[He walks for so long on the endless beach along the wall. There's a massive shadow in the distance. As he walks, he can find no trace of chips or cracks. Though eventually, it is his foot that hits something, not his hand.
[ that shadow looms, unbearably present. chrono watches it approach, as he resists the push of surrender and traces this barrier for what feels like hours. time is always weird in dreams, isn't it?
then - a sound, a sensation. he looks down in confusion, then realisation, as he dips to pick it up. an invitation, then. if there's not a break he can find, there's a break he can make.
the edge is sharp in his palm as he grips the stone, and takes the first swing against the invisible wall. ]
[At first nothing gives. Just another fruitless endeavor. Nothing here matters... except the smallest action. An attempt to break through and to change.
Then suddenly cracks appear, spiderwebbing in all directions, distorting both Chrono's reflection and the sea behind the barrier. A small chip of glass falls away leaving a small hole. Light flows between the two spaces.]
[ attempt to break through and change. find and forge ahead with a new possibility, a goal, a future to look forward to. the sand shifts beneath his feet as the cracks appear and he takes a step back, watching the beam of light cross the threshold.
chrono throws the rock aside. instead, his fist meets the now-visible glass, uncaring about the cuts he might sustain as he strikes it. ]
[At first it holds, seemingly resistant to Chrono's blows, then suddenly... the entire part of the wall caves in and shatters completely. The ocean air flows around him, warm and pleasant with the sound of gentle waves crashing onto the shore.
It's a pleasant place, all things considered. But it's so empty. It's the feeling of the void again. What is beauty if there's no one to help you understand it?]
[ the barrier breaking has him stumbling through, the follow-through of his punches carrying him past the line. it's... not bad, on this side, now that there's a way in and out - no matter how jagged the edges or littered the ground is around it.
but he looks up, feels that pull still. the unbearable yawning depth. his brow creases, and he looks out to the shoreline ahead, extending a hand again.
The thought is timid and surprised, almost incredulous, to hear another voice reaching for him. There's a pull towards a small tide pool, one completely that would be completely submerged at night during high-tide. Inside, a small, pale-haired boy is curled up inside, half submerged in the clear water.]
[ for some reason, it feels necessary to tread the beach carefully, no matter how badly he wants to run when that quiet response finally comes through. as if despite the pressure of the void, what was contained within it was easily breakable. frail, like that first hint of presence.
he makes his way to the little pool, and crouches down beside it. with careful hands, raw and stinging at the knuckles from where they'd struck the barrier, he reaches in to pull the boy upright and out of the seawater. ]
[Kaworu blinks up at him, confused, like he can't believe this is happening. This beach had been on his mind since he was a child and it was always the same: infinite and lonely, forever trapped between two places he cannot enter.
Still, without even thinking or waiting for a prompt, he reaches up and takes Chrono's extended hand.]
[ we're all still confused here, really. but chrono's expression is exhausted, steely and determined as he pulls kaworu up. he's strong, and kaworu is small, even drenched in saltwater in this heavy dreamscape - it doesn't take much effort to hoist him free.
which is good, because he has very little energy left. chrono falls back on his hands, breathing out a shaky exhale. then, a smile, a little drawn in the corners. ]
[Kaworu steadies himself on Chrono's knee, the salt water running down the back of his neck and dripping off his hair. He notices Chrono's exhaustion and the red on his hands and immediately feels guilty. For bringing Chrono here. And then for being selfish enough to be glad to see him.]
[ it doesn't matter how tired he is now, because before finding him he'd have kept going for however long was needed. he'll lift a hand to support kaworu, steadying on his shoulder, and lean forward to be more of a solid presence. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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A small rock with a jagged edge.]
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then - a sound, a sensation. he looks down in confusion, then realisation, as he dips to pick it up. an invitation, then. if there's not a break he can find, there's a break he can make.
the edge is sharp in his palm as he grips the stone, and takes the first swing against the invisible wall. ]
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Then suddenly cracks appear, spiderwebbing in all directions, distorting both Chrono's reflection and the sea behind the barrier. A small chip of glass falls away leaving a small hole. Light flows between the two spaces.]
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chrono throws the rock aside. instead, his fist meets the now-visible glass, uncaring about the cuts he might sustain as he strikes it. ]
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It's a pleasant place, all things considered. But it's so empty. It's the feeling of the void again. What is beauty if there's no one to help you understand it?]
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but he looks up, feels that pull still. the unbearable yawning depth. his brow creases, and he looks out to the shoreline ahead, extending a hand again.
...kaworu? ]
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The thought is timid and surprised, almost incredulous, to hear another voice reaching for him. There's a pull towards a small tide pool, one completely that would be completely submerged at night during high-tide. Inside, a small, pale-haired boy is curled up inside, half submerged in the clear water.]
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he makes his way to the little pool, and crouches down beside it. with careful hands, raw and stinging at the knuckles from where they'd struck the barrier, he reaches in to pull the boy upright and out of the seawater. ]
There you are.
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Still, without even thinking or waiting for a prompt, he reaches up and takes Chrono's extended hand.]
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which is good, because he has very little energy left. chrono falls back on his hands, breathing out a shaky exhale. then, a smile, a little drawn in the corners. ]
Hey. Sorry it took so long to find you.
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I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring you here.
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What? You didn't. I came looking.