Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Mokujima Chris
Aoyama ~ Lakeside
??? - Morning

"Of course it's fun! Better to find the key than to just smash my way in right?"

A very Lexie response, made with a brilliant smile... And a voice that implies she had probably actually seriously just considered brute forcing the entrance like she had brute forced the other door outside...

"Forcing the puzzle normally trips a trap after all! Can't have a Bad End happen on my account!"

...Thankfully, she also seems to talk herself out of it-!

Still...

While the laptop is obviously the most suspicious thing, or rather, the thing that will clearly have the most information associated with it, you leave it be for now before opening up the room to the light of day. The presence of such a clear light does wonders for the room in some ways, considering the various posters were a bit too covered in fake blood for one's liking -really, it was the sort of room that would give a normal person nightmares at night if it was this closed off all the time- but...

By that same token, no clue really appears with the sudden presence of the light (although a pull chain light for the lights does fall down along with the curtains.)

Having given Lexie a sort of permission to keep poking around in the apparent living quarters of your oldest friend, the violet-haired girl has made her way methodically through the room in a manner fitting a gamer, opening up video game cases to look inside them for a key, behind posters of a certain dream-based serial killer, under the blankets to go along with her inspection of the bed itself, and...

Eventually, she had just started fiddling with the radio... Certain aspects of the console still held power to them, much like how the lights and the door were still being operated by some sort of power source, and so she had started fiddling with the console itself to see what she could get to happen, and...

---At first, when she powers it on, it's just static.

But since it's the first noise that has appeared from anything within this ship, it's one that the both of you automatically listen to, and then...

And then...

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

A bizarre sound, like an inhuman roar, emerges through heavy static from the speakers.

It's a sound that's followed by the sound of footsteps, a voice that you can't quite make out -although it appears to be that of a girl- and then the sound of something heavy crashing into what seemed like tiles...?

What kind of recording...?

There's a grunt of pain from something, the sound of something else smashing, then...

"Sh---! ----- monster-!"

"▂▂▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅▅▅▅▅!"

...And then it cuts off.

"Huh... Kinda creepy."

...The first to speak at the unexpected series of sounds, is a Lexie that looks vaguely surprised for a moment, before returning to her normal cheerful self.

"Frequency is listed as 'unknown'.. Heh, yeah, that sounds about right! Things are creepier without a clear origin point-! Mystery and all that-!"

Yes.

As the beacon of positive thinking, it seems nothing is capable of actually freaking her out to any significant degree...

As for you, and your inspection of the dream catchers...

---While there were nine of them, they existed in groups of three, so it was a pretty purposeful configuration, a repeating one, and the pattern of their decoration -or rather the shape you saw inside of them- was...

Sun, Moon, Sun

Sun, Moon, Sun

Sun, Moon, Sun

...Yes, it's a bit bizarre.

...But Sakurako had always been a strange person, so...

[Airen]

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

---There are two flashes of light, two different bursts of spiritual power in the darkness.

The first comes from you, a move made without hesitation as the snowman disappears into the darkness, a reflexive attempt to defend yourself from a danger you couldn't quite perceive...

It is only natural then, that the second burst is that of your opponent's spell.

---Demonic Identity, Jack Frost.

Fairy-type, not particularly powerful as far as demons are concerned, popular with humans due to their cute mascot-like looks and generally affable personalities... Yes, although Jack Frosts are also known to have bizarre mood swings at times, and may say things that come across as bizarre or brazen, they aren't the sort that ever really come across as truly villainous, they typically just like seeing what sort of reactions they can get out of humans.

Yes.

It's just a fairy.

Not particularly powerful, and yet...

---This one seems to have some oomph to him.

The discharge of ice that emerges from its hands violently rocks the car, and would have easily frozen it over entirely if it weren't for your intervention... Of course that was only natural, considering this Jack Frost seemed to be partnered with a human -likely a Tamer- it was only natural for it to be a bit more powerful than your average Jack Frost, but still...!

It actually takes a bit of effort not to steer yourself right into the wall-!

The prophesied fireball had almost happened-!

"Hee-ho! Do you feel the cold of winter, hee? My power is that of a hero!"

Still-!

The cackling Jack Frost gets remarkably full of itself for an attack that has failed, considering it takes the time to laugh -cackle- like some sort of demonic overlord overlooking his victims, and-

"Mhm, sure, we definitely felt it."

-nodding calmly to herself, a certain silver-haired Astra...

Leans out her window, grasps the little demon by the collar of it's body of snow, and...

"I'll have to ask you to go though, okay?"

...Rather mercilessly -considering how sympathetic her voice sounded- she throws the demon back...

---Behind the redhead's motorcycle.

It's both merciful and cruel; rather than eliminate the demon entirely from the race, she gives him a chance to recover by simply throwing him like a stuffed doll... Of course, this is just as pragmatic as it is merciful, considering that if his partner cares about him, she'll be forced to-

"What did I tell you about taunting Jack? Eliminate them first, come on! Gotta take competitors seriously-!"

"Sorry boss!"

-slow down to catch him.

---The victory high-five that follows is only natural-!

This is a lead that you'll be able to hold... Considering how difficult driving on the ceiling had been for the girl -or rather, how long it had taken her to catch up doing it- she won't get a second chance to pass you here inside of this tunnel... There are some sharp turns up ahead too, turns that make you glad you activated your visual enhancer when you did, and...

"Alright, we're making good time! This is actually pretty fun-! Think the Commander would let us get this sort of simulator on the ship?"

...You're so far ahead that Astra seems to feel comfortable simply talking to you as the car screams through tunnels at speeds that are honestly absurd, so far ahead that the sight of light up ahead doesn't surprise you, so far ahead that...

---You're the first to notice the world outside has changed in a bizarre way upon exiting the tunnel, your current state letting you get a good look at it in just a 'heartbeat's' worth of time...

For one, the skies are sort of fragmented...

Like something had damaged the simulation, parts of the sky are showing this place's nature as a digital realm... Of course this isn't dangerous, by this world's very nature, one cannot truly be harmed within it, but it's something worth noting...

But in comparison to the other change, it is rather small, yes...

---There's a Tower in the distance.

Or at least, that's what it looks like...

Some sort of Tower, unfinished, looking more like someone had ported in a wire-frame schematic than anything concrete... It's a bit of a bizarre sight, a random half-loaded addition to a track that was already full of bizarre architecture, and...

---In three seconds, it is going to blast your car.

It's something easily avoided, but something that also raises a certain question, namely...

...Is this a part of the track?

Or something else?

...Your first instinct points at the latter, but...

While this distracts Logan, Amelia...

---Gets a message sent directly to her.

Caller unknown, but requesting an open transmission with her alone.

[Tobias]

Raz Stone
Hermes Stage - En route to Merlin's Tower
Golden Dusk

Death...taxes...and Serena criticizing.

It seemed even the extemporaneous melody that had been created was not up to snuff to the erstwhile manager of the kingdom's idol. That was a pity. For pure spontaneity, he had thought the impromptu duet had been quite good over all. Raz grimaced in good natured response to his mentor's chiding. Of course, this was nothing new to him. Compliments from the raven haired woman were precious few. It was easier to draw a grimaced praise from his gruff comp then it was to tear from the cherry red lips of Serena.

He hoped Sara wouldn't take it to personally. If he had been doing it, he would have used a bit of a lighter touch. First it was important to have her feel comfortable exposing herself. Technique could be drilled into her at a later point. Well, that was how he thought, but it was of course notable that serious faced instructor was a far better teacher then he was. Therefor, maybe he should keep his damn mouth shut and let the professional work.

Besides, the keep was approaching. Arcing high into the clouds, was the bastion of magecraft owned by perhaps the greatest wizard of the new era. It was said that the magical might of the dream demon was such that, had she been present at the cataclysm 20 odd years past, it might have gone differently. Even in the wonderful shining city on the hill, that great golden world, the keep of Merlin was one of the most powerful and iconic sites. That great white building was surmised to be a linchpin of the world itself, an anchor to the current foundation that held together the world of man.

Though Raz was smart enough not to say it out loud, there was a part of Raz which found it both amusing and thematically fitting that he had arrived to the keep with a flower in each hand. A suitable way to seek an audiance with the mage of flowers!

Raz found himself walking to one of the corners of the stage as it slowed to a hovering stop. From the microphone he held carelessly at one hand, songcraft gathered, that which he could convert magic to music and spread power among his allies. Surely it was this ability that had caused Serena to seek his presence. In response, the stage of Herme's Raz stone's greatest quipment began to thruim softly, preparing it's harmonic.

It was almost like the Comp was clearing his throat. Sarcastic and gruff, there was nobody more reliable. Raz would sing, and an old detective would be there to turn song into power.

This was his ally.

This was the DTG.

Whats the plan kid?

No idea. I have never met Merlin except in passing. She was there when I was knighted. Looked bored to tears!

I was too.

Shut up!

What have I told you about going in without a plan. I doubt batting the ole peepers is going to work on her.

This is Serena's show. We need some information. And since the only one who apparently has some...you know, you...wont speak up about whatever happened, we have to get it somewhere else. So we ask Merlin and hope she doesnt give us to much lip.

I cant hold your hand every time flatfoot. You need more training.

Horse shit. You going silent is because you want to protect that kid of yours.

How the...

The sudden silence of the older detective was absolutely deafening. Of course, by then it was to late.

You have been trying to teach me to make deductions. Well you have some kind of information source that fed you something from the inside. You care about it enough you wont even talk to me about it. And you get weirdly defensive when I ask questions I damn well should be asking. This is about that A.I. you found. You are just lucky nobody else knows you like I do. though I would be careful. Lucid might figure it out too.

You just make sure and keep your yap shut rookie. I promised. And you don't want to cross the kid. She...she is strong.

Fine fine, I understand. Hey, I am happy for you. I never thought I would live to see you hit puberty!

Through their mental link, Raz could practically hear the digital teeth of his partner grinding together.

It's not like that. The kid needs someone to look out for her. She doesn't have anyone else.

Inwardly Raz's heart melted. The DTG and he were of one mind. Knight's protect children. Some day he hoped to meet the flighty program which had so ably evoked the paternal side of an AI who had seen a little to much.

This was his ally.

Hey, I don't judge, you get old, you start liking younger fruit. And there is nothing to be ashamed of, I hear most old men are loli...

It was at that moment that the entire Hermes' stage tipped, twisted....bucked, like an angry stallion dislodging its rider. Raz, who stood at the very corner of the stage, was sent off his feet into the air. Now, this on its own wasn't worrisome in the slightest. He controlled the stage. He had leaped to and fro from it on any number of appearances to create an entrance or when it suited him in battle tactics. calling it back to him was simplicity itself.

...However...two very concerning things occurred in quick succession. First, he felt his mental link with his conveyance dissolve, shredded, blocked by its architect...and the second troubling thing...?

Well, that was the psychical manifestation of that architect, the source of his power and his only weapon...The HEAT Microphone wrenched itself out of his hand and went rolling down the inclined stage which whipped away from him.

Only for a moment of freefall though, before spinning back to him.

That was the good news.

the bad news...?

Though the stage did indeed whirl around and return to him, it was in a reversed angle. And flipped at nearly a perfect incline, only the sudden sprouting of microphone poles being what prevented Serena and Sara from also being kicked off. Finally, it was not the checkered floor which was about to crash into raz...





No, what spun into the Knight of Song, what impacted raz with a feeling strangely like getting struck with a giant tennis racket was the bottom of the stage, entirely without purchase that he might have grabbed onto. this resulted in...



of course, Raz being hurled at near supersonic speeds, directly into the storm clouds surrounding the tower.

...This was his ally?!

In the distance, as raz faded from view, leaving only behind the gleam of teeth brightly shining in the storm, one could almost make out him shrugging his shoulders in mid flight, and mouthing "what, to much?" right before he faded entirely from view.

Raz stone, Knight of music, whose greatest weaknesses were being without his weapon, being off his stage, and fighting alone...had just been hurled into the tower unarmed and without ally or support.

The Heat microphone caught on the slowing stage, and rattled around for a moment before coming to rest at Sara Cross' feet. This...might have been an accident, but probably wasn't. Its location seemed to be saying "Take me with you! I'll treat you well as your COMP!"

What happened to Raz? well, that was a question none present could answer.

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Velvet Room
??? ~ ???

"Haha... Don't be like that, I'm sure you'll find it very enlightening!"

---Does she notice your disconnect?

Giving the inflection of a certain word in her statement a very clear difference, as if she wanted you to pay attention to those words in particular, but couldn't actually say that for some reason...

The woman winks at you, as if to say "it'll be our little secret, okay?"

---In comparison to her usual klutzy self it's remarkably deliberate, a rare instance of something close to outright mischief, as if she was breaking some sort of rule she shouldn't break, and was surprisingly fine with the idea-!

Regardless, she doesn't give you much time to change your mind, or really think too hard about what she had said, after all-!

"Let's go!"

Like a secretary that has been released from her mundane life of paperwork, the woman leaps at the chance to escape the bounds of this room-!

"After all, if it is for a guest's sake, then it can't be helped... I must assist as much as I am able-!"

Saying this aloud as if to convince the room itself of this truth, the woman grasps your hand, pulls you over to the back of a room, to a door that hadn't been there before marked "Revolution," and...

Opens it.

...It leads to nothing, or at least it seems like it leads to nothing...

It is dark.

A darkness without light, something that in some ways resembles a sheer drop... Looking at it might cause second thoughts, as there is clearly nothing to step upon once one steps out into it, and yet-

She jumps, and you are pulled along...

Well, it's not like you hadn't given consent...

----

Eva Ellet
London ~ ???
??? ~ ???

---Still, is it too much to ask for world transference to involve some form of walking?

In the magic age, it was pretty common for unmastered means of magical transportation to wind up dropping the unfortunate user from the sky... It was like an initiation of sorts, something that happened to every Tamer eventually... There were a few theories as to why this was, but ultimately, it just seemed to be a bizarre quirk of magical transport, the idea that if you do it enough times, one of those times, will end with you falling down from the sky like a meteor...

So perhaps...

It's not so bad when you feel yourself plummeting down through grey skies, arms and legs automatically shooting out to increase air resistance, and consequently, slow the speed of your fall...

---From up here, it looks like you're approaching some sort of city.

At a glance it resembles London, albeit, a London that is covered in a thick fog...

No, not fog... Or rather, it's not normal fog...

It's filled to the brim with spiritual power, like some sort of defensive barrier... It's quite thick, like smog, and very unsubtle... Still, it's not particularly difficult to operate in, it's simply a different sort of environment, far less clean than the world you had apparently just left, and...

---Somewhere along the way, you had lost your grip on Agatha's hand; this isn't too much of a problem as far as the current situation goes, you can handle a sudden plummet from the sky no matter how high it was... It was a simple matter of reorienting your body a bit, focusing spiritual power in the right places... It might still sting slightly upon landing, but you'd be fine, no...

It's more the idea of being by yourself in a strange place that comes across as inherently troubling, but...

---That too goes away after a moment, after all...

"Eva! I'll catch you!"

It seems she's done below already, arms outstretched, and being slightly -strangely- protective...

---A bizarre person, truly.

Perhaps this was a secretary's pride?

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris
Aoyama ~ Lakeside
??? - Morning

"...hm. Sun moon sun. Ex three. Hint? Probably."

Even less-so than Lexie, Chris doesn't blink at the sound of monsters and static-y screams coming from the radio. After all, that sort of spooky horror noise might as well be music to Sakurako's ears. It's exactly the right sort of aesthetic for... for...

"Did she... set it up like this on purpose?" Chris wonders. "Her own home... this adventure game-like atmosphere."

It could very well be a possibility. Sakurako has already shown some kind of awareness beyond that of normal, so it wouldn't surprise Chris to know that she's being observed somehow. Rather, it's nothing to panic over even if it's true. The only scary possibility is that she'll accidentally damage something important, which is why she hadn't touched the laptop. Even if it's for a good cause, snooping through your friend's things is something that should be done carefully.

"But... if it's her game, then... it'll get scarier. Weird sounds, bloody walls, scary hallways. And then. The monster pops up. Boo. Or maybe, it only appears in trap options..."

Chris leans over the radio and tilts her head, nearly pressing her ear against it. Fiddling with the switches, she begins to manually search through frequencies, and starts slowly cycling through them, listening for a trace of pattern in that static. In that time...

"Lexie... can you... check the laptop? With History... it'll be safer. Ah, but, if it isn't locked, no looking at that suspiciously named folder, okay? We have to... preserve, the owner's dignity at least..."

As she speaks, Chris reaches for the light chain that fell with the curtain, and pauses. There's no way, right? It won't summon some kind of beast just because Sakurako prefers darkness, right? But then, it's still tempting even if there's no obvious benefit and light is already abundant...

"Aaaaah... now I'm, a little nervous. In that case... if it's a trap, we should at least... look at her hard work, right?"

Yoink.

[Airen]

DTG
Hermes Stage - En route to Merlin's Tower
Golden Dusk

---A truly unfortunate series of events... Or perhaps simply what one would call karma?

There are a few things a Tamer pair simply cannot do if they hope to be successful, the most obvious of which is anger their partner... Whether it be the User angering the COMP or the COMP angering the user, a partner that isn't willing to work with you will essentially stop the other one dead in their tracks... A COMP without it's user can't move around too much typically, and a User without their COMP loses much of their power, namely...

This sort of occurrence brings a screeching halt to getting anything substantial done, especially if it's gotten to the point of one outright attacking the other, and yet...

"...I'm sure he deserved it."

Shockingly (not that shocking really) cold, Serena just crosses her arms, observes the flight of a somewhat insane subordinate with a sigh, and...

"Pick up the microphone Cross. We have to get to the Tower somehow."

"Yes ma'am."

---

Raz Stone
Merlin's Tower

---This impact actually hurts.

Where a Harmonizer would normally take a decent amount of the damage away from this sort of impact, the sudden heel turn of your COMP has forced you to rely on somewhat more basic means of protecting yourself...

It's an automatic barrier of spiritual power.

Something most humans were capable of manifesting nowadays, a low-tier barrier that tends to automatically flick on when danger is sensed, and having been given quite the time to contemplate exactly where you went wrong as you went soaring through the air, you have plenty of time to gather your spiritual reserves to dampen the pain at the other end, even so...

---Ow.

Breaking through stone walls without a Harmonizer... Hurts.

Still, you had run your mouth without thinking back there... Or rather, you had thought, and you had thought wrong...

Either way, here you were now, a sudden unexpected visitor to-

"Ah, Lord Stone. Perfect timing, I was just wondering if I'd have to clean this mess up alone~"

-the Tower of the Magus of Flowers.

---A demon of incredible natural beauty, one who is flirtatious and mischievous in almost all situations... It is the same entity as the half-demon that served as Arthur's Magus in the age of myths -or at least is able to play the part so well no one can tell the difference- and is someone who could be called the trickster of the current organization, someone who goes out of her way to mess around with others, tease them in a -normally- good natured way because she finds it somewhat amusing...

In other words... She's naturally mischievous to her core, nevertheless...

She can be a good advisor when she needs to be, and a powerful ally for the Knights...

Perhaps their most powerful ally... At least as far as their Demon Companions went, still...

She was a bit too good at getting others to do things for her, even if they knew, deep down inside, that going along with her whims probably won't go the way they think it will-!

Still, her words imply trouble -as had the clouds outside- and yet you can't see anything around you... It's simply one of the interior hallways in the tower, like you had crashed through the wall as the Demon was simply walking by to get somewhere...

"Although... Where is your device? Did you come here without it?"

A pause, after a contemplative statement, then...

"...Or did you perhaps... Pick a fight with him?"

She seems to catch on quite quickly-!

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
London ~ ???
??? ~ ???

Well…

This is…

…concerning?

I’m not sure if that’s the appropriate expression for this situation, but it seems correct. Being ushered into an ominous, empty looking door before I have time to think twice about my choice, finding myself falling through the skies above an unknown world, and finally losing track of the only familiar person here… concerning seems like a good way to put it. Although it’s a different kind from what I was thinking earlier regarding the contents of that book- it’s not a big problem.

After all, I did give my consent for the door, and appearances aside it seems to have served its purpose. Finding Agatha is a priority for a number of reasons- she’s the only one who knows where this is, and her missing by itself is a problem, but that might have to wait until later. There’s something else that I should probably prioritize thinking about now, and that is…

… the landing.

I can’t fly.

While this whole situation is a little exciting- even as the fog tries to ruin it, the sight of this otherworldly city is extraordinary enough to make it more than worthwhile- the inevitable ending is something that I can’t avoid thinking about.

Since I don't have any other options available, the ground is going to have to catch me. That will hurt a little, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. The problem is the ground- it would be awful if I happened to land on an important building, or worse, as unlikely as it should be, a person. As someone who lives in Vatican City, I’ve had plenty of encounters with terrible tourists, but an event like that would undoubtedly make me one of the worst of all.

Certainly not a good way to arrive in a foreign land.

What to do…

But it seems my concerns are groundless, since…

"Eva! I'll catch you!"

“Thanks!”

Agatha seems to have things under control.

Thankfully, it seems like there’s no need to go looking for her after landing. But my earlier concerns remind me that there is still an issue at hand- I don’t think it should be a problem for Agatha, since she seems capable enough, but it’s something I think she deserves to know beforehand.

“And… apologies. I’m not sure how much I weigh.”

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
London ~ ???
??? ~ ???

"Hmm, you weren't heavy at all; I don't see why you were worried."

---It's hard to tell if this statement has any real meaning, considering the nature of the person that had caught you.

Being what you were, it is only natural that you would weight at least a bit more than your average human being... Of course, the magic age had led to many notable leaps in technology, so devices that had once been the size of rooms could be kept in pockets nowadays, but... It still felt like a sort of truth, that you should weigh more than others, or perhaps...

Like anyone your age... You were simply self-conscious...?

No.

That couldn't be it.

Considering the speed of your plummet, someone voluntarily trying to catch you is still a notable task, a physically able Tamer could probably pull it off, but Agatha was no such thing... No, as far as you had seen from her, the woman had never used any sort of device to activate her powers, she simply... Had them...

---Thinking about it, what was she anyway?

She had the aura of a human, the azure light associated with the color of their souls, but...

Seemed a bit too innately strong to be one? She had weird powers that needed no source other than her own self, seemed casually superhuman in a way that even Tamers couldn't match, apparently lived inside of a world of dreams, and was also apparently capable of leaving that world at any time she wished to go to another, so long as someone was chaperoning her... If she was a human, then she was definitely a bizarre one, but that was the only classification that fit her...

At the very least... She definitely had a human's soul...

Still...

(World of Revolution ~ A Fog-Filled Calm)

"I've never actually hopped world's before... I think, but it seems to be going well so far!"

...It's hard to really question her humanity when she says sort of air-headed things like that-!

While a part of you had only considered this after falling down, due to the rather abrupt manner in which the woman had forced you onto this little trip, there had been a real idea that the two of you would stick out amongst other people not only because of falling out of the sky, but also due to your clothing, after all, an alternate world might just have alternate styles right? But...

Thankfully -or perhaps purposefully- you had landed on the edge of the bizarre London-like city, and strangely enough...

When the two of you had run into people... There had been little cohesion between the sorts of clothes they wore; it reminded you a bit of America, like a great big Melting Pot of Cultures, in spite of seeming like the area belonged in Britain, there were people of a number of different cultures just wandering around the area as if it was natural for them to do so... You can spy kimonos and cheongsam dresses amidst blue jeans and t-shirts, among business suits and cotton trousers, really...

The two of you didn't stand out that much at all, or rather, if you did...

---It was only because you felt so much... Stronger... Than most of the people you saw here...

While there was a lot of ambient spiritual power in the area -specifically in the fog- the people themselves were far weaker than the humans you were used too... Back in your world (as strange as it was to think of it that way) even the most common civilian had a bit of spiritual power to themselves, enough to work most modern magi-tech, and more easily survive in a world where supernatural phenomena just sort of happens randomly at times, but here...

Here...

---They were all minuscule readings, seemingly enough spiritual power to keep their bodies working and nothing more.

...It's bizarre.

Like walking around in a world of cardboard... Everything just seemed sorta fragile?

Not only that...

There was no magi-tech around that you could see; there were normal electric lights, cars, the sort of tech you would have seen just before the Magic Era in your world... Not only that, this area sort of seems...

Hastily put together?

Lots of buildings seem recently finished, and even more seem like they're in the process of either being built or rebuilt...

It's strange, but thinking back to a certain book...

Maybe everyone had simply gotten here recently...?

"Guess we should find a map then, right?"

Regardless, it's an interesting place to see, far removed from society as you knew it, and...

Following along after a guide that seemingly doesn't know too much about the area herself, you eventually find yourself staring at a map that /also/ seems to be rather hastily created, or rather, recent...

As a map... It doesn't seem to be one of earth, rather... The shape reminds you a bit of Australia?

Still...

The chunk of land that you could call Australia... Seems to be divided into sections with names that are more familiar, like "New Tokyo," "New Washington," "New Rome," or "New London," which is what you seem to be inside right now, with a nearby entertainment district catching your eye... Although the area at the center of the world map, close to London, and simply labeled "Babel," doesn't quite fit any capital you're used to back in Xanadu, and...

Everything outside of this one land mass... Is simply labeled for a bit as "ocean," and then...

As "Void."

Like... Nothing else beyond it exists...?

If that's the case, these people are all taking it pretty well, considering almost everyone you can see just seems to be going about their day to day lives as normal... Although with all of the fog...

It's sort of hard to see anything in the distance...

"Hmm, pretty confined! A world as a single country, a novel idea I suppose... Or perhaps it was simply necessary?"

Nodding to herself after looking at it for awhile...

Agatha looks towards you, almost as if to say...

So, where should we go?

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
London ~ ???
??? ~ ???

Everything goes well. Much better than expected.

Agatha’s surprisingly tough.

I don’t pay much attention to it, and I’m pretty sure she’s just being nice when she says that I’m not that heavy, but even supposing that were the case- supposing that I weigh only about as much as a normal human being, catching me from that height would normally be difficult. Being a Tamer would explain it, but I can’t feel anything of the sort. Together with the other things she can do, she’s clearly different from most of the human beings I know of- the people who live in Xanadu, as Agatha called it.

Considering the situation in front of me, an obvious answer might be that she’s from another world. That would explain why she’s capable of so many different things.

But if Agatha is unusual because her abilities seem much above the norm, then these people are unusual for being much below- they’re below average civilians. And she doesn’t seem too familiar with the area- at the very least, if she’s from a different world, it probably isn’t this one…

And she said this was probably her first-time hopping worlds.

But since she said she has some amnesia, maybe she’s just forgotten…?

…thinking about things I have no control over isn’t one of my strong points. Her past and origin aren’t things for me to pry into- what matters is that she’s here now. I’ll think about it later, if it still bothers me.

My knowledge of human beings is far from complete, anyways- I could try asking Catherine when I get back. She would know more than I do. Agatha said she was responsible for some incident of sorts, and that’s why she was imprisoned- with her abilities, there’s a chance someone might remember it, assuming it occurred in that world and not some other one.

As for affairs in this world…

It really does seem like the contents of that book are real. It seems to match well- another world, the void, the lack of widespread spiritual powers…

It’s unfortunate.

But the people are taking it well. I thought there would be more panic, from how the book described it, but there doesn't seem to be large issues. Presumably without much other choice, they evacuated to a place that remained untouched- Australia, and are trying to regain a semblance of their normal life by building the countries they used to have. It’s a positive sign.

That said…

…is everything really okay?

It would be hard for me to relax knowing that an unknown void had already eaten the rest of the planet, and I can’t imagine it would be any different for these people- if anything, it would be much, much worse. On average, they don't seem very capable of protecting themselves. Being weak is not a sin, but it can breed desperation... which can drive people to do things they normally wouldn't.

“Hmm…”

Studying the world map Agatha procured, the most obviously interesting places are the Void, and Babel… but they seem a little far to go on a short trip, presumably by foot or vehicle. That leaves places in New London, and honestly most choices seem like good as far as seeing this other world goes. I am a little curious about any museums or churches to see what they brought with them here- this is an alternate world after all- but looking at it there’s a better place among the nearby options.

“How about this entertainment district…?”

Just to be clear, I’m not here to slack off. I… just think it would be nice if Agatha got to something fun while on this trip. It doesn't sound like she gets to go out much.

I’d be fine with anything, really.

“Might be nice to see what they do here?”

[Tobias]

Raz Stone
Merlin's Tower

“...Worth it!”

Oh man. It really had been. Oh sure, it hurt of course. And Raz has been a whole lot more rusty with the spirit shield then he had thought he would have been. Just goes to show you that you rely on your COMP long enough you get a bit dependent. As soon as he crashed Raz has leaped to his feet, going for dynamic, though the effect was a little marred by him being a bit wobbly.

Without the DTG his natural self healing was also inactive. He had almost forgotten that pain doesn’t usually go away within moments. Ah well. What couldn’t be cured had to be endured.

Speaking of the DTG, he knew somewhere else the surly old man would be writing an access protocol for Serena or Sara so they could fly the stage. He thought about letting merlin know to expect visitors but judging from her rather composed reaction to his own entrance it seemed like she probably already knew.

“Well if it isn’t the woman of my dreams!” Raz said, bowing grandly at the mage of flowers. “Help you clean up?! No ma’am, not this knight. I won’t be helping you clean up. Sit down, have something cold to drink, I will clean this room and repair this wall myself. As for how I got here...maybe I just like to make an entrance!”

At her disbelieving cocked eyebrow, Raz effected a guileless grin that fooled absolutely nobody. “Let’s just say I did not totally deserve it and I definitely wouldn’t absolutely do it again given half a chance!” The dark haired man said shamelessly.

”Really though.” He continued, his dark, for once uncovered eyes turning serious. “There has been a rash of robotic peeling toms recently. Beautiful girls everywhere are having to double check their blinds before showering, as someone who often flies it’s a nightmare! I humbly beg of you, help me stop these mechanical perverts!”

[hero]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama Gakuen - Front Hall
??? - Noon


"... I see. So that's what you lot were after."

Lianne Cross is a monster, both on the battlefield and outside of it. None of us here is a match for her because we haven't been through the same things she has, nor have we earned the right to call ourselves her equals. That is a fact that might never change through the entirety of our lives. Even now, as she casually tells us that our reward is just another task, there is practically nothing we can do to oppose the idea. In that sense, the question she asks is a rhetorical one. But then again... Who'd turn down such a good deal? Receiving special tutelage from one, if not THE seasoned veteran is an offer a lot of Tamers would go the distance for, especially if they were unlucky enough to be stranded in the hell-hole that is the SDCD in comparison to the other Tamer organizations.

Even I, feeling somewhat frustrated after being lured into this, cannot deny that this is a chance of a life-time. Even I, the dropout who always gets into trouble just for the sake of playing the part of a rebel, cannot claim that Lianne Cross's plans have been crafted with anything but good intentions. Though I might not dare to openly admit it, this woman is partly responsible for me being standing where I am today, and I might feel somewhat indebted to her for that cause. No matter how you spin it, it would be a waste if one let this opportunity go by or said something stupid when all that is asked of you is a polite silence accompanied by firm nod. Yes, a part of me is certain that this reward is more than enough for the trouble.

"... That's just a bunch of crap."

Sadly, another part of me cannot stay quiet after being so blatantly used by the faculty. Not after pushing myself to the utmost limit, not after the class paid with sweat and blood to cast one miracle after another in order to reach the impossible future that was our 'victory'. It feels unfair... No, it most definitely is. Perhaps if the purpose of this exercise had been properly phrased, if the identity of this 'race to the cafeteria' as an entrance exam of sorts from the start, then the mere satisfaction of passing might have been enough to quench this feeling burning in my chest. Make no mistake, the emotions that set that flame ablaze can only be categorized as selfish, naive and childish, no more. It makes me into the man that would throw a tantrum, regardless of whether he wins or not.

"You want to recruit Namasaki? Go right ahead. Being the school's ace, you hardly have a choice in the matter."

I stand and confront the vice-director, alone, with nothing to back me up. The SDCD is branded as 'soft' but that is not to say that they cannot crush me like a fly if they feel like it. Any direct offense against the higher-ups can be turned into a reason to strip me of my COMP and end my career right then and there. In essence, bad-mouthing a teacher is not as much of a bad idea as opposing the Director or the Vice-Director is and, right now, I've placed myself in the eye of the storm.

"But me? Forget it. You can feed that kindness to the dogs."

The exercise was ridiculous. And so is the reward.

I worked so hard to succeed.

I pretty much exhausted every weapon at my disposal to get this far.

Telling myself that I've done a good job, I felt satisfied and refreshed, for once.

But to attack me like this is to trample over my feelings.

And if there is one thing I've learned after mom and dad left is that letting someone trample over your feelings is something you can't allow. Not if you want to live with yourself after that.

"This was all just a fluke. Have Irmina restore me to full-health. Then you'll see that the outcome will not repeat itself." I dare her. "If it is about effort, I didn't push myself any harder than Ikushima or Davis or Akiko did. Or anyone else for that matter. Even if they fell in combat, things ultimately ended as they did because each of them broke a bone to see it through."

It's not like me to stand up for others.

It honestly does not suit my life philosophy.

But, for some reason, being asked to stand of a podium in their stead really makes me mad.

Are you telling me they get nothing for all the effort they put into this?

Bullshit. I won't stand for it.

"Thinking that I am the guy your 'A-team' needs is telling yourself a lie."

[Airen]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama Gakuen - Front Hall
??? - Noon

"..."

Ultimately, she just listens quietly to you as you speak.

It's an action that could be considered insane to take, as 'nice' as the SDCD was in comparison to the other Tamer Organizations, there was a certain limit to how one could speak to their 'boss' and hope to get away with it scot free... It didn't matter if you were still a student or not, the moment you had become a Tamer of this organization, you had put yourself in a place where you had to defer to the judgement of others or risk the advancement of your career, and yet...

In spite of all that, perhaps because it is in your nature to do so, you...

Rebel.

For the sake of your fellow students, or perhaps because you really can't help yourself...? Humans are the sort that can have many motivations, many different things that push them to do the things they do, so perhaps you are unsure about it yourself... After all, being this worried about others isn't like your usual persona, and yet, this exercise had been bizarre, strangely bizarre for an academy that had always placed an emphasis on connections, bizarre to the point where it felt almost like they were treading on your feelings for some reason, and so...

You tell her that, and she says nothing in response until you're done; her expression never changes, it's the quiet, almost stoic look of a teacher that is simply waiting to see what the student says, one eyelid raising as Shuichi ultimately just nods his head in solidarity with you, staring at his aunt with the look of someone who is trying to figure out a particularly complicated puzzle for a moment, and then...

And then...

And then...

"...Hmmm, I see, I was worried for a moment when you got so many of the others disqualified at the start."

...She says something equally bizarre, something that can only be aimed at the 'you' that had been immediately prepared to sacrifice the others at the start of the exercise; it's words aimed at you in particular, words that come with the flicker of a smile, as if what you had said had 'relieved' her of some sort of notion...

"Standing up here means you do feel something towards your classmates, that's good, you've always been a bit more distant than the others."

...Yes.

In the end, she is more of a trickster type when it comes to being a teacher; sometimes she'll say or do things simply to see what your natural response is, and in this case, considering how you had gotten here...

This sort of thing had been necessary for 'clarity's sake.'

In other words...

---It's impossible to slay this particular queen with that sort of rebellion, because she had been hoping for those sorts of feelings to emerge from you right from the start.

"Of course it was a group effort, if you hadn't acknowledged that and just went along with me, I would have had to fail you right here," crossing her arms, the older woman just chuckles to herself, "Well, I'm still not a fan of how you started the exercise off, considering none of those guys were your enemies... You could have warned them beforehand at least, you know? But that's the sort of thing we can still fix, plenty of time."

---In the end, it wasn't about reaching the cafeteria first at all; or rather, while that was the stated goal...

Was she saying it was actually a test of your 'connections?' How much you valued them, and how far you were willing to go?

The task was something impossible to do alone, so accepting that you had won in the end and everyone that had gotten you there had lost...

Would have been a 'mistake' that made you fail...

In that sense, rather than trampling on your emotions, she had just done her best to draw the 'truer' ones out of you. You're the sort of person that will be contrary just for the sake of being contrary, so trying to figure out how you actually felt about things required a different sort of approach, but...

This indignation...

She could believe it existed within you, and that was fine.

The others had proved the strength of their 'bonds' in different ways, but to figure out how you felt...

You had to be confronted on it.

---The simulation ends with all of that; the computer world falls away, and those students that had been defeated reappear all around you, bodies perfectly fine, but visibly exhausted from the hellish sprint that had gotten them all there, and...

"Alright, I think that's the last loose end I needed to check... I'll give you a passing grade Sho, although if a part of you likes your classmates, try actually telling them that? Geez, dishonest kids always make life so much more difficult for themselves..."

Her eyes flicker to Shuichi for a moment, then...

A thumbs up.

It's a brief exchange, and one that neither side explains because it's simply unnecessary, from the start...

...Something about her request had been impossible for him, and she knew it, that's how he had caught her in her act.

"Alright, good work everyone! The actual prize is that everyone's lunch is on me! We'll head out into town for it, alright?"

There's an eruption of cheers from the entire student body, the usual cheerful nature of the school building never once fading throughout all of this, and...

"The part about me becoming a teacher was accurate though! I'll be joining the faculty, so everyone should get ready to work three times as hard! We'll be having different sorts of tests all week-!"

...Yeah.

She's getting the crowd worked up now alright, and...

"...Heh, surprisingly lenient."

Shaking his head to himself, aware that only you could really hear him now that Liane was interacting more with the mass of students than the two of you, he...

"I thought that opening move of yours would have gotten you failed for sure... But being an open tsundere has it's perks I suppose."

And with that, rather than move towards the crowd, he just chuckles to himself and...

Starts to walk away from it all?

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Depths of a Dream (?)
??? - Night

"No. You should go back home. It's too dangerous."

...Needless to say, you do not get the younger Adala's blessing to follow after her quite so easily.

Of course, from her perspective, it's the action that makes the most logical sense to take; it's the equivalent of a random stranger deciding that they want to help her fight off the hollow form of a God that had been causing trouble for the people of this land, and while she can likely feel your spiritual power, as well as whatever intentions you had considering how guarded her adult self was, but...

That probably doesn't make too much of a difference to her.

Shouldering this burden on her own is only natural, as a Lagerkvist, this sort of thing is simply her duty.

Thus, after telling you to go home with a voice that instinctively raises the same urge to obey it as the normal Adala does, the woman walks away into the snow-covered forests, and after hesitating for a moment, struggling with the impulse to disobey a command from even the younger Commander, you...

Let curiosity be your guide, in other words...

You follow along after her.

"..."

Like that, this somewhat ridiculous scenario...

Becomes even stranger.

Rather than tell you to leave a second time, it seems that the woman had simply decided to ignore you until you went away; looking back only once in acknowledgement of you walking along after her, she had let out an inaudible sigh, muttered something to herself, and had then simply kept going forward, first at a walk...

---Then at a superhuman jog.

Yes, a jog.

It's not a run, if she had decided to sprint into the distance you would have had to resort to magic to have even the slightest chance of keeping up; it's simply a leisurely jog, a movement that turns her body into a blur, but one that doesn't seem to really strain her either... It's not the run of someone that's trying to escape something, no, it's the movement of someone who is simply trying to get to their destination without burning through too much of their stamina, and yet...

---It's so fast.

She's hard to keep up with...

Even as a teenager, it seems that she wasn't slacking in the physical department; her mild jog matches your sprint, a fact that the woman probably knows and is trying to take advantage of, but eventually, after a few minutes of you determinedly following along behind her, she sighs again, the world around the two of now snowy plains rather than the depths of a forest, the mark that you had run quite the number of miles in pursuit of your somewhat less standoffish aunt, and...

"...You're not gonna stop, are you?"

...Turning around and crossing her arms, as if seeking to nip this in the bud right now, the woman raises an eyebrow at you as your body finally gets the chance to stop moving for a couple of seconds...

"Who are you? What are you? Psychic? Demon Summoner?"

---Her interrogation voice is almost exactly the same as that of her adult self...

"The Karlfeldt's are the native summoners around here... You some sort of wandering Dark Summoner? You kept up with me, so you're not a normal person; what are you after?"

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Depths of a Dream (?)
??? - Night

"..."

For a moment Ludwig's silent. Perhaps it's to catch his breath, or perhaps its to give himself a moment to think. He closes his eyes and once he opens his mouth--

--a sigh comes rolling out. Perhaps he took a moment to ready himself mentally.

"...What I'm after, well that's..."

He opens his eyes, looking sternly into Adala's.

"You."

Even in her youth Adala remains imposing and hard to lie to. If bluffing won't work and lying isn't an option, there is still one other option on the table.

And that is...

"An ESPer with ties to the Karlfeldts, in the right place at the entirely wrong time. That's about the best way to describe me."

...the truth, no matter how embarrassing it is. Luckily Lydia isn't up to mischief, and surely the Commander isn't one to get flustered.

"My reasons for seeking you are no longer important, but you deserve to know them in any case. I harbor no ill will against you, the opposite is more accurate."

A slight blush colors his cheeks, but this doesn't deter him from continuing.

"I originally sought you out because I, well I admire you. I've been told a great many tales of you, as strange as that sounds to you. And well, I thought that if I could study under you, I'd not only grow stronger, but I'd also learn more of what you're truly like.

The blush fades quickly as the stern expression returns, along with a determined look.

"But none of that matters anymore, not now that you told me there's people in danger. I won't abandon people in need. I am going to help them, on that matter I will not back down. Once that is settled you can interrogate me to your hearts content.

Duty-driven and calm eyes peer deep into the eyes of Adala Lagerkvist. Her eyes are similarly resolved, and yet there's something more there---

---Were her eyes always this captivating? It may be because of the snowy landscape, or because this form is so different from the Commander Ludwig's grown used to. It may even be the response of a sleep deprived mind trying to make sense of everything in a dream of sorts but, while the Commander has always been a beauty, the girl standing in front of Ludwig held what can only be described as A Dream Like Beauty.

It's strange. Looking into her eyes like this, it feels surprisingly awkward, but strangely enough it also feels kind of... nice?

"So rather than question me, I have to ask you Adala."

But it's not nearly enough to unfaze the Karlfeldt heir, ready to take on whatever strange events happened in Adala's past.

"Will you help me?"

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
New London ~ Entertainment District
World Designation: Revolution (?)
Morning, Foggy

---Entertainment District.

Typically, the sort of area that is filled with movie theaters, music halls, or other sorts of entertainment venues. It's the logical definition that comes to mind, the first thing that you think of when you see the words, and yet...

---LOVELESS.

The first thing you can see when you enter the -still foggy- entertainment district is the distant figure of that ever-present mall, just existing inside of this alternate world as if it was completely normal for it to do so...

And, perhaps it was?

Considering how the book had gone, the history of this place was pretty consistent with your own history up until the early 2000s... In that sense, it might not be surprising to see that the same sort of stores exist here as they do in Xanadu, but...

It's sort of... Eerie?

While things like names might not be too far-fetched to share between what apparently is dimensions, the figure of the mall is the exact same figure of the mall that you always see, it's painted the same way, the logo is exactly the same, the parking lot bears the exact same properties that it always does, hell...

Even the font was the same...

Yes.

LOVELESS was the sort of building that was ever-present back in your world, you don't go to it particularly much mind you, but it's the sort of thing that always exists in the background of your day to day life... That's why it's easy to remember things about it, and...

Yep...

A little bizarre, especially because everything else looks at least superficially different, but then again...

Perhaps that's simply how these 'worlds' work?

LOVELESS was a popular chain of mall, so perhaps the 'founder' of it was someone well engraved in history?

Regardless...

That's not important right now.

Seeing as how the goal had become to make sure that Agatha had a good time, you push those thoughts from your mind as quickly as they had come as you step into the district... She's sort of a strange person, sort of enigmatic, so now would probably be a good time to push her towards leading a bit... Considering she had gone along with your idea of the entertainment district, as long as you walked a bit behind and let her dictate the pace, there was a good chance that she would wind up moving towards something she was interested in herself, in other words...

This is a chance to learn more about the stuff she likes...

What would it be?

She certainly seemed to have a sort of fondness for books, and even dancing...

So a bookstore?

Or a Club?

Or would something new emerge from her carefree nature?

Whatever she wanted to do, you figured you'd just go along with it; after all, you could learn plenty about this place just by exploring, and yet...

"Ah! I've found one!"

...When Agatha does make a sudden move, a sudden dash towards something that's caught her eye, it's nothing particularly grand, no...

"The other attendants have whispered about these sorts of things in the room... This is a wishing fountain, correct?"

...It's just a fountain, mind you, it's a pretty big fountain, but a fountain nonetheless.

One with gushing jets of water bursting up unto the air, the glitter of -unfamiliar- coins along the bottom of it's clear waters. In the dreary fog of this city it's not something too enticing, back in Rome, the Trevi Fountain was a much more grand sight than this, but...

---Her eyes are aflame with excitement as she asks you that question, as if it had suddenly become the most important thing in the world to her.

A strange person.

"Is it? Is it? If so, I have come prepared-! The fountain spirits require money to function, right?"

...Even in the magic era, wishing fountains were still just a superstition, a way to get the populace to put some money towards charity, but...

...She does seem pretty excited about it.

[Rafflesiac]

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

Logan’s fleeting moment of euphoria is all too quickly interrupted by a strange sight - a phantasmal tower at the end of their digital world. Some sort of glitch? The numbers scrolling across the sky suggested an error of some sort, an aberrant occurrence that should not be here, and Logan’s instincts prickled at the sight. They had a sizable lead so there wasn’t much to worry about at the moment from other competitors, but shifting focus from driving to attack was fairly irresponsible. He’d dodge the incoming blast, but for more dramatic measures, it was best to collaborate.

“Astra, what do you think about that tower? Should we take it down?”

Amelia
Aoyama, Tokyo (F-Zero Course)
??? - Morning

If there was one thing that had managed to persist into the Magic Era, it was telemarketers. If anything, the curses of chain letters becoming all too real had only been a boon for their vile ilk. As a military-grade COMP, Amelia had little reason to worry about such things. Also, they were petty pieces of trash unworthy of notice anyways. The most she’d spare were a note of sympathy or two for the unfortunate COMPs tasked out with performing such banalities. So under any normal circumstance and even most abnormal circumstances she’d ignore the sudden unsolicited message - if not for the fact that Logan had that particular look on his face, the one that said ‘Something really annoying with a substantial chance of ending in plummeting from thousands of feet up might be happening’. So with a sigh, heavy caution, and ginger distaste, Amelia lifted up a vomit-brown phone, put it to her ear, and spoke.

: “Leave a message and make it quick.”

---

Heat: 3/10
Spells Used: Eye of the Fates

[Airen]

Amelia
Aoyama, Tokyo (F-Zero Course)
??? - Morning

---Needless to say, you answer the transmission with all of your usual defenses intact.

Considering your nature as a Tamer's COMP, the amount of power you held in comparison to most other A.I was immense; while even civilian-tier COMPs can develop true artificial intelligences over time, their ultimate ability to generate and manipulate spiritual power was heavily lessened in comparison to your own... Of course, that is not to say that even Tamer's COMPs don't have limits, the danger of a technological singularity had been considered after all, so COMPs couldn't grow too far beyond what their user was capable of, but...

The idea that any sort of anonymous caller could do anything to you over a transmission was laughable, even if the A.I on the other end belonged to another Tamer they wouldn't be able to hack you so easily, no...

There had never been a thought that anything strange could possibly happen, even in the oddest scenario, you would simply repel the invader and that would be that, but...

---The moment you pick up the line, your perception warps just a bit... Time seems to stop, no, Time slows to a crawl that's so agonizingly slow it might as well have stopped, and then, before you can really get your bearings on the situation...

Your 'consciousness' disappears from the racetrack.

From your perspective, it's much like the world around you changed in but a single moment... Your connection to your frame becomes nonexistent, and you take on your form as an 'avatar' reflexively, immediately aware that you had somehow been dragged out of your 'body' and into a digital sea, a foreign system that you can't truly recognize, but that is clearly a data world and...

Awaiting you inside of it...

"Hello Ms. A.I! You said to leave a message, but I thought this might be faster!"

Is... Some sort of child?

Of course, it is not a normal child, after all it is clearly a form of A.I, but...

It's avatar is that of a child, one that's smilingly cheerfully at you, as if she seemingly hadn't (somehow) just pulled you right out of your body into an unknown space...

Lacking in manners definitely, but it's sort of hard to tell if it was out of malice or naivety, but...

"So hi! I'm Burroughs! A friend of mine said I should help the police out if I can, so here I am!"

Considering that line, as if she felt compelled to explain herself...

It feels like the latter...

[Airen]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama Gakuen, Tokyo
??? ~ Night


---It's always important to remember that a Tamer never fights alone.

While the wielder is oftentimes the more famous of the two, those who protect the world under the name of a "Tamer" do so with their COMP at their side; they are not simply another source of spiritual power for the user, they are a partner who serves as their other half, someone who helps to carry the heavy burden that may slip through one's fingers at times...

Yes.

A Tamer is someone who fights with their COMP by their side, thus...

Something like this shouldn't be too surprising; where the user falters, the A.I springs to life with a plan all her own; disabling one's harmonizer during the course of a serious battle would be asking for a crippling injury in most cases, after all, the Harmonizer was the reason why Tamers were typically as sturdy as they were, but here, in a battle against someone who wouldn't seriously harm you, in a world where one couldn't seriously be harmed anyway, she...

Cuts the power to it.

Laws of the world that had been suspended once more regain their strength, wings that had beat so easily to carry two through the sky have to work harder to accomplish that same task, and a girl that had been panicking loses altitude as a result...

---Yes.

It's not surprising to find that the A.I is the more mature of the two, to the point of working around her user's peculiarities to get the job done, and...

Perhaps because the COMP knew it's wielder would panic...

A certain spell is entrusted to the senpai rather than the kouhai, the taller of the two girls that had attempted to escape into the air, and the one that already held a bead on her opponent...

This too is only natural, after all...

While one couldn't quite call her a veteran just yet (after all, the current world was relatively peaceful) it would be a lie to say that she had no experience at all, after all...

Even students are allowed to patrol as Tamers; of course one can only do so after a certain age, and anything that is thought to be actively dangerous is handled by the adults more often than not, but...

The New Age of Magic was a bizarre place, sometimes odd things just happen, and those nearby are the ones that inevitably wind up sorting it out; the citizens of Aoyama in particular are tough, there's not much you can show them that will scare them, considering the number of world-shaking phenomena that have struck this ward in particular... Yes, as a citizen of that town, and as a Tamer...!

She certainly had some experience with these sorts of high-intensity situations, and that's why, now that she can 'see,' she...

---Completely ignores the Principal's obvious approach, after all...

That one is a fake.

It's absolutely a fake, an illusion, one so well crafted that magic had to actively be used for her to see it, and, even more concerning than that...

Is that even with her eyes enhanced... She can't see the real one.

He doesn't show up.

---However, if there is one thing she has, it's a good intuition; call it happenstance training from growing up with her uncle, who was also the sort of person who could 'empty' himself out enough that the world simply stopped registering his existence at all but, if she had to make a guess-!

"Down!"

One hand reaches up to stop the wings from flapping, because this slow descent isn't nearly slow enough, and letting go with her other to reach towards the sky...

She produces a plant from her COMP.

Unlike those below it doesn't seem actively malicious, it doesn't have the sharp teeth from straight out of nightmares, no, it's simply a massive plant with a leaf shaped like a glider, one that catches the wind as you descend, and...

Turns downward momentum into forward and down momentum, the grasping hand of a certain principal appearing -just- above your heads as the two of you go screeching back down towards the second story of the school, reflexes causing you to fold up your body as bit as you go flying through an open window into a hallway-!

"Alright-! This is going better than expected!"

Excitedly, as if super impressed with the two of you for evading direct capture not just once, but twice, the older girl can't help but pump an arm in celebration, but...

---This is by no means an all clear escape.

He'll catch up.

Of course he'll catch up.

Just like the slasher villain in a horror movie, you figure you have about five or six seconds before he pops up at the end of one of these hallways, walking casually all the while, thus...

Nearby...

The same window you had just come through, and...Two rooms...!

One is shut, and labeled as the library... It's not a room you've been to yet at the school, surprisingly enough, and the other...

Was a Teacher's room...

A "Fujimoto Kayo?"

It's not a name you recognize, but unlike the library, this one was open a crack, and there was a light inside...

Would throwing yourself on the mercy of another teacher work to escape the headmaster... Or was it better to just run...?

Seeing as how a certain senpai herself seemed unsure...

The task might fall to you...

[Spinach]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama Gakuen, Tokyo
??? ~ Night

“You saved us, Tsubaki.”

“We. Tamer and COMP together make a team. As a team our efforts are… no, there’s no time for a lecture. He’ll be back.”

“Yes, he certainly will. For being the principal of a school like Aoyama Gakuen, he has an unwavering villain aura. We need...”

“You should hide in the library. I don’t tru-“

“But I do.”

“You trust whoever’s behind that door, even if it’s the teacher ‘Fujimoto Kayo’?”

“Of course. I trust you, I trust my classmates, and I’ll trust the teachers at Aoyama Gakuen! After all, it’s my duty to learn from them, and their duty to guide and protect us, right?”

The COMP sighed. The small girl didn’t think twice about such a response, and began to make for the door, taking her senpai by the hand with conviction. A small jump was required to grab onto the older girl’s pumped up arm, but with the assistance of her wings it was no difficult task.

Though, Hyakka couldn’t help but blush at the fact that it was necessary at all.

“You know that since it’s against the rules for students to roam campus at night, their duty is to punish you if they catch you doing that, right?”

The voice of the AI made sure it was heard by both Hyakka and Nanaya, causing the white-haired girl to freeze in place. She glanced at her senpai, then the light escaping through the cracked door.

“Oh.”

“… You forgot why we’re running away, didn’t you?”

“I-I did not! We are simply… not being caught. We are seeking aid. A hero has allies and relies on those they have formed bonds with.”

“You’ve never met ‘Fujimoto Kayo,’ you have no bonds with them. Hana, you must-“

“I am forming a bond…!” A forceful step, and the girl pushed the door open. Leaving no room for her classmate to refuse she pulled the older girl in with her, and then quickly returned the door to its cracked state. “Right now!”

“… If you yell, the principal will hear.”

Having accepted the decision her partner had made, the AI firmly reminded Hyakka of the situation, the details of which seemed to constantly slip her mind. Shoulders locking up, lips sealed tight, the girl whispered a tiny ‘sorry.’ Then she turned, to finally look inside the room and to greet whoever was inside at this late hour.

With a gulp Hyakka spoke to her senpai.

“If this turns out to be the end of the line, please forgive me.”

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
New London ~ Entertainment District
World Designation: Revolution (?)
Morning, Foggy

“I… believe that is correct. It’s a wishing fountain.”

Staring at the surprisingly ordinary set piece that has caught Agatha’s attention, I reply in the affirmative. Compared to the bizarrely familiar LOVELESS mall nearby, it’s downright ordinary in comparison.

It’s… a pretty normal fountain.

Aesthetically, the fountain back in Rome is much more impressive.

That’s not really a fair contest by any means, given that I’m comparing one of my world’s greatest fountains to something that must have been quickly made in a hurry during a period of great unrest- the historical and cultural contexts which they come from are completely different. But nonetheless, there’s nothing special about this sight to me- maybe if the fog were cleared and the sun allowed to shine, some of the glitter of the reflections would be a nice sight… but as is, the fog ruins what charm it might have.

Functionally… well, in my opinion these fountains don’t serve any functions outside of aesthetics.

There’s no link by which they can actually grant wishes. Superstitious people simply like to throw coins into the water to indulge in their superstitions. Understandable, since it’s not much to pay, and the thought that it might help towards granting your wish is very attractive… but it doesn’t work. Regardless of its efficacy though, it’s an activity that serves its purpose so long as the participant feels it does. Fountains have an easy job.

In that sense, I feel tempted to say that they don’t really require any money to serve their function, but…

Agatha seems to like these sorts of superstitions, so if she thinks they need money to work, then I guess they do. There’s no need to rain on her parade.

“I think I’ve seen people toss coins and loose change into them, if that’s what you mean.”

Peering into the fountain suggests that the practice is the same here, albeit with an assortment of unfamiliar coins. Probably whatever they use in this world- I wonder what kind of currency Agatha would use.

“You have a wish you want granted?”