mayfield_logs | The Day of Judgement

[--There's no room for relief. Only the acknowledgement that part of the equation has been solved, allowing progression to the next step.

That was relying on Mayfield's unstable mana. The restrictions imposed by one unmovable place in particular on the ground and the trigger distance are also obstacles. Ideally, the seal would be spread directly around Dizzy drawing support from a more reliable source of energy, but with her current mobility, just getting close would be terribly risky.

Still, she's got the rest of it worked out in her head. Someone might not like it, but they don't really have the luxury of choices here. That confirmation was all Ciel needed. So now.

She takes another leap up with all her strength, shooting off a good 50-60 feet into the air with the most powerful kick she could muster. She didn't bother calculating the amount of power necessary for a particular height: where she's landing isn't important. He'll catch her no matter what, that she knows, and with the potential charging of another Giga Ray, the priority is to move up so that no collateral damage results from her attacks.]

Up! She's attacking again. I need to get closer!

[Her eyes are fixed on Dizzy, but the steely glint is confident and resolute. She knows what to do next.]

[up--

he only needs to receive the command before he's obliging. it's in the next literal beat that an arm is winding around her waist from behind -- holding her carefully but fully aware that free usage of her hands may be necessary, so he won't constrict them. the sight of Dizzy's upturned arm is worrisome -- if another Giga Ray is fired now...

...

...he's not giving himself time to think about it; he'd simply have to be prepared to move within milliseconds to protect her. what he has to do now is bank on Ciel; if this didn't work, then they'd have a lot more to worry about than this.

he's obliging her next demand as soon as she's secure -- closer, without sacrificing the trajectory of the blast should it go off. closer. they'll be as close -- near directly overhead -- in the next heartbeat.]

-Dizzy struggled, but for some reason, she couldn't maintain her charge. Was it this spell Ciel had cast? Her arm glowed and threatened to unleash its fury at any moment, but nothing seemed to come to pass. She screamed and gnashed in frustration, unable to even fly after them.-

[...She'd be impressed if it was, the seal wasn't that strong and crafted on short notice. Maybe Dizzy isn't used to ever having the flow of her power interrupted, so she's struggling because she's adapting for the first time to such an occurrance? It's the most logical explanation that Ciel can come up with, but again, they can't afford to rely on luck. It's an opportunity, yes, but it'd be suicidal to charge in head straight just because of that. Dizzy is poised to fire; she could recover at any moment and resume her offense. With the amount of raw magical force Dizzy carried, there's no reason why Ciel should assume otherwise.]

Stay alert and above her, within a radius of 20 meters if you can. Focus on luring her line of fire while avoiding injury--

[She's muttering now, her voice faint. He may not be able to read prana flow as well as her, but as they are, he might still be able to tell that she's gathering some sort of power.

She needs a bit more time. The base formula is already laid out. Now if only she can reproduce Square, a spell from the Serpent's well of knowledge, and amplify the Seal's strength...]

[20 meters. he hears it despite her quiet murmur, and there's no time to waste contemplating the reason why; he simply obeys.

wings flap and height is gained, just enough to put them at the golden radius she requested. in order to keep her attention on them, though he's relatively certain that Dizzy had her mind on them regardless -- he's generating high voltage current as if he intends to retaliate, even if he has no intention unless there's no alternative. there's also 'that,' but...

well. last resort. a last stitch effort if it appears she's going to fire. but right now-- the seal is holding her back, right? ...she looks like she's struggling...]

-She kept crying out, as if at war with her own body. Thoughts started to collide in her mind, memories not her own, ideas unfounded. As her Install fought to maintain control, it lapsed in Dizzy's unfortunately unstable mind. She couldn't focus at all, causing her magic to suffer regardless of the seal.-

[--So.

All it took was a disruption in her flow to cause a bug in the Install, which then glitched the whole system?

Still seems to convenient - Ciel's too used to those worst case scenarios, but she'll not make waste. The line between caution and recklessness is difficult to distinguish. They can't afford a mistake, but it has to be drawn.]

...Stay back.

[It's the one warning he gets. One of them running the gamble is already enough. She can do the rest on her own, he doesn't need to guard her and act as her wings for the last stretch. So hoping that he'll listen, she finishes with giving a small jab at his ribs with her right elbow. Also pulling her left hand back, she then willfully breaks out of his hold - that way, she controls the speed and timing of her own fall, made well possible through thaumaturgy. They were already positioned above Dizzy. She needed less than a second to reach the struggling girl below, so if she would stay put for that much longer more--

--Her lips move. A large circle appears at the tip of her outstretched right hand. The glyphs are similar to the one she previously carved on ground level, but twice as large in size and with subtle changes - she's tuned the formula a little. The moment she starts falling, she brings her left hand back forth as well and slams down another circle behind it - that being the amplifier spell, so that right before reaching Dizzy, the circle would expand thrice more in size.

From then, whether Dizzy moves or not becomes trivial. There's no way she can fly away outside of the perimeter that the glowing white circle covers even if she tries - not at that close a distance. Coming as close as possible before deploying it was part of the ploy to minimize any chance of escape; she really tried to be as thorough as possible. Ciel's activating every magic circuit in her own body and pouring in every last drop of her personal reserves to power the spell; this is literally everything she's got at once.

Ideal conclusion: it works and Dizzy goes back to normal. Ciel'll catch her on her way down, and while she runs high odds of breaking her own legs falling at their current height even with magical assistance, it won't take long before her bones restructure themselves. The landing won't be a problem - and he must be watching too, from the clearest vantage point abovr to see everything unfold.

Worst conclusion: it doesn't break Dizzy out of it and they're both dragged down. Still... if the test seal worked, there's no reason why the one she's just deployed would be completely ineffective. She'll just focus on the landing in that case, and try to work around whatever result it may bring. Staying flexible according to the flow of events remains crucial. Either way...

With that, it's all or nothing now.]

[--stay back?

she's pushing away and the sound of Dizzy's outcries among the howls of innumerable voices is... terrible; to say he's concerned is a supreme understatement... but he finds himself releasing the Sister as she nudges herself free to begin a freefall. he doesn't know what she aims to do -- whether or not her success would hinge on being on her lonesome without his contact. he has no choice but to oblige, watching-- avidly, eyes seeped red observing everything with utter clarity.

but what he sees... is truly beyond him; he's a stranger to magic, and this -- it goes right over his head. it's beautiful, powerful -- that much he can tell, even with his divine lack of affinity for this. but...

...he's waiting. hovering, eyes fixed intently. if it looks like anything is going badly at all... he'll be disregarding that warning and moving in for what little it seems he can do to help, this time.]

-As the spell locks in place, Dizzy finally manages to fire off the Giga Ray... but it amounts to nothing. The tremendous power blinks away into nothing less than a few feet from Dizzy. It was over... she could no longer maintain the Install, and the darkness faded away, allowing that sealing magic to pierce through her, locking away the generators in her body, and shutting the whole thing down.

For a brief moment, barely a blink before her mind left her, she became fully and completely aware of what she had done. And the last thing Ciel and Abel would see in her eyes before they shut was that guilt, so massive it consumed everything. And then, silence... and sleep.-

[Ciel was still at a very close distance, but she could more than well afford having her robes charred if it meant Dizzy was going back to normal. Her habits are enchanted with some magical defense, but having spared none extra for herself just now, the dissipating rays will nevertheless burn away the fabric covering her left shoulder. ...Frankly, it's a tiny price to pay.

She had to squint through the fading light to keep the girl locked in her sight. Unfaltering through it all, she... well catches and recognizes the expression. ...Mm, she's definitely going to try her best staying with Dizzy until she wakes up again. Until then however, the blue eyes that meet Dizzy's before she shuts them is clear, firm, and completely blameless. She won't hold it against her, that was already decided before this all even began.

...

Gravity calls. Within reaching distance, Ciel easily takes careful hold of Dizzy in her arms as both drop from the sky. Using what little she has of her magical reserves left, she strengthens her legs and attempts to reduce their falling speed through a spell. So for the rest...]

[...that look in her eyes... was the sort that haunts someone. it was something that Dizzy never deserved to wear -- and the fact that she could, was capable at all, said more than enough to that effect, as far as he was concerned. the remorse for what was beyond her control...

she was a good person. a good person who never would have wanted this. and for that, his disgust and revulsion toward this town -- this sin and transgression against a pure-hearted person -- only fuels further.

--there is, again, more immediate matters to deal with than his ire toward the town, and his long laundry list of reasons to hold grudges against those responsible for their circumstances. he sees the threat has gone, that Ciel has Dizzy in her arms -- and sees that she has no means by which to stop their plummet, free-fall toward the ground. and so, he needs no invitation--

there is something about this situation that might seem ironic to him in the back of his mind. he's teasingly likened them both to angels while being so very far from the definition himself -- but how lucky a man he must be to catch two angels falling right out of the sky? Abel tucks the both of them carefully to his chest and ensures their fall is safe, feet touching the ground, but...

he's reluctant to let them go. after all this...

...

his eyes are surprisingly soft and concerned for a monster's.

both of them deserved better than this.]

[They both recognize it, but Ciel for one grew tired of holding grudges years ago. There's no satisfaction to be gained at the end of this road - at most, only the quiet reassurance that if the responsible are stopped, then such tragedies will cease to repeat here once more.

...Either way.

The rest may not even need to be mentioned, since the landing would happen as anyone may imagine.

Gingerly cradling Dizzy in her arms, Ciel herself is rather calm and composed while she tucks away any guesstimate of how difficult it may be to help the girl pick up the pieces later on. ...Hm, they'll likely have a lot of work ahead of them, but for now, they can afford to take a moment and simply be grateful, that Dizzy is safe, physically okay, and back to herself.

If Abel was too distraught before, he may now notice that there are strange markings glowing a soft white on Ciel's shoulder. ...Edges of... wings? They're fading though, now that everything is calming down. Still...

Time ticks on. Concern at this point is still fully warranted, but they have to keep moving. Put Dizzy to bed, change out of tattered clothing, and as much as that took out of her, Ciel is not letting it show and fully still plans on doing another patrol of the town -- just in case there's something else like this going on, or... there might be bodies littering in town, that deserve a proper 'sending-off'.

(She'll need to spent the night at the Church today though. This is the closest to complete exhaustion her magical reserves have ever come close to.)

So tilting her head aside, she directly looks up to those soft and concerned crimson red eyes with a quiet smile of her own. Nothing unusual coming from her, though... She really is acting as she's always had, isn't she?]

...It's okay, Father. She just... needs rest now.

[half a truth and half a lie. Dizzy will also need support, for starters, but...

Yes. For the time being, this is certainly over. So...

He doesn't need to worry any more than he already has.

He can let go now.]

['angels,' isn't that it...

...

like a coward, he can't meet her in the eye out of fear of what he'd see there. even if she had made certain promises he holds close and clutches to in times like these, and even if he trusts her far more than anyone else he's met in this town--

in the end, a zebra can't change its stripes.

but now is not the time for dwelling on foolish personal fears; he wants nothing more than to ensure the safety of his friends and for whatever madness has overcome Mayfield this time to be peacefully resolved. 'she just needs rest, now...'

mm. he's still reluctant, all the same. as if he was sure something bad would happen if he were to let them go. he was sure they were alright, here, but... he wouldn't if he let them go -- is that it? it's silly and foolish, but it really is true. he's really worried for Dizzy after being forced to endure something like this...]

...I'll take you to the church. Both of you.

[if nothing else, he can give them quick and safe passage where that 'rest' may be granted them. without waiting for response, his grip around precious cargo is secured a little tighter before he's pushing upward and away from the highway-- into the sky above the town where others might still be subjected to the same disjointed influence as Dizzy. he'll be careful and fast.]

[She gives a faint chuckle. What a worrywart. Really, after all that heavy stuff, who'd still voluntarily keep their nerves high-strung? That sort of thing isn't healthy. Does she need to sit him down for tea just to make sure that he's quietened down sufficiently, before he's allowed to leave her sight and go back out?

(As if she could stop him, she really needs to hang onto what remains of her strength...)]

It's fine, really. I can walk-

[And there they go before she can finish her sentence. The muted surprised doesn't last though, the soft freeze of her expression doesn't stay for more than an instant before it melts back to a subdued sigh.

She won't fight against it, no. This isn't the time to be stubborn about trifles. But...]

We're done pushing ourselves. ...You should stop after this too, alright?

[yes... he's definitely a worrywart, isn't he? but she knew that much about him already with assurance... h-haha.

it's true that even if he'd heard her out, he wouldn't have listened to her suggest she was fine to walk. she's done enough... enough; it's enough, now. for her and Dizzy both. now is the time to rest. though he might not grasp just how much it had taken out of her to manage the 'seal,' nor what exactly that seal entailed -- he can understand it was taxing on her. if not physically... then emotionally in some way, right? to see a girl like that... that look that had been in her eyes...

...

her soft words are... a little surprising; though he'd been making a valiant effort to keep eyes ahead -- as if focused on his task, on getting her and Dizzy to the Church safely and not allowing himself any distractions... he can't help but glance downward a bit at that to let it show in his face. (is she worrying about him?)]

...R-- right...

[She's more emotionally jaded and tempered than he is, this may have already been proven to him in person. Yes, she knew that look - a bit too well, even, but there's no use letting it drag her down. Understanding it also doesn't make it any easier to deal with - one of those things that really don't get simpler with the passing of time. Again, this may not be now, but the focus will be to rebuild - and for that to happen, one can't afford to stay drained. The march of time waits for no one.

Picking out when someone is overworking themselves took all but no effort (it's also something one can get very good at ignoring when then they do it themselves). As brief as it was, she still remembers his look when she first stepped in, back on the streets of Mayfield. And as she's promised and has been doing, she meets his eyes evenly without batting an eyelash.

...He looked a bit startled, but he seems acquiescent. Ah, that'll do for now.]

Mm, please do.

[With that, she closes her eyes and waits for landing, while making sure for the umpteenth time that her hold on Dizzy is careful and secure.]

[the rest of the journey to the church passes by in silence. there are no words he could say -- and none he wishes to, in all honesty. all he wants is to get them where they belong, safe and sound.

when feet touch solid ground again, he's carefully setting Ciel down as well -- hands lingering at her shoulders to ensure she's steady before he thinks of letting go. he would offer to take the sleeping girl, but... he already knows he'd likely be shoo'd off, so...

...

it only takes another moment of carefully sending too-observant eyes over their surroundings to ensure there were no threats to their persons... before he's allowing the thrall of the nanomachines to cease. the red bleeds out of his eyes; fangs recede... wings dissolve not unlike that scythe had -- something akin to ash in the air, away and gone as if they had never been there at all. he's simply 'a man,' again... a man left studying some point at Dizzy's midsection in aversion of eye contact. the only truth that any of this had happened at all was the damage wrought to the town, and some tattered, burnt clothing...

...should he stay? he wants to, to hover and make sure they were alright and safe here. she seems a little drained, and Dizzy is decidedly vulnerable...

but...]

[It does take her more time than usual to find balance once her feet touched the ground, but no more than a second after she's let go. She doesn't attempt to watch, her back facing him as he dispels 02. There's really no need to bear witness, and besides, she herself was the one who told him to take it easy, now.

Taking two steps away and towards the entrance, she then turns around to quietly survey his form.]

Have you checked up on Cain and the others, Father?

[She's not asking him to leave, but... With this sort of thing potentially happening around town, he does have his own list of priorities to keep watch over and consider. The is the end of one storm, but still far too early to relax facing the rest of what may come.]

[even a subtle sign of 'weakness' is glaring; she never falters, never missteps. it's a tell, and he believes his worry is well-founded, the furrow at his brow furthering slightly...]

...It's alright.

[his family is safe. he made sure of that before he left, even if there hadn't been much time -- but he cares for them, and at a time like this, when chaos was spreading like wildfire... he wasn't so oblivious to the danger as to leave them unprotected.]

I'll help you take her inside. [but then it's true he'd likely have to go. in all honesty, the less time they spend together in this quiet right now, the better it'll be.... and he has people to look after. that hasn't changed.]

[...Mm, small blessings. She gives a nod at that.]

...I'll just be tucking her in to rest in one of the bedrooms in the back. It'll be okay.

[She explains herself, but makes no attempt to stop him from following as she turns her heel once more and starts heading in. The rooms are down left from the main hall; it won't take more than a minute to reach the first room. And it's the same for her, really. She knows full well she can't risk mistakes today, so while she will stay here to recover the minimum, she certainly won't remain for the rest of the day. There's still so much to be done...]

[he trails behind her -- a few steps behind, watching her as she carries Dizzy into the Church and toward the back rooms. (the same ones Dizzy herself had tried to usher him into to nap when she caught him dozing like a loser on the pews.)]

...Do you understand what happened to her?

[he isn't certain he grasps it himself. had she always had this power--? was it granted to her by the town in its sick manner of twisted humor...? Dizzy... ;(]

[Does she?

...Ah, she does. Dizzy and her had this talk before, hadn't they?]

She consolidated the entirety of her power. ...You tried talking to her first. Her memories of events from home must've been altered by the town, forcing her in taking resort.

[In short: yes she has, and it's now made her do the very thing she always feared. So the aftermath, now...]

[he bites his lip a bit. this is...]

...I had no idea...

[no idea that she had been suffocating something of this magnitude...]

Do you... think she'll be alright, Ciel? [and they're both aware exactly what he means, sincere concern in his eyes as he asks.]

[Dizzy talked to her about it, at least. In all retrospect, Ciel had SOME idea so she didn't completely walk into this blind - mm, she's thankful for that.]

She'll be fine physically, but there's no way what happened could be hidden from her. She's going to blame herself once she wakes up, and it's likely going to take a long time until she can come to terms with herself. [...if ever. Her tone is plain and to the point. She knows he'll worry too, but for Dizzy's sake, Ciel's not going to withhold the whole truth to her likely accurate predictions (which may sound familiar to him too, either way).]

[...mm. familiar is definitely the case.

it's no surprise his expression falls. she would take it to heart, wouldn't she...? then, if that's how the situation has to be...

...]

I see...

The Day of Judgement

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