thewatchers: Headmistress (Mila Duchene)
The Watchers of Night ([personal profile] thewatchers) wrote in [community profile] daybreakacademy2021-03-13 07:55 pm

[Fourth Wall Finale] Day: Break


[Fourth Wall Finale] Day: Break
Log Comm | Network Comm | OOC Comm | Navigation



Suneater falls like a star’s dark mirror, crashing to the Earth in a haze of icy blackness so hard it shakes the ground for miles- but it still falls.

As the first rays of light begin to dawn on the horizon, the massive dragon raises its’ head one last time, straining to open its’ jaws in one last, hungry attempt to devour the light… and collapses completely, breaking apart into smoke and dust.

When it dissipates, only a massive skeleton is left behind, bones as clean and dry as if they had been resting there for years.

And very, very softly, so faint it almost can’t be heard, every Candle living hears the voice of something very far away- not even remotely human, but so deeply, endlessly warm:

”Thank you.”

It isn’t a voice you’ve ever heard before… but something about it makes you instinctively look up, towards the rising Sun. Somehow, the light and the voice remind you of each other.

Though the final blow doesn’t instantly destroy the various zealots and opportunists that followed in the last Herald’s wake, Suneater’s death and the knowledge that Nightfall has been lost to them is an unrecoverable blow to the enemy’s morale, and the remaining foes are fairly simple for Daybreak’s forces to finish up- those that don’t simply flee or surrender outright.

When the last of the opposition is fled, dead, or safely in custody, and none of the scouts or Seers report any further traps or tricks in store, the word goes out. The Headmistress, leaning heavily on her sword to support herself in her exhaustion, lifts her hand and calls out the signal, which is taken up and passed along:

The battle is over.

Cassandra sinks gently, carefully to one knee and plants her own massive sword in the ground, a golden grave marker for everyone lost in the struggle to stop the night... and maybe even for Suneater as well, last and lost master of a wild, primal world long gone, twisted though it was by the end.

Under her steady digital guidance, the vast construct disassembles itself and once more resumes the form of the school as you’ve known it.

...And yes, all your belongings were stored safely during the fight. (You may return to your dorms to find some particularly fragile items covered in bubble wrap. It’s unclear whether this served a practical purpose or was just a discreet little joke on Cassandra’s part.)

It’s time to lay down your weapons, treat the wounded, bury the dead. The cleanup may well take years, and those lost to the last Herald of Night may never be returned to us- but the casualties were the tiniest fraction of what the world would have suffered if the battle had been lost, and those who survived have time now. You are no longer the generation born into a world on the brink of disaster, a world running out of time. You can recover, rest, and rebuild at your leisure.

The duty of Daybreak Academy is complete.

Your job is done.

But…

Well. You’ve learned a lot, haven’t you? Part of it was just how cruel and wicked the world can be… but part of it was how beautiful and wondrous it is, too.

Even though its’ duty is done, Daybreak Academy will remain, offering guidance and knowledge to anyone who asks for it- and beyond the Academy’s doors, there’s a whole new horizon out there. Earth and the Outlands are open and free for anyone willing to brave the journey. In the world that has not died, there are endless possibilities for you to explore and discover, to find joy and sorrow and everything that you never expected until you found it.

It’s a brand new day.
buddinghopes: icon colors done by <user name="SilverStilletto" site="plurk.com"> (amazing!)

[personal profile] buddinghopes 2021-03-14 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
Sounds awesome! I'll get Ace and Deuce too-- maybe if I'm reeeeally persuasive, I can see about dragging Vil in, too--actually, did you get a chance to meet any of them yet? Everything was pretty busy for a while there...

[She laughs.]

It'll be so worth it.
shockingblue: (Conversation)

[personal profile] shockingblue 2021-03-14 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
I don't think I did, no. I'll be honest, a lot of the leadup to the fight almost feels like a blur now.

[It was a lot going on. Lots of new faces, lots of final training, and getting affairs in order in the event of the worst happening. ...So much as he had much of that to really handle.]

Come to think of it, I should probably invite Jason and Eve too, assuming they're not too busy trying to fix Gaia Sophia. Hard to believe Jason's only a year older than I am and he built that tank practically from the ground up.
buddinghopes: (huh?)

[personal profile] buddinghopes 2021-03-14 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
Vil always throws himself pretty hard into his work, too. If you think I've gotten on your case about taking breaks a lot... Well. I've never had to physically drag you away...

[Oh, Vil's gotten better recently, for sure, but old habits die hard...]

You definitely should invite them! The more the merrier! [Maybe she'll see about getting Trey and Epel, too... But the last part makes her pause.] Wait, seriously? I never would've guessed.
shockingblue: (Surprise)

[personal profile] shockingblue 2021-03-14 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
...He's that much of a workaholic that he didn't know better to stop when you asked him to? Shoot, all the better that we get him out to have fun.

[Gunvolt sometimes resisted a bit when Lia got on him about his work, but he knew she was doing it from a good place. ...And importantly, she was almost always right. She had a good sense of when he was about to burn out, and... really, he learned to trust that 'Lia Timer' as he came to call it.

But to think there was someone worse than that.... dang.]


Yeah, Zeno told me that Jason based it on some Outland tech he and Eve found, but... the Gaia Sophia was designed and built by him. He's a hell of a gearhead, I guess. Makes me wonder how someone like Zeno met him, given Zeno can barely put together a puzzle.
buddinghopes: (huh?)

[personal profile] buddinghopes 2021-03-14 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
It's decided, then! We'll definitely have to make sure he's there too.

[That's gonna be a task and a half.]

That's amazing. I'm almost envious at that level of skill...
shockingblue: (Adventurous)

[personal profile] shockingblue 2021-03-14 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
Let me know if you need a hand with that, especially if you need a walking taser to get him to drop what he's doing. I'd be happy to help.

[He smirks wryly at that suggestion. He's only half sure that he won't have to do that.]

I know I am. I'll have to see if the guy can help me with my next project. ...Don't worry, I'm not in a rush about that. And no, it's not a weapon. ...I'm thinking of a way to get Mona a body. Or, if nothing else, make her hologram projector be hard light. Don't tell her, though. It's a surprise.
buddinghopes: (glad to hear it)

[personal profile] buddinghopes 2021-03-14 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
I will definitely let you know when I'm about to go retrieve him. Just in case.

[She's grinning. Lia no.]

Oh! That'll be a wonderful surprise. I'm not sure how much I'd be able to contribute but if you need a hand, I'd be happy to help out too.