Glade 10th, 4622
Salen laid there for a moment as he had caught a room at Rustbucket. He was lucky to be away from the woman that enslaved him mentally, for she was the reason he was broken. He wasn’t truely free and he realised that from the way she treated him. It was as if he was an obstacle. Of course, this was common amongst the Entente, knowing that they had their hearts hardened by politics and the essence of the Candor. It was a way of survival for them.
He laid there for a moment, knowing that he had to come to terms with what he had faced. The thoughts circled around his head as he had enough; an emotion lingered within him. Guilt. The emotions lingered within him as he was ready to begin another journey through his mindscape once again. He closed his eyes and channeled his ether, letting him drift into a sleep, casting the first steps of Voyage as he gains control of his dreamscape.
There, he stood in the jungle of engrams that linked between the places, although some appeared to be clouded. Why were they clouded? Walking through his memory palace, he spotted a particular engramic orb that hummed with curiosity, he got closer to it and casted Junction amongst the orb, accessing the memory as he revealed the pathway to his engrams using Guidance to guide him through the string of Engrams.
The path appeared to be much clearer as he accessed the confounds of his memory palace. However, there appeared to be another Remnomancer nearby. He could sense it. There was a clash within the deserted barren lands, it wasn’t until Salen realised that there was indeed another person in the Reverie with him. The two double doors would open freely as if he was being expected. The mindscape was familiar, knowing it was quite a difficult one to explore.
A Mentalist’s mindscape.
His Neurocrux was hanging over the ceiling, like a crystal chandelier, throwing its prismatic kaleidoscopic shimmers around the room. His emotional pathways were linked, although there were three pathways closed. Salen’s magical theory appeared to be off limits, but he could tell that. Standing there was a silver haired Sil’Norai in the middle, who appeared to be confused as he looked around. Salen recognised him, although it brought further anxiety.
“Tiberius?”
He asked. The Sil’Norai would turn around and wide-eyed. It was as if he had seen a ghost, knowing it was a long time that they hadn’t been together. Almost a year. The sadness and melancholy lingered amongst his mindscape as some old memories started to resurface. Salen was shocked for a moment and he was processing everything. The heartbreak, the intense emotions he felt after him leaving.
“Salen?”
“Stop…” He uttered, shaking his head.
“You’re not real, you're an illusion; this is a dream, what is going on!”
“Seems we’ve crossed back, did Dahlia deceive you too? I wouldn’t see you in the badlands unless you were desperate.”
“That’s no surprise, I already know what she did. The woman has probably been through every ventricle in my head, so I’m surprised that I came back. Anything new to add? Did you leave me just to have a better life, like what Dahlia said?”
“That’s also a lie. Pfft, you’ve been believing her?” Tiberius muttered.
“Did you betray her?”
Salen was having difficulty processing what he was seeing right now. Tiberius was the only man who would protect his own interests, yet he was taken away from him. He had realised that this was all because of Dahlia’s elegant puppetry.
“Committing betrayal is suicide, she has the whole brotherhood on her side, as well as most of the Daravinic Courts; I’m not an idiot, Salen.”
“So I must be?”
Salen would follow Tiberius’ further through his mindscape. The intricacies of his memory palace were much more vibrant compared to others that he had explored. The warning that Tiberius gave he took it as an insult. Perhaps, he was right; he had dug himself a deeper hole than he had expected it to be. The target on his back was way bigger than he’d anticipated.
“Betraying Dahlia is like betraying the Daravinic Empire, it’s treason. She’ll have your head if she finds you, believe me. The woman has no morals”
“The Entente have no morals, the bastards would choose those that would better themselves. Selfish fuckers.” Salen cursed.
Tiberius quirked an eyebrow upwards and sighed “Still haven't changed, the same stubborn asshole who would stand by their point.”
“Oh I forgot, you slept with the bastards.”
“As did you”
“Yeah, well I hated every moment of it, why should I be someone’s pleasure toy for information.”
Tiberius chuckled. “I thought you made them lust for you.”
“The selfish pigs you mean?” Salen said, scornfully.
Dahlia would be walking along the steps in the Reverie as she has broken down the dreamscape to traverse freely using Mnemonic Impression, she would see the two men in together, raising an eyebrow, smirking with a hint of glee and arrogance. She moved slowly in a reptilian fashion as she wore her nightgown.
“Fancy bumping into you two in the Reverie.” She said, fluttering her eyelashes as Salen froze for a moment, seeing her in the Reverie was different compared to before; although she had mastered the arts of Remnant, enough so she could parade around the dreamscape freely “A romantic stroll? Reunions are touching, but revenge is certainly bittersweet when served cold…” She laughed as she would parade freely.
“She can’t do anything, Salen.”
“I know.”
“Oh, your minds are quite safe, but be warned. They won’t be for much longer.” She would sing and laugh, mimicking Degare’s musical tone “Although, someone is going to die tonight… I wouldn’t bet on who, but it’s certainly going to be quite a feast. A tragic tale to write about, how Salen and Tiberius were star crossed lovers who fell tragically due to their own idiocy.” The laughter continued as she was hysterically sadistic.
Salen clenched his fist as Tiberius would take his hand. “Ignore it, she’s just taunting you.”
“Oh Tiberius… Or should I say… Tibbers… Is that what you use to call him, Salen?” She continued to taunt him “What did he use to call you? Sally?”
“ENOUGH!” Salen’s anger bursted out as there was an echo in the Reverie
“Oh… I hit a nerve.” Dahlia laughed “So much for pleasantries.” She would turn around and skip merrily around, prancing as if she was enjoying the merry run of the Reverie “Must dash, got some important things to do.” And with that, she strolled off into the cloudy distance of the Reverie.
Tiberius cupped Salen’s chin with his thumb and index finger, before turning his head “Don’t let her provoke you, you’re way better than a spoiled Entente child.”
“She’s been planning another Veir’s death, a friend of mine whom she had asked me to obtain information from.”
“Was it that creepy doll man that you told me about?” Tiberius would snicker at the thought “The one who choked you with his…”
“Fuck off!”
Tiberius snickered, knowing Salen was easily exasperated by past embarrassments, although it took him a moment to calm down and become serious as they walked further through his Memory Palace, knowing there may be other Remnomancer’s passing through the Reverie.
Salen approached one of Tiberius’ Engrams and tilted his head, knowing that there were familiar memories inside, but he couldn’t recollect them at all. He frowned for a moment as he would feel extreme sadness and melancholy from those memories that he had lost. He turned towards Tiberius and shook his head.
“I don’t remember this.”
“I know… Sadly, I know what Dahlia has done to other minds.”
“May I preserve this? For my sake? For my own sanity, that’s if I have much of it left?”
Tiberius’ eyes widened, the string of emotions he could feel “Wait, she did this to you too? How? You’re a remnomancer can’t you fix it yourself?”
“The damage she did is unfixable in my hands, Tibbers…” Salen shook his head, sighing as he was clearly stressed about the whole situation. His memories, Dahlia wanting him dead and the Veir that was now in danger all because he knew too much.
“She tried to falsify my memories, instead she shattered them… Now I can’t remember those particular memories.” He smiled ruefully as Tiberius’ put his hand amongst his shoulder.
“Take them, they are supposed to be yours too… They’re ours.”
Salen nodded “Thank you.”
He took a deep breath and channeled his Ether, activating the Engram in front of him and tried to reclaim his memory, however it was no use.
“I can’t…”
“Why not?” Tiberius asked.
“It’s too far back. I’m not at Dahlia’s level of skill yet.”
“She’s been practicing it for years, and besides… You’ll be much better than her once you master it.” Tiberius smiled as he tilts his head.
“Where are you anyway, since I was able to access your memory palace.”
“Some tavern. I’m staying there, seeing you on many occasions, looking like a hot mess.”
“Shut up!” He laughed.
“We’ll meet up soon”
Salen stopped channeling his Remnant mark with Ether and began to sleep normally.
Reunions are bittersweet, but this one was painful.
Deeply painful.
Salen laid there for a moment as he had caught a room at Rustbucket. He was lucky to be away from the woman that enslaved him mentally, for she was the reason he was broken. He wasn’t truely free and he realised that from the way she treated him. It was as if he was an obstacle. Of course, this was common amongst the Entente, knowing that they had their hearts hardened by politics and the essence of the Candor. It was a way of survival for them.
He laid there for a moment, knowing that he had to come to terms with what he had faced. The thoughts circled around his head as he had enough; an emotion lingered within him. Guilt. The emotions lingered within him as he was ready to begin another journey through his mindscape once again. He closed his eyes and channeled his ether, letting him drift into a sleep, casting the first steps of Voyage as he gains control of his dreamscape.
There, he stood in the jungle of engrams that linked between the places, although some appeared to be clouded. Why were they clouded? Walking through his memory palace, he spotted a particular engramic orb that hummed with curiosity, he got closer to it and casted Junction amongst the orb, accessing the memory as he revealed the pathway to his engrams using Guidance to guide him through the string of Engrams.
The path appeared to be much clearer as he accessed the confounds of his memory palace. However, there appeared to be another Remnomancer nearby. He could sense it. There was a clash within the deserted barren lands, it wasn’t until Salen realised that there was indeed another person in the Reverie with him. The two double doors would open freely as if he was being expected. The mindscape was familiar, knowing it was quite a difficult one to explore.
A Mentalist’s mindscape.
His Neurocrux was hanging over the ceiling, like a crystal chandelier, throwing its prismatic kaleidoscopic shimmers around the room. His emotional pathways were linked, although there were three pathways closed. Salen’s magical theory appeared to be off limits, but he could tell that. Standing there was a silver haired Sil’Norai in the middle, who appeared to be confused as he looked around. Salen recognised him, although it brought further anxiety.
“Tiberius?”
He asked. The Sil’Norai would turn around and wide-eyed. It was as if he had seen a ghost, knowing it was a long time that they hadn’t been together. Almost a year. The sadness and melancholy lingered amongst his mindscape as some old memories started to resurface. Salen was shocked for a moment and he was processing everything. The heartbreak, the intense emotions he felt after him leaving.
“Salen?”
“Stop…” He uttered, shaking his head.
“You’re not real, you're an illusion; this is a dream, what is going on!”
“Seems we’ve crossed back, did Dahlia deceive you too? I wouldn’t see you in the badlands unless you were desperate.”
“That’s no surprise, I already know what she did. The woman has probably been through every ventricle in my head, so I’m surprised that I came back. Anything new to add? Did you leave me just to have a better life, like what Dahlia said?”
“That’s also a lie. Pfft, you’ve been believing her?” Tiberius muttered.
“Did you betray her?”
Salen was having difficulty processing what he was seeing right now. Tiberius was the only man who would protect his own interests, yet he was taken away from him. He had realised that this was all because of Dahlia’s elegant puppetry.
“Committing betrayal is suicide, she has the whole brotherhood on her side, as well as most of the Daravinic Courts; I’m not an idiot, Salen.”
“So I must be?”
Salen would follow Tiberius’ further through his mindscape. The intricacies of his memory palace were much more vibrant compared to others that he had explored. The warning that Tiberius gave he took it as an insult. Perhaps, he was right; he had dug himself a deeper hole than he had expected it to be. The target on his back was way bigger than he’d anticipated.
“Betraying Dahlia is like betraying the Daravinic Empire, it’s treason. She’ll have your head if she finds you, believe me. The woman has no morals”
“The Entente have no morals, the bastards would choose those that would better themselves. Selfish fuckers.” Salen cursed.
Tiberius quirked an eyebrow upwards and sighed “Still haven't changed, the same stubborn asshole who would stand by their point.”
“Oh I forgot, you slept with the bastards.”
“As did you”
“Yeah, well I hated every moment of it, why should I be someone’s pleasure toy for information.”
Tiberius chuckled. “I thought you made them lust for you.”
“The selfish pigs you mean?” Salen said, scornfully.
Dahlia would be walking along the steps in the Reverie as she has broken down the dreamscape to traverse freely using Mnemonic Impression, she would see the two men in together, raising an eyebrow, smirking with a hint of glee and arrogance. She moved slowly in a reptilian fashion as she wore her nightgown.
“Fancy bumping into you two in the Reverie.” She said, fluttering her eyelashes as Salen froze for a moment, seeing her in the Reverie was different compared to before; although she had mastered the arts of Remnant, enough so she could parade around the dreamscape freely “A romantic stroll? Reunions are touching, but revenge is certainly bittersweet when served cold…” She laughed as she would parade freely.
“She can’t do anything, Salen.”
“I know.”
“Oh, your minds are quite safe, but be warned. They won’t be for much longer.” She would sing and laugh, mimicking Degare’s musical tone “Although, someone is going to die tonight… I wouldn’t bet on who, but it’s certainly going to be quite a feast. A tragic tale to write about, how Salen and Tiberius were star crossed lovers who fell tragically due to their own idiocy.” The laughter continued as she was hysterically sadistic.
Salen clenched his fist as Tiberius would take his hand. “Ignore it, she’s just taunting you.”
“Oh Tiberius… Or should I say… Tibbers… Is that what you use to call him, Salen?” She continued to taunt him “What did he use to call you? Sally?”
“ENOUGH!” Salen’s anger bursted out as there was an echo in the Reverie
“Oh… I hit a nerve.” Dahlia laughed “So much for pleasantries.” She would turn around and skip merrily around, prancing as if she was enjoying the merry run of the Reverie “Must dash, got some important things to do.” And with that, she strolled off into the cloudy distance of the Reverie.
Tiberius cupped Salen’s chin with his thumb and index finger, before turning his head “Don’t let her provoke you, you’re way better than a spoiled Entente child.”
“She’s been planning another Veir’s death, a friend of mine whom she had asked me to obtain information from.”
“Was it that creepy doll man that you told me about?” Tiberius would snicker at the thought “The one who choked you with his…”
“Fuck off!”
Tiberius snickered, knowing Salen was easily exasperated by past embarrassments, although it took him a moment to calm down and become serious as they walked further through his Memory Palace, knowing there may be other Remnomancer’s passing through the Reverie.
Salen approached one of Tiberius’ Engrams and tilted his head, knowing that there were familiar memories inside, but he couldn’t recollect them at all. He frowned for a moment as he would feel extreme sadness and melancholy from those memories that he had lost. He turned towards Tiberius and shook his head.
“I don’t remember this.”
“I know… Sadly, I know what Dahlia has done to other minds.”
“May I preserve this? For my sake? For my own sanity, that’s if I have much of it left?”
Tiberius’ eyes widened, the string of emotions he could feel “Wait, she did this to you too? How? You’re a remnomancer can’t you fix it yourself?”
“The damage she did is unfixable in my hands, Tibbers…” Salen shook his head, sighing as he was clearly stressed about the whole situation. His memories, Dahlia wanting him dead and the Veir that was now in danger all because he knew too much.
“She tried to falsify my memories, instead she shattered them… Now I can’t remember those particular memories.” He smiled ruefully as Tiberius’ put his hand amongst his shoulder.
“Take them, they are supposed to be yours too… They’re ours.”
Salen nodded “Thank you.”
He took a deep breath and channeled his Ether, activating the Engram in front of him and tried to reclaim his memory, however it was no use.
“I can’t…”
“Why not?” Tiberius asked.
“It’s too far back. I’m not at Dahlia’s level of skill yet.”
“She’s been practicing it for years, and besides… You’ll be much better than her once you master it.” Tiberius smiled as he tilts his head.
“Where are you anyway, since I was able to access your memory palace.”
“Some tavern. I’m staying there, seeing you on many occasions, looking like a hot mess.”
“Shut up!” He laughed.
“We’ll meet up soon”
Salen stopped channeling his Remnant mark with Ether and began to sleep normally.
Reunions are bittersweet, but this one was painful.
Deeply painful.
