The Eyes of the Insane, Part Two

by **Caesarion** on November 9th, 2013, 4:16 pm

28th of Fall, 513 AV

"Ugh... my back still hurts," he groaned. All of this heavy lifting lately had been hard on him; the guy spent most of the last few years sedentary. Like with all things, though, if you wanted to survive you'd just have to bear through it. He walked out into the back of his house to grab his clothes, first slipping his pants on then throwing his shirt on the bed for later. He went into the small 'bathroom' he'd designated, and grabbed the hand mirror that reflected the ceiling from the worn down table. With that done, he jumped back onto his bed and started to stare into the mirror. As soon as his eyes reflected back to him, he could find himself lost in his own reflection. Meditation was ultimately the ability to ignore your surroundings through repetition; to perform an act until it bore no meaning any longer. With his reflection, that was easy. However, his mind was elsewhere at the moment, lost in thought.

I wonder if what I did there was right, he asked himself. He didn't even want to talk to me, so I used magic to get him to trust me. It doesn't feel very mutual of a relationship if I'm abusing my power just to get simple things accomplished. Opening up to someone may have not been considered simple, but really it was. When you trusted someone, you were bound to reveal your secrets, unless you were the most suspicious of people. Gallagher really wasn't that skeptical, which made him wonder if he just portrayed the image of guiltiness. It could've been mistrust for his magic, but if Caesarion 'didn't seem the type' to abuse it, then why would he be so intimidated? He could probably get lost in these thoughts, and these words. The important part to remember was that through the same magic that he'd gotten into a bad situation with, he fixed everything and found a very close friend. Gallagher was really his only relationship left in Syliras, so he had to at least keep that one in tact.

But he worried about other things. For example, himself, and if you went further, you could say that the old mentor was one of the most fearful dilemmas in his life. Caesarion felt like he was sort of rotting away here, which was something that everyone probably felt their entire lives, but it was even worse than in Ravok. His strange and unorthodox methods could get him locked in the mines, like Aoren said, or executed. He didn't break any serious laws, or at least he thought. But wasn't magic in general very touchy? If Gallagher went rogue and betrayed him, he could go to prison. They'd have no proof, but it was unethical to say that a hunter with no skill in archery or anything like that could hunt simply with two dogs. Caesarion wasn't a master tracker either, so common sense would tell you that he abused magical influence to do his work, and by extension could be using magic on people. He'd seem like some horrible witch manipulating everyone.

He had these sorts of fears since he entered the city. There was always that one thought -- what if they recognized me as Ravokii? What if they uncovered my ties to the slaver families? What if they acted, and threw me into whatever flaming pit they used to punish their perceived infidels? He had been filled with fear since arriving in this place, and a part of the reason he'd resorted to hypnotism was to alleviate that fear; it made his job easier, and it could even make his friends trust him more. But something could go wrong eventually, and it'd be just like with Lala. He could turn a mewling kitten into an enraged psychopath, and humans weren't exactly the image of mental fortitude. These habits could cost lives, including his own. And yet he'd become dependent on magic to bring his food to the table, and feed his dogs too. He hadn't even noticed, lost in his thought, that Max and Argos had come to lay by his legs. They were both family to him, and he couldn't just let them starve to death beside him.

Besides, hypnotism wouldn't hurt anyone unless he grew reckless with it. The only real risk was to himself. With that thought, though, his meditative trance ended. The man lifted up his head, and reached for his shirt. Begrudgingly, Argos stood up so that he could grab it from beneath him. "I told you to stop sitting on my clothes, you know?" He looked at the dog. Even just acknowledging him was enough to get him started; he was running in circles, wagging his tail and smiling as brightly as any dog could. The hunter supposed he could give the two a bit of attention, at least until it was time to go out. "You're such bad dogs," he whispered to them, then tackled the both and began his leisurely morning.

by **Caesarion** on November 9th, 2013, 4:47 pm

The Ravokii made his way to the temple, the two dogs restrained by their leashes, following on each side. This had to have been the first time he'd ever gone to the "Temple of All Gods", as it was only a recent epiphany to get back into religious belief. Unfortunately, as he was about to enter the temple adorned with stain glass... he was stopped. "I'm sorry, but there are no dogs allowed in the temple," the lady said, blocking the entrance. "But my dogs are pretty religious too. Aren't you, little guys?" He smiled, looking down at the two, who were sniffing the lady's feet. Max started to huff and puff, which really just meant he wanted to play. "Well," the lady knelt down and started to pet the two large dogs. "How religious is religious? Do they dedicate a bone and a kibble to Sylir before every meal?" She laughed, Max licking her on the cheek. The Ravokii nodded, and scratched their heads. He knew that regardless of how nice the lady was, though, a rule was a rule. He wouldn't expect for anyone to break their code just so his dogs could piss on the god statues.

The man turned back, waving goodbye to the lady. He'd come back, just had to take them home again first. "Don't worry, you two. I'm sure there's a Temple of All Dogs out there for you somewhere. You'll ascend to the greatest rank of doghood and will be worshiped forever. Haha," he started to laugh awkwardly. He could've sworn some random chick was staring at him as if he were a nut. "I'm aware dogs can't speak common," he said to her as he passed. Why did people even bother to be judgmental these days?

Further down the road, he caught glimpse of the old man's address -- the one who taught him more about hypnotism. The guy's windows were all boarded shut, and he could swear the door looked different than last time. There was just something off that he couldn't point out. The lock looked the same, the color and the woodwork looked the same. Something was just... different. Oh, right, the frame! he recalled. The size of the door was smaller last time; it was basically outside of the hinges, rather than being boxed between them. How strange. With further investigation, the number that was listed as his address had faded out. He couldn't even recognize if it was the same home anymore. Was this just a mistake of direction? He wondered if maybe the house was just on the next block. If he recalled correctly, the old man also posed a question to himself when he got to this door. He asked which one was it?

And when Caesarion was walking home, he saw a house just like this one, except the door frame was a little different. The windows had been boarded up, and the address was faded. The hunter continued further down, running through the block, his dogs surging ahead. He came to where he recalled that house being. And, as he expected, the boards were all gone, and the address had seemed to be re-painted. It could've just been a mistake of memory, and this house was actually the same house he went to last time. But it didn't seem likely. The setting here was just... different. He'd passed through here a thousand times whenever he needed to get groceries, and it was unmistakable. So, simply put, this man had some weird obsession with changing homes every few days, and pretending that the other house was abandoned and without address. He wasn't sure what it meant, but it was at least more reasons to think that the guy was a freak show. Knowing that he was just made Caesarion anxious. A guy like that could be crazy in a bunch of ways. Maybe he just messed up cats, or maybe he went further?

At least he could be more aware, now. And while he may have been wrong, he'd always heard that dogs could sense evil. These little buggers could be his shining knights if things went awry. They always tended to go awry in his life, anyway. "Jeez," he sighed. The two dogs continued on, obliviously, and he couldn't expect any more. Animals were so stupid, how was he expecting them to protect him? This guy was probably a master hypnotist. He could have them eating their 'master' alive, if he wanted them to. The Ravokii kept looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was there. He felt bewildered, just outright scared of his surroundings. The last time he looked back was before he unlocked the door. To his relief, there was no one there. He let the dogs through the door, then prepared them a bowl of food to keep them busy before he left for the temple. The temple was probably the only place he wanted to be right now. The only creatures that could quell fear were the divine. "I'll be going now, you two," he said. It was going to suck walking back up there alone, but at least Syliras was fairly crowded.

Not now that it was coming to be evening, but there would still be people watching from the distance. There always were.

by **Caesarion** on November 11th, 2013, 5:17 pm

After feeding and playing with his dogs for a bit, he began to set out. It was becoming pretty late, with the sun setting on the horizon and the moon high in the sky. The city was always much quieter in the evening, and he liked it that way. He used to fear the city at night, but Aoren changed that and ever since he'd loved the feel of it. The air was so crystal and clean compared to in the day, and the people who were out were usually young and exciting. Yes, you could even say that he loved the city after the sun had begun setting. It was beautiful like Ravok, but with security; he couldn't help but find it very enchanting! Of course, the mood of the air was mixed tonight, rather than distilled. It was torn between excitement and fear, the lingering paranoia that Sileas had wrought. Still, he kept telling himself to believe that there was really nothing to worry about, or it'd become like it was in Ravok. He left that city because of his fear, which multiplied inside of him and infected everything.

Even the most simple of actions brought him fear. It was a violent city at the core, like Sunberth but behind closed doors. He came to Syliras because he knew it was safe. So it was time to act and feel as if it were safe, or he'd just let the situation become exactly like it was before. He was going to rot before he got anything done, if he continued this tradition of backtracking. "Bye you two!" He waved to his dogs, who stared at him, wagging their tails. He sometimes wondered if dogs just started wagging whenever they were confused; certainly seemed like it. Regardless, that answer wouldn't have any effect on his life, so he forgot about it. Jeez, this must've just been stalling to keep from leaving the door. He gripped the handle, and turned it so that he could leave.

The streets were actually in a buzz. There was a group of drunk men and women wandering down the road, and he had no intention to question just where they were going. Must be an orgy. "Hey, hey you," one of the girls aimed her voice at him. She laughed, and gestured for him to come closer. He didn't. "Wanna join us? We're going to the... uh," she paused. "To the library!" With that, the six of them began to laugh outrageously. Must've been some bad inside joke. The Ravokii shook his head, then continued on, passing by them on the road. They didn't seem to care, 'cause he was just a passing joke anyway. There was a whole mess of a crowd up ahead, all chattering and swarming the center of the road. He decided to avoid that, so he dipped into the alleyways where no one was in sight. The temple wasn't too far ahead, and once he passed the crowd of people, he just left the alley and continued to go on as normal. The same housing conundrum appeared to him, though the "cycle" hadn't continued yet. The old mentor probably only moved every few days, which made sense. It must've taken hours to remove the boards from the windows and apply them to another one, done over and again. Why did he even do that in the first place?

It occurred to him that it could've been hypnotism training. Part of it was performing tasks over and over until they lost significance. Numbing yourself by means of repetition. Caesarion was very aware of this practice, but could it apply to something like that, too? Maybe it was an experiment. If he grew any better at hypnotism after several months of this, perhaps he could call it a mission success? That way, you could probably master hypnotism without harming anything, as long as you had the dedication to repeat thousands of things until they no longer hold meaning. That was probably overestimating the warmheartedness of the old man, though. He did, after all, willingly destroy the minds of young kittens simply for research purposes. That really depended on your view of what was significant or not, though. Some people didn't believe that animals had feelings. It took owning Max and Argos for almost a year for him to understand that they did. Before? He probably would've used creatures like them as test subjects, too. Humans were so naturally ruthless. It was difficult to imagine how much systematic hardship they must've endured in order to even shape into the moral laws they had now, which were still certainly not ideal.

As he made it close to the entrance of the temple, he heard a voice behind him. He'd been lost in thought, so he barely even recognized it at first. It took calling his name for him to understand just who it was, and he was struck with the sense of fear and dread. The man's mind almost collapsed right then and there under the pressure, with his first reaction to cover his ears and avoid eye contact, as if to nullify potential hypnosis. The old man still tried to catch his attention anyway, though he continued to ignore him and look away. "What the hell is wrong with you, Caesarion?" He asked, seeming enraged. The staring into his home, the switching of houses, and the abuse of innocent creatures. The ability to bend others to your will. This man was potentially the most dangerous individual he'd met in Syliras, and he'd sure as hell put his best effort to avoid him. Learning hypnosis could be done in a less threatening environment. "I'm sorry, Sileas," he frowned. "But I just don't trust you." The man's expression grew more... vicious. He forced eye contact with Caesarion, and started to speak softly. It didn't take anything more than that for the Ravokii to react in self defense, and he pushed the man down, before running off into the temple. He could hear screams as he went further in; cries for help, saying that he just couldn't get up.

That he needed someone for even the most minute task. That was the fate of the elderly. So why didn't he just forget his ambition and stop it with his morbid experiments? He had nothing left to go on for, anyway. It was the unfair ideology of someone much younger, but he had come accustomed to mistrusting people who were far older and more experienced than him. They came with uncertain intentions.

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

He found the altar of his Goddess. Before just a while ago, he'd been an extremely fickle worshiper. He'd pray to her when he needed her, but was silent every other time. Well, honestly, it felt like he was only praying to her for selfish reasons now, too. He was full of fear and confusion, and had been ever since he came to this city. The slaves back in Ravok who followed her always reminded him that she was their beam of hope, keeping them going even as they were beaten and used. The power that gods held over men was astounding, capable of giving them both joy and tears, life and death. "Priskil," he began his prayer aloud. There was no one else here, just him alone. "I don't think my problems are as significant as my old friends who followed you. They were silenced with whips and screams, but given voice again by you. I've always had everything anyone could have wanted. I was rich and healthy, dining in fine things and capable of doing whatever I wanted. Even so, I was surrounded by evil. My family abused others to get what they wanted; our food and clothes were made off the back of the less fortunate. I still can't understand how much strength and courage someone has to have to keep going in conditions like that. If I'm to be honest, I'd never hope to have to be in their place." Part of being truthful was not just saying what you thought was right, but searching for the truth.

He looked inside of himself some time ago, and recognized just how weak and breakable his spirit was. But he also knew that it could be strong and hearty with a helping hand. Just as the city streets were given a new light by Aoren, his whole life could be changed for the better with the help of a very divine friend. "Here in Syliras I'm much happier. The future is made by cooperation and mutual respect for everyone. We're all just people, equal, and cared for. That's a great and beautiful thing. If I were to ask for just one change..." Caesarion sighed. "It would be a request that I could be a part of it all, too. While my group of friends had increased from one to two, it could stand to improve. I'd like to count you as my friend, and like any other friend I have, I want to thank you for sticking with me through all my selfish issues." Selfish was one way to put it. Even right now, he'd left an old man crying on the floor to go pray for his own sake. He must've looked disgusting to her. Where did it all go wrong . . . ?

The Ravokii, after a while of thought, left the temple. An old monk waved him goodbye, though gave him a very estranged look. Sileas wasn't there any more, so that meant someone helped him. A part of the hunter was relieved, because he wasn't so sure if the guy was really a bad person or if it was his own paranoia. However, he couldn't be regretful that he pushed him down -- the guy was trying to hypnotize him. That was unacceptable. Well, it wasn't really acceptable when he did it to Gallagher, either -- but... "God, I'm such a hypocrite," he sighed. If God really was watching, she'd be slamming her face into a desk. Caesarion felt so stupid sometimes.

by **Radiant** on March 22nd, 2014, 4:28 pm

Caesarion :

Notes :

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Meditation	+1 XP
Rhetoric	+1 XP
Philosophy	+1 XP
Socialization	+1 XP
Running	+1 XP

Completed The Eyes of the Insane, Part Two