Forum Thread

Going through some alleyways and past some bums and trash containers, Heleina stopped at a manhole cover and opened it, using a simple lever system with a strong stick. "Hope you don't mind stenches... go in. And remember: You do not recognize the people in the water. Keep that in your head. Do. Not. Go. In." Heleina sounded very stern, before she went in and looked up, waiting for Syrai to follow suit.

Algar felt many unpleasant gazes during his walks due to how primitive and almost foreign he looks. His long spiky hair in combination with his facial structure really stood out. However there was a one penetrating gaze that stood out to him. He slowed down his pace as he turned his head ever so slightly,just enough so he could also take a quick glance at the person. It definitely wasn't someone he met from the past few generations nor did the young girl reminded him of any other acquaintances. He shrugged it off thinking it's just another one of those less discreet kind of people.

Even after they had passed each other he could still feel her looking at him,then again it could just be the fact that he hadn't fully psychologically recovered yet. Though the group she was in seemed a bit peculiar,he knew better than to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

"Sorry!" Jiu apologized quickly as its shoulder bumped into people, words jumbled with adrenaline and short breath as it shot past pedestrians in its haste. It didn't even wait to hear a reply before Jiu was out of sight, tripping over pink laces and generally looking like a mess. An attractive hot mess, granted, but a mess nonetheless. Not that... Jiu was making sure of that.... absolutely not. Why else would it dress in skin tight leather?

Even while running the route towards the graveyard was a long one. That had been intentional, Jiu making sure that it lived far enough away from the past to reasonably forge a future yet close enough to still look back. Or at least that was what it told itself that. The real reason lay in its own cowardice, the long walk giving it enough time to turn tail and flee from the guilt that still wracked them, an action that unfortunately happened often enough that Jiu had mental landmarks that told him when to turn back. But today there was no hesitance as it barreled on, feet pounding against the pavement and chest heaving for breath. Panic and adrenaline kept those from being too much of a problem, however, the single minded need to find its lost belongings fueling the full tilt run. By the time Jiu reached the creaking rusted gates of its future bed, it was gasping and heaving, body nearly folded in half as muscles screamed and berated it for doing such vigorous running. It had been almost a decade since it did anything so physical, having kept exercise to the bare minimum of walking to and from work. Clutching onto the crumbling metal, Jiu coughed and sputtered as weak lungs fought to learn how to work once more before dawning horror washed over it once more. Gently patting its face, Gold eyes shrunk as callused fingers only met smooth skin and not thick cloth.

Anther curse rang out in the still air, despair and frustration scattering nearby crows in a flurry of affronted squawks and wingbeats

---

It alarmed her to see that where they was headed was a sewage drain, something she had grown a strong hatred for in the past few years. It was a confined space for one, and her memories of using them for secretive travel and made her resent the thought of going in one again. She found her displeasure a little silly, considering that she had grown dull to the feeling of discomfort or fear in all her years of being trapped on this earth. She reluctantly still followed though, not wanting to get left behind as they traveled down into the dark, murky underground. She had learned to ignore Heleina's odd sayings, regardless if they were important warnings or not due to the confusing and random nature of them. It was exhausting to try and understand them and whatever they meant, so she just decided not to even try. She reached the manhole shortly after she heard the warning and began to climb down, the metal of her arms still managing to make a sound through the gloves as they came into contact with the ladder.

---

Not having made too many steps after stumbling upon the group,Algar came to a halt,thinking to himself that a small detour from the route he initially had on mind wouldn't hurt. If anything, he craved for change,for new experiences.

He waited for everyone to get in and after taking some deep breaths,mostly to reconsider what he was about to do,he started carefully tailing them. Either he would uncover some sort of illegal activity which could resort to violence or learn something more about this mundane world.

Alex made a face as he dropped down into the sewer system. He wasn't exactly repulsed by stenches, but it didn't mean that the thought of going into a sewer system was the most exciting. When he had agreed with Helena, he thought she meant a building structure, maybe even a house. Alex wasn't picky. But he certainly wasn't thinking of a sewer system. But Alex wasn't about to complain. Complaining was one of the things he hated most. "What's that supposed to mean, 'You don't recognize the people in the water?' Last time I checked, I remembered what my reflection in dirty water looked like," he snarked.

---

"It's some chemicals that we used to get inside us during our confinement. They might cause hallucinations and weird psychotic effects, and with the sewage gases... well, you might recognize a loved one in the water and drown in the attempt. I know we're immortal but water in the lungs hurts. So... follow me and remember. You do not recognize the people in the water." Heleina starts walking alongside the water, constantly whispering to herself the same sentence over and over again, evading a glance at the sewage water as much as she could.

---

The echoing whispers kept bouncing all around the tubular area,though their meaning weren't quite clear to him. He could barely pick up the words "hallucinations...loved...drown". Combining that with the constant whispers he made an educated guess of either not to drink or look at the water.

The group seemed to know where they are going, or at least the person leading. They weren't even the slightest bit hesitant about which turn to make and which road to keep following. Was it fear that overwhelmed him? Anxiety from this whole mysterious passage? After standing still for a bit,he stomped his foot hoping the sudden noise would keep them from moving forward. Algar opened his hand and placed it near his mouth,hoping to extend the volume of his voice. "Hey! You there! What are you lot doing here,huh?" he said with a somewhat roughened voice. It's not that he had a hoarse or a raspy voice but it was definitely mature,for obvious reasons.

Alex hesitated, then scoffed. "Yeah right. I'm not going to see anyone's reflection." But inside, he was praying that he wouldn't see her. But, he didn't make the obvious effort to evade looking at the water, although he did keep his eyes straight ahead. At first, he was confident in his ability to move forward without plunging into any water or memories, but he didn't stop when he heard Algar, simply saying over his shoulder sarcastically, (on reflex? Who knew), "We're on our way to a dinner party with JFK and the Mad Hatter." Maybe the toxic fumes were starting to affect him, because he seemed much more confident in this statement than you would think. Or maybe it was just him trying not to panic.

---

Jamshid takes not one, not two, but three glances at the mirror each day. Striding right into the bathroom without any thought or motive, he rests his arms on the kitchen sink and looks straight at his reflection, locking eyes with his own. It is a horrible routine, not one to inspire or change anything in his life. The only thing it's useful for is telling him, with each passing day, that he is still the same Jamshid. The same Jamshid he's always been, and the same he always will be.
So he scratches his neck and turns his back to the glass.



He's learned a lot of wise people talk about whatever throughout the years. People he can never put a name on, but people whose words cling so violently to the back of his mind, like phantoms to his gallery of memories. Unidentified dots of slight terror.
A queue to the local bakery many years ago - back when people put their heart and soul into their bread - made him involuntarily listen to a fellow who had their head way too high up in their clouds.
"Working only makes you dig your own grave, but not working will make you get the shovel, right?"
They probably had to think really hard about that one if they were handing it out to strangers left and right, but it's what makes Jamshid get up and do his chores each day, so perhaps it was well-thought-out after all.

Shaking the rest of the sleepiness off of him, he walks straight into the zone. Feed the dogs, give them some good pats, examine for any immediate weeds resting against his flower beds, making sure the chickens and sheep are good for the day, making sure the hay is dry, looking into the weather reports for the next days, marking it in his calendar, and finally...
Dropping down in the comfort of his favorite chair, his favorite hat hanging at the end of the armrest ready for him to put on whenever and pretend he's anything more than he really is.
Well, of course he's something. Even after leaving this home to rot for many years, he put out his wisest tough-guy voice and strode into battle to get his home back in his hands. He's not immediately free of the law; tyranny and taxes running ever as rampant through his way of life, but as long as he's allowed to live in peace, he'll be fine. He tells himself so.

Syrai wasn't all too weary of the mysteries lying within the murky water, or in her mind even, so once again she ignored the statement. Besides, even if the water wasn't all too pleasant to look at, she liked seeing the patterns that the small ripples and waves made. It was almost mesmerizing, which was good considering she preferred not to be left with her own thoughts. She continued onward, making sure to keep the group in close proximity and only stopping when a strange voice echoed downward from the manhole. She turned to face it's direction, able to see Algar clear as day. She said nothing, but instead turned her head to look at the water again. She had a feeling the person was immortal too, judging from the events that had transpired today. It seemed like everyone she met was like her, which again, made her anxiety and fear rise. Of course, she didn't show it but it was certainly there. At first, the water remained in it's calm, almost unmoving state, but as time went on, Syrai could begin to see the faces Heleina was talking about. In the beginning, it was just people she knew the names of, but then they turned into friends, then lovers, then remained on those she considered family. It hurt so much to see their long gone faces again, especially when she had said her final goodbyes long ago. Syrai's face remained unchanged for the most part, showing no signs of sadness or grief, but her eyes had taken all the pain and displayed them in a small change of color. Until now, she had thought she had come to terms with their deaths already, but this proved her wrong. She quickly looked away from the once relaxing water to look at the man who had called out to them, wondering what he would do.

---

Heleina first tried ignoring the voice... her head was already full with voices of her past and her split personality, constantly either telling her to jump into the water or to "just accept". So tension was already high, but... in midst of this chaos, the voice of Algar was too distinct. It was the only voice affected by echos, so she responds, albeit hesitant at first.

"We're passing by!" She first lied, then noticing Algar's face... yeah, she remembered tending wounds to someone who looked just like him, though she was still weary. As a sort of failsafe, she reached into her pocket and had her hands clutched. Whatever she held onto... required a steady hand, which she did not have right now. "You're... just another hallucination... move! Disappear from my head!" She yelled, her mind slowly succumbing to the madness.

Her head snapped towards the second, more familiar voice, the one that echoed anyways, and watched what she was doing. She was surprised to see that Heleina was already cracking, or that it seemed like it, since she appeared to have more experience with this passageway. It was a bit hard to make out what she was saying due to the nature of the hallucinations telling her some awful things, but she could tell that it wasn't the words she should've said. "I... don't think that's one of your hallucinations..." Syrai muttered, knowing she was close enough for her words to reach her, but unknowing of whether she would listen.

---

Alex's brow furrowed as he turned around to see Helenia. He hadn't fully focused on Algar, determined not to bring up the memories that threatened to resurface from the sound of his voice. "Hey. Snap out of it. You're hand's shaking worse than Mount Saint Helens, and you need to focus," he said, raising his voice so that it could reach Helenia. This was the closest that Alex could come to comfort, as he had had little to no experience with it himself. So, he focused on keeping this strange, time-obsessed Immortal on keeping her head on...as straight as it was.

---

"Shut up, shut up, you're making things worse!" Heleina yelled, holding her temples and groaning, as the additional voices didn't make it any better. Slowly, she whispered to herself, looking aside into the water and seeing familiar faces... for a split-second she forgot... and turned to it, her gaze now without any life behind it, before she snapped out of it again, turning to the others and shedding a tear. "I need harmony... quick, I'm not holding onto sanity for not much longer...!"

---

Algar felt a bit proud for guessing what kind of waters these were based on the few words he picked up. I'm no hallucination,there is no reason for me to lie." he added, "How about you guys give me a solid explanation when we reach the exit,this whole group seems fishy... I'll keep my distance but I would advise against trying anything funny,you got that?" Though his words were directed towards the very tall woman who placed her hand in her pocket,it applied to everyone.

"Seeing as it will probably take some time,I better start asking. So,why are you traversing the sewers? I have never heard of one good reason. It's always malevolent."

She had her eyes on Heleina at first, listening as she ordered them to stop talking. She then turned to the man who had made his entrance and studied him further, unsure of whatever was going on. "I... uh..." she started, but immediately stopped once she had realized that she had nothing to add. She wasn't the one who knew what the group was doing after all.

-----------------

As beautiful as the day was, it had to come to an abrupt end at some point, given today's circumstances. Anyone with access to the big blue sky above could begin to see something... strange, to say the least, happening. It was as if the sky began to get slightly darker, and the air began to feel a little off. Just then, every electronic device began to act up, but it was very subtle. Times would be displayed wrong, weather reports seemed to not be working, and pretty much everything that required a satellite would not function. At first, it wasn't very obvious to some, but somehow it was blatently clear to the immortals that something was happening. Then, for a breif moment, the sky shifted, almost as if it was being ripped open, then immediately returned to it's original state. Devices slowly began to work again, and not many noticed.

---

He's sure these clothes aren't the trend anymore.

The fluttering red and orange capes that shield for even a single glimpse of skin, the dark red boots underneath completing the job even if the wind wants otherwise. The hair that looks like it hasn't been washed in days. There are medieval festivals, Jamshid knows that much, but looking around...
This looks like the city by his house, right? The olden houses still standing proud by the firm stone road, the bridge connecting the city to the far, distant lands that the most adventurous of townspeople speak about in great, thundering words yet with so many key details missing in the speech. The mosque just barely peeking out from behind the homely establishments and the people that inhabited them.

This is his home, right? It is. He decides that rather quickly. It has to be. His intelligence hasn't weakened with time. If he knows this much about it, this has to be the place he's spent the most time.
He smiles. Yes, of course. If he just crosses the hill now, he'll be right by his home. He'll feed the animals, he'll tend to the fields...
Shouts and hurry in steps from the crowd of people in the town center. The bridge trembling, its dangerous warning signal echoing throughout the carved-out walls of the city. Ah, of course. This is his home alright. And that must be...

"The Ottomans are attacking!"

...The Ottoman Empire.

---

It isn't as if Jamshid is surprised when he wakes up in his chair, one of his dogs sprawled out over his lap. The Ottoman Empire's been gone for what? A millennium? Something like that.
In a soothing voice, he tells his dog to jump down, getting out of the chair himself when it obeys him. He leans down to take his green hat on, his trusted friend in both storm and sun, walking to the closet to get his... finest jacket. He doesn't know if it's still fancy - he got it a few years ago - but it'd have to do. He'll go out today. The nearby city isn't like his birthplace, hot, sunny, and with the sea so close by, but it's still a place he holds some form of affection for.

As he steps out the door, something captures his attention. The sky... It darkened.
Well, skies naturally darken, that's how the day turns to night after all, but this was a special case of weird. It's happening right before his eyes. It's freakish. The skies aren't supposed to turn so quickly. Though it was only faint, blocked by the frame of his house, he can hear his dogs bark. They're well-trained dogs! They shouldn't bark in a time like this.
Confusion and a slight sense of fear get overthrown by anger as his eyebrows furrow. He'll definitely have to go to the city now.

Heleina was still in a state of partial insanity, then panting and supporting herself on a wall, looking to Algar and grabbing her temples. "I can tell you, it is not for pleasure or relaxation..." After that, she started humming to herself. It was a melody of hers that she acquired several centuries ago but it did help soothing her nerves somewhat, with Heleina now standing half-erect and with only a bit of a forced look on her face. "We trade infos... why are you underground?"

"Information,huh?" Though that was the last thing Algar expected to hear,it wasn't as bad as he thought. "Would you believe me if I said that I only followed you because I was just walking?" He felt a bit offended being asked why he was underground but he didn't make a big deal out of it.

"What...kind of information? This is the first time in all of the years I've stayed in this country that I've encountered such odd behavior. It would really bring a smile to my face should you be up to no ill intents." His tone seemed more as if he was waiting for reassurance if anything. "Are you...okay?" He quickened his pace to kind of catch up to them. "You seem to be in agony..."