whiteshroud | Krusnik Kids Group Chat

What, you mean the kid Varian tutors? Are you sure?

And what do you mean he doesn't remember?

I wouldn't forget any of your faces, but... I've seen what he looks like at this age. So, yeah, I'm very certain.

[Uggghhhh, that's the part Harumasa really doesn't want to talk about.]

I didn't know at the time what they did to him. It wasn't until after I started running into people from The Order and people running from The Order that I figured it out. See, Luke had a really, really powerful ability that they wanted, but ultimately proved utterly useless to Krusnik for their purposes. He got adopted by a family instead of killed, and he was Sealed before they sent him away. It just... didn't leave him with any memories of Krusnik in the process.

[How timely Luke's adoption had been, too.]

[Jun's quiet at that confident assertion, guilt gnawing him at him. "I wouldn't forget any of your faces" was a touching sentiment. One... that Jun really wishes he could say the same for himself.

He doesn't voice that though, instead focusing on the rest of what Harumasa is saying ]

Sealed... I've heard a little about that power. It's the power the Order uses to remove people's powers, right?

[... And with it, memories apparently. Which honestly, Jun is taking that with a surprising amount of calmness- it's not the first time he's dealt with being forgotten. It was a fact of life in his past life.]

So, he got adopted, and doesn't remember us.

... Considering what he forgot, maybe it's better if he doesn't remember.

[Though Jun keeps a lid on his feelings in this moment, Harumasa would never blame him for that. They all cope in different ways, some more destructive and others slightly less so.]

Mmhm, that's the one. From my little 'peeks,' they typically only used it when they had to. The side effects are a huge gamble. Some are fine, and others... less fine.

[He can definitely tell that the calmness is strange. And he's not about to let it go, either.]

Maybe, but it's a matter of perspective. Maybe to us it's a kindness, but to him it's a torture. You're taking this rather well, though.

... Sounds like the kind of gamble that the Order would take, alright.

[Can you tell he's not their biggest fan? Oh yes. At Haru pointing that out, he won't deny it]

It's happened to me before. In my previous life, Seal Knights were often forgotten by people after they've encountered them. And in this lifetime, I've had it happen before when people on the app lost their ability to sense magic.

I suppose it's just something I've learned to accept as a possibility.

Haha... Let's just say... I wouldn't blame anyone who did use it for powers like that, but that doesn't mean I have to like what it has the possibility to do. It's like medicine in that way. I just wish more consent was involved for Luke.

[Harumasa doesn't blame Jun for not being their biggest fan, but this... he can't pass judgement on it. He doesn't like it, but he also can't deny that it might have been necessary to a degree.

He hums softly at that. It's new information to have, and it's sobering at that. Would he want people to forget him? Would he be forgotten by everyone here when his illness finally claimed him?]

Huh... That's lonely.

[A statement of fact. A way to take his mind off of the darker possibilities and questions for now. Harumasa would like to keep hoping that the people he's met on here will still remember him when he's gone and they've left the app.]

How do you feel about it? I know you see the logic in people forgetting being a possibility, but....

Mm.... "what needs to be done" isn't always a pleasant solution. Sometimes it can even be cruel. So objectively, I could see why the Order would feel the need to hold onto such a power, even if I don't like it.

But in Luke's case... it doesn't feel like a case of "what needs to be done". More just abusing the tool to suit Krusnik's desires. Yet another evil act by them.

[He can acknowledge that much, at least.]

.... I suppose so.

[He doesn't have it in him right now to explain to Harumasa that's only scratching the surface when it came to Seal Knights and "loneliness". Maybe another time, maybe never.

Instead, he focuses in how this pertains to the Luke situation. He goes quiet for a moment, thinking things over]

...If "sealing" works like the memory suppression of my old world, the memories aren't truly gone. They've just been pushed down farther than most people's consciousness can reach. So... in theory, if it works that way, he could remember again with enough of a stimulus.

But to do that.... it's like opening Pandora's Box. Once the memories return, it won't be easy to put them away again. And considering the nature of the memories he'd be recalling... it'd permanently alter him. Perhaps he'd handle it well, or perhaps it'd cause irreparable damage and ruin his life.

We should consider this carefully, about what's truly best for him.

Edited 2025-03-07 01:33 (UTC)

[Harumasa can't help a soft, bitter laugh.]

They'd always been good at finding ways to twist something into a poison. [A pause.] ... Of all the kids I tried to help, Luke's... I'll never know if I made the right decision or if I was just being a self-righteous teenager.

[He rests his free arm across his chest while he thinks. This is a delicate place they've found themselves in. Precarious in some ways.

But Harumasa remembers a small hand gripping tight to his hand and a small child looking up at him with trust... and hope. Something in his chest constricts painfully.]

We should, but we shouldn't be the ones to make the decision for him. They're horrific, but they are his. We'll need to approach this carefully. Spooking Luke with the knowledge that we know him could run the risk of him remembering without anyone to support him through it.

[....]

You did. [He sounds certain about that] Luke was a gentle child. Had he not been sent away, he wouldn't have survived. Even if the river waters you sent on him were choppy and left their mark, he was still delivered to safety. That's what matters.

[Sometimes there aren't better options. Jun can recognize the reality of their situation back then. Luke was always so timid, hiding behind Haru's back the way he did. A child like that could only last for so long in that hellish place.

... And it sounds like Harumasa fully plans to try to get involved rather than leave things be. Welp, he had a feeling. But if this is the informed decision he's making, then Jun will comply with it.]

Mm... [He considers] Well, if you want to get to know him without spooking him, the easiest way to do this is through the college. He has classes there.

You can sit in on my classes. I don't usually draw attention to myself, so with our "family resemblance" you could probably pass off as me to the normal faculty. That should give you an in to track him down.

[Jun's conviction is surprising to him, but it does help to ease an old, barely healed wound in his heart. He carries a lot of guilt in his heart and a lot of questions to decisions he's made to protect whoever he could. Hearing this helps to add another stitch to close the wound.]

Thanks, Jun. I hope he feels the same way, but I won't blame him for feeling resentment or disappointment with me.

[Harumasa will accept that consequence if it occurs. At least Luke's alive to feel that way.

He thinks about the proposition. It'll be suspicious if he suddenly shows up in class so soon after finding out about Luke. But....]

That might work if we time it for after our vacation. I've been thinking about taking a class or two anyway, either over summer or for the fall semester. Sitting in will at least be a genuine look into what classes I might be willing to take. Maybe not the bio class, though. I got a funny feeling that Apollo will make that first day interesting if I accidentally pick a certain professor.

[Aww, but isn't that the class with the beautiful professor with the cold eyes? I was really hoping to get to know him....]

Yeah, no, Apollo confirmed to me just now that taking biology will be a bad idea.

[Jun frowns at that.]

No, you're not going to be a punching bag for his stupidity. If he wants to take out his bitterness out on you, I'll deal with him.

I can quickly show him why you made the call you did.

[He's going to WISH Ash just sat on him if it gets to that. But he knows Harumasa beats himself up enough without some spoiled brat adding to it. ]

[And as for Apollo..... he just sighs.]

Yeah, we're ruling out my biology classes then. Professor Maple's boyfriend sits in on that class as the professor's service animal, and he owns mechs so...

You can come to my other classes. Just be careful of Dr. Ratio. He's on the app and sharp, so if anyone notices something off, it's him.

Wait. Blade's a fucking pomsky?!

His boyfriend is Blade?!

Oh, yeah, you weren't here for that. One of 'em is, yeah, Blade's cool. And apparently a fuckin' pomsky.

...."One of them"? Who's the other?

Not entirely sure, but I think the white haired one. Last time I dropped Orthie off at the daycare he was there, and I could smell Blade on him.

UN: hikari-vi | voice

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