dreamcrystals | journal ⚔️ a warning

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journal ⚔️ a warning

Sender: Barok van Zieks

[The writing is hurried, a cursive that just manages to be legible. In his rush, his usual formalities are cut short. The message is more important than the form it takes.]

There is a demon in the wilderness — a bestial man. Powerful and violent, able to heal itself in an instant. Anyone unable to defend themselves should avoid the woods until [until what? It's killed? If there's any shred of the man still in there, he can't condone that.] further notice.

[Is that a drop of blood on the page? Eh, it's fine.]

It was Kazuma Asogi. I don't understand it, but I wasn't able to reason with him and he became this thing before my eyes.

[After a moment, he adds:]

He cannot be left like this.

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[Although van Zieks sits more heavily than he usually might, he doesn't relax by any stretch of the imagination; as the doctor searches for another lantern, he sets his sword down within reach, and his journal follows suit, opened to the page he'd used to message others. With no news found there, he finally starts to unbutton his waistcoat, letting out a low and aggravated sigh.

It's very rare that he's ever had to admit defeat, given the scope of his influence and skill in London, but this is entirely different. He can acknowledge that a supernatural threat fixing its yellow eyes on him isn't something he can deal with as he is now—but that doesn't make it easy. Even worse is that he's had to leave what feels like such a personal matter in the hands of others... so even if he's retreated, he still feels nearly as wound up as if he'd still been in that clearing with the demon.

Don't mind the frost building on the legs of his chair, Yujin. It's probably fine.]

[Yujin's mind is still racing just a bit over what's happened. He's witnessed the secret trial firsthand, so he knows that Kazuma has a darker side to him. Even so, words like "bestial man" and "demon"- and Van Zieks's terrible wounds... There is something far, far worse at play now. And once again, it seems, Yujin was helpless to prevent it.

With the lights switched on and an additional lantern in hand, he returns to Van Zieks's side. There, he sets the lantern down on an end table, ensuring that the details of the injured abdomen are well lit. The frost is something he spots from the corner of his eye, but it's hardly a concern. He reaches for the bag he brought with him and opens it, so that he can take out some of the supplies.]

We'll start with the most urgent wound. Is it only the arm and the abdomen, or is there more I've not yet seen?

[Van Zieks pulls his glove off, allowing Yujin the opportunity to see that the injury was caused not by a blade, but by claws, skin torn by slashes in the pattern and size of a human hand. Those on his forearm are deeper, but the ones in his side, soon revealed as he sheds his coat, have apparently bled more, if just because of his exertion.]

That's all. [Thankfully he hadn't embarrassed himself further by tripping during his retreat.] Bruises, perhaps.

[Yujin would sooner believe that an animal caused those slashes. A wolf perhaps, or a bear. Still, improbable as they are, he has no reason to dismiss Van Zieks's words as impossible. If Kazuma did this... Well, that's certainly a terrifying prospect. He takes a moment to assess the arm, then compares it to the abdomen.]

Hm. Then, the arm first. Please try not to move in the meantime. You've lost quite a bit of blood already.

[Thankfully, van Zieks has no intention of pointlessly injuring himself further. If he went through the trouble to flee in the first place, he'd much rather it be a productive sort. He does as directed, placing his arm in such a way that it's easier for Mikotoba to do his thing.

He can only keep his questions to himself for so long, though, now that they're in a... somewhat more secure location.]

Had you met him here yet?

[He'll do his thing, alright. Let's hope Van Zieks doesn't mind the prickle of disinfectant too much. Yujin would like to think that Kazuma's claws were clean, but the truth of the matter is that if human beings can grow claws in the first place, there's no telling what sort of things might be carried on those claws. Better to be safe than sorry. He doesn't look up when he responds to Van Zieks's question, most of his attention on the chore at hand.]

I had, yes. From what I've gathered, he doesn't remember your trial. Even so, for him to lash out so violently... [He trails off for a moment, dabbing at the wound with a frown.] What happened?

He followed—

[Van Zieks has already begun to answer the question when Yujin's words finally register, and he sits up suddenly, having to keep himself from startling too much and pulling his arm out of the doctor's reach.]

What?

[Everything clicks into place. That white-haired boy's remark about mismatched memories. Vigil's apparent amnesia. And most of all, Asogi's intense focus, as if they were sworn enemies... He brings his free hand to his face.]

... he followed me to the lake... and proceeded to "warn" me of the dangers of this world. [Now he sees it was only ever a threat. He closes his eyes and clenches his jaw, but not because of the sting of antiseptic.]

When I asked him to elaborate, he offered to show me what he meant directly. Foolishly, I accepted... thinking it would merely be a demonstration and not an attack.

[Honestly, it's fine if Van Zieks fidgets a bit in Yujin's hold. He's had to tend to wounds for a man far more fussy than this one, whose name begins with H and ends with Erlock. Compared to all that, a bit of startling and twitching is a trifle.]

That is curious, though... [He finishes disinfecting the wound and puts the cloth aside, reaching instead for some clean gauze.] I've never known Kazuma to be so outwardly aggressive or malicious. Even if he's unaware of the outcome of that trial, he would prefer to see justice served in a more... official capacity.

I was similarly confounded.

[He'd had that same impression, until now. It's only been a few months, but van Zieks would like to think he's gotten a decent measure of the man. This, however... was something much darker.]

He dismissed my attempts to question him, and I had little choice but to defend myself. It seemed to me as if he were enjoying it... as if he had been gripped by some madness.

[That certainly doesn't sound like Kazuma at all. He'd seen the young man's behavior in court as a prosecutor and certainly, it had been cold and reckless, but nothing sadistic. A madness...]

Could it be some sort of affliction born of this dream world? I'm afraid I must confess, I've not yet been able to do all too much research on what sorts of sicknesses may be encountered around here. [He presses the gauze to Van Zieks's arm, hoping to cover as much of the scratches as he can. ... He may need more than one gauze for this.] Has no one responded to your public query with a satisfying answer?

I have no idea.

[There's little that van Zieks can add to help; having been here only so long himself and certainly no expert in mind-afflicting ailments, he can only take vague guesses. He hasn't gotten anything as far as an explanation through his messages, either.]

No. At most... I've received assurance of an attempt to draw him out of this.

That... does leave us with the implication that he can be drawn out of it. That's good. [Once sufficient gauze has been spread out over the wounds, he draws back a little.] Can you hold this in place for a moment, please? I need to prepare the bandage.

[He does as asked, pressing the gauze down to make sure it's against the clawed gashes. That implication is one that he has to hold onto, for now.]

One can only hope that process is nearly as quick as the opposite.

[Those words are quite foreboding. Even as he unfurls some of the bandage roll, Yujin's morbid curiosity gets the best of him.]

What... exactly did he transform into? [He knows about "bestial man" and "claws", but that's still not a proper mental image. Especially if this is a common occurance in this world, he'd like to know what to prepare for.]

It seemed psychological as much as physical. At first he was like a feral beast, throwing aside his weapon to attack with claws alone.

[Perhaps the form wouldn't have been such a shock if it hadn't been accompanied by that grin and the predatory demeanor.]

Then he absorbed these... shadows that he appeared to summon through mere intent, and grew nearly twice his size. His eyes changed to something inhuman... but the sinister look in them was more demonic than their color. Where he had been wild, he became... focused.

[Van Zieks is not a man who's intimidated by mere violent intent, as often as he finds himself the target of such gazes. But the power that backed Asogi's attack and corrupted the space around them was more than he'd ever imagined facing.]

[Yujin stands perfectly still for a moment, bandage somewhat unfurled and stretched between his fingers as he attempts to picture that. It's terrifying, really. He can't begin to imagine what Kazuma must've been feeling- or thinking. A sigh, then he leans over the injured arm again and begins to wrap the bandage around it.]

That sounds like a formidable opponent, indeed. It's admirable that you managed to escape such a being at all.

[Barok doesn't particularly feel worth admiring at the moment. But thinking back as he moves his free hand out of the way, he hums in contemplation, trying to make sense of the situation—not just on Asogi's side of the equation, but his own.]

Regarding that... there was something else that was strange. [Real specific, van Zieks.] Though if we're all capable of such strange powers here, it may merely be expected.

[Real specific, indeed. He assumes that whatever Van Zieks is referring to once again references Kazuma. Did the young man do something in terms of 'strange powers' beyond transforming into a monster? This day just keeps getting stranger.]

Pardon... What exactly are you referring to?

When he first broke through my defense...

[This is going to sound absolutely mad, but then, he was just attacked by a demon. Van Zieks shakes his head, well aware that Mikotoba may decide to check his head for injuries once he lets these words escape. Perhaps it's needed.]

... it seemed as if... my brother appeared. To defend me.

[Yujin's eyes widen and he tenses up out of sheer instinct. Even so, he doesn't dismiss Van Zieks's words as a delusion, nor the result of a concussion. Such narrow-minded assumptions no longer apply in a place like this.]

Your brother? You mean... In the flesh?

Not quite, although it was solid enough to block Asogi's blade.

[Well, his sanity isn't being questioned yet, so that's good.]

From my brief glimpse before it disappeared, the appearance was that of a Grim Reaper, but even so... I felt certain it was Klint.

[The true "Reaper" wouldn't have such protective instincts over him, as they both know, but the association between that pseudonym and his brother's ghost has yet to disappear from his mind, given the decade it had to take hold.]

Perhaps... it was my own fabrications taken form.

[Yujin finishes wrapping the bandage, making sure it's tight and secured before taking his hands off Van Zieks's arm.]

Hmm... Well, this is a world of dreams, is it not? I would not be surprised if your subconsciousness gave birth to such a... a guardian, if you will.

[Van Zieks can't help but scoff at the moniker of guardian as he withdraws his arm, but he can't argue with the idea, either. To think those rumors would actually turn out to be a boon for him specifically...]

I should be grateful for its timely appearance, I suppose. [Otherwise he might have another scar to mark his face, if he'd even survived at all. Plus:] It helps me to understand how Asogi may have harnessed such strange powers.

[And how they might all do the same.]

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