Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Kuroyuki]

Rossweisse & Hiyori
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ Streets
11/16/2026
Afternoon

"Don't you see little one, the fact that I'm at the JAXA of all places and am still doing desk jobs just shows how mundane I really am. Came all this way, and still get stuck with the boring jobs. I could be inside, testing out space vehicles or something, but no... Paperwork. Sign on the dotted line. You see?"

‘You say that but I’m sure you get to see and hear some interesting stuff just by being here! Scientists accidentally talking about their projects in break rooms or carrying around top secret reports about space! You would also be the first person to meet unexpected and important guests! Actually this job sounds super duper cool!’

During my freakout, Hiyori and Mikoto seemed to be getting along perfectly. As Hiyori placed it, meeting some random spirit tamer like me was pretty insignificant even if she knew my moms and Alexia. Like as a good example, today, one of the Akaranas was invited as a guest lecturer and she’s just the most prominent one as there are other scientific experts in attendance. To Mikoto, I was merely a side note in her day…

"Wow. You're really energetic. Twenty bows and still going... I'd forgive you, but I kind of want to see how many you'd be able to do in a row-"

She hasn’t forgiven me?! I should’ve stepped back further so that I could’ve done a seiza after all! I’m sorry, I’ll do that immedi-

"-I mean everything is fine. Nothing to forgive, Rossweisse."

“Eh?”

I stopped my attempt to enter seiza and looked up at Mikoto with hesitant eyes. She forgave me that quickly? A second ago, she seemed like she wanted me to keep going… However, she wasn’t looking at me and instead she was looking behind me towards the NWAB agents.

"To show my goodwill, I will tell you the story of how I lost my job as a radio host."

I straighten up at her declaration of forgiveness. If she’s forgiven me, then I shouldn’t make things more awkward by apologizing some more. Even if that’s the case...

“Y-you really don’t have to if you don’t have to.”

‘Ross! It’s too late! She’s already dramatically pausing for effect!’

"...I fell asleep on air. University life did not make sleep easy to attain, you see? The plight of the student is to suffer even after you graduate too. You need experience to get a job, and a job to get experience. The World isn't fair. You get what I'm saying?"

I listened quietly to Mikoto’s very calm and nonchalant reveal about how she lost her job. Then her life experiences after school and that job.

“...They wou-”

‘WHAT?! THEY FIRED YOU OVER FALLING ASLEEP ON AIR?!’

I covered my ears in pain since Hiyori was that loud. I hope Mikoto wasn’t bothered since Hiyori flew up right next to her before yelling. I would’ve told her off for yelling so close to Mikoto but… At that moment, I had a sudden wave of tiredness from my head. But I can’t stop now. Hiyori needed to meet Charlotte Akarana. If I need to rest… I can do it later...

‘Where’s the producers?! They need a talking to! If they’re firing people for that kind of reason, they're behind the times and need to rehire you! Nowadays, people sleeping on a stream is content! The other day, I was watching a Vtuber accidentally fall asleep on stream and everyone was like “TSKR!” and giving out red supas!’

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris
North Pole
???/??/???

"...I see."

Chris' blank stare is like a stone mask. She takes in everything without reaction.

Alexia's words confirm some of her theories and dash others into the dirt. The scope of the situation has steadily grown broader. No wonder Robin is acting up; he's antsy about the performance that has begun, one that will draw in Tamers from across the globe. No doubt he will be thoroughly entertained no matter what happens.

The bespectacled woman glances at her faerie doppelganger. He did a good job, huh? Getting her in touch with Alexia like this, tracking her down in the middle of nowhere... for as whimsical as her demonic ally is, he is certainly effective when he wishes to be. There is a reason she keeps him around, after all.

The brat, though... the brat is going to be a problem. A steadily-growing problem. A pain in her neck that has progressed to the point of being impossible to get rid of. It's irritating. Yes, irritating. That much, Chris can still recognize about herself. That irritation has bled into her actions ever since this morning... no, even before then.

"S-sensei."

Chris' stare isn't like a stone mask at all; it's like the barrel of a loaded gun. She takes aim at Alexia Wright's imprint, preparing her verbal volley carefully, putting everything in its place. The sixth and final question, locked and loaded. Chris takes a frozen breath through her nose, opens her mouth, and...

"I'm frustrated..."

Rather than bullets, a monotone sigh. A question that is not a question, concerning a matter of the heart. Coming from someone who never really talks about her feelings, it can be considered a rebellious right hook from the complete opposite direction.

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

… some kind of mimicking ability?

That was the only conclusion Eva could come to from the information she had gathered. Assuming Liesl had not been lying- an unsafe assumption, perhaps, but one she was willing to work with for now- then it was just Eva who was seeing a copy of herself right now. The information her sensors had given her, as well as the familiar spell wrapped around her leg supported that theory.

This was an entity that had the ability to copy its opponents, then. And it was unlikely that was all- an exact copy wouldn’t be useful for winning in a fight. There was probably some sort of trick to give it an edge, though she didn’t know what that could be.

Most importantly, it was very clearly hostile.

Eva was hesitant to attack earlier, not knowing what she was up against- but since it seemed clear there was no point in running, nor any new sources of information waiting to come in, then there was only one option.

She wasn’t going to let this thing pull her into darkness without a fight.

And if this really was copying her, then she knew exactly how to do that. Instead of fighting with her strength, she’d fight it with her weakness.

Preparing Aura Shield just in case her doppelganger had decided on a similar strategy, Eva fired a blast of Marabufula into the darkness.

Wise up!

Name: Eva Ellet
Comp Heat: 9/10 (Used Marabufula, Aura Shield)
When Eva is in combat mode (ready to fight seriously and hasn't been caught off guard) she gains the passive stat benefits of all three COMP types, in essence, when fighting, her base stats are effectively:

Strength: A
Vitality: A
Agility: B + 1
Sense: C
Resistance: C

Auto Skills
- Judgement
- Absolution

Spells:
Auto da fe
Spirit Chain
Agi/Agilao/Agidyne
Bufula/Mabufula/Marabufula (Used)
Aura Shield (Used)
Sukukaja

Comp Action:
8.) Fortify Body (Armor-Type COMP Action): Negate the 'stun' chance of successful attacks that would target a user's weakness on this turn. (Used)

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Rooftops
11/16/2026
Night, Thunderstorm

"Nee-san...?"

For a moment Blaise's eyes went wide. For a moment, he felt an odd breath lodged in his throat. Just like before, when he had seen Tsukiko's face through the shadows of the nightmare, he felt that his world had been thrown in for a loop. Whatever this misty reality was, it did seem to like play with expectations and truths. Perhaps that was its nature. In a dream, anything was possible, no matter how improbable - and lot of it was based on the actual waking world. Images, places, people... in that sense, it almost made too much sense. However, at the same time...

... No. Don't take anything for granted.

He couldn't afford to waver here. The battle was still on, and despite the gun held against its head, the nightmare didn't seem defeat at all - to the contrary. Thus, as he moved through the rooftops, Blaise killed the flames surrounding him and spit out the two fang-like cigarettes that had almost burned to crisp. Instead, he confidently walked up to the edge of the roof, not bothering to keep his presence a secret. He instead stared down to the street, eyes sharp, taking in every minute detail of the two combatants - or whatever they were.

The reason was simple.

By making his presence obvious, he wouldn't catch this "Noriko" off-guard and let the nightmare get in a cheap shot. Instead, he would be a present threat/ally that surveyed the battlefield from a vantage point, making it clear that he could give a warning or a helping hand in case something unexpected happened. Clear, present, wordless announcement of his intentions and who he and the girl with him were.

Though at the same time... there was another reason why he did not say anything.

He couldn't.

He didn't know what was up with this Noriko he saw before him... but even though her attire, mannerisms, outfit and demeanor were different... that was still, clearly, his sister.

And since she was, he didn't know he should have said. Not yet anyway.

The only thing he knew for real was...

--- That if the nightmare tried hurting his sister, he would tear it limb from limb.

​Nobody hurt his sister and got away with it.

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
???
12/22/2026
Evening

"Well, as I told you before, I am not able to save you myself, I cannot manifest enough power to oppose that machine directly."

In response to your question, the woman before you adopts only an emotionless, detached sort of voice. It's the voice of a self-assured person, one who knows exactly what she needs to do and does not doubt her actions in that regard, a trait that makes her very different from you, as does...

Her refusal to change her expressions again, maintaining a robotic sort of calm even in the face of what is looking more and more like an unsurvivable situation...

It's like she thinks her earlier shows of emotion, the brief flashes of distaste, the slight empathy, all of it...

In her eyes, it'd been a mistake to show those sorts of things... Or something like that at least, nevertheless...

"At least, not without reclaiming the body... Which I would prefer to not do for a number of reasons. Still..."

The tapping stops.

"What I can't do, perhaps another can?"

She extends a hand out to you.

In comparison to her regal clothes and demeanor are hands that are a bit more rough on an extended glance, marked with scars of all sorts... It's difficult to identify the types of them, but if you had to guess... They're scars from blades and fire, the sorts of lingering marks left on a person that has marched on a number of battlefields where they didn't always come out unscathed...

"Tell me..."

Her eyes pierce into you once again...

"...If you could call someone to you right now, who would it be?"

A question with a number of implications...

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
???
12/22/2026
Evening

What kind of life did you lead, to think that showing even the slightest hints of emotion was a mistake?

What kind of battles had you fought, to retain those scars and burns on your hand?

Cosmos Fairchild didn't know the answer to these questions, and she doubts Cosmos Semesta Preciel would answer any of them should she voice these curiosities in her mind.

That's why she didn't say nor ask anything to her other self; she'd like to believe that she'd eventually learn the answers to these questions in due time.

So for now, she'd focus on the present.

Who would she call for help?

Logically speaking, Cosmos Fairchild would ask for Alyx Kingsleigh in normal circumstances. Despite their sisterly rivalry - or perhaps precisely because of it - Cosmos fully knew what Alyx is capable of, and trusted her with all of her being to be able to help and cooperate with her on the field.

In this extraordinary circumstances, another option would be Daniel Proctor. As a certified WNAB member, he's perhaps the most powerful tamer present at the moment; it's highly likely he'd have a trick or two up his sleeves that could turn the table.

But in the face of what seems like certain doom, there could only ever be one possible answer for Cosmos Fairchild.

Even though she would normally never consider it.

Even though she had made a quiet resolve to protect her at all cost.

If she had no choice but to survive, then--

"Mother... Mary...!"

It's only natural for a child to call out for her mother.

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Nurse's Office
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

“Apologies. It was a fit of childish thinking to assume things can be resolved simply and directly,” Ayra says, looking sheepish. The answer was staring her in the face, but she simply didn’t want to accept it. She was simply holding out for an unrealistic possibility.

"Guess true World Peace is an impossible dream, huh?"

“The beauty of dreams is what you do to achieve them… Even if they are out of reach,” she says, gazing at the asleep Aster. “Besides, progress consists of striving for the impossible. The impossibility of the past is the achievement of the future.”

Christ, she sounds so corny. It’s in the job description, but still. Her own opinions sound like dialogue from the Phoenix Rangers.

“That is to say—world peace is only impossible when people stop believing it is possible altogether.”

[Airen]

Mokujima Chris
North Pole
???/??/???

---Like a bullet, an unexpected admittance fires through the snow-coated fields of the North Pole.

Relying on emotional means is an art that does not often work in the real world, the emotions of others are things that humans are often far-too-quick to disregard for their own sake... People often only care about those relevant to them, an unfortunate limitation of the fact that people can only really know a finite number of other people in a lifetime, but...

"...That doesn't surprise me."

...If one is going to call themselves a "teacher," then one must care about their students.

While her nature is seemingly jovial and unbothered on the surface, the expression that crosses the brunette's face at this surprising admittance is one that is rarely seen from Alexia Wright... A sudden shift in the spirit towards the serious, where the joking aunt-type disappears, replaced by a nebulous other, that serious self that only comes out when she feels important points are being approached and crossed, something that manifests even in online conversations, where the woman's tone became serious when it came to matters revolving around Daisuke, in other words...

---Matters of life.

When it comes to that concept, things that will sincerely affect life, how people live, well...

"You've been caught in something chaotic, a storm of unprecedented scale. I'm sure it doesn't feel fair in the slightest, and it's not, not really."

There is no joking voice.

What emerged from the woman is an almost tired sort of resignation, one that puts into question the woman's motives...

No.

No... There's nothing to question there, after all...

Alexia Wright is an idiot.

She is absolutely the sort of person who will smile and laugh so that others feel better about things...

A void who hides her own thoughts to even the most inquisitive minds.

"I'm not sure there's anything I can say that would make that frustration go away... This... Event... Is Something that has already swallowed us whole, even if a number of us don't realize it. It's a cage of sorts. One that we're locked inside until it's resolved, one way or another..."

She doesn't smile.

If a student is going to throw a right hook of sorts... She'll take it head on...

It'd be a shame to do anything else.

"...That being said, if you do not wish to fight it, you do not have to do so." She says this with gentle eyes, ones that seemingly refuse to judge anyone in their sight, "This particular storm can be gentle if you embrace it. There will be some... Oddities yes, but if you choose not to struggle against it, you could probably return to your normal life."

She says softly.

"No one could blame you for doing so and it might not even be a bad path to take... Of course, I'm not saying that's what you should do either, but... I am saying it's okay to do so, if you wish it."

---An odd statement, but a necessary one.

"If not, well... Frustration is a complicated feeling," her gaze doesn't leave you, "At the start of tasks things often feel overwhelming, immutable, so it's important to just tackle one thing at a time."

Eyes close.

"If you want to save your friend, then focus on saving your friend... Befriend the kid? Befriend the kid. It might not seem like a path forward at first, but any action is a step forward in the grand scheme of things."

---Even Robin has stopped it's antsy movements.

Although the cheshire grin makes it clear it's enjoying watching all the human emotions on display...

"Feeling frustrated just makes the moment the tables turn all the sweeter... In my experience anyway. Knocking down a mastermind's house of cards will always bring a special sort of satisfaction with it..."

"Then again... Perhaps I'm being a bit too serious?"

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"Hmmm..."

She closes her eyes,crosses her arms and makes an audible thinking noise, as if to better imagine what you had just described to her...

In a sense, it's a bit of a childish response, something that doesn't quite fit the serious air of the conversation till now. Of course, the neon lights of the cafe's bar give the entire area a sort of dream-esque feel to it (something that you are starting to think that Vincent does on purpose) so perhaps it's fine to embrace a bit of a more mischievous side? If you can imagine a door why not imagine it? You knew that something was supposed to be there after all, something that does not conform to the normal rules of reality perhaps, but something all the same and yet...

"Less antique and more... Rundown American Motel I think... One out in the middle of nowhere..."

...With closed eyes, she says something strange, a bit out of left field...

"It'd be the sort of place you normally only wander across by accident, when you're completely lost... That's how those things tend to go in my experience..."

---Her silver hair shines beneath the neon, an obvious mark of her supernatural nature and one that turns a childish envisioning...

Into something more like a... Prophecy?

Yes.

Those words bear a certain sort of certainty to them, and...

"..."

You blink.

---Something in the room shifts around, silently, in the span between eyes opening and eyes closing, and...

"..."

...There it is.

Where a blue door once stood...

An old-run down looking wooden door...

With a vibrant blue knocker on it?

Chronos is focused on his task, and Chiyoko has her eyes closed so...

Perhaps you're hallucinating again?

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Rooftops
11/16/2026
Night, Thunderstorm

Two sets of eyes flicker over to you.

Spotting the danger in allowing your presence to remain a surprise to the Noriko down below, your stance atop the roof is a bold one, one that doesn't bother to hide it's existence, a blatant beacon in the depths of all this bizarre fog... It's a strategy that sacrifices the advantage of stealth for the negation of a certain possibility, making sure the shadow down below can't manage to strike in the moment in which your sister is caught off guard, and yet...

"..."

For a time, neither of them says anything about you or Fia, who is also doing her best to come across as imposing as a little dragon girl can...

"...You..."

While the 'Noriko' does show a flicker of some sort of surprise at your presence, the burning yellow eyes (unlike her usual vibrant green) and the obvious air of agitation and frustration that permeates throughout the rest of her body seemingly won't falter in the face of anything else...

---Nevertheless.

That was Noriko, of that you were sure...

There was something obviously off about her, off in a way that was almost sort of familiar... But you couldn't put your finger on it exactly...

Still...

"...You two. Go wait in the car."

Her voice is colder than you can remember it ever being... Cold but also somehow fiery, like she was suppressing some sort of deep-seeded rage now that she was talking to the two of you...

But failing to suppress it all the way.

"Safer that way."

As for the shadow, well...

"...ihihihihi-!"

It just starts giggling to itself at this...

First slowly...

Then faster and faster, it's voice a record scratch on the ears of all present...

---Whatever humanity it had before...

It seems to be losing it now.

As if something had changed...

[Airen]

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR - Hallway (Outside the Hangar Bay)
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"Oh... Tacos!"

Her eyes light up.

"That does sound good actually-! Not one of my usual meals, but I should have hard shells in here somewhere-!"

The Cross Family of Tamers were known for their connection to the Brewed Awakenings brand of cafe, a restaurant that was more or less designed to be frequented by those who were particularly deep in the supernatural world... The World as a whole was a relatively supernatural place of course, but if the supernatural world was an ocean, your average citizen would be someone standing up to their ankles in it, maybe up to their knees if their life was particularly interesting, while Tamers and Demons...

Were swimming out in the depths.

The stronger one becomes, the stronger the pull of the supernatural on one's fate...

It was one of the rules of the UnCommon, the supernatural world, supernatural begets supernatural, it's the sort of spiral you were destined to fall into...

All that being said, what it really meant here...

Was simply that Eliza certainly knew how to cook.

---Probably knew how to make it literally magical too, in that perfect, subtle fae sort of way...

In other words, no one else can ever find out this happened-!

"But you don't know Ada huh? Not too surprising... She's a uh... How to say... Not a hikikomori exactly... But she keeps to herself... Think she's like eighteen? She's one of Merlin's students."

---Ah, Merlin.

The prankster succubus of the Round Table...

...Or incubus.

Dependent on it's mood really, like most demons...

Also an individual that loves to speak in riddles and half-truths that are either hinting at things it thinks you need to do or things it's just telling you to see how seriously you'll take it, in other words...

Kinda like Loki, now that you thought about it? If Loki tried to seduce you for fun every once in awhile at least...

Maybe that's why you acclimated to the SLEIPNIR atmosphere so well...

"Think she ghost writes some of his songs too... Can't tell if she actually likes him or not... Although I guess that's just how sibling relationships are sometimes..."

...Potentially scandalous information.

"But what about you? How have you been doing here?"

Hands moving rhythmically in and out of the apparent pocket dimension, the woman casually moves the topic...

Back towards you.

"Enjoying yourself? Made any new friends?"

...Like a fussy older sister.

Perhaps she can't help it.

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris
North Pole
???/??/???

"...no, serious is fine. I... like it. Serious Sensei is the best."

Standing, hugging herself and shivering a little for warmth in the illusory North Pole, Chris slowly walks towards the imprint of Alexia Wright's memories. It's not the true Sensei, and indeed Chris hopes it does not become her, for there are certain things she can only say here and now, in a time and place where no one will remember her words. She can't talk to the real Alexia Wright like this, and even telling Daisuke would be unacceptable. No one must know. No one is allowed to know. Not Lexie, not her parents, and not even Sakurako.

There's Robin, of course, but he has seen so much human embarrassment that a little more won't make much of a difference.

"The situation sucks," she agrees. "But... that's fine. Everyone will get through it. Giving up's not an option for humans or demons or COMPs. Or... ugh. 'Kids'."

She has no doubt that the world will fight back. There are great people in it, and they are not the sort to lose to adversity. So it is not the present or the future which worry her.

Chris steps past Alexia Wright, and then leans against her so they are back to back. Because no one is allowed to see her expression in this moment. Because the moment she stepped out of her room, Mokujima Chris vowed never again to blame the world for being.

And because she'd also told herself never to complain about anything ever again, a rule being broken now in the most childish of manners.

"I'm... frustrated... with myself..."

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Rooftops
11/16/2026
Night, Thunderstorm

Oh.

"Ah, mm. Okay sis."

Without second-guessing the order for a moment, Blaise nodded obediently and stepped down from the roof, dropping down to the street below while shielding Fia from the impact. He spared the now-cacophonic nightmare a single glance, taking in the obscured form it now presented and the laughter that now pierced the air shrilly... but ignored both with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Instead, the blonde boy made his way towards the car that had been parked nearby.

After all... Noriko had told him to go sit in the car while she worked this out.

And if Blaise was anything, it was an obedient little brother... at least during times when it actually mattered. Well, naturally, is was less about obedience, but more about the absolute trust he had in his sister. Noriko may have been a bit of a nag on ordinary days, tried to get involved in what he was doing, and sort of annoying at times too... but when things got serious, when the chips were down, she never gave Blaise orders without a very good reason for it. So if his sister told him to go wait in the car with Fia, that's what he was gonna do.

So, doing this had to be the best course of action, considering his sister had said it.

Like always, the boy put his trust in the sibling that had been with him for his whole life and did as was told.

Even if someone else might have called it stupid or cowardly. But Blaise didn't care. Nee-san's orders were absolute.

"Hmm..."

Blaise listened to the screeching laughter in the wind.

Then again...

He put his hand on the handle of the car's door and wrapped his fingers around it.

If that nightmare were to take one threatening step towards his his sister....

"........."

------------- He would fling the whole police car at it.

[Airen]

Raz Stone
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ Skies
11/16/2026
Monday - Noon

"...Can't say they're not."

Casually as ever, the one-eyed knight answers your bizarre question without breaking his gaze on the world below.

"There's a certain... Clean simplicity to lasers. Point and shoot. I can appreciate those sorts of uncomplicated tactics."

Of course, Zerah himself doesn't use magic in his day to day existence. That doesn't mean the Knight can't of course, considering the sorts of skills a Tamer is expected to have in order to do their job properly, there's next to no doubt in your mind that the man has contemporary abilities of some sort other than his Wishing Star, but...

His preference for things to be simple shines through in this moment.

Rather than rely on magic, this man was the sort that liked the simple certainty of swordplay, a form of power he might just see as more representative of himself, nevertheless...

"...Although if you are implying I should ask the engineers to strap lasers to your stage, I'm afraid you are going to find yourself disappointed."

...Somehow, he also sees through to some of your innermost feelings...

Or at least, seems to have naturally hit somewhere close to the mark-!

Of course, the entire point of this little journey had been to fortify the stage enough that it could survive -as a certain Claire Mongeau put it- extended contact with an Einstein-Rosen-Podolsky Bridge, a phenomena that had more or less flown right over your head, seeing as it appeared to be representative of the "super science" facets of the supernatural world (there had been what seemed to be a time machine in the lab too) rather than the "magic science" ones, the alteration and breaking of the rules of reality through sheer force of physics rather than through modern manifestation of mystical forces...

In other words... You were pretty sure they meant to slingshot this stage (with everyone on it) through what was basically that one weird scifi machine from that one show from the mid-1990s...

Sliders?

Something like that...

Still-!

"Hmm... Giant robots coming out of cracks in the sky now... Never a good sign..."

From inside the stage, comes Dejah, still in the same tall "big sister," form she had taken back in Avalon...

"Everyone's waiting at the lab for us to go. Don't think we have much time left to do it either before more things pop out to stop us, this whole fight has made our presence here... Really obvious."

She speaks simply, pointing this out without sounding overly worried about it, although...

The fact she gad brought it up at all implies she sees a certain amount of importance in this information, after all, this is the Woman that claims to more or less be "The World," and as such it was obvious she'd have some sort of vast, unknowable agenda that her more human-like forms might not make clear, but...

Down below...

The water glows with a bright golden light...

Like a sun, shining in the depths of the starlit pool, wiping out the trademark stars associated with Aoyama's lakes and...

Giving the whole thing a golden, otherworldly glow.

One so bright you instinctively find yourself shielding your eyes from it, accompanied by the sinking feeling of a disgusting amount of reiki in the air...

---So there was some sort of altercation taking place down there, the other you dealing with the other Zerah most likely, but just as you had thought to yourself before, well...

Not your problem.

Much like you, Aoyama's massive guardian spirit seems to be watching over the proceedings with a casual air that can only come from a town that has long gotten used to this sort of nonsense happening in it's midst, but...

Moving fast... The only single person running towards the lake down below, was...

...A strange looking woman.

Was that a catsuit...?

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

Her earlier words had aroused the ESPer's suspicion, but this had solidified his assumptions.

And even though she said she wasn't able to see anything on the North Pole... here presented itself the very same door that Ludwig had seen last night.

Within Vincent's... dream corridor? A hard place to describe.

Back then the Telepath turned back for the sake of greeting Chiyoko, yet now she is the one who conjures up the door.

Funny how events play out sometimes.

However her warning hang in the back of Ludwig's mind: to not take any reckless action.

Based purely on his own observations and deductions, going through that door should leave his unconscious body here. Most likely, that is already an established fact in the minds of the others sleeping here, so that wouldn't be an issue.

Lara was on the ship, and unlike the ship itself or even Anna's transportation, her bike should still be operating fine. Leaving without a word would possibly only worry her more... however it could mean she would stay onboard just a while longer.

Which... certainly couldn't hurt her? Even now that the world seemingly changed to a state where she and the other kids never perished, Ludwig believes that she should be the one here, rather than he himself.

And then there was the biggest issue...

The occupation of his room...

"..."

The boy would prefer not to return there.

And so, his hand quietly reaches for the door.

Only...

...

...

It is locked.

Hah, hahaha~

"...Thanks Chiyo."

Even if this particular endeavour ended in failure, the fact she brought forth this enigmatic event was noteworthy. While her vision by her account doesn't function at the Pole as of now, this door was the very same.

Although... the music behind it was new.

"Seems like you pictured it perfectly, despite what you said earlier. Have you always had this ability?"

His hopes dashed, Ludwig goes back to settle his prior curiousity.

And silently considers certain matters.

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"How many years of memories do you think your physical mind can hold?"

In response to your words, the white-haired woman asks a bizarre question as if out of nowhere, eyes still closed in her fantastical imaging of the door that may or may not be real...

"Most people say about... 300 years. More than enough for a normal human lifetime, but once you pass that... Some things start to slip away... At least for humans."

Her eyes open now.

"The Soul can hold far more of course, but the memories of the soul aren't as easily accessed as those of the mind, it's a... Different sort of format. More like... Gut feelings rather than anything concrete, at least, not without specific forms of magic or technology to read them, so..."

"...Perhaps I have seen such a door myself, once upon a time, and I simply do not consciously remember it. I have experienced so many things, so many different events, and yet most of it is buried beneath the fog of ages. It comes and goes as it will, and there is little I can do to summon it up."

...Ah.

Perhaps there are downsides to eternal youth after all, although judging by how dismissively she was treating 300 years...

How old was she really...?

Of course, just as you think that-

"...Wait."

Her eyes flicker over to the door sitting almost mockingly out in the open...

"...When did that get there?"

Wait...

Had she not known?!

Meanwhile... With Chronos, who has himself wandered over to the door during your conversation, well...

"...Heh. Isn't that a bit too easy...?"

Lowers a closed fist to his side, chuckles to himself...

And then goes back behind the counter.

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"...I suppose you could call it a souvenir of Vincent's."

Unsurprisingly, she had no idea. Of course what exactly is going on isn't certainty to Ludwig either, but if his hypothesis of being technically asleep was correct... it may have been enough to pierce any cognitive filter by projecting a powerful enough mental vision.

Or perhaps something else entirely was happening, either way the gamble had paid off in some extent.

All that was left was opening it.

And... to that end.

Knock knock knock.

The boy simple knocks thrice on the door.

As if asking whether anyone is home.

After all, that seems to be the instruction this music suggests...

Knock-knock-knockin' on heaven's door~

Naturally he doesn't really expect anything to happen, but as far reckless actions go this was hardly the worst to do.

His gaze returns to Chiyoko.

"Sorry about that, but it didn't seem like it'd actually work if I explained it."

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

---Three short raps on the door's surface.

In terms of bizarre phenomena to encounter this was definitely on the higher end of the scale, a door that seemed to know when it was being talked about was a potentially dangerous sort of thing, an obviously inhuman intelligence that may behave in ways that are nonsensical to humans and those with human-like minds...

But curiosity is a powerful thing, and in terms of ease of access, well...

Perhaps it was being rather open about it?

If all you had to do was knock, it's rather simple, right?

Even doors can appreciate a little bit of politeness perhaps... And it's not like you lose anything from trying, right? Unless of course this was one of those things where you were punished if you got it wrong...

Best to put that from your mind, perhaps?

Either way...

After a few heartbeats, as if the door itself was checking to see if you would dare knock a fourth time, well...

---You hear a small click.

Like a door being unlocked from the other side.

"...Vincent up to some shenanigans again, huh?"

Chiyoko's voice is dry.

While Chronos... Is still just chuckling about it in the corner...

"This'll be the second sentient door I've seen..."

[Airen]

Rossweisse & Hiyori
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ Streets
11/16/2026
Afternoon

"I know, right."

Again, the finger guns pointed in your direction...

"I told them sleep streams were all the rage nowadays, but apparently it's not acceptable conduct on a radio show~"

She says in that same emotionless tone, although the vigorous nodding of her head towards Hiyori seems to imply that she feels they're on the same sort of wavelength...

"They just don't get the modern crowd, I mean, who listens to the radio nowadays anyway?"

She says completely seriously, seemingly unaware of the fact that she was implying her previous job was completely unnecessary if this was true...

"Well, maybe those American military types might... Could be some value in old technology that no one uses anymore, means that no one's really looking for it anymore either~"

She's going on a tangent again...

"Might not be able to use certain things either, like VCR tapes? Can you imagine trying to find a VCR nowadays? Or an IBM 5100? Sometimes the perfect way to hide something is to go super old school~"

She giggles, although the lack of emotion in it makes it a bit... Off sounding...

Not malicious... Just strange...

"Miss Charlotte taught me that, told me I should keep all my stuff in old technology, makes it impossible to hack from afar~"

"Although I think she might just be paranoid you know? Then again, people do say she's actually one of those U.S government CIA spooks~ Explains the suit I think! Totally pulls that look off, right? You guys here as her fans?"

Still... She does seem to be a friendly enough person (if a bit over-talkative) but as for the agents behind you, who seem to be watching everything with a vaguely amused smile...

"We'll go grab our seats early, take your time kid."

...It seems they're planning on moving on ahead-!

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
SLEIPNIR
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"...Now, most likely my body will remain here unconscious."

Speaking as if passing through is already a certainty, Ludwig steps forward.

"And even if it weren't so, could I ask you both to take care of Lara for a bit. She certainly deserves some relief, even if time is short."

And another step, determinedly.

"I should be around for when she leaves...It'd be too cruel if she came here for my sake after all."

The boy doesn't turn to look back.

Perhaps it is recklessness, or curiosity to the supernatural. It may even be desperation, a means to escape the World as it presented itself.

Or maybe, it is a more nebulous desire.

A sense of duty, or compulsion. Like he needed to do this.

As if contracted.

In the end, he is simply lost.

In a World of fulfilled wishes, where he is incapable of accepting his place.

And for such lost souls, this door finds them.

But today's lost are conquerors tomorrow.

And so, the door opens.

And Ludwig Karlfeldt, sets off into the unknown.