Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Bloble]

Daisuke
Tokyo, Aoyama ~ Brick Lane (Rooftops)
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour

"There's people at Brewed Awakenings-?"

Daisuke's hopeful expression only lasts an instant before reverting to a suspicious frown.

"It's dangerous. The white-haired lady that went after you might still be around. She's gotta be the one that set up that lunar virus. And once Myra - the White Shroud recovers her Harmonizer integrity, she could turn around and come right back for us."

Given a bit of direction, his processors whir and come up with the plan that has greatest probability of success and lowest risk.

Daisuke looks at Lexie, still in his arms, mostly unresponsive, and the motor in his chest skips a few cycles. Myra's aura rapidly retreats from his sensory radius. It will shortly be too far away to chase.

"...I don't care where you come from,

History

Lexie

. We're gonna play BlazRed again once you're better."

The COMP is reminded of the meeting between his buddy and his buddy's buddy, at the aquarium. There was a door involved. Chris had wanted to go through it. Her body language said as much, yet she'd stepped away and not explained why. Is this what she felt like? Wanting to open that door even knowing it's a mistake? Part of him wants to chase after that fleeing figure and bring her back, risks be damned... but Shuichi's a Tamer, and a Senpai, and a Nii-san, so it's fine to listen to him instead. He won't give chase. The door is a trap meant to take advantage of sentiment. Refusing it is no doubt correct.

"You're good at sneaking around, right, Nii-san? Let me go ahead with Active Sync while you watch the outside. We can't afford to be caught off-guard again."

Of the three of them, Daisuke's body is the most expendable. It makes the most sense.

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
Monday - Noon
11/16/2026

"Considering the nature of your story, I presume Jester came to us when it was dark? Storming outside perhaps? Entities like them thrive in places and times of mystery, when the brain wanders a bit too much and allows possibilities you normally don't consider to linger... Like how after watching a horror movie, you might be a bit more inclined to think there's some sort of monster waiting for you in the darkness, even though you know that's not the case... They thrive on that sort of feeling."

"Ah, yes." Cosmos nodded, confirming Daniel's hypothesis. "Both times when I first saw a glimpse of his shadow and when he appeared to us in a recording, it was storming outside."

So it really was an ominous sign of sorts...

Cosmos didn't interrupt or voiced her thoughts after that, intently listening alongside Sofia to what Daniel had to say; it's certainly interesting, one could even argue these Alchera are just doing what they can to survive... if she hadn't meet JESTER. And from the tone Daniel used, it seems that most Alchera are cut from the same cloth as that clown.

"Am I making sense so far?"

"...My day is certainly escalating quickly."

She lets out a quiet chuckle at that, agreeing with the princess.

"Yes, Mister Daniel, I understand your explanation." She nodded. "So to summarize, they are dream-like beings that want to exist in the world without a host, which spells trouble because they're more powerful as we're currently in a dream. And if we go to the North Pole to look into the truth of this dream, they'd definitely try to stop us because if everyone wake up, it'd be much harder for them to exist in the world or influence it in any way." She looked at the NWAB tamer. "So I suppose the natural question is: what can we do? Is there any counters if we have to fight one?"

[Satehi]

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

"Although I suppose the two of you didn't have things... Quite as badly as them in a conventional sense... But one should never compare their suffering to that of others I find, pain is pain, no matter the source. Wouldn't you agree, Eva Ellet?"

It wasn’t hard for Eva to process what the maid was saying. Eva, Catherine, and Liesl apparently all shared something in common- they had disappointed other people around them, and felt like they were unwanted because of it.

And maybe there was a grain of truth to what the maid had said. While she couldn’t speak for the others, Eva knew that she had disappointed her mother, and that fact had led her to question the value of her own existence many times. Her situation in some respects, fit the outline the maid had described.

Maybe Catherine and Liesl also had their own histories that matched. Maybe there was nothing wrong about what the maid was saying. Maybe she was even correct.

Eva couldn’t know for sure.

What she did know, however, was that-

“I’d rather you not talk about my past. I don’t recall telling you about it, nor do I remember asking for your opinion.”

Eva’s voice was icy- there was no trace of her earlier politeness.

There was a practical reason for her change in attitude - this maid seemed to know their situation quite well, and thus there was no point in pretending to be an ordinary guest…. But it was impossible to deny that Eva simply didn’t like the maid’s comments.

It felt like she was behaving in a way just to get her riled up- sort of like Liesl had been, now that she thought of it. Perhaps this was where they had picked up such an unpleasant personality trait…?

“But if you know that much, then we can keep this conversation short.”

Learning this new information about Liesl was interesting, but that wasn’t her main priority for being here. Eva had no idea if the maid was willing to oblige with her wishes for a short conversation- her actions in divulging Liesl’s dark history with this place was… unexpected, for someone who appeared to be a servant in this mansion, and Eva had no idea what her intentions were, but it was worth a shot.

“If you’re willing to share what you know about what’s going on in the outside world, then this… unwanted individual, has no reason to stay here. We can part ways and you can go on with your tasks here.”

[Airen]

Raz Stone
???
??/??/????

As one grows bright red out of embarrassment, another finds solace only in sinking into the depths of her own hands.

As a veritable barrage of compliments erupts from you and towards the so-called elegant duo, you find that Ada is doing her best to completely disappear from the situation, a half-sigh half groan emerging from the woman as she clings to her own head with all the determination of someone who was trying to squeeze away some sort of stress headache...

"I-I-I-I-"

On the other hand of course, the COMP of unknown name continues to be a strange one, stoic face turning ever so slowly red, her voice deep and lethargic, but also coming out as a sort of incomprehensible stutter, or rather, she's failing to get past the first word of whatever it is she's trying to say...

"My-my-my-!"

Yes.

This one doesn't have the best poker face.

Even when the DTG offers her a drink, she can only continue to stutter as she looks back and forth between knight, COMP and digitalized alcoholic beverage, a lagging mind clearly trying to figure out how to handle a situation she hadn't truly expected to see, then-

"Actually... This is an opportunity right...?"

-suddenly, the stuttering stops, as her eyes light up with newfound strength...?

Clarity?

Something like that.

"Autograph!"

She yells suddenly, doing a complete 180 once again-!

"You can sign it to a Mokujima Chris! Put it on anything!"

Mokujima Chris huh?

Roundabout way to give you her name! But fans did often like autographs-!

Of course, even as all this goes on...

---A file, the thing that had been holding most of the DTG's processors back for so long... Finally decrypts all the way.

Or at least... As much as such things can be...

And worryingly enough... There was more than the one file inside of it...

Sefirot Report #6: Tif'eret

Codename: Tif'eret
Entity Type: Sefirot
ID Number: DEUS-EX-000-06
C-Scale: ERROR
Suggested Handling: Extermination
Report Compiler: Dr. Alexia Wright, New World Administrative Bureau
Date: 11/16/2026

-Sefirot-
Machines crafted by the inhabitants of Arcadia. Higher-Dimensional Entity. Made with technology far beyond the scope of our own, their aggressive nature indicates a desire to destroy humanity and those born from humanity (that is, demon-kind) indiscriminately, however, their functionality indicates possession of sentience, albeit, an alien sort of sentience.

Observed Abilities

-S.T Field-
Rank: C
A special defensive barrier utilized by the Sefirot, although the exact power and mechanics of it are different dependent on which of them it is; in Tif'eret's Case, grants resistance to all elements (including Almighty and Void) while the barrier is active, the strength of the barrier itself has been compromised in order to allow greater speed and flexibility for this unit, at least in comparison to the units analyzed in prior reports. Notably, these specs seem designed to specifically counter the strategies and weapons we plan to use to exterminate DEUS-EX-000-05, in other words...

They're not only still actively building these things, but there's either a spy in our midst or they're able to access our data through traditional military protections. Possible counter responses to mitigate the damage have been outlined in the ARCADIA Report, I wrote it physically and left it in the Dirac Sea, no data trail for them to follow.

I won't leave instructions on how to access it here, you should know already [DATA REDACTED].

-End Gazer ~ Butterfly of Death and Rebirth-
Rank: S
Ability to give physical shape to various phenomena, items, and even living entities through the use of decisive wave-form collapse; in other words, the ability to turn one's own hallucinations or delusions into reality. As the World itself is a cognitive construct, that which has been observed to have occurred by human-level observers (that is, entities that are self-aware, have theory of mind, and understand cause and effect) is actually what takes place in reality. Of course, the nature of multiple observers means reality must have a method for dealing with the inevitable contradictions that will appear, after all, different observers have a history of seeing things in different ways, thus, one way of looking at the Copenhagen interpretation is to say that the consensus of the majority of observers becomes reality.

This basically turns reality itself into a democracy governed by the democratic principle of majority rule, where whatever the majority of observers observe is reality, and if a minority of people observe something different, they can be dismissed as delusional people having hallucinations.

Things that are observed by a minority of people, such as by those affected by the [DATA REDACTED], still have SOME existence, as delusional “errors”, but they have no physical substance in material reality. These “errors” are able to exist as highly improbable quantum possibilities as long as at least some observers are there to observe them, and with a few more steps, they can be turned into physical reality by manipulating the probability of their existence and turning it to 100% by having 100% of observers observe them.

DEUS-EX-000-06 either weaponizes this property, weakens humanity's ability to utilize this property (by nature of designating us as inferior observers) or ignores it entirely, being capable of manifesting things entirely on it's own; the strangest property is that the World seems to entirely accept the existence of those things generated by this machine's ability, treating them as if they are natural occurrences rather pure supernatural phenomena, as for how it would achieve this...

Theoretically...

There is a very very small but not zero possibility for the past to be different from what everybody thinks it is, and for whatever object/entity/phenomena 006 is trying to create to have been there all the time and for everyone to have just been having a hallucination that this object/entity/phenomena was NOT there. Then, people having this hallucination/delusion that the created object is NOT there can simply stop having that hallucination/delusion and recognize that it has been there all along. While the probability of this is very very close to 0%, it is not impossible, and if all observers observe it happening, then because observers create reality through manipulating probability, its probability can be raised to 100%.

Or something like that...

This raises interesting ideas for time-space manipulation in theory, rather than pure time travel, if it is possible to change the past simply by convincing everyone it was always like that...

Well, theories for another time.

-Akashic Record-
Rank: S

SLAUGHTER-SELECTION-RUIN-AWAKENING

SACRIFICE-SALVATION-FUTURE-CYCLE-TEST

FAILURE----- REJECTION

AS YOUR PROGENITORS

WE DO NOT ACCEPT YOUR EXISTENCE

RCS Report #1 Abridged

Document Creation Date: [DATA REDACTED]

-Reiki Crystallization Syndrome or Restricted Consciousness Syndrome.

-Spiritual Disease. Parasitic. There is no known patient zero and the entire population of the planet earth is infected, albeit, the disease is in a mostly dormant state.

-We theorize that infection took place on June 30th, 1908. Tunguska Event. Reports indicate that out of two incoming celestial objects only one was shot down by [DATA REDACTED] before it could reach earth, the other crashed down successfully. This is the cause of the explosion, and seems to have been the moment of worldwide infection, as the Lunarians are not innately affected by this illness. Although they can still be infected by those in the crystallization stage.

-Disease can only emerge in those with a true sense of self, as a further restriction, it seems a certain level of innate reiki capacity (followed by a moment of spiritual weakness) is necessary as well. Dr. Wright and Dr. Akarana believe this is because we "aren't worth draining before a certain point."

-RCS is characterized as a sudden onset of extreme fatigue, reduced reiki generation and general lethargy, this state usually restricts itself to the proper hours (nightfall) for a few weeks, before progressing to full on Narcolepsy in stage two, a persistent vegetative state in stage three and finally the crystallization of internal reiki reserves (and eventually the body as a whole) in stage four, due to reiki channels being analogous to the body's veins, these crystals are blood-red in color.

-Originally mistaken for Apathy Syndrome, the actual effect of the RCS disease is internal draining of the target's reiki reserves to some unknown purpose. This drain is the cause of the lethargy and fatigue, as the body is left with less and less energy with which to operate. This 'drain' seems to take advantage of our connection to the collective unconscious, as it does not leave the body through the material world and cannot be detected that way, instead, it almost seems like something in the Soul Sea is draining us from the Soul Sea, from an outsider's perspective it just seems like the body is transforming itself for no reason. If we didn't have Director Namasaki and his eyes, we might have never figured out what the hell was happening to these people.

-Plume possession serves as a layer of defense against RCS. While they don't seem to be aware of it, the Plumes trigger an auto-immune response in their wielders the instant a connection is made... Like they've encountered this 'infection' before, and have metaphysical 'antibodies' prepared for it.

-While the knee-jerk solutions would be to simply re-invoke the old rules and try to keep worldwide reiki levels down in non-tamers, or find some way of blocking our connection to the Soul Sea doing such would release the Devourer from it's prison and end the world outright. Even if it didn't however, to be frank, such a solution reeks of cowardice, if there's something in our metaphysical afterlife eating us we need to just kill the damn thing, or things, or whatever the hell it is... Problem is, how do we reach it? And how do we handle this topic without causing a panic that triggers the damn disease through mass panic?

We'll have to keep it quiet for now.

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
???
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening
Weather: Snowstorm

---She swings at you.

---You focus your thoughts, as a possibility rises to the forefront of your mind.

Mindscape. In other words, a mental world, an ontological category in metaphysics, populated by non-material mental objects without physical extension. A world that is more subjective than objective, one that follows internal rules rather than external rules, a manifestation of your own mind rather than the collective physical world held together by everyone on the outside, yes...

If this is your own mindscape... Surely you can exert some control over it, right? Like Lucid dreaming? Awareness of the immaterial nature of things can sometimes allow a degree of control over those things, it's logical enough so long as this is truly your own head, and indeed-!

The snowman does melt away.

So finely that it does not even become water or steam, but-

"Oho? So you've figured that much out?"

-snow still lands in your face anyway.

Not from the snowman, but rather from the follow-up to the snowman; an amused grin crossing her face as her weapon had disappeared, Lara had spun with the momentum, leg coming out to crash into the snow along the ground, becoming a secondary wave that had casually thrown itself right into your face.

"Yep. Mindscape. It's your own head, heart, whatever you want to call it."

---While the snow has blocked your sight, you can almost hear the smug in her voice now.

"Course that means I'm not the real Lara, I'm the Lara that lives rent-free inside of your head... Not a bad place to be, really."

Yep.

She's smirking in a friendly but smug sort of way...

"So I do remember our meeting actually, the real me probably won't considering that nonsense Marlene was going on about... But real me probably was listening to your thoughts since you've woken up, you're most likely right about that one!"

Kneeling down for a moment, she reemerges with two snowballs.

"If I never died, there's no reason for the link to be cut after all... Lots of little subtle changes like that will exist if that lady was telling the truth about all of this, so you gotta be careful~"

She points right at you here, then...

Winks?

"Course, the real me -being a snoop- already heard a chunk of all of this, and she's gonna be just as mad about the secrets thing as me. Hypocritical? Totally. Do we care? Shut up, we're the older sibling here!"

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
???
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening
Weather: Snowstorm

Smiling faintly as Lara remarks the boy has a good head on his shoulders, his gaze nevertheless falls upon the snowballs his sister kneads before his eyes.

"Do we care? Shut up, we're the older sibling here!"

"Should you really be saying that when you're ready to unleash a barrage of snowballs at me the second I lose focus... Real mature."

The boy looks over to the others, further back where the elder sibling had left from. Even now their faces remain a blur. Too much time had passed, too much had happened since the first 'experiment' dictated by the Karlfeldt elders.

Yet, they remained somewhere in his heart.

Eyes trail back towards the smug sister.

If this place is indeed his own mind, there is little reason to seek out the Empress. Any knowledge she may have that could shed some light unto matters wouldn't be something the ESPer himself is aware, and besides that their interactions where but precious few. If anything, seeking her out in his own mind may well prove to be a more dangerous encounter than it would be in the "real" world.

After all, setting foot in the mansion itself would undoubtedly bring about her.

Still, this is his mind.

"Lara...any chance you could help me unravel memories that are locked away somewhere in my mind? I'm... entirely too stubborn to let my own mind be tampered with without saving something."

And if anyone could navigate it better than Ludwig himself could, it'd be his sister.

[Kuroyuki]

Rossweisse & Hiyori
Tokyo ~ JAXA
11/16/2026
Afternoon

While Hiyori was proudly taunting the fake me, I watched Ms. Charlotte look upwards while listening for ‘me’ to say something. Instead, all I heard was a creaking sound as if we were on a ship in the middle of a storm. But that shouldn’t be possible since we’re in Tokyo.

"...I see, dream logic is quite problematic isn't it?"

Hiyori stopped her taunting and reverted to her power saving form to talk to Ms. Charlotte.

‘Problematic? What do you mean Miss Smug?’

I follow Ms. Charlotte’s eyes upward to see what she was staring at.

"We can be moved under a body of water just like that, with a snap of some invisible fingers, and it doesn't have to make sense in a direct, conscious way."

Oh… That’s an issue. I watched as a drop of water hit the floor right next to Ms. Charlotte.

‘Eh? What do you mean by that? C’monnnnn explain it Miss Smug!’

Hiyori floated closely to Ms. Charlotte to cutely whack her repeatedly.

"I think the ceiling might very well collapse in on us. Do you think you'll need assistance holding your breath? Swimming? It seems they intend to drown us."

‘Wait WHAAAAAAA?! Ho- AADFGFD’

As if on cue, Hiyori was hit by a steady stream of water droplets. Hitting her in her eyes and mouth.

“We’ll be fine, but what about you Ms. Charlotte? We can provide more time if you need it.”

At that moment, I went to the stream of water droplets above Hiyori to seal the hole with a careful usage of Agi. It should be fine for now, but if we're really underwater. I'm not certain on how much longer it will last even with my jury rigged sealing.

‘Thanks Ross! So we’re sealing the cracks until Miss Smug can do whatever she needs to do? Okay! You owe me one Miss Smug!’

Hiyori dramatically starts posing with her own Agi (in reality she was just drying herself off from the water droplets) as if it was a gun before going to seal her own holes.

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Ayra's Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Night

Silence.

In the face of your words, simple words spoken with all the sincerity expected from Ayra Lilygrove, the young woman that had seemed ever so smug up until now actually seems to have fallen into a stunned sort of silence. It's like your words had caught her off guard, like she had been so sure that her words would evoke some other response in you, that your nonchalant dismissal of them was almost like a slap in the face-!

"...Huh."

She says, after the silence becomes too painful for her to bear.

"You really are like a neutron star aren't you...?"

She sounds almost...

Impressed...?

Which makes it hard to figure out how to feel about it-! On one hand your lie seems to be working, likely because she really does believe her you're a good girl spiel she had shot at you earlier, so...

"That poor girl..."

She shakes her head, the gaze that moves over towards the door filled with pity.

"Ah well, can't say I didn't try."

She coughs into a hand in a failed attempt to shatter the awkwardness of the moment.

"Well, putting all that aside... I'll uh... I'll figure out a way to pin Tsukiko by tomorrow morning... You uh... Go have fun with your mission with your kouhai! Be a good senior! Show her some attention!"

So saying, she wanders over to the door, opens it herself, and-!

"Asuka."

Addresses the uniform clad girl on the other side (who thankfully just seems confused, meaning she hadn't been eavesdropping) with a quiet, sympathetic voice.

"Yes...?"

Questions the girl slowly, strangely not showing the same moment of disgust with the woman you and Catherine had felt earlier...

"Hang in there."

A pat on the back, sympathetic, a bit over-dramatic, and...

"...?"

...followed by her footsteps slowly disappearing down the hall...

"What was... That all about...?"

Asks Asuka after a moment.

"Reunion with an old classmate?"

[Airen]

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

"Unwanted individual?"

For some reason, she seems to find the phrasing of your words amusing, particularly sharp canines flashing at you in the darkness.

"Is that the impression you get of me? That my hospitality is that poor? Or perhaps I'm just... Bad at communication...?"

A brief giggle, crimson eyes unblinking as they stare into your own. She has clear eyes, very clear eyes, clear enough that your own reflection can easily be seen inside of them...

"Well, one's own mind can turn against them in surprising ways sometimes I suppose, like an intrusive thought, something you don't want to think about, but that comes to you regardless... Yes, a part of my existence is something like that, after all, in the end, I too am a part of this house. Or at least... Those children see me as part of the house, part of their nightmare, and when you came here... I became part of yours too. Even if only slightly, your mind bolsters my own, I am the... Monster that lurks in this home after all, a cruel, uncaring servant that shows no mercy to those around her."

---Here something strange happens, while the tone of voice sounds amused, jovial even, the eyes...

Do not.

There's a flicker of something else in them, but...

Exactly what that is... You can't really say...

"It's like the undesired urge to jump off of a really high building... What is it called? Call of the Void? You don't want me to speak of such things, and yet they will spring forth from me anyway because they are buried inside of you... That is just how places like this work, I'm afraid."

She sounds almost sympathetic.

---Almost.

"But as for what's going on on the outside... Didn't the young mistress tell you already? You've fallen into the hands of a God that wishes to erase misery from the World, to both avoid a catastrophe and right what they see as wrong, urged on by those that wish to use that same power for their own purposes."

---She steps closer.

"Isn't that knowledge enough for someone like you? Why persist any further?"

---And as she does, something inside of you flares to life.

A strange feeling, an animal instinct really, telling you to...

Run?

[Airen]

Daisuke
Tokyo, Aoyama ~ Brick Lane
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour

"...That's a fair point."

In the end, the Ace has to admit that you're right in this regard, although judging by the way his expression darkens slightly when you bring up the white-haired girl, it was clear that their encounter (and most likely the fact that he had been getting beat up during it) were topics that his brain didn't like to really dwell on...

"I don't think either of them will be coming back just yet... But you're right, even if it's unlikely, we can't risk the possibility of it."

He nods at you.

"I'll keep watch outside until I'm sure we're clear, I'll set up a perimeter too so we'll know if someone crosses it later on." Holographic screens dim, and his arms come to rest at his sides. "When it comes to your end, if you see anything strange in the bar, I want you to retreat immediately alright? There's something strange going on here, I can't place it, but there's just... Something not right about all of this, you know?"

---Indeed there was, it was very strange all things considered...

Where was everyone?

Why had so open a fight not drawn more attention to all of you outside? What had been up with those illusions at the bakery? Or the poltergeist messing around with the phones and radio?

A lot of questions, next to no answers.

The whole thing almost feels like a fever dream, nevertheless...

Onward you go.

Taking your unconscious friends with you.

---

Daisuke
Brewed Awakenings, Aoyama
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour

---Warm as always.

A blast of warm air was the first thing to greet you upon pushing open the glass doors of the ever-familiar cafe, a reminder of all of the time you had been spending out in the rain over the past half hour or so, long enough that the chill had ceased to be a new sensation, instead settling down into your circuits in the same way it would settle deep into a human's bones. It's the first step of a dangerous chill, the sort of wet and cold that saps the life from a body just as surely as any slow acting poison might, and so the sudden appearance of a warm and dry interior...

It's comfortable.

---Yes.

Walking into the building is much like crossing some sort of invisible boundary line, warmth hits you, the sounds of rain and thunder dull and you are left standing inside of the lobby of the one building that still had it's lights on, the one building in the entire city that still seemed to be occupied by people. Neon lights hang over the bar like they always do, there's the drone of television sets playing some old show from the 90s -the main character's name seemed to be a "Sam Beckett"- and while the tables looked pretty empty at a glance, up at the bar itself, is...

"Hey there kids, here to get out of the-?"

...the bartender, a rugged looking man in what seemed to be his mid thirties.

One who stops mid-sentence as he sees the condition of the girl in your arms, one who launches himself up and over the counter to start sprinting towards you the moment his brain finally comprehends exactly what it is he's seeing, and-

"Akiko! Bring the medical kit! Double time!"

-whose words send a strangely familiar feeling shrine maiden girl bolting into the back after, apparently, a medical kit of some kind...

"Here, come lay her down in one of the booth seats," the man speak quickly once he reaches the both of you, voice firm and clear without coming across as panicked, "No need to worry about bloodstains, those booths were on the way out of here anyway."

Yes.

Firm, with a hint of urgency, but not panicked...

The voice of a reliable adult in other words.

[Bloble]

Daisuke
Brewed Awakenings, Aoyama
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour

The COMP holds up a hand, stopping the curly-haired man's advance.

Daisuke isn't holding up his gun arm, but his body language says one thing: Don't come any closer.

He scans the familiar face of the girl with the medical kit through his onboard systems, and then cross-references it against the SDCD personnel list. A name comes up: Akiko. Same as what the curly-haired man had shouted. If that's the case, then...

"SDCD COMP Daisuke is requesting a TC4S handhake. Encryption and decryption keys on standby. Please verify your identity, Akiko-san."

The message is both spoken out loud and sent right to Akiko's COMP while Daisuke stands, motionless, in the doorway. He is ready to dash back out in an instant, should either of them take a single step closer. If she is indeed a Tamer from the same organization, it will be easy enough to be sure of it.

"Nii-san, I've formed a theory." In the mean time, Daisuke opens up a line of communication with Shuichi and the other COMPs linked by his auto-skill. "The city's populace did not disappear; we were moved to another 'layer' of reality. It happened at some point after we left the mall. That radio may have been the trigger or the catalyst; I doubt Father would leave it playing like that. The signal originated from a certain website laden with 'curse'... I would have been swallowed after investigating it, if not for a friend's intervention. That must also be why I evaded attack by the lunatic virus."

Hope you're okay, Sakurako-san.

"We were targeted specifically. Either the enemy couldn't pull us into separate layers one by one, or they couldn't afford to delay their attack. I notice the white-haired girl had words for you specifically, as did Myra for Lexie. Either they are cooperating, or they were also pulled into this layer, or they are manifestations, somehow, of two people you two would consider enemies. For me, it must have been that I don't have anyone to call an 'enemy'. Or the original ability does not work on COMPs."

His analysis complete, Daisuke turns to the last aspect, the point to the madness, as he waits for a response with Lexie slowly bleeding in his arms.

"These two individuals don't fit my theory. Brewed Awakenings should not be operating here. Do you know anything of them?"

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Brighter Days ~ Yuriko's Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Um..."

This was unexpected.

The shine in Yuriko's eyes, that dangerous shine, was not something that Blaise had been anticipating. In fact, the situation had quickly changed from a senpai doing a good deed for the kouhai into something that felt... dangerous. Actually dangerous. Yuriko was a good girl. She really was. She was nice underneath her scowl and cared for others, especially the kids of the orphanage. But at the same time...

--- At the same time, wasn't her fashion sense just a bit bizarre?

"Err..."

Her hands were strong.

Too strong.

The trap had been sprung and now there was nowhere to go...!

What should he do?

What could he do...!?

The bathroom approached with alarming speeds, and with it, his final judgement. And if things continued this way, then that would mean...

Wait.

--- Spikes!?

"Wait, a minute, that's...!" Blaise started protesting. "I gave you a permission, but even so that's---!"

But then he took a look at her face again. That expression. That unbridled giddiness and excitement. It was like she had gotten a surprise present and couldn't hide her true feelings - which was rare for Yuriko, who was usually so stone-faced.

... Dammit.

Within his mind, Blaise could hear Kaguya snort derisively. Almost like to say he really was too soft on some people.

But still...

... If Yuriko was looking that excited, he couldn't just take it away from her, could he?

"... Just make your senpai look respectable, okay? I have places to be still," Blaise finally relented with a quiet little sigh. "Just, no spikes... okay?"

He'd have to endure it.

He'd have to.

After all, he was a man...!

[Satehi]

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

An urge to run.

Eva does not understand the exact reason- it could have been any multitude of things. The way the maid had described herself as reflecting a part of Eva’s psyche. The maid physically closing the distance between them. Or perhaps it was her sixth sense warning her about something that had yet to appear concretely.

Whatever the reason for it was, Eva was inclined to agree it was correct.

Talking more with this maid was not a good idea. She’d have to look for the information she was looking for elsewhere.

"Isn't that knowledge enough for someone like you? Why persist any further?"

And yet…

Even as she began to back away, and readied herself to run out the door at the sight of any sudden movements, Eva couldn’t resist the urge to respond to the maid’s questions. There was absolutely zero indication that the maid would help her- but conversely, the maid hadn’t tried to attack her yet, and compared to Liesl who had seemed intent on hiding the truth, this maid had seemed talkative enough.

Even if the maid had seemed very sinister, the question she was asking was very normal. Perhaps if Eva explained herself, the maid would be able to tell her what she was after…?

“… It just feels off.”

Eva spoke softly, uncertainty self-evident in her voice. After all-

“Not that I dislike the changes. Although I’d rather not make a judgement after spending less than a day, it’s pretty clear that I’d prefer things to be the way they are right now over the old world.”

It’d be silly not to. Her mother was alive, happy- she had a sister now, which while unexpected, wasn’t bad by any means- and although she could only trust Liesl’s word for it (difficult…) apparently the personal situations of many other people had been improved dramatically by the changes.

“But…”

Even though she knew that was the case-

“-I can’t help but feel that I haven’t done anything to deserve this.”

After all, Eva hadn’t done anything. The fact that things were the way they were now was all due to some abrupt, inexplicable changes that had happened yesterday. She had absolutely no involvement in them whatsoever, and as for why that was a problem to her…

“As the scripture teaches us, we reap what we sow. No sins go unpunished, and no good deeds go unrewarded. It’s a message that the Lord will see to it that everyone will get what they deserve, in the end.”

It was a message that had given Eva much reassurance- that things would eventually turn out alright, that her efforts would pay off eventually. She had firmly believed it back in the old world- or rather, had no choice but to believe it, since there wasn’t much else she could do at the time.

“Conversely, doesn’t that mean there is no guarantee that things that you don’t deserve won’t be taken away from you? That all these changes might just go away the same way they came, like waking up from a dream?”

… of course, she was aware that way of thinking was a bit extreme. Most people did not believe in the teachings that thoroughly.

“… I suppose that may sound a little silly. But regardless, I think if I try to understand exactly what’s going on, all this will feel a little less undeserved, and I’ll feel less uncomfortable in this strange world."

She had no idea if any of that was convincing, but at least she had tried.

"Does that make sense to you, miss…?”

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
Monday - Noon
11/16/2026

"Well..."

The Special Agent takes a few moments to say anything more than that, as if he himself wasn't entirely sure of the answer to your inquiries, but...

"Under ideal circumstances, it would be as simple as erasing our memories of them, but considering the... Apparent nature of this World, that isn't really an option anymore."

He shakes his head, adjusting his hat over his eyes.

"Our second option is also something of a band-aid fix, that is, being in places with a lot of people in it... Like this mall for instance." He gestures to the world around you all, or more accurately, all the people that dot the interior of this restaurant, "Until they manifest completely, the existence of an alchera spirit is entirely subjective, that is, they can only really show themselves to people that know about them, maybe one or two of those close to the target as well, but in places like this where so many people are 'observing' the area, it should be next to impossible for them to shift cognition enough to 'appear,' they simply can't manipulate this many people in their information form."

He nods.

Just as much to himself as to you and Sofia.

"So public places will keep them at bay, but the problem we have is we want to go to the North Pole." He frowns, "It's one of the last untamed areas for human civilization, in some ways it can even be called an alien space considering no one really lives up there... So human cognition in the area would be either weak or basically non-existent, it'd just be the three of us and so it'd be an ideal area for them to be able to manifest, especially because we already seem to be inside of a dream. Even if it's one meant to mimic reality, the fact that it is inherently a dream might be enough of a loophole for them to get a foot in the door."

He sighs.

"So when it comes down to it, we might just have to fight them off. It should be possible, the more real they become the more susceptible they become to attacks from the real world, so it's not an impossible task, just an unpleasant one."

So it'd come down to a fight huh?

It's a reality that feels like a bit of a letdown, having expected the agent to have some super special NWAB method of handling these sorts of things, but even as you move to speak-

[Hey.]

-Ciel interrupts you.

[If they're dream beings... Can't you just hit them with like... A giant Dreamcatcher? Wouldn't that be enough, symbolically speaking? They're supposed to capture nightmares after all.]

...Would that...

Would that be enough...?

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
Monday - Noon
11/16/2026

"So when it comes down to it, we might just have to fight them off. It should be possible, the more real they become the more susceptible they become to attacks from the real world, so it's not an impossible task, just an unpleasant one."

'So it all comes down to a fight, huh...'

She'd be lying if the idea of fighting JESTER doesn't worry her a little, but truth be told the idea of finally being able to attack JESTER for everything he'd done sounds wonderful to Cosmos; whether it is by whacking him with her staff, blasting him with Aster, immolating him with Plasmic Fire or exploding him with Endless Nova, she absolutely has to at least get a good hit in on that clown.

The thought almost made her grin. Almost. Thankfully she managed to rein it in, maintaining a neutral expression all the while.

'O Father in Heaven, please forgive me... Mother, I'm so sorry for tossing your lessons to the wayside and getting excited to hurt someone... but surely JESTER counts as an exception?'

But before she could speak...

[If they're dream beings... Can't you just hit them with like... A giant Dreamcatcher? Wouldn't that be enough, symbolically speaking? They're supposed to capture nightmares after all.]

Her other self interrupted her, and Cosmos paused as she processed what Preciel had said.

A few seconds later, Cosmos silently admits that even as a bookworm who had read countless subjects and matters regarding the supernatural and mythology, she absolutely has no idea what Preciel meant by a Dreamcatcher.

'Illia...? What is a Dreamcatcher, exactly?'

The pause in her AI's response didn't even last a second, but it was enough to indicate that Illia didn't know either until she made a search.

'According to a quick search, a Dreamcatcher is a handmade willow hoop with a net or a web woven into it. It seems that in Native American cultures, it is traditionally hung over a cradle or a bed as a protective charm.'

Well that explains why she didn't know about it; she barely reads anything about the supernatural from America. 'A protective charm against nightmares then?'

'It seems that originally it wasn't meant to specifically do that, but with cognition, it might as well be now. Even the name Dreamcatcher was only coined in 1970s. But why do you ask?'

'Ciel suggested a giant one might be effective against Alcheringas.'

Illia actually burst out laughing at that, her laughter echoing in her mind, and Cosmos felt her lips curving into a tiny smile.

'Your past self is brilliant, Cosmos. Please suggest it to the others, because it would be hilarious if it could work. Even if it doesn't, seeing Daniel and Sofia's reactions to that suggestion alone might be worth it.'

The smile disappeared from her face. 'Saying it out loud sounds so silly though.'

'But what if it works? Are you going to let a potential ace-in-the-hole slip from our grasp just because it sounds silly?'

Cosmos silently took a deep breath and steeled her heart, concurring that Illia has a point.

"Mister Daniel, aren't you forgetting a potential trump card that we could use against JESTER and his friends?" Cosmos asked, her heart actually pounding because God this is so embarrassing, but at the same time anything that could give them an edge against the clown is worth a shot. "Let us procure a giant Dreamcatcher to catch and neutralize them!"

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
???
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening
Weather: Snowstorm

"Locked?"

She tosses one of the snowballs up and down in a lazy sort of way, having long ago decided to just ignore those comments you had shot at her about her natural immaturity.

"Locked... Isn't the best word I'd use for those..."

She frowns.

"I'd say they're more lost than locked..."

Then gestures to the house -the mansion- behind her, the large steel gates, frosted over windows, grounds where snow has fallen and been formed into quite the sizable troop of snow-warriors by family members whose faces are blurry and out of focus. It's a perfect imitation of the real place, so perfect in fact that you swear you can see the shadow of a certain family servant lurking in one of the windows upstairs...

Yeah...

Yeah you can see her...

An ominous silhouette that looks back at you even as you look up at it, her familiar crimson eyes the only thing piercing the darkness of the room in which she stands...

"For symbolism's sake, I guess we could say this house is your proper mindscape, it's all the things you can consciously remember, things that are clear to you, while the forest..." She gestures to the woods outside, an endless canopy of trees that stretches far out, disappearing over the horizon, "Are the places where your lost memories are... They're still in here, they're still a part of you, but the problem with finding them is... Well, they can be anywhere in there, you know?"

Up above, a silhouette disappears from the window.

The Lara of your mindscape doesn't pay it much mind.

"To use a different analogy... We could say the mind is an infinite ocean, and conscious thought are the things that have been drawn above the waters. Lost memories are the treasures at the bottom of the sea, but without a map, they'd be next to impossible to find conventionally, you see?"

She finally drops the snowballs, coming to rest on one of the large logs laying around near the front gate. Her thoughtful eyes have locked on the distant waves of trees, a strange expression on her face, some cross of amused and annoyed, but...

Also resolved?

Determined?

Of course, Lara had always looked determined... Determined to survive, determined to make sure others survived, the look on her face is that sort of thing, and yet...

"But asking me to help does make sense I suppose... In your view I can do anything, right?"

...These words carry a hint of sadness to them.

"And maybe I can find something... Maybe I can't... If nothing else I could certainly try..."

Can.

Can't.

Try.

Strange words coming from this girl, but perhaps stranger still, is...

"Hey."

She looks up at you, emotions drained from her face, a poker face that matches the greatest of your own, and...

"Do you know why people repress things?"

...Asks a rather strange question.

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
???
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"I asked you because you're the most familiar with my mind, other than Lydia."

Unlike his sister and himself, Lydia is no mind reader. Nor does she have the first-hand experience that Lara has from a shared youth, of being linked with another mind day by day.

And yet, she manages to comprehend, predict and guide her User without breaking a sweat. Such is their bond now, or perhaps such is her emotional intelligence. Born of a being that was once before...

Even with the past rewritten as for the invincible sister to have never disappeared, it's unlikely Lydia would lose to Lara on that front. Even if this Ludwig was a different one than the boy that 'cheated', the COMP AI would know him deep down without fault.

But in the end, she's no mind reader, and so she's not used to navigating the Karlfeldt boy's mind.

"You're familiar with my own mental defense and along with our shared youth... well, the Lara I know could always pinpoint what was wrong..."

---But that Lara, and the one with Adala now... isn't the same one is it? Not truly, just like the Ludwig of this world had ceased to be when his current self awoke. Their memories are incompatible now, regardless of the patchworked events of the new world. What transpired in all these years where Lara should have been alive and well now, the boy knows naught. In that same vein, the secrets that the ESPer holds born from his confrontation with LUCID should not have occurred, but the memories remain.

And what are memories if not a roadmap of a life lived?

A collection of what shaped and formed the individual mind and soul.

"In any case, you're the manifestation of my mind's version of Lara. The girl who knows how to navigate my mind, who knows of past traumas and events, and so logically the one best suited to find newer repressed memories, if that makes sense. If anyone would have a chance, it'd be you... but you don't have to."

That tinge of sadness carried in her voice halts the boy.

"As for why... it's easier is it not? A defense mechanism from hurtful experiences, painful events, memories that would heavily affect ones psyche. The mind protecting itself."

Various reasons exist.

For more supernatural reasons, there are times where the conscious mind cannot comprehend what is happening. When reality is being defied utterly and completely, it is better to forget than to have one's psyche shattered.
The more usual case would be when situations arise that are so stressful and damaging that the mind refuses to consciously recall them, because doing so would only bring about pain. Left to rot within the unconciousness, one's state of mind is preserved.

And sometimes, it's because of a lack of understanding of why pain is inflicted. When a child lacks the comprehension to make sense of cruel punishment, and so its locked away before it can be internalized.

"Ultimately, it's because your mind isn't able to withstand the damages that certain events would inflict, isn't it? The mind safeguarding the soul, no?"

Wise Up!

Mundane Trait Revealed!

A Sea of Secrecy
As a mind reader, it is important to separate the thoughts and feelings of others and those of the self. Some close themselves off completely, others hide their thoughts through layers upon layers. Ludwig’s mind is akin to that of an ocean, at the surface a calm, empty nothingness that stretches on indefinitely, but deep down there’s a plethora of activity happening all the time. This mental defense stops enemies from reading his mind, and allows the Tamer to retain his serene sense of calm as well as keeping his ‘cold’ tactics hidden.

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Brighter Days ~ Yuriko's Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"No spikes?"

She snorts.

"Fine, fine, your loss~"

As it turns out, having one's hair played with is quite the interesting event.

Not just because it meant continuous, arguably intimate exposure to another person in an often confined space, but because the hair, head and scalp of the human body are loaded to the brim with sensory neurons, nerve endings that can feel each and every little thing that happens to them, to put it in simpler terms, it's a very sensitive place. Of course, the delinquent lifestyle means you've taken hits to the head more often than not, that sort of sensory input was something that wasn't that strange to you, but a gentler touch, something more evocative (if not exactly the same) of your childhood years with your mother or Noriko, was...

---Well at this age, it could be a lot of things really.

Embarrassing?

Having to stare at yourself in a mirror, sitting in what seems to be an honest to god salon chair, with a vaguely scary-looking, shiny-eyed delinquent girl behind you (putting away a sizable bottle of hair gel with a chuckle) was certainly that...

Relaxing?

Could easily be that too, after all a gentle touch from another person is often a relaxing one, releasing oxytocin with reckless abandon even as cortisol levels drop (or something like that), a bonding sort of experience that almost makes you feel like you're the younger one in this relationship... Although that's certainly impossible, you were absolutely the senpai here, right?

Relaxing and embarrassing?

Quite possible.

Still-!

"So where are ya headed after this? Gonna admit to your aunt that you're running off to the mountains?"

She's reaching for the shower-head and a bottle of shampoo now-!

"Seems like a bad play, not gonna lie. Think you're doomed if you do."

[Airen]

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR - Flight Deck
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

It's one of the first tricks faster tamers learn at the Academy.

A specific manner of movement, generation of thrust equal to weight, pushing the water down and back with each step in order to defy the pull of the liquid beneath your feet. The churning of the water makes it a bit tougher than normal of course, but the subconscious adjusts quickly enough, learned muscles adjusting in just the right ways to make your dash across the water's surface look effortless, a blur of light skipping across the churning surface of a once pitch-black mirror.

"..."

Rice had simply nodded to you at your words, face visibly shaken at everything going on around her, but also determined not to run away either, indeed...

In spite of her obvious unease with the situation, there had been a visible fire in the girl's eyes as she had watched you go.

"..."

---Even now you can feel her eyes on you, watching the escalating conflict from afar. You're not sure how powerful she is exactly, at least not in a direct combat sense, nor are you sure about what exactly she intends to do here, but either way...

It feels like you can trust her to have your back. It's an irrational thought perhaps, something that emerges from the subconscious more than the conscious, but either way...

No time to focus on her now, the enemy is right ahead-!

"..."

The babbling bastard grins at you.

It's jerky movements have slowly ceased, that far-too-wide grin crossing the uncanny face of a porcelain mask as it straightens it's posture and stares you down as you approach like a cruise missile; where you move at blinding speeds the clown has simply stopped moving entirely, looking less like a demented court jester now, and more like...

"Good..."

A proper opponent?

"Come here."

Even the voice has gone from openly mocking, to simply amused... But also focused, like it was concentrating very intently on something, and-

---Nightmare Fiction---

"...!"

---a premonition hits you.

The vision is almost nonsensical, but you abide by it anyway out of instinct.

Forward momentum stops, muscles instead straining to launch you straight up as the lake too explodes upwards to swallow you whole-!

It's not a portion of the lake either, not a single geyser, oh no...

As insane as it sounds, it's the entirety of the lake.

It reaches up like a massive, grasping hand; it's fingers the walls of water closing in on all sides. Leaping straight up isn't enough to get you out of it's grasp, the walls that surround you now are too far reaching, your inability to escape the grasp of a suddenly malicious environment undeniable, but...

---A part of you had been expecting something like this, not the lake itself attacking perhaps, but something emerging from the lake to do so, thus-!

For a moment, the waters are held back by whirling winds, a sphere of air that gives you just enough time to properly prepare, before-

[Logan Starbright: Can't Breathe, but it was a prepared dive! Vitality Check: C! 5 Rounds of Air Left.]
[Characters that run out of air will be incapacitated immediately!]

-you're in it.

Water slams into your body from all sides, sending you spinning out into the dark depths of an ocean without stars. You've managed to hold your breath, and the enhancements to your vision provided by Eye of the Fates make seeing down here far, far easier than it might normally be, but...

The surface seems a ways away, almost as if it's still rising even as you sink, but...

At least the clown is still down here with you.

Twenty meters away, as if it had been caught up in the lake's rebellion as well...

Although it's not laughing anymore, no bubbles rise from it's mouth, no exaggerated movements are made, it simply...

Stares at you in the darkness.

[Tobias]

Raz Stone
???
??/??/????

The thing about second hand autographs that was always interesting was...well, the first hand. In other words, whenever he was approached by someone looking for an autograph for a third party, it was always a bit interesting to see who was asking as courier.

Sometimes...many of the time really, it was pretty clear whoever was asking wanted something they could easily market. Usually, the black haired man thought of this type as "the opportunist." "Sign it to my biggest fan. oh don't worry, it doesn't need a name!" or something like that. Or sometimes the asker just wanted the old John Handcock without anything extra.

Sometimes the asker really wasn't a fan at all. Raz could usually spot those too. He called this type "the slave." They tended to treat whatever was being signed like a live eel. They held it in their hand carefully, like it was something they only touched under duress. Raz assumed these events were usually induced under duress, payment or lost wager. Raz tended to look at such events as a personal challenge.

Finally...one of the most interesting events is what the bard liked to think of as "the Martyr" It was when the asker pretty clearly wanted one for themselves, but elected to use the opportunity to support a friend of theirs. Nothing wrong with that of course, especially for the COMP of a squire. Self sacrifice was noble after all.

...Even if the Knight had to shake off a momentary sense of unease related to the fact that if the COMP was self sacrificing, that might mean it was absorbing part of its master's personality. Well. If Ada was concealing the desire or at least willingness to sacrifice herself for the sake of the mission then Raz couldn't stop her, that would be hypocritical. SO then, All Raz had to do was make sure the entire world was safe enough that it never came up. All the worlds really, since thanks to Dejah he now knew there was something approaching a multi-verse out there.

All in a days work!

What I hate most kid...is you actually meant that.

Raz elected not to respond to that.

Instead, as the stage got into motion, he busied himself with a quick change of clothes. He never fully understood why some COMP users who possessed a high tier ride never availed themselves of the ability to prepare on site provisions.

...And yes, he did make use of a few light beams to keep himself at least somewhat hidden. He was proud of his body but...Ada was his sister. Even he had limits. After donning a simple but fetching black leather ensemble with a simple but fetching choker with a guitar motif, he turned back to the Elegant Duo, holding a permanent marker.

"So then, a few questions! I know its a long shot, but whatever, it looks like we have some time, have either of y'all ever heard of Tif'eret? How about Sefirot, or Arkadia? or finally, one Dr. Alexia Wright?"

Raz filled the pair in on what the DTG's literally superhuman (SuperAI? Super COMP...?) super something efforts had revealed.

"And sorry, I cant transmit the file right now. A second set of eyes would be useful, but right now i'm basically that guy in the horror flick who just caught the alien virus. We transmitted part of it to the King, which was already a huge risk, but his defenses are higher then ours, and we have more of it. if something goes wrong, we are the guinea pig, and he only has to quarantine one user.

...It went without saying, but Raz was going out of his way not to mention there were other, more permanent resolutions to the tale of a dangerous infectee who could start some sort of global disaster.

"Oh, and don't worry your adorable head either, I haven't forgotten you wanted an autograph. Who is "Mokujima Chris!?" Do you have an image file so I can recognize her? And potentially identify a new and highly pleasant diversion...

Raz didn't verbalize that within arms reach of his sister. And people said he had no survival instinct!

"Anyway, you said you wanted me to sign anything, so would you prefer it on your left breast, or right one?"