Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris
Simulator
11/16/2026
Monday - Late Morning

“Mokujima. I’m sorry to interrupt you, but - it seems we share similar circumstances. How did you come by your crest? For me, this appeared after a friend and I felled a mysterious Demon Tower that could summon and control other Demons.”

Mokujima Chris pauses. She looks away from her phone, observing for a moment the crest on the boy's arm.

The woman has seen it before, of course, in a situation where other issues took priority over the mysterious glowing magical tattoos. The situation hasn't changed all that much now; she has many things to do and nowhere near enough time for all of it. Still, she did say she'd compensate him, and it's not like she isn't curious, so... she reaches into her pocket.

Logan is treated to the sight of a grown woman trying to type on two phones at once. It goes about as well as one would expect, and a few moments later even Chris decides it's a lost cause, pocketing the second device with a sigh.

Her face isn't the type to reveal many emotions. That's not too uncommon a trait among Rothschild Tamers, though. Logan notices the pensive gaze, wondering, hints of curiosity and frustration all mingled together as she gathers her thoughts and finally speaks, her voice quiet.

"...exposed to mud. From Ruina."

Their crests, it seems, came from completely disconnected sources. After a moment, Chris continues, more clinically.

"It's not an immediate threat. Lower priority." Must be why she isn't jumping on the chance to exchange info. "Spiritually, parasitic. A spell, or spell-like lifeform. Doesn't exert active influence, but... can't be removed. Yet." The 'yet' is spoken as if it's a promise. "Separating limb... makes it appear elsewhere."

Something ridiculous is said casually.

Chris' eyes meet Logan's for a moment. As if she's interested in what he's done with his own spiritual parasite.

"...and Chris is fine," she adds, awkwardly.

[Airen]

Sariel
Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

"A non-malicious reason?"

---The only way to tell this person is faking the emotions in his words is by looking at his eyes; indeed, the almost amused way in which he responds to your question would hint at a warmer nature, a handsome -if perhaps a bit inherently sarcastic- youth that has no real intention to do harm to anyone, but...

The cold eyes don't quite match that voice.

Nether do the spinning gun and knife, although now that his gaze has focused on you, those weapons slowly twirl to a stop, as if their previous movements had been little more than unconscious fiddling, in the same way a person might mess around with their own hair when nothing else is going on...

"I assure you little one, my intentions are absolutely heroic in nature."

He smiles.

It's a smile that would assure anyone he was telling the truth, if not for the way it didn't quite match those cold, crystal-esque eyes, although...

"You see, they think they got me. But they are sadly mistaken, or rather, they let me go a bit too soon."

...He does start to speak oddly afterwards, voice still as warm as always, but the nature of them a bit more... Struggled... As if he was having some minor trouble forming one syllable or another, then...

"Ah, ignore those ramblings."

...It goes away.

"She has something attached to her that I need, a uhm... Preciel, as it were."

The warm, easy smile returns.

"I am sure it has been driven to madness already, so it's best to have it removed now, before the curse spreads any further you see?"

He laughs, then...

"...Allowing it to remain for much longer would be disastrous for all of us."

Continues to speak in that enigmatic fashion...

[palad1n]

Sariel
Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

--Preciel.

A name that supposedly refers to Cosmos' past identity.

Looking at the man, Sariel does get the feeling that he isn't lying when he said that he's doing this for heroic reasons, but then again that actually doesn't mean much. What count as "heroic" for him may not necessarily be so to Cosmos, and because she lacks the context under which he's saying all this, then those words doesn't exactly ease her worries at all.

Still...

"You've been referring to Preciel as 'it,' and said how Preciel has been driven to madness." Sariel said after a few seconds of silence. "Do you care to explain why? What's this about a curse?"

Despite being a supernatural entity herself, Sariel has never been good at this cryptic talk, and receiving one at a time like this certainly didn't improve her opinion on it. From Cosmos' encounter with the White Shroud, she could see the possibility that perhaps Preciel wasn't exactly a good person, but to be called 'it' and talked as if killing or removing her is the right thing to do without knowing anything about her doesn't sit right with the angel.

And besides--

"And when you say 'removed,' do you mean to separate Preciel from Cosmos?" Sariel asked, brows furrowed. "Is that even possible? And if it is possible... what will happen to Cosmos when you do it?"

This is her main concern.

Even if his reasons for doing this make perfect sense, the moment it puts Cosmos in danger, then she'd oppose it with all her might.

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Demonic Server, Hali Bay
11/16/2026
Afternoon, Heavy Winds

"..."

She doesn't say anything in response to your words.

It is not that she will not do so, or that she's been struck dead silent by your verbal counters, but rather that she simply cannot do so right now; the words echoing out from over the bay are clearly arcane in nature, some ancient form of spell-craft revived in the modern day by some spirit of the distant past, and yet...

---No hesitation.

In the span of three blinks, a set of counters is devised and actualized, a cannon launched in the old family technique, a thing that your uncle Kazuya had once sarcastically called "Arbor Day," due to the normal ammunition being that of a tree, yes...

While a blunt technique, lacking in the grace one might normally associate with martial arts, there is definitely a 'purpose' burned into the actions taken here; the initial spear as the distraction, and the real attack from below, a technique that hides one within the shadow of their own strike, and-

"...Heh-"

-as expected, the water beneath the cannon explodes.

She laughs.

Spell stopping mid-chuckle as if saying 'you serious with this shit?', the monstrous speed and power with which she reaches out to strike the launched missile, turning the spear-head down to crush the one she knows must be hiding below is completely unnatural, power, speed, precision, everything about her is seemingly perfect in those regards, and yet-

-that's okay.

Because in her hubris, in revealing so much of her hand so early...

The real attack descends, a wave of crashing meteors from up above-!

"Oh? Oh?! Now we're getting somewhere kid!"

She smiles.

Her voice is an infectious mania, a distorted mind that feels strangely human in nature, but that has twisted itself into a serious of shapes so complex that it has also become almost alien in nature...

Yes.

---While her logic is strange, and doesn't seem to show much of an understanding of human beings, this entity does appear to have it's base in humanity.

It feels like fighting a human.

...Albeit, one that has completely lost her mind-!

---In spite of the surprise on her face, the raised hand again conjures up that localized tornado, a flash of hand movements making it clear she was drawing some shape into the air, and-

"But let's not leave your friends out, eh? Come on kids, let's all exercise a bit!"

Launches it towards those at the beach, the swirling winds feeding oxygen into the azure spheres, blue flames glowing pure white as they are forced to disobey the orders of their caster and target the others, and yet-

"Yeah, yeah."

To Kaguya, Isamu shows no hesitation; bat across his shoulder at the start, the boy winds up long before the promised time.

"I know how to hit this sort of pitch-!"

A vampire disappears under her own power.

The flash of light and blue collides with the beach, sand burning to glass as it tears up the world in it's approach to the boy, and...

"...Eh?"

There's no sound other than her surprised giggle.

It is not that no sound existed other than it, simply that the sound itself was too slow for what had just taken place; the beach had become a storm of glass, a hell of blue and white, and then, just as quickly, no, faster...

It was back in her face.

The blink of an eye, the turn of the chessboard-!

"Still too slow-!"

And yet.

It is not enough, it is still not enough.

Body moving automatically to avoid what seems like the third feint in a row, the woman again shows her horrifically monstrous nature, an invincible sort of being that casually defeats everything in front of it-

"Oh no you don't, bitch-!"

-until a certain vampire leaps from her shadow, grasping her from behind before she can even think to move out of the way of Isamu's three-point shot, and-

-finally.

A direct hit.

Smoke falls over the wreckage of a broken ship; the clashing of many different supernatural powers has developed a storm of sorts all it's own, rain falling in a sky without clouds, bursts of steam and flame spluttering to life atop the surface of waters that should be pitch black, and yet-

"Now now Miss Elizabeth, you're barely two months old! Far too young to be using that kind of language!"

Anima laughs.

The smoke clouds part, revealing a body coated in burns, body that had been damaged and thus proved that the foe was not actually invincible, and-

"Wash your mouth out with salt, I guess?"

-body that has grabbed Tsukiko with one hand, hand clasped around her neck, before...

Throwing her straight down before you can get to her.

Cutting right through like a knife, the water wavers slightly as she passes, as if unaware that it had been cut by the vampire's passing, and then...

It explodes.

Explodes in a way that adds on to the storm-like atmosphere of the bay, distant rumbles of something like thunder as the one-eyes woman laughs atop the waves.

"See? Now this is fun right? Way better than spending all evening fishing at the beach!"

---She's insane.

Her body is covered in burns, but she doesn't seem to care at all... It's not the usual grit Tamers or Demons show, the trained face that has them powering their way through pain, rather...

It's like she enjoys it?

Perhaps it's more masochism than insanity?

Whatever it is...

"Good job! Good job! Especially you Isamu, way to go! You'll be just like big sis one day if you keep it up! Minus the blood curse, hopefully! Real fun to fight, a bit too persistent maybe, but I like em stubborn, shame what happened to her~"

Waving at Isamu at this, even as the boy's expression twists from casual annoyance to something closer to actual rage (a muttered "fuck this," followed by the carving of a sigil on the ground with his bat, followed by him running off to seemingly make more) Anima turns towards you and...

"As for you... That's surprising, thought you hated your old man? He's the one that made that you know?"

She shrugs, then...

...A hand like a spear.

Launched right at your solar plexus.

---You get your arms in.

It's not like you to block physical attacks, considering your disposition as a fighter, there was rarely a reason to do so, but-

This time you do.

Something inside of you had screamed to do so, and so you did, just barely...

There's an immense pressure on your arms.

A cracking sound, and a burst of pain, flaring up your arms, the right specifically, as it actually breaks.

---What the hell?

---In spite of her thin frame... This person hits unbelievably hard...

No, it's more than that...

Strength enough to pierce a dragon's hide-?!

The world itself seems to pause at that brief moment of insanity, then...

Boom!

...Everything seems to catch up at once, and you go flying into the air, straight up, the opposite fate of the vampire that lay at the bottom of the sea, and-!

She leaps up after you.

Like a bat out of hell, fist drawn back for another devastating swing-!

[Spinach]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

The two girls in a state of total undress ascended the stairs. One, Amazon-like in build, wore around her waist a well tied towel. No other expense was made for the sake of her modesty, though her bearing was one that had either decided that such concerns were out of place for the situation, or she merely never had them.

The other girl, petite, built almost like a doll, followed behind. Her long hair fell down her back, over her shoulders as well, covering much of her body. She tied no towel, clutched no cloth to cover herself. All she carried was a book, and not in a way to protect her modesty. But there was no sense that she had made such a decision.

There was no decision at all. To be naked or to be clothed were equally inconsequential to her.

Hyakka stared at the windows, watching the passing lights.

"What size were you again Hyakka? There's probably something in here that would fit you too, Saki was the one who put this stuff here, and she was always a fan of the teenager hero thing..."

The question prompted a more visible reaction than her state of dress ever would, and with a slight pout, Hyakka answered.

For the sake of the reader, the response has been cut.

After giving her size aloud to the larger girl, Hyakka returned her attention to the outside. This nightmare was different, not akin to the nightmares she knew. There was no sky overhead, no endless expanse, no dying stars. No sense of absolute dread and despair that could never be overturned.

More than anything, there was curiosity.

She reached out for the curtain, parting it to see what the light’s source was.

[Airen]

Hiyori
SLEIPNIR - Bottom Level, Genesis's Lab/Engine Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

---If you can't escape down the hallway, then attacking the environment is the natural next step-!

If this was some sort of illusion, then attacking it with magic might work to dispel it, if it was real you might just be able to break through, and in the worst case of this somehow being both real and not an illusion, well...

Making a lot of noise was probably a good idea, draw someone's attention to you, after all...

The SLEIPNIR was a Tamer Base.

There was no way someone should be able to so casually attack someone on board the ship like this, but...

...Considering the fact that the window flawlessly took all three of your spells without breaking, this does, in fact, seem to be the 'invincible' SLEIPNIR you know and love...

Which is problematic.

Of course, the window failing to break means that the third part of the plan must be the one that is relied upon; surely this illusion (or whatever the hell it was) wasn't perfect, someone would notice something right?

And it's just as you think that, that...

You hear a door open nearby.

One of the many doors in this hallway, considering the proximity to Genesis's room, it would be one of the empty rooms... Not the ones for the other factions (those were upstairs) but rooms for future members of the Rothschild, and...

Sticking her head out of that now opening door...

"..."

Is a strange woman you don't recognize...

One who sees you.

One who sees you see her, and then...

Slowly...

Like this was some sort of cartoon...

She starts closing the door back up, as if to pretend this little encounter actually didn't happen...

[Airen]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

"...You really haven't gotten any bigger, huh?"

---It's not the best response to come from an older sister type, but it is the one that you receive nonetheless in exchange for a certain censored bit of information; of course such things are trivial in the long run, the nature of the world around you had become curious, a dream that you are easily able to identify as just that, a nightmare, a world of should-be illusions that are nevertheless often indistinguishable from reality, and...

The lights.

The consistent passing lights outside of your window, like cars passing by, it was quite the curious thing, and thus...

You pull back the curtains.

Or rather -after Alice jumps at you and drags you back in an attempt to keep your modesty intact from the outside world- you open the curtains (body clothed in the white vest and black pants Alice had basically forced on you) before drawing back the curtains, and...

...The sight of space, of the depths of the Cosmos itself, awaits you at a glance.

Naturally this is an absurdity, space does not exist right outside of the windows of an orphanage, neither should the storm of shooting stars that are flying across the sky, but...

Here they are, right in front of you.

The depths of something that appear to be little more than a starlit abyss, if not for the fact...

That you could see the earth itself in the distance.

In other words, through one bizarre method or another...

You -along with the entirety of the orphanage- appear to be...

On the moon?

[Airen]

Sariel
Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

"You've been referring to Preciel as 'it,' and said how Preciel has been driven to madness." Sariel said after a few seconds of silence. "Do you care to explain why? What's this about a curse?"

---Naturally, it is something like a tradition for supernatural entities to speak enigmatically; there are a number of reasons one might do so, from simple concealment of one's nature to others, simple amusement, or even the subversion of a geas or other sort of charm, it is a somewhat painful habit that makes solving supernatural issues rather difficult at times, of course...

Magic draws much of it's power from mystery, from the unknown, thus, the unknown and the enigmatic often go hand in hand with it, with the more power one gains showing a subtle decrease in how direct they are often willing to be, nevertheless...

"...It is not Preciel herself that is the problem I suppose, it is the light she tried to keep bound within herself."

...This is about as straight an answer as one might be able to expect from someone like this, a person that radiated both peace and danger, whose words seem comforting in a way reminiscent of Mary, but at the same time...

A bit too cold...

"Shard of Providence. A light that was too bright, it was inevitable it would burn out the holder if it turned against them; slow deterioration of the mind and soul, I'm sure she did her best, but her existence simply wasn't suited for it."

...And now he just sounds strange.

Strange but also logical, like someone reading off the notes on some sort of medical document...

"As for my talk of removal, well... I'd like to just get the light if I can... It ruined me, so I will spend what time I have left wrecking its plans... Yes, that should be rather amusing, a bit petty perhaps, but amusing."

He smiles.

It still doesn't reach his eyes.

"As for whether it will hurt either of them or not... Well... That would depend on how far gone each of them are..."

The smile fades.

"I can't promise anything either way."

---And the tension that had faded somewhat...

Slowly begins to spike again, although whether it's a conscious effort on his part, or just the way you're interpreting his words, well...

Impossible to say.

[palad1n]

Sariel
Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

...There's certainly a lot to process from what he said.

The information about Preciel and the light she's apparently holding is fascinating, and while Sariel knew she's the one who asked, the implications of the answer she got can wait; she could think about it later, perhaps when she's reunited with Cosmos, but the reason why she asked the question aside from curiosity was to gauge how this man would answer.

And his answer was.... rather straightforward, all things considered, because she at least understand the crux of what he's saying, which is leagues better than some examples she herself has encountered. It sets her at ease on some level, knowing that the man in front of her seems to be at least honest and good to a degree, and the fact that he's humoring her and not trying to use force to make her talk speaks a lot about him too...

But still, Sariel didn't let her guard down just yet.

After all, there is still something... strange with him. Like the smile that's supposed to be genuine but doesn't reach his eyes, or his talk of ruining the light's plan while acknowledging it as being petty...

It's just a guess, but her feeling told her that the man... might not entirely be himself...?

"...At least you're honest in not promising anything. I-I can appreciate that." Sariel finally said with a shaky smile, looking at the man in the eyes while trying to keep her calm and wits from the resurging tension. Really, he doesn't seems like a bad guy to her, but she's still Cosmos' guardian angel, and she'll be damned if she doesn't try to take all measures before bringing a potential danger to her friend. "But I still have some questions. If-if you can answer them honestly, then I can decide whether to bring you to Cosmos or not."

Sariel took a deep breath to ease the sound of her own thundering heartbeat, trying to remain calm. The questions she's about to ask are not subtle, and can easily go wrong... She must prepare herself for the worst-case scenario, even if she still prays that the man is as reasonable and good as the impression that he had made on her thus far.

"Firstly, do you have... anything to do with this?" She gestured at the city. "Something is wrong with the city, and someone must have tampered with it. Are you... Are you the one responsible for this?"

This is important. If he does have something to do with this, that means he's part of the attacking force or is in league with the clown that Foreign Goddess mentioned, and she couldn't trust him if that's the case.

"Secondly, assuming you're not... would you be willing to protect me from threats while I lead you to her place?"

She almost asked whether he'd be willing to escort Mary and Saria, but thankfully she managed to hold that in at the last second. No need to put Mary in danger or even make him aware of other people just in case things go south.

"Finally, if I do bring you to Cosmos... d-do you mind talking to her, perhaps to explain what you're trying to do, and not just rip the light out? B-basically, asking for her consent?" Sariel clasped her hand. "Cosmos doesn't understand or know about Preciel much herself, so perhaps you two can reach an understanding. She... she's a good girl really, so if your cause is just, then..."

Then she'd be willing to die for you.

Normally she would have admired that fact about Cosmos, but now...

The thought of the teal-haired girl who would be too eager to throw her life away just makes her heart ache.

[Spinach]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

“Ueeeeh…”

Hyakka made an unambiguous response on her new state of dress. She stared down at her new black pants, restrictive clothing that covered her entire legs. The small girl could live with the vest, it was close enough to what she was accustomed to, but the pants…

How does anyone move in these?

A glow of frigid blue lit up with a faint hum atop her chest, like a sapphire atop a snowfield.

“I think it looks good.” A voice that had not spoken up all day chimed in, her intonation cool as the winter wind over a frozen lake. “When you’re older it’ll suit you even more.”

“Uuuu…”

Hyakka could only manage a sullen pout as she threw in the towel.

The girl relented from her wordless (but not silent) protest as she turned her attention away from her unwanted clothing. Her slim fingers took hold of the curtains, pulling them open to a sight that was, in a true sense, out of this world.

“Ummm…”

Slightly taken aback, the girl merely voiced her uncertainty at the sight.

At the very least, the lights in the sky were still alive. The earth, too, reflected those lights, radiating its deep, boundless blue.

“Alice-chan… I don’t think we’re in Aoyama anymore…”

The girl turned to the older girl, head tilting back to behold the other girl’s response to the sight.

“Umm, Honoka-san, what’s happening…”

[Airen]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage (Moon)
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

---Certainly, Tamers have a high resistance against the bizarre.

Considering the nature of the occupation, they are the sort that get aggressively dragged into supernatural phenomena... One of the oldest rules of magic was, after all, that the supernatural begets the supernatural, in other words, the moment one gains any real power from the spiritual world, they are destined to get caught up in it's whims, in the underlying currents of the powers that ran beneath reality itself, and yet...

"..."

...For a moment, Alice says nothing...

Perhaps because this much is a bit too much? Yes. The blank look that crosses her face at the 'metaphorical slap' that was your sudden existence outside of the planet itself was almost comical, a step away from having one's eyes almost poke out of their head in shock, but...

"Seriously?"

...She regains control over herself rather quickly, all things considered, and then, just like most Tamers would do...

"How did this happen?! My senses are better than this-! No, no, that's not the right 'how' to be thinking about, how did they do it...?"

...She tries to figure out exactly what was going on...

"Spatial Displacement? Didn't sense any surge in Reiki so that seems unlikely... A jump to the moon from Tokyo? That's not the sort of thing you can just do without leaving a trace... Did we ride some sort of Reimyaku line? Do those go to the moon? Establishment of a base on it meant that humanity claimed it, so I suppose it's possible..."

Of course, to you, it is not too complex.

A dream is a dream.

A nightmare is a nightmare.

This is both of those things, so anything can happen right?

Easy.

Of course...

"Thank God there's a bounded field on the house..."

As you listen to Alice's theory crafting, one hand on her chin and eyes closed in thought...

"Oh no... No, no, no, no, no...!"

...You can hear -and feel- something familiar wandering around outside, out of sight in this instant, but quickly coming around the exterior of the orphanage in a way that meant you'd be able to see it soon enough, and...

...You see a young girl with rabbit ears, muttering things to herself and looking for all the world like she wanted to pull her hair out at the sight of the orphanage on the moon, which, all things considered...

Was probably a rational response?

But...

She has rabbit ears, and...

Looks a bit familiar...?

You've definitely seen this rabbit before, yeah...

Wasn't this...

One of Onii-sama's coworkers...?

A demon rabbit?

"How did this get here?! That's not possible!"

It's freaking out enough to be that rabbit...

[Spinach]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

"How did this happen?! My senses are better than this-!”

“Now that you mention it, we didn’t notice anything at all!”

In a voice that showed more sudden realization than shock, Hyakka chimed in. The girl wasn’t keenly aware of it, lacking context of what was ‘normal’ or not among Tamers, but her senses were extremely sensitive. It wasn’t something trained for her, rather it was innate. Due to that, she had no unique appreciation for her specialty.

If she did, she’d boast about it more. After all, heroes have special skills that set them apart.

“No, no, that's not the right 'how' to be thinking about, how did they do it...? Spatial Displacement? Didn't sense any surge in Reiki so that seems unlikely... A jump to the moon from Tokyo? That's not the sort of thing you can just do without leaving a trace... Did we ride some sort of Reimyaku line? Do those go to the moon? Establishment of a base on it meant that humanity claimed it, so I suppose it's possible..."

“It reminds me of our Celestial Planetarium… but it’s different.”

“Very different.”

That auto-skill which she might call a trump card, if an auto-skill could be considered such a thing, could produce a similar effect of being in space. Swelling magical energy could coalesce and resemble stars, but not to this degree. In the first place, this was more than just stars. The earth was right there before them, and they appeared to be on the moon. Though that auto-skill could make those affected by it feel like they're somewhere else, she felt certain that this really was somewhere else.

“Well, it is a nightmare, after all." Seemingly satisfied with that kind of explanation, the girl lifted the book she had brought with her. "Right, Honoka-san?”

Hyakka posed the question to the book, but upon doing so she noticed someone, something else. Her spiritual senses picked up on the presence of one more on the moon with them, but even without them the girl would have noticed this particular ‘presence.’ After all, it was coming around the corner of Brighter Days, loudly repeating itself in what sounded like a panic.

“A rabbit?”

“Rabbit-san!”

The girl and her COMP spoke in unison.

Camelia wasn’t as familiar with Hyakka’s few acquaintances. As a younger COMP, though she had the resolve to match her oldest peers, she wasn’t totally integrated with her partner’s life and social circle. It didn’t help that the icy AI was fairly unsociable either.

"How did this get here?! That's not possible!"

“It is Rabbit-san! Only she could panic just like that, without any hint of control over the situation!”

“I… see.” The COMP replied slowly. “You know that rabbit?”

“Uh-huh! It works with onii-chan! Look,” Hyakka unbolted the window, leaned her head out and waved at the rabbit. “Rabbit-san! Up here! It’s meeee~!”

[Airen]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

“Rabbit-san! Up here! It’s meeee~!”

"Ahhhhhhh-! Nooooooo!"

And so, just as her character dictates she must, that rabbit can only continue to yell fruitlessly.

Of course it's a yell that changes slightly in pitch, a sign that she recognizes you for who you were, and has begun to freshly panic anew for an entirely different set of reasons, a rabbit through and through, who struggles with impulse to flee at the first sight of trouble, yes...

---The Demon Alice giggles from somewhere in the wall, but you ignore it.

"Inaba-san..."

The human Alice says her name in a way that's almost a sigh, although the twitch of her instinctively wanting to interrupt you opening the window seems to be stopped by pure force of will, as if she had to remind herself that the orphanage was designed to stabilize itself magically, come hell or high water... Such arcane modifications were common in Aoyama, considering the ward's history of being absolutely blasted with mythic-class phenomena every few years or so, and...

"Nooooooooooooo-"

...So the rabbit comes in through the front door, yelling all the while...

You hear it in a number of ways.

The crashing of the door itself, the continuous pitch of her voice calling out from downstairs, the rapid thud of shoes on the wooden flooring, three hops and a skip, then the slamming open of the room you were in, and-

"You can't be here either! Is he here right now?! He'd kill me if something happened to you!"

-runs up to you as if to grab you, but hesitates, becoming a squirming moon rabbit that's rapidly looking to both your left and right, as if to identify hidden dangers in the darkness...

"Inaba-san..."

Alice tries again to restore order.

It does not work.

"Humans aren't even supposed to be able to get here, what did you do?! Oh no, oh no, the Palace isn't going to be happy about this...!"

Ah.

Yep.

This is definitely that rabbit...

Encountered: Hare (?) of Inaba!

[Spinach]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

“What did we do?”

Hyakka tilted her head in confusion, glancing around to follow the eyes of the panicked rabbit. Perhaps the Hare of Inaba was looking for that ‘he’ it mentioned.

“We took a bath.”

The girl answered matter-of-factly. In fact, she answered as if she were proud of it, twin fists against her waist and her back straightening out as she said so.

“But what a surprise to see you here, Rabbit-san! Is Onii-chan with you? And why are you on the moon? Do you live here? I thought you lived with Onii-chan, at that place he works.”

The girl countered with a sequence of questions.

“Oh! And what is this Palace? I would very much love to see it! It sounds like something out of a manga!”

Saying so she went back to the window, looking about outside for any signs of any moon-palace.

“I hope it has walls of chiseled marble! Watchtowers lined with powerful knights who wield holy swords, who go on adventure and fight dragons, rescue princesses, and save the world!”

She stared out into space, at the earth, and at the moon’s surface, crimson eyes hopeful that she might find the aforementioned Palace.

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Demonic Server, Hali Bay
11/16/2026
Afternoon, Heavy Winds

"..... Hng."

Time crawls to a halt.

Blaise watches the approaching enemy from above, his eyes solely focused on her... but the expression on his face fading. He's lying there, on the waves of the ocean, with one arm broken and with rain all around him. Water vapor is like fog that surrounds him in billowing clouds, obstructing vision. At the same time, his mouth opens ever-so-slightly, and blue flames flick the environment. His COMP is currently on cooldown, so he can't rely on Kaguya's calculations over fire. All he has is his innate understanding, his natural affinity.

And that is why temperature rises.

That is why world warbles.

That is why vision shifts.

It's exceedingly simple, really.

Light, no matter the source, can be bent via refraction to produce a displaced image. To hide what is there and make what is not there appear just so. Of course, having him completely disappear from the vision would be impossible. Not that it would help him any. The woman still had her hearing. Her sense of smell. She could use those to pin-point where he was. So that's why he doesn't worry about that. There's no need to. All he has to do is to shift his own place just a few centimeters, just a tiny bit, such a miniscule amount that it's imperceptible, and...

--- There. A mirage.

A trap laying in wait.

As the woman falls from the sky, ready to pierce through him with yet another one of those horribly powerful punches of hers, Blaise has already prepared the trap for her. He may not be able to use his other hand properly, but it's already healing - and he can use it as a leverage. That's all he needs for what he is about to do.

And yet, even so, as she falls from the ground... Blaise can't even really feel it.

It's like his motivation is failing. Or rather, falling.

Rapid downward spiral that just keeps getting lower and lower.

All because of her words.

Yes... all these "subtle" jabs at those who are present, like she knew everything about them. Talking about Tsukiko with another name, mentioning a family member of Isamu, alluding to Blaise's relationship with his father... she's showing off and preening just how much she knows, how mysterious her knowledge is and how "on-top" of the situation she is as a result.

And the only response that can come of such display in Blaise's mind is...

Boring...

The same word reflected by his gaze as he looks at the falling woman.

Boring, boring, boring...

He knows these types of people, these types of creatures.

Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring...

They're everywhere in this world.

Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring.

Just a bunch of assholes who want to lord their immense power, superior abilities and unfathomable knowledge over everyone else in order to make themselves feel special.

Boringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboringboring.

They're absolutely everywhere in this world. Everywhere you look, there's someone who wants to assert their special nature by acting just like this, thinking that it'll somehow give their life a meaning. And that is exactly why Blaise patrols the streets. To keep them out of Aoyama. That is why he hates his school. Because they're everywhere there. That is why he avoids the big organizations. Because they're full of these freaks and led by them.

After all...

When everyone is oh-so-special, oh-so-powerful, oh-so-knowing and oh-so-mysterious...

No one is.

They are just...

BORING.

"............................."

He readies his hands and his leg.

The moment is here.

He gazes at the approaching woman with disinterest and continues this meaningless farce.

After all, these boring beings that are everywhere can shout whatever they want...

But they'll never understand the simple happiness of the common person!

"--- Let's just get this over with. You're tiresome."

Those are the only words Blaise responds with as the woman descends with all her haughty fury.

And in that moment, the trap hidden within the mirage activates.

The deadly lock that cannot be broken out of, no matter how much strength you have in your body.

The name of that trap?

----------- The Kimura Lock.

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Demonic Server, Hali Bay
11/16/2026
Afternoon, Heavy Winds

---An end to the meaningless farce.

One last clash, her or you, another blow that could shatter mountains, or a lock to render the immense strength behind that opponent meaningless...

Certainly, it seems like now is the time.

Hyped up on the idea of violence as she seems to be, jokingly poking and prodding at the 'secrets' you and your friends were seemingly keeping to themselves, she's the sort of person that you simply can't accept, that far-too-common being that is far too all-knowing and all-powerful for their own good... It's an existence that almost comes across as banal, pointless, not even annoying so much as it is tiresome, and so...

The fist descends.

A mirage fades.

A trap is sprung, and-

"..."

-next to you, the water explodes. Not because of anything you had done, but simply because the woman had seemingly shifted her momentum at the last second, careening out of the way not with the grace of someone who had seen through your ploy, but rather...

Out of annoyance.

---In that bubble of slowed time, when adrenaline was at it's peak due to the pain in your shattered arm, the expression that had crossed her face had been first annoyance, and then...

"Tch..."

Dismissal.

She hovers near the surface of the water, the battle-crazed smile replaced by that clear look of irritation...

"Won't even play along for real, huh?"

A chuckle.

"Geez, I feel sorry for your classmates, you really are on a high horse."

---The hostility is gone.

Like the flipping of a switch, nothing more than annoyance remains around her...

"And you think I'm the one that thinks they know everything? Hah... That's funny. Well, I guess that's teenagers for you. Give em sixteen or so years and they suddenly think they've got the world figured out. The old times were so much better right? Everyone just thinks they're so damn special nowadays right? But being as enlightened as you are, you know the right way to live, better than the people at school that all definitely have their head stuck up their ass? You don't even go to school that often kid, what the hell would you know about anyone there? Ever consider some of that shit your brain just spat out is just in your head?"

---Again, a strange sentimentality.

This time not for her host, but for your classmates...?

She climbs up onto the surface of the water with a sigh.

"Ah well, I can't get into it if you're not into it either, so I guess that's that then, huh?"

So saying, the woman even has the audacity, after being the start of all of this in the first place...

To sit right in front of you on top of the water.

"Go. Enjoy your precious happiness of the common person. I'm sure you appreciate it so much more than other people do."

---What a bizarre person.

"Fish go bad in about two hours after all."

She closes her one eye.

---And says nothing else.

[Kuroyuki]

Hiyori
SLEIPNIR - Bottom Level, Genesis's Lab/Engine Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

“HAAAAAA!”

I yelled out loud in order to break whatever was holding me back here with my combined three spells or at the very least make one giant noise for Genesis or Lucia to hear down the hallway. Regardless, I should win in some way!

Reality wasn’t nearly as nice… Instead of finding a broken window for me to break out of or Genesis and Lucia rushing towards me, I had an unbroken windows in this infinite hallway… If only Rossweisse was here, then we could cut our way out of this! While I was floating in place and griping about my situation, I failed to notice someone staring at me. It was only after floating around and stomping on it a few times did I realize…

Someone creepy was staring at me! If it was a member of the Rothschild, I would’ve recognized them! Or if they were a member of a different faction, they wouldn’t be in the belly of the ship already without Anna or Rossweisse guiding them! And since they aren’t attacking me immediately… They must be… A stowaway! While I should tell Anna or Rossweisse about this, my messages aren’t working properly and I have something way more important than that!

So I decided to ignore them and tried to think of a way out of here! If the hallway never lets me leave… And the ship is still equally as strong. That must mean there’s something anchoring me in place like a talisman or an energy source in this hallway. Something small and forgettable so that I won’t be able to notice it while I’m in a rush. So I should slowly scan my surroundings and look for something out of place that could be trapping me here.

“Kouha.”

Also while I doubt this will work… It won’t hurt to send a low powered magic attack back towards Genesis’s door. Genesis sorry about this! But it’s for a good reason if it lands!

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Demonic Server, Hali Bay
11/16/2026
Afternoon, Heavy Winds

"Ah... so that's it."

Heaving a little sigh, Blaise stood up in the water, dusting off his... well, nothing, really. Luckily his loincloth had held up so far, so the only thing bothering him was the water dripping own his glistening, muscled body. He checked his arm, tested it a little bit, satisfied that it would (most likely) regenerate eventually. Cooking with only one hand would be annoying, but could be done. That was what was important right now. Indeed, the fact that none of his "instruments" had been damaged permanently... that was the silver-lining in this mess.

Speaking of which...

"You know, I never said - or thought - that my way is the only way. I just keep to it, since it's mine. That's what men do," Blaise said, turning towards the one-eyed woman. "I call things like I see them, stick to my guns, and don't go back on my wrong. As things are, that's the only thing I can do. I've got no omniscience nor omnipotence, nor am I privy to everything under the sun. If you've got a problem with it, you can take it up with me - that's your right. But opinions are like assholes. Everyone is one. So argue all you want, I'm not changing mine any time soon."

He held a pause, before a small smirk appeared on his face.

"... That is, about you being just boring."

With that, he turned his back on the woman and faced the destroyed wooden pier and the spot in the ocean where Tsukiko had disappeared. Isamu he could still see, and hopefully his vampire friend would resurface eventually - if not, he would have to go fishing once more. But he had trust that the bespectacled girl wouldn't be defeated so easily. Chances are that she was, after all, stronger than Blaise and Isamu combined. Most likely was. That's how things were often with these sorts of creatures.

But therein lied the difference between Tsukiko and this... whatever woman she was.

Tsukiko was just a person like any other. She had no reason to flaunt her strength, or what she knew. No reason to make herself more important than she really was in the grand scheme of modern days.

Just another person living their life.

And Blaise could respect that immensely.

... Even if he would never (probably) say it out loud to her.

"OI! YOU TWO!"

Blaise's voice bellowed out, cutting through the stormy ocean to reach the ears of his friends.

"SO, I FOUND A WAY TO BEAT HER!" Blaise continued, pointing his thumb towards the one-eyed woman. "JUST DON'T GIVE HER ANY ATTENTION AND SHE'LL START SULKING! IT'S BASICALLY LIKE HOW TO DEAL WITH HIGH SCHOOL BULLIES!"

In such a mundane way, he summarized his observations of the "opponent."

Having said that, the blonde youth started wading his way towards the beach, gazing up at the price that they had dug up from the ocean depths. As annoying as it was, the woman was right about one thing... the fish would go bad. Soon. There wasn't really time to get it back to the hideout and stuff it in the woefully undersized freezer. Therefore... yes, therefore...

--- It was time for Plan B.

"Hey! Isamu!" Blaise yelled out again, towards the boy. "Mind starting gutting the fish? Just throw the trash away further along the beach, I bet there's some hungry locals who'll get a treat out of them! And save the fatty bits! Don't you dare throw them away! We need to act fast, so we'll go with what we can... and that's gonna mean cutting some corners!"

Blaise nodded towards the gigantic fish looming in the distance.

"Since the pier's busted, I'll start with that! Build us a little seaside shack from the wood so we can cook in peace! Heck, since I doubt even our resident glutton can eat all of it, might give the locals a chance to buy some! If they're still around, that is!" Blaise continued instructing Isamu. "And in the meanwhile..."

Then.

Blaise's eyes snapped towards the far-end of the beach.

The only proper hiding spot from this whole debacle.

Where Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Fight most likely was holding down the fort...!

"As for you, Tony Redgrave..."

Even when spoken loudly, Blaise's voice laid an undercurrent of a threat.

"... Since you didn't help in the least and we're pretty much useless, why don't you make yourself useful?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"We'll be needing rice wine vinegar, wasabi, soy sauce, nori..."

The chef was about to take no prisoners.

​"... And enough rice to make sushi out of this whole damn fish."

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Demonic Server, Hali Bay
11/16/2026
Afternoon, Heavy Winds

"SO, I FOUND A WAY TO BEAT HER!" Blaise continued, pointing his thumb towards the one-eyed woman. "JUST DON'T GIVE HER ANY ATTENTION AND SHE'LL START SULKING! IT'S BASICALLY LIKE HOW TO DEAL WITH HIGH SCHOOL BULLIES!"

---The composure she had been clearly attempting to invoke shatters at the brazenness of this line.

That is to say, she makes a choking sound where she sits, audible choking, the sort of choking that made it clear that if she had been drinking something she would have spit it out, and...

"What the hell?! Did you just call me a high school bully?! You wanna go again pun-"

...This lapse in concentration, seems to cause her to sink through the surface of the bay for some reason... Of course, ignoring her seems to be the actual best way to keep her at bay, so you don't put too much thought into the hows or the whys, or the gurgling noises that are followed -ten or twenty seconds later- by the sound of her gasping for breath as she reemerges, going back to sulk with a huff...

Yes.

---A strange person.

---But looking less and less like an actual monster the longer time goes on, still...

"Oh, it's over huh?"

...Casually, the once torpedoed vampire emerges from the depths of the sea, seemingly no worse for the wear... Of course she was a vampire, a hell of a vampire too if you really took the speed of her regeneration into account (bit too fast to be garden variety, closer to what one might expect from a 'royal' vampire) but those sorts of things weren't really important in the long run, after all...

Tsukiko was Tsukiko, and she didn't really try to be anything more than that...

As for Isamu, well...

"...Sulks? Seriously?"

...Now that everything is over, the young man seems to have calmed down some, or rather, as is his nature, it's not like him to really carry a grudge long-term; he just sighs and rubs the back of his head for a bit, as if trying to exhale all the pain that the cross-legged woman out at the sea had caused, before...

"Ah well... YOU GOT IT! LEAVE THE GUTTING TO ME!"

...He flashes you a thumbs up, before the bat bursts into the tell-tale form of a reiki-based blade; not a very precise instrument of course, but considering the sheer size (and supernatural nature) of the fish that needs dicing, well...

It was necessary.

Very necessary.

The victorious gleam in his eyes was perhaps a bit too much, but all the same, let him have fun with the task...

As for a certain Tony, well...

"Hey, you kids had it handled just fine."

...He appears from the far-end of the beach (as expected) having hidden himself somewhere around the bonfire he had created... Bonfire that was struggling to stay alive, considering all the rampant atmospheric currents in the area...

"Let the next generation spread their wings and all that right?"

He chuckles, although...

As a list is presented to him...

"That's..."

He hesitates at first, before...

"Well, guess I'll find it somehow!"

...Wandering off to only maybe do as was asked...

As for you, well...

The construction of a shack isn't too complex. The wood that had been making up the pier had been good quality, nothing exceptional mind you, just the sort of treated wood that wouldn't rot so easily in the pitch black waters of this beach, and...

---After about fifteen minutes, you'd say it's about good to go...

Of course, it is a fifteen minutes spent with being well-aware of the eyes that were constantly watching the group from the bay, Anima's eyes, attached to the cross-legged, pouting woman that seemingly had nothing better to do with that borrowed body of hers, before...

"...Hmph."

Looking right at you as you -somewhat accidentally- glance at her, she starts talking to herself...

"We'll get em next time boss."

Before -at least visibly- disappearing...

---Your sort of get the idea that she might still be here, just invisible, but eh...

Didn't seem like too big a problem, not anymore at least, as for the others...

The progress of fifteen minutes has actually...

Stopped both Isamu and Tsukiko? (Although Tony can be seen in the distance with some shopping bags)

The boy was mostly done with cutting up the fish of course, he seems to have paused mid-trash, staring at Tsukiko, who...

"..."

...Appears to be staring at... Something... By the bonfire...

Like a cat that has had something strange pique it's interest, although you can't see it from here, and...

"...Actually, you think using ice magic would keep some of this fresh? No, that's probably too cold, right? Destroys the meat?"

Isamu ultimately turns away from it to face back towards you, the blade that had been encompassing his bat disappearing as he did so...

"Fish gutted, fatty bits saved, useless guardian coming back with the condiments... Things seem to be looking up."

He laughs, then...

"...She actually gone?"

Makes a whispered mention of your once stalker...

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Demonic Server, Hali Bay
11/16/2026
Afternoon, Heavy Winds
[BGM]

"...She actually gone?"

Blaise stayed silent for a moment, watching the beach... and shook his head with a sigh.

"Unlikely. She's the type to stick around just on the off-chance she can regain her pride. Keep an eye out, but don't bother interacting even if she shows herself. Let her steam in her own juices for now," the blonde youth replied. "We had our trip almost ruined thanks to that jackass, so this'll serve as her punishment. I feel bad for the guy who she's possessing but... well, can't do anything about that. For now."

With that, Blaise leaned back and stretched his back for a little bit. Then, looking a bit more refreshed, he lifted his hand... and stuck it inside his loincloth - his blue fundoshi - rummaging around there. And he did it in full view of everyone. Like he didn't see anything wrong with that. In the background, one could hear a sound somewhere between a squeak and a scream as Kaguya buried her head in sand, the tips of her floppy ears beet red.

Still, although it looked like so at first, the boy wasn't being a pervert... instead, he fished out a Zippo lighter and a pack of cigarettes; his favorite brand, Lucky Bastards. Then he opened that pack, popped one in his mouth, and offered them to Isamu next - like it had been the most natural thing ever. While he waited for the mop-headed boy to take one, Blaise lit his own, keeping his lighter around afterwards so he could do the same for Isamu if he deigned to follow suite.

Smoke rose towards the clear sky, and while watching it, a momentary grin passed by Blaise's face.

"Still... you got a mean swing. Couldn't have asked for a better back-up. We should hit the actual batting cages one of these days... that, or the baseball lot behind the arcade. I wanna see just how fast pitches you can take," he said with a warm chuckle in his voice, glancing at the mop-headed boy. "Eh. What I'm trying to say is that... been a while since I've been able to trust someone to have my back. Kaguya doesn't exactly count, you know? So, hm..."

Without a second thought, he lifted his fist for Isamu to bump it.

"Thanks, bro."

He said it out loud, the thing he had already thought about earlier today.

After all, Isamu had really come through today... so he deserved to know. Men should always talk to each other without any pretenses or lies. The best place for that would have been in the baths or a sauna, but alas. They had none of that now.

What they did have was a beach shack and plenty of fish to go around.

"Anyways, ice up as much as you can carry. It might damage the meat a little bit, but we can put that in the fridge and I can try to come up with something later in the week," Blaise continued to Isamu, before glancing towards the approaching sight of their useless 'guardian'. "Mind telling Tony to put it all at the shack? I'll be with you in a moment. Looks like..."

He nodded towards the strange sight of Tsukiko staring at something by the bonfire, and let out a little sigh. An exasperated sigh, like a man that was about to deal with the bizarre behavior of his cat once more.

"... There's something over there that needs to be dealt with."