To those who are not used to it, the halls of Pandaemonium no doubt look at best faintly gloomy; the somber darkness not at all helped by the cages hanging heavily overhead. But Lahabrea walks them with a practiced ease; as if has known them for eons, and has nothing to fear from them. Nor do Erichthonios and Themis, following behind him in the company of yet another individual whose appearance is somehow... indistinct.
Still, they are not walking long before Lahabrea turns to the others and speaks.
"Stay here. This will be over soon."
With that, he turns and approaches a woman with short reddish hair. A woman who seems to be confused as to why Lahabrea has asked her to where they are given her comments about there still being a great deal yet to do. Something Lahabrea does not deny, turning instead to ask after her time in Pandaemonium. A fact that even for a memory might seem all but meaningless until he indicates that she is now the most senior keyward within Pandaemonium.
(Something that might well only mean anything thanks to the memory itself, and the fact that Lahabrea himself knows what a keyward is.)
The memory does not dwell on it, and Lahabrea continues on.
"As such, you deserve to know a secret few others are privileged to hear. One concerning myself." A pause, as Lahabrea briefly hangs his head. "Removing Hephaistos from myself required removing part of my soul."
There is, again, nothing save the background information of the memory to explain this.
"A necessary sacrifice, but one which came at no small cost to my natural talents. I am but a shadow of the man I was at the time of my appointment as Lahabrea." Another pause, as he raises his head to meet her gaze, his look almost accusatory. "I could never hope to wield the same magicks that Hephaistos used to shackle the warders minds, let alone break their shackles."
This time, the woman demurs, commenting that the tone of defeat with which it has been offered does not suit Lahabrea, imploring him to not give in to despair. An answer that Lahabrea does not seem to appreciate, given the way his eyes narrow nor the unimpressed tone of his voice when he answers.
"There is no despair - only truth. I do not confide in you to garnish cheap sympathy. Hephaistos left behind fascinating research. His conclusion was that to transform a vessel into a hemitheos, absolute control over their mind was essential. As you well know, the magicks used to achieve such dominion exploited strong emotions within their victims' hearts. In the case of Hesperos and Agdistis, their respect for me. Upon slipping his bonds, Hephaistos took steps to throw Pandaemonium into chaos. With their attention divided, keyward and warder alike were easy targets. But there was an act that came before. Regardless of Hephaistos' prowess, he could not have won freedom on his own."
The woman's lips tighten, but she says nothing. Instead, Lahabrea continues.
"For long days and nights I pondered who might have released him. I could only conclude that Athena's plans were set in motion long, long ago, when she claimed the mind of one of her admirers."
A pause, just long enough for Lahabrea to draw a breath.
"Hegemone. None would question your pride in your position. Your devotion to Pandaemonium. But you do not believe I am fit to lead it, do you? Your loyalty lies not to my vision of Pandaemonium, but Athena's."
It is an accusation, and Hegemone reacts in kind, asking what has prompted such an accusation and insisting there is a proper explanation. An explanation Lahabrea is not inclined to hear, as he instead reaches out a hand and, using nothing more than magic itself, drags Hegemone into an air - to not just her shock but those who had come with Lahabrea from the first, with Erichthonios demanding to know just what Lahabrea is doing. A question for which Lahabrea's only answer is a sharp demand that he not approach... which to his credit, Erichthonios obeys as Lahabrea turns back to Hegemone, drawing a scarlet crystal from out of his robes as he does so.
"As I have already stated, even should I detect Athena's tinkering, I am currently powerless to dispel it. And so I have come to a decision. One which was made with the best interests of the star in mind. In order to build a better future, I require the strength I have lost."
A red glow erupts from the crystal in his hand, echoed by the flare of red from a mask - a glyph rather, rent in half, that appears just in front of his face.
"I must embrace these odious memories!"
The crystal rises into the air then, before all but shattering, bathing Lahabrea in a reddish glow, as he raises a hand to cover the fractured glyph.
"Mark well this sight - engrave it upon your very soul." His voice has taken on the tone of pronouncement as he snaps his hand across his face, the glyph filling in to its full form as he continues. "You now bear witness to the true Lahabrea!"
The rest happens in all but the blink of an eye. He raises his hand again before Hegemone is all but engulfed in fire before falling, all but insensate, to the cold floor of Pandaemonium. And there the memory fades to an end, as the others come rushing in, Lahabrea's glyph fading as they do so.
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Still, they are not walking long before Lahabrea turns to the others and speaks.
"Stay here. This will be over soon."
With that, he turns and approaches a woman with short reddish hair. A woman who seems to be confused as to why Lahabrea has asked her to where they are given her comments about there still being a great deal yet to do. Something Lahabrea does not deny, turning instead to ask after her time in Pandaemonium. A fact that even for a memory might seem all but meaningless until he indicates that she is now the most senior keyward within Pandaemonium.
(Something that might well only mean anything thanks to the memory itself, and the fact that Lahabrea himself knows what a keyward is.)
The memory does not dwell on it, and Lahabrea continues on.
"As such, you deserve to know a secret few others are privileged to hear. One concerning myself." A pause, as Lahabrea briefly hangs his head. "Removing Hephaistos from myself required removing part of my soul."
There is, again, nothing save the background information of the memory to explain this.
"A necessary sacrifice, but one which came at no small cost to my natural talents. I am but a shadow of the man I was at the time of my appointment as Lahabrea." Another pause, as he raises his head to meet her gaze, his look almost accusatory. "I could never hope to wield the same magicks that Hephaistos used to shackle the warders minds, let alone break their shackles."
This time, the woman demurs, commenting that the tone of defeat with which it has been offered does not suit Lahabrea, imploring him to not give in to despair. An answer that Lahabrea does not seem to appreciate, given the way his eyes narrow nor the unimpressed tone of his voice when he answers.
"There is no despair - only truth. I do not confide in you to garnish cheap sympathy. Hephaistos left behind fascinating research. His conclusion was that to transform a vessel into a hemitheos, absolute control over their mind was essential. As you well know, the magicks used to achieve such dominion exploited strong emotions within their victims' hearts. In the case of Hesperos and Agdistis, their respect for me. Upon slipping his bonds, Hephaistos took steps to throw Pandaemonium into chaos. With their attention divided, keyward and warder alike were easy targets. But there was an act that came before. Regardless of Hephaistos' prowess, he could not have won freedom on his own."
The woman's lips tighten, but she says nothing. Instead, Lahabrea continues.
"For long days and nights I pondered who might have released him. I could only conclude that Athena's plans were set in motion long, long ago, when she claimed the mind of one of her admirers."
A pause, just long enough for Lahabrea to draw a breath.
"Hegemone. None would question your pride in your position. Your devotion to Pandaemonium. But you do not believe I am fit to lead it, do you? Your loyalty lies not to my vision of Pandaemonium, but Athena's."
It is an accusation, and Hegemone reacts in kind, asking what has prompted such an accusation and insisting there is a proper explanation. An explanation Lahabrea is not inclined to hear, as he instead reaches out a hand and, using nothing more than magic itself, drags Hegemone into an air - to not just her shock but those who had come with Lahabrea from the first, with Erichthonios demanding to know just what Lahabrea is doing. A question for which Lahabrea's only answer is a sharp demand that he not approach... which to his credit, Erichthonios obeys as Lahabrea turns back to Hegemone, drawing a scarlet crystal from out of his robes as he does so.
"As I have already stated, even should I detect Athena's tinkering, I am currently powerless to dispel it. And so I have come to a decision. One which was made with the best interests of the star in mind. In order to build a better future, I require the strength I have lost."
A red glow erupts from the crystal in his hand, echoed by the flare of red from a mask - a glyph rather, rent in half, that appears just in front of his face.
"I must embrace these odious memories!"
The crystal rises into the air then, before all but shattering, bathing Lahabrea in a reddish glow, as he raises a hand to cover the fractured glyph.
"Mark well this sight - engrave it upon your very soul." His voice has taken on the tone of pronouncement as he snaps his hand across his face, the glyph filling in to its full form as he continues. "You now bear witness to the true Lahabrea!"
The rest happens in all but the blink of an eye. He raises his hand again before Hegemone is all but engulfed in fire before falling, all but insensate, to the cold floor of Pandaemonium. And there the memory fades to an end, as the others come rushing in, Lahabrea's glyph fading as they do so.