Rated M for mature for ideologically sensitive material, language, substance abuse, sensual scenes, violence/gore, and whatever other mature things our little minds cook up.
{OOC Thread}
We met at a crossroads.
I remember it under a haze, but I remember it... He was staring at me with those eyes, those strange, red eyes. Ha, I thought they were contacts at first, but something about them just seemed too... too real, I suppose. He was enamored with me, dead set on granting my wish. He showed me what it would be like to have what I wanted, put me in full, god-like control of my life, and for the first time I felt like my life was actually mine; it was amazing!
...But that's what scared me the most.
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PROLOGUE
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"Who you are, where you've been, the piece of shit life you've been living up to this point - none of that matters right now. All that matters is that you have something I want, and I can make your wildest dreams come true." He smiled a smug and confident smirk that made you wonder if he was serious, or just plain crazy.
The memory is as dreamlike as actually being there felt. There was a heavy cloud of fog, and the only thing you could make out about where you were was the large X in the road that you and the red-eyed man stood in; a crossroads. You remember asking him a couple questions, but what those questions exactly were escapes your mind. Something along the lines of "who are you?" and "how do I know you aren't lying?"
Whatever you asked, he found it humorous somehow. "Always the same story." He shook his head, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighting one with no more than a flick of his fingers. You kept trying to convince yourself you just hadn't seen the lighter, but you knew what you saw, and what you continued to see. The red-eyed man took a deep drag, then blew out more smoke than was natural for a simple Marlboro. The smoke began to shape itself like self-aware clay, molding and forming until you were looking at what was undeniably a woman.
The smoke woman smiled and danced and batted her silver eyelashes, a trail of smoke following her as she twisted and turned through the fog. She did a twirl around you, her silken arms wrapping around you, then her plump, soft lips kissed your cheek gently before vanishing into the wind. Whatever your background, whether you were spiritual or religious or neither or both, you couldn't help but wonder aloud, "A-are you the devil...?"
The man's red eyes seemed to glow three times as bright as he let out a loud, unnerving laugh, cigarette smoke pouring out of his nose in his amusement. When he finally gathered himself, he took another long drag of his cigarette, the smoke no longer forming into anything, just floating away like a silver-lined cloud. "The name's Brand." That didn't exactly answer your question. "You don't trust me, and that's fair enough. I wouldn't trust me either." He waves his hand. "Here, have a gift. A token of our friendship and good will."
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"Now do you believe I can grant wishes?" Brand had bestowed you with an ability you hadn't thought possible, something straight out of fables and fairy tales and Tolkien novels and Disney movies. It was unbelievable, literally unbelievable, but also wonderful and surreal. Even if this was a dream you would soon wake from, you found yourself feeling hopeful that you would never wake up, that this was somehow real. The very idea of control over an element - your element - made you feel as invincible as your satiated inner child. Brand just smiled a wide and toothy grin, which made you uneasy, but before you could really settle on how to respond to your gut feeling, he interrupted you. "This world runs on balance, like a law of science and fate alike. Heaven has a Hell, Hell has a Heaven. Your star-sun is the exact amount of mere millimeters from your Earth to allow for life to prosper, balanced between the unforgiving cold of space and the sweltering heat of the stars. So you too must confer with the requirements of fate, and we may strike a deal. One wish, one sacrifice. As long as you're willing to lose something so you can gain something else, I will make sure that what you gain means more to you than any sacrifice you could ever make." He chuckles darkly under his breath, taking a final drag of his cigarette before stomping it out. "Now, what is it that you wish for?"
Your wish was granted, that was certain, but you should have known better. With it came a sacrifice of equal value, something you didn't want just as much as you wanted your wish to come true. You should have listened to him when he spoke of balance; Brand was giving your hard truths and you simply ignored them in your selfish resolve to finally have what you wanted. Was it worth it? Logically speaking it was of equal value, truly balanced out well and perfectly, but how you feel about something isn't always as black and white as logic likes to pretend.
"Be careful what you wish for..." Brand coos playfully in a tone of voice that makes your stomach turn. He then lifts a hand, flicking his wrist in almost a salute, using only his first two fingers as he turns around to walk away. "Pleasure doing business with you." He says in an eerie finality, walking into the fog until you can see him no more.
Your greatest desire was granted, but so too was your worst nightmare.
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CHAPTER ONE:
Abandonment
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For some of you it had been a rather long time since you'd last met the red eyed demon. For others it had been mere moments. However long it had been, you have found yourself in the middle-of-nowhere, Japan in one of two bordering towns: Hina or Arata. Surrounded in a sea of farmland, the place is as peaceful as you could possibly imagine with welcoming and happy people, many of which speak at least broken English to make for a convenient getaway while you learn the language and adjust to your new surroundings.
"Welcome home, pawns." Brand says as he stands in a massive tree off in the distant lumber-field, leaning against the trunk. You cannot see him, but he is certainly watching over you. This tree overlooks both cities and most of the surrounding farmland so that Brand has a true bird's eye view. "It's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain." He smiles, chuckling a bit as he speaks in a slightly feminine mocking tone. "Don't get ahead of yourself; be patient!" He rolls his eyes, still smiling. "I remember what you said sweet sister, don't worry. I'll let them settle in."
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