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I'm Sure We Can Fly Again (Artifact Material Hunt)/(Ask)
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Post by Naoki + Xu + Filia on May 3, 2021 5:50:14 GMT
...Even if things seemed dire, even if things seemed hopeless, Xu of the Morning Sun had always been taught to hold out hope. Hope for the best, always, even when you're facing the worst. Yet there was always a cruel realization that it was never as easy for others as it was for him to roll with the punches.
Maybe that's why Filia could barely stand him. It was a legitimate mystery. "...Don't say that." Filia spoke up, finally. It seemed like Hanako and company couldn't continue on, and that was fine, but for those that were here? ...They needed to keep going. They needed to help each other up, not wallow when confronted with the past.
"The king stands alone, but his people are always there to help him stand, Hikaru." The twins were feeling far worse than Naoki was. Speaking of? He was...slowly piecing things together. Recalling things bit by bit. "...Truth." He muttered. That was what lay beyond here. He was sure of that now.
"The bird's trying to show us something. And I think we need to follow it to find out what. Especially if it has to do with the city. But. I'm not going after it alone, Yuuki. Not after what happened the last time I tried that, two years ago. Whatever comes next, we face it together. ...And I think our friends would appreciate that. Wherever they've gone."
...Yes, this was the nerd who's crest was Courage. Something was beginning to shine through a proverbial haze of amnesia.
Xu looked to Kaya and Hawkeye. "I don't know you two, but I feel like it's better to confront whatever's waiting ahead than keep things stewing over. ...Trust me on that. We're ready when you are, Yuuki. Hikaru."
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Post by yuuki on May 3, 2021 6:59:41 GMT
Hanako and her party decided to pull back. That's completely fine. Hikaru and Yuuki understood. For the meantime though, he... he have to push forward. It's hard, it's really hard. Memory is like an automatically playing movie that you can't really pause without wrestling with your subconsciousness. Your subconsciousness usually always win, because they shows what you want to see when you yearns for it the most... and this is what happened. As they goes forward,t he memories no longer just etched on the wall, but also pops out in front of them in hologram. Worse, for Yuuki, it's all happy memories....
His first journey, friendship, friends that he have met in his past.... He saw visages of his lost friends, their words echoes in the corridor "let's meet again" or "see ya later!" or "until later", and so does his own, younger voice saying the same. The young him had a bit of air of aloofness. The words that he said might be awkward, but there are feelings inside of them, one that says that he very much appreciated their presence. Soft, cheerful, sometimes with hint of melancholy... all those parting words implies that they will meet again. Yuuki bit his lower lip as he pressed on, looking close to tears. It's unfair, it's unfair how much he could remmeber them and how the corridor pulled exaclty those memories out of him and not only that, reproduces their mannerism in such way that is accurate. None of his biased view of how they're depicted is here. They're all accurate... so accurate that it hurts.
"Kuh!" eventually he's starting to break down. Yuuki fell on his knees, tears streaming down his face. His heart desired it. He wanted to hear their voices once more. He wanted them to just... show up and say that they have returned. "Everything will be fine"... he wish he could believe that and that they just forget about all this Digital World stuff...
The one who suffers the most are the one who can't move on, and stays chained in the past.
Even Hikaru, he saw a Gabumon in front of him who smiled kindly at him.
"...Hey," Hikaru greeted. ".......Even when I have someone else in my heart right now... even though I got a whole family now... It's unfair how they took you away... I guess I really wanted to apologize to you... for failing to protect you.... But this.. isn't truly you, right? This is just figment of my memory..."
"Our heart... is cruel isn't it?" Yuuki laughed derisively. "...And this place is a mirror of our heart. They showed us what we wanted to see so much, no matter how hard we tries to hide our heart... Our heart actually wanted to see and hear all of these... This corridor is exaclty what I feared it is. it resonated with our psyche, and our desires."
Finally, he looked ahead, toward the end of the corridor. "............MEMORIA, you're there, aren't you?"
before long, a flood of blinding light shone from the end, and the party is teleported to a very wide chamber. A figure in a cloak is sitting on a char at the end. There are several chairs, fitting the number of the 'guests'. The table in front of those chair have numbers of snacks and tea served, each in crystalline vessel. For that matter, both the table and the chair is also crystalline, so is the chamber itself. It's polished, unlike the jagged, rough version of corridor. Yuuki approached the figure along with Hikaru.
"....Welcome, [Chosen Ones]." it might be to the party's surprise that the voice that came out from this white cloaked figure is voice of one they wanted to hear the most.
"Are you, MEMORIA?" Hikaru asked.
"Affirmative. I am the [Will of This City] you call Ys. am named MEMORIA. However, I am a formless being. What you see in front of you is merely your subconsciousness desire of seeing and hearing one that was dear to you."
"...Isn't this a twisted hobby?"
"Negative. This have no bearing toward my desire. To appear as whatever burdens your heart, I have noted it as something unwise and insensitve. Unfortunately, my form is dictated by this place.'
"Which means... you have no control over what form you appears in?" Yuuki asked.
"Affirmative." When she lowered her hood, the party can see the face of the one they wanted to see the most. "The strength of my will have yet fully restored. Therefore, my 'will' unfortunately dwarved by your own will of seeing those who you hold dear, and that in turn, is superimposed upon [my] figure."
"Then as I thought... this place, was a heart mirror or such, right?"
"Affirmative. Prismatic Passage is its name. Hidden down the city, with such high purity Spiria, they reflect your very heart desire. First stratum, which we're in at the moment... is [Happiness]. Your heart's surface desire is for its happiness first and foremost. Your heart, without caring that it might hurt itself further, seeks for temporary relief from the desire it burdened with."
"................Then, is this place is built by your will?"
"Negative," MEMORIA answered. "....This place was created by your predecessor with my assistance. The leaders of yore, they felt the need to address personal psychological need. Sometimes there are dark past that one wishes no one would see, but they would like to sort it out. Or perhaps there are building negativity that they need to personally deal themselves... And such was the reason of the creation of this place."
".......Is that the reason why you invited us down here?"
"Affirmative, but in need of correction:I am created, along with this city as a seed of progression. I feel it's crucial to finally show you this place..." MEMORIA then pointed at Yuuki. "...Itou Yuuki, present leader. You have stagnated, have you not?"
"........So it was true."
"Humans and Digimons, chosen or not, they grew through many different factors. They grew physically and mentally, and there are times where they decline... and there were times where you might stagnate. Your role as chosen unfortunately depends on your potential. Just like Digimon, you must evolve; potential wise that is. Stagnation will cause your Digimon to not be able to evolve."
"Is that not being an adult meant?" Yuuki asked bitterly. "That you're faced with the fact that the world is not as bright and colorful as you'd like?"
"Negative, you're absolutely mistaken." MEMORIA answered "...even as an adult, human will continue to grow and develop, only not in the way they expected. Maturity of the soul is subjective. Sometimes regressing to simplicity of life, once again experiencing joy of life, and then finding a new goal, that too, is potential. Saying that an adult have no potential is verily mistaken. Itou Yuuki... your journey in this road to evolution, will not end just here when you reached adulthood, or the career of your choice. Because life is an endless choice-making game."
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Post by Kaya Matsui and Hawkeye on May 4, 2021 4:46:30 GMT
It seems that it would be Kaya, Yuuki and Naoki stepping deeper into this corridor together to find what else may be ahead of them. They had each uncovered some precious but rather painful memories of their past, but as Xu said to Kaya and Hawkeye, it was better to confront it rather than think about the what-ifs. With Hawkeye grabbing onto Kaya's hand, the two of them would continue walking down the corridor.
As the group walked deeper in, the memories no longer appeared on the wall, but popped out in front of them like holograms. Memories of all three groups just playing in the same space. One particular memory that Kaya was currently fixated on was one where Eizo was trying to keep his eye on a Poromon-Hawkeye, who was continuing to bounce circles around the young man in glee. Yet despite this, the man looked as if he wanted to be nowhere else but here in this moment. Kaya noted how there was so much life in Eizo's eyes, this was genuine love and affection if Kaya had ever seen it. "So... this is Eizo, huh?"
"Mhm," Hawkeye simply responded, trying his hardest to hold back the tears from watching this memory.
"I think I can see why you remember him so fondly. He looks really nice, and I can tell he cared about you a lot."
"He was... a lot like you, in plenty of ways," Hawkeye admitted, a small smile forming on his beak. "He was brave, and kind, and supportive... he was all the things that anyone could ask for in a friend. He just... knew how to make me smile, and how to make me feel better. I imagine it wasn't just to me that he was able to do this with. He also had a thing for cute Digimon as well, which I think was most of the reason Eizo hung out with me in the first place."
The two shared a quiet laugh together over the fond memory sharing. That moment of bliss was quickly followed by Kaya's face darkening, the reason Hawkeye was upset having temporarily left her mind up until now. She looked down at the Hawkmon, placing a hand on top of his head. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Hawkeye. No one deserves to go through what you did."
"It's fine, Kaya," Hawkeye tried to reassure her. "I think... I think I needed to see this. It hurts so much, don't get me wrong. I want to see him again, pretend that his death never happened... but I need to face reality. And seeing these memories again, in such vivid detail... it reminds me of the Digimon I used to be. The Digimon I want to become again. And it's a good reminder that I do have the power now to protect those I care about, far more than I did back then." Hawkeye confidently looked up at Kaya. "I'm confident that we'll be together for as long as we possibly can."
Tears started forming in Kaya's own eyes from the kind words of her partner. "And who knows... maybe Eizo is looking down on us right now. I'm sure he'd be so proud of you if he were here, Hawkeye."
Hawkeye would begin to grow red around the cheeks from these words, bashfully looking away from Kaya with a smile on his face. Though there was sadness in these memories, they were happy memories for a reason. Yuuki looked down towards the corridor and called out for someone named... "MEMORIA?"
Suddenly there was a bright light, and the group was teleported to a chamber room with a table and as many empty chairs as there were guests, with snacks and tea even presented on the table. A strange figure in a while cloak sat at the end of the table, who revealed themselves to be this MEMORIA person. While everyone saw her differently, Hawkeye could've sworn they heard Eizo's voice come from the figure. She was apparently "The Will of the City," a formless being that took the form of the viewer's subconscious desire of seeing and hearing whoever was dear to them. "S-So that's why you happen to look and sound exactly like Eizo right now?"
"I only see a lady with a blindfold..."
MEMORIA continued to explain that this area was called Prismatic Passage, an area that reflects one's heart's desire. The first area, the area the group was just in, was the first stratum, "Happiness." It showed the user's desire for temporary relief, without caring how much more hurt could come its way. "That's why it was showing me my memories as a Poromon with Eizo."
"B-But wait, I didn't see any of my memories... I only saw Hawkeye's. Does that mean anything?"
MEMORIA continued on. She invited the group down here because of negativity building up, or dark memories that need to be sorted out. She even knew that Yuuki and Hikaru were having trouble Digivolving. It was explained as humans and Digimon, chosen or not, growing and maturing, or even stagnating in personal growth. The role as chosen depended on potential, and stagnation in potential to grow will cause a Digimon to not Digivolve. "I never knew it was that deep. I just thought that they Digivolved when they needed to most... though there was that one time I wasn't able to have Hawkeye digivolve because we were having a fight."
MEMORIA went even deeper than that, saying that even adults continue to mature and grow, just in a different way than what they were expecting. Maturity was subjective, huh? That was a surprise for Kaya to hear. She has always been focused on coming across as mature enough to measure up to those much older than her, so that no one would look down on her... could she have been trying too hard to seem older all this time?
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Post by Naoki + Xu + Filia on Jun 7, 2021 14:16:48 GMT
As much as Naoki wished that he were able to rouse everyone, the corridor pretty much threw a harrowing reality at them. There had always been people that would say goodbye, see you later, or anything inbetween and were never seen again.
The thing here was, when was that realized?
Did such a pain ever lessen? Can such a pain ever be numbed?
It manifested in a different way for Naoki, though. For him, two phrases echoed repeatedly.
Please don't blame yourself for this.
My greatest failure.
All three of the group were silent as to what else they saw. Whether it was the lingering specters of the past, something new, or something else, it was quite unclear, but it was a rather harrowing sight nonetheless. The girl from earlier, with all the life in her eyes gone...
The end of the Corridor could not have come any sooner. For with MEMORIA's teleportation, it all sort of ended as they were whisked towards another room. As Yuuki and the Will of the City spoke to each other, Naoki seemed to snap out of something.
"So, this whole...place is a reflection of the past, then?" He'd inquire, folding his arms, while his partners seemed to just nod in agreement. There was a fine point in how maturity was subjective.
"Life is something to be celebrated. Enjoyed. Dwelling on the past...doesn't allow for that." Filia uttered. "So, why did you bring us here, O Will of the City?"
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Post by yuuki on Jun 7, 2021 15:52:16 GMT
"Surface desires means nothing. The fact that you saw nothing simply means that you're not in any condition that deeply yearns something to be shown. To those who does not have happiness they have forgotten due to parting... this place would show nothing that might concern them. You can say that at that point your surface desire weren't strong enough to reflect anything. Would you, perhaps, be more at ease if food appeared out of nowhere on the wall, reflecting your desire for one?" MEMORIA asked.
"...Admittedly... it might," Yuuki dryly muttered.
"I will take that into consideration... yet at this moment it's true that you wishes to be reunited with long lost friends. So that is what the crystals showed you. Your bonds with your Digimons created possible evolution. Knowing each other well would also boost the bond... but... when it's about partnered human and Digimon... it's seem that a certain quality usually be prerequisite for evolution. Be it luck, or perhaps a certain characteristic, such as a virtue or vice that symbolizes you."
Yuuki looked at his Digivice. Faith. That's his.
"Incorrect, Aizawa Naoki," MEMORIA answered when asked whether this place symbolizes past. "It's reflection of your heart. Whether it's past, present, future... or perhaps, 'alternate possibilities'."
Why are they summoned? Good question. "...In some way or another, all of you who came here... had something in your heart that you wish to solve. For example... a loss of dear friend... then, a loss of memory, that might be related to loss of family member... finally... stagnation caused by loss of faith on oneself, the world, and better future."
MEMORIA turned her head around to look at the three of them.
"............you all, have matters that you must solve. That is, part of being a chosen. To keep evolving, or to stagnate is a choice. To part, to continue together, to reunite, is also a choice. Being chosen is simply "given chance" rather than thinking that this world is doing this against you. You choose to answer, and now you have choice... to abort, or to continue?"
"...And how, you propose, that we keep evolving?" Yuuki asked to the will of the city.
"There are multiples of course... but at this point the question remains... Do you still wish to continue? Or perhaps Do you wish to stop? Learning more about evolution is learning more about possibility... and learning more about possibility... is learning more of my mission... and my origin."
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Post by Kaya Matsui and Hawkeye on Jun 19, 2021 1:56:16 GMT
"So only those who have lost happiness in their lives would see something here... do I have that right?" Kaya asked MEMORIA. "That would make sense why only Hawkeye's memories were shown. I haven't lost anything or anyone close to me like he has... my life was honestly pretty routine before I met Hawkeye, you know?"
Because most of the group wished to be with long lost loved ones again, those memories was what the group saw in the crystals. MEMORIA explained that their bonds with their Digimon was how Digivolution was possible, but there is usually a requirement for evolution. Kaya thought back to her own experiences... every time that Hawkeye digivolved, Kaya felt a surge of love towards the bird Digimon. Was... love her own characteristic? She could've sworn that she saw a heart symbol on her Digivice from time to time...
Now was the question of why they were all summoned here. They each have something in their hearts that they want to resolve. From Tatsuya and Blake... to Eizo... to Naoko's lost memories... MEMORIA said that they all had a choice: to resolve these issues and keep growing and evolving, or to stagnate. She asked if they wanted to continue. Kaya looked down at her partner. "What do you think?"
"Well... I know I can't stop being mad at the one who took Eizo away from me, and I know he must pay," Hawkeye said. "But... I want to move on. To think Eizo will come back is nothing more than an unrealistic fantasy that I cannot stop replaying in my head. I want to continue."
"Well, I guess that's our answer," Kaya said to MEMORIA. "I wanna move on and learn more."
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Post by Naoki + Xu + Filia on Aug 4, 2021 17:34:51 GMT
"No, the place shows people their desires, what they lack and yearn for." Naoki told Kaya. "It's a more...general sort of loss if I'm interpreting this correctly..."
Past. Present. Future. Possibility. An endless well was what MEMORIA symbolized. And the well had brought them here for a single unifying reason--for despite the differences that every human here had held, the differences held by each Digimon present in their cores, they all held one thing to tie them together.
They all held unresolved business. Unfinished. Things that drove them to keep moving forward, in one way or another. Xu realized this, and emitted a quiet 'hmmm.' "People can keep moving in any way they so wish, Yuuki. After all, is that not how humanity grew to be where it is at today?" The Coronamon finally spoke.
"You tempt curiosity, MEMORIA. And I figured you'd have understood by now that curiosity is something that drives at least two people here." Filia stated, appearing more...calm. Serene. "I will continue if my brother and Naoki will."
"Sure." The Coronamon shrugged, while Naoki had to...actually think on it a bit.
"...Very well. Figure I owe it to the people lost along the way to get to the end. Plus, I'm not leaving my friends alone here."
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