Wandering. If there was one word to describe his life since he had met Shin Shiden, that entirely summarized it. The blind young man stood five inches shorter than the average man, with oddly colored, light blue hair which mimicked silver in many instances, particularly long enough to reach his chin. A black cloth covered his eyes, and tied back behind his head. Wearing a pair of loose fitting jeans that barely clung to his hips--held up by a poorly fastened belt--and a short sleeved, form fitting t-shirt (tan in color) with a logo of an unknown organization spitefully inscribed upon it, he stood defiant to the crowds that traversed the streets en masse. He was unaware of his location; all he knew was that there was no light to be found beyond his defunct eyes and blindfold--enough to tell him that he was in the wrong place.

Exitus.

The cold of winter bit at his exposed face, arms, and upper region of his hip-bones, but did little to deter him from his thoughts. Hands casually slipped into his pockets, whilst civilian after civilian passed him by, treating the blind young man as if he were truly not there. Snow freckled upon his hair, skin, and clothes, but always drifted off of him soon after. Acknowledging the blind would be to acknowledge the flawed and needy, even though such assumptions were incorrect regarding Exitus. His only flaw was his eyesight, lost through manners in which he could not remember. His only need was a purpose. It seemed the only time he could remember feeling the need to be was when he fought alongside of Shin Shiden.

And it was with that man that he wished to fight with once more. But that required him to locate the Tenken; an act which he had been attempting for months, but all to no avail. And now, it lead him to Prompt: an endless spread of chilled darkness to the blind man, no different than any other locale in the world.

Exitus!

A voice would echo through his mind; a soft, complacent voice, if the man had had any memories to recall on, he would know it well. But alas! It had been revealed to his brethren, not too long ago, that the man had no memory…he didn’t even know what he was. It was sad, but there it was. One who had been loyal, in his ways; to her most precious gem. To her King of Kings, her Lord of Lords, even her God of Gods. Now, however, they would finally make use of this man, the first of the Lost….for now the number of the Lost Disciples were high….only she remained. Well, there was the adolescent, as she referred to the cute Edric now, but for such tasks he was of little use. Though he would always be somewhat near to Rune, for he did know and try to fulfill the wishes of his Master.

Exitus!

Around the Lost Disciple there would be a shift, though unnoticed by any of the mortal patrons that waltzed around the streets of one of Prompt’s cities. Rune, not having the true time or self assurance to leave Hell itself, phased herself, through the help of her Master in an avatar of sorts to the streets. Unseen by men, elf, dwarf, even the anomalies of the world. The Matriarch of the Disciples in all of her glory, the hair as deep and dark as night, with eyes like glittering stars above… Though none of this would have any effect on the blind…well not her physical beauty anyway.

With empathic powers she reached out to him, to warm him, to let him know he was now being blessed by a most celestial being, the second Angel to ever exist… Her hand would lift to his shoulder, the mere touch would amplify the empathic power, sending warmth like a homely fire through him..

“Exitus, I have come at last.”

Despite his amplified senses to the physical--attained to make up for his lack of eyesight--Exitus could not understand the difference between mental and verbal communication, such as telepathy compared to vocal expression. He was no stranger to illusion; it was his technique, after all. However, his "evil eye" was only a mild form of telepathy; Exitus presented only illusion, based entirely on what he assumed it was supposed to look like. As he was literally incapable of experiencing illusions himself, he did not know how his own technique felt when used on himself. Simultaneously, Exitus's mind was easy to fumble--intrusion by a skilled telepath would receive no resistance.

And so, he heard the voice, and soon felt his body warmed by the touch of another. For a moment, his lips parted; he wanted to ask who this individual was and how she knew his name, but found himself incapable for the moment. Prior to this, there had been only one person who he did not know (or remember, at least) that claimed to know him, but Exitus had not obtained the young man's name, nor recognized his colorful personality. Now, this individual was strikingly forceful, or so he felt. While the warmth she provided felt nice to the point of near paralysis, he found himself repulsed by how clouded she made his mind and how she seemed to force his knees to weaken. It was force; none of the reactions were voluntary on the blind man's part.

Thus, he had casually stepped back from her, breaking the woman's touch upon his shoulder. Although Exitus did not turn his back on her, he did refuse physical contact with her. Anything that clouded his mind and dampened his ability to generate logical and rational thought was something that Exitus did not wish to personally associate himself with, at least in the means that weakened his mind. He would inquire, however; the blind man only wished to remain physically distant.

"Who are you?" Exitus asked bluntly.

The Angel of Passion, of Beauty, Vanity even, became amused as he shrugged her off. Of course, her greatest powers were that of the eye, for when many of men, divine and mortal alike, it could incite such alluring lust, want, that few could combat her. And even at her empathic touch, she could shroud the mind, cloud decision, make one weak to their knees. An amused grin painted across her lips, despite the severity of this mission, it always tickled her how at will she could impassion even her fellow disciples. But the grin lasted only seconds, for she could feel the strain upon her avatar form, one that was difficult on so many levels… split between two planes of existence.

“I, dear forgotten Exitus, am your savior. The salvation of your mind and memory, come manifest at last. I will send you down a path that will bring you to the fullest of lights.”

How much truth behind this statement was unknown, but if ever there was a mysterious place of awesome happenings that could bring back the lost memories of the dear Exitus, it would be Oblivion. A place that had captured not one, but two disciples: Edii, and the ever mysterious and dangerous ‘twelve’. The fluttering Angel stayed silent for a moment, lettering her words silently echo upon the invisible air, to let him take it in full, in all of its largesse.

“You knew me once, once my brother in the following of the Master of the Underworld. And at last we shall help you regain your lost memories, after these long decades. But at a cost, for in these times nothing is free. There is a quest we wish you to take, I’m afraid it must be alone….and you must trust me….”

Her voice faltered as she moved slowly, hovering celestially above the ground, no sound in wind or earth to indicate what she was doing. The warmth of her touch, this time permitting a sincerity that might wash over him,

“Would you not partake a mission for your true Matriarch and her Master?”

Indeed, she was sincere. As sincere as the divine slaughter of one's offspring. How did this woman expect Exitus to just follow her words blindly? He did not know her name or who this Master was. The only two pieces of information that she had given him was that her allegiance was with the Underworld--somehow--and that she intended to return Exitus's memory. So, then, was it she who had removed them? It was certainly a possibility, but nothing that the blind man was going to make a verbal fuss over. He did not want her touch, however. Although she only intended to extend to him the sincerity of her words, Exitus had shrugged her hand away from his shoulder. This being the second time he refused her touch, it was likely that the woman would have begun to understand that he did not appreciate it. Had she not infected his mind, he would not have cared.

"I fight for me," Exitus remarked as he pointed towards his chest with his thumb, "I always have. I always will."

Exitus's hand was slipped back into his pocket again. With this now blatantly stated, the woman would do well to have it memorized. The blind man disliked having to repeat himself, and if this was not a one-time-only meeting, then he had no intentions of reiterating his will. Now, it was a mental debate: to trust her or not. Obviously, Exitus did not trust her, and rightly so. The sincerity and warmth of her touch could have easily been a ruse, and Exitus felt himself better than this. However, he had no other leads. Truly, this was the only one. If she was lying, then she was going to be leading the blind man into a trap--but to what end would she succeed? Exitus knew himself capable of survival, perhaps even victory.

"For memory's sake," despite his lack of sight, he faced her, "What quest befits a traveling blind man?"

Rune merely closed her eyes and smiled, she had hooked his interest enough to ask her. For this stubborn Exitus who had no memory of anyone or anything of his entire history, that had to be a great feat. The hardest part was over now, now she simply had to make him realize it was not a game. Though she became very interested when he said that he’d never taken orders from anyone. Was he not a member of the secret association of the Sky Temple’s Mistress? Selena the Wise? A lie then, how pertinent, but never the less, she would get through to him.

“It would’ve been very important to your Superior,” the eyes of hell knew much, though he was a reluctant ass, Raziel had his uses; and the spirits that Sentinel released since his power became great enough to open the gate…they knew much of Utopia. “There is one you might have called an associate that has gone missing. Edii Terkins, is his name; ever heard it before? A dreadfully interesting creature. He is in the depths of Oblivion… and one of your power and skill is more than fit for finding him. What do you say to that, Exitus?”

". . . Oblivion?" the blind warrior asked, confusion in his tone.

Exitus hadn't heard of this place; like all of these names--Edii Terkins and Rune--it was unfamiliar. He recognized that there was a great chance that they were leads, however, and was thusly unwilling to let them go as false. Even if he were being tricked, it would be better to fall into a trap and fight his way out than to pass this opportunity by. But there was a relatively debilitating problem that he was having at the moment. Having not even heard of Oblivion before (at least as far as Exitus could recall), Exitus did not know how to get there . . . or if it was even possible.

For several moments, he was silent. The attempt to play on a possible ego of his was given no attention; the woman didn't have to say much more than just the bit about his memory. In his silence, the blind man tried to recall the names he was hearing . . . and failing. To Rune, it may have seemed that he was debating whether or not to take her request or not.

"How will I find this . . . Oblivion?"

Those beautiful eyes looked to him, unblinking as he seemed to think of her proposal after asking her of Oblivion. Perhaps his memory had become like Edric’s? So short term he could remember nothing, or had he not been enlightened by his Utopian masters as to what Oblivion was? True, very, very few of its denizens knew of the parallel world, but a disciple had never been able to find out? It seemed odd to her, but luckily it would not be so difficult, one with his power would have no trouble. It was her job to know the disciples, whether she cared for them or not, and Exitus was already ready on Utopia to take a journey. Now she simply had to get him to go about it.

“Oblivion is a world parallel to Utopia; and getting there should be easy for you. You are, whether you remember it or not, a Disciple after all.”

Others might have considered not saying it so brusquely, but she didn’t care. He was a Disciple, and it was not she that rid him of his memories. That however, was inconsequential at the moment, perhaps a way for retribution later on. He would now be of use to her and the god Sentinel again. That is all that mattered to her in the end. The only story that even begun to prick her heart amongst her disciples was that of Vermelha, and that was only because she could sympathize with his pain.

Her features did not change as he asked how to get there, though it was a most wretched place. Not someone she was ever likely to go, not because of the danger; they were simply mortals after all. No it was the lack luster of the place, something so ugly did not deserve something to beautiful to walk its streets. Better to send him instead.

“There is a gate within a place called the City of Sin. I’m sure you know of it?”

"I assume . . ." he paused, releasing a sigh, ". . . that you have the wrong man."

Exitus was not without recent memory. His condition was different than expected; it wasn't that he forgot everything learned the day prior after waking, or had the memory span of a week--no, it was a much, much different situation. In so much, he could only remember the last seven months or so. Everything before that was a blur; faded and distant. Exitus simply could not recall even a still-frame memory of the days before that.

But he had known the organization: the Guardians of Utopia. He was an enigma under their command, but his time to become newly acquainted with them had been cut short. The purple enigma's fated trek through Cizok had been backed by Exitus, an order from the Purple enigma himself, who was at the time a Prime Director in the organization--one who took orders directly from the Guardian herself, Selena the Wise. Yet, Exitus never had the opportunity to ask her about himself. None had provided him answers, not even hints or clues; Exitus did not even know what the "Disciples" were that this woman spoke of. There was a great chance now that he was being lead into a trap, and the blind man was becoming even more cautious.

Yet he still thought of this as a mission for identity. Trap or not, this was his only lead. Oblivion had a gate within the "City of Sin?" He did not even remember hearing the name of that place, let alone anything regarding a gate into another world. But that didn't matter; he had names, it was just a matter of searching, now.

"But I will find the man you seek, regardless," Exitus obliged the requested, though he had one final question: "When it is done, how will I contact you?"

“It will be perilous,” she said quietly, “Be safe Exitus, for despite your lack of remembrance, you are still a brother to us…and our Lord still has love for you. In fact he has bid me to give you a gift.”

From a pouch upon her belt she took a necklace of beautiful proportions, it was a crystal with the clearest and yet most luminous of liquids, water from the Crystal Springs of Heaven itself. A place that Rune had adored when she had still been in Heaven. Thanks to her adoration she had constructed only a few of the amulets that held some special power, thanks to the powers of the heavenly water. They were in fact, one of the few artifacts that had come with them when they were exiled from Heaven those millennia ago.

She extended her hand, nearing him so she might give it to him, though as she walked nearer she spoke, “This item is one of the Pendants of Lux. It is crafted of a special material from one of the mines of Heaven, and within it is a few ounces of water from the famed Crystal Springs. A few drops could heal many wounds, but use it wisely, it is a very powerful healing agent not to be used brashly. We know not what we plunge you into. Other than that all I can give you is a few parting words. You will have some difficulty finding him I expect, and if he does not want to be found he will try to lie to you. He will slur every word, remember that, and his every step shall come with the rattling of chains.”

When he took it from her she would speak only once more,

“Now go, and do not fail. For failure is not worthy of the Disciple that you are.”

Good; the woman was giving him directions as she should to anyone that was blind: she was appealing to the auditory senses. It was his hearing and sense of touch that Exitus moved with, as well as a general feel for air displacement. Thicker air than the area's norm meant that there was something closer to him in that direction than any other. Unfortunately, the woman had not answered his question, leaving the blind man to simply assume that she would contact him, rather than him seeking her out. Perhaps it would be easier that way . . . for all of his enhanced senses, Exitus's sense of direction was rather lackluster.

The information was kept in mind. Similarly, the pendant was retrieved by Exitus's hand. He heard its chain initially, locating it by this alone. By all means, the blind man carried himself as if he actually had eyes. Were it not for the blindfold he wore--or, rather, had he worn something less conspicuous like sunglasses, Exitus would have been frequently confused with someone gifted with the ability to see. This was always in mind, too; it was the sole purpose of the blindfold . . .

"I understand," replied Exitus stoically.

That said, Exitus nodded his head in the direction of his "fellow Disciple," though still unsure of what she was even trying to suggest about it, and turned from her. Now it was a matter of getting directions. Assuming that their meeting was concluded, he began to leave, drawing the pendant up as he did so. Rune would see Exitus clipping the chain together behind his neck and tucking the pendant down into his jacket, effectively hiding it from sight. It was potentially valuable, considering what the woman had told him, and the last thing he wanted was some thug to try and steal it from him.