Lucidity Lacerate

a story that centers Ethan, the half-eyes-closed guy, about his troubles with a guy who possesses him for vengeance.story written by Kaerem

1ST ACT

A newly recruited guard that works under Vex. He's the very first one that broke the criteria of a guard's usual standards that Zoquaria's guards can only be the humanoid bombs. He has a very charismatic personality and very loud-mouthed.

The 4th ruler of Zoquaria, and the "main" ruler. He carries himself like the world owes him something: chin high, words sharp, confidence edged with contempt. Arrogance is his armor, polished over years of proving he’s untouchable. Aggression became his first language and control his only safety.

Second in command to Vex. Her name meaning "The Angel of Peace", she brings that title to help balance Vex's decisions. Where Vex is impulsive and commanding, she is deliberate and watchful, weighing consequences before action. She often clashes with him, challenging his harsher decisions in private while standing firmly at his side in public. In many ways, she does not follow Vex; she tempers him, knowing that without her balance, his ambition could easily tip into ruin.

A humanoid bomb who's been a guard for his 3 previous rulers, have been around for 30 years, and is now assigned to Vex and Manakel. For 2 years, he has been keeping an eye on both of them, but when they realized it's impossible, he retired looking out for Vex (due to having a new guard) and was moved to look out for Manakel instead.

The ruler before Vex and Manakel. He's known to be a brave and wise leader, and closely related to Manakel and beloved by Zoquaria’s citizens. He was sociable and ruled with thoughtfulness, always prioritizing stability over pride. Through his strong alliance with Osmourus and its leader, Collae, both kingdoms prospered under shared projects and mutual trust.

[GUEL IN THE PAST] - The negative embodiment of Juno. He grew stronger the more Juno became stressed out. He first started appearing to Juno the first year he got a job. He has enough sentience to know Vex's true intentions to Zoquaria.

[JULIA] - Wife of Juno for 2 years. She also had a charismatic personality and always has a knack of creativity. She tried to apply for the guard position as well, but failed.

2ND ACT

ETHAN

The younger brother to Mason. He mostly has a timid personality but is always open for interactions with new people. But as he is now half-possessed by Guel, he starts to be more cautious around people, because sometimes he does actions he never meant to do.

MASON

The older brother to Ethan. Very energetic personality, and always the one to cheer Ethan on anything. He was always confused why Ethan has been getting mood swings every now and then, that eventually leads to both them became distant.

GUEL (PRESENT)

Goopy looking due to being fused with Juno (mentally). He can shift from having his legs to just flying, or heck, copying what Ethan looks like when he's possessed. He is not as evil as he was before being fused with Juno, as his sense of judgement is still alive.

Lucidity Lacerate's Lore

ACT 1: "The World Bows to The Worthy"With a new year of where rulers in different kingdoms change every 10 years, it was time for a newly elected ruler for Zoquaria. Their system of knowing who their next ruler is by having an exam that lets them decide what it takes to be the new leader the citizens deserve. One of them we all know, was Vex. He was the only one who was able to pass that test, supervised by Cael, along with Manakel. For the first time in 30 years, Zoquaria is the first to have "two rulers". While Vex is their main ruler, Manakel was assigned to be his "second-in-command" and has to keep an eye on Vex (commanded by Cael due to suspicions).Each kingdoms have their special guards, that being humanoid bombs. All of them are designed based on the ruler's choice. And one guard is only needed for one ruler. Zol was automatically assigned to the new rulers every time, 'cause that's what's his purpose is. As time passes on, Zol was showing visible stress that could hinder possible risks. A solution Vex thought in mind was to open new applications of a guard position that ANYONE can apply to. Yep, you read that right. What's the worse thing that can happen?Cael was responsible again in accepting guard positions and every applicant would know on the spot if they passed or not. We now meet a guy named Juno, who we know now, applied for that position.Before his interview, he was nervous as a wreck. During his stressing moment, he was transferred to his mind and had a small chat with Guel. Guel reminds him about what he should say in his interview since he knows how to get that position. Right on that moment, Juno comes back to reality (he was spacing out in real life, by the way. Looked really stupid too). Juno was then spotted by this other fella that also applied for the guard position: Julia. She was trying to reassure Juno if he was okay since he looked weird without context. But eventually, they had a small chat, walked around a little, and got to know each other before Juno was called in for that interview and she wishes her goodluck. Juno is now face to face to Cael, who now then starts asking questions about the position he applies for. Juno remembers the things Guel told him before, and frankly, they all helped.- How do you handle high-pressure situations?
- How do you react if someone close to you is threatened while on duty?
- Can you follow orders without hesitation?
- Have you ever dealt with betrayal or deception in your work?That last question was the most important to ace, and Juno passed. As shocked as he is, he never knew he would actually do it as someone who had little to no experience in majority of the idea of protecting someone. Julia saw him and congratulated him, although she didn't pass, she was still really happy for him. Juno becomes really interested with Julia and insists on wanting to see her more often so they always meet during his breaks.Juno was then introduced to the ruler he is assigned to guard: Vex. Manakel introduces herself as well, along with his other guard working which is Zol. Vex already seemed unpleasant when he first saw Juno, but it can't be helped since that's who Cael chose. Juno was mentored by Vex about everything: palace rules, time schedules, and a dormitory room where all guards take breaks. As Vex publicly announces his new guard, Juno takes pride of that as he is the first ever one who is nothing like the other guards, and that's what made him really stand out, but no one from the guards themselves were really that impressed.Juno doesn't really use the dorms that often since the guards there sometimes discriminate him, so he often goes home. But he mostly uses that time that he can leave to spend time with Julia, and around 5 months, they were officially in a relationship (yeesh that was fast, I know.) and Julia started living on Juno's home. During the year, a lot of stuff already happened in the Palace; that includes events, funding projects, diplomatic meetings with other rulers, and training drills for the guards.One moment during Juno's break, he encounters Vex with a mysterious look on his face. "Why does he look so out-of-it? Is there something wrong?" and Guel tells him to discreetly follows their room. He hides behind the doors that are half-opened, slowly peaking inside. He overhears about a private meeting between Vex and Manakel.----Vex: “Collae stands in our way. As long as Osmourus has him, they will never bend. Remove the leader… and the kingdom weakens.”Manakel: “You’re talking about assassination.”Vex: “I’m talking about securing our future.”Manakel: “By spilling the blood of an ally? Have you forgotten what he built with us?”Vex: “Alliances shift. Power doesn’t.”Manakel: “No, honor doesn’t! You would trade years of trust for fear?”Vex: “Fear is effective.”Manakel: “Fear is unstable. And if you do this, Vex, you won’t just make an enemy of Osmourus… you’ll make one of me.”
----
Guel already knew about this way before, which is why he insisted wanting Juno to work here in the first place. Juno is completely stunned. Cannot move a muscle and felt like everything in his body suddenly became heavy. He HAS to tell this to someone, but at the same time, that can wreck chaos if he does. He runs off in panic to search for the first person that comes in mind: Zol. He encounters him and tells him about the whole thing Vex said.
---Juno: “Zol, I need to speak to you. Now.”Zol: “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What happened?”Juno: “It’s Vex. I overheard him. He’s planning to remove Collae. Not politically... permanently.”(Zol goes quiet.)Juno: “Say something.”Zol: “…I know.”Juno: “You know?”Zol: “I’ve known for weeks.”Juno: “And you said nothing? Zol, that’s an execution of a foreign leader! That’s war!”Zol: “Lower your voice.”Juno: “How can you be calm about this?!”Zol: “Because panic gets us killed. And because this palace is already balancing on a blade’s edge.”Juno: “We can’t just stand here and guard them like nothing’s wrong.”Zol: “We guard the rulers. That is our oath.”Juno: “And what about guarding the kingdom?”(Zol looks away and goes quiet again.)Juno: "...Coward."
---Juno couldn't believe that even a guard would do nothing about this. Zol does have a point of staying silent, but eventually they still have to do something about that. With Juno still panicking about that information, he leaves Zol alone and ran off outside with a very distressed attitude. By then, he was transported once again on his headspace with Guel.
---Juno: “You knew. That’s why you pushed me to take this post. You knew all of this.”Guel: “Of course I did.”Juno: “Then why didn’t you tell me?”Guel: “Because you wouldn’t have believed me. You needed to hear it from Vex himself.”Juno: “This isn’t some lesson! People are going to die!”Guel: “People were always going to die.”Juno: “Stop it.”Guel: “You guard a tyrant, Juno. Did you think your hands were clean?”Juno: “I didn’t know it was this bad.”Guel: “You did. You just preferred not to look.”---
Guel and Juno never really saw eye-to-eye. Juno never understood Guel's true intentions whether it's actually good or evil, or if it's Guel just trying to protect him in the first place. Is protect even the correct word? None of that looked like something that makes us think that Guel "cares about Juno". Juno quickly escapes out of his headspace out of force and ran to the nearest bar to ease of his thoughts. Juno is surrounded by people who are unknowingly in danger. Him seeing everyone's faces of no absolute sense of danger and just people being themselves freaks him out even more. He drinks his frustruations away, and tries to sober up by smoking for a pack.He wasn't able to arrive home after all of that. He stayed outside that bar to sober up and eventually slept outside. When he woke up, he still had that same sense that he can't get rid of when he heard the news, so he quickly goes home to tell it to Julia. He tried to fix himself first before entering to avoid automatic suspicions from Julia.---
Julia: “Juno! Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick! You disappeared last night without a word.”Juno: “…I just… needed some time.”Julia: “Time? Do you know how scared I was? I thought something happened to you!”Juno: “I… I needed to think.”Julia: “Think? About what, exactly? You look… off. You’re not yourself.”Juno: “It’s… it’s Vex. He’s planning something.”Julia: “What do you mean?”Juno: “He… he’s going to remove Collae. Permanently.”Julia: “Juno… that’s serious. You can’t just—”Juno: “I have to do something. Someone has to stop him!”Julia: “Stop him? How? You’re not a killer! This isn’t a game!”Juno: “…I… I can’t just watch it happen.”Julia: “You could get yourself killed! Or make things worse!”Juno: “If I don’t act, people will die! You don’t understand-”Julia: “I do understand! That’s why I’m telling you; you can’t go down this path. There has to be another way!”(Juno’s breathing quickens, panic rising. Guel’s influence begins to take hold.)Juno: “…I have to…”Julia: “No! Juno, stop—”(Before Julia can finish, Juno grabs the gun from the drawer. A single shot rings out. Silence.)
---
Juno panics, and heavily griefs as he never meant to do that, because that wasnt him, it was Guel. After that moment of panic and grief, Juno gets transferred again to his headspace and he had a talk to Guel.
---
Juno: “You killed her.”Guel: “No. I acted when you froze.”Juno: “You’re a monster.”Guel: “I am the part of you that doesn’t hesitate.”Juno: “I didn’t want this.”Guel: “You wanted Vex dead.”Juno: “Not her!”Guel: “And yet your hands moved.”Guel: “You think I enjoy this? You think I wanted her blood on us?”Juno: “Then why-”Guel: “Because the world you’re stepping into does not allow softness.”Guel: “You can keep pretending you’re different from Vex. Or you can accept what it takes to stop him.”Juno: “…I’m not like him.”
---
Juno opened his eyes to the dim morning light filtering through his curtains. For a moment, he thought he was still in the headspace, but then he saw her, Julia. Dead. Lying on the floor; lifeless. His body froze. For a long, unbearable minute, there was only silence, the weight of it pressing into his chest. The room felt smaller, tighter. Juno sank to the floor beside her, his fingers trembling but holding himself back. He wanted to curl up, to shut out the world, but the sharp edge Guel had placed in him remained. That cold focus, that simmering tension, refused to let him break entirely. He whispered nothing. Nothing came out. The silence was heavier than any words. Hours passed like this, his mind alternately replaying the gunshot and the calm, clinical voice of Guel: "Accept what it takes to stop him".He forced himself to stand. His grief had not softened, but it had changed shape. It had sharpened into something dangerous. Something determined. Something aggressive. The panic and fear of last night had hardened into resolve. When he returned to work the next day, it was not the same Juno. He moved with purpose, his eyes sharper, his movements controlled but tense. The first to notice him back was Zol, and immediately saw how different Juno looks just from his expression, but he didn't question it. Every now and then, every time Juno goes anywhere near Vex or is within his field of vision, he has this very crummy look on his face. This went on for the whole week, until Zol invited Juno for a drink on their evening shift because he started to become too worried about what's happening to Juno. This was now the PERFECT time for Juno to finally let off some steam.---Juno: “…She’s dead.”Zol: (whispers) “What… what do you mean?”Juno: (voice tight, hands trembling on the glass) “Julia… I… I shot her.”Zol: (eyes widen, keeping his voice calm) “Wait… you what?”Juno: “I didn’t mean to! It… it wasn’t me! Guel- he… he made me—”Zol: (cuts in gently) “Whoa, slow down. Breathe. I need you to just tell me what happened.”Juno: (shoving a drink toward himself, almost yelling) “I panicked! I told her about Vex… about what he’s planning… and she started screaming… I didn’t even think- my hands… the gun… it went off!”Zol: “God… Juno… I… I didn’t know. I mean… that’s… that’s a lot.”Juno: (voice breaking, leaning over the table) “A lot?! She’s dead because of me, and nothing can fix it! Nothing!”(He slams the glass down; the bartender flinches. Zol stays calm.)Zol: “…Okay. I get it. You need to calm yourself before you spiral completely.”Juno: (breathes heavily, grabs another shot, drinking it in one go) “…Calm. Yeah… fine.Zol: (leans back, muttering under his breath) “Gods help the first person who crosses him now…”(After that moment of silence, Juno starts speaking up again)Juno: "...You know what I'm gonna do? Just to avange Julia?"Juno: "By killing Vex."Zol: "ALRIGHT this is getting ridiculous and stupid, even for you..."Juno: (stands up with both his hands on the table) "STOP PRETENDING THAT YOU DONT KNOW WHY VEX IS THE REASON I ACCIDENTALLY KILLED HER!"Zol: "Juno, quit it. You're getting everyone's attention here."Juno: "AM I NOW? THEN LET'S TAKE THIS MATTER OUTSIDE, NOW."Zol: (under his breath) "Man this dude still got his manners straight even when he's drunk. He really is insane."Zol: (talking to the people in the bar) "Apologies for the commotion fellas! This is just a normal arguement. Nothing to worry about. Carry on with your night."---They then went outside to continue what they were arguing about. Zol followed quietly, letting him vent but also forcing him to face the truth. He told Juno that he had known from the start about Vex and that Juno’s loyalty had always been meaningless to him. At the same time, Zol reminded him that he was lucky to be the first to break the rule for guards. Hearing this only made Juno’s guilt and rage sharper and didn't change a single thing from what he wants to do. Because Zol now knows what Juno can possibly attempt to do any time and any day, he now has to keep his eyes sharp on Juno more. Juno planned this for days, his original plan was killing Vex with a gun, but with the amount of trauma and memories it brings him to even see or wield one, he changed it to a knife so it "won't bring any commotion" and he can escape discreetly. The one time Zol isn't looking out for Juno is the day Juno finally moves and goes with his plan without any hesitation, but Manakel saw him hide that knife on his pocket before meeting Vex but wasn't able to warn him quickly. Juno tells Vex that he had "an important issue" from one of the rooms that needed Vex's attention and went in there.The door is silently locked by Juno. He breathes in... reaches for his knife on his pocket, and right on the moment of his plan, Vex sensed it and stopped him with one of his tails. Right on that moment, Juno knew he fucked it all up, and that Vex sensed that danger right from when he heard the very faint sound of the door being locked. Someone unlocks the door, and by our surprise, it was Manakel who was about to warn Vex about Juno but was too late.It was time to settle in for Juno's punishment. But first, Vex and Manakel interrogates him in a dark room, with Juno being tied up so he won't do anything at all. It was time that they question him.---Vex: “Well… look who finally decided to show some honesty. Or maybe you’ve been quiet out of fear.”Juno: (voice steady, defiant despite being tied) “I’m not afraid of you.”Manakel: “Bold words. Considering the situation you’re in, that’s either very brave… or very foolish.”Vex: “One story I overheard was you killed her.” (leans closer to Juno) “...Julia. That was… unfortunate.”Juno: “Unfortunate? You’re the reason she’s dead. You made this happen!”Vex: (smirks) “Careful, Juno. Blaming me won’t undo what you did. And what does that have to do with me? I was just sitting here in my good 'ol room!Manakel: “Enough. We’re here to understand why. Not just who to blame."Juno: “You think you’re untouchable, don’t you? You’re planning to get rid of Collae… I know why.”Vex: “Oh? And what exactly makes you think you know my intentions?”Juno: “Because I know how close he was to Cael. Cael… the previous ruler.

Juno: Brave, respected, honorable. Collae was the only one left who actually mattered in the eyes of the people. And you… you can’t stand it. Everyone sees it. Everyone knows you’re unfit, except you, of course.”Manakel: “Enough, Juno. Blaming him doesn’t change anything. You came here with a knife. That’s your fault, not his.”Juno: “I don’t care! I’m telling you the truth. Your plan isn’t about strategy or justice. It’s about erasing anyone who outshines you. Anyone who reminds people that there was a better ruler before you. That’s why you wanted Collae gone… and I’m the only one willing to stop you.”Vex: “So that’s your reasoning… noble, in your mind, at least. You think knowing the truth gives you power? It doesn’t. It only makes your rebellion… predictable.”Manakel: “Predictable, yes. But dangerous. You’ve made your choice, Juno. So has he.(Vex calls the other guards to drag Juno out of the room. Juno still speaks up even while being carried away.)Juno: BOTH of you! Your actions have consequences, karma will arrive.---While Vex was still wearing that smirk with an angry expression, Manakel was just purely guilty. They both watched Juno get dragged out of the interrogation room, and was sentenced to be in a room with no ventilation, food, or water. For 2 weeks, they waited him out if he would apologize, but Juno never did. He will never admit he was wrong. By then, Juno dies in the room on the 3rd week in that empty dark room. While Vex felt nothing about that, Manakel never knew that the room Juno was sent to had absolutely no way that Juno would survive any way. She is angered by the way Vex indirectly killed him off silently and slowly too.---Manakel: "Was there any update about Juno?"(Vex stays silent, and walking away. Manakel follows right in front to block his path)Manakel: "Hey. Look at me. What did you do to him?"Vex: "I locked him out in a room that has no chance of him surviving that, now stop asking-"Manakel: "You LEFT him there ON PURPOSE? SO YOU DID PLAN TO KILL HIM?"Manakel: "YOU LEFT HIM THERE TO ROT."Vex: “He tried to kill me. He acted on impulse. I gave him the consequences of his actions. That’s all. Survival is earned, Manakel. Not given.”Manakel: “No! That wasn’t survival, that was execution! You didn’t just punish him… you destroyed him slowly, deliberately. And you expect me to just sit here and accept it?”Vex: “You expected me to coddle him? To protect him? No, Manakel. He failed."---No funeral was ever planned for Juno's passing, Vex announces in the public how "his personal guard got sick" and says how "weak" that is. While Manakel watches on the sidelines, Zol stares in absolute disbelief. The one moment he doesn't have his eyes on Juno, he's all gone. Right after that announcement from Vex, Zol talked to Manakel about his retirement. He did not want to serve to be their personal guards anymore and just hire a new one. Vex isn't surprised with the news of Zol leaving, as they already had humanoid bombs just waiting for that promotion. Zol had to rent out a condominium for his retirement since his only place he lived on was the palace.Zol spent his retirement days being severely depressed. Became an alcoholic, and frequently goes to the bar that he and Juno always goes to every night to remind him of his memories with Juno.Amidst all that, Juno isn't actually dead, well mentally at least. While his corpse was already rotting in the trash, we now see Juno in his headspace, and now head-to-head with Guel; their final conversation with each other.---Guel: (cold but teasing) “Well… that was anticlimactic. You, lying there, giving up so easily. I expected more, Juno.”Juno: (breathing heavily, disoriented but furious) “I didn’t give up. You know I didn’t.Guel: (stepping closer) “You think this is the end because your body gave in? No, it’s the beginning. You and I… we’re more than flesh. More than weakness. More than failure.”Juno: What are you saying? You want me to… what? Possess someone else? Become… some kind of… shadow?”Guel: “Not possess. Fuse. Merge with me. You, with all your rage, your pain, your obsession… me, with clarity, with intent. Together, we become something unstoppable."Juno: (hesitant) “And the host…? Who do we… take over?”Guel: “Someone who can walk among them unnoticed. Someone who carries influence, someone curious… intelligent… adaptable. Someone who can execute your plan where you failed. I’ve found the potential. It’s someone interesting. Someone who could be the key to everything.”Juno: “And if I agree… if we fuse… we finish what we started."Guel: "Exactly. Well...?"(Juno reaches to Guel, and bright white strings started to appear on his wrists. Juno had that look of unsureness, while Guel was in the process of merging with Juno.)---Thus, Guel now has the physical body and Juno completely gone, They now proceeded to go to a certain host that they can find through dreams. That someone is named Ethan.

ACT 2: "The World Bows to The Wicked"

ACT 3: "The World Bows to The Reckoning"

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FUN FACTS ABOUT EACH CHARACTER!
(still in development)