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Post by Sparda on Mar 17, 2013 12:51:20 GMT -5
Meeting others in Sparda's particular line of work was always a rare occurrence; others who were as good at it as him, rarer still. Affiliation with Hellsing had been a great boon to his reestablishment, however, for having allies to call upon for support and information had helped him immensely.
In the past months, Sparda had contented himself with simple on-foot hunts through the inner city, acting on intelligence passed to him by Hellsing to root out threats they were too preoccupied to suitably deal with. It was perhaps a shame, though, that the interesting battles were so few and far between. Even now, Alucard had been the last foe to truly test his abilities...
With another cell of vampire thugs exterminated, and his report of success submitted to Hellsing, Sparda had resigned himself for the moment to lingering in the dilapidated apartment block out of which this gang had been operating, waiting until he was contacted with directions to his payment for services rendered. He and Hellsing had a very prosperous arrangement in place.
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Post by Madoka on Mar 17, 2013 23:36:48 GMT -5
She was used to watching them, now. It was hard to just stand back and see so many people grow up and suffer and die, but that was what she had to do. Oh, she could support them, whisper encouragement, tell them the right things - she always knew now, what to say to make someone feel better - but it wasn't the same as being there with them.
Madoka could still remember the promise she'd made to Mami, and her resolve, to fight beside her, to make the world a better place together with all of her friends.
But she was beyond that, now. She had to fight alone. For all of them! And that meant isolating herself, in a way, because you couldn't be hope and a human at the same time. That was fine too - she couldn't feel bad about it, not really. But sometimes she remembered, and wondered how this could have ever happened at all. Well, though the memories mattered, the universe itself mattered more, right now. And there were people she could talk to. Not contractors, though she liked looking after them as best as she could. No, this one was different completely from that, but he was fighting in his own way, and she had to recognize that. Besides, it would be nice to manifest.
The apartment block was suddenly suffused with a bright light - not harsh enough to be glaring, but rather a soothing glow. As the light faded, she took on the only real body she had ever known - even if, by the universe's standards, she had never existed to begin with - and let herself float just a foot above the ground.
"Hello," she said, catching herself right before revealing that she already knew his name. People tended to find that disconcerting. "I thought you might have some time to talk!" |
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Post by Sparda on Mar 18, 2013 11:10:38 GMT -5
He felt it before he saw it; the imminence of an aura of immense, pervasive power. It filled the air all around him, engulfing the whole building in a pastel glow. But it was not malevolent, though it shared - exceeded, even - the scale and power of Alucard's foul aura.
This feeling of calm that came with it stayed Sparda's hand from searching out one of his weapons, and when the young girl manifested before him, he relaxed altogether. For a reason he couldn't put his finger on, he felt at ease around this young woman. His eyes narrowed, though, at her greeting; he had of course picked up on her stopping herself just short of leading into something else. Something she didn't want to address him with, perhaps?
All the same, the demon figured he'd hear her out. She meant him no harm, that much was clear.
"I have some time to kill," he answered, just distantly enough. "Would you first care to explain who, and indeed what, you are?"
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Post by Madoka on Mar 18, 2013 11:44:47 GMT -5
"Oh, of course, that comes first," she agreed amiably, smiling at him. "My name is Madoka! Well, Madoka Kaname, but I guess my last name doesn't really matter any more.... As for what I am, that's a little more complicated." She still didn't really know how to say this. It was strange, to remember being human but now seeing how limited she had been, how even conversing like this was so small. To say anything at all was to try to squeeze entire ages of meaning into just a few sounds, and knowing that they would always fall short. But explaining in any other way was impossible, because then she wouldn't reveal just Madoka, she would show him everything and no one, not even someone as old and powerful as Sparda, could bear that much.
"I'm hope! You could say I'm the concept of it, or the embodiment of it, in the entire universe." Saying it like that made it sound so... grandiose, but she hadn't really intended for things to turn out like they had. Kyubey had given her some hints, of course, but still....
Besides, being some goddess of hope hadn't exactly been without sacrifice.
"I'm not really here for any particular reason except to talk, like I said. But... I admire your strength, Sparda. You've done so much, and sacrificed so much for justice... and you haven't given up! It's really incredible." She didn't want to mention specifics - casually revealing that she knew every single moment of his life just seemed unbearably rude. She couldn't help knowing, but talking about it was at least something she could control.
Still, she had meant every word. |
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Post by Sparda on Mar 18, 2013 11:57:00 GMT -5
The more she spoke, the more confused Sparda became. He had to remind himself that this wasn't home; he was in a whole new universe, an amalgamation of beings from all manner of parallel existences. One of them had apparently spawned a cosmic manifestation of hope... which took the form of a young Japanese girl.
The theory explained how she knew his name, and of his exploits at home. Such a being was no doubt omniscient. He relaxed a tad from his momentary suspicion, turning fully to face her.
"I'd introduce myself, but that doesn't appear to be necessary," he chuckled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madoka."
He gestured at the macabre scene around them. Vampire bodies lay strewn across the large room, missing heads or hearts and lying in pools of their own tainted blood. "My apologies for the mess. Killing off these brutes is always such a messy affair."
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Post by Madoka on Mar 18, 2013 12:44:42 GMT -5
And he was so polite, too! It had been a long time since she had really just spoken with someone, with all the little courtesies and patterns that people used when they talked with each other. This wasn't really part of her duty, and it was a far cry from just being hope, and watching over everyone as best as she could.
This was just acting as if she was still a person, still Madoka, and it was soothing, as necessary to who she had been as fighting despair was important to who she was now.
"It's nice to meet you too," she said. "I don't usually just... talk with people, so this is really a nice change!" Of course, he mentioned the violence, and she took a look around, frowning a little at the blood. It was a shame they had to die, but she couldn't deny that it had been the right thing to do, and that Sparda was helping. Besides, a world where all evil was dealt with without death was impossible, at least just yet.
"Killing usually is messy. But it was needed, and I've seen much worse than this." The destruction caused by Walpurgisnacht, all those doomed timelines spun out by Homura's own efforts, Nyarlathotep's involvement in so many worlds... yes, a little blood and a few corpses was hardly messy at all when compared to that. |
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Post by Sparda on Mar 18, 2013 13:10:11 GMT -5
When Sparda glanced down, having cast a sweeping glance around the trashed room, he found himself standing in a pool of blood that had spread from the nearest corpse. He concentrated momentarily, his aura spiking tangibly, and small gouts of hellish flame evaporated the crimson liquid from around him. Blood was a hassle to wash out of clothes such as he wore...
"They're like bugs out of the woodwork, these fledglings," he grumbled. "There always seem to be more of them..." He trailed off a moment, glancing back at Madoka. He wondered if her perspective on events might assist him in some way.
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Post by Madoka on Mar 20, 2013 9:33:21 GMT -5
"That is the nature of things. There will always be more who feed on hatred, and despair, and the fear of others. This world is full of things that cause pain and suffering..." Her voice lost its usual cheerful tone as she spoke, growing harder and resonant with resolve. In the confined space, it echoed, and the gentle light that had surrounded her as a warm aura flared out briefly, as if in direct challenge to the forces she spoke of.
The moment passed quickly, however, and she turned a smile on Sparda again. "But as long as they exist... so do people who will fight them. This too, is the nature of things."
She floated forward, looking down at the corpses with pity. They had died because of their own actions, but that did not mean she could not feel bad that it had come to this. They were not like the demons of entropy the contractors hunted, causing despair merely by existing. These had been people, and she grieved for them - as much as she could grieve. It was more like a resolution to not let more lives be wasted, if possible.
"That's why I'm so grateful to you, Sparda. You fight against the dark parts of this world, and give so many people their own chances to fight, as well." She reached down and touched the blood pooling around the corpses, and it shimmered with light and then faded away, leaving the area clean of signs of violence. It was such a small thing. Most of what she could do was small, really - anything else would ruin the delicate balance of just what she was. |
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Post by Sparda on Mar 20, 2013 12:53:17 GMT -5
Sparda listened to Madoka, noting the reverie into which she apparently drifted as she spoke. She sounded as if she had seen more than her fair share of bloodshed and despair and lamented its necessity. Such were, as she said, the way of things.
He began to suspect that there was more to this cosmic force before him. Had she been human once? She looked so young...
When she turned her smile upon him again, he couldn't help but smile gentlemanly in return. The warmth of his expression, like that of the girl's whole aura, seemed quite at odds with the seething darkness that filled his side of the room, ancient and unhallowed power radiating from his figure.
"Their own chances?" he asked, tilting his head very slightly. "What do you mean? Just how long have you been observing me?"
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Post by Madoka on Mar 20, 2013 15:23:10 GMT -5
His question made her laugh, though she didn't really mean to - she raised a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle it before he could take offence. "It's not really... it would be easier to say that I've never stopped watching you. It's the same for everyone, though - not that I mean you're unimportant or not special! It's just part of who I am. I see everything and everyone in every world." Not that there was much she could do with such knowledge, other than do her best to encourage them.
She desperately wanted to help, really, but she was doing as much as she could already. To do more would mean imposing a deliberate imbalance, and she knew she couldn't do that - no one had told her, of course, but it was like an unspoken rule, something rooted in what she now was, as fundamental as breathing had been once.
"You've saved a lot of people, Sparda. Your life and what you've done has saved others from suffering, so they might also strive and fight for a better future, and that in turn helps more people! Just as despair is a cycle, so is hope. The people of this world, and of every other one... they fight all the time. And that gives me the strength to fight for them." She hadn't been this willing to explain such things when she was alive, because she hadn't quite understood them.
Of course, from a different perspective, Madoka Kaname had never existed to begin with. She had always been like this, according to the universe. That she had made it believe that in the first place was just an additional detail. |
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Post by Sparda on Mar 26, 2013 18:12:44 GMT -5
Again, Sparda listened. Madoka's answer to his inquiry gave further credence to her claim of omnipresence, not to mention shed light on a simply saintly desire to help alleviate situations like this. If she had her way, he was quite sure, there would be no need for his constant battling for the safety of the innocent. As she had stated, though, the necessity for the kind of bloodshed that had surrounded them moments ago was an unfortunate fact of life.
"Thank you," he finally responded, when he had decided on the words with which to answer her assessment of his struggle. "I do wish it wasn't necessary, but I suppose few are better qualified for the task than me..." He turned, glancing out of a nearby window and across the night skyline in the direction of the distant Hellsing manor. "It certainly feels good to have allies for the first time in a long time."
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Post by Madoka on Mar 26, 2013 19:27:11 GMT -5
He was silent for a while, but she had expected that. Sometimes, things were weighty and had to be considered, though through. She remembered how long she had taken to phrase her wish, knowing Kyubey would hold it to the strict boundaries of the words alone.
Oh, that was the cruel mercy of the Incubators, that they saw nothing wrong with at all. As if something as filled with an emotion and hope as a wish could be contained within mere words.
Still, she had accomplished what she had wanted. Her wish had been granted. She was happy.
"Everyone has certain tasks only they can do, certain battles only they can fight. But sometimes, they overlap. And even when they don't... they're never quite alone. As long as they fight, I am with them. And with you, Sparda." She paused, feeling the frustration of having to force what she knew and felt into words again. They were so flimsy, really. If contracts had been made telepathically, with thought and intuition instead of words, then perhaps things would have turned out differently for all of them.
It was useless to think about that now, though.
"I am beyond time and space. Even when no one else is beside you, I will always be. Please don't forget that, Sparda." |
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Post by Sparda on Apr 9, 2013 8:16:16 GMT -5
Her pause was readily noted. Was she too somehow struggling to find the words to express herself? It was an interesting irony, Sparda supposed, that a being of her scale and doubtless wisdom could falter when trying to vocalise her thoughts. Maybe she had indeed been human once.
"I see," he answered at length, offering another faint smile. "It seems we're all just doing what we can, great and small... Thank you."
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Post by Madoka on Apr 12, 2013 17:25:40 GMT -5
"Great and small... I don't really see it like that! I used to, once. I thought something small was unimportant, because that's how humans see things, but... from this perspective, everything is equally great. Every despair and fear is vast and engulfs the entire universe with its weight of misery - and every hope and joy illuminates it."
She paused. "Oh, I guess that was a little like a lecture, wasn't it? Sorry! And you don't need to thank me... not really. This is what I exist to do, after all. If I've made you feel even a bit better, then I've earned myself a victory."
The room shimmered with light for a moment, and then she stifled the radiance down to a more manageable level once again - even now, it was easy to let things slip when she was happy, but most people found that more disconcerting and awe-inspiring than calming. Besides, she was here to talk, not to flaunt her divine light and power - and the thought of doing so, even by accident, made her a little ill at ease, a remnant of when she had once been human. |
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Post by Sparda on Jul 10, 2013 18:12:49 GMT -5
In the pulse of light, Sparda cast a shadow upon the wall to his side - a hulking, horned figure whose six wings flexed briefly before the silhouette disappeared. He lingered for a moment before turning to look back out over the skyline in the direction of the Hellsing manor.
"Tell me," he wondered idly, looking over his shoulder at Madoka. Even days after the fact, he could still feel it... That primal, malevolent power that had consumed this dreary place at the climax of his last battle. "What do you make of Alucard?"
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