The Grand Narrative: Aftermath

Trail of petals

Ixol found himself walking along the empty halls of the sky emporium, the others seemed busy today. He was lost in his thoughts when he had bumped into Yawgate, a flower falls off from his bandana.

"I'm so sorry Yawgate, I wasn't looking at where I was going-"

"It's alright, but I think you dropped something?"

"Wh-" Ixol froze when he saw the flower on the floor, staring at it silently, internally panicking. Yawgate looks at him skeptically and picks up the flower for him, handing it to him.

"You shouldn't be so shocked about it, I know you have flowers and I know you're ashamed of showing your interest to them. I think it's cool you have something to have an interest on, besides doing chaotic things"

"It's cool...?"

"It's a pretty looking flower, you've taken a great job at tending to flowers, have you considered being a gardener?"

"I don't think I'm ready for such thing, they'll find out about it..."

"What? You shouldn't be afraid to show your interests! It doesn't do any harm at having a peaceful hobby, I'm honestly surprised you'd find peace in growing flowers, but I think it's a welcoming fact about yourself"

"Thank you but I don't think we should continue our conversation here, I don't want anyone overhearing us"

"Do you want to go to my pocket dimension, no one really goes there and I doubt Voixer, Morward and Pasless even need to get through my pocket dimension to reach theirs"

"Sounds good, I've never seen what your place looks like"

Yawgate opens a portal to which he lets Ixol hop in first before following after.

"This place seems cool"

"I mean yes but you're prone to falling off"

"What happens when you fall off?"

"You're automatically sent back up here, teleportation thing, I don't know. Anyways, so how are you able to grow flowers in distortion paradise?"

"This flower, along with two more kinds are a specialty of fire demons- that was what my mother had told me, our kind has been low in numbers however, making these flowers a rare thing. We are able to grow these anywhere, all it takes is some magic and that we specifically are the ones to tend for it, so I can only grow it myself. These things can grow even on ash, which makes it the only flowers I could actually grow in my world, though I wished to have more variety..."

"Huh, do other element demons have something like this?"

"I'm not sure, I've never really gotten educated on the other demons, though it would be cool to have varieties of flowers and plants grown exclusively with magic and by an elemental demon"

"... Do you think you can try to ask Compale about it, only if you're comfortable in doing so, but what if he knows something?"

"I'll take that into consideration, uhm, since we're both just here... I just want to know about how Dad created you and the others here, though more about you, I heard once you were a sort of travelling buddy to him when he arrived in Everi"

"Oh yes, I was created by him in his younger years, in his young adult years. My purpose was to be sort of a gateway to dimensions and realities, but also as his company, I was like his first and only friend at the time"

"What was he like back then?"

"Very angsty. I can't blame him though, he experienced a stressful childhood. He's also struggled with communication, or just normal interaction in general, mostly he doesn't know how to function properly as a person- he's grown to understand, but the pain in his heart remained. Causing the experience Stratosfear had been into, his actions are caused from deep resentment and unclear thinking, he's always been that way years beforehand"

"He didn't seem that way now-"

"Correct, bur also not, though what changed him is when he took you in"

"Me? What did that do to him?"

"For having to raise you, it did him well and changed him slightly, being more kind and soft. He didn't want to do that narrative in the first place, he attempted, planned it since he had the characters for it. But halfway into the planning, he didn't want to go through it. Hesitation had shown itself, but when he was corrupted, he had to execute it. Tweaking the ending to be his death, so he doesn't cause any further problems but also end his suffering, a headache like that everyday does not feel great."

"Wait so when did he make Morward, Pasless and Voixer?"

"Morward and her brother were created after Celesteal settled here in Everi, some time before he set up the time loop. He wanted to experiment with things, and they were brought into existence, points that represent an era of time, present and future. Though didn't really have purpose maybe until after his death, so they're in the pocket dimensions with me"

"Voixer?"

"The corruption plaguing his mind had to be controlled somehow, before the narrative he created voixer, transferring most of the corruption to him"

Wouldn't that hurt voixer?"

"No, he was created with the corrupted fragment, his form can handle it but then the corruption may have had some control over him"

"That... Explains a lot, well Voixer seems to have a friend to rely on, he doesn't seem that social"

"Verfection has been someone significant in his short life before reality started falling apart, it's normal he was the one he clings to. Voixer appreciates the kindness Verfection treats him with, and I'm a little glad things are well for him"

"You know, you're not bad. I barely remember you from my younger years, but you're actually pretty cool yourself"

"Thanks? I mean I hold no judgement to anything about you, and I care for those closest to me, including Celesteal's kids"

"Hm, oh! Do you want a flower crown?"

"Sure? I didn't know you do that stuff"

"Those flowers grow in large amounts, perfect for covering a field with them or making flower crowns, I give flower crowns to people that I think are cool and know of my little hobby, like Ulipse!"

"Oh? What's she like to you?"

"She's sort of like an aunt, she had known me when I was a kid, y'know as Despair"

"Of all the points, you had no connections to anyone, it's a surprise you actually have known someone before pointification, and it's to Ulipse. Interesting"

Ixol nodded and opened a little portal, reaching his arms into it and pulling out a flower crown, he gives it to Yawgate.

"There you go! Wear it"

Yawgate puts the flower crown on his head and Ixol smiles.

"It looks good on you!"

"Heh, I guess I'll keep this on for a while"

"My, I didn't think I'd find you with Yawgate"

"Dad! Since when were you here?"

"Just now, I was looking for you"

"Oh? What for?"

"I need you to go to Floffon's house, there are things to be discussed"

"Okay!"

"I can take you there Ixol, if you want"

"thanks Yawgate, I would like that"

"Great, I'll be going now"

Celesteal went ahead and teleported away, leaving the other two, who then began walking into a portal.