victory_road | Event: The Reveal Glass

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Event: The Reveal Glass

Across the Pokémon world, characters may have spotted a falling star last night. Or at least, one would think that's what it was: a naturally occurring phenomenon, rather than a legendary artifact. Specifically, the Reveal Glass fell to earth during a fight among a group of legendaries started by the return of a long-lost family member. But it's probably best to leave them to handle all that themselves, while your characters deal with other consequences.

The Reveal Glass shattered upon impact, and the shards scattered throughout Kanto, Johto, and the Sevii Islands… And made their way into the hearts of your characters. But bleeding isn't the concern here. Instead, the impact will hit when a character first looks into any reflective service. An eerie feeling hits them as they're transported to the Mirror Dimension.

While this realm can be many different things for different characters, one thing is always true: It is a place of honesty, where true selves are revealed. Those struck by a shard will find themselves facing truths they are no longer able to hide, and now must accept. Fortunately enough, even those who haven't been struck will be able to enter the Mirror Dimension during this event via a reflective surface to offer help. By the end of the 29th, things will return to normal. Characters will be back in the usual Pokémon world and their hearts will be rid of the shards, but time is strange in the Mirror Dimension, and the experience may feel like it goes on far longer than a day. Or, maybe that's just the emotional exhaustion.

The Reveal Glass plot is here. You can swing by the event info post for additional details and FAQ, and play out your characters’ enforced therapy on this post. As with most VR events, this plot is entirely optional and your characters don't need to take part at all.

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"How far?"

It can't be located along the western coastline—he knows of no settlement there that would willingly welcome in a Gar. Even those run by non-Eternians, as they do not wish to incur the wrath of humans for being Gar sympathisers.

It would have to be somewhere really far away, this strange place where many different peoples meet.

"I'm not even sure," Radley sighs. "I was in a place with doorways to other worlds and one led me here."

Well, we can safely rule out Radley being Marzo now—even a wizard as powerful as he's reputed to be couldn't create a door to another world.

That's what Keldor's concluded, anyways.

"So that's how you got into the palace? From a place with doors?"

One hell of a wrong turn, there, stranger-friend.

"Yeah, exactly," Radley smirks a bit. "It brought me right here into the hall."

Several thoughts run through the boy's head at once.

There's another place with doors.

There's another world.

This is a stranger, possibly from another world.

He knows of another Gar, who might be living in that world.

He's awfully kind for a human. More kind than just about every human he's known.

Keldor is not happy where he is.

Keldor's father has not, nor ever will, love his son.

An odd impulse fills him. What if he asked this definitely-not-Marzo to show him this place? What if he went there? Not forever of course, but from time to time? King Miro probably wouldn't care about it if Keldor never speaks of it to anyone. Keldor would be out of sight and thus out of mind. It'd be his secret place where he can be happy and be with people who care about a little boy who's never had fatherly love in his life—so long as he never lets anyone else in on it.

Not even Randor or Amelia or even Dekker.

It'd be his place alone.

"Where is it?"

Show him where it is, Radley.

Radley ponders the answer. He doesn't know how to get back to the hall where he was before, but he knows he was brought to a world made by Keldor himself. Somehow, perhaps, he needs to help Keldor remember the Pokemon world.

"I'm not entirely sure how to get back there from here. It's an amazing place, filled with trees and towns and fascinating animals of all kinds. There are dogs with fire powers and giant living orbs with electricity. There's cute little furry animals that look like foxes and rabbits and living teacups...."

He's hoping talking about specific Pokemon he and Keldor have might start to bring something to mind.

"It's peaceful and happy." In general.

"I could ... show ... you..."

He was going to say "to the hall", but for whatever reason, helping Radley find his way back just doesn't feel as important as it did a moment ago.

Going anywhere in the palace doesn't feel all that important.

Never mind that he's intensely curious about seeing all these things, and that Radley's entrance is somewhere else in this place. It's just no longer important.

His entrance can be wherever he decides it to be. This entrance to his secret happy place.

The one no one else here will know about.

Because...

...because...

.....because....

Radley hopes it's working. He thinks it might be. He keeps going, talking about more of the Pokemon as well as the beautiful places and friendly people and all there is to do. He talks about training Pokemon, and gyms, since he knows Keldor likes the Trainer's path.

It seems to be, but before Keldor can return, there's at least one more thing that needs to happen. One more thing he must understand, or his time here in this strange dimension will be for naught.

He has to see where all this is leading him, and has led him to.

What comes next is a series of scenes that, to a boy, shows the future, and to the man, shows the past.

Dekker was more than happy to mentor a young Keldor who needed such guidance, knowing full well why the boy came to him. Under the guise of martial training, he helped to fill that gap in Keldor's heart—the gap that needed paternal love.

But then, war broke out, and the Great Unrest began. Dekker couldn't be both soldier and father figure at the same time—not when the likes of Count Marzo was threatening planetary stability.

Deprived of his paternal role model, Keldor threw himself into the war effort. Perhaps by helping to restore peace to Eternia, he could finally win what he most needed: Miro's approval.

Unfortunately, that was not to be, for, at the Hall of Wisdom, during what would be the final battle, King Miro was banished to Despondos by Marzo himself, in a last-ditch attempt to win.

Gone was any chance of ever being shown any modicum of affection.

And that wasn't all.

With Miro gone, it would be Keldor who would have to fill the role now left vacant, but the people would not have it, and as if the loss of his father wasn't enough, he now had to contend with the loss of his mother, too. A loss he was blamed for. Blamed for, and exiled for.

Without any proof.

Alone, he was left to wander the planet; without guidance or direction, until he'd come across an old shrine. The spirit inhabiting it called out to the aimless prince and promised to help Keldor reclaim what was his. And Keldor threw himself into this relationship, feeling as though for the first time not only did he have a mentor and father figure, but someone who could understand what he'd been through.

Eager to please, he allowed himself to be moulded into a weapon for the spirit to use. A means to secure his freedom and return to Eternia to resume his quest for conquest. And it was disgustingly easy, too. All Hordak had to do was remind Keldor of what he'd been through, and his pupil would redouble his efforts to win Hordak's praise.

Of course, no one was expecting a little jaunt into the ruins of Zalesia to break Hordak's hold over his apprentice, but the seeds had already been sewn. And Hordak would still have a hold on Keldor even as he began to travel once more, and finding friends along the way. A hold that could yet spell doom.

At the end of this, a voice speaks to Keldor.

IF YOU WANT TO ESCAPE YOUR FATE, YOU NEED TO BREAK FREE, AND TO BREAK FREE YOU NEED TO HEAL YOUR GREATEST WOUNDS. ONLY THEN CAN YOU CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY-TO-COME.

"I do not..," he begins, feeling more than a little lost as he stands before it as he is now. "I do not understand..."

Edited 2024-03-05 06:53 (UTC)

Seeing the scenes hurt, and Radley weeps inside at all that Keldor had suffered.

“I’m so sorry,” he says. “You’ve been through so much.”

He had known about some of the scenes, but not all, and of course seeing them was worse than just hearing of them. Having kind people like Dekker and Amelia and losing them was so cruel, and being blamed for Amelia’s death on top of that seemed too horrible to be real. And losing his father too, when he had hoped so endlessly to be loved by him, also seemed unfair. Radley doubted Miro would ever be what Keldor hoped, but he understood Keldor’s feelings so deeply since he had longed so much for his grandmother to love him. If she was gone, he knew he would be devastated at the loss of any chance of that.

Hordak turns his stomach. Something doesn't seem right with him at all. He definitely feels that Hordak is preying on Keldor’s longings and is not truly sincere. He wants to talk with Keldor about that.

He is about to when the voice startles him and he looks around in confusion for the source of it. "Huh? Who are you?!" He didn’t hear a voice during his own experience, nor has he heard one during the experiences of others he has been trying to help. In the other experiences, it seemed like the sufferers themselves who showed the various scenes. In this one, was it this mysterious voice showing the scenes? That made it seem all the more urgent to try to help Keldor.

He takes a deep breath. "I think I understand," he says to Keldor. "At least a little. I don't think you should go back to Hordak."

Edited 2024-03-06 04:06 (UTC)

Keldor the child might find it easy to cry, but not so Keldor the man. Long ago he'd learned a simple truth about tears: that no amount of crying was going to get what needed to be done, done. You can either cry about it, or you can take action.

After all, childhood tears alone were not enough to move Miro's heart—Keldor would need to do something more than just cry about it. He'd have to show Miro that he was worthy of love.

Unfortunately that kind of thing has crippled his emotions to no small degree, and even now, with tears running down his face, he's struggling to regain composure as he's shown a truth he'd much rather remain unacknowledged.

Deep down, he realises that he's still just a little boy who wishes that his father cared about him, and because of it, he'd become vulnerable to those who would exploit this fact for their own gain.

"I... I do not intend to..," he says, face all blotchy. Boy, he'd think himself ugly right now if he could see what he looks like. "I rejected him after having won the Havoc Staff from the Faceless One of Zalesia. I shall not be going back."

Oh, famous last words...

Radley is still worried. What if it's true that everyone forgets their time here? Keldor's decision might change in that case.

"Are you sure he won't come after you?" he says in concern. "He might want that staff for himself."

Worry not; Keldor has no intentions of forgetting a place like this.

Still, Radley does have a point or two.

"Hordak cannot come for the staff. He is unable to truly enter Eternia from his residence in Despondos. Not without someone ... able ... to..."

Why did Hordak want Keldor to have the staff? He'd said that it would help to amplify Keldor's powers, but why that staff specifically?

True, there were very few objects of power that could tap into the starseed at Eternia's core, but still... Why the Havoc Staff and not another?

Keldor's beginning to look a little fearful.

"...someone able ... to wield ... it..."

Radley stiffens. The answer is so obvious.

"He wants you to have it so he can enter Eternia. And once he's in, then what?"

If there's one thing all the baddies of Eternia [with the exception of Evil-Lyn, perhaps] can agree on, it's that no one wants Hordak to return. Even someone like Marzo called it "too dangerous", and he's not someone who has many lines he wouldn't cross.

"He shall conquer and subjugate Eternia, just as he would do anywhere else his shadow has already fallen upon."

Is Keldor shaking? Maybe ~~a lot~~ a tiny bit.

"What can you do?" Radley asks in concern. "Can you use the staff without the risk of Hordak coming back?"

"I have already done so. Many times. Use of the staff alone is insufficient to free him, or else he would be free even now."

He really does not like where this is going. Any more than he liked getting a highlight reel of his life thus far.

"To free Hordak, the staff must be used with specific intent, and it must be used in a specific place."

Pause.

"But he knows I would not aid him like this willingly........"

Oh.

Oh no....

Edited 2024-03-07 03:56 (UTC)

Radley is alarmed too. "Could he control you? Or have someone else do it?"

Keldor.exe is not responding.

All kinds of horrific scenarios are running in his mind. Of course Hordak could control him. Or control anyone else, for that matter. Even someone with a strong will could, given enough time, be brought under Hordak's influence.

But that's not why Keldor is unresponsive.

See, he's starting to put two and two together.

A wounded soul can open itself up willingly, if the one it's opening up to can persuade it to.

This, by itself, is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a good thing when done with the right people.

When done with the wrong people, it means opening oneself up to influences too subtle to be noticed. Influences that'd be very hard to shake off later on.

And he has.

Radley is increasingly concerned by the lack of responsiveness. Radley has certainly been thinking of these things that Keldor is thinking of as well. It was obvious from the memories how deep a hold Hordak had on Keldor in the past, and while he doesn’t know all the ins and outs of the staff’s magic, he’s afraid Hordak may have ways to still get his hooks in Keldor because of how open Keldor was in the past.

Of course, right now his concern is simply getting Keldor to respond to something. "Keldor? Is there anything you can do to protect yourself?"

Edited 2024-03-07 21:49 (UTC)

Inside Keldor's head is a roiling storm of memories and dreams and revelations dredged up by this hellish place; merging together into a nightmare he'd like very much to wake up from, now.

If Scareglow were here it would only be too fitting.

You were never loved swirls around with He's using you as his key into Eternia, and it's enough to almost make him scream.

It's certainly enough to bring him to his knees, hands tightly clasped to his head; face twisted in pain.

No wonder he got the memory reel as well as the voice. Keldor is not someone who deals with his traumas very well, and the mirror realm knows it, so it drove the point home as clearly as it could, because it knew that once he was out of here, he'd be back to trying to bury his worms. Pretend nothing is wrong.

You must accept help from the others and face your traumas, the one clear thought he has left in his mind says, Or become the thing you fear most.

Somewhere in all this, a voice manages to filter through, but he can't tell if it was said just once and what he's hearing in his head are the echoes, or if someone's been trying to get his attention for some time.

Keldor's reactions are only serving to worry Radley even more. He's really not sure Keldor even heard his question, and at the moment, he's most concerned with bringing him back to the present time and situation. Keldor is clearly far away from that, lost again in the swirl of memories and pain, no doubt.

Radley kneels down to be in front of him. "Keldor, I'm really sorry about everything you've been through and all of these new thoughts and realizations that are bombarding you all at once. But while people were cruel and unfeeling and used you in the past, things are different now! You have a home. You have loved ones!"

He hesitates, then reaches to try to grip Keldor's shoulders, hoping maybe physical contact will penetrate this state if his words alone don't.

"Keldor..," he hears someone say.

A woman.

Lyn.

"Lyn?" he rasps out. "Lyn? It is you?"

"Keldor. Let them help you."

"Help me? How?"

"Trust them. Tell them the truth."

"But I am afraid..."

"No small thing for you to say. You try so hard to be brave. And facing your fears is bravery, though you don't seem to think so."

He's quiet for a moment in this realm-within-a-realm.

"Running from that which frightens you will only bring you closer to it. Will only make it come true."

"The... My... Future..."

"It is a future, love, not the future. One out of many possibilities. But it will be the future if you don't face your demons and finally break the hold he still has on you."

"How...?"

"Trust your friends. Reach out. Be brave. You can do this."

Where... Where the hell is he? And who is it yelling things at him or grabbing him?

"Lyn..."

Sorry. Wrong answer. He blinks a couple of times to clear his vision.

"Who..? ...Ra.."

Shuts his eyes for a second. Damn. His head hurts.

Then, in a tiny voice.

"I want to go home..."

And curl up into a ball under a blanket and just try and make the rest of the world disappear ~~forever~~ for a little while.

While Radley has no idea of the conversation going on in Keldor's mind, he is supremely relieved when Keldor seems to start to come out of his head enough to hear him.

"Home, Keldor?" he repeats. "Which home? Eternia home ... or Pokemon home?"

He knows Keldor wants to ultimately get back to Eternia. He really hopes Keldor can someday ... but only if this Hordak won't be able to get at him. As long as that's a danger, Keldor is better off here, where there's support and stability and people who can try to help. And sweet Pokemon who just love their people and don't judge, as cruel people do.

"I want to take you home," he continues. "The home where you're safe...."

There's a difference? Home is ... home. Right?

"Home. Safe. Yes."

I guess he wants to go to the home that's safest. And Eternia doesn't seem like the safest option of the two right now. Not with the threat of Hordak looming over everything, even if he has friends there.

In the pokemon world, he can do what needs to be done without coming to harm.

Though, it might take a little more prodding yet to get him started on that road ~~stay tuned!~~...

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