The Story of Everybody






         Scene: Barren Realms, in Valence. The sun shon brightly in the early morning, catching the dew that lay upon the ground of the Garden. Everybody was idly sitting aside, watching the dew evaporate, enjoying her recently aquired IMMhood. All of a sudden, Andasa appeared in the room.
         "Heya EB," he said, looking rather groggy from recently awaking from the embracing arms of sleep. The sickliness that never faded from him moreso apparent in his early-morning conditions.
         "Lo Andasa," EB replied cherrily. Unlike Andasa, she had slept well, and was still on a natural high from recently being granted immortality.
          "So, EB, how exactly did you become an immortal?" Andasa asked with that greedy glint in his eye, "It must be a tale for the books," he added.
          EB rolled her eyes. He is just pathetic sometimes. Oh well, best to humor him now, before he gets too unruly. "Well, you are correct, it is an interesting story..." EB said with a nostalgic look in her eyes.

          When I had come to the Realms, I arrived with a few unique powers. First of all, I could read the memories of people. Not only did I read them, I memorized them, made them mine, and kept them safe with me. Needless to say, this ... broke ... a few people. Secondly, I could copy people's attributes. As with the memories, I would memorize them, make them mine, and keep them.
          For the first few months of my stay in Calathar, I did not show my powers much to anyone. Oh, I used what I had taken from others on the mobs though. I became an experienced fighter quickly, raping the minds of hard, stolid warriors. Taking the experiences from these fighters, I knew how the monsters could be easily taken out.
          Within these first few months that I was laying rather low, I became reputed as a hero to the Realms. When Kiri, the empress herself, brought me into Valence, I was almost overwhelmed. The wealth of knowledge that I had barely skimmed before crashed into my mind. I liked it. I wanted more; I needed more.
          After the first few days of my stay in the land of Heroes, I got a little greedy. While traveling into the Library with an Avatar-escort, I stopped. "What is the trouble, EB?" Lari asked her in a lilting voice.
        "Your eyes are magnificent..." I said softly, as she pulled up to Lari. I gazed up into Lari's hazel eyes. I sat, studying Lari's face for a time.
        "What are you doing?" Lari asked breathlessly. Lari could have easily gotten me away from her if she so desired, but something I was doing was almost ... hypnotic.
        We gazed into each other's eyes for a time, and all of a sudden, Lari gasped. She watched with horror as my eyes started to turn brown in the middle and fade to a blue-green on the outer rim. My eyes were becoming her eyes. Then came the pain.
        Lari fell to the ground having the wind knocked out of her. Her mind was being scryed. She could feel another presence in her head. It was bringing up memories she hadn't remembered in years. Every emotion flared through Lari as she lay sobbing on the ground, clutching her head: pain, boredom, anger, apathy, insanity, sanity, contentment, love, hate, and the sweetest ecstacy she had ever known. The pleasure was so great, she passed out from the shock. The last thing Lari saw was me standing over her, looking like her, being her.
        When Lari came to, she saw me sitting not far away as well. "What have you done to me?!" Lari demanded of me. We were both breathing heavily, as if having been combating each other.
        "You have a very strong mind, Lari. The strongest I have ever come into contact with. It is well no one intervined... We both could have died. And with the mental capabilities you already had, I think we have linked," I said solemnly as she gathered her strength, "You sliced your right foot when you fell, didn't you?" I asked with my eyes squeezed shut in concentration.
        "Yes," Lari replied, "And you cracked a rib... Let me see to that," Lari said softly as she laid her hands upon my head and uttered a few ancient arcane syllables. I took a deep breath, and watched as Lari did the same to her sliced heel. "You want knowledge and power, but you are unwilling to learn yourself. You must take the knowledge from others. That is no way to live, not here," Lari said, as she struck me with an icy glare.
        I stood up straighter. "How dare you acuse me of that?" I asked incredulously.
        "How dare you strip my mind like that? I speak only the truth of you." she replied with an icy tone to her voice.
        "Fair enough," I replied back, "I request that you help me learn, Lari. You are an Avatar to these Realms, and know more than I could ever take from your mind. Please, we are linked in some fashion anyways, and it would probably be best if we would stick together."
        Lari considered this for a moment, then nodded in assent. "Yes, I agree, I wish to study this link anyways. And I'll have to keep an eye on you with these special abbilities that you have."
        I just grinned.
        After a time, after Lari had helped me gain the rank of Avatar, Lari was granted immortality. Lari and myself continued on as good friends and companions, and studied the link between them. Lari helped me learn how to control my memory-reading abilities. Kiri saw the companionship between us two, and saw the power behind my talents.
        One day, as Lari and I walked to the Cafe, Kiri apeared in a shower of rose petals. We both layed perfect curtseys to our empress. Kiri ackowledged them with a nod, as she laid her hand atop my head.
        "Your power is great, and you have proven yourself several times, Everybody. I feel that you have gained the right to immortality. Will you accept?" Kiri's voice rang through my head. I slowly nodded, as a smile beamed across my face. A lone tear came to my eye, "Thank you Kiri," I said aloud.
        "Thank yourself," Kiri's voice said in my mind. Kiri raised her hands above her head, and I was bathed in a beam of pure light. I was forever changed on that day...

        EB's eyes lost that nostalgic look as she finished the story, a lone tear coming to her eye again. "That was how I was granted immortality, Andasa," she said happily.
        Andasa sat up with a start. "Hmm, yes... Well, that certainly was ... interesting, EB," he said with a far off look in his eyes. The smile on his face could not have been practiced more.
        EB sighed and said, "No Andasa, I do not want to read your mind."
        Andasa started. "How did you know?" Andasa asked bitterly.
        "The tricks of an immortal are endless, Andasa," EB said and gave Andasa that signiture grin.
        Story and page written and created by Andasa.