powerisyours | (no subject)

Oh, I see. It's complicated, I take it?

Yes. It also relates to the next topic. What did Rei tell you about Piece?

Only that it's a fragment from my memory, and that they're only created under special circumstances. He didn't seem to know what those were, but said you might.

It's because of the point in time he came from. The circumstances is that there has to be some sort of connection between the one with the ability and their victim. It can be a friendship or a relationship, as long as there is a connection, a Piece would be created.

That makes sense, I think. It's because I consider him a friend? Or, well. Them. Them as friends. But what are they for? I mean, why would they need to be created?

Unfortunately, I do not know. Only that it's what is created once the victim has become stone.

Mm, alright. I can live with that, I think. And that, too--what's with the turning into stone?

Do you know what a Gorgon is?

Like Medusa?

Yes and Medusa had two sisters, Stheno and Euryale. Rei and I found information about three young girls, all unrelated to each other, with the ability to turn people into stone. Once they were old enough, they began targeting men, establishing a connection with them before killing them. This went on for a few years with only the police knowing of the murders. However, during this time, two passed away leaving only one. It was her killings that got the public aware of what was finally happening because of Rei. He took photos of the victims and sold them to whoever paid the most money.

That's . . . certainly something, alright. So they were reincarnations, or something?

Reincarnations or experiments. The latter seems more likely though.

I guess it would probably sound weirder if we didn't have Stone-Heart Assassins back home.

Stone-Heart Assassins?

They're assassins who were kidnapped as children and had their hearts replaced with a chip containing information on a specific mission, which can be activated by whomever controls it. Once activated, they get stronger, faster, and more powerful. When they've gone through with their orders, they'll turn to stone, regardless of whether or not they actually succeeded in killing the person they were sent after. They can be especially dangerous, because until they're activated, they have no clue as to their true identities and live their lives as one normally would. The only thing that might tip someone off is that they have no recollection of the time before their heart was replaced.

The control is similar to my case. The women didn't do the killing of their own free will. Someone was controlling them. They really couldn't do anything about it. It was only after they finished what they had to do was the control over them gone. Even though they were controlled, they were still aware of what they were doing and it affected them. It upset them. They aren't meant to be killers.

Mm. That's how it was for Han. But somehow they managed to . . . rewrite her programming, or something; I don't remember quite how they did it. But because she didn't turn into stone when she failed, she remembers everything.

I see.

Mm. It's . . . not fun, for anyone.

It sure doesn't sound like it.

[ shrugging a little ]

Ah, it's in the past, now.

I'm a little jealous you can say that as I can't. I still have a reminder of my past.

Not quite. The reminders of my past that affect me personally are still here in camp. Reminders of betrayal and the things I once had that I'll never have again.

What are those reminders?

Two young men by the names of Huang Zhong and Ma Chao. It's not their fault specifically; I hadn't actually met them until they came to camp.