darkinferno | [ic inbox]

[He really needs to stop talking to people. This is the, what? Eighth memory he's triggered in someone else? He's not sure if he should feel bad, or intrigued.]

Is this a town that you... visited yourself, or do you even remember?

i don't know for sure

i think i might have? i remember the place clearly enough that it's like i went there

but i don't know if that was because i was there or looking at it on a screen. no matter how much i try to figure it out i just keep coming up blank

Needless to say, a stark difference compared to what your previous memories have been, according to what you've described to me in the past.

We're still lacking vital connective tissue in your case, however. The whole picture isn't becoming clearer, it's merely becoming more obfuscated. Have you remembered anything else before now?

yeah, normally it's been pretty definitive, i'm not sure why this one feels so murky

i mean it's still vivid enough that i know it's one of these memories and not something else but it feels like i just got a glimpse of it, not the whole thing

i... yeah. i think i'm up to about seven of them now

four types of monsters: invisibles, darkballs, darksides, and now these giant monsters called behemoths

then i've remembered being on that island i told you about, this... and i remembered something else during the blackout, too. i think i've been wandering in the darkness before

i was having a conversation with someone but i couldn't hear anything they were saying. but i said some things that made me think

[Man. This is hard to admit to.]

i said stuff about not being ready until i'd seen them one last time

and about it being the afterworld

i think i might've died

[He wants to comment about how darkness seems to be an ongoing motif with Dante. But then, i think i might've died.

Ardyn is frowning at his screen. He's trying to think of the implications of someone remembering their own death, not to mention how to approach it in conversation with someone else.]

Died?

[Suddenly calling them "memories" feel all the more apt. He had mentioned the idea of reincarnation and past lives with others before (Dante included), but he hadn't thought too much of it. Now, though...]

You didn't feel pain did you?

[He hopes that wasn't something particularly traumatizing to remember.]

no, not really

[He felt something, but it wasn't pain... Dante takes a moment to think about it before continuing.]

i felt weak

i walked forward a few steps and almost collapsed, and then there was this... it's stupid but i guess it was almost like an aura glowing around me

and when that happened i could FEEL myself getting weaker. i was going to fade away, and nothing would be left

That must have been a terrifying feeling.

[He's sent the message before thinking to re-word it, but perhaps being sympathetic wasn't something he should hesitate feeling in a situation like this.]

Maybe this business of "past lives" isn't so far-fetched. I suppose you can take comfort in the fact that you're very much solid and alive right now. I do wonder what happened, however.

And I don't think you need me to point out that there is an on-going theme of "darkness" with your experiences.

it's definitely unnerving now but in the moment i think i was more just

resigned to it

i don't know what happened to me before that but i think whatever it was, it was something that went really wrong. even in the memory the other me asked what had happened to me, like he wasn't even sure

and you don't need to tell me twice about the darkness being a recurring theme

i think i might've had my first flash before i actually realized it. i had a dream of myself fighting against these shadowy monsters with glowing eyes in the same sort of place as this last memory... i thought it was a dream but based off everything else, it's starting to seem like that's not the case

These monsters are different than the ones you described to me prior?

[A slight pause before he decides to send another text through.]

You say you were fighting them. Fighting them how? If we can glean as much detail as possible from all these memories/dreams, then perhaps there's a clue that may unlock even more.

yeah, they were a lot simpler. i couldn't really make them out because they were solid black and blended in with the darkness, except for the eyes

but they were a lot smaller than the others i've remembered, smaller and plainer

and i was using some sort of weapon like a sword. i don't remember anything other than that about it

you know, you don't have to help me figure these things out. they're my memories to deal with, not yours

[But... he really appreciates that Ardyn takes the time out to talk to him about them and help him. It's more than he would have expected, and in spite of what he said to Ardyn about it before, it is making a difference.]

I know I don't have to. I choose to.

[The answer is as simple as that, really.]

Why should I ignore you plight, when something similar is happening to me? I'm no so unkind, nor am I so unreasonable. Despite what many of my students may initially believe.

yeah well you're the exception, not the rule

[He's hit send before he even thinks about it. A minute later, another text follows:]

anyways, it was a sword. and it seemed like i knew how to use it pretty well

So it would be safe to assume that you had some kind of training prior? Not unlike something out of a fantasy novel, honestly. A swordsman slaying monsters of the dark.

Do you remember if it was an easy fight, or a tremendously difficult one for you?

it seems like it. when i was fighting it felt RIGHT, like i instinctively knew what to do

it wasn't really hard, but i definitely wouldn't call it easy, either. it felt more... neverending. i could destroy them pretty fast, but no matter how many of them i killed there'd always be more squirming up out of the ground

So not just a fight. A /futile/ one to boot.

I must admit, I'm eager to hear the rest of this narrative. Who would have thought you a slayer of the dark?

[SNORTS.]

don't romanticize it like that

the more i think about it the more sure i am that it was the same place as where i was after i

died

i think the fighting part must have come after, since i wasn't sure if it was the afterworld in my memory

[A shudder goes down his spine unbidden, like someone's walked over his grave. It is definitely unsettling to be discussing his death so casually, even if it's not really him.]

Merely trying to find a silver lining in all the confusion. I'm not making light of your memories.

[He's certainly not trying to, at least.]

Maybe with time, more will come to you and we'll have a clearer picture. Afterlife, monsters, darkness -- all of it. It may be prudent to compare our own experiences with others, to see if they share anything at all similar, or remain wildly different per individual.

actually arlene and i already figured out we share some of the same memories. but i can't say i really feel comfortable going to her with "hey i think i died want to help me figure out what this is all about?"

[He might be a little stuck on that part.]

but you're right

annoying as it is i haven't got the full story yet

i'm still not sure if i WANT the full story, i haven't magically decided i'm okay with all this after our last conversation

but regardless i can't figure it all out right now

[Arlene? He wasn't even aware she was remembering things either, and he quietly makes note of it.]

She may be the best person to talk to about it, if you do share similar memories. The more information you share, the higher chance that she may remember something that'll unravel the rest of this story.

But you're right. Maybe living in ignorance in this case would be the best course of action, but... I'm the sort of individual that needs to see the complete narrative. The what-ifs will continue to hound me otherwise.

[Okay but what you need to realize Ardyn is that he and Arlene were literally on the cusp of hooking up this past weekend that's. Not exactly conducive to discussing this sort of thing.]

i can deal with the what-ifs

anyways what about you

have you remembered anything else

[That's a very subtle subject change. VERY subtle.]

[Listen... why do you kids make stuff like this so complicated. Either hook up or don't. You've got memories to talk about!]

Not wanting to talk about it, then? [As if the subject change will slip past Ardyn of all people. But he concedes.] No, not quite yet. As it stands, I imagine it's only a matter of time. When will the next memory be? While I'm reading? While I'm teaching? While driving, or some other terribly inconvenient time?

It's enough to keep one on their toes.

it's complicated

[No it's not.]

looks like you should take some of your own advice. have you found anyone else sharing the same sort of memories as you?

or maybe if you're that interested in figuring out your own narrative [What a pretentious way to talk about it, prof...] you should start testing things out yourself to see if anything sticks

One woman I know does. I was speaking to her about tonberries, and she suddenly recalled their existence as well.

What makes you think I haven't done a bit of experimentation here and there?

the fact that it's been over a month and you've only had those two

[Actually, now that he thinks about it, Ardyn does have a point. For as much as Dante thinks Ardyn seems like the sort of guy to chase his answers down with a singleminded focus, it's not like he's got a lot to go off of so far. He's got monsters and being on a train. Where does one go from there?]

i guess there's not a lot for you to go off so far though, huh

who was the person that remembered tonberries? was it freya?

Time and effort /can/ be mutually exclusive. In this case, they are.

[He and Jack punched each other in the face just to see if they remembered anything. You can't say he's not trying, okay.]

No, it was Aranea, an old acquaintance of mine that works at a tattoo parlor. Is there a reason you think it might have been Freya?

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