals were fickle, especially in their short lifespan. Decisions once thought incomprehensible or outlandish made possible when spurned or pushed to the brink.

Something she pondered about in the back of her mind to the possibilities of.

"Never rely on patterns, as with mortals even patterns may be fickle." She spoke briefly, putting the revelation away for the time being.

"If anger and affection are the extremes of this end, a more subtle manipulation would be preferable then. Drawing a being towards a goal slowly rather than outright dominating them." Little more than thinking aloud, she looked to Onrai once more and studied her.

"As I am, I would be little more than a nuisance for you." She blinked, frowning at the thought. The affection being shared suddenly being taken away was not a pleasing thought. "I am finished with this topic for the time being. I wish to study fighting so I might better adapt."

A cut off to the conversation without removing the topic for further discussion.

 

[Onrai]

She nodded. "You're correct." Kurineth was a very astute observer, and Onrai appreciated how quickly she as an atypical being in the galaxy was able to consume knowledge. The self-defeating comment disappointed her a bit as she went over and gave Kurineth a pat on the head, before a portion of her shadowed essence seemed to fray and tear open to reveal an even deeper darkness within. "Never say that, Kuri. You're not a nuisance to me, even when your essence hides within my own - if you would like to return there for now to feed and be protected, I gladly offer it to you."

She thought for a bit. "To study fighting... If this is what you wish to learn, then I have some things to get. You would be best served by waiting to reemerge from my essence once I am done preparing."

Kurineth Cull

 

[Kurineth Cull]

LOCATION: Kinoss, Private Room
TAGS: Onrai

A simple statement likely didn't stir many beings to being pleased with themselves. But recognition did just that for the small abomination before Onrai. The tiniest of smiles appearing before it disappeared beneath the self depreciating comment was brought up.

She could appreciate the idea, even if she felt like a flea before a greater being.

The offer of hiding was not squandered, her form melding once more with Onrai to sip from the offered power and be comfortable within the safety of her presence.

"You are kind. I shall be patient." She nodded, slipping back into shadows to slumber and perhaps watch.

 

[Onrai]

“It is all I suppose I could ask of you.” She said, as the wyrmform once more inveigled itself with the darkness of her own before disappearing into an endless sea of shadows. Onrai looked at herself for a bit - this was an unusual situation, one she found herself looking forward to, for through their union she had a unique opportunity to raise the parasite as something more than what the defiled Celestial that had corrupted her apprentice wished her to be.

Thus, she went on her way, more adventures to experience.

FIN

Kurineth Cull