As I ponder the folly of youth, and the many desicions that led to the man I am, a sense of melancholy fills my heart.
Truly, the experiences of this journey called life is filled with its peaks and valleys.
I can't help but sigh, realizing the futility of certain actions, like a bird trying to fly against the hurricane.
Indeed. Love. So cruel yet unavoidable, grasping at all with no escape allowed...
As I continued lampooning, Bell walked further away from me and towards the lavender furnace. Being a human burrito, there wasn't much that I could do but wriggle about like a butterfly about to emerge from its cocoon.
Except said cocoon was a bit too hard to tear through...
As she got close to the furnace, she tapped her glabella twice then paused to scrutinize the object in concentration. After a while, she reached out and placed her index finger on the furnace, as if pressing a button.
The runes on the lavender furnace lit up and the crucible started to glow. Soon, an eerie violet flame formed and towered towards the sky. From the flame, two eye stalks emerged and yellow eyes with large, red, diamond shaped pupils, more than two thirds its circumference, looked towards Bell.
The eyes then wandered around in curiosity, studying the environment until its sight met mine. We stared at each other for a few seconds. Then the eyes on the stalks started to pent up in anger. It redirected it's sight towards Bell, causing her to step back in fear.
Black, inky tentacles started crawling out of the furnace hole and stretched towards Bell.
Before Bell could turn around and retreat, multiple tentacles reached and wrapped themselves around her body and face like a mummy. They lifted her at least two meters up in the air, her feet struggling to find purchase and frantically kicking the air.
Then, in an abrubt and violent manner, the tentacles slammed towards the ground, with Bell impacting head first. She must have fainted as the struggling stopped.
The tentacles again lifted her up from the ground, then I could see it tensing and cracking sounds were heard. As it continued to squeeze harder, blood started to seep out of the gaps in it's hold before an uncomfortable squelching sound confirmed Bell's doom.
It tossed the squashed carcass to the ground and the tentacles retreated to the furnace. After a while what remained was two eye stalks and a single tentacle growing out of a violet flame. The eyes looked at me, and the single tentacle wriggled, as if saying "Hi" to me.
Uhh.. hello too?
I nodded at it. The single tentacle then instantenously extended and stretched to where I am and wrapped around my left feet. It started dragging my burrito form on the ground closer towards it.
I felt like a heavy sack being dragged by a robber out of his victim's home.
When I reached near breathing distance, it unwrapped me and then using the single tentacle, wrapped around my chest to carry me up into a standing position. The eyes squinted, and my intuition told me that it was actually pleased.
Uhh. What just happened?
As if it could read my mind, the tentacled being patted my shoulders, then pointed towards Bell's corpse.
I looked at it.
Hmm. Why am I not feeling disgusted or fearful about this cold blooded murder? Or am I just shell shocked right now?
Soon, something seemed to form near Bell's body.
Beyonder characteristics. Huh. Why does it look delicious?
The tentacle picked up the beyonder characteristics and carried it back to its flame 'body'.
I tilted my head and looked at it waving the beyond characteristic as if it were a toddler shaking its maracas toy.
Wait. Do I know you? And you me?
The flame flickered and for some reason I understood what it meant.
Huh. What are you planning to do with that characteristic?
*Flicker*
Convergence? You're cooking something for me? Just two more? How many do you have right now?
Another tentacle grew out of the flame, carrying another characteristic.
*Flicker*
Wait. Did that belong to Muriel?
*Flicker*
How'd you get it without killing her?
*Flicker*Flicker*
Oh. Cool. That means I just have to bring two willing beyonders here?
*Flicker*
Coldblooded and Lunatic? Huh. I think Jacob is coldblooded but I don't think he'll be willing to expell his characteristics...
And I need to figure out where to find a 'Lunatic'...
I should ask Muriel if the tall traders can get me an artifact made from a Lunatic characteristics I guess. Or will a potion work?
*Flicker*
What do I call you anyway? And do you wanna join me? I bet you have a form that can travel, right? Octopi use their tentacles to move around right if I'm not mistaken.
*Flicker*
Hi Love. I'm Arthur. That's too bad... Would have been so much more convenient though...
I looked at Bell's corpse, then looked at Love.
So... What do we do with her?
*Flicker*Flicker*Flicker*
Love took the corpse and tossed it in its flame like body and Bell's body got 'consumed' by the flame and soon turned to ashes.
A foghorn blowed out and the deep baritone sound resonated in the air. I looked back and once again, see mist covering billowing out of the ground and blurring the view. Yet, the towering tsunami approaching was still visible. As it washed across the island, more memories start to fill my mind.
...learn how to forget...
Huh. Good to know...
Sequence 7... And I'll be fit enough to use it...
Then I patted the lavender Funace,
Much longer before I can carry you around though...
*Flicker*
Heh. Thanks for your patience.
I slowly walked back to the turtle shrine to catch a nap.
Quite a night. At least I'm a lot more sure of what to do. Can't wait! Should my next destination be Tingen? Or maybe Backlund?
I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch! I've till got to collect two more beyonder chateristics...
...and promote one more time after that.
Oh well, this should be interesting...