RuneScape Forum Archive | Fall From Grace

Jul

2020

Serene End

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He took one step inwards, gazing upon a room that was just as luxurious as the outside. A large room, fit for only the highest profile. His feet stood upon a blue floor, a rug with its edges trimmed with red. Around that carpet, stone flooring. The walls were encased in adamas, giving the room a blue-ish white crystal appearance. The walls were dressed with banners of the Imperial Kingdom and portraits, including a family painting.

It was of Medea, her husband, and her son Sergius. That portrait stood above the fireplace, which was to the wall in front of Raphael. There stood a young lady, placing two fine wooden chairs down a few feet from the fireplace. She didn't appear to be a Solasúian, just a normal human. Her ankles and wrists were not bound by chains, and her attire was befitting of a regal servant, not a slave.

Once she placed the chairs down, she turned to the two. She held her hands loosely together, standing before the two. With a shuffle of his eyes to take one last look outside, Momus shut the door behind him. He turned to the young lady, seeing that she had prepared the perfect spot for them to speak. "Thank you, Ulyssa," he thanked.

Ulyssa respectfully bowed to those she deemed superior. "It is my pleasure, sire," she returned.

"You may leave," the noble said to the servant. With that, Ulyssa picked herself up and began heading towards the outside. She opened the door in which Momus and Raphael came from, exiting the house. She had closed the door behind her, leaving the two to themselves. Momus turned to Raphael, holding his hand out to the chair on the left. "Have a seat."

"Uh, thank you..." Raphael nervously replied, pulling down his hood and stepping over to the chair.

"The Ishvara family has been an ally of the Resistance since its conception," Momus informed. "Yes, at one point, they assisted them by leaking information and giving out revenue. But unfortunately, Salath was discovered by Sergius, his son."
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16-Jun-2014 17:59:48 - Last edited on 19-Jun-2014 18:19:56 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Mr. Ishvara was executed, wasn't he?" Raphael asked.

"Yes," the noble confirmed. "Salath made up a lie that he was forcing his wife into giving support, so that she may be spared that fate."

"I see..." the young leader mumbled, saddened to hear that tale. "He was a brave man." His eyes stared down below at the fireplace, the controlled blaze. Digging its fiery fangs into the oak logs, the fire breathes. The wood crackled and popped, being torn apart by the flames. The wondrous smell of the fireplace trickled into the nostrils of any who entered this place, instantaneously giving the sense of being at ease.

"Raphael," Momus said, his face stern. "Have you met Astrid yet?"

"That's why I've come here," he stated. "I was told that she was a member of the Desert Assassins, and that her final mission brought her here. Elena said that she was a slave, so I figure she must have failed her mission, got captured, and was forced to be a slave."

"Hmm... You're surprisingly sharp," he commented. "Indeed, she and her father did arrive to this very city twenty-three years ago. Her father was killed that day, but she was ultimately spared."

"Why spare her but kill her father?" Raphael questioned.

Momus closed his eyes, letting out a breath in a light sigh. He appeared withdrawn, pulled back as though he guarded something behind his lips. "Lord Divus thought it... fitting," he answered frankly. "My brother was not always the man that you knew, calm and kind as he was. As like many of us, he was arrogant and full of spite. But unlike many of us, he did not stay that way."

The noble reopened his eyes, keeping a strong focus upon Raphael's face. "Lord Divus made her into a slave, but kept close watch of her," Momus explained. "Astrid would befriend many of the slaves, including Malik and your father, Markus. Eventually, she would be turned into his bodyguard. And that was when my brother would change, and your mother would be the catalyst."
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16-Jun-2014 18:00:56

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Why did he make her his bodyguard?" the young man whipped out yet another sentence to answer. "What changed?"

Momus reached into his chiton, pulling out an envelope of sorts. "That is one among the things I hope this letter will answer," Momus replied firmly.

Raphael noticed the seal upon it the moment he pulled it out, a blue seal with the front-view face of a lion bellowing a mighty roar. "The king's seal?" he mumbled.

"The content within this letter was all written by Divus himself days before his murder," the noble informed the young leader. "He instructed me to hold onto it, and give it to you and you alone the moment you were ready to discover "the truth." I know not its words, as they were only meant for you."

Momus handed Raphael the letter, whom grabbed it with his right hand. The young leader's left hand reached for the seal, peeling it off of the paper. The words appeared before Raphael, written by a fine-pointed quill dipped in black ink. Momus then watched Raphael's eyes scroll constantly from one side of the paper to the next, then back again.

Gradually, Raphael's face changed. The deeper he went into the letter, the darker and more intense his expression became. His eyes started to peel back just like the letter he opened, his jaw hung loose and low. The noble noticed this drastic change, growing more worried about Raphael's reaction by the minute.

He hit a point in the letter, the words jumping out at him. He felt a cold tremble rush down him, causing his hand to quiver. Was it a shake of shock? Fear? Concern? He was utterly bewildered, completely knocked to the floor. His once quick reading then very steadily slowed down, going at a snail's pace.
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16-Jun-2014 18:01:56 - Last edited on 19-Jun-2014 18:24:16 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Plummeting into a sea of uncertainty by this news, he began to question his feelings. This information upon this paper made him think of her, and that hurt him greatly. An unhealing, self-inflicted wound that he had suffered caused him much ache and grief. But this letter truly made him feel pain, causing his heart to capsize into a black water sea.

There was no reason to buy this, he thought, no reason at all. But he trusted Momus, he had to, the man had helped him on numerous occasions. The words looked sincere, as though it truly were written by Divus himself. He didn't want to believe, denying while accepting it. But he knew that this was "the truth" he had been chasing after, ever since the days of his youth.

After a moment, Raphael's eyes just ceased motion. He must have finished the letter... at least, that's what Momus hoped. The young leader just stared at the paper, unable to make a single word out of it. His breathtaken expression was as solid as a mountain, unmoving and unable to break by any normal means.

Raphael pulled down the letter, his face becoming grievous; tightening up. His teeth gripped together, his grasp upon that paper strong but not enough to crush it. "...I see," he mumbled sorrowfully. "So, that's why he wanted me to become king... I should have listened."

"You could not have possibly predicted the events that would follow shortly," Momus told him, attempting to bring solace. "No one knew how too far gone Balor was... no one."

"Except for Lord Divus," Raphael returned angrily, quickly bolting out of his chair. The chair's legs dragged against the stone, creating a screeching sound. Raphael stood up, his eyes gazing down at the fire. His right hand was so very tightly locked, infuriated by the truth that had now washed over him. "Dammit, why didn't I listen to him!? If I did, then... then...!"
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16-Jun-2014 18:02:38 - Last edited on 19-Jun-2014 18:27:02 by Serene End

Jul

2020

Serene End

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The young leader then shook his head, distraught by the words that now scar his memory. Raphael made a single movement that made Momus believe that he was going to toss the letter into the fireplace, pulling his wrist towards him to just toss it. Quick as a flash of lightning, Momus jolted out of his seat and grabbed onto Raphael's left wrist.

His purple eyes met with Momus' intense light blue eyes, the two staring each other down. " Don't, " the noble very strongly advised.

"Why?!" Raphael yelled with question. "This is meant for me, isn't it!? That makes it my decision to do whatever I will with it!"

"Get a hold of yourself, you fool," Momus angrily advised. "What good will destroying it bring?"

"So, why with all of the secrets?!" shouted Raphael at Momus. "Why didn't Lord Divus or Master Malik tell me!? Why did I have to learn about it this way!?"

"It is by this way that has ultimately allowed you to live up to this point," truly believed Momus, expressing it to the young leader. "There was a chance -- a great chance -- that Balor would find out; if he did, you all would have been killed."

"So, why now?" asked Raphael.

"Balor is away," Momus stated, letting go of Raphael's wrist. "He's... at Falador, putting the finishing touches on rebuilding the city as Ormemel."

Raphael's heart sunk just like his face, the tension he felt suddenly transformed into an overwhelming feeling of dismay. "You don't mean..." the young leader mumbled.

Momus shook his head. "Indeed," he confirmed, then sighing. "The Imperial Army launched an attack and recaptured the city."

"So, Telvern wasn't lying at all," Raphael quietly realized, horrified.

"Telvern?"
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16-Jun-2014 18:04:02

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Telvern was actually working for Balor this whole time," Raphael told Momus, his voice poking out from its cave. "Recently, he's... he killed one of our members, a boy named Uriel. Since then, he's been in prison and asked questions with no result. But I've spoken to him, and he mentioned something along the lines of me and him playing a part in the end of the Resistance, which is apparently soon to come."

"I see," responded Momus, somewhat put-off by this. "...I am inclined to agree, unfortunately."

"You really think...?"

Momus shook his head. "Whether or not we choose to accept it, the Resistance has only survived so long because of the reluctant hands of those upon the throne," angrily stated the noble. "It's only a matter of time before this fly is squashed."

After Momus' reply to the warning delivered to them by Telvern, Raphael went dead silent. His head lowered, his facial expression blackened. Drawing breath into his lungs, the noble let it go in a heavy sigh. "Listen to me, Raphael," Momus earnestly advised. "Regardless of what some lunatic or I am inclined to agree with, those are just opinions, not facts. You are in control of your own destiny, of your own fate. If you do not want to lose, then win. If you do not want to die, then live. Don't let anyone ever take that from you, do you understand me?"

Raphael closed his eyes and recomposed himself, reopening his eyes. With burning eyes, Raphael stared upon the noble. Raphael reflected upon himself, rebuilding the house called himself. Every nail was strength: the ability to hold together and weather even the strongest of tempests. Every plank was courage: the ability to stand up and be strong even in the face of the unimaginable.

It was clear to see this, the rekindled focus and determination upon this young leader. Momus smirked very lightly, patting Raphael's right shoulder with his left hand. "Keep that look," he suggested. "you'll raise a lot of men that way."
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16-Jun-2014 18:05:21

Jul

2020

Serene End

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"Is Elena here?" Raphael asked. "I need to speak with her."

"Yes," Momus returned. "She and the majority of the soldiers were allowed back, while Balor and a few others stood there to oversee the reconstruction of the city. I know not where she is, though..."

"I do," he confidently responded, folding the letter back up to allow it to rest. He then bowed his head, showing his gratitude and respect to Momus. "Thank you for everything, Momus."

The young leader then turned himself and began walking towards the door. He pulled his hands up towards the rims of his hood, clenching each side of it. Momus then very swiftly remembered, turning his head to the escaping Raphael. "Before you go," Momus said.

Raphael's body froze, going quiet with the thought. He then turned around, facing the noble once more. "What is it?" he quickly questioned.

Momus looked at Raphael, and the silver-haired young man could feel an intensity building. The noble's look was serious, a beaming stare that could dig holes into walls. "I say this only once," the noble said in a heavy tone. " Do not approach Lucia like she was the person you knew."

The young leader raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Raphael asked.

"I've heard many tales out from the attack upon Falador," he explained. "The Loyal Knights have been stuck on one particular tale: their queen whom delighted in the violence."

Raphael shook his head. "That can't be right," he returned. "That doesn't sou—"

"—Raphael," Momus loudly named, overlapping the young leader's voice and interrupting him. "I saw the look in her eyes before I crowned her, fearsome and powerful as they were. Her voice, as she spoke, was undaunted and free of burden. She has let go of her feelings, of her care for the humans. She is not the same person."
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16-Jun-2014 18:06:12

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Was it really true, the things Momus had spoken? Raphael appeared baffled, accepting it yet simultaneously flat-out denying it. Quietly, he did what he could with this information. He put it off in the back of his head, knowing that it's there in case he needs it. He shook his head a moment or two after Momus' final words, realizing his hint behind them. "I understand," Raphael acknowledged. "Um, thank you."

Raphael then turned once more to the door, throwing his hood up to conceal his face as best he could. He stepped closer and closer to the door, clenching his hand around the doorknob. "Raphael," he heard Momus' voice speak his name. "...Your father would be very proud of the man you've become."

Raphael felt that warm, welcoming feeling from Momus' words, they were the most sincere form possible. His head beneath his hood, the silver-haired young man smiled lightly. "I hope so," Raphael truly did believe. After his reply, he twisted the doorknob and pulled it open. The outside world's light pushed into the room, a radiant sunshine that was almost inescapable.

Raphael stepped into the light, disappearing within the blink of an eye. He gently closed the door behind him, leaving Momus to himself. The head of the Ruler's Counsel then closed his eyes, his expression relaxing. He then let out a light sigh of relief, letting his tension go. His blue eyes then reemerged from the flesh cloth, being thrown into the fire.

He stared into it, mesmerized by its blazing dance. He was deep in thought, swarmed by this maelstrom. "I've done everything I can," he stated in thought, hitting a belief in his head that made him feel anxious. "Now... I can only wait."
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16-Jun-2014 18:07:37

Jul

2020

Serene End

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Leaving Momus to himself, Raphael fled the mansion of the Ishvara's. He headed for a very particular place, one he knew where she would be. Once more, he wormed his way through this apple. Though, unlike last time, he got to its core rather quickly. Slowly though, he watched that sun fall closer and closer to the earth.

He passed by the usual within the market district: the guards, the buyers, the sellers, and the slaves. There was no such thing as too little sleep, this place was alive almost all day, every day. The merchants quietly pocketed their money, smiling with glee. Raphael turned away, brought to bear that terrible thought.

But then his thoughts would turn to her... just like they always have. He knew exactly where to go, how to find her. He did, after all, know that person. That person whom he cared so much about.

From the space of stone and crystal to a grassy plane, Raphael was freed from that prison. He began walking that exact path he took that day, that very night he came to this city. It was a special night, one he held closely to his heart. It was the night he came to bring Elena back after learning her true identity. He declared so many things to her, promising so much.

Yet, in the end... he truly found out that he was no different than the others. He was unable to accept his failures, unable to take the blame for his own inaction. He was the enemy of his own words, those words which he spoke to the many at Lumbridge. "Gods discriminate against us because they hate us. They blame us for everything and never accept that something could be caused by their own inaction." his words come back to haunt him. "Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
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16-Jun-2014 18:08:46

Jul

2020

Serene End

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He pushed for answers and much more as he pressed on, hoping to speak with her just one more time. The echoes of past visited him, popping up all around him, seeing the ghosts of him and her rushing by. "I suppose that's why I didn't disclose my true identity," he remembered her express her true feelings. "Perhaps it's because I don't trust humans. So, thinking about going back to the Resistance, knowing full-well that they know who I am now... kind of scares me."

He then remembered how long and hard it was for him to submit, to convey his feelings. He lightly smirked and chuckled to himself, remembering the minute or two it took. "I swear on my life," he recollected his reply to her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

But... reminiscing only made him hurt even more. He knew in his heart that he had failed her, that he made the mistake of letting go and breaking a promise. He found a tall, lush verdant hill, climbing it as fast as he could. Once he reached its peak, he could see so much. His purple eyes flew forward, finding that place.

The flowers swaying at the gentle tug-and-pull of the wind, the Eternal Sunflies that waltzed with each other. The daylight had just began to fade away, creating a beautiful scene of light and shine. There was a slight darkness growing due to this, the Eternal Sunflies were out and their glint of light was plain to see.

A paintbrush of purple and orange was swiped across the sky, bringing forth a sky that seemed to be on fire. It was almost out of a dream, but this beauty managed to funnel out from that surreal land and set foot upon the mortal world. The view he had was so enchanting, so picturesque that it left him utterly spellbound.
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16-Jun-2014 18:10:13

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