text, un: lucina ( backdated to a day before their escape )

[tolight]

Hello, Audentes. For those of you I have yet to meet, my name is Lucina. I come bearing news.

I have spoken to a Zymandis agent. They are here, alone, and the jewelcomms are what notified her to our presence; she was willing to answer my questions, and in return, asked the same of me. The following is what I learned:

They seem believe that the Timeline is ill; the multiverse no longer has the energy to sustain itself, and will eventually meet its demise. Given this, their mission is to destroy everything, so that the Timeline will be reborn stronger. [ Those familiar with her should know there's a certain level of anger in her tone, text or otherwise. ] At least, this is what their Timeline.exe has told them— not only so, the original Timeline.exe, as well as its "update", were created by the same individual: Theodor Arbatel, their "Leader".

If anything requires clarification, I will try my best to answer them.

( ooc. the thread is here for the curious. while i've gotten a lot of info the thread is currently incomplete, so there may be delays in getting to questions from characters!! otherwise feel free to threadjack / etc. )

Comments

TEXT. UN: LOKI

[selfimage]

[ some things are coming together, but first things first. ]

I assume this Theodor Arbatel fellow is still alive and kicking?

[tolight]

I... believe so. [ The uncertainty in that is quickly replaced with— ]

There was a voice in her jewelcomm that provided me the name, which seemed to address Theodore Arbatel as though he is still alive. [ By calling him pompous. But you know, details. ]

[selfimage]

That would make him quite old, wouldn't it?
Are you familiar with the term "Arbatel"?

[tolight]

I can't say I am, no. What does it mean?

[selfimage]

The title of an old mortal grimiore of ancient magic, and a highly monotheistic work.
There's some discourse on where the term itself came from, but most seem to agree that it's some derivative of "god."
Funny, it's the same for "theo."

[tolight]

... Do you believe it could be a coincidence? [ Because she sure doesn't. ]

[selfimage]

It seems highly unlikely at this point.

[cachemoney]

A voice? Like an AI?

[tolight]

[ Give her a minute, she knows what AI is, she watched something about it a tekflex somewhere— ]

Yes. She asked her jewelcomm a question, and it answered her. It seems to have somewhat of a personality, as well.

Its name was... Ophiel, I believe.

[selfimage]

Ophiel?
You're certain.

[tolight]

Yes. That is what she called it.

Does the name hold significance?

[selfimage]

Aye ......
Tim named recruit Ophiel as the first person who booted his program in the mechanical room.
He said that she died.

[tolight]

... I see.

Is it safe to conclude that the individual that built Timeline.exe is not the same as the one who started it?

[selfimage]

It would seem that way.
If we conclude that she was the founding members of ALASTAIR, anyway.
Tim seemed rather reluctant to speak of her.

[dbag]

Dead doesn't necessarily mean like DEAD dead. I know you guys all come from the Stone Age or whatever so I'll use small words but someone's consciousness can definitely get loaded into an AI. I mean, it's not THEM them, but it's them??

My point is, her thingy could actually be that girl. Or her consciousness, anyway.

[selfimage]

Dead as in I believe the last person who she had been is now dead.
If she was the first to boot the timeline.exe in the mechanical room, that means that she was an ALASTAIR agent, if not one of the founding members.

The AI that Zymandis has, it may not be who her consciousness was when she died.

Or maybe it is, and she was some double agent of some sort.
There are details that could be neglected, but so far ......

[figureitout]

wait, wait
Tim as in the Timeline Tim?

when the hell did you talk to him?

[selfimage]

While everyone was off fighting robots.

[banded]

Is Ragnarok a thing where you come from?

[selfimage]

It was, in the most literal sense, yes.

[banded]

Is what we're going through here a "literal sense" sort of thing?

[selfimage]

Or some aspect of it.
Are you familiar with cyclical stories?

[banded]

I'm familiar with the fact that sometimes the same thing can continue to repeat itself.

Is that what you mean?

[selfimage]

That is what I mean.
Ragnarok was a cycle. Living, dying, rebirth; living, dying, rebirth; living, dying, rebirth.....
I couldn't tell you how many times it happened.

Just that it was a cage.
That the gods would have rather died completely than continue to repeat the same cycle.

[banded]

Do you think this has happened before? Or should we be acting to prevent it FROM happening?