XBLAZE - Concurrent:Butterfly [IC]

[Airen]

Loraine Irwin
Tomobiki, Nagatani Estate
Morning
April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Warm.
Seithr Rating: 100 (Safe)
Event Stock: 3

"Close?"

She seems to ponder the implication for awhile, as if she had never really thought about her use of that name herself.

"Well... We only ever met one time face-to-face, but it felt right to just call her Isako, so I did, you know? I guess you could say I like her, but I wouldn't say we're close."

...It's a bizarre explanation in many ways, and even she realizes this as she says it, but she still shrugs it off as the truth.

"Pretty sure she was supposed to arrest me, but I think I remind her of someone, so she didn't the one time she had the chance... Ah, don't tell anyone about that though, she might get in trouble."

"Staff mysteries already huh...? Alright, I guess."

Nina agrees easily enough, and:

Listening to her explanation, the group of two that has suddenly become a group of three make a forward progress that can only come with someone who had just worked her way backwards through this very same maze. It's very video-gamey in nature -there's one point where the 'right path' is taken by going through one pathway and immediately turning around and going through it backwards again- but-!

"Anyways, here you go guys-! Treasure hunt, complete-!"

Ultimately, Zero seems to shake off the strange sense of melancholy that took her over for a moment, and gestures to what is quite literally a golden box -shaped like a chest- that had been placed atop a fountain and decorated with a painted crimson question mark...

No...

Actually...

It seemed to be gold with crimson painted flames...

Much like what you had done to your phone... Almost as if...

...It had been put here specifically for you.

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Nurse's Office, Tomobiki(?)
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Cloudy Skies(?)

"...You're..."

There she was again, there he was again - lost in the azure. A recurring dream it might have been but it was pleasant than before but the matter of fact that he wasn't being chased by some nightmare while trapped in some forsaken abyss. The confusion and fear from before had slowly evaporated without him noticing, leaving only a sense of serenity.

It was a lot like the experience he had on the train ride but no longer feeling the sense of dread, Tsugumi could almost appreciate its beauty in it's own unique ominous way.

An endless sky.

An endless sea.

Here he was again, and again, here she was. The individual who in his panic he had given a rather simplistic and predictable name of-

"Hello again~"

"Hi, um, er.... Yes, hello."

Tsugumi was flustered, stumbling over himself in his greeting and failing to meet her 'eyes'. It may have given the impression of a young boy with an embarrassing crush but in truth he was half expecting her to transform into that nightmare he named 'Lilith'. Tsugumi made a note that he would have to come up with more creative names in the future. This recurring dream felt a little odd. All dreams end when the dreamer awakes, the fantasy world constructed from the human subconscious was lost forever and although to have them reoccur was a rarity - the fear of a matter for example would lead to a string of similar nightmares whether it be a fear of concepts, nurses and what have you. But chronology itself in dreams was new. Unless this wasn't a dream and rather something connected to the crystal on his chest...

That itself was a whole other rabbit hole he didn't want to venture down just yet.

"My name is Tsugumi Uro." he said, brushing his hair out of his eyes as his thoughts returned to the matter at hand.

He looked up to where her eyes 'should' be, to meet her 'gaze', to try and find resolve.

Oddly enough, it wasn't resolve he found but curiosity. A spring of questions began to well up within him, who the scarfed individual was, where he was, what all this was, who that nightmare was and most of all, why.

He wasn't sure how to begin or where no less, so Tsugumi kept things simple.

"I won't run this time." he said with a nod to try and confirm things to himself more than this individual. No, no running.

Running would bring the nightmares.

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Nurse's Office, Tomobiki(?)
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Cloudy Skies(?)

"That's probably for the best. Only this part of the Phantom Field is under T-System Control, we cannot protect you if you leave it."

While in your somewhat paranoid state those words could be taken as something akin to a threat, in reality, when this particular figure says them, a slightly bizarre sense of both ease and nostalgia washes over your body...

---The feeling is akin to being around your aunt, or rather...

It feels like being around... An old friend?

Of course, not many examples of those really come to mind, at least not any particularly close ones but...

Now that you've heard this girl's voice for a second time...

She just feels...

Familiar...

"Still, I am aware of your designation, Tsugumi Uro. I am System T-A, The Original Epigraph. If you wish, you may also refer to me as Subject Zero... Or simply, ZERO."

...It's a somewhat complicated name.

With all kinds of complicated terms attached to it, but...

"I am not hostile. Nor will that shadow approach my location, thus, there is no reason for you to be nervous, do not worry."

...It's still a step-up from the shadow.

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

"An excellent question!"

While you had expected home-made lemonade, in the end, it turned out to be the bottled stuff, something that was probably picked up at one of the stores in town as a quick errand to spice up her little outer headquarters.

Taking a seat on one of the many pillows as she directs you to it, Chiasa is cheerfully talking and rambling as always as she takes her own place right across from you; not confirming with her words that another session of fortune telling was going to occur, but rather with her actions.

"Assistants help organize and clean when they are present, however, that is simply the boring part of the job."

---Only the last part of that sentence saves her from immediately being judged as simply tricking you into helping her clean up around the shop.

"I am studied in many different methods of fortune-telling, all designed to gather different sorts of information from beyond the Veil~"

Her fortune telling voice is back.

Those drawn out tones that made her seem slightly over-dramatic at times.

"Amongst those, the cards are the easiest, I can simply use them on the fly with no preparation; for things like the Crystal Ball however, I must induce a trance of sorts in myself... Hypnosis is a big part of any good magic system, unfortunately, the flaw in it is I cannot remember my own readings during this time. So your main job, will simply be to observe the sphere and memorize as much as you can, when I awaken from my trance, I will then interpret the images for the client myself."

---That was a surprisingly active role in this, all things considered...

"Do you think you are capable of fulfilling that task?"

Leaning over the table between you slightly...

She doesn't seem to have any particular problems with extended eye contact...

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Nurse's Office, Tomobiki(?)
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Cloudy Skies(?)

"Pleased to meet you System T-A, The Original Epigraph."It was certainly a complicated name but it was best to stick with formalities. He couldn't pinpoint the exact feeling of familiarity that had suddenly stirred up in his chest but whether it was family or friend... best to be polite regardless.

--Well, that and 'Zero' sounded like the name a teenage vigilante would give themselves after watching too much TV. Tsugumi didn't know anyone who could possibly fit that role off the top of his head.

However that sense of familiarity began to lead to further unease, this person, if he really did know this person then how. Likewise how did she know about him? Was she someone he already knew or were there more severe implications? Some much needed context was needed and he needed to know this much more than things like where he was, which in normal circumstances. If it really was only safe around here then it wasn't time to run.

It was time to be bold!

"Ex-excuse me," Tsugumi asked, hesitantly raising his hand almost as if he was in a classroom "but... um, how do you know my name?"

System T-A may have said there was no reason to be nervous and despite being more pro-active than he normally would, Tsugumi's present nerves wouldn't just go away. That said...

Tsugumi had more questions. Though normally he'd keep his mouth wound tightly shut, with his mouth open they started to slip out.

"What exactly is this place? What exactly is that monster? And why me?"

With the line between illusion and reality blurred and if this was not a dream after all, there was so much he didn't know. The sooner he had context, the sooner he could plan his way out of this situation. Tsugumi hated attention as a general rule so the sooner the better. Everything was fine until he caught the damn Union Virus.

As his hand now lowered, it began to clutch onto his chest where his crystal was embedded.

That bloody crystal. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason why for this as well, how fitting that it made running away all that much easier.

He could always do that later though.

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Nurse's Office, Tomobiki(?)
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Phantom Field (?)

"How do I know?"

The figure doesn't interrupt you as you make your way down a veritable list of inquiries, while she lacks distinctive features in the sense that her appearance is similar to a pale white ghost or a walking silhouette, it doesn't come across as emotionless, rather...

A strange curiosity.

What emanates from her is simply a strange sense of curiosity about your form, in spite of claiming that she knew who you were-

"Such information is part of my database. I am aware of every event that has taken place in the past, and I am capable of mass observation of the present as well; the only thing that is capable of hiding from me is the future."

---Ominous.

While she answers honestly, and in a manner you would call almost cheerful, the implications of such a statement start off at the level of ominous, and could probably get worse if you put any real thought into it...

"Our current location is the World of Tsukuyomi. The last humans that visited it referred to it as the "Phantom Field," of course, such a casual designation is not official by any means, but it has been logged as a synonymous identity for it nonetheless. It is a world of memories. The things that exist here do so because people are thinking of them... The appearance of your sleeping mind here is likely a consequence of that as well, this place dominates your thoughts, and thus you continue to move here of your own accord without direct intervention from myself or System T-B, or even the Shadow... I suppose the T-C System could be responsible for it, but I do not see why it would throw it's user into danger so casually. It is doing a poor job as a guide, all things considered..."

---She's saying a lot of things, and a lot of those things don't actually make sense, but-

"If I was not here, your current situation would be rather poor and potentially fatal. Observation data indicates that 'Shadow' as you call it, is simply a... Malevolent soul in search of life energy. To that end, it attempts to pull others into here... It is a sort of vampiric entity, as a System User, you in particular should avoid it at all costs. It would be unfortunate if it were to devour your essence, it would assimilate your System right along with you."

-Making references to this 'T-C' again and again, as if she figured you should know what she's talking about...

"As for, why you? It is simply the luck of a draw, I suppose."

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

Taking a sip from the lemonade as he followed the petite girl into the many pillows and not minding the fact that it isn't homemade, Yuuki immediately sat down as soon as Chiasa made herself comfortable and began talking; might as well try to make himself comfortable as he listened to her.

"Assistants help organize and clean when they are present, however, that is simply the boring part of the job."

Yuuki took a sip. At least being an assistant isn't a trick to help her clean the shop...

"I am studied in many different methods of fortune-telling, all designed to gather different sorts of information from beyond the Veil~ Amongst those, the cards are the easiest, I can simply use them on the fly with no preparation; for things like the Crystal Ball however, I must induce a trance of sorts in myself... Hypnosis is a big part of any good magic system, unfortunately, the flaw in it is I cannot remember my own readings during this time. So your main job, will simply be to observe the sphere and memorize as much as you can, when I awaken from my trance, I will then interpret the images for the client myself."

It is a surprisingly active role, all things considered; in fact, saying that it is vital to the fortune-telling isn't an exaggeration. If he memorized too little, or even worse misremember what he saw, then Chiasa will interpret wrongly and her reputation and credibility as a fortune-teller will drop...

If he accepted, then her future as a fortune-teller might rests on his hand.

"Do you think you are capable of fulfilling that task?"

And just like that, he realized the pressure on his shoulders as the girl stared at him in the eyes.

Taking another sip from his lemonade to clear away his mind and some of his doubts, Watanabe Yuuki began thinking. To be perfectly honest, he does wanted to help her as a friend; he believed her ability in fortune-telling, and so if he could help more people in believing her too, then all the better. Making her having a better time here in Tomobiki is good after all.

However, one wrong misstep might costs her greatly, and while he wanted to think of himself as a pretty good observer and can memorize the images in the crystal ball no problem, the truth of the matter is that he simply doesn't know.

As a few seconds passed, he found himself unable to look in her eyes anymore; thanks to his rather shy nature, he isn't capable of looking at most people in the eyes for more than a few seconds. This is especially true for girls, which really makes him self-conscious, awkward, and embarrassed that he couldn't really think straight at all.

He knew that maintaining eye contact is important in some parts of the world, but this is Japan and he needed to make an important decision, so surely Chiasa understood his need of composing himself-!

Finishing the lemonade in one big swig, and feeling his mind becoming clearer from doing so, Yuuki carefully placed the drink down and, after a few seconds of deliberations, looked at Chiasa in the eyes once more.

"How about taking my fortune now as a trial run of sorts?" He suggested. "If I can follow the images and remember them clearly, then I know I am capable of fulfilling the task. If not, then there is nothing lost, and you can look for a more capable assistant."

This is the answer that he arrived at after taking in a large amount of lemonade.

If he isn't capable of making a decision thanks to a lack of information, then he just simply need to gain that information-!

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Nurse's Office, Tomobiki(?)
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Phantom Field (?)

Standing still in this azure void, Tsugumi listened with all the focus he could muster. Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, he could not afford frivolities.

"Such information is part of my database. I am aware of every event that has taken place in the past, and I am capable of mass observation of the present as well; the only thing that is capable of hiding from me is the future."

So this individual seemed to be a construct of sorts. A 'living database' of sorts that had the ability to observe the past and present. Tsugumi's first thought that T-A had her own 'super internet' in her head or something along those lines. It was a simple analogy and likely not accurate but it was one that made sense to him.

"Our current location is the World of Tsukuyomi. The last humans that visited it referred to it as the "Phantom Field," of course, such a casual designation is not official by any means, but it has been logged as a synonymous identity for it nonetheless. It is a world of memories. The things that exist here do so because people are thinking of them... The appearance of your sleeping mind here is likely a consequence of that as well, this place dominates your thoughts, and thus you continue to move here of your own accord without direct intervention from myself or System T-B, or even the Shadow... I suppose the T-C System could be responsible for it, but I do not see why it would throw it's user into danger so casually. It is doing a poor job as a guide, all things considered..."

A cognitive world formed of memories and dreams. So it was a dream but it didn't make it any less real. That would explain why he could remember it so vividly. There was a lot of information to sift through but it would mean that these 'T-Systems' were guides for individuals such as himself in this world and as long as he remained within this vicinity, he would be safe from whatever that Shadow was. T-A was his, there was a second called T-B and there was a third, T-C, who was apparently incompetent.

--How awfully... convenient.

"If I was not here, your current situation would be rather poor and potentially fatal. Observation data indicates that 'Shadow' as you call it, is simply a... Malevolent soul in search of life energy. To that end, it attempts to pull others into here... It is a sort of vampiric entity, as a System User, you in particular should avoid it at all costs. It would be unfortunate if it were to devour your essence, it would assimilate your System right along with you."

So this 'Shadow' was a soul-vampire that would devour his essence if it caught him.

Brilliant. Bloody brilliant.

However that last little bit of information had revealed something to Tsugumi.

He was a 'System User' that the Shadow wanted to devour to obtain. Tsugumi had no knowledge of the 'System' however the only thing of note was his Drive.

Wise Up! - Drive Ability

Gear Change
Innate Time control - Tsugumi's Drive grants him the ability to partially separate himself from the direct flow of time and enhance his own body's perception of it, allowing him to travel faster through it. Although it is the effect of granting him superhuman speed and increasing force of his impacts, it feels as if time is simply slowing down relative to the user rather than going fast.

He can easily enter a state of ‘Double Time’, increasing his speed and impact force (damage) by a scale factor of two. It is possible for him to enter higher speeds but he hasn’t attempted this. At his current maximum output, he can initiate a ‘Pseudo Time Stop’ he can activate with the verbal trigger 'Gear Change' where he moves at such high speeds it is as if time comes to a complete halt. However at his current level of strength he can only maintain it for two to five seconds approximately. Any further will put considerably more pressure on the crystal, making the likelihood of skipping to the next phase all that much greater.

When present in an Eclipse, overuse of his Drive will accelerate the stages of the union virus significantly faster than normal.

Tsugumi pulled down on his shirt to reveal the crystal on his chest.

"So this is what that thing is after, System T-A?"

It was less of a question and more of a statement to himself.

"As for, why you? It is simply the luck of a draw, I suppose."

Well, it looked like he had inherited his aunt's dreadful luck.

So for what appeared to be no reason at all, he had contracted a disease that granted him special abilities at the cost of eventually killing him. Furthermore this ability placed a target on his back for a Soul Vampire that existed in a dream world to track him down and devour his essence.

Tsugumi took in a deep breath through his nose.

This doesn't bother me, this is just a weird dream, this is not real, this doesn't bother me.

And out through his mouth.

This bothers me, this bothers me a lot.

He could either run away from this nonsense at the risk of bringing the Shadow to his doorstep which he knew to be real.

Or he could do something. This whole mess was too crazy to make up and as much as he wanted to deny, it wasn't too far a jump from his current situation.

"Ok then," he said "Now what? Is there anything else I need to know or is there something you need me to do?"

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Nurse's Office, Tomobiki(?)
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Phantom Field (?)

"The Crystal is certainly a target, any sort of power source would be one to it. The T-C System just happens to be a superior one in your case, if it devours a System User, it is likely to accomplish it's goal with a single victim. It prefers targets with vast quantities of Seithr."

---In other words, it's not a single target on your back, no:

It's multiple.

Also, rather than T-A being your guide, it seemed that the one you were carrying was T-C...?

Naturally of course, it would be the incompetent one.

"If it could devour me it likely would, however, my programming allows me to act to protect myself in terms of direct self-defense. If it confronted me directly I would destroy it, the same holds true for the other two systems; however, unless it attacks us we are unable to do anything about it. In that sense, the hosts are the easier targets; you are much weaker than us... At least, for the moment."

Still, when you ask her what her purpose for speaking with you was, she:

"I am an Observer, I cannot force you to do anything, you are not my user, so even suggesting courses of action to you lies mostly beyond my directives. It is a mere loop-hole that allows me to protect you, since my presence alone is enough to dissuade the Shadow... However, I was curious that your presence did not lead to the reactivation of T-C; the last time, it activated the moment it saw us. Seithr transfer was complete, so it should be capable of holding a physical presence here, as a predecessor unit, I am somewhat concerned about it's seeming lack of function."

---Flashes of memory.

---Last time there had been a voice, your voice, acting for 'power' in order to complete it's 'start-up.'

"It should have spoken to you. Memories of this place are, at times, stripped away from the possessor, but do you recall anything of the sort?"

---

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

"Ha, you're so serious~!"

Ultimately, she had taken your apprehension with a far lighter heart than you had yourself, as if the idea of you messing it up quite simply did not bother her at all... Of course, there's always been a certain sense of showmanship in her actions, she pretty blatantly liked being the center of attention even if she never said it aloud, and the idea of winding up with a 'vague' or 'inaccurate' fortune might even come across to her as being 'part of the fun,' and-

"Alright, alright, a trial run it is~"

-That is how this had happened; placing both hands upon your lap and sitting straight up, as she had asked you to do, the girl had told you that she might seem 'odd' for a bit, and had then gone silent as she placed a single finger atop the shining crystal orb in the center of the room.

---Humming.

---A light sound of humming soon erupts from her, a quiet sound that never rises or lowers in pitch or tone, and:

---Inside the sphere, the mists start to churn as if in a violent storm; the white fog rolls over boundless landscapes, and flashes to azure right before your eyes-!

The intensity is such that if the sphere was broken, it felt like a sort of hurricane would descend on the area, yet even as you think that, the mists seems to tear themselves apart, revealing the familiar likeness of a school building made of brick and stone, Northern Cross Academy...

---As far as images went, it kind of made sense.

After all it was your school, and so this was telling you things that certainly had a little bit to do with you, but then...

It gets more specific...

The doors burst open, then there's stairs, a single flight of them, then a room...

Second Floor.

212 "Occult Club."

Inside of it... Victorian style couches... Wood paneled walls... And...

A calendar?

April 21st, 2049?

Sitting next to it is... A familiar looking doll... And...

Holding that doll...

Is a girl that stares back into the 'view' of the sphere; she's pretty in the long dark-haired sort of traditional way, and while her appearance is simply that of your average student, the directness of her gaze into the sphere gives off the -assuredly silly- feeling that she can somehow see outside of it...

"..."

Neither she nor Chiasa say anything, and for now...

It seems the image has stilled itself.

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Nurse's Office, Tomobiki(?)
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Phantom Field (?)

Well this was worse.

TWO targets on him and the support he was to get was going to be mediocre at best. However that last sentence... Triggered a memory in Tsugumi

Memories could be stripped, meaning this could have been his third, fifth or even tenth time here without remembering but he knew of one journey, one he would assume was his first.

Walking across an azure plane to see two silhouettes in the distance.

The youth does not know what these are, he does not understand, he becomes afraid.

He runs.

The azure turns to darkness and the youth is pursued by the Shadow.

He leaps from place to place, calling upon the crystal in his chest.

He see's another, sleeping, lost, alone, he's tempted to leave her... but he can't abandon another to that fate.

He takes her, he hides, she escapes but he's caught!

He struggles but he can't fight it off, trapped in the Shadow's clutches all the meek prey can do is be devoured.

But he didn't die.

Tsugumi remembered that last sentance he could recall while he was wrapped up in that nightmare and spoke out loud as proof that it happened, that he was alive.

"Receiving Transfer: Magical Element Levels at 90% of the Minimum. System Startup will become possible momentarily."

Was that T-C that had saved him?

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

Watanabe Yuuki had expected many things when he looked at the crystal ball; images that flashed too fast for him to follow, visions that's too vague for him to decipher, or even showing nothing at all. Those were but a few possibilities that Yuuki imagined might happen.

However, he never expected the images before him at all.

The date doesn't make any sense; April 21st, 2049 was nearly seven years ago, and fortune telling was supposed to tell the future and not the past. Even if it showed him the school, he's not a part of the Occult Club, and thus this image and the girl inside it doesn't make any sense at all...

Unless one account for a certain familiar doll in the hands of the girl.

Ariel said that the doll he and Evelyn saw back on Monday belongs to the Occult Club, and that supposedly, it moving on its own was done via sorcery as some form of a prank. He didn't question that at all back then - why should he doubt an expert on the field? - not to mention the ghost was already taken care of, and he remembers the feeling of disappointment that he felt when that fact was revealed, that the doll was just some kind of a prank.

But now that he's seeing this...

He couldn't help but felt a chill ran down his spine.

The girl holding the doll must have been its original owner, and if the ghost have been taken care off, then it stands to reason that the girl is now dead. Then why show him this image? Why show him the image of a girl that's long gone and her doll?

The logical answer would be because she's related to his future. And if she is truly dead, then that means the girl is related to the doll, which acted on its own in the present...

Is it a ghost after all?

"..."

He didn't like this situation at all.

While he's not the type to get easily scared, the fact that the room is dead silent, the atmosphere and lighting is suitably unsettling, and the fact that the girl seemed to direct her gaze past through the sphere - and by extension himself - is enough to unnerve him. Not to mention he doesn't really know whether it's okay to move from this position, and Chiasa's warning that she might seem 'odd' for a bit...

It is said that the most primal fear is fear of the unknown, and Yuuki have to agree, if only because everything that happened so far is beyond his expectations and he's not sure how to proceed.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he looked at the calendar again, trying his best to ignore the cold stare of the girl.

"April 21st..."

Today is the 17th. Does that mean something might happen on the 21st, four days from now?

He searched his mind for a way out. Chiasa said he had to tell her of the vision after she's broken out of her trance, so he can infer that when she 'wakes up,' the vision in the crystal ball should be gone. She also told him she'd interpret the vision afterwards, so from how the crystal ball still shows him the vision of the Occult Club room, this means the fortune-telling isn't over yet...

In that case, even if it felt silly, there is only one thing he could try.

"... Who are you?" He broke the silence. "Can you see me?"

After all, as silly as it seems, he does felt like the girl could see outside the sphere...

[Airen]

Yoko Aoyama
Northern Cross Academy
Vier's Classroom
April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 1

...Dangerous.

How had this happened? Aiming right at weak points that she shouldn't know about as someone who was little more than a 'stranger,' the fortune-teller's smile is something that Kasumi is slowly beginning to regard as "just as dangerous as that of a certain doctor." She was looking into people far too easily -as if she had some sort of sixth sense for personality traits- and also seemed to be using those same senses for selfish -borderline manipulative- purposes and-

-The begging girl on her arm made it pretty clear that it was working-!

Still... She didn't feel dangerous in the hostile sort of way... Just...

Some sort of playgirl at heart...

"...I'm kind of curious too."

Ultimately, she has to admit it.

Secret flavor?

People don't lie about those sorts of things, and if by chance she is lying, well...

Duels at dawn were good ways to settle grudges. If she said no here she'd come across as the bad guy, so, it seemed like she was more or less trapped into agreeing with the proposal...

"It's... Okay I guess."

She'd just have to watch out for the potential snake in the grass; so long as she sees it coming, she won't be able to do any real damage to Yoko.

"Alright, Alright~ That's a good knight-chan~ Now, you said next week right Yoko? How about next Friday?"

Hopping right into that agreement...

She winks at you with her arms behind her back, and body tilted forward ever so slightly...

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Phantom Field
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Phantom Field (?)

"Yes, that sounds like a probable program execution. It certainly borrowed power from the both of us in order to start itself and repel the shadow. If it had not, I am sure you would have been eaten by it in the end... Still, it is nice to hear it spoke at least once... But to not act now? Strange."

Yes. All of this was certainly strange...

But was that all? What else had happened at that time? Was there a reason it didn't speak to you now when it had back then, was it preoccupied with something perhaps? After all, there had been someone else there with you, right? Another person that had simply seemed to be sleeping in this world randomly, unaccosted by both the shadow and the "System Units," yes...

"Regardless... While you are here, a warning; you will not be able to remember it consciously, but I believe it will serve some sort of function in your subconscious when you awaken."

A pause, then:

"-On April 30th, the "Regret of the Occult Club" will have gathered enough Seithr that she will be a target for the shadow, and if it is caught the shadow will break itself free from it's binds. At that time, Tomobiki will reach it's end."

An ominous warning that actually sounds more or less insane.

"Things should not linger in this world. Find a way to remove it. I am sure T-C will help you in that regard, just as I help my user."

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

This atmosphere isn't cheery at all...

Expecting something more amusing and high-school adventure like in nature, the sudden chill of the scenario is one that gives you an undeniable sense of apprehension that comes across as simultaneously silly and incredibly justified...

Still...

In order to prove to yourself that there is no danger, you speak aloud to the girl that seems to be staring at you from her crystalline sphere, hoping against hope that she doesn't actually answer you, but-

"Sure..."

-That hope is shattered by reality.

The voice is drawn out and slow, the sort of voice that almost seems to be carried to you on a wind that doesn't exist.

"I can see you... Very clearly..."

She tilts her head slightly to the side, the doll making the opposite movement as if it was her reflection in the mirror.

"You're outside... Right?"

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

Fear.

That is what Watanabe Yuuki felt when the girl in the crystal ball actually answered him back.

It doesn't make any sense. A girl who is in the past shouldn't be able to see, hear, or interact with him who is in the present - in her "future." A fortune-telling shouldn't show something from the past, and talking to an image in a crystal ball shouldn't elicit an answer. That's just common sense, how things should be; Yuuki held hope with those thoughts in mind...

But reality is different; the impossible happened, as if to mock his naivete.

This isn't a problem that could easily be solved by something as simple as fighting, running, or asking someone else for help and support; he is utterly alone, facing a strange girl and her doll from the past, and not knowing what to do.

It's precisely why he could admit that right now, he's scared beyond belief.

Still, he tried his best to not let that show on his face, even as he felt a chill down his spine upon hearing the girl's voice and the fact that her movement and the doll's perfectly mirrored each other; He dug his own nails into his palm to distract himself from the fear, to gain courage from the pain and focus.

He just had to think of it like a magical video call, disregarding everything else that made this creepy...

"... So you can see me." He began slowly and carefully, and to his relief, his voice came out fine; no trembling or stumbling.

Good.

"Perhaps you could be more specific." He continued, looking at the girl in the eyes through the tent's dim light. "What do you mean that I am outside?" He questioned, though a few possible answers already surfaced in his mind, such as outside the occult club room or outside her time. No, the purpose of that question was to simply gauge how much the girl understand what is going on, and to gain information himself.

Yuuki took a deep breath before continuing.

"...I haven't introduced myself, have I? My name is Watanabe Yuuki. You are...?" He slipped out, before realizing that might not have been the best move; he should have asked for her name without introducing himself just to be safe, but what's done is done. Calming his frustration at himself for screwing up by digging nails to his palm again, Yuuki then asked the one thing that made him uneasy.

"Does the date April 21st mean anything to you?"

He dreadfully waits for her answer.

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

"Isn't it obvious? I mean that you're outside."

Again, a voice carried on a wind that doesn't exist.

Having decided to try to glean as much information from this occurrence as possible, you force your heart-rate to calm down as you continue to press questions at the girl from outside of her spherical prison; Chiasa isn't being very helpful at the moment so it seems like you're on your own, and:

"Where that other boy ran off too a few days ago. You're on the outside, I'm on the inside... It's not very fair... But dreams never are, or is it a nightmare? It's so hard to tell nowadays, the game continues either way."

While a few things can be inferred from that, it's ultimately an answer that isn't nearly as clear as you want it to be...

"But yes, Yuuki-kun; I already knew your name."

She doesn't detail how or why she knew, just that she knew, of course...

She could just be trying to be creepy for the sake of being creepy... And...

It's certainly working if so... And ignoring your questions of her own name again...

It has to be on purpose, still...

"April 21st... Sure. I know it."

The heads tilt the other way.

"Most people would remember when they died, right?"

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

"Most people would remember when they died, right?"

This time, Yuuki flinched and failed to hide it in any meaningful way.

He expected it, somewhere deep in his mind; certainly, a seemingly random date turning out to be the day someone died had been used many times in horror movies and games, but seeing it in movies and real life is a completely different matter.

It is certainly far creepier in real life.

This isn't making any sense; even though he got answers, it only made him more confused or open up new questions. She's supposed to be in the past, but she mentioned a boy coming in previously... Which might imply time travel, or the more (relatively) realistic answer that she's somehow still living in the present, which is still another headache altogether because her ghost was supposed to be gone. She did say she's in a dream (or a nightmare), but he doesn't really understand what that or the 'game' she mentioned means, not to mention she claimed to already know him and yet still somehow avoids introducing herself...

She must have left out her name on purpose, but why?

Clutching his head in pain while not even once looking away from the crystal ball, Yuuki decided to store away all that information for now; pondering on them could come later. What's important is the girl in the crystal ball, and for him to gain as much information as possible.

"You mentioned a boy who ran off from the 'inside.' Who is he? And how come you already know me?" Yuuki asked, staring intently at the crystal ball as he started to feel colder; he must have broke out into cold sweat as time passed. Still, he had to ask the obvious question now that she had left him with that creepy revelation.

"If you're dead..." He gulped silently. "Then how come you're still here?"

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

"You ask a lot of questions."

A hint of annoyance.

While it's merely a hint of emotion in someone that had been otherwise emotionless, it's such a sudden shift from her usual 'posture' that you can't help but flinch back at the sight of her expression twisting ever so slightly towards anger.

"But I suppose I could play along~"

Only to be confused when she jumps from annoyed to sing-song. It's a complete emotional shift that doesn't seem faked in any way, rather, it's like the mood-swing of someone with a bipolar disorder...

"I don't really know how I got here, I'm just here, you see? I melted away into darkness, and then a voice told me to wake up, and so here I am~"

But where is there? Or rather, where is 'here?'

The occult club-room that existed in the present was unlikely to have a calendar dated that many years back on the walls, and Chiasa had said that this was a method of telling the future and not the past, so if this wasn't some sort of prank the one in the past would be you, but...

That really doesn't make sense.

"The boy said his name was Uro. He ran away. Alice doesn't like him very much, says he's a little too unstable~"

Brushing the doll's hair at this, the toy in question tilts her head down slightly as if to meet your eyes with it's own.

"She also says you're a pretty slow runner, but I'm sure you did your best. If you come over here, I think she'd be willing to play tag with you again, or was it hide and seek?"

Yes...

This girl definitely...

Doesn't have a normal mentality...

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Phantom Field
Morning, April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0
Phantom Field (?)

Well that was problematic.

He had a near death experience, a moment where he was almost killed.It wasn’t a stress-based hallucination or anything. Tsugumi was told this was real and was starting to understand his situation but it wasn’t until System T-A, The Original Epigraph had said it so casually – so bloody casually that it registered.

Tsugumi was almost devoured and the knowledge of that hit him like a hammer. What was worse was that T-C only acted at the last minute to save itself rather than helping him out like the TA, even then it was only with draining energy from himself and System T-A.

He would have been eaten alive, that alone was horrifying but no one he cared about would have known and no one tried to save him.

That was infinitely worse. It was so much… too much for the teens mind to register. So, he didn’t. He just took that thought, wrapped it up in a ball and tossed it to the back of his mind. A nervous breakdown would be inconvenient at the moment, he could always have one later.

In the meantime, Tsugumi gave a lazy, almost absentminded nod. That was all he could do for the moment.

But then again there was someone else there at the time. A young girl. Could she have been a factor?

“System T-A?” Tsugumi’s speech was slow, almost starting to slur “Before I was almost, um… eaten. There was someone else there as well. She was lost… I- I helped her hide.”

It was a quiet murmur, the kind of thing you say to yourself when someone else was talking in a conversation without cutting the other person off or expecting them to even answer.

"Regardless... While you are here, a warning; you will not be able to remember it consciously, but I believe it will serve some sort of function in your subconscious when you awaken."

"-On April 30th, the "Regret of the Occult Club" will have gathered enough Seithr that she will be a target for the shadow, and if it is caught the shadow will break itself free from it's binds. At that time, Tomobiki will reach it's end."

And in two weeks, the whole town was going to be destroyed and everyone was going to die. Tsugumi wasn’t sure what was going to be the cherry on top but that pretty much took the whole bloody cake.

He was fortunate he wouldn’t remember that because if not then an anxiety attack would be coming much sooner than later.His first thought was that the moment he woke up was to grab Naoko, Chiasa and Mizuki, throwing them in a car and driving as far away as possible from Tomobiki.

It was also his second and third thought. Despite this 100% brilliant and logical idea, Tsugumi had a feeling it wouldn’t be an option. For all he could have known, Isako would be standing in front of the car the moment he slammed the keys in the ignition and ask where he thought he was going. It seemed like the kind of thing that would happen. Or maybe the Shadow would just show up early and kill everyone anyways.

It seemed like the kind of thing that would happen.

The youth took in a deep breath through his nose, allowing fresh air to fill his lungs.Holding it for a second.Then expelling it through his mouth.

“Okay then.” Tsugumi said, feigning as much calmness and clarity as the moment required Who is the ‘Regret’ and what do I need to break?”

"Things should not linger in this world. Find a way to remove it. I am sure T-C will help you in that regard, just as I help my user."

If limited past experience combined with the information he got now was anything, T-C was a self-serving coward who would only help him it its own life was in danger. But that last sentence was interesting.

“Wait,” he asked, curiosity taking dominance over the fear as he spoke with a more genuine firmness. “Your user? Someone else like me? Who are they? Where are they? Can they help?”

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, The Azure Tent
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Chilly

Yuuki wished Chiasa would wake up soon, because talking with this girl is really stressing him; that sliver burst of anger and annoyance, only to be replaced with a sing-song tone, nearly gave him a heart attack even discounting all the supernatural things about this conversation.

At least he learned a few things from his earlier inquiry.

The girl is, most assuredly, a drive union; 'melted away into darkness' is pretty much what happened to those who reached level six, though he had no idea on the voice that she heard. The doll's name is Alice, and the boy Uro. He'd have to do a little digging after this is over to look up for the boy in question; at this point, he's convinced that something bad might actually happen soon, and getting information from someone who already went into 'her world' is crucial.

Then again, she said that Uro is a little too unstable, so there's a risk... though that's like the pot calling the kettle black, because in his eyes the girl is just as unstable.

Also, he's apparently a pretty slow runner for Alice's standards, which really made him frown as he looked at the doll; he knew he's really not that outstanding physically, but that chase through the shrine's stairs was really the fastest he had ever run in his life. At least from that comment, it is likely that it is through Alice that the girl had come to know him, maybe actually staying around to hear him introducing himself to Adelina...

Which also means she knew about Evelyn, too.

Drat.

"Perhaps I'll take that offer. I'll definitely catch her next time." He said absentmindedly while taking a small glance at Chiasa to confirm the session is still going on, before returning his full attention to the crystal ball. Asking more questions might further anger her, but at this point he really had not much of a choice; sooner or later he might have to confront her, despite his wish to stay clear.

"Still, Alice is really fast at running, despite wearing a kimono. Is there some sort of secret behind that?" He asked half-jokingly, trying to stay calm. "I thought she was just shy, running away as soon as I saw her, but she was actually playing with me... I didn't realize."

He didn't know whether his attempt at small talks would actually work, but there's nothing wrong with trying. The girl is obviously fond of Alice, so maybe this will help her stay amicable and answer his next question.

"Come to think of it, that means Alice was 'outside' that monday, and now she's 'inside' with you." He started slowly, bracing himself for whatever answer might awaits him. "Why can't you do the same? And what kind of game still continues even now?"