12 Steven Universe...
...
"Pearl..." Garnet's voice called out with emotion, her heart aching with the weight of her words, her voice shaking.
"It's time..." She stopped, stifling a hoarse cry before continuing, "-to let go of Steven..." The words hung heavy in the air, carrying the weight of their shared sorrow and acceptance of the inevitable.
Pearl's eyes filled with tears as she met Garnet's gaze, a mixture of sadness, anger, and reluctance flickering across her face.
"..."
Pearl remained silent as Garnet spoke, her heart heavy with the weight of Garnet's words.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Pearl whispered in a low, almost inaudible tone, "...no..."
Despite the softness of her voice, Garnet heard her clearly...
As gem beings, they were not limited to their physical forms, their senses much keener than most organic life... The weight of Pearl's refusal hung in the air, a testament to the depth of her love and grief for Steven...
"Excuse me...?" Garnet asked, dumbfounded by Pearl's answer...
She took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, her voice filled with sadness. "Steven has reached his limit... He has been alive for too long..." Garnet paused, the weight of their reality heavy in her words. "He may possess Rose's gem..., but he is still half human... Even with Homeworld's technology, we can only do so much before his organic half cru-" Garnet's words were immediately cut off by a sudden outburst.
"NO!" Pearl screamed as she stood up abruptly from her seat, her face contorted with shock and anguish as she faced Garnet eye to eye, her height towering over her. The intensity of her emotions was palpable as she trembled, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
"I d-don't..." Pearl's voice faltered, trembling with raw emotion. "I don't...-I can't let him go..." Her head hung low, her voice barely above a whisper as she struggled to articulate her feelings.
Garnet was taken aback by Pearl's fierce reaction, but she understood her nonetheless. The memories they had shared as a family, the love they had poured into raising Steven from infancy, and the love they received back... It was not easy to let go...
But they couldn't afford to be selfish... Steven's human half had reached its limit...
"Pearl, you don't understand..., Ste-" Garnet attempted to reason with her, but she was cut off once again.
"No... It's YOU who does not understand..." Pearl's voice quivered with intensity, her body visibly shaking as she seemed to teeter on the edge of hysteria...
Clenching her fists, she began to speak with a hoarse, desperate fervor. "NONE OF YOU FEEL HOW "I" FEEL!!! NONE OF YOU HAD WHAT "WE" HAD!!!" Her voice rose sharply, echoing through the room as her eyes darted to the other end, where the rest of the Crystal Gems and their friends from Beach City stood in stunned silence...
Pearl's gaze remained fixed on the bed, where an aged Steven lay, his presence a stark reminder of the passage of time. Slowly, her countenance softened, a fleeting moment of vulnerability crossing her features.
"I am 'A' Pearl..." Her voice was tinged with a mixture of sorrow and resignation as she began to speak, her words slow and dazed... "I was created to serve..., to please..., to worship my owner to the best of my abilities..." Her voice trailed off, lost in memories of the past.
"I was made to serve Pink Diamond, the most flawed of the diamonds... -yet also the most perfect..." Pearl's voice wavered with emotion as she reminisced about her past...
"She showed me the beauty of life when she first obtained her first colony... She showed me love, she showed me that I was not a mere tool -a slave..., she showed me- how to be free, unshackled by the mold I was created from, to become who I wanted to be... and I did..." Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of her experiences...
Tears welled in her eyes once more as she slumped to the floor beside Steven's bed... "I've already lost My Diamond... I've lost Rose..." Her voice trembled with desperation as she spoke. "I can't bear to lose Steven too..."
...
Garnet watched the emotional scene unfold before leaning in to embrace Pearl...
They now understood the depth of Pearl's pain and attachment. To be created for a specific purpose, even if now free, a gem could not help but slip back into her intended role... The prospect of losing the being she loved, the person she held dear time and time again, threatened to crack her gem... Garnet, along with the others in the room, feared that if Pearl lost Steven, she might never be the same, reminiscent of the fate of Pink Pearl...
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*Mumbling... Mumbling...*
In the center of the room, a young man sat, deeply engrossed in his own world. He mumbled to himself unintelligibly, his fingers tracing intricate symbols on the floor. The Crystal Gems observed him with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
Physically, he appeared quite ordinary: plain looks, brown eyes, and a somewhat eccentric demeanor. Yet, his most distinctive feature was his hair, which resembled a curly fry—a trait inherited from his ancestor, Ronaldo Fryman...
Ronaldo, renowned for his eccentricities and his blog "Keep Beach City Weird," had fervently pursued his fascination with all things mystical and magical. This passion was inherited by his descendants, who continued to delve into the mysteries of the universe with an unwavering curiosity...
Despite the advancements of humanity over the centuries, Ronaldo's descendants persisted in their eccentric pursuits of mystical and occult knowledge...
In Beach City, where Gems shared their advanced technology and imparted knowledge over the decades, belief in such esoteric matters remained a hidden but potent force.
In a world where science and reason prevailed, the fascination with the mystical from Ronaldo's time seemed out of place, yet it persisted as a lasting legacy. The influence of Gems and their otherworldly presence had left its mark on Beach City, imbuing it with an undercurrent of mystery and advancement that few dared to explore.
In fact, the city had become so unique and advanced compared to its normal counterparts that it had chosen to become independent of the country it belonged to, simply adopting the name "Beach City" out of nostalgia and a desire to preserve its distinct identity...
...
The Gems in the room watched the young boy with a mix of curiosity and desperation. Despite their advanced technology, both human and Gem, they had been unable to find a solution to save Steven's life. The limitations of human technology, even after centuries of advancement, were apparent when it came to dealing with a half-human, half-Gem like Steven. And while Gem technology had helped prolong his life to some extent, it was not enough to stave off the inevitable decline of his human half.
Faced with this grim reality, the Gems found themselves turning to something they had long dismissed: the mystical and occult... Desperate for any glimmer of hope, they were willing to explore avenues beyond the bounds of science and logic in their quest to save Steven...
Charlie stood up, wiping his hands on his pants as he surveyed the intricate formation he had drawn on the ground—an upside-down star enclosed within a circle; a pentagram... This summoning formation, gleaned from an old book he had stumbled upon, held the promise of calling forth a powerful being capable of granting the summoner's desires.
Turning to Garnet and Pearl, Charlie hesitated before speaking, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "Um, according to the book, this formation should summon a powerful being... one that can grant our wishes..." he explained, his confidence wavering. "I-I've done all I can to set it up correctly. Now all we need to do is place something in the circle to entice the being and start chanting..."
Pearl and Garnet exchanged a glance, silently communicating their resolve. With a determined nod from Pearl, she made her way to the corner of the room where a small fridge stood.
Rummaging inside, Pearl retrieved a frozen treat—an ice cream shaped like a Cookie Cat. It was Steven's favorite, and they had kept a supply in the room, hoping to share it with him when he woke up..., but now, it seemed Steven's awakening was uncertain, nonetheless, the treat held immense sentimental value for them.
With solemn determination, Pearl held up the Cookie Cat ice cream, its colorful wrapper gleaming in the dim light of the room. This would serve as the offering for the unknown being they sought to summon.
As Charlie carefully placed the offering at the center of the magic formation, he turned off all the lights in the room, enveloping it in an eerie darkness. Ceremoniously, he lit five candles, each strategically placed at the pointed end of the inverted star formation. With a steady hand and a focused mind, he began chanting in a low and ominous tone...
"May you heed our plea in the dark abyss,
Come forth from the void and reveal your hiss.
In circle bound with runes of dread, By ancient rite, by spirits dread.
We call upon the being born Of light and dark,
By pact and promise, by oath and vow,
By blood and bones, by flesh and skin,
By heart and mind, may death begin...
From depths unseen by ancient law,
May this pact be sealed forevermore...
We call upon you in our domain!
Manifest your presence and reveal thy name..."
=====
[MC POV]
As I took the ice cream and began nibbling on it, cherishing it with tear-filled eyes, the altar glowed brightly before swallowing me whole, causing me to reflexively close my eyes.
A few moments later, I opened my eyes again to find myself floating in what seemed like a dark, endless space. Suddenly, I could hear chanting echoing around me—a ritual that seemed to beckon me forward.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, another flash of light engulfed me once more...
...
As I opened my eyes, the familiar surroundings of the altar and the abyss had vanished, replaced by the unfamiliar sight of a dimly lit room. My presence was immediately evident in the center of a pentagram etched into the floor, a clear indication that I had been successfully summoned...
With a sense of curiosity, I began to scan my surroundings, taking in the details of the room.
The room was spacious, its dimensions accentuated by the soft glow of the dim lights. In one corner stood a bed, its frame surrounded by an intricate network of machinery. Upon the bed lay an elderly figure, their form obscured by the shadows cast by the machinery.
As I approached cautiously, my eyes focused on the figure lying motionless on the bed. Their features were obscured, partly by the darkness and partly by the myriad of tubes and wires that connected them to the machines. I couldn't discern if they were an old lady or an old man; their appearance seemed to blur the lines between genders, embodying a curious amalgamation of both masculine and feminine traits...
...
The figures standing a few meters away commanded my attention more than anything else in the room. Their wary expressions spoke volumes as they observed me, their eyes assessing and cautious.
The foremost figure, a woman with square hair and dark, reddish-hued skin, stood at the forefront. Her gaze was steady and unwavering as she regarded me, a silent sentinel of sorts. Beside her, another woman stood, fair-skinned with striking cyan eyes that held a mixture of curiosity and caution, her features etched with a subtle sense of wariness.
As my gaze swept over the group, I noticed that there were more figures behind them, each with their own unique appearance. Yet, one striking similarity bound them all together—they each had gems embedded somewhere in their bodies...
They were Gems from the show I used to watch!
"The world of Steven Universe...?"
...
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AN: Wasn't able to upload this past few days, I was busy with uni and lab activities... This is cut short to show just a little background and foreshadowing, I should be able to upload again by the next day...
