[Flashback] They Call It An Asylum [Eridanus]

[Bedlam]

1st Day of Summer, 500 AV It would be a few hours until day's end. Eridanus and the Headmaster sat together in his office, filled with the clutter of several ages. It was like standing in an old man's bedroom; across the wall were old portraits he'd had taken of his staff while they stood together, arm in arm, so many it covered one side of the wall. The teachers grew older, vanished, but always the Headmaster's face remained the same. His smile was a constant thing. They went back for longer than Eridanus had been bound to the mortal world, and yet still the smile was always there. He was smiling that ancient smile again. "Thank you for coming Eridanus," he said, gentle, rested both his hands on the table. Behind him, through a pair of open windows, the sun shone, the sound of fresh running water ran into the room. The old man was like benevolence personified; he was peace, serenity, safety. He nodded to Eridanus, "I've heard from Mistress Rihea that you wish to take us up on our offer for learning in the Arcana." He smiled. "You cannot imagine how much it warms my heart to have a fellow fallen among our numbers. We are so few." His eyes crinkled inward, "and yet, I worry." "You asked for one of the most dangerous of our subjects." Hypnotism, they were both aware. "We move minds, but the power changes us. We must, you understand, take responsibility." He leaned forward. "I have always been a teacher, Eridanus, and I have seen students with good hearts corrupted by the power that this gave to them." He shook his head as though to clear the memories from his mind. "You must understand, Eridanus. I will help you learn, but you must take responsibility." He was the picture of reason, of moderation. "If you are still interested," he said, "I can show you what it is I do, what my other students do. But you must remember, once you learn, you will be tied here. It is much for me to ask of you," he leaned back. "But I must." "Would you like to see?"

[Eridanus]

Eridanus found himself in the headmaster's office, and he wondered to himself in surprise and amazement the kind of fate or luck required that caused the chain of events to lead up to this current moment. He had been wandering the region for quite a while and happened to stumble near the City of Illusions. Bewildered but enchanted by the layout and seeming insanity of the city, he felt himself drawn into the place and took up temporary residence to explore and learn. At the same time, he discovered that they had their own educational institute and he took up a course in Carving. Over the semester, he had interacted with both students and teachers enough that the local populace began to acknowledge his presence as more of a resident than a passer-by, and by the end of spring his instructor, Mistress Rihea had discreetly taken him aside with an unusual proposition. Surprised but pleased, he agreed, mentally deciding to stay in the city more than he usually would while he was exploring the world as the curiosity overwhelmed his wanderlust. He did not know much about the headmaster, for the owner of the establishment rarely interacted or taught the students, and it was to his surprise that he found a fellow Leth-born, albeit one who was much more senior and experienced than him. The headmaster was the first Ethaefal he had met, and it somewhat gladdened him to find a potential candidate to be his mentor of sorts, for no other race could truly understand the plight of the fallen children. "I will take responsibility, Master er... Headmaster", Eridanus deciding to settle on the senior man's title when he realized that he still did not know his name. It was strange, indeed, for the man's name was not mentioned anywhere else and remained a mystery, just like most things in Alvadas. "I will dedicate myself to learning as much as I can, Headmaster, and in return it is reasonable that I serve." "Lead, and I will follow", he finished, sealing his fate and tying his lot with the Asylum and whatever good or bad it might bring.

[Bedlam]

The Headmaster smiled again, warm. "It's good to see you understand," he stood, beckoned to Eridanus. "Walk with me a while." "We are called an Asylum, Eridanus, and yet we are place of learning, of teaching." The Headmaster kept his hands behind his back, walked briskly down the halls. "Perhaps this puzzles you? It should. In the beginning, this place was no school, no place of learning or santuary. When I first came to Alvadas I found a ruin filled with the needing, and I knew that I alone could save them." "Every teacher you see working in these halls is the product of my reform. Many students were lost to madness before I helped them find a way. This is a place of enlightenment, Eridanus." He peered over his shoulder at the other Eth. "A place of realization. First we came here to save the wretched, the broken men and women who call Alvadas their home. We, we touch their minds. We are the best suited to mend the wounds they have given to themselves, to reform them. "This is the purpose of the Asylum. This will become your legacy - our legacy." He placed a hand on Eridanus' shoulders. "It is found in the very heart of the school, where no one comes." They stopped in front of a door, guarded, Eridanus realized, but two burly men. Their faces were covered in a white cloth - their entire bodies were covered in white. "More specimens," The Headmaster said. "Born broken, remade into defenders of the wholesome. They will not harm you, so long as you do not harm the inmates." They stood too tall, and their shoulders were too broad. The two men loomed over the fallen as they slipped into the heart of the Asylum. The walls were white, and the ceilings were white, and the floor was white. There was no sound. "Our walls are reinforced. When I came, the screams of deranged patients filled the halls. No more; now there is peace and quiet throughout the Asylum. Is this not better than chaos and madness?"

[Eridanus]

Eridanus followed the older ethaefal as he was led down the halls. The Headmaster began explaining the history of this educational institute, though Eri found himself baffled as to why the headmaster would do so. He was under the impression that he was here to learn magic, after having been assessed and chosen by Mistress Rihea after many days of observation. He had no doubt that his poor attempt at glyphing in his first assignment was probably what brought her attention on him.

Still, he remained respectfully silent as he followed, finally stopping in front of a door. The door was flanked by two large men, though the intriguing thing about them was how their faces were being covered by a white cloth, the colour that the rest of their bodies reflected. He glanced warily at them, but upon the headmaster's assurance he quickly walked pass the guards, entering a place that seemed too... white to be real.

Everything was white. It was like colour did not penetrate this place, and when the headmaster continued speaking Eri noticed that the only sound that he could hear came from the older ethaefal. It was as if colour and sound did not exist in this place, and the only colour and sound that existed came from the two of them. It was... unnatural, and though he would not care to mention it it slightly unnerved the ethaefal.

"I... I don't understand, Headmaster," Eridanus admitted, for he could not see a link between the reason behind him meeting the Headmaster and why he was being shown all these. It was evident that this was a sight that was not available to the general populace, and to be honest he was confused as to why the Headmaster had taken him into such confidence.

[Bedlam]

"The discipline of hypnotism is a great boon to mortal races, we have a responsibility. Before you learn the art you must accept your duty to use it in the betterment of the world." "I will teach you, but first you must understand why. When I am done teaching you, then you will learn by practice. You will work to better the lives of these Alvads, make them remember what it is like to live as they should. To teach them what they have forgotten." The Headmaster clasped his hands together and smiled at something Eridanus could not see. "With it we can make them sane again. All those I teach my art too know these things, because they are a part of it." He smiled at Eridanus, all pride and affection. His second life's work, and he would never die. The Headmaster made a beckoning gesture and continued down the halls. "It is easily taught. To become a hypnotist one must understand emotions, they must realize what it means to make emotion without expression, without words. He stopped along the hall. "Ah, here we are." They stopped outside a door, as white as everything else. "The first step is the hardest, and I cannot help you, not truly. It is . . ." The Headmaster made a face, grasped at something in the air. ". . . Hard to describe. Hard to understand, you see, and no hypnotist understands in the same way." He pulled out a key, put it into the lock and turned it. The door swung open. There was a mat, a mirror and a chair, in a room just as white as the hall, just as empty of features. "Sit in front of the mirror and make expressions. Smile, frown, speak. Never stop until you are too tired to do more. Do it until you feel sick, and then do it more. You will understand in time."

[Eridanus]

Eridanus nodded in realization as the Headmaster cleared his doubts. He always had the idea that personal magic tended to only be useful for selfish ends. It was more like a general stereotype, probably emphasized by the many young cocky reimancy undergraduates he knew from Zeltiva University. They were pretty quick to point out the superiority of reimancy over all the other forms of magic.

It was quite refreshing to see hypnotism from the Headmaster's point of view, and honestly it was rather empowering to realize that it had such a powerful tool for healing. The pride from the Headmaster's smile reassured Eri that he was making quite an excellent choice at choosing to invest himself into the Headmaster and his group, and he followed the older ethaefal down the hall into a neat small room.

The Headmaster's request was honestly pretty strange. Like all personal magics, Eri suspected that hypnotism probably had some sort of initiation procedure, and he was actually wondering if it was the easy but painful kind where he just had to be passive and endure like Reimancy, or if it were the self-realization kind like Voiding. He hoped that his natural affinity with Hypnotism was much better than that of Voiding for it took him many many weeks and months for the latter case.

Eridanus was not sure what the Headmaster hoped to achieve by having him make expressions in front of a mirror, but he did not question the older leth-born and decided to trust in his wisdom.

Sitting himself on the chair, he looked at the mirror, staring at a reflection of himself. Messy hair streaked with the colors of Morwen's Lights. Wild, carefree eyes that shifted colors in a seemingly random manner and at seemingly random intervals of time. A young expression that spoke of nonchalance and a devil-may-care attitude. The face of an impulsive and curious vantha.

It was his mortal body, his mortal face. The mortal shell that somehow gained Leth's fancy that caused him to be accepted into Ukalas. Then the Valterrian that tore him away from his divine abode, casting him once again amongst mortal men. As if he had been judged by Lhex and sent to continue the cycle of rebirth.

As he thought, his expression changed from one of curiosity, to one of happiness as he thought about his times with Leth. Though jumbled and fragmented, the very idea of that memory gave him strength and happiness. As he thought about his downfall his expression turned sombre, and as he wondered about his plight he began to turn sad. It was an honest collection of expressions, one that did not require acting, for it was an expression of his thoughts and emotions.

He thought about the mischief he got up to when he was younger and grew regretful, for he did not feel sorry at all for how he was like. The vantha's face then gave a apologetic look as he realized that he did sorry for the innocent victims he wronged, for the many crimes he committed due to a burning, misdirected passion corrupted by older mechanisms.

There was a hint of a vengeful smirk as he recalled how he quite properly disabled the Organization that was keeping him psychologically enslaved, that continued to corrupt him, until Priskil caused him to see the truth that he had always blinded himself from. Smiling appreciatively, he acknowledged the help the goddess of hope (or what he believed to be Priskil) gave him, and the remark of finding her when he found his true calling in life before leaving.

The smile turned into a slightly forlorn one as he wondered if he could really meet her. How would he find a Goddess? Even so, he had not even realized his true calling in life. He had the wish to return to Ukalas and to Leth, but that was the goal of all ethaefal. His destiny pointed to something else, he was sure of it, just that he had no idea what it was yet.

What was his true calling then? He had no real morals, no guidelines to follow. He had tried to become a good person, seeking Wysar for His discipline and Yahal for His ideals on faith and purity. A pensive mood lingered around the ethaefal was he considered his fate. Was it truly controlled by him? Or was he merely a cog in the complex machinations ruled by the gods?

A thoughtful expression filled the mirror as he wondered what he was doing with his life. He had to redeem himself, and learning hypnotism to save others seemed a fitting way to do so. It was a form of constructing, of building, of healing that left a warm feeling in his centuries-old heart compared to the cold, disgustingly ruthless feel of killing, of slaying, of destruction.

Eridanus had no idea how much time had passed as he reflected on his entire existence, expression after expression changing as he recalled his emotions and reflections on his actions even while staring at the mirror, noticing his expressions.

He did not even have to try to force himself to make the various contorted faces for this reflection in front of a mirror was strangely therapeutic, and his subconsciously cleared mind allowed him a moment of calmness that caused him to reflect on his past deeds.

[Bedlam]

"'S not gonna work, ya know." A stranger's voice sounded from the side. Should Eridanus turn, he'd see a girl. How old was she? Hard to say, hard to say, her face could've been in its twenties or its teens. She was short, and her hair, so black it was almost blue, hung in tatters around, "e's a liar, I know it like the sun rises, moon sets." She wore a gown so white and thin it was almost see-through, and moved without concern for it. How had she gotten in? The girl hadn't been a moment before, Eridanus knew that. She raised her hands in the air and shook them, "Oh! I can't teach you. You have to learn on your own." The waif snorted through her nose. "And I bet you felt something when he said it, you felt sorry," A spike of sorrow ran through Eridanus' mind, unbidden, "or maybe when he spoke you felt that he was warm," she smiled, and in Eridanus' mind she was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen. "Lies and tricks," she hissed, and in his minds eye Eridanus saw through a young girl's eyes at a memory of the Headmaster. They ran together, one into the other. I cannot teach you . . . A gap, a void, and then Perhaps if you tried this . . . You could attempt . . . "He lies to buy time, time to twist you." She waved her finger back and forth. "Another day, another word, and his mind tells you that you love him, and you believe, and believe, until you are lost, lost to the chains of love and responsibility and shame he built out of thought and motion." The waif clapped her hands together and threw back her head, laughing. "And then?" Her smile was brittle. "When you do not have enough mind to protest him? Then, he teaches." She twirled a finger through her hair, shoulders shaking in silent mirth. "Only then!"

[Eridanus]

The sudden intrusion of an unfamiliar voice into the ethaefal's thoughts caused Eridanus to turn around abrubtly to find a strange girl. Strange in her accent, attire and mannerisms, though strangeness was 'normal' in Alvadas, as strange as it seemed.

As she spoke, strange accusations were uttered, along with the relevant emotions that suddenly surged in the ethaefal.

What is happening?

His emotions were in turmoil, being played directly by the girl who used no subtlety in the tugging of the puppet strings.

"What are you?" He whispered harshly, his demeanour assumed partly because of his wish to regain the situation. To regain control over this conversation.

If there was something he hated more than anything, it was floundering helplessly in the unknown. Not knowing anything, yet expecting to act as if he did. He was drowning in the absence of understanding and he was loathing every second of it.

"What of you then? Perhaps you have been lying too, using that vile persuasion of yours. I will believe what I believe, for it is your words against his. He has offered warmth, acceptance and purpose, but you offer only conflict, strife and suspicion. I cannot accept your conspiracy until there is greater proof."

Proof! Logic! That was what his scientific mind demanded. Evidence was the only way he could process and analyze information with, and it was with that that he could process and see the world.

Yet, when even evidence could not be trusted, when his physical senses might just be distorted by magic, what then could he trust, when he could not even trust himself?

[Eridanus]

OOCContinuing as a self-mod, permission granted by Fallacy.

A gasp was uttered from the ethaefal as more memories and images slammed into his mind mercilessly, and they insidiously asserted themselves beside his previous reflections and meditation, making it difficult to assess which introspective conclusions he had reached on his own, and which was forcibly made on him through inception.

Eridanus tried to fight back, strengthening his mind as he bolstered his mental defences, but they were crumbling like a wall under heavy siege. It was pointless, and it was useless. He was missing an essential element.

Djed.

The word reverberated in a different voice within his mind, a voice so old and wise that it could not have been the scholar's.

Djed.

Grasping upon this suggestion in a desperate attempt to seek mental clarity, he squeezed his eyes shut, searching for a mental image of his soul from within. Falling even deeper into a meditative trance, he sought the astral resource that flowed throughout his body, utilizing it in a similar way that he would use Auristics. Consuming it as he imagined himself directing it outwards, he pushed the images out of his mind, taking all the frustration, the anger, and the annoyance and broadcasting it out.

It was relieving in a way, to be able to silently express himself in such a way, and his body immediately became clammy upon him doing so, in a similar way when he first tried Flux.

Hypnotism. The arcane method of expression.

Wave and wave of djed emanated from the moon child, bringing away with it his emotions, his temper and his fear. His body and mind weakened even as he silently screamed his anguish, but he kept going until his body felt frail but his mind cleansed.

Opening his eyes wearily, he noticed that the mysterious girl had disappeared, replaced by the silent, wise figure of the Headmaster who sat in the corner of the room on a dainty chair, drinking carefully from a queer-looking, antiquated tea cup.

"That was quite the outburst, Eridanus," The headmaster observed nonchalantly, taking another sip from the cup.

Even as he spoke, Eridanus could feel another burst of warmth flourish from within, warming the cockles of his heart even as his inner soul felt cold from the previous outburst.

"Welcome back," The older ethaefal declared warmly, and Eridanus smiled.

For he was finally at home.

[Fallacy]

XP Award! Name:Eridanus XP Award: Observation- 1 Rhetoric- 1 Meditation- 1 Lore: Eridanus- The Acumen Asylum's Headmaster A Hypnotism Student Under the Headmaster What a Peculiar Asylum Girl Reflecting on One's Life Actions Emotions not your own Hypnotism: in practice and theory Notes: In order to keep progressing in your magical arts, you must be far more detailed. Also, due to the thread's short nature, it didn't seem fair to award all of the lores you requested. Otherwise, keep up the good work! Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM