Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Logan Starbright
Aoyama, Tokyo (F-Zero Course)
??? - Morning

It had certainly started as a walk in the park, of that you were sure.

Showing a bizarre interest in what you wanted to do at the start, the silver-haired girl had responded with little more than an agreeable nod, before the two of you had wandered off down the more rural streets of the city... Of course, walks in Aoyama are always opposed with the fact that streets do not always lead to the exact same location every day, it is as if the city itself is alive in a small sense, an ever-shifting location that was likely the result of all the ambient spiritual power that had collected inside of the city over the years, but...

The two of you had managed to reach a park in spite of that... It was a memorial park mind you, a place with a few massive stone sculptures lining the grounds, one of the Goddess Yamuna -who was this ward's patron saint- along with two massive stone samurai that were labeled as "Kazusanosuke," and "Miuranosuke," respectively... Considering this city was the site of the "Kyuubi Incident," where a God of Destruction formed by Humanity's Negativity had landed on the planet to end the world, these statues likely represent some of the entities that had appeared to oppose it at that time...

Of course, a lot of the records of that incident are classified, but there are some damaged recordings that one can view online... Both of the Samurai were apparently massive Persona Entities utilized collectively by the town rather than any form of Demon, although...

In this instance, it seems that any theory thoughts will have to wait, yes...

Because you are no longer in a park, no...

While you had started off in the park, Astra had gotten a bit side-tracked the moment the two of you had reached the other end of it, coming across a somewhat more busy street advertising a certain type of extreme sport, yes...

Somehow or other...

She had caught wind of a "Formula Zero" racing building, or rather, one of the casual hobbyist variants of the sport.

---Sometimes it was just called magic or combat racing, because of the nature of the sport. Uploading everyone into a digital world (for both safety and pragmatic reasons) the racers are encouraged to go throw long absurd courses filled with absurd obstacles, all while being able to more or less shoot each other off of the track if they felt so inclined... Naturally, like most magic sports, it was the sort of thing that only Tamers typically got involved with, but there were a few slightly-crazy civilians that got the urge to throw their hat into the metaphorical ring from time to time, and...

"Show us your courage today, Formula Zero Racing!"

...Something like that, a man simply advertising from outside the building with a megaphone, had been enough to draw her to it through her competitive spirit alone, forcing you to follow along as well, and now...

Now...

---You're staring down a twenty-to-thirty story hill, as you and a few others get ready for your 'turn' on the track. Some people bring their own vehicles -or rather simulated versions of their own- to such places, but with both you and Astra being sort of new to this sort of thing -albeit, you were pretty sure it would have a battle atmosphere- the two of you are going in a sleek blue hovercraft provided by the simulation...

Yes.

Somehow...

She had dragged you into a very extremist hobby on a whim...

Perhaps having second thoughts, or perhaps simply to avoid looking over the side at a particularly insane sheer drop, your eyes wander over towards your 'opponents' for the evening, and...

Of them, only two really stand out as "notable," having an aura around them that showed little to no fear, namely...

"Alright Jack, it's just you and me today got it! But it's casuals, so let's just have fun with it!"

"Got it boss!"

A young woman and her Jack Frost partner sitting atop a monster of a motorcycle, and...

"Hmm... So this is how it works..."

A somewhat stylishly dressed young man getting -gracefully- into the driver's seat of what seemed to be...

Your average suburban van?

Either way...

"You want to drive? Or do you think you'd be better on attack duty?"

Seeing as how this was a sport where one commonly had a partner -whose job was to knock the other racers out- it seemed that your avenues of escape from this particular activity were fading away fast...!

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Velvet Room
??? ~ ???

---Oddly enough, a lot of the books on the bookshelves were completely blank.

Of course it's the sort of thing that would make sense in a dream, going so far as to see different text every time you looked down at a book certainly wouldn't be out of place inside the depths of a dream, but you know that this is far from a normal dream...

So you continue, undiscouraged by the first of many odd discoveries; a deeper investigation into the books surrounding the first blank one simply reveal more blank books, so you begin to wander around the bookshelves looking for something that seems out of place, books that have been recently disturbed perhaps, or ones that -unlike the majority- actually have legible titles on their spines and...

Eventually, you certainly come across a few that are more inherently interesting; with titles that are easily legible even from a distance, and being half-pulled from their places inside the shelves as if someone had been doing research with the recently before lazily throwing them back in, are a series of five novels -massive, to the point where you think they'd make a good last resort bludgeoning weapon- with the names:

-Xanadu

-Silent Revolution
-Lunar Kingdom
-King of Ruin
-Lost Cradle

Of them all... Xanadu is somewhat separated from the rest, being on a shelf above the others, while of the bottom four "Silent Revolution" seems to have been one most recently browsed, considering that it's halfway out of it's place and has an actual bookmark in it... Of course all of them seem interesting in their own way, although the names are somewhat bizarre, and you're almost certain that you won't be allowed to look at more than one (considering dream logic) still...

Which one...

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Velvet Room
??? ~ ???

I don’t recognize any of these books.

Hardly surprising, given the strange nature of the rest of the shelves. Most of these books are blank- am I unable to see their contents?

Or do they have yet to be written?

Unfortunately, there’s no one I can ask about it right now, much like the choice before me.

Naturally, given its distinctiveness from the rest, Xanadu seems pretty interesting, although the meaning of the word is completely lost on me. Lunar Kingdom- maybe it’s related to the NWAB, since they have a base on the moon? And as for the remaining three, I haven’t the slightest clue.

But in the end, I think…

…I’ll try Silent Revolution. All of their names sound exciting, but this one seems to be the most recently browsed of all of them, judging by the bookmark- and while I’m having my doubts that this really is Agatha’s personal shelf, it’s a good indicator of its current relevance.

As to what exactly- I guess that’s something I’m about to find out.

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Velvet Room
??? ~ ???

---You could, perhaps, be forgiven for thinking that it's a simple book of world history.

After all, even a cursory glance at the start of the book would reveal page after page of simple notes on the history of the planet earth, or rather, of the many human civilizations that have appeared on it's surface... Of course, the book is bizarre in quite a few ways, appearing to be handwritten -Agatha's handwriting- and having a 'glossary' of sorts at the front that defined certain 'terms' that seem strange, namely...

-Messiah: World's Savior. "Akira Kurusu"

-King of Bel: One who commands the "Heretical Tower/King's Gate," enabling total domination of their world's demons.

-Tokyo Lockdown: Eight day period where Tokyo City was cut off from the rest of the world due to a demonic invasion; location of the 2009 "Bel War."

-Bel War: War to decide who will become the King of Bel. Won by "Akira Kurusu."

-Great Erasure: *Phenomena not yet completely understood, referred to by this name by the world's inhabitants*

...Things like this, and looking further ahead, specifically where the bookmark had been placed, the book that had seemed pretty close to a history of your own world diverged in a few ways in the early 2000s, namely...

The "Kyuubi Incident" that took place on November 20th in the history of the world you knew... Is never mentioned in this book, nor is the "Second Kyuubi Incident" that took place in 2008, and was quickly followed by the worldwide appearance of Demons, Magic, and magi-technology to the world... Instead, the book treats the early 2000s as a footnote, pausing only in 2009, where an apparent war between certain humans and demon-kind erupted in the heart of Tokyo City over the right to become the "King of Demons."

A young man named "Akira Kurusu" is mentioned as ultimately winning the war for the sake of humanity, gaining the title of "King of Bel" for himself, and had then submitted himself to the world's governments to maintain the "Status Quo," while granting powers to those who -it was thought- would not abuse them...

In other words, in this world you're reading about inside of this book (and that is what it seems to be, a different world) humanity never gains common access to magic, no...

Moving ahead about twenty years, or rather, to somewhere that would be a few weeks back in your time...

That world starts to get "erased."

At this point, the novel's details get a little more sparse... As far as you can tell, it's akin to an actual erasure, like the planet itself was somehow falling to pieces, or being eaten by some sort of strange "Void." The damage is slow, so evacuation efforts are successful, but the humans can't find a reason or method of stopping the phenomena, and being unused to the supernatural, panic and unrest have become a common thing worldwide...

In the midst of all of that, the world's "Messiah" and his group are given a certain message by an unknown benefactor, one that states, in no uncertain terms...

"If thou wishes to save thy land, then thou must follow this decree: Destroy Xanadu. The method lies in-"

...Something like that, of course, naturally, like any book that's just gotten to the good part...

It ends there, or rather, Agatha's handwriting cuts off there...

And much like her handwriting...

That particular 'dream' cuts off there for you too, namely...

Everything shudders, an invisible ripple running through the room, and-

"..."

-in a blink, everything changes.

The bookshelves are gone, the novel is gone, and in there place, or rather, taking their place as the most interesting thing in the room...

Is Agatha.

Asleep on the couch, head slumped over on her shoulder in a manner that preserves her natural grace...

[Airen]

Raz Stone
Serena's Office - Avalon
??? - ???

---It is, perhaps, somewhat unsurprising to find out that Serena had been in charge of the investigation of the objects you had picked up back in the forest. While the woman herself wasn't an active Tamer, she was the sort that found ways to be "infinitely useful" in spite of that fact; she was a certified COMP Smith, a practiced Medic, in charge of publicity and recruitment, and was the unofficial official method of getting Merlin to exit any room on base, in other words...

...She's a super ice-cold workaholic, still, potentially unhealthy work choices aside, she certainly...

Gets results.

---Lined up on the table, are the items that had been recovered from the expedition, now declared 'safe' by the folks down in the lab, and consequently submitted into more traditional evidence with reports on their features:

-As a battlefield analysis had indicated, the cloak was used to hide one's spiritual presence on the battlefield. It was a "dampener," in a sense, designed to hide oneself from scanners and sixth senses rather than from eyes.

-The helmet appeared to be a sort of OOPart, utilizing strange foreign code that the techs had had a difficult time piecing together... As far as they could tell, it seemed that the helmet was an observation device, it was capable of recording and analyzing the things that it saw, up to and including the theories behind spells in a manner similar to "Skill Crack" technology... Although it only seemed to be a small piece of a bigger whole, the "helmet" to a "suit of armor" was the guess of the supporting technicians.

-The laptop was -as expected- not going to spell out the entire plan of the owner for you. There was no Plume of Dusk inside of it, but like the helmet, the 'underlying code' it ran on was foreign... The COMPs had been able to get inside of it in spite of that -as that sort of thing was amongst their powers- but the laptop as a whole didn't seem like it had been manufactured by any recognizable company... The files that had once been inside of it had been deleted from it's interior, but considering Burroughs had given copies of everything to Lucid, that wasn't too much of a problem, speaking of which...

While Lucid himself couldn't be present -it seemed his user needed him today- he had been more than happy to copy over the files to the DTG, and as far as those went...

It was a piece of sheet music.

...Yes. Sheet music. While it might sound like an obvious observation, it was clear that whoever had been watching you had also been "composing" something as they did it... There was some more miscellaneous data along with it, as if they had been trying to convert the song into a spell formula, but considering they had been interrupted mid-composition, it was unlikely you would be able to figure out what their ultimate intentions for such a "spell song" were...

Finally...

There was the Raz Doll.

---It was seemingly just a remote controlled drone, a really powerful one naturally, but still something that someone else had been controlling from afar. No one had been able to get it up and running again just yet, so it was a bizarre body lookalike just sitting on a medical cot, but...

Well, it certainly did look exactly like you...

On the DTG's end, research into systems that could "mess around with time" was somewhat difficult... The phenomena wasn't exactly impossible, as "Wishing Star" formulas could theoretically do it, as could the "Master System" that modern COMPs were based off of, but...

While Wishing Star could do it "theoretically" none of the Knights had a known power that could do that, and the Master System had been destroyed during World War Two... There were probably Gods that could accomplish the task as well but...

Burroughs probably wasn't one of those...

Ultimately, it's a gathering of evidence that is only missing one key member, and indeed, sitting in a room with a silent -arms crossed, no nonsense- Serena, it's only the somewhat timid -being outside of her rocker persona- entrance of a certain Sara Cross that brings any life to the room that isn't already being brought into it by Raz, in other words...

"Ummm... So, I heard you needed me Mr. Stone? Is this about the drone from earlier?"

The meeting is almost painfully tense-!

[Airen]

Mokujima Chris / Daisuke
Aoyama Gakuen ~ S.O.S Club
??? - Afternoon

"Yes. All the time. No matter what I say."

In some ways it's the easy topic, but having found common ground with Saya over the fine art of complaining about your user's self-destructive tendencies, the woman seems to open herself up a bit as she crosses her arms, the preemptive 'breath' that she takes before opening her mouth again hinting at an incoming lecture, or really...

More of a rant...

"He'll stay up all night going over other people's formulas, or carrying out requests from the club box. Whenever that happens, he has an unhealthy tendency to use energy drinks to get through the next day instead of just taking the day off from school or work-! There was a time where he was going for three days in a row, and I had to refuse to process any and all magic formulas to get him to stop! Of course him being the way he is, he decided to learn martial arts shortly after this so that he could patrol even if I wasn't feeling 'agreeable,' so I had to make a few more threats to seal the deal..."

---She sorta seems like his mom, and considering her appearance...

That might just be whose memories she was formed from...

"I've considered learning some sleep formulas to just knock him out myself, but I feel like that would only work once... It's a real problem, he doesn't take of himself nearly enough... If that wound he had taken had been taken by someone else, I guarantee he would have found that shard in a heartbeat, but noooooo, when it's him, a quick patch job is enough?! He's got things to do?! It's ridiculous! Helping people is fine, but he takes it way too far-!"

...And it seems that it's the key to her own 'immaturity' as well, meanwhile...

---

"Of course I'm ready to continue, when there are things to be done there are things to be done."

He had said that with a smile, seemingly unaware of his A.I badmouthing him for this exact character trait inside of another conversation...

Having pushed aside his marker board and cleared many of the loose papers from his table, the dark-haired university student is already constructing a magical circle to 'hold' the fragment of crystal in place and seal it's abilities... A cursory examination by the both of you had revealed it seemed somewhat similar to a 'Plume of Dusk' in terms of physical constitution, but a closer look would be necessary to really say for sure...

"So, this Sakurako-san... She's a good friend of yours right?"

And perhaps, sensing that simply devoting oneself to the art of science in silence would be a shame -or perhaps that he could also give his original lecture alongside this one- that young man...

Asks a question he had been curious about ever since the actual incident...

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR - Brewed Awakenings (Rothschild Branch)
Wednesday - Evening

"Ah, I don't expect you to apologize, it's not like it's your fault."

That's her initial response, an honest one made with a somewhat surprised look in her eyes. Having told the story to you as a sort of 'small talk' topic, the woman hadn't expected you to take responsibility for your family's faults, after all, while she hadn't been privy to the details of it, she had always heard that the Karlfedlt's method of training was a 'harsh' one...

In that sense, you were also a victim of sorts, someone she had expected to simply sympathize, laugh with her over the family's colder more aristrocratic ways, but...

"Hah..."

That initial reaction turns into something else after a moment, namely...

She starts giggling, and those earlier 'teasing' eyes...

Come back quickly, as if something inside of her head had 'clicked' after thinking it through a bit more...

"Although, if you feel bad about it..."

Yes.

Giving that sort of 'safe' answer was no fun for her, no-

"You could do me a little favor maybe? You are the inheritor right? It's nothing big, I promise~"

-voice becoming slightly song-like, the woman throws a mischievous smile your way without hesitation-!

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Velvet Room
??? ~ ???

That book was… weird.

Disturbing might be a better way to put, given the way it ended.

Presumably, since the handwriting seems like Agatha’s, and its contents don’t match real life history, it’s some kind of fictional work she’s writing. A setting for a story she intends to write, perhaps?

From that perspective, it’s an interesting enough read. The Kyuubi incidents and ensuing widespread appearance of magic were large events that changed history dramatically, so it’s fun to think of what modern day might be like if they never happened. I imagine for people who remember life before and after, it’s especially striking- although I don’t know if that applies to Agatha, given her apparent memory loss. But anyways, I can see the appeal, and would be curious enough to see what happens next.

But… is this really something Agatha is writing for fun?

…I guess I don’t know enough about her to answer that for sure.

Nonetheless, the ending segment feels a little ominous.

However, there is someone here who would know- better than anyone else, I’d imagine. I could wake her up and ask, but… she seems to be sleeping quite peacefully.

...It feels wrong to disturb that.

Agatha did mention that she has plenty of clients, and she puts up with me every time I’m here. I’ve never seen her sleep, and I don’t know how time passes here, but she might be quite busy- this might be a rare chance for her to catch some rest. She could be having a good dream right now, like me- though it’s strange to think of dreaming inside of a dream.

…And also that’d mean admitting I was thumbing around her things. Not that I think that’s really a big problem.

Either way, I decide not to disturb her and leave her to her rest.

There are other things I could try- looking around this room, perhaps, to see if there are any other changes, thinking about some of the recent things that have happened, or maybe just sitting on an empty spot on the couch and wait for her- or me, to wake up.

Things are different from the first few times I was here, where I was waiting for nothing in particular, without a clue where I was.

I’m not in a rush- the book can wait.

[Zurvan]

"You could do me a little favor maybe? You are the inheritor right? It's nothing big, I promise~"

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR - Brewed Awakenings (Rothschild Branch)
Wednesday - Evening

There was no need to apologise to Anna, after all Ludwig couldn't have helped her even if he did know of her situation. Someone however should hold responsibilty for the family's actions. And with the inheritor status on Ludwig's shoulders, there was no reason for him not to try and make amends to improve the family's name.

Of course, making these amends can bring their own troubles. Accepting responsibility is not a task to be taken lightly. In this instance however-

"All you need do is ask Anna, how can I be of service?"

-surely there's no harm in trusting such a mischievous, cute smile.

The fact that Anna could ask Ludwig for a favor regardless of circumstances is probably best kept hidden from her.

Naturally the person that did know this little fact could not help herself teasingly her little brother.

Lydia:
"I didn't know you were so weak to cheeky cute smiles. Seems I found a potent weapon~."

Maybe the effect is stronger due to the contrast of Anna's usual stoic and professional attitude to her current behavior, but deep down Ludwig wasn't sure. He couldn't refute Lydia's teasing words.

The harsh Karlfeldt training did in fact not train him against mischievious smiles-!

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris / Daisuke
Aoyama Gakuen ~ S.O.S Club
??? - Afternoon

"Wow... so that's what it takes to be known as a 'Reliable Sempai'..."

Daisuke can't say he shares Saya's feelings, not completely. After all, though he hasn't ever conversed with Shuichi, the young COMP certainly admires him. A selfless hero who is there for everyone, who wouldn't be impressed by someone like that?

Well, he's just been given the answer: someone that sees all the sacrifice involved in acting so perfect.

"I never realized... when you put it that way, it's like... like being irresponsibly responsible!"

Daisuke frowns. That sounds plausible, but...

"Maybe Shuichi feels like he can push himself that far because he can rely on you to be there to hold him back? That's what Chris said one time, when I locked down her bank account to stop her buying a third phone for her mobile games..."

The boy folds his arms immediately afterwards, however, as if to deny such a cheery-sounding justification.

"But you shouldn't accept that, Miss Saya! There's nothing heroic about ignoring your partner's feelings! You should leave a request in the ballot box! Something like 'I'm really worried about my unruly User, please help him understand my point of view'!"

...

As the COMPs trade gripes and advice, their Users, oblivious to the conversation, peer into the tiny fragment of crystal.

"Sakurako..."

Chris pauses her examination, distracted from her examination of the crystal by Shuichi's question. It calls up old memories, some of them bad, but most...

"Yep," she nods. "She's my friend. The best."

The microscope is out of focus. Switch to a finer lens, zoom in, sharpen the image, and the lattice becomes visible...

"This week... was our time first meeting in person. But before that, Sakurako was there for me, and I was there for her."

It's not an uncommon story. In this day and age, making online friends is, if not perfectly normal, at least not overly strange. Plenty of people with niche interests resort to such means to find common ground with others. Entire subgroups and communities centered around such interests exist, with dozens, hundreds, thousands of members that have rarely met but would call each other 'friend'. So, what would make this relationship any different?

"I don't remember how we met, but it was years ago... during the worst years of my life. They were probably hers, too. We were both very negative, so... we got along badly at first, but eventually, she became someone I could talk to about anything, without being afraid of judgement. We were always talking, after that."

Chris adjusts the instruments and sets up others, to monitor refraction, transformation of energy, temperature... the works. Shuichi's club room really is impressive, to double as a workshop like this. Her old room, by comparison, had been a barely habitable mess.

"We stayed away from our physical lives, so I don't know... I don't know where she lives, or her last name. I don't know if her parents are alive, if she went to school, or whether she has any siblings. But I know about all the things Sakurako hates, and what she likes. I know her favourite books, and which philosophers she read, and each and every horrible thing in this world that she couldn't stand, and... I know that I definitely wouldn't be here right now, if she hadn't been part of my life."

"When she stopped responding and disappeared, I decided... becoming a Tamer would be the best way to find her again."

It takes Chris several moments to realize that she's left Shuichi hanging, having lost herself in old memories.

"Um... it's a bit much to explain the past five years, so... if you have any specific questions, I can try to answer them."

[Tobias]

Raz Stone
Serena's Office - Avalon
??? - ???


"We are going to talk about that crossy, but in reality if you ask why I invited you, of course the reason that any moment not spent in your presence is of course one entirely bereft of light and music!"

...Most people in Avalon already had a certain level of insulation against raz's rampant flirtations. When is little joke failed to break the tension....instead drawing an exasperated sigh and a "hurry up!" motion from Serena, the shades wearing knight turned serious.

"The reason I have called you folks here, is this is the group of people with the most experience in dealing with an anomaly that had developed over the past few days. The detective and I have been trying to ascertain whether or not this is a rather low level operation or something more serious that we have yet to fully understand. ...Personally...I am inclined to to think the former, not everything is an end of the world level cataclysm, but my counterpart, well he is cynical. Which is a nice way to say paranoid."

Shut your yap, flatfoot. if you don't stop with the pontificating we will never get started, and Serena will kill you for wasting her time.

...Wait, on second thought, talk all you want."

I love you too. You want to take the floor?

No. You aren't ever going to learn how to build a case if I am always holding your hand.

Where should I start?

With your new skirt. She can't help you if she doesn't know what this is.

"Sara?" Raz said outwardly in response, "There is a lot going on here, but the cliff notes version is shortly after I dropped our metallic stalker, thank you for the coffee by the way, it was as pleasurable as your company! A duel I was quite enjoying was interrupted by this....thing here." Raz said, pointing as what rather unnervingly presented itself as quite a convincing facsimile of his own corpse.

Not good enough. She needs to know what he was doing.

Seriously, do you want to do this?

Why? This is more fun!

"We don't know what he wanted, and my partner and I have different theories. I invited everyone here so that we might have a better chance about figuring out who had been watching us, and why. My own theory is that this is an occam's razor type situation. I am not sure a grand deduction is really needed."

Raz could practically feel the glare of a certain older A.I. at that.

"When Sara and I encountered the surveillance drone, he appeared to be monitoring a spellcraft intended to influence public perception."

...Raz had been careful in his phrasing here. The magic in question had actually been from Sara, the special anti-surveillance harmonix she had used to disguise herself, but Raz made sure it would sound like the drone had been watching something he had done.

"When I encountered it later, it was doing the same. And my partner pulled a half created song from a device intended to break down and analyze spellwork. My theory then, is that there is a machinist in the area who is sending these things around Avalon, looking to create a facsimile of songcraft. I don't mean to brag, but my type of magic could easily be turned into a lucrative spell formula, were someone of a mind to do so."

Raz ticked the items of his conclusions off on his fingers as he spoke, one finger after another.

"This is concerning and definitely something worthy of investigation but....well, my counterpart has a different theory, one he wishes to have me explain for....well actually I don't know why. Essentially, he believes that while our observer is interested in songcraft, he believes this is actually ancillary to his true goal is observation on useful individuals in and around Avalon. This is why he requested your presence Serena. He tells me if his theory is correct, other situations in which promising young heros will either shortly begin to, or already have begun to, encounter situations similar to what Sara and I have experienced, signs of secretive observation, encounters with shadow like beings intended to test our abilities, reflexes and conditions.

Raz paused for a moment to stretch his neck and gauge the reactions of his listeners. While he was used to making speeches, unlike the DTG, it was a bit outside of his wheelhouse walking interested parties through a logic chain.

That's why you have to do it kid.

Of course, Raz ignored him.

"He believes that someone or some group of people is attempting to build a pool of candidates for some larger endeavor, the exact means of which is unknown because he fucking sucks at his job. He concludes by surmising that if there really is a powerful organization managing such, not to long from now, seemingly unrelated factors will begin to align themselves in such a way that these candidates will be drawn to the same location. The most likely of which would be some sort of joint training expedition or reasonably simple exploratory mission. I have repeatedly asked him where the hell he got this theory but he just says its a secret or that a detective has to protect his source. It's really great knowing my own damn COMP is straight up keeping secrets from me. Like super great.

...Every once in a while Raz would do or say something that demonstrated that despite his usual presentation as a hot blooded but noble knight, there was still a few vestiges of the rebellious youth that try as it might, even the legendary personality shaping protocols of the Golden City couldn't completely expunge.

"At any rate, I wanted to ask y'alls opinion on what we should do next, and maybe go over this crap," Raz said, indicating the room full of wayward evidence, "to see if the lab geeks missed anything."

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Velvet Room
??? ~ ???

For now, you decide to leave her to her rest.

The reasons are doing so are many -after all, this is the first time you had ever seen her sleep- but the shift in the room seems to indicate that many of the 'deeper' secrets had vanished along with her reappearance, as if you had fallen -or perhaps risen- into another level of the Velvet Room, a dream within a dream, or perhaps awakening from a dream into a dream?

...It's a logic train that hurts to pursue after awhile, so you eventually decide to just focus on the here and now. Just because the room seems like it's hiding it's more extreme secrets, does not mean that no secrets exist after all, and it is with this mentality that you do a once-over on the entire dreamscape once more-!

---In doing so, you find two more things:

There is a (locked) door at the very back of the room with a metallic plate reading "Challenge" across it's surface, and on the eastern wall, atop a bulletin board, is a single sheet of paper titled "Request," and on that paper is...

-What is "Cola?" Can someone bring me a "Cola?"
-I've heard this LOVELESS Mall place is interesting. Someone offer to take me? Please?
-Break the giant mirror in the North Pole. Bring me some of the shards. It's probably dangerous, so be careful!

-Apparent evidence of an odd habit of your spiritual secretary, as if she had to write these sorts of things down instead of just asking them out loud, but more interesting than that...

There are some requests here that are marked off, with other people's signatures showing up on it quite frequently, such as a "Miyamoto Yoriko," and a "Mochizuki Noriko," as if other people had passed through the room at some point, although, considering what Agatha had told you at the start...

It wouldn't surprise you if they had...

Still, while her somewhat anxious method of writing requests rather than speaking them comes off as somewhat bizarre, the woman in question...

"Someone's in here...? I-I wasn't sleeping!"

Wakes up with an energetic lie, leaping to her feet like someone who had just realized they were a couple of hours late for work-!

"Who is it? Eva? It's Eva right?"

Yep...

Panicking...

Looking left and right rather than behind her, a certain calm secretary...

Is showing a -somewhat cute- nervous energy...

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama - Abandoned Apartment Complex, Tsukiko's Room
??? - Morning

Disregarding subtleties, you decide to just throw yourself through the wall after the fleeing doppelganger. It's a mindset fitting for a delinquent, the decision to take the straightest path between you and your target regardless of what gets in your way, and...

"Oh-!"

Certainly, rather than taking the long route like Tsukiko had, this method certainly puts you right in front of someone on the other side of it all; of course, what the tactic had in speed, it lacked in another area, a certain area called subtlety... As a result, while you certainly catch 'that person' in an unexpected moment, her reaction, borne out of supernatural reflexes-!

Is to leap up and away the moment you come crashing through the walls, her figure a black blur behind a storm of wooden debris and rain as the sudden sounds of the storm outside intensify tenfold now that you're out inside of it... The rains remind you of those generated by the remnants of typhoons, a harsh unforgiving rain that seeks to sweep everything away in a flood... In comparison to how it had sounded inside, the sound of the droplets outside is almost like that of a machine gun, as if the storm itself had intensified in response to the doppelganger's escape from the home, becoming a curtain of water that distorts everything in one's vision and...

"You're quick!"

Slipping through your grasp -but back within the range of your sight- the woman's reflexive leap had carried her away from Aoyama -as if she couldn't approach it- and out towards the forests leading to the mountains outside of town... She lands gracefully atop a tree branch, the ancient oak holding strong in the face of her slight weight, and grinning at you in the darkness she-

"But I don't like men that are too aggressive, you know~? Your dad was kind of the same way!"

-moves to head deeper into the forest after taunting you with alarming words, the sheer speed of her escape prompting you to do the same to keep up with her... Out of the three people inside of this chase, it seems that Tsukiko was the furthest behind... While you were sure the girl wasn't 'normal' (few people were entirely normal nowadays) it seems like there's some aspect of this chase that has her lagging behind in it...

Still, so long as she can see you, and you don't lose her yourself...

She should be able to catch up eventually.

---Of course, it's more your style to handle this sort of thing on your own anyway, so the automatic pursuit is natural and seamless, a dive into the forests that refuses to let the fake leave your sight and, in response to that aggression, to a speed that can keep up with her own-

-something sharp comes flying back to meet you, thrown with a speed that easily surpasses those of bullets from the old world.

Considering the speed of the projectiles, as well as the strength of the falling rain, it is difficult for you to tell exactly what was just thrown your way... There are few -if any- mundane projectiles that could hope to actually harm you, but...

---Something inside of you tells you you can't ignore this woman if she attacks you.

It's the danger sense, the part of the human soul that recognizes when something is wrong, when things aren't "quite as they seem" and thus, the part of the soul that rebels against the fate of pain and death, thus...

[hero]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama Gakuen - School Grounds
??? - Morning


"... Say something like that again and I'll puke."

'As expected, you placed a spell on me when I wasn't looking, didn't you...-?!' would be my go-to response in a situation like this. However, because we've shared information not too long ago, it quickly becomes evident that this insignia, this crest, is not Shuichi's doing. Though my immediate objective is to head to the cafeteria and clear this survival exercise, I am not the kind of person who'd overlook such a suspicious detail in favor of something like a silly race. No, in the first place, this could be the faculty's doing. It's no secret that they possess not just tamers at their disposal but ESPers, as well. While it's true that they are and will clearly continue to hold back -since otherwise we would have already been eliminated-, continuing without devoting a moment of our time to the nature of this sigil could prove to be a fatal mistake. If that's the case, then...

"Hold on a second... Irmina-san, would you happen to know what this is?"

Ever since we met, I could tell that Irmina was a strange kind of person. Someone who's both a complete enigma, yet can be predictable in a certain sense. A woman of science, yet one that would throw numbers aside in order to face a challenge head on. Because of that disconnection with the world around her, she has a different air to her than the rest of the teachers in Aoyama and I would be lying if I said that didn't make me feel at ease. Yes, this school might be filled with weirdos, but Irmina might just be the greatest weirdo there is.

That said, it's obvious that she possesses the qualification to be more than just a school nurse. Granted, in a way, we're supposed to be more than just a school.
What I am trying to say is that I have no doubt that Irmina's medical knowledge is top notch. Going by that logic, it's likely that she has encountered a good number of magic-basic enchantments and diseases during her career, for in this new age those are a common threat. It's possible that she has seen this symbol before, and if she has, then as part of our team she has to tell us its purpose.

Whether its part of a plan the faculty devised, a ploy by another student or something else entirely, asking nurse will always yield the greatest chance of success.

"Somehow, the design feels familiar."

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Velvet Room
??? ~ ???

I wasn’t expecting to find much in this room.

That’s why stumbling upon this board is a bit of a pleasant surprise- it’s a side of Agatha that I wasn’t aware of before.

That should make me happy, but at the same time, I also feel a little dissatisfied… I’m not sure about the other two requests, but a cola seems simple enough. Even if we haven’t known each other for that long, Agatha has been good to me, and I wouldn’t mind doing at least that much.

If she had told me, then I would have gotten her one.

But, well… I’m sure she has her reasons.

Anyways, since I know now, I’ll try to bring one next time.

And the other two… LOVELESS seems doable too, but I don’t know if she can leave this room. I haven’t the slightest clue about the north pole request, but that’s something I might be able to figure out later. Or maybe I could ask her directly about it later, together with the other door here and the books from earlier.

As for now-

-It seems like deciding not to wake her up earlier seems to have been the correct choice. Her reaction is uncharacteristic of the image I’ve had of her up until now, but I don’t dislike it. Seeing a rare side of someone makes it feel like I’m being let in on a secret that no one else knows. I guess I should feel a little bad since she seems a little panicked, but...

She must still be disoriented from waking up, since she hasn’t thought to look behind her yet. Taking advantage of this, I try to make my way over to her as quietly as possible, and leaning in, I speak.

“Good morning, Agatha. Did you have a nice dream?”

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Junes ~ Food Court
??? - Morning

---It had never been as popular as LOVELESS, but the Junes Department Store was still doing it's best to hang on in the face of adversity.

It's certainly not a hopeless struggle, the sounds of people browsing the many shops can be heard as a gentle background buzz no matter the time of day, and a little more than half of the Food Court's tables were occupied at pretty much all times of day... Yes, Junes was certainly popular in it's own way, filled to the brim with local mom & pop stores rather than LOVELESS's more popular -and bizarre- brands, it was much less exciting of a store, and perhaps as a result of that...

Had some popularity with those that simply wanted to shop and leave, rather than get lost in the -probably enchanted- chain of Super-Malls that was LOVELESS...

For you however... It is mainly the place where you meet with Tsukiko, a neutral "Meeting Ground" if you will; having been assigned to the Joker Case together due to Merlin's machinations, it had been the other girl's idea to touch base like this at least once a week, grabbing a coffee out in a public space rather than the more cafe-like existence of shops like Brewed Awakenings, or a certain other coffee shop in the corner of London that brought up painful memories, and as a result, coming here had become a sort of weekly habit for you...

Of course, this time around you had almost missed it.

The bizarre 'incident' during Akarana's interrogation had done a number on your body, and as a result, you had been held inside of quarantine for far longer than you would have really liked... Still, while the crystal had clearly been the culprit in damaging your body -Akarana was seemingly still unconscious because of it's relapse- the appearance and purpose of the Crest upon your hand had been somewhat less clear in comparison...

It was certainly a Magic Crest, a brand of sorts that seemed to have appeared due to outside interference, but...

Even Merlin couldn't tell exactly what it was for, although it was discovered that it made you much more resistant to the crystal's influence than you had been before... It's appearance on your body had been the turning point of your little episode, with your body stabilizing almost immediately afterwards, so combined with everything Merlin could find out about it, it was most likely something beneficial in nature, a blessing rather than a curse...

Along with that, it seemed Tsukiko had developed an identical mark as well...

Online reports were also... Less than existent, at least as of now.

To be frank about it, it was a pretty clear unknown, a bizarre phenomena that seemed more helpful than dangerous...

In essence...

Just another bizarre occurrence in your life as a Tamer.

With the Mark being deemed 'safe,' you had been allowed back out of the hospital to do as you will, and thus, you had made your way here...

"..."

Not just because you were supposed to meet Tsukiko here today, but because...

Laplace had told you to come, that it was important that you arrive on time today, because they were going to ensure that you were off the suspect list for "Joker's" identity, in other words, while she hadn't come right out and said it...

There was a good chance they were going to stage a Joker appearance here, so Tsukiko herself could witness you chasing it along with her...

"..."

It's a bit extreme, and probably a painful experience for the volunteer but...

It was always important to cover one's tracks, still...

"...You got a tattoo too, huh?"

Sitting gracefully as always, one knee crossed over the other, that woman...

Makes a general remark as you approach, the shining silver of her own 'sigil' openly exposed on the back of her mug-gripping right hand...

[Airen]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama Gakuen - School Grounds
??? - Morning

"By all means, puke. I'm well aware of the weakness of your stomach."

Doing your best to ignore Shuichi's pleasant tone of voice -and slightly unpleasant words to go with it- you decide that it's best to request information before continuing on here; of course it's only natural, having secured one of the faculty as an ally, having her spill the beans on any potential traps they might have set would certainly be a great boon throughout the rest of this exercise... And on the off chance that the faculty had nothing to do with it and it was 'something else entirely,' having the nurse take a look at it would be a good way to ensure it's not dangerous...

---Of course, stopping to pause like this makes you witness to a flash of light from inside the simulated school, followed by an explosive decompression of air that blows out the glass from all the windows, but...

At this point your classmates had to take care of themselves, even Shuichi didn't seem to think he could actually protect them forever, indeed...

Just like you, he seems somewhat more concerned about the mark on his body. Of course, this particular mark doesn't feel negative in nature -as curses typically do- and you even get a vague sense of familiarity from it, the same feeling as what you got what you looked at a particularly clear blue sky out in the world... But paranoia is paranoia, and in this case it's perhaps right to be, so...

"Hmmm..."

Taking a look at it without complaint, the silver-haired nurse pockets her slime samples, before gripping your arm as if to hold it in place, face hovering close enough to it that you could feel her breathing, and...

"It's not dangerous."

...Ultimately, that's her answer.

Or rather, that's the start of her answer.

"I've never seen that exact design, but I've seen something similar," voice edging a bit closer to the professional than to the energetic, the nurse releases your arm so that she can grasp at her own, unwinding the bandages that had been covering it up, "It means you're allowed to 'travel' to certain 'other places.' Although it would be difficult for me to explain more about that here... I have one too, although the design looks a bit different... Probably because I'm not from here I guess?"

Using vague wording that could mean quite a few things, the woman nevertheless presents the skin of her arm -or rather that of the back of her hand- to you, and-

World Crest: Regalia

-reveals a mark of her own, one of a different color, but one that seems to 'glow' slightly all the same.

"It's not something that will hurt you, so I wouldn't worry about it too much... It's like a glorified magical passport, but there's no time for a lecture on multiverse theory now..."

Standing around out in the open like this...

Was sort of asking to be shot...

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Junes ~ Food Court
??? - Morning

Junes is a perfectly nice place. Homely feeling, casual mall atmosphere, stuff you wanna get but not take ages pouring over… what’s not to love? Though, as a Knight, it’s a little awkward taking casual trips to the mall by yourself. When you’re alone, you tend to attract attention, so people gawk or come for autographs, but if you’re in a group, people tend to assume you’re both trying to enjoy yourselves and only the really persistent butt in. Or at least… that’s been my experience.

But that feeling isn’t really why I dread my trips to Junes. The reason for it is the person in front to me—Tsukiko Yonagi.

Junes has been our “neutral” space for a while now for our daily meetings on how to catch Joker, which will drive me insane until they end. Everywhere else has been… kind of a crapshoot, not worth mentioning. And, honestly… these meetings are kind of dull. We talk about work, I lie as much as anyone can to keep my double-life going… It’s pretty taxing.

But there are people to which it means the world to have a one-on-one conversation with Tsukiko, and I am one of them. I wouldn’t give this up for anything else, no matter how awkward it gets…

Aster: Ayra… can you focus? I know this happens every time, but Laplace wants the best of your awful acting ability, so please…

Sorry, sorry.

Right. Instead of Mirror Image, which, honestly, that attempt was barely convincing at best, there’ll be a real substitute to work with. And to sell it, I absolutely have to treat it as seriously as possible, even if I do pity the poor bloke who has to sub in for me.

"...You got a tattoo too, huh?"

Tsukiko interrupts me as my eyes scan the menu, wondering what to order. I’m not really in a rush, and it’s rarer for her to start the conversation, so…

“Yeah. Spent a couple of days in the infirmary, as you may have heard, but I’m feeling just fine now,” I say, which is pretty much the truth. While resting for that long irritates me because I missed so much work, it can’t be helped. I can just treat it as the most boring vacation of all time. It would have been nice if she visited me, but I guess that’s just my heart being hopeful…

I glance at my hand, the mark in full view. I thought about wearing a glove or something to cover it up, but in the end, that was just too much of a hassle… Better to be honest.

“When did you get yours? Did something happen?” I ask, curious. I wasn’t privy to that much news other than the barest details while sitting in that bed, so hearing it from the source herself would be the best way to catch up to speed.

And, well, it’s not like I just want to hear her voice or anything. Not in the slightest.

Aster: Oh my fucking God…

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama - Woods
??? - Morning

"--------!"

Rapidly approaching projectiles.

Something his body should normally no problem dealing with. If anything, they should have been a laughable obstacle in his way.

Yet at the same time... his instincts were screaming, warning him of danger.

There was only a split second time to care about danger, not enough to tell whether or not his sixth sense was lying to him... but Blaise knew better than to simply disregard that nagging feeling at the back of his head. The moment his eyes registered those projectiles heading straight towards him, magical energy was already gathering at the bottom of his feet. Kaguya's song of spells weaved around him, and once more, the roaring ramjets of draconic fury were activated. The ground was smashed around where the blonde boy's feet hit it, and in almost an instant - punctuated only by a shockwave - he disappeared from the intended path of projectiles, leaving nothing but rain behind.

Where had he gone?

The only place he could.

------------- Straight above.

A second stretched into minutes as Blaise hung in the air, spun around by his momentum. Yet at the same time, his eyes were trained at the target, this fake of a Tsukiko. His legs twisted around, leveling him horizontally, while bringing him to the apex of his assisted jump. Yet it did not end there; Kaguya's song was not over yet. The air around his legs warbled and coiled once more, ignited by the white and blue flames of spiritual nature, gathering energy. For a moment, for just a moment, the enemy that had decided to take his friend's form saw a bestial grin of exhilaration rise to Blaise's face, his eyes having never left their target. The reason for this was clear, all too clear, if one knew Blaise Pendragon at all.

This was the first enemy in a long, long time that had put him on the edge, that had made him careful.

This enemy, whoever she was, had managed to lit aflame the natural love of battle that lay deep within the boy, fanning the flames with her antics and her clear power.

Yet, if she was not careful.

... It would be her who was burned by those very same flames.

"Het-------------!"

And the second was over.

The dragon step, an ability that smashes ridiculous amounts of energy behind Blaise to throw him at wherever he wanted to go in an almost instant movement, activated. The air creaked and the trees swayed nearly off their roots, branches breaking here and there. The boy disappeared once more, but this time there was no doubt where he had gone. Because just as quickly as he had disappeared, his hulking form appeared before fake-Tsukiko, barreling straight towards her with his fist reared back for a punch that would have knocked her through the trees and then some.

And once more, the boy's face was a mask of cool, cold determination.

"Aggressive? Just where are you looking at?" Blaise grunted as he threw a punch with all his momentum and kinetic energy behind it. "Compare me to that old bastard at your own risk----!"

With each word, spiritual flames flared out of Blaise's mouth, framing his face in fire.

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS - Interior
??? - Afternoon

"Well, my friends should stick out, there's quite a few of them..."

Words that had propelled the duo -now a trio- even further into the depths of a particularly bizarre shopping mall... Of course, the addition of a new person to the group of adventurers was bound to be something that threw off your previous dynamic a little bit, but whereas Miyu was cheerful and friendly, the one most likely to start babbling about anything she saw that interested her, Kagura was...

A bit more quite, not any less friendly mind you, but a graceful, refined aura that almost made you feel like the two of you were escorting some sort of princess... It was just the sort of air she held, a way of walking and breathing that allowed none to look down at her, but...

"So you said you are a Tamer, Ms. Fairchild? Is that true of you as well, Miyu-san?"

...At the same time, she never loses her respectful tone towards anyone else either.

"Well, technically no... I sort of never applied officially -long story- but I'll be one by the end of the week," rubbing at her hair awkwardly, as if purposefully dancing around the whole 'coma' issue, she nevertheless puffs out her chest a bit as she continues, "But I have all the credentials for the job! Tons of previous experience in dealing with magic, so feel free to think of me as one if you'd like-! I'm actually quite the hero! Helped fight the Kyuubi a long time ago!"

---Yep.

Obvious self-pride, and no apparent desire to hide that pride in any way.

"...I see. That's impressive."

Of course, while that could be construed as her playing up her own abilities, Kagura seems to accept it without hesitation, simply nodding her head at the brief explanation as if it was enough for her, and...

"The heroes of the Kyuubi Incident were quite something... I've been doing a bit of research on them myself... I've always found that case rather interesting you see? They're sorta like the world's modern day mythological heroes right?"

...Also seems to reveal a sort of 'fan-girl' side to her personality...

Of course, that's not exactly untrue.

The heroes of the Kyuubi Incident were well known as being, well, heroes. Of course, a lot of them had also slipped into the background after the incident itself, doing their best to go back to normality rather than embrace their fame, there were still images of the "second Kyuubi incident" that showed a number of them fighting the giant monster inside of Aoyama, and hundreds of theories online about exactly who the more "mysterious" members of that group were...

Mary was one of the more public ones, as were Kenji of the SDCD and Adala of the Rothschild, but...

There were some that were next to impossible to hunt down, especially because they were going out of their way to be difficult to locate...

But humanity is humanity.

Their curiosity makes it so that they want to know, and indeed...

---You knew the names of quite a few of them yourself, even if only because Mary was one of them, and the group as a whole had a tendency to 'meet up' once a year in Japan for a certain "anniversary."

....Not that you had ever managed to go yourself, something always seemed to come up to stop you at the last second...

Still...

"Yeah, that's a good way to put it! Everyone is really cool and super strong-! Really, I'm actually probably one of the less cool ones in comparison..."

From a sudden burst of confidence and cheer, to...

Pouting?

...A bit too easily carried away by her emotions, Miyu seemed to be...