Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Mokujima Chris
SDCD Dorms - Chris' Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Late Morning

---There's nothing soft about the other Chris's response.

While the woman seemed much more open to the idea of conversation than the copy of Logan you had encountered outside, there was an obvious limit to how friendly she was willing to be in this moment. That's why there's nothing surprising about the gunshot that rings out the instant your muscles twitch, a violent response to the sudden onslaught coming her way, unrestrained supernatural force grabbing at scattered papers and boxes as you surge forward, more aware than anyone that anything less that a single decisive blow in this battle means that you lose the war.

---In that sense, getting up close was your best bet.

---In that sense, this plan wasn't one made without some thought, however-

"..."

She had moved to shoot you long before you even move to raise your arm to point the crossbow at her head; in her mind there is no hesitation here, while she had seemed willing to disable you rather than kill you outright earlier, it seems that she doesn't have that sort of mercy when things become an actual battle. She'll put you down in a second the instant you become an actual threat, and the twitch of forward momentum is a manifestation of that threat, one that has her easily lining up the iron sights with your head, and...

Well...

Bang.

---Of course, the fact that you can hear the gunshot at all means that it didn't strike you.

"...!"

However, this is not the result of any fancy movements on your part... While even you can move like any other supernatural entity when you feel like it, the sheer force of your approach launching things away from you in the cluttered room, you know without a shadow of a doubt that the bullet should have caught you in the head, chest, if your last second attempt at leaping away from the impact zone had proven possible, but...

No.

The shot was clear, the gun was aimed true, and yet-!

What explodes is the wall to the side of you, as if some invisible someone had slapped the round itself aside-!

The laws of physics were certainly violated, and...

The hint of some foreign entity's power can be felt, but putting that aside-!

It's a dreadfully powerful impact.

The wall more explodes than is simply pierced, shrapnel pelting the both of you as the magically reinforced walls lose a contest to particularly insidious bullets and in that sense, it's more like the woman is wielding a hand-held cannon than any sort of traditional firearm, but-!

Her eyes flicker upwards for a moment in confusion before coming back to you, a certain sort of light coming to life in them as calculations are done and redone at the appearance of a particularly bizarre variable, but-!

In that moment, you pass the threshold-!

In past her hand, close enough that the gun is no longer pointed at you, rather, it's next to your body-!

From here, quite a few things are possible, from grabbing at her limbs to actually making a return shot at her head, however...

"..."

Even as the woman's eyes land on you and acknowledge how close your presence is..

---You don't sense a single hint of panic from her, no...

If anything...

It's curiosity.

Aleta

Name: Aleta Gaumond
Class: Fortuna's Emissary

Stats

???


Major Traits

Oath Taker (Fortuna)

-Pars Fortuna-

"Now go on out there and find the truth kiddo, don't let anyone stop you! Fortune favors the bold, as they say! And if things get too bad... Well, gimme a call, smacking around some punks that dare hurt one of mine is the least I can do!"

The Oath Ability obtained from Aleta's pact with Fortuna, Roman Goddess of Luck and Fate. Allows both passive and direct interference over the flow of "Luck," or perhaps even "Miracles" or "Fate," depending on how one looks at it, however...

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris
SDCD Dorms - Chris' Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Late Morning

The wall explodes behind Chris as she charges forward. Shrapnel bounces off, deflected by the Harmonizer. Air rushes past. A dull roar assaults her ears, and is beaten back by an even louder noise: the sound of her own pounding heartbeat.

That gun hadn't been firing bullets from the start. Could she have taken the shot head-on? Even by sacrificing an arm or half her body, the odds would've been-.

Irrelevant!

The first move is not a flaming shot; it's a head-on shoulder tackle. Chris lowers her head, grits her teeth, and charges forward like a linebacker, turning momentum into power. This close-!

Even before the thought is formed, the other her is already jumping back with identical speed, arm raised, bringing back her gun and training it on a pair of gleaming eyes. Chris' free hand is already there, wraps around the wrist holding the weapon, pushes it upwards - only to feel her fingers squeeze cold, unbending metal. Her other, bow-bearing arm, is halted by an identical grip in a similarly useless position.

Clink.

Glasses meet spectacles.

"..."

"..."

"She's gone for now," Chris says. Eyes flick towards the laptop in the corner.

"..."

The smooth sound of motors whirring is the only herald to the mechanical arm flexing, reaching for the back of her double's neck, ignoring her feeble grip on it.

Chris lets go and falls, ducking low to avoid the hook even as she throws a wild jab towards the enemy's throat. A simple hop back evades it. Back meets wall. Chris raises her bow to fire from below, but her target is rising. The other Chris kicks up off the wall, raising her metal arm as a shield, and leaps over her attacker. The barrel points directly down as the bolt points up, and with a harsh clank they bash against each other, throwing off both aims once more, even as the one whose limb is still flesh winces after the exchange.

The other Chris lands, finds her vision blocked by a blanket thrown her way. She grabs it mid-air, hurls it aside and-.

Something erupts from the center.

A red-hot bolt burns both reiki and fabric as it tears through the blanket, aimed at where Chris knew her enemy's head would be-!

Which is why it misses by a hair's breadth, sailing past her double's cheek and out the door, slicing off only a few strands of hair. For Mokujima Chris had predicted that Mokujima Chris would make such a prediction. She can see her double on the other side now, her clenched teeth and gleaming glasses coming into view, along with her eyes that have not given up or been dulled for a second, even after wasting her shot at winning.

Because they both know she is not the sort to bet everything on one shot when she can help it.

"Hah-!"

Something else tears through the blanket from the opposite angle, straight at where the woman had evaded to.

Another bolt, clutched in a fist by pale fingers.

Arrows are not like bullets. When the ammunition itself is the weapon, all one needs is to charge it with reiki and stab-!

From the start, the loaded crossbow had merely been a threat, used to confound her counterpart's danger sense for long enough to prepare the real attack from a blind angle.

And yet... it never reaches its target.

Her wrist is smoothly caught by a hand that had been waiting there.

Of course, Mokujima Chris had predicted that Mokujima Chris would be able to use her ammunition like that. And knowing her own movements to such an extent, the true ruse of using her crossbow as a feint was something she had also expected from the start. Yes, she knows her own movements. And her own body's capabilities. And her own predictive prowess. The same goes for the other one.

That's why, besides flipping a coin, there is only one other way to decide victory.

"---!?"

By who makes better use of the cards up her sleeve.

Machine circuits screech.

The hand that had been caught now holds the other.

Device safeties fail to activate.

The floor explodes.

Footing vanishes.

In that unsteady moment...



Something crackles and pops. Hip and knee bones twist out of place and ligaments tear from the force of the attack, force she she should not be able to output on her own.

Like a roaring rocket, Chris' foot rises towards her immobile foe's solar plexus-!



"Burst-!"

Wise up!

-Wrist Crossbow (Name Pending)-
A wrist-mounted crossbow made from basic materials, made to fire specially crafted bolts. Being a somewhat mundane weapon itself due to lacking a potent spiritual core of it's own, the crossbow itself is only capable of supernatural interference through use of enchanted ammo. With the available materials, it was possible to make the following:
1x Agi Bolt fired
0 Agi Bolts remain
2x Firecrackers remain

-Jet Boots-
A pair of magi-tech boots, made with a tron-esque aesthetic to them that went somewhat out of style a few years back. Allows the use of the "Spirit Burst" spell for movement purposes, or for attacks that involve one's legs, such as for enhancing the power behind kick-style attacks. Not very durable, it is nevertheless a common armagus used by those who would rather save their COMP's spell slots for other things.
2/5 charges used on Burst Knee
3/5 charges remain

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Saint Vivienne ~ Academy City - Brewed Awakenings
11/16/2026
Monday - Noon

“Yeah. I’m fine. You’re talking about what happened the other day when we were waiting to leave, right…?”

"Mhm."

Catherine nods.

"It was when we came back from our trip to LOVELESS last week. Nakamura Megumi was in town, remember? We went together to get her autograph, then you said something about seeing a blue door somewhere, we stopped to look for it because that sounded really suspicious, and then Myra came rolling out of the chocolate shop with what must have been their entire stock. Girl is strong and a little clumsy, dangerous combination, good girl, but still a super dangerous combination to have running around... Honestly, I don't think she even noticed she did it! Went right out the door afterwards without so much as an apology!"

The brown-haired girl sighs...

"The muscles on that child, truly outrageous. She'd make a good bare-knuckle brawler."

...Today was a bizarre day.

It seems that Catherine doesn't remember the SLEIPNIR incident at all, nor does she seem to actually pick up on the fact that you almost seem to expect her to remember something else, still...

Her earlier comments to the bartender had seemed to hint at some sort of residual memory, but if that was the case, it didn't seem to extend quite as far as you might like...

Then again, you had been sort of vague about it...

"Why? Was there a second incident I don't know about? If that girl is making a habit of running over you, I'll march all the way back to the Vatican right now and take care of it, children these days are just so lacking in manners. I'll have a proper apology out of her for you before the day ends, I promise you that!"

She nods again, a dangerous sort of light glinting in her eyes as her hands come to rest on the table, face and body lowering just enough to look you right in the eyes as she awaits your answer, about as unworried about the concept of personal space as always, searching your face as if expecting you to tell some sort of lie to protect Myra from justice...

Of course, Catherine isn't actually dangerous or anything, but...

Her lectures could be...

Excessive.

As for Leah, well...

She's watching all this with a light smile full of amusement, her clear eyes lit up with stars.

[Kuroyuki]

Rossweisse
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ ??? Residence
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Morning

"Fair enough. No one can say I didn't try to let you slack a bit~"

If Hiyori was here, she probably would’ve taken the flame-haired woman’s offer to rest while we’re here… However, even if this was my home from before the amnesia. I can’t help but feel like I need to make up and help. She eventually looks away and gives me some space to look out at the yard. I didn’t really know anything about gardening, but I could tell that this garden was newly made and meticulously cared for.

The flowers had to have been planted recently because surrounding it was soil that was conductive for its growth instead of standard dirt. While it was possible for someone to magically turn dirt into soil with magic… The amount of dirt in the shed seemed to imply that the caretaker preferred to do it the old fashion way. A little further away were a couple of willow trees that despite soil surrounding them as well that seemed to be fairly large already. Despite the season, there was also the conspicuous lack of stray leaves and twigs that should’ve naturally fallen. Judging by the flame-haired woman’s gaze… It seemed like she was its meticulous caretaker.

"Go ahead and grab the shovel out of the shed then, we're gonna have to transplant this... Bit too close to the house, grew a bit too fast, but this is Aoyama I guess, these things happen..."

I was eventually shaken from my analysis by her asking me for her first task. Since we’re transplanting the trees...

“Should I also bring back some soil bags so that we can fill the holes?” I wait for her response before leaving. “Okay, I’ll be right back. ”

On my way back, there was something peculiar heading into the shed. It looked like the footprints of a small animal however… When I inquired to my COMP about the footsteps, it said that the footprints didn’t match normal animals’ footprints. As I followed the prints further in… I looked at the darkest corner of the shed to see… A teddy bear? Posing in some kind of weird pose that seemed to come out of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure?

"Gardening, huh? You sure do have bizarre priorities when you wake up."

I looked at the teddy bear with confusion. I briefly wondered if the flame-haired woman was right and that I was tired but… The fact that he mentioned I had strange priorities… after waking up...

“Doctor… Xavier is that really you? I wasn’t expecting to see you here or in that form.” I flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry this wasn’t how I pictured my morning either, but I was trying to gather my bearings… And I found out that this place was my home apparently.”

I give a sad smile as I pick up the items required to transplant the trees.

“Since it’s my first time back in… awhile. Can I help them out just for today?”



Hiyori
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ ??? Residence
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Morning

"Nightmare Syndrome, perhaps? Or perhaps... Noctambulant Disorder? They all seem to believe they're in danger during their... Episodes, their physical movements are battle-like in nature, at least, according to these maybe-doctored reports."

‘Nightmare Syndrome…’ I float around in thought before making my decision. ‘ That sounds nice and to the point! Nothing too fancy or scientific. Like no one will know what the Satellite Tumult Project is, but if I say the Sisters Project everyone knows what I’m talking about. So a simple name is best!’

“As for things in common... Well, not that I can see so far, no links on a physical level at least.”

‘Nothing in common? Hmmmm this sounds like a good incident to investigate then! If you don’t mind, we can look into some of the people who supposedly have it for you! ...Well maybe after dinner unless someone with Nightmare Syndrome works the night shift or something.’

Alexia on the other hand…

"Well, some of the reiki generated in the simulator does go to backup power, but... I suppose you could say that Adala's signature is what's necessary to get the ship to run. No matter how much other fuel is there, if hers isn't present, it simply will not work properly. It's a defensive measure we put in back in World War 2, to make sure no one got any funny ideas about glassing other countries with alien technology... We had enough problems when Hitler managed to somehow get his hands on the Longinus, didn't need to add world-ending warships to the list. "

‘Wait wait. So you’re saying that no matter how much fuel we add. It won’t work unless we add her signature… If that’s how the SLEPNIR works… Then I guess it makes sense on why everyone there has their own little signature to their spells…’

Also I know that I’m not the walking encyclopedia like Ross is… But World War 2 had major magical fights back then as well?! Like the SLEPNIR being a world ending weapon while Hitler somehow got the Longinius spear?! Well I guess we could end the world with the SLEPNIR… It was practically invulnerable to magic attacks let alone normal physical weapons!

"Although, when it comes to breaking the SLEIPNIR... Well, it's not exactly of this World, so things of this World have a hard-time affecting it... That being said, the longer it stays here, the more... How should I say, nativized it becomes? It's slowly being adopted by humans, so it's not quite as impervious to damage as it used to be... Course, it still has plenty of mystery shielding it, but it's not outright invincible like it used to be... Probably for the best, honestly. An invincible weapon is a mistake. You never want to make something you can't destroy if you have too... Sounds cruel, but it's a necessary safety measure for these sorts of things. Not that I made the SLEIPNIR, but the principle is still the same~ ."

‘OH! So that explains why the SLEPNIR is so darn super tough! But that does make me wonder… If the SLEPNIR is like a mobile magical base from some other World, then was this the standard there or was it the exception? Because if the SLEPNIR was a standard ship… Then what was their flagship? A Death Star?’

While it sounds cool to have an entire SLEPNIRs to fight your enemies, I wonder what kind of things were that other world fighting. Some kind of alien fleet? Some world-ending threat? But if the SLEPNIR was the exception, then surely we’re using something like the Royal Ship of the other world’s strongest kingdom or a game’s P2W cash shop item!

“But yeah, I think a space-time attack would do it. Or a full power Divine Spirit. Kaiju... Would depend on the Kaiju… Hmm...”

When Alexia started thinking about things that could damage the SLEPNIR, I started considering it as well.

‘Kaiju… Hmmm… None of the mecha versions of Kaiju for sure. Mothra and King Kong are also out… You think King Ghidorah or Gojira can do it? As for Divine Spirits… I’m not really too familiar with them to name any… As for space-time attacks… They’re kind of rare, but I wonder if the region they hit would turn into some weird static. It’s like final boss tier to have one of those after all!’

[Airen]

Rossweisse
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ ??? Residence
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Morning

“Since it’s my first time back in… awhile. Can I help them out just for today?”

---The bear, or rather Dr. Xavier in the form of a plush bear, takes a moment to respond not just to this last request, but the other questions that had been tossed his way. In a sense, you get the feeling that the doctor had been looking for something specific in your demeanor, as if he hadn't been sure at first if you were who you said you were, which was ironic, considering his current situation, but...

"...Well, considering the situation, I'd argue that such a thing is a waste of daylight hours... But if you did find your family, well, that does change matters... But are you certain this is them?"

The deep voice rumbles, not unkindly, but with that smooth ambivalent tone that the normally human doctor was known for...

"Regardless, yes. I am in fact Xavier."

The bear nods at you, glancing down at the dirt below his feet with mild disgust, before hopping back down onto it with some obvious distaste for the idea.

"Much as you didn't expect to see me, I also did not expect to find myself here like this, I was supposed to remain inside of the Ark."

The bear is smiling, but considering that's just how it's face was made, you're pretty sure that it's actually supposed to be his usual frown...

"But here I am, alongside you. We arrived here late last night, but you wouldn't wake up. Unlike you I was just a spiritual form at the time, so I took the liberty of possessing this... Plush doll? Not suitable for combat in the slightest, but it lets me move around and affect the physical plane more easily, so I suppose I cannot complain about it. In this city, remaining as a host-less spirit for too long can be... Dangerous."

He nods, before he begins pacing back and forth...

"It took me till 2 AM to get a hang of this body, but when I left, I immediately went to perform reconnaissance of the area. This is Aoyama Tokyo, as I'm sure you've figured out, but something I'm sure I know and you definitely do not..."

He pauses in an obviously overdramatic manner, before...

"...Is that it has become impossible to leave this city. I can't actually get out of Tokyo, no matter what I do. Whenever I try to do so, I just wind up falling asleep before waking up at this house again... It's quite strange."

Another pause, then, almost as an afterthought...

"It also felt a bit... Too quiet last night, at least as far as Aoyama goes... But I haven't lived here in quite some time, so perhaps I'm just looking too deeply into things? Empty and silent streets aren't really the Aoyama sort of atmosphere... New curfew perhaps? Although that doesn't explain why I didn't see any demons either, they've never given a damn about curfews..."

He muses this aloud...

Just as much to himself as to you...

[Tobias]

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

Holy Shit!

Holy Shit!

For once, Raz and the Detective COMP were perfectly in sync. It couldn't be helped. The massive Persona was an impressive specimen, Reiki emanating off it in cool, threatening waves that sent a chill down the spine of even the brave knight.

Raz was used to acts of courage, even foolish hubris and o'er weening pride, but this was something quite rare, something perhaps he had never seen before.

The massive spiritual being was not the smaller challenging the larger, it wasn't the lesser mystery trying desperately to raise above its station. Instead, it was an amalgamation of the disdain of the mundane. A challenge, cast into the teeth of high mystery. A single bellow of challenge that demanded the fae realm acknowledge the common.

There were times when the situation didnt call for a hero. Sometimes all that was required was a good man.

Then again...

It probably helped to have a hundred foot katana!

The one-two series of attacks hadn't been planned, but had been quite effective in spite of that. Raz had damaged that one piece, and while he couldn't confirm that it was a sensory organ, the cry of pain and leak of some strange matter suggested that it had been important in some fashion.

I am pretty sure I either stabbed it in the eye or kicked it in the balls, what have you got.

...The...ImpOSible11@#$

Hey, stay with me!

Feels like...My plUmE is burning uPP*.

Stop the scan!

No...Its comINg, juST...iT*all I can do toKeep%it goINg...MuSt be How yoU feLT! with ThAT sTarrLiiight...

Watch out for Me...ta.

whAAt?

Nevermind.

The bard knew there was no talking his COMP out of it when he got like this. He always chastised Raz for being reckless, but when the time came, the old detective could be as eager to rush headlong into the teeth of danger as the most zeal filled paladin.

Still, Raz's concern aside, the over all situation did not look untenable. The alien machine had been damaged and the massive persona appeared to be a near equal to it. Supported by raz, it seemed likely they could deal with the threat, the large samurai taking larger attacks and Raz working through the battlefield to target weaknesses.

Of course, battles were rarely so simple. Tactics changed moments by moment. Certainly the alien machine would not stand their scuffing its heels while being worn down.

I mean, if nothing else these things usually had another couple of final forms or something. Still, the strategy seemed workable enough....Right up until…


Another player took the stage.

No literally.

"Nice entrance handsome!"

Raz said, suppressing surprised irritation.

Da capo. A musical reprieve that returned the song to an earlier part, and reality had moved with it. There was no mistaking it.

He is using songcraft.

...

An untidy squeal was the only response Raz got. It was somehow a very lonely feeling, not having the DTG's guidance and wry humor. Also he could usually count on a pleasant and centering little skit where he talked about how good looking the doppelganger was and then his COMP would chide him and tell him to focus. With the DTG at well over max capacity trying to process the alien data, well.

...Guess I'll just have to get serious then.



Magical energy began to swirl, creating a pathway through the world.

My lord, Raz said, connecting himself to the King. For once their was no cajolery or seduction. Just a simple report.

It worries me to send this, but you are the only one I can think of. The DTG is going to be preparing information on a new enemy. If we do not return, expect to fight foes like this in the future. Be extremely careful. It cannot be allowed to infect you or the Collective Unconscious.

Now then...

A master of songcraft couldn't be ignored. Fighting the alien machine god while a songcraft user provided support was almost certainly just as ruinous a strategy as trying to fight an enemy while Raz sat back and supported it.

The problem with being the support was everyone always wanted to kill the support first.

Without the DTG, it was the black haired knight himself who had to consider strategy. Which sucked, but probably why the old A.I was carping about teaching him to think for himself in the first place.

There were 4 potential targets to consider, and three allied groups. First was Raz's doppelganger. Neutralizing him would make any battle much easier. Secondly was the original villainous. Raz had lost track of her in the commotion. She clearly had more information on the situation. If she wasn't the machine god's ally, at the very least she appeared to know about it. If she could be captured, extracting useful information was possible.

And the extraction itself could be a pleasant prospect, heh.

Third was speculative. The last time a doppelganger had shown up, it was being manipulated by a nearby mastermind. It was quite possible the same was true here as well. Finally, the alien God.

In the end, nothing else mattered. It was one of the situations a hero sometimes had to deal with, where you could see an enemy's plan in motion, but more or less had to go along with the contours anyway because not doing so threatened innocent lives. Dues Ex had to be driven off or slain. Raz had an idea that it couldn't manifest itself for to long, but the damage it could cause while present and unchallenged was unacceptable.

If there was anything going Raz's way at all right now...It was that his Wishing star had opened up a new possibility. Leaving the DTG to interpret data crippled him in multiple way. He had to use precious heat in order to draw on the World Wide Concert. Repeated uses functionally meant Raz only had 6 charges before he would need to ventilate. that wasn't enough for his usual rotation of enhancement magic extended by the encore spell.

Plus, there was the Da Capo spell. without the Detective COMP to interpret the spell in motion, the black haired knight had to rely on dangerous assumptions. If the Doppelganger recreated his own abilities, but variants thereof, then Da capo was likely an offshoot of his defensive and healing spells, along side one ability in particular.

One ability in particular.

"...Heh."

Light glinted off a feral grin.

"You know...It feels like we danced this waltz once before..." Raz said, showing a mouth full of teeth. Thats ok, if you want a dance off, ill be your partner....but I warn you...I'm all keyed up right now, don't expect to sleep tonight...!



The golden light, flung thrumming through the air. Grasped by a hand, neither samurai nor bard. After all, as Raz flung Lied Ortus towards the alien, humming brightly with stored power....

There were three allied forces in the area. The bard himself, master of Songcraft. The entirety of the bullheaded city, unwilling to bow their head before any god.

...And...

The knight of swordsmanship.





Beauty equal to that of the black haired knight, and mastery of the blade which far exceeded his own. Raz had to be clever, and use the abilities that he did have to account for his limitations. He had less heat for magic, so had to use what he had slyly. But in exchange...if his counterpart had more more ability to cast, he didn't have the power of the concert. Raz did not know for absolute certain what Zerah's defining ability was.

Heh, of course he did, what else could it be?! For one who followed the path of the sword?! Enhanced with a flourish, what godly heights might he reach? Holding the golden blade, what feats might he achieve?

But...all the same, that didn't avert Da Capo. That was one question. The next? How Had Zerah been there to catch the flung sword in the first place? Finally...

...What Spell had Raz placed in the Golden Blade?

Sly use of magic. Relying on the ability's granted by the concert, magic his doppelganger couldn't replicate on his own. Actually it was likely he too had a magic with the power of the world behind it, but this wasn't his world.

That's right, home team advantage bitch!

And one of the abilities granted by the concert was the ability to join in Common Cause, and create abilities which traditionally required practice and the most priceless of bonds.

Raz was not entirely sure how Zerah would attack. If he had been able to fathom how such might appear, then he wouldn't have been the Knight of Song, he would have been the Knight of the Sword himself.

But more importantly...

He needed Zerah to deliver Raz's spell directly to the target. After all, a pair of humans was not the most powerful ally on the battlefield. Even knights couldn't compare to the great Samurai. But the Samurai was constrained by Da Capo, which held back his massive blade.

Even with the Concert, it Seemed the Dues Ex naturally resisted certain spellwork, and the spell Raz had sank into Merlin's blade was itself not very strong. But Zerah was not just attack, he was also method of transfer.

There was a term for something which conveyed something needed to where it could not go. If it couldn't pass through the air, then it would have to be delivered directly. That same term was also what one who orchestrated song at its proper time. Nodding at the great Samurai, he offered a wordless encouragement to renew his assault.

What would happen when the analogue to Da Capo, Raz's break dance magic, which interrupted an enemy's spellwork was carved directly into the body of the enemy itself to resist Da Capo's activation?



One way to find out!

"You want to see me dance baby? Try this on for size!

Schwert Lieter!

Schwert Lieter, or the Sword Conductor, is an improvised Unison Raid created by Raz and implemented through The World Wide Concert's ability. By imbuing Lied Ortus with the Break dance spell and then replacing Zerah's damaged blade with it, Raz attempts to resist another activation of Da Capo by countering Songcraft with Songcraft, allowing the Samurai to renew his assault.

Actions taken

DTG Analyze action, FLOURISH! 2 heat
Break Dance, 2 ---> 1 Heat (Shine in the moment!)

heat 10 ---7

Zerah: Blade mastery, FLOURISH! 2 heat (speculated)

[Rafflesiac]

STARBRIGHT
SDCD Base - Front Gate
11/16/2026
Monday - Late Morning

Tch, one’s getting away. That’d be impressive if it wasn’t an irksome fly of an enemy. The puppets should’ve been trivial to eliminate, so why had one gotten away? There’s the possibility that they shared power between each other, so the final one remaining had enough ability to dodge even an extraordinary Fusion Spell, but that’s too finicky of an answer. No, there’s a simpler and more likely reason: the spirit signature whose owner we haven’t perceived is the puppetmaster. They might even be the enemy who attacked Yamuna and started all of this. As for the other survivor of our spell… Aw, look at him clench his little fists.

“What, gonna cry?”

Looks like that asshole’s coming up soon. What Fusion Spell should we use next? Actually, what if we… Wait, is he running? Crawling away with his tail between his legs? Wow, lame. And here we figured we could use Railgun Jupiter: Alternative. We track the enemy signature on the radar and frown. The asshole’s headed straight toward it, and letting enemies meet up leads to nothing good. Should we take him out? Swirl of Samsara, though… Tch, what a pain in the ass. Can’t just leave them alone either though, and then there’s still Yamuna. We sigh. Always were pretty bad at multitasking. Fine then. If one of them’s not a viable target under the circumstances…

We point Amelia’s frame at the rapidly retreating red dot.

...Then we’ll just have to aim for the other one. Spirit power churns itself into crackling electricity coiling around our body and gathering in the golden staff as we focus our gaze on the fleeing enemy, calculations swirling through our vision as projections of the future manifest. The magician stands atop the tower, prophesying doom in a flash of lightning.

Let’s see you dodge this!

Eye of the Fates + Ziodyne:

FUSION SPELL:
NEGATIVE TOWER!

Now for Yamuna. We jump off the building, falling toward the ground as we observe two goddesses standing unnaturally still, water gnashing at itself underneath them. That water’s spiritually saturated, so it should indicate their state to some extent; are they battling still? How are we supposed to interfere with that? We can’t dive into minds like Ludwig Karlfeldt. Our gaze shifts to the other goddess - Aurora, Yamuna’d said - now spiritually distinct thanks to our amplified spirit sense. She’s of the same magnitude; should we attack? Another frown. We need more information. Let’s go with that, then.

The air tugging at our clothes and hair shifts directions in an instant as we rocket through the sky with Phantasm Step, landing next to the stationary Yamuna to scoop her into our grasp before dashing away. The roiling lake bubbles underneath as we beeline toward Eve’s spirit signature.

“Wake up, Yamuna! Sleeping Beauty’s out of style these days!”

---

Spoiler:

Status: Full Drive (2/3)
Spells Used: Eye of the Fates, Ziodyne, Phantasm Step
Heat: 8/9

[Airen]

Interlude
Logan (?) & ???
'Contract Established'

"..."

The appearance of the mission objective helps him put personal feelings aside.

While there is a certain annoying quality to having to turn his back to 'himself' and thus look like he's running away from him, the youth can accept the that false reality with gritted teeth, well-aware of the fact that the ultimate objective has to come before any personal vendetta he might hold against the youth on a power trip. The bizarre state the young man had entered was interesting enough, something he had never personally seen before, but the realities of it weren't all that intimidating to him when it came down to it, it was a bit of a power boost, but nothing to get blindly cocky about...

That's how you lose.

That's how mistakes get made, when you get a bit too confident in the power you have right now.

"...Heh."

He chuckles, almost maliciously, although there's no one to receive that smile.

Now that the target is in sight, all energy is being pushed towards reaching them before he runs out of time; this form is a transient one, this manifestation is a miracle, it's a whim of fate that certainly won't repeat itself, brought into existence by a rampaging relic from a time long-past.

A Deus Ex Machina Model, a man-made God with power over the Dirac Sea, or something along those lines...

Never been his forte, but the mechanics behind it's abilities weren't that important to him.

It was the manifestation that mattered, no matter how temporary, or under what contract it bound him, the act of being able to move with even a bit of freedom is enough for him.

After all, a bit of freedom is all he needs.

It's only natural, right?

He doesn't know what the mechanical God is thinking, manifesting himself and the others like this, but if they're something like feral dogs, then giving the leash even a little bit of slack is just asking to get bitten, right? Did it think they were just gonna do as it wished without question?

No.

This chance can't be passed up.

If their time is limited by nature of their circumstances, then they simple have to acquire more time through others means; only one of them is necessary to do it, the silent agreement was enough to say they were all on the same page, even if only for this single span of time.

He'd make the deal for all of them.

He was the one in the best position to do so now, no, the only one that could do it now.

---That's why-!

He interferes with his other self's oh-so-perfect calculations. Usage of this body's infection was enough to absorb and break down reiki all on it's own, but the dismissive way that he intercepts the attack mid-air, drawing it into the remains of a just-as-corrupted partner is one that condemns the actions of his other self entirely.

---It's a joke, right?

You think you can accomplish your mission with those half-hearted sort of actions? Are you just that desperate for affection? Or perhaps you just lack faith?

---Well, not like it matters really.

It's better for him that his other self is a bit of a moron, these sorts of deals are a bit harder to make under duress, especially since he wasn't a lawyer, but-

"..."

-he'd been in hell long enough to get the gist of this sort of thing.

"...Found you."

He speaks calmly to the cloaked woman, the last of the 'puppets,' who had settled herself upon a car after watching him intervene on her behalf, chuckling and clapping in a slow, almost mocking sort of way.

---It kinda pisses him off, but-!

"Yes, yes, seems you did!"

She smiles.

Grey hair falls in her eyes, a strikingly beautiful person that he nevertheless ignores as a person.

He's not here to look into the humanity of any Alchera, in the end, they're just a tool he happens to need to use in this instance.

"I'm here to make a deal. Not just for me either, I got a few people that want in on it, so I'm acting as the intermediary. That fine with you?"

His voice is rather calm, for one aware of the inherently Faustian nature of such things, but...

"Of course, of course! It sounds like fun! I always enjoyed paperwork, you know?"

She chuckles.

"So what exactly is it that you all want? I can make some guesses just by looking at you, but... Be very clear now."

[hero]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama, Streets
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour


"... I see. You know, for a second there, you almost made me feel a little pity for you."

I let out a sigh of surprise and irony, as if to mock the passenger resting on the lower level. Since we cannot understand one another or, at the very least, I cannot figure the rhyme and reason behind her words, this is the only way left I have in order to communicate. I can't put myself on her shoes so I'll just acknowledge the pain she must have been through to end up like this with a line that makes light of it as much as possible. That cruel kindness is all the only sympathy I can offer her in this occasion.

"Good thing you mentioned the name of a certain abominable senpai and completely ruined the mood. Thank you~"

Still, I would be lying if I said I didn't find her a tad intriguing. Between confusing phrases and real-time delusions, she speaks words I am clearly familiar with. Normally, I would completely ignore her, awkwardness be damned. As she said, I have a small circle of friends and I have no reason to invite her into our small company. But there is a problem... Namely, there is one suspicious fact that's been bugging me ever since the beginning.

"Uhh... This is going to sound weird, but..." Ugh, Why is it hard to speak all of a sudden? "Have I... Met you before...?"

There... I said it.

And now I am scratching the back of my head like a total idiot.

"You see... How to put it...? I forget non-important faces rather easily. Just the other day I got attacked by some random kid who I must have wronged in past or something complicated like that. Since you know an awful lot about me and the people I know, you wouldn't happen to be another avenger or anything like that?"

Unsure of how I feel, I divert my gaze upwards for a bit.

"Because I honestly doubt you are the childhood friend I left at my previous hometown."

[Airen]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama, Streets
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour

"Yeah, that's probably a good thing to doubt. Your life has never been that convenient, right?"

She chuckles, just as much to herself as to you.

"A cute childhood friend who grows up to be a convenient heroine, someone to help center you back down the turbulent paths of your teenage years, an ally who appears right when this time of trial starts for you... Well, someone like that might exist, but unfortunately for you, it's probably not me. For one thing, this town is your hometown, so all this talk about a previous one is just you messing with me right? Of course, my memory has been shot mostly to hell, so even if I was this hypothetical childhood friend of yours, I probably wouldn't remember it. Nice of you to almost sound sincere though, I appreciate the thought, but you need to get a bit better at it if you don't want to wind up forever alone."

She talks, for once in a manner that's almost serious...

"But let's see, if you wanna talk about me," again that humorless chuckle, and the light swing of the makeshift hammock down below, "My name isn't actually Anima, or ANIMA, or any variant thereof, that's just the title the boss gave me when she dragged me out of... The Void I guess. Nothing. Imagination? Well, point being it's the place where you wind up if your existence is invalidated in some way, turns out the World is prepared even for paradoxes! Who knew right? Damn metaphysics."

The swinging stops.

"Think my actual name is... Something Pendragon. Can't remember the first name. My father was... From Wales, I believe."

She nods, although looking up at the distant void, you can't really see her do it.

"Through some shenanigans, I wound up not being born at all, universe couldn't figure out what to do with my soul, so I got booted to being imaginary. Of course, I could still acknowledge my own existence, so I didn't disappear entirely, but... Eh, no real place in the World for me, so now I'm just a sort of rampant Ego, gotta either set up the conditions to be a ghost or just outright possess others to get anything done physically, kind of a pain in the ass, you know?"

At this, her voice becomes some mix between tired and eager... As if the topic was exhausting... But at the same time, as if she finally felt some relief when talking about it to someone else.

Even if that person might not actually care about it.

"Found the guy that was born instead of me. Don't know what that makes our relationship, but I sorta felt like killing him. Didn't do it in the end of course, not like it's his fault things wound up this way, but goddamn if he's not infuriating to listen to sometimes, sitting around judging the World from his goddamn high horse, refusing to interact with anything but a select few because of this warped sense he has for how other people are! Real narrow-minded guy. It's gonna get him in trouble too, he might not want to interact with this side of the World, but it's gonna come for him whether he wants it too or not."

She snickers.

"It's something a lot of you kids don't get. You're not entitled to a Happy Ending, you gotta fight to maintain it. The World doesn't care about you or what you want, you can dig in your heels, cross your arms and pout, scream REJECT as much as you like, but if it wants you it's gonna take you, and if you're not prepared for that when it happens, well..."

She mimes shooting herself in the head, a sarcastic grin crossing her face.

"...You basically killed yourself."

Actual laughter now, although, after getting it out of her system...

She goes back to swinging down below.

"But yeah, putting all that aside... Not really an avenger. I'm a troublesome ghost that refuses to die, that's all. The World wants to swallow me whole, but I won't let it. No matter how cruel I have to be, I refuse to disappear. I'll make the World acknowledge me."

---There's a steel-like resolve in those words.

None of the joking or kidding around the woman usually uses, those words are unrelenting ice, a determination so deep that it could keep someone alive entirely by itself, but...

"...Anyway, I'm sure you don't really care about any of that, I do appreciate you showing some sort of interest in me though; that's good, means I've already burned myself into your thoughts."

She winks.

"I'm not after you specifically... But hell, I'm a mysterious supernatural being, right? I should follow the usual customs and impart annoyingly vague wisdom on the brave knight who cares about others even if he pretends he doesn't, so let's see..."

A pause, then another grin...

"I can think of a few stories... Ever wonder exactly what it was your parents did? Do you remember?"

Like a chesire cat...

"It may have something to do with this 'childhood friend' you can't quite seem to remember..."

...She's going out of her way to mess with you again.

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Obake-Baasan's Bathhouse
11/16/2026
Night, Clear Skies

"A group trip, huh...?"

The young man's gaze follows your own, going up towards the shimmering stars... There's a bit of a thoughtful look on his face, the sort that overtakes him when he puts his mind to practical problems rather than those given to him by the academy, things like budgets and financing, and you can practically see the gears in his head start spinning in an excited sort of way as the suggestion takes root in his thoughts.

"If we're gonna do that, we might as well do something big... That means saving up money, which puts the Winter holidays out of the running, spring too if we wanna head overseas and really make the most of the trip. Not being able to afford souvenirs or local cuisine would be a real buzz kill on a journey, right?"

He chuckles.

"Considering some members of the group that food budget is what's gonna actually kill us, then again... All you can eat buffets are pretty big in America, not sure about Wales, but if we save up enough we could probably fly all over the place, do it the old-fashioned way instead of taking the Pulse Network."

A brief shudder at the thought.

Teleportation was a convenient method of travel yes, but...

The nausea, especially after the long-distance jumps...

Not really something you ever get entirely used to, still-

"But if that's the plan, we need good part time jobs. Something that would actually make some money, you know? Would kill some of our free time in the evenings, but-"

-as you listen to Isamu talk, the young man's voice begins to slow down somewhat as he lets out a yawn.

"-would probably be worth it in the end, although getting Tsuki a job might be a nightmare... Don't think she... Legally exists anywhere..."

It's an innocent enough motion, at least at first, but as it becomes more and more common, each yawn leading to another a few moments after, he...

"Fast food... She'd just eat it... Fired..."

...Seems to fall asleep.

Right here, right now...

Mid-conversation?

His breathing is deep and easy, unperturbed by anything around him and on the other side of the wall, where the girls had been jokingly talking with that oddly familiar voice about boiling eggs...

Nothing but silence comes.

Even the playful splashing of the water has come to a stop.

[Airen]

STARBRIGHT
SDCD Base - Starlit Lake
11/16/2026
Monday - Late Morning

---An explosion of emotions plays out across the surface of that lake.

Of all the stories and rumors of Aoyama's connection to the Soul Sea present in the supernatural side of the World, those that revolved around this particular lake were always the ones that were the hardest to ignore...

It was, after all, an obvious sacred area for humans.

The heart of the SDCD base lies in it's depths, it's waters heal the bodies and minds of those belonging to human-kind that are nearby and even it's star-speckled surface is one that is said to resemble the hypothetical Sea of Souls itself, a sort of facsimile of the real thing, or perhaps, a mark of the many spiritual wounds that have torn their way into the land itself, wounds that do not quite reach the heart of the collective, but that have exposed parts of it to the World of the Living.

It's hard to say.

This lake is difficult to understand, it's a sort of conscious phenomena that seeks to mend whatever wounds it finds, but by that same token, because it responds to negativity...

It's a mirror for emotions.

It's turbulent nature is reflective of the hearts of the Goddesses atop it's surface, of whatever sort of strife was going on between them, but as you land and prepare to carry a certain Goddess away yourself (perhaps as a bit of revenge for her flirtatious actions earlier) you are able to feel some of that emotional energy run up through your entire body.

'Hold on... Aurora, why would you do such a thing?'

'Who are you to talk? You were given life, friends and a mission while I was hunted down and discarded like garbage...'

'I have nothing at all! They took everything from me!'

'But at my lowest... I was given a new mission, a way to get it all back. I don't care how cruel it sounds, sister. If our mission is supposed to be to serve humanity, then the only members of humankind are-!'

Contrasting feelings of anger from one side and disbelief from another...

No, not just disbelief, sadness...

Aurora is angry and Yamuna is distraught; their silence is that of a telepathic conversation, of both sides having stopped to probe the reasonings and resolve of the other one... And while you only get a glimpse at it, a single reflection of that turbulent storm...

The Goddess in Red seems to be quickly losing her mind, her emotions are the ones making the violent waves upon the surface of the lake, that are being absorbed by a certain empathetic Goddess, and while Yamuna doesn't outright struggle to get out of your grasp after being grabbed...

She reaches out for the other woman almost instinctively, although the glare that is shot in her direction -your direction- is enough to convince you that stopping right now would be a terrible terrible idea-!

"..."

So you don't.

You move far and fast, away from the heavy gaze that had threatened to launch you all by itself, heading towards the opening doors of a hangar that Eve seems to be in, operating a particularly bizarre looking airship, and...

"...Sorry. Didn't mean to get distracted."

Yamuna finally says this as you draw near to the ship, although her gaze remains locked on the area behind you even as you dash, as if she half expects the other Goddess to come charging after you both, but...

She doesn't.

---At least, not yet.

"You can put me down now, I'll be fine. She won't attack anyone else. You go ahead and get on the ship. You need to be on it before that form makes you collapse."

She speaks simply.

"...Or before this place collapses on top of us."

[hero]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama, Streets
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour


"So that's how it is. That's a relief..."

In the life of Spirit Tamers, stories like this always come and go, so I can digest it rather easily in spite of it being beyond a normal human's ability to comprehend. Gods? Parallel Universes? The will of the World? Those do not matter at all. They are just there as excuses to hide the much harsher truth to accept. In the end paint is just paint, no matter what color you order.

And that is why a Spirit Tamer cannot be a hero.

A hero is someone who gives everything in order to save everyone. A figure that exists only in fiction. A self-destructive ideal.

A Spirit Tamer is someone who protects peace at the expense of innocent souls like this, who get swept under the rug, buried where no one will find them, all for the sake of creating a better future. I can't be the only one who's noticed...

---But in the end we're only human.

The only method we have to cope with such guilt is to not acknowledge it at all. Divert our gaze, tell ourselves that others are others and simply focus on the path ahead. Who could blame us...? If stepping on a tiny little insect isn't a crime, how could feigning ignorance be any different...? It's not like we have the power to change the direction the current flows...

"..." It's a rather sad story. "That said, that 'Alter Ego' of yours sounds like a big-time dumbass..."

It's kinda infuriating, actually.

I have to remind myself that this ghost is nothing close to a sibling, so my dormant big brother instincts have no reason to be riled up.

"But you aren't the smartest tool in the shed, either, huh?" I throw another jab at her, easily identifying the hypocrisy in her speech. I guess that, from a third person perspective, it's not really hard to pinpoint the flaws in someone else. "You go on and on about making the world acknowledge yourself, yet after who knows how many years you haven't even taken the first step."

I sigh.

I don't want to sound like a smart-ass. When it comes to real-life progress, I am not really one to talk.

"Anima; Pendragon. You have the opportunity to pick either, pick both or pick none... But if you can't speak your name with confidence, you're not going to convince anyone. So just make up your mind... It's not like any of those is a mistake, really." I shrug. "Well, I don't really care either way. The word idiot goes well with whatever you pick."

Bakanima. Bakadragon.

For a moment, I feel like a little kid coming up with silly nicknames, just for the sake of rubbing someone the wrong way.

My high-spirit is brought down to earth with a well-placed high-counter, however, as the phantom seems to be capable of reading me far better than I'd like, making me uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I don't know who you might be talking about there. Sounds like you've got the wrong guy. Brave knight... Give me a break, Is it that easy to get on a vengeful spirit's soft side? Lame."

Then, she goes a step further, pressing where she shouldn't even get close.

"Save it." I crudely interrupt. "Whatever you think you got to say about that matter, I don't want to hear it. I learned a long time ago not to be led stray by what others say. So, on the off-chance that you aren't just trying to mess up with my head, I'm not interested. I'll find the truth on my own."

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Clock Tower
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

Asuka has the right of things—a before and after would certainly be conducive towards an investigation. Still, it’s a painfully unfamiliar sight, another sign of things changing. The clock tower had been closed off for as long as she can remember, so actually stepping into it feels bizarre, quite frankly.

Ayra watches Asuka climb up the ladder, regretting deciding to wear a skirt, and figures it’s fine if she climbs up last. Surely the new principal will lead the way, right?

“Any reason you decided to reopen this? It’s just a clock tower, isn’t it? Even if it was built to honor someone, don’t you think students wandering about here is more trouble than its worth?” Ayra decides to play up the concerned angle, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling about Aster’s silence. It’s true her COMP is not always the most talkative, but it would be more reassuring if she heard some snarky quip by now.

With a sigh, Ayra tries to relax. No point in getting worked up over it. Aster would tell her if there was a problem and she should just go with the flow.

[Airen]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama, Streets
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour

"Bah, you damn kids are no fun."

The woman groans to herself, although the tone of her voice doesn't sound entirely serious about it.

"I finally get the chance to be the vague, foreshadowing dropping supernatural punk and no one goes for it? I'm offended! Am I not cute enough? Do I need to dress up more like a traditional fae? A stereotypical fairy queen? I'm not even threatening to hold it over people's heads or asking for their first born children! I'm doing the hint work for the giggles, people!"

Indeed, her complaints come out in the form of mild cackles. Not too surprising, considering her self-professed nature is apparently close to that of a vengeful spirit, but by that same token, different from how she had come across as ambiguous before, you sorta...

Get the feeling that she's not all that dangerous, at least not to you.

Or at least...

There's a relatively decent person buried beneath all the bad jokes, poor sense of boundaries and mild threats of physical and emotional violence.

"Ah well, not that surprised really."

The sarcastic smile returns.

"Can't say you got bad reasoning, just listening blindly to what other people tell you is dangerous. The truth can get lost pretty easily if someone in the circle turns out to be untrustworthy, and well, I do scream untrustworthy."

She chuckles.

"I'll do whatever I have to do to not die, after all, means I can't ever be the pure hero type. Just a moron with too much pride to give in, using whatever name will let me go on longer. Anima... Something Pendragon? I'd use whichever one is more useful and abandon the other in the end, just the type of girl I am."

In the end, she does comment on your earlier words, about your attempt at pointing out the hypocrisy in her statements, and indeed...

She seems to be aware of it.

But doesn't comment on which she would actually prefer to be either, simply being pragmatic in her answer, something that even you note as strange right away...

Although exactly why... Is a bit harder to say.

"Ah well, if you're gonna shoot down my gripping tale of ambiguous family secrets, I'll be more boring and general with my fae-like advice instead, in payment of you listening to me whine and complain about life. Don't try to stop me this time, I hate feeling like I owe people things."

She takes a breath, but right before you can decide on whether or not you need to interrupt her again...

"Pretty soon you'll be like me, something that doesn't quite belong, an error in reality. Not quite as bad of an error, but part of the World is gonna come for you if it gets the chance. Nothing you can do to stop it right away, it's just gonna be something you'll have to deal with for awhile."

She's already started, holding up a single finger...

"It'll try to solve the problem with minimal witnesses. Just like how it sent you and that friend of yours to try and deal with me, the danger will be at night, when it's dark and minimal people are around... People might even seem to randomly fall asleep around you to make sure witnesses are minimal... The Witching Hour is particularly dangerous, but so long as you're in a place you consider home, you'll probably be safe. If you do have to go out at night, don't linger in any one area for long and try not to investigate anything strange you might see... That's how you'll maintain that trouble free life of yours. Just be a good kid and stay home after dark, it shouldn't interfere with your life too much in that case."

Another finger goes up.

"And lastly... Well, if you ever get bored of being a good kid... I'd question that snowman friend of yours. The Jack Frost? Demons have this annoying habit of knowing a lot more than you think they do about weird supernatural phenomena, but only talking about it if you directly ask them about it. Really pin him to the wall. Ask about the Reverie Complex, or the Alchera, or even the Northern Base, if you push hard enough you might just get some answers."

She frowns.

"Same with a "Robin Goodfellow." If you ever find that asshole fairy, capture it if you get the chance. That one's the worst about pretending not to know anything, to the point where even it believes it sometimes."

---The frown really deepens here, as if this particularly fairy is annoying on a level that other fairies simply are not, then...

Yes, then...

"...Of course, take everything I say with a grain of salt too. Don't be led astray and all that, but..."

The grin returns...

"Just keep these in mind, okay? You'll be able to test if I'm just telling tall tales real easily, I promise you that much."

[Airen]

Aster
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

"..."

---For a time, the woman simply stares at you.

Arm still pressed up against the wall beside your head, the usual confident expression has become little more than a thoughtful mask, a face of deep thought that nevertheless gives away nothing that's going on her in head, or at least...

Nothing other than the fact that she's thinking hard about something...

And perhaps, that she finds some aspect of what you had just said to her rather annoying... This part is just a flicker, a micro-expression of a frown that she hides easily enough, having been trained as a Knight to do just that, to be both pleasant and ambiguous, and yet...

"...Well, let's say that I am hiding something for some reason... Why would I do that?"

...Her eyes become unblinking, and the stare becomes unrelenting...

"It would be because I think it's dangerous, right? So in that case... Why would I tell you either? Do you think I would find it any more acceptable to put you in danger than to put Ayra in danger?"

...It's an answer that's both open and closed, saying some things while also saying nothing at all...

"Some things become more real if you know about them, some things can't be unlearned once they're learned, it's that sort of thing, best to not get involved with it if you can help it."

The frown deepens.

"Just focus on the JOKER case."

Her head tilts to the side, just ever so slightly, and...

"I mean, can you honestly say you're not hiding things from me, either...? This is a bit hypocritical of you, no?"

---

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Clock Tower
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

“Any reason you decided to reopen this? It’s just a clock tower, isn’t it? Even if it was built to honor someone, don’t you think students wandering about here is more trouble than its worth?”

"It was one of the founder's requests for handing over the building for use as a learning facility, she wanted all parts of the building to be open to the students, so long as it was safe for them to be there... And now it's safe."

Emma's response is fast enough and once the woman realizes you have no intention of going up second, she moves naturally to the ladder, both her and Asuka far more prepared for this type of thing, judging by the jeans the both of them were wearing...

Rather form fitting jeans of course, but jeans nonetheless.

In some ways, it was rather unfair...?

Still-!

"The Clock Tower itself is rather... Delicate, so it took some time to find someone capable of repairing it. It's something of an antique, you see? An attempt at replicating the Prague Orloj, so it's a bit of an... Odd piece. It's supposed to bring good luck to those that enter when it's operating, so the previous Headmaster kept people out while it was broken, just to be safe."

There's a brief pause here, then...

"Not that it actually affects luck in any way, we did a few tests to ensure that... But it's a nice sort of thing to think about, right? Fun for the students. Every school needs a few mysteries for students to solve, right? All part of the school life experience, even if it means having to chase one of em out of here every once in awhile~"

She laughs.

---And thus, you reach the top.

Asuka is already there, kneeling down in the center platform around the four clock faces; all four seem to be set to different time zones strangely enough, although Asuka's focus seems to be on the rails around the platform, where...

S Y N C H R O N O C I T Y

Has been rather immaculately carved into the wood four times...

One carving facing each of the clock faces.

[Airen]

Hiyori
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ ??? Residence
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Morning

"Oh, it's almost certainly the flagship."

---In the end, with the weird woman in the lab-coat falling into deep thought over whether or not she wants to label this hypothetical disease as "Nightmare Syndrome," or not, and the strange mother-like person still cheerfully mixing away at a homemade batter by the stove, the room's conversation mostly falls back to a certain NWAB Tamer, one who doesn't hesitate at all to answer hypothetical questions about alien spaceships...

"It had a computer on it once that was capable of granting wishes, an Alien Holy Grail, a device that could apparently hack into the collective consciousness of other beings in order to cause shifts in consensus reality. If such a thing wasn't the Trump Card of whatever civilization built it, then I hope we never run into the actual creators, because that's a war we'd probably lose outright."

A remarkably serious answer, although one that seems to rely more on hope than any hard evidence, although-

"...Genesis said it was their flagship anyway."

-the words she follows it up with are a bit more concrete in nature.

"He was on it when it crashed here, so he'd know, right? Of course, a lot of his memory files were damaged, but that's just how these things tend to work... Reality can be annoying sometimes, right? Never able to just conveniently get the answers you want, it's always a bit of a struggle."

She chuckles then, before leaning back on the couch...

"As for Kaiju... Well, considering a hypothetical Godzilla would be a living manifestation of a nuclear bomb, as well as an incarnation of the planet's vengeance against humanity... It'd probably have a shot at doing some serious damage to the ship. Not quite as much as it would against purely human concepts, but that sort of walking conceptual monster would be... Real bad for basically everything on the planet?"

She winks.

"Thankfully, there are no radioactive lizards in the ocean."

A brief pause, her eyes shoot up to the ceiling in thought again, before...

"Probably."

Finishing with something that doesn't actually make you feel better about life, then...

"But space-time attacks and... Static?"

She raises an eyebrow.

"Time attacks tend to be a bit more subtle than that... You get stuff like certain Legacy Armaments being capable of destroying the target's future... Real subtle, but deadly. Don't think anything would look like static per say, but the World is a pretty vast place, and conceptual magic is still an area modern magic struggles with..."

She shrugs.

"Maybe a space-time collapse might look like that, but eh... I'm pretty sure anyone that was close enough to see something like that probably isn't with us anymore, morbid as that might sound."

The eyebrow raises higher.

"Why do you ask? That seems pretty specific...?"

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Saint Vivienne ~ Academy City - Brewed Awakenings
11/16/2026
Monday - Noon

"Why? Was there a second incident I don't know about? If that girl is making a habit of running over you, I'll march all the way back to the Vatican right now and take care of it, children these days are just so lacking in manners. I'll have a proper apology out of her for you before the day ends, I promise you that!"

“No, no, nothing of the sort…”

Naturally, Eva felt a little touched at the concern that Catherine was showing. It was misplaced concern, of course- she had only ever been run over by Myra once (to her memory, anyways…).

But unfortunately, that wasn’t quite the response she was hoping for.

While the events Catherine narrated were somewhat familiar- the details were all wrong. It was to be expected, going by what Agatha had said: memories would be jumbled, and people would make sense of them somehow- it seemed that for Catherine, things like Nakamura Megumi’s visit and Myra had all happened in the same day. If she had any residual memories of their mission on the SLEIPNIR, then Eva wasn’t going to get them by skirting around the subject; most of what happened seemed quite consistent from Catherine’s perspective.

Not that they were correct, of course, but…

… looking at how happy Leah she was, Eva wondered if that was really an issue worth bringing up…

Still, putting that matter aside for now, there was one point that Eva felt the need to correct, lest Myra be subject to some undeserved disciplining. She had no idea how Catherine would interpret it, but she couldn’t let this slide.

“But she did apologize, didn’t she? I remember she gave me some of the candy she just bought- I thought that was very nice of her…”

[Kuroyuki]

Rossweisse
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ ??? Residence
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Morning

"...Well, considering the situation, I'd argue that such a thing is a waste of daylight hours... But if you did find your family, well, that does change matters... But are you certain this is them?"

“I’m fairly certain. While I've never had issues with Aoyama unlike other people… It never caused this weird nostalgia that I’ve been feeling since I woke up... The inhabitants don’t seem to be surprised at our appearance either. They’re treating it almost as if it’s natural that we’re here.”

Dr. Xavier rumbles at my response before continuing about why he’s here.

"Regardless, yes. I am in fact Xavier. Much as you didn't expect to see me, I also did not expect to find myself here like this, I was supposed to remain inside of the Ark."

I considered asking him if he wanted me to give him some kind of shoes before realizing… Where would I get teddy bear sized shoes? I’m sure I could find it somewhere in Aoyama. Aoyama was known to have its mysterious stores that sold the oddest of things, but that would take some time.

"But here I am, alongside you. We arrived here late last night, but you wouldn't wake up. Unlike you I was just a spiritual form at the time, so I took the liberty of possessing this... Plush doll? Not suitable for combat in the slightest, but it lets me move around and affect the physical plane more easily, so I suppose I cannot complain about it. In this city, remaining as a host-less spirit for too long can be... Dangerous. It took me till 2 AM to get a hang of this body, but when I left, I immediately went to perform reconnaissance of the area. This is Aoyama Tokyo, as I'm sure you've figured out, but something I'm sure I know and you definitely do not..."

I waited patiently for the doctor to continue his words. I’m sure if Hiyori was here, she would’ve called the doctor for being an overly dramatic final boss explaining his master plan.

"...Is that it has become impossible to leave this city. I can't actually get out of Tokyo, no matter what I do. Whenever I try to do so, I just wind up falling asleep before waking up at this house again... It's quite strange... It also felt a bit... Too quiet last night, at least as far as Aoyama goes... But I haven't lived here in quite some time, so perhaps I'm just looking too deeply into things? Empty and silent streets aren't really the Aoyama sort of atmosphere... New curfew perhaps? Although that doesn't explain why I didn't see any demons either, they've never given a damn about curfews..."

“Impossible to leave the city? But what could be… Dr. Xavier? Could it be that something is trying to interfere? If it can’t affect us at the Ark, but it can affect us here… It doesn’t need to stop us from appearing from the Ark… It just needs a way to keep us contained and limit our effects.”

I absentmindedly picked up a few bags of dirt as I thought about how quiet the city was. For some reason, the thought of Aoyama being quiet felt wrong. I don’t recall any of my past visits being quiet. If anything, Aoyama always felt like something was happening. A Tamer fight there. A fairy pranking someone here. High speed chases. So the fact that Dr. Xavier called it quiet... Rang some warning bells.

“Or something is trying to direct us to solve something here in the city. If we were on the SLEPNIR, we would’ve probably kept our actions to it. However, here. There’s clearly an incident that needs to be solved because a quiet Aoyama is unnatural. I imagine several people would see nothing wrong with it and would rather rejoice about it. But given the amount of supernatural energy here… Aoyama shouldn’t ever be quiet...”

Seeing that I have everything I needed to help out the flame-haired woman… I decided…

“However, we can’t investigate that incident until tonight. Also I’m sure she’ll get suspicious if I spend too much time in here if all I’m grabbing is some dirt and shovels. So what about you Dr. Xavier? Do you want to come with me to explain things to Hiyori or are you going to investigate things more? A walking teddy bear probably wouldn’t be the weirdest thing around.”


Hiyori
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ ??? Residence
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Morning

"Oh, it's almost certainly the flagship. It had a computer on it once that was capable of granting wishes, an Alien Holy Grail, a device that could apparently hack into the collective consciousness of other beings in order to cause shifts in consensus reality. If such a thing wasn't the Trump Card of whatever civilization built it, then I hope we never run into the actual creators, because that's a war we'd probably lose outright."

‘Whoa! It had an alien version of the Holy Grail?! That sounds like turbo dangerous! Like world ending tier! Infinite tsukuyomi kind of bad. Tell me got rid of that kind of thing or it’s locked behind the NWAB’s top secret vaults on the moon behind like twenty aces.’

If this wasn’t the flagship or the final boss’s ship then I don’t know how to feel about this! Literally cognition shifting machines just ask for someone to misuse it. Or I guess it could always be the protagonist’s weapon against the final boss… But deus ex machina machines like that are just asking to be misused in the next game or something if it isn’t destroyed! That and it always feels like lame writing when you can’t beat the boss with your own hard work.

"...Genesis said it was their flagship anyway."

Wait, Genesis said it was their flagship?! I didn’t hear that right… Did I?

‘How old is Genesis exactly? I know that he’s OLD, but I never asked him how old he was. Because from the way, you’re saying it… He’s like several centuries old and from another dimension as well…’

"He was on it when it crashed here, so he'd know, right? Of course, a lot of his memory files were damaged, but that's just how these things tend to work... Reality can be annoying sometimes, right? Never able to just conveniently get the answers you want, it's always a bit of a struggle."

I knew Genesis was special for being like the first Anti-Spiritual Suppression Weapon but I didn’t think he was also from another world. On top of being like who knows how old he is. And here I thought he was just the resident old COMP expert / spirit smith!

‘...So is Genesis equally as hard as the SLEPNIR?! If he is… Guess you just have to go full blast from the start! Immediately use the trump card and all that jazz!’

It was always kind of weird that people hold off on their trump cards. Maybe it would make sense if you were in like some kind of tournament arc or if you’re trying to show off. Maybe I could get Ross to join one of those by saying it would be a way to train without using the simulators… But first got to solve this Nightmare Syndrome Incident!

"As for Kaiju... Well, considering a hypothetical Godzilla would be a living manifestation of a nuclear bomb, as well as an incarnation of the planet's vengeance against humanity... It'd probably have a shot at doing some serious damage to the ship. Not quite as much as it would against purely human concepts, but that sort of walking conceptual monster would be... Real bad for basically everything on the planet? Thankfully, there are no radioactive lizards in the ocean. Probably."

I wink back at Alexia before firing back.

‘Yet! I’m sure there’s some nuclear lizard demon or something, but they aren’t as cool as Godzilla! Also I’m sure all of the big Tamer locations could handle him as well. Like the Knights have the whole Arturian Lore thing going for them. I’m sure someone has Excalibur the Sword of Promised Victory or something equally broken. The Rose Cross literally has all of the Angels hanging out. Even Aoyama has the weirdest population where they just beat off the threat itself with Tamers assisting!’

"But space-time attacks and... Static?

‘Yeah! Static!’

“Time attacks tend to be a bit more subtle than that... You get stuff like certain Legacy Armaments being capable of destroying the target's future... Real subtle, but deadly. Don't think anything would look like static per say, but the World is a pretty vast place, and conceptual magic is still an area modern magic struggles with..."

I start nodding my head up and down rapidly. Legacy armaments… I wonder why I haven’t heard of things like that before. I guess it’s probably because they're really old and rare. Maybe used by exorcists to solve their issues due to their lack of overall power. But hmmm… Space-time attacks are typically more subtle? I guess that would be true… It's not like someone is capable of knowing there's a change in the timeline unless they had a ripple proof memory...

"Maybe a space-time collapse might look like that, but eh... I'm pretty sure anyone that was close enough to see something like that probably isn't with us anymore, morbid as that might sound. Why do you ask? That seems pretty specific...?"

Ah crap! Alexia is getting suspicious about the space-time attacks. Ummm… Think of something quickly Hiyori! Something to get her not so suspicious about your thought of space-time attacks and its usage on the SLEPNIR!

‘...Just asking for a friend? I mean it’s not every you get a NWAB Tamer answering crazy theories on how to damage the SLEPNIR and weird things like Space-Time attacks. Like everyone there would be like super knowledgeable about things even if they sound like super weird!’

That was good enough r-right? Hopefully that’ll distract her while I chew over that bit about Time Collapse… Time collapses… Oh right… Miss Smug did say there was a complete collapse back there. However, it kind of went in one ear and came out the other due to how smug both of them were. Wait now that I think about it…. Didn’t she mention some kind of Reverie Complex manipulating global cognition like the machine Alexia said was on the SLEPNIR… However, if that’s the case then… It looks like we’re already underneath the evil (?) machine of cognition manipulation.

‘Umm that thing that was on the SLEPNIR, was it called Reverie something or another?’

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Obake-Baasan's Bathhouse
11/16/2026
Night, Clear Skies

"........? Isamu?"

What the?

Out of nowhere, in the middle of their rather mundane conversation, Isamu just... fell asleep.

And not in a natural way, no - not in the way one would doze off while in a bath. Instead, his words had faltered off even though he had been more or less focused before, and now he was silently snoozing away, having not even really fought back agains the dreams... or perhaps, he hadn't been allowed to. When a normal human being has fatigue wash over them in a similar fashion, they often try to fight it off, causing them to literally "nod off" physically - a sure sign of it. But this... this was different. Just like a flick of a switch, and he had been out.

Goosebumps appeared in Blaise's arms and he slowly lifted himself out of the water, eyes narrowing at the scenery around them.

... What was this?

Did someone use some sort of magic or ability on Isamu? No, not just him... the sounds from the other side of the bath were gone too. If that was the case, it would have to have been something with an area of effect... but then, why wasn't he affected? There could be reasons, like the blood running in his veins, but at the same time he doubted that Tsukiko wouldn't have been similarly immune.

Which meant... what, exactly?

"Oi. Isamu. Come on, bro - wake up," Blaise sternly said as he waded over to the other boy and gave his head a few light hits. "Can you hear me? Isamu?"

This situation wasn't good.

The longer this silence went on, the more it unnerved him.

In which case, his next action should be...

"Hey! You guys alright over there!?" Blaise yelled over to the other side of the wall separating the baths. "If anyone's awake, gimme a holler! Anyone at all!"

Then, he aimed his eyes at the door leading to the dressing room.

"Kaguya! Can you hear me?"

First, assess the situation.

No rash moves - try to gleam as much information as you could from your immediate vicinity.

Second, for now, act like a rash person would. In other words, if this was the work of some enemy, act like they'd expect you to act - panic a little bit and don't seemingly consider everything. In case of a trap or an ambush, sometimes you had to dip your foot in just a little bit to see the proper scale of it.

In other words...

"Guys!"

Blaise started lifting Isamu out of the water, to make sure he wouldn't drown - and at the same time, he took another look at the wall separating the baths. If he heard no answer, either from Isamu or the girls... well, then he'd just have to throw his bro over his shoulder and scale that wall to make sure they were alright over there.

He could apologize later if they really wanted it.

Their well-being was more important than any shame that the blonde might have had.