1460/Hunting the Witch

Hunting the Witch
Date of Scene:	26 April 2024
Location:	Plot Room 2
Synopsis:	Sunbreaker follows Beryl through space and time to learn what the source of her power is. She discovers it... and realizes while they are both bathed in the light of the sun, only one of them is worthy to wield it.
Cast of Characters:	Beryl, Hinoiri Kirara

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Beryl has posed:
After separating from the main group, Sunbreaker would have likely wandered the city she'd been dropped into - outside of the market, filled with the reek of humanity, all it's drippings and droppings and mess. The scent of fresh produce, the metallic tang of blood as she passes butcher's shops and stalls, the shouts of merchants hawking wares and the sound of haggling customers, seeking the best deal.

The further she travels, the more she sees of the city - and it is a city, a beautiful if rather medieval one, with none of the shining modernity of Tokyo. There are paved streets as she goes along, houses larger and more expansive, people in wealthy clothes.

None of the people she sees are Beryl.

None of the people she sees are familiar at all, actually, and none of them notice her, as she's already learned. She can go where she pleases and do what she wants, so long as she doesn't interact with anyone or anything in such a way that it interrupts the echo of time.

Eventually, she may have decided to check out the palace. Eventually, she would have seen -

Not the Beryl she knew, not a seven foot woman with vibrant red hair and eyes, but a still tall woman, perhaps six feet, with long, dark hair. She wears no crown or tiara, but has familiar earrings - large, teardrop shaped stones wrapped in wire. A black dress, with a white overskirt covered her form. She was walking along an open corridor in the palace, moving at a brisk pace.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara had been searching and had even de-henshined after a while. Conserve her energy. Nobody here knew her. Nobody here really saw her. It was easy. She might try and swipe somebody's clothing at some point to better fit in...

But actually no. Because ew. Ironically enough, that had been what had made her go to the palace. Royalty often had more clothes than they knew what to do with, not to mention it was likely (hopefully) cleaner.

Running around in the past in a skirt and a pleather jacket weren't the most comfortable things in the world. And the smells. Oh my gosh. She'd finally swiped a scarf, or something similiar, cleaned it with a bit of magic, then wrapped it around her face to dull the smell.

However, any thoughts of garments and clothes faded the moment she saw the woman. Beryl. For a moment she wanted to trap HER in ice, see how she liked it. But no, this was just a weird time bubble thingy. It wouldn't DO anything. They didn't see her. None of them did. So instead she walked after her, likely having to jog every so often just to maintain a close distance with her. She suspected the woman walked everywhere like that. Like she had a goal. A destination. Somewhere important to be.

And, for the moment, there was no need for her to cause a scene by trying to pick a fight.

Beryl has posed:
The woman did indeed have a destination - and soon, she had company as well, other men and women, some carrying staffs, others crystalline orbs, the majority with ornamentation of some kind, like Beryl's stone earrings. As they progressed along the corridor, some of them spoke to each other, murmuring about a court, about tributes, about their research -

It seemed that all of them were magic users, and they were very familiar with each other.

At the end of the corridor, they entered a new building, one with another corridor, this one enclosed and ornate, walls adorned with art and sculptures, high end finishings. It was a place fit for royalty -

Fitting then, that they would enter into the receiving hall, where, once by one, they were announced, and introduced to the court at large.

Beryl was neither the first, nor the last to be introduced, being somewhere in the first quarter, and like all the others, she bowed to their lady, the queen, long may she reign.

That the ruler of the Golden Kingdom is a woman, is probably not a surprise to Sunbreaker, who would likely find it only natural.

To the queen's side, on much smaller chair, was a boy - perhaps twelve, cherubic and cute, sitting very straight, a pout just faintly visible on his lip. Behind him and to his right, was a young man with pale hair, standing patiently at attention.

"Sages, Mages, and Wizards of the Golden Kingdom," a stuffy-voiced man intoned, "You may now begin to present the results of your work to her majesty, the queen, and his royal highness, Prince Endymion."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara was unseen. Unnoticed. A ghost, a phantom. She walked through, watching the sages, the mages. Fascinating.

And all of them would die. Possibly killed by the war, possibly before it. She eyed Beryl as she moved across the hall.

For a moment, she wondered if they could see her. Could notice her. She'd heard mages were supposedly more attentive. There was no fade, though. So they didn't have to see what was or wasn't there. They were likely just as affected as everyone else.

Finally, she'd moved up, standing against the wall, by the prince. Peering over at him. And...

This was him, huh? The one all of this was over? The one everyone was soooooo fascinated by? She couldn't help but grin when she watched him sitting there. She'd been in that position, once. Sitting quietly behind, watching the world spin as her mentor did her duties. As she accounted news and decisions to the people.

Her mentor had tried to comfort her, to not make her sit through such things. But she was proud and grateful for her role... at the time. And she remembered what one of the advisors had once told her.

"Pay attention, Hinoiri. One day what you learn today may save the future..." she mumbled gently. Granted, the advisor had only meant 'Save Sora some trouble in the future'. But she'd mayyyybe taken it a bit... too seriously.

Now, at least, she could learn what they considered to be big, magical works on this planet... And what Beryl had been up to at this time.

Then there was a mental record scratch when she glanced to the prince. Then back to Beryl.

Girl. Seriously?

Beryl has posed:
Perhaps surprisingly, Beryl's gaze wasn't focused on the prince at all. The young woman - for she was clearly perhaps eighteen - was focused on the queen, her head lowered respectfully but her eyes fixed on the woman who ruled the Golden Kingdom, who had cemented the Golden Kingdom as the greatest in all the world, who had unified the kingdoms of the world into one, singular people, one empire, resting upon the shoulders of one woman.

And ah, what a woman! Even seated, she was tall and lovely, her dark skin contrasting with the golden circlet on her forehead, the only crown she bothered with, her eyes a lovely blue, her thick, dark hair falling in waves to her mid-back. She sat above them all on a throne, the center of the room, the world, the universe, so far as most cared.

As the sages, mages, wizards, and the like presented their studies, more and more was shown off. There were alchemists who studied the transition of materials from one to another, conjurers who wielded the elements, seers who prophecied the future with bones and smoke, with tea leaves and mirrors -

And then, it was Beryl's turn, and only then did her gaze stray to the young prince, on his throne, the heir to the greatest kingdom in history, he who would inherit all the world.

A twelve year old boy who was so clearly bored by the dry testimonies, only entertained by the brief flashes of magic when it was time for practical demonstrations.

It was Beryl, who stood before the court, and explained that with her research time, she had begun to study the art of summoning spirits and ancient powers, all the better to learn from, all the better to take as allies.

"And what creature will you show this court today?" Demeter asked, her eyes sharp and interested.

"A monster, your majesty," Beryl said calmly, as surprised murmurs began, "To show you the power I have gained, in studying their weaknesses, and the power our armies could have, were they to do the same."

And she did - summoning into the court not the first youma the world had ever known, but the first that had ever been controlled. It was a creature twelve feet tall and half as much around, half stone and half plant, with a great, roaring mouth, and there were cries of surprise, as it swung about to face the crowd in anger -

Before Beryl, with the swiftness of a fighter, engaged it in battle, and slew it with singular swiftness, dark tendrils of magic rising from the ground to snap at limbs and drag it to the earth, where a single sword could be used to slit it's throat.

Magic was called upon to contain an explosion of goo and dark energy as the creature died, the mess reduced to a single space on the floor.

"Monsters," Beryl spoke into the quiet, "Have plagued our people the world over. Rare though they may be, it has long been difficult to find their weaknesses, to hold them in place. In learning to summon these creatures, I have learned to stop them - and learned to develop weapons, such as a simple sword - that anyone, even without magic - could use to slay the beasts."

Her eyes were, again, fixed on the queen.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara had listened with rapt attention as the magicians worked. It truly was fascinating... Especially since there was one very important detail to this that only she could know.

She studied magic, had studied it since... well. A little after she could remember anything. Everything. And so learning how these people did magic? It was incredibly fascinating.

Because magic didn't work like that on earth. Sure, there were some simularities. But the style, the type, was so different. She wondered if it was the fade or something else entirely. She was positively mesmerized.

Unfortunately, her mesmerization couldn't go on forever as eventually Beryl came up. And watching the great witch summon a youma, only to slay it? It made her shudder a little bit. She wondered, was this where Beryl fell? Was this when she became the monster? Did this happen later? Was it the monsters she summoned...

Was it the things she created? Her movements were faster than she would have expected. The speed. The viciousness. This was a warrior. A real warrior...

Dangerous. Deadly.

She glanced down to Endymion and gave a soft, sad sigh. She couldn't warn him. It was meaningless, wasn't it? Yet... "And that's the woman, Endymion," she muttered before she could stop herself. "That's the woman all of us are going to, one day, put a stop to. For good."

Beryl has posed:
As the demonstration was carried out, Demeter watched the Sage who commanded the room's attention, eyes fixed on her every move. It was not merely the magic that captured her attention, though the magic - and far more importantly, the sword - were of significant interest. No, though the weapons and technique were indeed useful, it was the woman at the core of that mattered.

For this woman, she could tell, was most exceptionally dangerous.

"A wonderous feat," she declares, as the murmurs of the court silence. "Truly, you are indeed worthy of your naming, Sage Beryl. When the day is done, I would like to hear more of your studies."

Monsters were indeed few and far between, but stories carried, and fears traveled. It did not soothe the people to know that monsters struck a mere ten or twelve times a year, each in different zones of the kingdom. It did not comfort, to know that it was unlikely a monster would ever even appear in a given year, when there was the chance that one would.

What the people wanted was a solution, one easier than the drawn out battles, more readily available than the rare and highly trained mages that lived predominantly in the heart of the Golden Kingdom.

Weaponry that could slay a monster without magic, the opportunity for soldiers to face the beasts in controlled circumstances, to master themselves - these were the flashy, powerful signs that a people would find reassurance in.

Now Demeter had only to ensure the woman behind it all did not have aims higher than her station.

Beryl sheathed the sword. In the moment of that motion, a glimmer of rainbow light sparked at her elbow - at her side, a portal opened, as brightly colored and impossible to peer through as the one that had spirited them all away from the Moon. A way out, to another place, another time, if Sunbreaker wished to follow it.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara watched her. And this was it. Her breathing went still as more things clicked into place. That sword could hurt youma.

That sword could hurt magical people.

Mars. For a second she started breathing faster, panic rushing through her. She could see the battle on the moon. The planet burning. The world dying. Mars alone, against a horde. Killing each other. Hurting each other.

No no no. She hugged herself. This was where it started, wasn't it? Where it grew.

"Never trust her, Endymion," Hinoiri said before she pushed off the wall and walked towards the portal.

So these portals connected to different times. So if she stuck near Beryl.... would she learn everything? Would she learn how she did her magics? She was already keeping a mental record of the movements and such Beryl had done for her summoning. What other things did this woman know?

... And a part of her wondered. Was this woman a monster always? Or would she become it? At this moment, was she just... a mage, someone who wanted to protect her people? Where did it change? Where did she cross that horizon?

Those were the thoughts before she walked through the portal, into a new past/future.

Beryl has posed:
In the portal, the world shimmers white and gold, opaque. Hinoiri is alone, for a moment, the only being in all existence.

And then she crosses to the other side, the portal vanishing from existence, and stands under the slowly brightening dawn sky. The sun rises far to the east. Overhead, a meteor shower - hundreds - perhaps even thousands - of shards of light, streaking across the sky.

"This is it," a voice, familiar-but-not breathes. It's Beryl - standing by her side, looking up, focused on the sky. "This is a sign. It was foretold, what this would mean. To see a sky like this, to see this strange shower - these thousands of lights -"

She begins to laugh.

"I warned him! I told him that to give his heart to a witch from the Moon would bring ruin! And here it is! A year of disaster upon us, and our prince pledges himself to a witch-goddess from the Moon!"

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara stepped out from the portal, staring up at the heavens... and then sighed. She didn't even have to look at Beryl to know.

History was filled with stories like this. Prophecies. 'This year will cause our harvest to fail', only for them to try desperately to avoid it and end up destroying their very fields in the process.

"And 'lo, in trying to prevent the destruction of her kingdom, instead the great Beryl damned two worlds. Killing not just her people, but the prince she so desperately craved. When the dust settled, she was left with nothing but a burnt, empty husk... until the day she rose again and found herself not just the bringer of an apocalypse, but reviled and loathed by all who could have ever admired her."

"All for want of a boy who, frankly, isn't even that attractive. A solid like, seven, I guess? Sure, hotter than a few, but the world is filled with hotter." Okay, maybe he was a like. Eight. But then, her cute-ometer wasn't exactly attuned the best.

"At least I know I won't ever be like you. I'll fix things on my own terms."

She then turned towards Beryl, watching her. So the apocalypse was foretold... so what did Beryl do to hurry it along?"

Beryl has posed:
Trying to prevent that destruction? Oh, Beryl may have been far beyond that. She was a woman of spite and anger, a woman who desired more than she had, and she envied and loathed and loved the one who had all that she wished. Endymion was the boy born with the silver spoon, the golden key to open all the world before him. He would never want for anything, would never be hungry, would never be weak.

He was Queen Demeter's bouncing baby, her charming child, her rambunctious prince, he flanked by his four guards, each of them terribly strong in their own way, each of them devoted to him -

Each of them failing to keep him safe.

What was he thinking, falling in love with the Moon Princess?! With one of them, those who watched from above, spying and learning and never, ever, sharing in what they had, what they could do?

"How many have died while your princess danced in fields of flowers," she muttered darkly to herself, glowering at the falling asteroids.

She didn't actually care about those people herself. But Endymion cared. He was sort-hearted and kind, open and generous, the beating heart of the kingdom, compared to the hard spine and strong shoulders of his mother, and he should have been her path to ultimate power.

Instead he would offer their world like a mouse offering a cat a toy, hoping to fend off the inevitable.

A shimmer, in the distance. Another portal for Sunbreaker to make her way by.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Hinoiri Kirara watched the woman, twisted by greed and anger. At least she'd never been that bad. Her cause was at least righteous. She'd worked hard for it. She'd...

Another portal. She started towards it. Then paused. She henshined as she walked...

Then, once she was close enough, she'd just SLAP the bitch across the face. Full on backhand. "Get OVER yourself!" she yelled. Before disappearing in a flash of fire, reappearing by the portal and going through. Would it have an effect? Eh, likely not for more than a second. But you know what?

Damn if it wouldn't be satisfying for that second.

Beryl has posed:
One moment, the sage is alone. The next? A stinging slap to the face, the kind of blow that would knock most over, and she does stumble, startled, eyes wide with fear and rage as she whips around, seeing disappearing flames.

"Moon Witch," she snarls, seeing the girl in flames, impossible for a mage of Earth.

As Sunbreaker goes through the portal, she'll feel the magic that strikes - not Dark Energy, but proper magic, blazing after her. The magic won't follow her through the portal - but the knife that flies and slices through the scarf she's been wearing will.

When she's finally out of that white wash of nothing, the knife sails ahead of her, striking a far wall and bouncing. A few passersby look to it, startled. She's back in the palace, and the servants are hurriedly taking note, looking around, alerting guards about the mysteriously thrown blade.

Good thing no one can see Hinoiri, or she might have an unpleasant time.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker stuck a finger through the hole in her scarf. Whew. Well. That knife was somebody else's problem. This was why she henshined beforehand. She saw what Beryl did to that youma! Also, she mayyyy have called back 'Sun Mage!' when she went through the portal. Not that she'd ever admit to such a thing. That'd be silly.

She did watch the knife for a moment, curious how long it would last. Would people focus on it until someone moved it, or would it get nudged out of sight and nobody would remember it at all...

But after that, she'd continue. Time to find Beryl again. To watch her. Study her...

Was this further in the future? A time where Beryl had begun her destruction? Or... something else?

Beryl has posed:
The knife stays, for a long while - but then, eventually, someone puts it down, and it's gone the moment no one's eyes are on it. The memory leeches from their eyes, the questions becoming at first more confused, and then simply non-existent, until the echo goes on with things as usual.

Sunbreaker searches for - a while, to find Beryl. Eventually, she finds her again in the palace's inner walls. Not the throne room, as before, but a long, empty hall, in which stood two dozen people of various ages - among them, a girl of perhaps fourteen, dressed in simple but fine clothing.

One by one they were called upon to demonstrate their skills in magic, casting a series of set spells, crafting charms, and making talismans.

One by one, they were judged. Some were removed.

Others...

"For a girl so young, you have excellent control," one of the testers praises the dark-haired girl. "Beryl does seem to be appropriate, for one of your potential. Carry on."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker had been mostly just watching. Relaxed. Surely Beryl would make an appearance soon.

...

But that was not how she expected it to happen. She expected Beryl to be... not this. Not like them. She had a small, sharp intake of breath.

And this was it. This was the Beryl she'd be following for a while. The one she'd want to see.

The child. The student.

The one like them.

Beryl has posed:
The teenager, now newly dubbed Beryl, smirks proudly as she goes through the next steps of the program, completing a few spells with a flourish. Over the next hour, several others of the two dozen are picked out, praised for their abilities, and then - named, as Beryl was. Perhaps Sunbreaker will realize then that these people aren't being called out by name, but properly renamed - Beryl being the youngest. The other three are dubbed Onyx, Amber, and Carnelia, each name ticked off a list, all three going to adults ranging from twenties to forties.

"You four are the top of the list. You'll receive additional instructions when you depart, so be sure to stay after."

A little more time passes, and eventually the four are provided with instructions on when to return, and how to prepare for the studies and advancements expected of those granted official license by the palace.

"The youngest to be given a title... but of course I am! As if it could have been anyone else, when I worked so hard for this..." It's Beryl of course, speaking to herself as she departs the palace, chin raised.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker followed along, watching the other girl. Huh. Talents. Skill. Apparently Beryl was quite special in this world. She was the one who stood out, amongst the adult. More powerful than any of them. Rising above.

She followed behind the other girl, her arms crossed behind her back. She tried to rmeember if a Onyx, Amber or Carnelia had been referenced in the names of the other magicians who had come to see the queen. Had they--

But then Beryl's words made her stop cold, one foot raised slightly.

That... that wasn't how she sounded, was it? No. Of course not. She wasn't...

She raced to catch up with Beryl, following her. Wondering where she'd go next. Where did she celebrate, how did she celebrate, what was her room like?

Beryl has posed:
The young Beryl departed the palace on foot, practically skipping, and then turned, looking in Sunbreaker's direction.

"Why are you bothering to remember all this?" She asks, her voice plaintive in the way that young teens often were when they were bored. "Don't tell me you're regretting it now."

From behind Sunbreaker, a cool voice responded, "Why have the power of a seer, if I can't look back at my own life?"

It was Beryl, standing behind Sunbreaker, a woman in her twenties, perhaps a decade younger than the woman Sunbreaker actually knew.

"This little trip down memory lane has been... amusing."

The young Beryl snorts, unladylike.

"More like annoying. Come on, did you think you were going to follow yourself all the way home, remember what it was like, and then decide you don't actually want to do this? That doesn't sound like me."

The world blurs around Sunbreaker, the path gone indistinct. The adult Beryl is the only thing solid.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker froze in place when the other girl looked at her. Had Beryl been like that? Above the pack? Could she tell what this was? Why it--

Then took a sharp intake of breath, glancing back. Beryl. Actual Beryl.

No. No? Younger. She let out a soft sigh. An imagination. A figment. This Beryl... was looking down memory lane. Using magics to do it. She sighed, letting out a sigh of relief. For a second, she thought it was going to be the real Beryl. Finding her...

Was this the Beryl she slapped? She turned and eyed her. Slowly that empathic bond she'd felt beginning to grow... faded away. No. This woman wasn't like her. Not at all. 'Regretting it now'... Had she known from the beginning that she'd destroy everything?

She looked up at Beryl before finally speaking. "To rule all of the world, to have everything you want. What cost is too great? Is there a cost too great? To get what you deserve?" she asked. She doubted this Beryl would answer. She doubted she could even hear her...

And she found her mind brought back to a thought she'd had so, so often. In the mirror she saw her future. As an alicorn.

But just as Beryl saw her future as a great sorceress, likely... even when she became an alicorn, could she still fall to her death, lose to Sora? She would exist, but that didn't mean victory...

Beryl has posed:
"I should have known not to bother," Beryl sighs, "The problem with talking to yourself is it's still only yourself, you're talking to. This memory can only reflect the woman I am now. Of course I'm right. If I was going to turn back, I would have by now."

The world solidifies. Beryl stands over a large cauldron, bubbling with odd liquid, reflecting the sun high above. There's a strange, dark spot on the sun, visible from Earth for those who dare to look upon it directly.

"But I have never backed away from what I want."

And then she looks up, and now her eyes do fix on Sunbreaker. Those dark eyes narrow.

"You... are you an emissary of the dark god who fell from the sun?" There is doubt in her voice. There is a sword at her side. "Come to test me?"

It's the only thing that makes sense, with the questions being asked. Her lips twist.

"There is no cost too great, if the path will lead me to my desire. This planet... these people... that reckless fool doesn't deserve them. As beautiful as a doll and as mindless as one too... he would give our world to that fickle goddess, see our Golden Kingdom another bauble in her collection. I would be better. I will be better."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker stared up at her. Slowly, her hands move down. The palms against the cauldron, sizzling slightly when she leaned forward on it. The dark fires raging along her body. "Test? Perhaps," Sunbreaker said.

"Be better than everyone. Push yourself beyond. Make them see you. Become what you were always told you could be," Sunbreaker muttered, slowly moving a finger along, over the cauldron.

"Work harder. Do better. Try again. Fail. Get hurt. But nobody ever cares, do they?" Sunbreaker asked, looking up at her. "Is that... it? So yes, here is your test, Beryl."

"Two paths lie before you. One will result in you having power. Glory. Your name will be remembered for millenia. Beryl... destroyer of all. You will destroy all you lay hands on. Everything you wanted will slip through your hands, crushed by your might. Leaving you with nothing but the knowledge that you stand alone. Everyone will suffer for your glory. But oh, you will be so glorious. Beyond any other."

"... The other, is nothing. You gain... nothing. You fade away. Obscure. Meaningless. They will forget your name. They won't know, or care you existed. The people who wronged you will get away with it. The people who hurt you. They will grow old and die content. But the world will be better for it. The lives of all. Yet none will know the sacrifice you made."

"... So personal glory and power, but destruction for all. Or being forgotten and ignored, but the world is left a better place. It's... safe. Which would you choose?"

Beryl has posed:
Beryl watches the girl wreathed in living black flames as she turns to face her. Waits for her answer, for her test. How can be anything but a test? Metallia's emissary, her final test. She's already started the rites. Already made contact with the dark goddess who fell from within the sun.

There is no going back.

"If this is your final test," she says slowly, "Then you should have saved it. Let those trespassed against me go unpunished? Let the power that should be mine, slip my fingers? Fade, into the night, like a wisp of smoke rather than a blazing inferno?"

Beryl shakes her head. She is beautiful, and she is terrible.

"I will not turn from my path. This world, this power, the prince who scorned me - they will all be mine."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker felt, in that moment, believe it or not? Relief. Strong, powerful, almost overwhelming relief. Because, well...

Beryl didn't care. She didn't hesitate. Didn't think back on it. And didn't do this for anyone but herself. "Then you will be given all that you deserve, Beryl. Do as you would, take your power. Become what you must."

And, in the end? When all was said and done?

Beryl and her were not the same. She... did this for the right reasons. She did this because she had to. Because she would become good. Glorious. Wondrous. She would become all that they said. She would show mercy to those who hurt her, who had wronged her. She would forgive.

She would be the radiance of the sun, equal to her mentor's.

And while she had begun to see herself in this woman, began to fear that, one day, she may become like her? Now she had peace. "Become what you must. And know that when the chance came for you to make things right. When you had a way to stop..."

"You turned from it."

And then she moved back, to lean against the wall of the cavern and watch.

Show me, Beryl. Show me the source of your power. Show me what you ARE.

Beryl has posed:
Of course she turned away from it. Die in obscurity? Let all her works go to nothing? No one who truly loved their power would do such a thing.

"Of course I did," as she strides past the girl, to the cauldron at the center of the small room. It's something akin to a witch's cave, with a skylight carved into the ceiling, perfect for funneling the sun's light into one spot, ensuring yes, ambient light, but most importantly... the sun.

And from the darkness of that cauldron, a voice speaks.

    You call upon my power, to take that which you desire.

"Yes."

    You know the cost of my power.

"Yes."

    Never again will you be what you were. You will gain enormous strength... and you will invade the moon to do this.

It was a swirl of dark mist, a heaviness in the air. The suggestion of eyes, the crooning voice of one with all the cards.

"It would be my pleasure."

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker stared and... and slowly... her focus became more and more rapt.

This... woman was powered by the sun. Her power came from the SUN?! That wasn't Sora, though. But that also made her remake some other plans of hers. Namely, her next glorious plan was to use the leylines on earth to help her tap into the sun's leylines. To give her true cosmic and celestial power.

But that wasn't Sora. Whatever that thing was, whatever this Beryl had connected to...

It wasn't the mentor she knew. It wasn't the sun she knew. It wasn't anything like she had been connected to and worked with.

And she couldn't help but wonder if, maybe, her plan could, feasibly, backfire on her. If there was something already there...

Beryl has posed:
One of the first rules of magic is, don't sell your soul.

Beryl has chosen to ignore step one.

One of the second rules of magic is, don't make pacts with gods.

Beryl has chosen to ignore step two.

She raises her hands, magic gathering in them, and she intones, "Dark Goddess who conquers the sun... give me your power and the people of the Moon shall burn for you."

    It will take more than you know.

"It can take everything. So long as I have what I want."

    You will have it.

A spark lights within the cauldron, the light of the sun in the depths of darkness, and Beryl plunges her hands, gathered magic and all, into those depths, cupping the light of that sun as her magic disperses through the liquid darkness. She raises her hands, and a spike has grown from each wrist.

She pays it no heed. In her hands is the spark amidst darkness, a miniature sun, dark spot and all, and there is no hesitation when she lifts it to her mouth and swallows it whole.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker watched her... and then... then she sighed. She watched Beryl do everything wrong. make all the wrong, make all the worst choices.

To give up what made her a person... to become a monster. To become something... wrong.

Gladly. And she felt pity.

She watched for a while, before she turned to walk away. "You are a fool, Beryl. This will cost you everything and gain you nothing. Your biggest mistake... was you gave up and expected something else to do it for you." She then disappeared in a flash of fire.

In the end, the two were nothing alike. She now knew the truth of Beryl's power. The great, feared witch... was nothing more than a weak, pathetic mage. Who had lacked the power, the strength. The determination... to see it through on her own.

She'd been too weak and cowardly to do it on her own, so instead she had turned to something else. That had taken everything from her. And now? She would be destroyed. Unwanted. Alone. Pathetic.

They were nothing alike. It was time she found the others and found a way out of this hole. She put her hands together and tried to cast a scrying spell, focusing on Sailor Moon. On Usagi.

Beryl has posed:
Having been ignored for so long, it's as though Sunbreaker isn't there at all. As Beryl swallows Metallia's power - as she becomes both more and less than she was, her body growing, color sweeping across her hair, eyes stinging as they bright from deep brown to red -

She laughs, and laughs.

Power. Power, to seize everything that she wants.

Oh yes. Everything would be hers... including this great leader.

A portal opens near Sunbreaker, offering a path away. When she scrys, she'll have to put significant power behind it, the world itself resisting this sort of vision - but then it snaps into place, and reveals Sailor Moon, with a ghost-pirate in her arms, running for her life.

Hinoiri Kirara has posed:
Sunbreaker narrowed her eyes on the vision. She then pulled out a small, black gem. One of the ones she harvested from the Eclipse Zone. She'd just take it from Beryl's share later. An 'expense'.

"This is the difference between you and I, Beryl. You have some paltry power your borrowed from something else. You're weak. So you have no limits. Things like mercy. Like friendship. Like caring? You're too weak to protect them. So you abandon them. The strong don't need to fear looking weak. The strong don't need to fear showing their enemies mercy. The strong don't need to fear angering the whole world and facing it alone, because they can carry all of that burden."

"The strong don't turn to demons to give them power. And they realize that there are costs too great." She crushed the gem in her hand.

"The strong accept... can accept that they care about others. That they want to protect others. The strong... the strong will be hurt. But they won't let that STOP THEM!" she yelled, gathering her power through the gem before trying to push through and force her way to Sailor Moon's side.