The Primordial Bridge

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Once everything was in order, the ex-slaves and prisoners turned over to Matthew's crew, the freedom fighter gave a hearty goodbye to them as they departed from Vestia, who was left alone now, other than to watch the remainder of the crew, waiting to go back home through Inari.

Inari stood in front of something massive in the Observatory, really the only thing big enough to hold it. It was an incredibly large portal opening that glowed with infinite and brilliant colors that swirled in a tumultuous vortex. In front of this opening was a circular stone slab, the surface of it completely covered in patterned runes as an elegant railing held up only by five different pillars circled its perimeter. Inari smiled at those who came in.

"Unlike your... Creator... friend... We wont't be forcefully tearing apart the fabric of space time to send you immediately back. It's much too risky and puts a heavy strain on the universe that could easily put it back into a Heat-Death reset. No doubt your Creator friend will be hearing from his Counsel soon about it." Inari explained, bowing slightly to them. "Instead, we will be travelling the much longer but much safer route. We're going through Space and Time; behold, the Primordial Bridge."

She looked back at the incredible vortex, smiling. "It will take a few hours, but we won't be harming any of the Fabric. My mirror and your friends will be waiting on the other side."

Matt found a railing to lean heavily on. "Man.. elementals... " drunk as he was, he looked excited.

Esk kept away from everyone as best he could and looked awkward and slightly annoyed. He didn't really like being crammed together with people. He held onto the nearest bit of railing for support and stayed quiet.

"No, not the elements." Inari chuckled. "The Primordial Realm resides a power the Keepers lost many millennia ago." As she stepped on, the stone slab powered up and began to float. It slowly began moving into the wormhole as everyone was on. Inari sat on the floor, where Ash and Cyprus curled up next to her. "A power that was lost, and made many of us lose our very minds..."

Merith seemed to visibly stiffen and flinch, his eyes widening in disbelief. Inari continued, "Of course, Keepers whose current magic is being suppressed wouldn't be able to feel the remnants of our lost purpose..."

With that, Merith's body visibly slackened, and he turned away.

Asher looked at Merith, worried. "Are you all right?" He asked softly. Merith seemed to be very effected by this, and Asher wasn't sure whether it was effecting him physically or emotionally.

Merith merely shook his head. Well, at least he was being honest.

Shock couldn't take this archaic sounding bologna of a conversation, and brazenly asked Inari, "Wait, what kind of power?"

Inari had pulled out a shamisen out of thin air, and was absentmindedly plucking the strings. "We lost something that gave us our full purpose and will to life. We lost the power to govern over time itself. In initial thought, it doesn't seem all that terrible to the outside looking in..."

"First world problems," Ellie muttered.

Ethan snickered. "Now they're just immortal and indestructible, and can't control time any more! what a tragedy."

Asher gave the two a quelling glare.

"Incorrect." Inari said, shaking her head. "As I said, from the outside looking in, it does not seem all that noteworthy, if at most an inconvenience. However..." She strummed the shamisen once.

"When we lost the ability, it did more than just lose reign. The Keeper as a species was so tied to the magic that we essentially lost contact with the motion of Time itself."

"Motion of Time?" Now even John was curious.

Inari continued, not looking up as she played a soft tune. "While others species grew and changed with time, and were part of the time continuum, aging and changing... Keepers were practically one with it. We did not age because we were part of Time itself. We could remember every millisecond in perfect detail, from the single flap of a bee's wing in all its intricate veins to the very moment a lightning bolt struck the earth. And then... it was all lost.

"We became nothing. In our relationship to Time, we became detached. Forever we see the universe through something of a glass box. We cannot participate to our full enjoyment -- time is destructive and chaotic. It either moves too slow to understand the moment or too fast to even see it. Our memories fade and gray whether or not they were good or bad. We cannot age with other species. We are completely separate. Losing this connection to the universe was harrowing. No longer were we able to understand the beauty of Time and no longer did our spirits age. We are motionless in a universe that thrives on motion. We are forever frozen in one spot while the people we know and love move around us."

Ellie didn't get it. She shrugged and looked around.

Asher looked thoughtful. "So before you lost your connection to time, you didn't experience things like loss because time didn't mean the same thing to you as it did to us?" It was hard to understand what Inari meant, because he couldn't begin to imagine what that would be like.

Inari frowned, realizing her sorrow was hard to understand. She thought for a moment. "Before we lost that connection, everything, loss, joy and otherwise, was vivid and powerful. We were able to experience things in their ultimatum. We were able to truly live and experience what the universe has to offer. When we lost the magic of Time, we were separated from the Temporal movement. Dear Asher, take a glance at Merith and Vanessa."

Both people looked over at the mention of their names. Inari still spoke, "Both are immortal, but one of them lacks something. While Vanessa ages, Merith does not -- and Immortals are supposed to age. Spiritually. It is hard to understand, but... It is like Merith is a photograph in a world of video. Everything moves, except for him. He is truly stuck in one point in time. It is this detachment that makes us miserable. What is living if you do not grow? What is living if you're forever set in one second of your lifespan in stone, unable to make memories the same way others do, or experience the thrill in growing older. It is a spiritual loss. The age of Merith's soul is the very same as it was a thousand years ago, and beyond that. Right to the very moment we lost this ability. We are stone statues in this life, staring through a glass window like antique ceramics, unable to be touched or cared for, simply looked at while the gawkers and admirers go on with their lives."

"I think I begin to understand," Asher said. Not that it made a lot of sense, but he understood how important personal growth was at least. He frowned, "But Merith has changed," he said, "Was that before this happened? Because he certainly isn't the same person he was."

Matt looked suddenly sober and thoughtful. "I.... don't get it.. " He admitted.

Kay also frowned. Asher was right, Merith had supposedly changed, Heny changed. How could they change if they were stuck? How could they grieve as Heny did for those she cared for? How could they become as broken and damaged as they had done?
He glanced to Thalia and Matt.

"Immortality is a dumb idea." Luka nodded. Yep, stupid plan. Bad plan. Immortality sounded like it absolutely sucked.

"So... before you lost this link..." Esk began slowly, thinking was a bit hard this drunk. "You saw the universe differently, time... passed differently. Did that make it impossible to interact with other people?" Hey maybe it wasn't such a loss.

"Well yes and no." Inari looked at Esk, noting how he seemed to be the closest to understanding. She suddenly paused, and looked at Asher. "Hmm... Asher, how do your kin age?"

"Physically we don't really age. We can get damaged of course, but our bodies don't grow or change," Asher said, "Of course our minds change constantly as we learn, just like those of any other being."

"Think of it as this; we as Keepers do not age, but instead of developing new ways to adapt to the environment, our... programming... keeps us stoic and unmoving, allowing us only minor changes. Actually, Merith might be very well a good example. You may see him as a changed man, but in reality, it was merely emotional. He may in retrospect feel guilt because he understands that what he did was wrong, but that is all. As a keeper, we cannot develop things such as empathy because our spirit does not grow. Our mind may change in the knowledge that to others we have done the unthinkable, and we try to see it through the eyes of others, but we don't have that truly soul moving moments that change a person... Merith knows what he did was wrong, and he tries to better himself from it, but in the reality of it... He has no empathy from it, because his soul did not grow that connection. Our minds may be open and malleable, but our spirit stays the same."

Matt's face wrinkled with confusion.
Nope, he still didn't understand.

Not aging physically he could comprehend, but not aging emotionally didn't make sense to him. They must age on a spirtual level... right? or... they would never change or learn from mistakes and... He thought of Merith's antics, Heny's at times almost childish behavior, Thalia's temper tantrums... he gulped. No true empathy? No true ability to feel? What did that mean for their relationship?
He suddenly didn't really feel so drunk, reaching out a hand for Thalia's.

Armin remained silent, listening intently, curious.

Esk said what Matt was thinking. "What does that mean for relationships then?"

Kay frowned and looked at Merith. Was it really that different to changing just because you didn't FEEL the same thing? He knew he'd done wrong and he'd made attempts to atone for it, wasn't that enough?
He tried not to listen in to Matt's muddled and worried thoughts, knowing full well that Thalia could likely hear them even louder.

"What's the difference?" Luka asked. "I mean, he feels guilt right? And regret. So... what's the difference?" She couldn't wrap her head around this at all.

"But how is that not empathy?" Asher asked, "knowing that people were hurt by what you did, and wanting to change so they don't get hurt again, isn't that what empathy is? You don't just change yourself because someone says 'this is wrong', you need to actually want to change because you realize you messed up, and that requires some amount of compassion and understanding." This was so confusing.

"The difference being..." Merith was the one that spoke this time. The chains jingled against each other as he held out his hands to look at them, "Is that I live with the full knowledge that I could effortlessly do those exact same things again if I wanted to. I wouldn't hesitate out of consciousness, but only out of the fact that it is morally wrong in the general sense."

"We are split from spiritual growth. And in turn split from spiritual connection. That is why those of us who have the luck to actually develop loving relationships can have their minds completely shattered in losing it."

Kay nodded in agreement to Asher. Yes, it was utterly confusing. He felt like they were going to get that look the immortals always gave when the mere mortals didn't understand something, that pitying poor stupid souls look he'd started to really resent.
His brother's projecting confusion and fear wasn't helping matters.

Armin tried to wrap his head around it.

Esk shrugged. "no offense lady, but you're not good at explaining this." He told Inari flatly. "I feel like we need diagrams or something, anyone else?"

"Well we don't even believe in souls and spirits so... " Luka shook her head. It was even harder to wrap your head around spiritual growth when you had no real concept of souls in the first place. "Are you saying all their attempts to act like people are just acts and they're not really true feelings or... yeah i'm confused. "

Esk stared at Merith. "So... you're all basically psychopaths?"

"No real conscience, just an awareness that it's socially unacceptable. Yeah... that's psychopathy right?" Matt mumbled.

Esk nodded. "There's a lot of mortals with no conscience who only don't go on murder sprees because it's inconvenient to deal with the consequences." He shrugged.

"A great many people only behave the way they do due to social conditioning and an understanding of the expectations upon them." Armin added.

"But how is not doing something because you know it's morally wrong and not doing something because you feel bad about it really that different?" Luka protested. "So long as you're still not doing it, what difference does it make?"

Inari couldn't help but smile wryly at Esk. "Unfortunately, in a sense you are correct." Her expression looked saddened, "Our minds were torn up when it happened after all... Many of us would give everything to find the feeling of being part of Time again, so that we may grow again."

Esk shrugged again. "Consciences are overrated."

[Of course you'd think that, you don't have one.] Kay retorted.

Esk smirked at Kay. "And has it really messed up my life? Nope. I don't mope about shit and I don't get all caught up in guilt, unlike some people who do nothing but mope and angst." He glanced to Merith. "So is the moping shit all an act for our benefit then? or you just really like having people feel sorry for you?"

[Don't provoke him] Kay glared.

Esk snorted. "yeah i'm such a threat right?"

"Stop it." Matt told them both sternly. "You two bickering isn't helpful."

"Call me crazy, but these people NOT having control over time sounds like a pretty good thing for the universe as a whole." Esk remarked cooly.

"How... how did you lose it?" Matt asked.

Ethan sighed. "You guys put way too much emphasis on spiritual shit. It does explain why Merith is so devoid of empathy though."

James rolled his eyes, "Shhh Ethan, shhhh."

"We don't know." Inari shook her head. Merith had tuned everyone out again. Now he just seemed... tired. Vanessa grit her teeth and was glaring at Esk, the once stoic and careful woman looking ready to claw the incubus' eyes out. Inari paid no mind to this, or at least pretended not to. "One day, sanity and soulfulness was there, and the next day... it was gone. Some of us speculate it was merely our own undoing, and that no one can be masters of time. Others believe a higher power interfered."

She seemed not to care about Esk's taunts and jabs. Suddenly her elegant nature was shattered in one sentence: "A lot of us wouldn't fucking give two shits if we got the magic back, we just want our fucking minds."

Matt winced. So did Kay.
Esk didn't seem to care either way.

"What about your creators? Wouldn't they know? Aren't they supposed to be these great all powerful beings who made you? I mean if anyone's gonna know, it'd be them right?" Matt remarked. Hey, he may not like gods, but they had one of the keeper creators on Vestia didn't they?

Kay looked sober. He didn't really know what to think of all this.

"You guys seem to be coping fine without em." Esk told her.

Armin bowed his head.

"The family and the guild in your universe... is this event linked to their decent into madness?" Luka asked carefully, wary of Inari's sudden change in demeanor.

Mourn was really struggling to follow this and didn't really care anyway, he was way more interested in the strange colours and such passing by.

"Creators... Why would they give something that they might have taken?" Inari said glumly. "None of my universe has seen their Council in millennia. You could ask your Council..."

Inari nodded at Luka. "No doubt your Family was probably the result of what had happened. When you lose everything, some do anything to gain it back. That includes many experiments and harvesting of life forces..."

Asher winced. Talking to the Creators from their own universe about getting the keepers' minds back seemed dangerous.

"At some point, those daggers must seem pretty tempting," Ethan said, glancing back at the keepers for a moment.

"Ask Heny." Merith input boredly, reminding them that for some, the daggers HAVE been tempting. Inari shook her head. She blinked, looking up as there was an iridescent flash against the rainbow swirling...

Ethan looked nervous, remembering how Heny had repeatedly shot Merith a week ago. Of course, that wasn't the Heny from the other universe, and she was dead now. Like Kaylr. The other one might be safer.
He looked at the flash of light worriedly.

"But why would they want you to be crazy?" Matt contested. "That seems really counterproductive."

"Why tie Avians to their home planet? Creators do stupid shit." Esk remarked flatly.

Matt shook his head. "If they took their power and their minds from them they must have had good reason."

"Or they're just asshole god-like beings who don't actually give a shit and just do shit for the hell of it." Esk shrugged.

"Given the guy who sent us here, I have to agree with Esk." Luka remarked. "those creators don't seem particularly reasonable or civilized. "

"Gods..." Matt muttered darkly.

They were all distracted by the light.

"What that?" Mourn asked, pointing.