If you are out of options, they will find you. So be ready.
Do not run, they hate when you do. They will punish you with the worms, or worse.
Have you seen a man lose himself completely, less of a person at that point and more of a joyless husk?
I have. The burrowing is so deep. I Have no name anymore.
I was told I don't need it, so they gracefully took it. Who needs a name?
I fought them, or I didnt anymore. Memories are the key to a soul.
What am I, if no one knows who I am?
-A crazed man's ramblings
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Children and parents reunited after A months long journey at sea. Tears of joy falling to the ground, with laughter of a family reformed emphasizing the elation at the accursed journey's end.
Charon himself was swept up in the moment as well. Allowing him to push back the darker feelings of regret and grief into the corners of his mind. Of course as the adrenaline wore down, he found those crushing feelings threatening to overwhelm him again.
Behind a facade of joy, he kept working to stem the tide..
Turning to Hades he began to speak after a moment of silence, "We still have some food and other Items within the ship. We ought to bring those out before we decide our next move."
"Agreed, I did notice there were some letters in the food storage along with some books as well." Hades then gestured for the triplets who were currently talking with Nyx and Hypnos to come over.
"Alright Everyone! Me and my group shall recover what is left of the food storage from the ship! If some of you could clear a spot for us to place what is left while we do so, I would greatly appreciate it!" Using Astral Energy to enhance his volume, Charon turned to enter the ship.
With his entourage and family in tow, he went down the stairs into the bowels of the ship. During this, Charon's sister Elizabeth carried a complicated look upon her face while looking at her brother.
She turned to Hades with an almost pleading look in her eyes which he returned with only a sad shake of his head before pointing at the door in front of them.
Charon, who was too focused to notice this exchange, simply stared at the door in front of him. He hesitated for a moment before opening the door.
As he did so, he was greeted by enough food left to feed everyone for possibly another month or more. He could also see a stack of books buried at the back of the ship's storeroom. On top of said stack, he could vaguely make out what seemed to be a letter of some sort.
Glaring at the letter with a creeping sense of grief, he immediately looked back at his entourage.
"Let us first bring out the food before investigating those books. My Children…" Charon said even as his voice partially cracked before returning to a flat tone, with him then mechanically turning to Hypnos and Nyx.
"Yes… Father." That word still foreign to Hypnos' mouth.
"Could you help me with moving these boxes?" Charon said, this time managing to retain an even tone in his voice.
"Okay, Dad." Nyx, still young, gave a shrug as she moved to grab a box more fitting for her tiny stature, but not before hugging Charon's leg.
Charon's eyes widened briefly before sighing and ruffling her hair. He then grabbed a rather large crate and placed it on top of another. He then lifted them up as his servants and right hand man followed his lead.
It did not take long to finish bringing everything out, especially with Charon and the others of his race managing to carry multiple of the larger boxes.
As such Charon was able to hold off reading the dreaded letter for a short time. At least, until they finished stacking the crates and boxes of food on the beach.
As he Trekked back, followed by the triplets, Hades, and his two kids, Each step felt like he was surpassing a mountain of emotions.
When he reached the room, his feet had left imprints upon the wood making up the ship unbeknownst to him.
He began to hunch over as he picked up the letter due to his body's increasing mass. Hades glanced at Charon who was unaware of this new form of shapeshifting before he turned towards Aeacus.
"You should keep his Children outside of the room for now. I think Charon's emotions are affecting his powers in some way and I don't want him to accidentally hurt them in his current state."
Aeacus glanced past Hades at Charon before giving him a nod in agreement. He then whispered something to Minos before blocking the doorway with Rhada to prevent the kids from entering or seeing inside.
Charon began to shake as he opened the letter as his emotions which had been pushed back for the past month began to surface finally. Hades saw this as he shook his head in anger at his inability to help his brother and leader.
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Dear Charon,
If you are reading this then I have sent you along with others away from our beautiful city. I am sure that I would only do this if We were destined to fall as a kingdom. In my selfishness, I have left this letter to you.
I hope that with time you can forgive this older brother of yours for this. You always were good at holding a grudge however, so I expect you to be angry. You may do a good job of hiding how you feel but I know you still love your family and your people.
You were truly a great advisor when you weren't locked away doing your research. I find it hard to ask this when I know you never wanted this but still, you must lead them.
Your cousins and uncles helped me select members of our capital to transport away. Many of whom would be targets of invaders or are too useful to our kingdom to be used as tools for some outsider.
They are all important, but most of all, they will protect you and our sister from the forces within the Brindwal continent. If I am being honest that is the main reason I chose who I did. You know how sentimental I can be afterall.
You ought to look out for the Gradus Kingdom. I never trusted their queen when I dealt with that continent, call it a gut feeling.
Before I ramble on any longer I shall end with this, There was one other who ought to be summoned to the ship after your arrival. The Butler whom you met briefly hid a teleportation artifact on himself which can be activated by tearing this letter.
I suggest as soon as possible that you summon him to get an idea of the situation on our side. As much as it pains me to say with his loyalty to our family, if he is dead or he doesn't appear then you must assume that we have been completely annihilated.
With nothing but the love of a brother,
Adam Vertigo
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The soul is a complex thing, but at its base it is one's personality and emotions given form. All of someone's experiences and pain combined into one singular force. Normally, this doesn't matter for the soul is much deeper than skin.
Of course the emphasis on normally is important. For Charon's race took the soul to another level, a level where your body is the soul and vice versa.
What happens when your very form is the physical manifestation of your personality and emotions? What happens when this race feel an overpowering level of grief and rage?
What happens is you get what is currently happening to Charon. As he looks at Hades while his body begins to undertake several changes.
"Hades, Why am I not crying? Why can't I cry?"
As Hades' eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of him, he realizes that he has no words left to spare.
Astral energy begins to build from Charon before spreading across the empty storeroom save Charon and Hades. The void of silence being the only answer to Charon's question as his skin stretches taut across his frame.
Underneath the stretching skin is what seems to be hands desperately grasping at empty air, Hands which are restrained firmly in place by Charon's skin.
Charon's gaze slowly shifts to the ground as the wood of the ship begins to creak from the building Astral energy. Creaks which grow and grow as faces grow from the wood, faces which look like Charons.
Faces which open their mouths, and scream.