[Video - Transmission from Alpha Trion's Temple]

[symmetriphiliac]

[The feed flicks on to reveal a rather furious looking boy with three white stripes on the left side of his hair, his unnatural gold eyes glowering at the camera. His chest is heaving as he struggles to restrain himself; if looks could kill, then the device would be dead five times over.]

Is this someone's sick idea of a joke?! How could anyone possibly think of doing something so twisted?!

[Of course, he must be referring to his appearance on Cybertron. Not hours earlier, he had been in Death City, speaking to his fellow classmates... It would only make sense for him to be so incensed, having been whisked away to a foreign planet!]

This marking on my shoulder! Why is there only one?! It's completely asymmetrical!

[... Or not. Even without the glyph directly visible, the very idea that he could be marked in such an unbalanced, terrible way... His skin should have rejected the ink to begin with!]

I demand to speak to the ones responsible for this atrocity!

Comments

[pendragon]

It's quite alright. I am pleased to meet you, Kid. [ Saber gives a polite smile before going on to explain the influence. ]

This outside influence is from the gods who the Cybertronians, the natives of this planet, belong to. Around the Haven, where we are located, is the Badlands. There are unspeakable horrors out there, and the closer you go, the more influenced you will be by sad madness. The influence originates from their darker god, Unicron, and is widely known as "the Calling." If we had not the glyphs, it would influence us even within Haven, and apparently, quite easily.

[symmetriphiliac]

I wish the circumstances had been different.

[The similarities between 'Unicron' and the Kishin were difficult to ignore. He frowned, running a hand over his shoulder. The nagging wrongness of the asymmetry was still gnawing at the back of his mind, but he needed to keep his focus.]

Has anyone seen this 'Unicron'?

[pendragon]

No, but I've seen those without glyphs go mad. There's no exaggeration in that story. [ A shake of her head. ]

[symmetriphiliac]

How did they remove the glyphs in the first place? Given their magical nature, I wouldn't think it was possible without the help of the First Forged.

[pendragon]

They never had them. However, the glyphs can change over time. One person, Four, has totally changed alliances. We're not sure what changes the glyphs.. [ Saber thinks it has to do with peoples' actions, but no one has seconded her idea yet. ]

[symmetriphiliac]

It's difficult to consider it an alliance, when I wasn't given a choice in the matter.

[pendragon]

There's only so many to be allied with, so I believe that the one that is most similar to you is the one that you get the glyph of. [ A pause. ] I felt much the same way, but on this planet.. well, better to be with a glyph than become mad.

[symmetriphiliac]

I suppose so.

Do the FirstForged have any plan for returning us to our rightful worlds? I can only imagine the consequences of so many abductions throughout the various universes.

[pendragon]

No one has ever returned to their world, although there are several that have tried. [ Ah, the question of being able to return home. Since Saber believes she was summoned here, she never thought of the possibility of leaving anyone behind. ] And this is not the FirstForgeds' decisions. They don't know why we're here, either.

[symmetriphiliac]

[That was unsettling. To have his father's attention divided at such a crucial time...]

Even if they don't know, it seems like they have the best chance of returning us.