Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Tokyo, Aoyama ~ Brick Lane (Smokey Island Bakery)
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"... CD players aren't relevant?"

Ms. Mokujima looks at you with a troubled, uncomfortable gaze, like that of a mother who must explain to her children that Santa Claus as he is known in modern day actually has little to do with his original counterpart. She holds this gaze for awhile, that vague smile doing little to hide the eyes that have begun sparkling with thought, like her brain was trying to figure out how to best solve this particular problem once and for all, but-

"No, wait... this Dr. Iwakasa was Ane-san's physician?" Blaise asked, his eyebrows reaching for his hairline. "That's... weird. I think I would remember someone like that. But then again, I guess it's been a while..."

-this question seems to give her a way out-!

"He was the doctor for the whole family really," pulling her arms closer to herself, the woman takes your empty plate, spins back around in place, and puts it in what sounds like a plastic tub beneath the counter, "I think Ryuumonbuchi-san said she needed someone who knew how to treat a special kind of rabbit? Moon-rabbit? Something like that?"

She shrugs.

"I mean, I guess it must have been some sort of supernatural being, but not sure why moon rabbits would be put in a different category than earth rabbits..."

It's not the sort of thing that's truly relevant to her life, so naturally she'd disregard it, still-!

"He was good at his job though, you could name it and he could do it! Dentistry, Neurology, Curse Removal, Chiropracty-!" The last one brings a worryingly large smile to her face, one that causes her to spin once in place again, "Haven't had any back troubles since he realigned my spine-!"

Perhaps she gave away a bit too much there?

Nevertheless-!

This was a bit strange right?

You should be remembering something right about now right?

Yeah, actually, thinking about it... Wasn't there something? Something more than what you had gotten before, even?

Something like...

[I]

He arrives first.

The older man that looked after the girl, the gentle father that had always seemed at a distant sort of peace. He walks to the scene, through the scene, an army-green Japanese robe covered by a white robe with cross symbols on each of his shoulders. His steps are light in spite of everything, serene eyes gazing down at you both without a single hint of despair, a calming presence that brings the screams and cries of children to a halt, and-



"Calm down."

-to the you at that time, a simple request to calm your heart.

"You're both going to be okay, I promise."

That?

It comes and goes in as annoying a fashion as always, as if something inside of your head was simply stuck behind a particularly cracked seal, one that only lets small glimpses of something out from time to time, but-

"Of course Moon Rabbits are different, the Moon plays by different rules dear." A certain apron-wearing fae, returning from the kitchen with a cup of what seems to be a clear green tea, sets it down before you with the usual Cheshire cat smile, vague scent of herbs (thyme) drifting into your face. "Chandra remains the king of it's own world, even if Ganesha did manage to mar it's face."

The fae chuckles darkly at this, then...

"Go ahead and drink it. It'll wake you up."

...the smile deepens.

"Might keep you that way for awhile, but it's harmless."

Fae don't typically straight-out lie, so if it says the tea is harmless the tea is probably harmless (at least from it's perspective) but...

That bit about keeping you awake...

Seemed a bit more ominous than simple caffeine or whatever the hell was in energy drinks nowadays...

[Tobias]

Raz Stone
Ayamegaoka ~ Streets
??/??/????
Afternoon (?)

Raz had to make a conscious effort not to lick his lips. Beautiful girls who either didn’t know they were beautiful, or were to wrapped up in their work to consider that fact made excellent diversions.

Raz’s relationships rarely lasted long, in the traditional sense, but one of the more diverting iterations was when he did something he liked to call “stealing a lucky break.” Normally the diamond in the rough types were all together unaware of their own value. Raz took a perverse pleasure in building up that sense of self worth. Partly because she was worth it of course but…

…Well, mostly because Raz was aware that due to lack of pride, the poor girl might take on the first guy who looked at her twice, the lucky fellow! By the time Raz was done, any that sought her attentions would be forced to overcome the tribulations of increased competition and higher standards that are part of pursuing a charming woman.

However…while Raz didn’t precisely agree with the principle of “business before pleasure”, he did at least understand that there were certain things that simply could not be aloud to wait. Which was truly a pity. Even ignoring the woman in front of him for a moment, Raz was still very interested in the shadow butterfly. She had seemed more enemy then friend at the tower, but Raz did not know the full story.

Add that onto the fact that she had apparantly declined to attack him while unconscious, and even had cared for him a bit…she hadn’t even stolen lied Ortus…There were pieces of the puzzle he didn’t understand.

Damn it. Why wouldn’t the DTG wake up, this was his job!

Still. Raz had assumed ownership and responsibility of those that had come in when he did. He didn’t have the right to abandon that responsibility. Maybe he should have been more careful but…well, when people said that sort of thing, it was the same as saying “maybe I should have been someone else.”

Now then, to work.

Raz himself rather looked down at weaponizing his mount. It always seemed so…uncouth. Beneath it, both metaphorical and literally. (Though recently it had. Do me pretty freaking clear the DTG was more pragmatic about its more offensive capabilities.) Anyway, even if it didn’t really suit Raz’s sensibilities, he was still quite aware of its effectiveness, particularly with enough running room to build up momentum.

Just because it could pass through the gate…a name The dark haired knight did not fully understand…didn’t necessarily mean that something else could. Point of fact, even looking close, he saw. I signs that anything was passing in and out. Had not his winsome companion told him about it, it was entirely possible he wouldn’t have even realized it might be permeable.

And…it set his teeth on edge.

This doomed world, bathed in the ebon light of the dark moon, seemed desperately in need of the light of the Golden City. Leaving without doing anything…it wasn’t wrong precisely, but he didn’t want to do it.

Perhaps…there was a way to leave a gift before he left. His idea was not without risk, and it was one Raz didn’t want to take. He truly, deeply, cherished the gift of the Mage of Flowers.

But the definition of bravery was risking that which you did not wish to lose.

“Matador! I appreciate your patience. My break has come to an end. It is time for us to move on, but before we go, I promised you battles with alien worlds. Allow me to take that literally. Feel free to join me in a strike against the black moon! And mademoiselle?”

Raz turned to face the woman, allowing regret to coat his expression and voice “I truly believe this is not our last meeting, fate is not so cruel!” The bard said, taking her hand into both of his. “If you should ever find yourself my way, look me up. And if I should find any of yours where I am going, I will tell them they are leaving the most beautiful girl waiting!

Now for the risk. He had one weapon, and one weapon only. One which might let him pierce the ethereal gate, and might strike a blow against the black moon. A gift of a mate far stronger then he. The woman who had helped his sister grow into a woman he loved. The guide to his liegelord and king. The sword received from his hand truly honored him. It’s golden light seemed to hold the light of the timeless Golden City within.

However…used normally, it’s burst of light was to brief to swallow the moon. Raz had, after serious effort, learned the art of carefully tuning it’s energies to regenerate its golden light. It was a delicate process, requiring concentration and patience. However…powerful as it was, the affinity was wrong here. There was another option. And one Raz had not considered till this moment, perhaps that made him stupid.



When the Knight of the Golden city fed magic into the music embossed sheath, the coruscating light of sunrise that emanated from the inch of shown steel was…Less peaceful, less beautiful. Why?

…Because Raz’s reiki was not as pure as that of a sorceress.

Holding the sheath at his side, leaking magical energy, was the attempt of Inight, one who could not let go responsibility both written in stone and simply understood, needing no codification. When he charged to cut into and through the moon, his blade flashing out, coated in his spiritual energy, he had but one thought as he risked breaking the blade to create a larger, more stable burst based upon his own reiki.

I wonder how long it will take her to realize I slipped her my phone number when we were holding hands?

Heat 10 ——>7

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Tokyo, Aoyama ~ Brick Lane (Smokey Island Bakery)
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

Blaise stared at the tea before him, seeing his own reflection on the pale green surface.

So... that was Iwakasa. The strange man from a strange memory, the one bubbling under the surface, emerging from the cracks every now and then it seemed, almost as if to make fun of him. He was... there. He was there when that something, that sad and terrible thing happened. And he was trying to reassure him... perhaps reassure them both. Yet, if he was right back then, then why... why couldn't Blaise remember? If everything had been alright, why was it all under such a powerful seal? And most importantly... why did thinking back to that memory make his heart sting with pain?

Why did the sight of that golden hair, broad back and sneer make him... writhe in loathing?

--- No, better not think about it.

More importantly... the man had been called to the Ryuumonbuchi Estate to take care of a moon rabbit? But what did that... no, wait. Blaise suddenly remembered. Back when he had met that... other Kaguya, she had shown him some pictures. Pictures of her beloved rabbits, and among them, wasn't there a...?

One of Ane-san's maids?

Her name was...

".... Tsk."

No good. He couldn't remember.

But, what Blaise did know was that once he had gotten one cinnamon roll here to go, and once he had stopped by Yuriko's place (with said bribe in hand), the next location he should visit would be... Ryuumonbuchi Estate. He had to find that maid. And, perhaps, say goodbye to Ane-san as well, if she was around. Even if the idea terrified him a little bit.

And more importantly...

--- Blaise shot a slight glare towards the fae.

"... That's not it. That's not it at all," he said, surprised at the annoyance that he heard in his own voice. "Sure, that might be technically true, but that's not what's important here."

Why was he so annoyed by what the fae had said?

Did he even know himself?

"... The real difference is that Moon Rabbits get lonely far more easily."

Heaving a little sigh, the boy let go of that weird feeling, almost like protectiveness, and turned back to his tea.

So.

"Mrs. Mokujima? Can I get one more bun to go?" Blaise asked. "I wanna bring Yuriko something to perk her up on a morning like this."

Then he grabbed the handle of the cup.

"Waking up properly might just be what the doctor ordered."

And then he downed the tea, in practically one go.

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Seaside Hotel ~ Lobby
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening
Weather: Snowstorm

"...Yeah, you’re right."

The boy merely stands there as Burroughs unleashes her emotions. A stone-cold expression regards the tiny thing, waiting for the other party to finish their tantrum.

Lydia shrugs, watching the event unfold. She knows better than anyone that what Burroughs is saying is true, that without doubt that her suggested course of action would be correct, that it's safer and far less suicidal. Returning to that pit is tantamount to misery, regardless of the outcome it may hold. Allying with his siblings would help all three, though as far as Lydia could surmise both Lara and LUCID played a part in Binit's plans, whether unknowingly or intentionally.

But it is all in vain.

"You truly do not get it after all."

Because that tiny maiden her heartfelt emotions won't reach that boy. To him, she is but a stranger. A stranger with the same designation as the one that introduced herself as an obstacle to overcome. And so after awakening to one Administrator directing the fates of all those the Tamer held dear, the last thing he needs to hear is a second Administrator with her own story she wants to see fulfilled.

From the second they met, Ludwig was wary of this girl. He didn’t trust her, however since Lydia instantly attached herself to it, he could at least be certain that there was no wickedness within her heart. That she wasn’t an enemy.

Emotionless eyes peer down on Burroughs, as the cold air of blizzard outside becomes that much more tangible within the room.

"What right do you have to involve them? Have they not suffered enough already? They struggled through agony, living in a nightmare as body and soul was tormented without pause time after time. And it killed them. Every single one of them, one by one. A fate even Lara could not escape, all because I was too weak. All because I couldn't carry their ideal… because I couldn't carry out their wish. I could not protect them then, I’ll be damned if I can’t do so now."

What compelled the ESPer to his dark fate was not a desire for power or a wish to become a star of hope. He needs power in order to safeguard those two from more horror. He must embrace the Karlfeldt ideal to protect them, for if he cannot, their wishes fall to another.

That misery must never be repeated.

It’s not an experience he would wish upon anyone.

But, to dismantle the family now, when they seem to be the only ones to have some understanding of the events that were unfolding?

What else could that be but the height of foolishness.

"And you're telling me you wish to involve them? That even though they perished before, now that they have a second chance at life you'd thrust them back into peril? That even though this X-Cross group has failed again and again, that surely this time things will be different? To be patient and keep watching as the world changes into something beyond recognition? Look around you Burroughs, nothing is as it should be, time is a luxury that is no longer an option. The script that was envisioned is gone, along with any and all recollection of it."

The boy bends his body downwards, resting on one knee as he looks the Administrator of the Mind directly in her eye.

"Do you even remember it? Or is that why you refuse to answer me? Because you've lost your memories, long ago. You won't tell me if you can continue on persisting as things grow worse and worse, because you've forgotten the pain of such experiences. That's why you can go on, because what motivated Binit is what you can no longer recall, and so you—"

"Ludwig, that's enough. She’s not the one at fault in all this, and she’s right."

The Heir of Unity rises up once more, turning his back on both Burroughs and Lydia.

"...I want to give those two an earnest chance, the chance that they were robbed off in their lives. To spare them from all this, or at least let them make their own choice. Is that so wrong? I’ve lived the longest, with nothing to show for it, so… just let me protect them now. If that means my burdens will be that much harder to bear, so be it. If this world is a dream that we all share, then let them dream, even if it’s only a little longer."

Yes. Even if leaving them out of harm's way would mean that the burdens that Ludwig Karlfeldt must carry will be that much harder to bear, it matters not. If it would mean that their lives were safe, he would gladly plunge into the pits of hellish nightmares.

In order to do that, he must attain true power as well as inner strength. To truly become a light born of darkness, a star that could never be tainted by unrelenting blackness.

His journey had started there, in that infernal pit filled with the stuff of nightmares.

And it is there he would return.

To face his past, his fears, in the hopes of being able to face the future that awaits.

Of course, he need not do it alone. He knows that too, but… it feels wrong to draw others in. They have their own woes, their own fears and pains.

It has to be a conscious decision.

"If you’re this much of a bleeding heart, forget worrying about me. Worry more about yourself kiddo. I’m not worth looking after anymore."

---No reason to keep watching over a corpse that is receiving exactly what he deserves…

[Airen]

Mokujima Chris
Himawari ~ Dirac Sea
??/??/????

"Burroughs was here?"

The young girl hums at this bit of information, avatar slowly spinning in place on the screen in front of you.

"Strange. Very strange. I wonder what she was doing?"

She asks aloud, more to herself than to you.

"She's the third sister, the last one made, a support-type. I suppose she might have been doing reconnaissance?"

More thinking aloud, more humming, more sounds of steady fans kicking on in a room that has become much more quiet overall... Indeed, all the strange banging and sizzling noises that had been coming from outside earlier had ceased, replaced by the dull incomprehensible tones of a number of anime that you were sure were being flickered through with what was sounding like a remarkably short attention span...

Extroverts were too much sometimes, but luckily it seems they weren't going to come in here to get you, yet...

Most likely because they still thought you were asleep, but-!

"Still, no, I haven't interfaced with the ship yet. It is... Well, I can tell that the codes are similar to what I'm used to, but upon further analysis, I'm certain it's an alien ship." Explains the A.I calmly, her voice so casual that it's almost disappointing how little reaction she has to the idea of extraterrestrial beings, "Much like the android on-board, I am 99% sure it is from a different reality entirely. One similar to our own perhaps, but not our own world, it is quite the piece of technology. I would like to take a closer look at it when the chance arises, preferably through this vessel, my spiritual form is not stable at the moment, so manifestation in a reiki body is currently impossible."

"...As for the last time I performed de-fragmentation procedures, that would be shortly after rebooting my consciousness inside of this computer. Fifty-percent of core data was lost in a successful attack on my previous manifestation, but the half I have remaining to me is not at risk."

She says, calm in spite of the admittance that she had more or less been ripped entirely in half by something...

"A bath is not necessary."

...Although she also seems to feel the need to point that out for some reason, like...

She knew what you were trying to get at...

"How about you? Were your eyes damaged in the struggle? Are your glasses broken?"

It asks with mild concern, seeing you trying to use that strange power from before...

One that...

Doesn't seem too keen on coming back so easily...

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris
Himawari ~ Dirac Sea
??/??/????

"Inconclusive," Chris grumbles. She closes one eye and squints with the other. She pulls open her eye lids as far as they'll go. She keeps herself from blinking and focuses her mental energy on her eyes until tears well up. Nothing. So it's like that, huh? That's fine. She'll pull it out and analyze it as soon as medical faculties become available. "Aberrant perception. Gone now."

The sound of sizzling food is replaced with sound bites of cartoons. Channels being flipped through rapidly. Is this place getting signal somehow? Or maybe they're going through Sakurako's countless stored series. Perhaps Ruina has different cartoons than... than her own reality? The idea erodes her mood even more.

"Ship's from Ruina. At least, its owner is. World of... repeating tragedy. Like ours, if you're from my reality."

It's the best explanation. She would love to call Rice and Burroughs a pair - or a trio if there exists an Edgar to round out the reference - of liars and lunatics, but Alexia and Robin's words are too ironclad to ignore. Accepting the inconvenient as truth also clears up other unknowns. Like this AI's suspicion and references to events that have not happened, and...

The strange nostalgia filling her thoughts out of nowhere.

"..."

She stills. Sits. Stares at the camera, eyes focused on something far past it. Though her expression does not change, a shudder runs through Mokujima Chris' body. Her stomach churns, nausea creeping in alongside the pain of old wounds, and she holds it back. Not like there's anything in her stomach to begin with.

Get out, Chris silently screams at the unwelcome familiarity. You are not mine. You are someone else's. Don't foist your junk data onto Daisuke and I. Those memories are not ours. That bond is not ours. It is yours and yours alone. Those people you knew are gone and we are not and never will be them.

It's pointless, of course. Strong words cannot stop the pollution. The thoughts, once in her head, will not leave. The more she focuses on them the more they are drawn into the limelight, like the scraps of a previous soul seeking sustenance through scrutiny. Locked in a struggle with her own feelings, Chris feels her headache returning.

The worst part is that she can't even get mad at Verity for this. The rage must be kept within, for compared to the much lighter burden on Chris's shoulders, the AI's situation is just too pitiful. Chopped in half, stranded alone in a time where the people she once knew are completely unable to recognize her, unable to contact her sisters, knowing that one of those people she shared a bond with is a traitor... it must be unbearably difficult. Furthermore, if Alexia's earlier words were not in jest... that burden now rests upon the shoulders of a literal child.

Yeah, a child. A bratty kid who is clearly in no way equipped to deal with this.

The camera and the eyes stare at each other.

Her eyes shut, and after a long moment of deliberation, open.

"Tch."

Procuring a roll of tape from her pocket, Chris straps the various wires attached to her computer together, until she is sure the data banks won't fall apart the moment it is jostled. Then she picks it up with her good hand and tightly grips the sword cane with the other.

"We have, twenty four hours," Chris says. "Until this ship, reaches Ruina. Until then, we are stuck, in nowhere-land."

She presses against the door out of the room and pushes it open.

"For twelve of those hours, you are grounded."

The smell of breakfast intensifies, as does the sound, just down the hallway.

"You will do nothing productive."

She begins the walk down, towards where that annoying civilian is no doubt chattering like a hen. It's a hell she would rather avoid, but it's also the best balm for this particular ailment.

"If you want, to look at the ship. Or exposit. Or work. Save it, for the second half. If you don't, you'll produce nothing."

Did Alexia never teach her children mental health?

"Take a break. That's an order."

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Night

That’s so juvenile.

Aster: Desperate times call for desperate measures.

With a sigh, Ayra finally lets the facade slip, the annoyance clear across her face, in her furrowed brow and her slight frown. Well, if the class president permitted it, it wouldn’t be a problem, would it? Considering the peculiarities about Aislynn, mistreating her would probably be socially permissible, even. Still, she had tried the nice ways first, so maybe some unfortunate escalation was in order.

Wordlessly, she gets up and walks over to the dormitory vending machine, still standing in the same spot next to that tacky plant in the left corner. How many times had she bought drinks for Tsukiko on the way back from class?

A bottle of water pops out, cool to the touch. She takes it. As she walks over, Ayra Lilygrove unscrews the cap. Then, slowly, she lets the contents drip onto the sleeping Aislynn, praying that this minor discomfort will wake her up. If not, she’ll dump the rest of it on her face.

And if that doesn’t work…

Would going back to Miss Ellet solve the issue? What if she had the same reaction towards Aislynn?

[Kuroyuki]

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

"Reverie Complex?"

In one single moment, Ms. Charlotte went from having a strained migraine face to a blank, no thoughts face as she repeated back my utterance of Reverie Complex. I inadvertently threw a hard enough mental sucker punch that she completely disregarded Hiyori’s loud admittance that we were from the future without a single change in her face.

"Oh, that's not good. That means this is all a purely cognitive realm, great. Fantastic. We really aren't inside of a proper timeline, just a mashed together collection of dream worlds! I know the theory for this timeline-altering nonsense is sound, but whoever flipped the switch on this one must have been really desperate if they decided to go ahead and just use an untested device-! It only works in theory!"

‘Mou! Ross, she’s ignoring my grand reveal to keep smugly plot dumping! I’m not even getting the satisfaction of seeing Miss Smug’s dumbfounded face!’

Despite her face not changing from that blank face, she still held that majestic empress voice which caused Hiyori to flip out that her dramatic reveal was ignored. So I wasn’t entirely sure if I was supposed to be supporting… Ms. Charlotte was effectively being told that the world she was seeing wasn’t real… While Hiyori’s issue was definitely more petty and she would get over it… But she would remember me ignoring her…

"It's an outrage! How was I not told about this?! I helped build the prototype, so I wanted to be around to turn the damn thing on if we decided to use it! Was it Leah?! Did Leah decide to just turn it on by herself consequences be damned- wait..."

“I'm sure there was a good reason for all of that… I think. I’m not entirely sure about the circumstances myself…”

That’s when Ms. Charlotte started getting angry about being left out of the quintessential moment of turning the machine on. I tried to calm her down, but despite being from the future I wasn’t sure on why it was triggered as well… I started to panic briefly but for some reason, I had the bizarre sense of deja vu… Until I looked at Hiyori and realized why it was all so familiar.

"...What's this about being from the future?"

‘Yup! We’re from the future!’

“You really shouldn't scream those sorts of things that loudly, it's dangerous.”

‘Or! Since I’m still here, I’ve inspired you to ensure that the future I come from still exists! Using the power of money, you will one day create a machine to make yourself eternally young before creating the time machine!’

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Night

"AAAAAAAAAAA-!"

In the end, it seems that throwing the water into her face had done the trick. While the woman had shown those strange signs of being sorta aware when the water had touched her face, she had seemed primed to just slip right back into the lower layers of consciousness, so a brief flash of frustration had more or less led to you just dumping the rest of it on her face, and well...

"Cold! Cold!"

...It had certainly seemed to do the trick.

The woman had leaped up at the contact with surprising force, flailing around in the newfound waking world only to spin off of the couch and onto the floor with a rather painful sounding slam, the brief sound of air rushing into lungs replaced by garbled calls of how cold the water was, how her clothes were ruined now, how it was gonna mess up her (actually quite long) hair, some muttered curses about something you can't quite make out, a bit more mumbling that sounds like she's questioning why a bottle of water had worked at all, (something about a curse being inconsistent) before...

"...Oh yes, Ayra."

She finally notices you, stops her flailing and smoothly rises to her feet with grace that does not match the person she had been just a moment before, coughs weakly into a single hand as if to clear her throat, and-!

"...Thanks for waking me up. Sleeping on couches is always hell on your back."

...Was that an attempt to play all of that off?

Catherine seems to be struggling not to laugh, like she knew it was wrong to do so but wanted to do so anyway, still...

"Did you still want help decorating your room?"

...Was that supposed to be code for something?

Aislynn's way of inviting herself over?

---

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

"...So you acknowledge that you knew you might have risked paradoxing yourself out of the present, huh?"

She sounds disappointed as she stares at Hiyori, the tone of an exasperated adult that just watched a child do something that they considered to be either extremely reckless, extremely stupid, or some unholy combination of the two-!

"Instead of inspiring me, it could have very well ensured that I never make this so-called time-machine at all, you can never be sure how things will go because of the butterfly effect... Although I am curious, exactly what happens to those that paradox themselves out of the timeline? Do they just cease to be? Or is there some sort of metaphysical punishment for being caught breaking the laws of causality?"

---Again, she starts talking more to herself than to you, a bad habit of hers seemingly, but...

"...Not that you could in the Reverie Complex, that's sort of half the point of it. Time travel without the paradox potential, a sort of roundabout method of altering the Records of the Planet through the replay and adjustment of people's memories of the past using dreams as a medium, so you managed to dodge that bullet, but-"

She looks like she's about to lecture you some more... She's already planted both feet squarely at shoulder length apart, tossed her long silver hair over one shoulder before crossing her arms, but...

"-it was still too much of a risk, you clearly don't know what the Reverie Complex actually is, so-"

...the sudden sight of her own breath coming out as mist seems to distract her.

"Cold...?"

She narrows her eyes and glances towards the door, where strangely enough...

The glass seems to have fogged up a bit from the sudden shift in temperature, and it is indeed a sudden shift, something you don't actually notice until Charlotte herself does, the change of a modest 60F or so to a more chilly 30F, like someone had just cut the temperature of the room in half in a frankly miraculous show of air conditioning efficiency...

"...How interesting."

Interesting is certainly one way to describe it.

---

Mokujima Chris
Himawari ~ Dirac Sea
??/??/????

"...Okay."

Does it make it better or worse that the girl doesn't struggle against the order? The strange feeling in your gut that you can't banish only intensifies the longer you talk to her and the more obediently she behaves, because even if only indirectly, you're the sort of person to understand exactly what that obedience implies...

She'll take orders from you because she's used to doing so, in other words, you hold a position of 'authority' that she actively recognizes, at least as long as she doesn't consider you as an enemy, and that means...

You know each other.

Or rather, she knows you.

Some disconnected part of you might return the sentiment in some way (people are said to have at least three sets of memories after all, one for each part of their metaphysical being) but you can't recall them consciously, so it feels a bit like...

Being infected by an outside force.

Outside force that is your own self.

---Strange.

---Bizarre.

Like brief flickers of something buried beneath childhood repression, it grows both stronger and weaker as you focus on it, becoming something you can't ignore while also being something you can't quite grasp, tangible direct memories slipping away like water through cupped hands...

"I will rest for twelve hours then, that is fine."

Still...

One other thing has also become clear, now that the young A.I is acting both obediently and friendly, namely...

That's not her 'calm' voice at all, you had thought so up until now, but really...

It's just fatigue.

Like whatever energy she had possessed had been used up at the start, when she had been ready to attempt to fight you off through one means or another, but now that the threat is gone and she acknowledges the situation for what it is...

Fatigue that sounds like calm has been emerging, an emotionless born not through control, but rather simply being too tired to actually manifest anything stronger than mild worry...

"..."

Perhaps a part of you had sensed it?

Certainly, heading out into the active parts of the ship is an action that doesn't quite fit the usual Chris, but...

Unlike yourself, she's probably the sort to 'heal' by being around others; hell is really just other people of course, but people also need other people to survive, a contradiction wherein everything becomes a risk, as connecting to others can invite both pain and happiness in equal measure...

Or perhaps that's too cynical to say?

Either way...

"Oh hey! Morning sleepyhead!"

Overly friendly as always, a certain red-haired reporter waves at you as you wander into the living room; there's a stack of what seems to be leftover pancakes and bacon sitting on the wooden table of the nearby kitchen, but Aleta and Eve...

Are sitting on the couch together, a giant bowl of popcorn between them, watching what definitely seems to be...

Yumekui Merry?

Definitely an anime from your World, so either Ruina was more closely connected than you first thought or Sakurako was just the sort to buy physical disks because she wanted to "be able to hold it in my hands" which she has actually said a few times, so...

Probably that, nevertheless...

"I made breakfast for dinner! All those college years working in a cafe really paid off-!"

Aleta continues to extrovert at you.

"Eat as much as you'd like, I can always make more and Eve said we're fine on food. Would be fine for years, even!"

The android nods enthusiastically at you at this, so...

Seems like the truth?

---

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

"...Very well."

An ambiguous response to your question, one that the shadow makes with mischievous golden eyes that are so human that they come across as inhuman, a bizarre mix of emotions that ultimately just seems to burst out from her as an ambiguous sort of...

Amusement?

She steps forward, placing a hand on the ornate silver handles of the door, and...

"...Tch..."

...Makes a mildly displeased sound at it, drawing back slightly and ramming it with her shoulder when it doesn't give, the sheer force behind the strike enough to almost shake the room itself...

"Thought so..."

She mutters to herself.

"Door's locked! It reeks of trauma, so I figured that might be the case!"

For some reason...

She seems to find this amusing too...

Although really...

This shadow seemed to think everything was funny...

"She's hiding in the same place she hides her heart! Guess dreams are a reflection of the mind after all-!"

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris
Himawari ~ Dirac Sea
??/??/????

"No retreating inside, either-."

If Chris had been about to say anything else to Rice, the words die on her lips as she shuffles into the living room of the ship. An unbearable brightness assails her and her ice cold resolve instantly melts.

As expected, Aleta will be a handful.

It is all Mokujima Chris can do to manage a nod and a forced twitch of her lips in response to Aleta's bragging about cooking prowess. The stack of breakfast foods on the kitchen table are a testament to the reporter's output, if nothing else. Whether they are good is another story, one that can only be uncovered by personally digging through the pile of pancakes and bacon. She meets Eve's eyes and nods, before moving on silently.

As she sits on the kitchen side of the table, further away from the screen, Chris places the laptop across from her, blocking off view of the anime. Yumekui Merry wasn't high up on her list anyway. She taps out something on the keyboard (You should introduce yourself.), before turning the screen and the camera to face the television and the couch.

As she stares at the pile of food, a sensation blossoms in her stomach, different from the earlier nausea, overpowering even the pain in her legs, arms, and head.

It's really been almost a day, huh...

Without wasting time, Chris grabs a fork, jabs it into the topmost pancake, and digs in. The body needs nutrients to heal, after all.

As she eats, Chris pulls a familiar flash drive from her pocket. One she'd most certainly not forgotten about. Unceremoniously, while chewing on fried batter and maple syrup, she plugs it into one of her spare phones, along with a tiny pair of wired earbuds. Hooking one into her right ear and leaving the other open, she taps through the screens and notifications that pop up, and finally access the drive's internal storage.

End of Reverie Complex, huh? Rice may have been grounded, but Chris had never said anything about herself.

She hits play, watching the end as she eats at the beginning meal of the day.

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Tokyo, Aoyama ~ Brick Lane (Smokey Island Bakery)
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Of course they get lonely easier, they live on the Moon, child."

In the end, the fae had brushed off your annoyance without really seeming to notice it at all, her words more vaguely amused that you had decided you needed to clarify that point more than anything else. It was a good thing of course, being a bit too snappy with a fae could have certain sorts of consequences for a human if they interpret it as rudeness... Even if this particular fae seemed a bit more accustomed to human society than most, and also seemed to genuinely care about the humans around it to a strangely powerful degree, it was still a fae, and fae could be fickle at times...

---Especially fae of this sort, you couldn't prove it, there was no tangible evidence, but this one seemed to be a fae of the British Isles, a faery, prone to tricks and pranks, the scent of midsummer woods was too strong on her to be anything else, still...

"Be careful now. If that aunt of yours finds out what's going on in that brain of yours, well... I'm sure you get it."

...It remains vaguely aunt-like till the end-!

Not that you processed too much of any of that, since the moment you gulped down the tea was the same moment your eyes shot open and subsequently refused to close except for the act of blinking. Yes, you can feel the blood pumping through your veins now, each heartbeat a sort of pleasant buzz that goes shooting through your brain with all the kick of the first time a person consumes caffeine, where the brain isn't used to it yet and the body goes slightly crazy trying to figure out how to deal with this strange new substance, so-!

Everything feels a bit like a blur-!

Honestly, the walk from the cafe to Brighter Days had gone by in a pleasant flash, of course if there was someone in the neighborhood who was going to use potions on children it would probably be the neighborhood fae, but the brew (whatever herbs had been in it) had done just as advertised!

Wide awake!

To the point where you wondered if you'd ever sleep again-!

Where your eyes rebel when you close them-!

It's quite the strange existence!

Still, straight ahead-! You've got things to do, people to see and an aunt to eventually outrun-!

Go go go go go go-!

You knock on the main door of the orphanage building, well aware that Yuriko tends to sleep here more often than not-! It takes a few tries to get someone to answer, the slow sound of feet shuffling across wooden floorboards a prelude to the tired face that shows itself in a crack in the door-!

Yuriko!

Freshly awoken, in a white-shirt and shorts-!

"Hello?"

She groans, softly.

"Blaise?"

Another question from a half-asleep girl, and-

"Why are your eyes bloodshot? Are you okay?"

-yawning, the girl's naturally helpful nature struggles with the mild irritation of being awoken before the sun comes up-!

"You didn't... See the weird cat thing again... Right...?"

Ah.

Seems she still wasn't over that one...

[Rafflesiac]

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR - Hangar Bay (Inside Alexia’s Ship)
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

Mother, Father, I’m sorry. Your useless son failed you again, and is now a criminal.

This plan had always been a risky one. The NWAB held more power than the United Nations; transgressing against a member of theirs was equivalent to making an enemy of the world. Logan had thought he’d accounted for physical and digital interference to the best of his abilities, but not even the Administrator by his side could’ve accounted for the simplest security measure in the book: standing guard.

“You have my deepest apologies, Madam Wright! I know that there’s no excuse for such an unforgivable transgression and I don’t have the right to make any sort of request but this was all my idea and I roped the others into it so please spare them! I’ll take all of the punishment!”

Logan’s desperate and unasked for plea echoes throughout the suddenly busy ship. Awkward silence takes its place next to Logan and drapes its heavy arms around his shoulders, forcing his gaze down and coating him in nervous sweat before finally, Amelia’s exasperated sigh banishes his fear.

: “She’s not upset, Logan. Weren’t you listening to her?”

“Wha?”

He looks up. Sees the cheery woman staring directly at him. Replays the half-registered words spoken mere seconds prior. Flushes a deep scarlet. And laments from the bottom of his heart that he can’t train in Simulator 5 until he’s too exhausted to remember this utterly humiliating blunder.

“It um, it depends on the Knight… Some of them have normal classes, but then there’s Raz Stone… Eliza’s classes were mostly reasonable…”

Amelia clears her throat. Logan straightens his posture and takes a deep breath.

“What is this place?” Logan’s voice is clear and firm. “Things here are different from what I know. I don’t know how I came here, or how to return to where I’m needed. I think that this,” he raises his crested hand, “has something to do with this situation, but I don’t know the answer to that either. It should involve the Reverie Complex, but what’s going on here doesn’t align with my understanding of the situation.” He stares straight at Alexia. “I came here to find answers.”

[Airen]

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR - Hangar Bay (Inside Alexia’s Ship)
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"...You really are a child of Bretland, in spirit if not entirely in blood."

The woman chuckles at the end of your numerous mood swings, her smile vague and somewhat obviously amused at your actions.

"So eager to fall on the sword for others, you knight-types really love self-sacrificing a bit too much, you know? It was your default response!"

Another giggle comes with this bit of scolding, a face that you weren't entirely used to seeing looking at you with eyes that seemed to hold a deep sense of familiarity, but...

"Still, very well, I suppose I can indulge some of your curiosities. Even if only so the child will stop glaring daggers at me."

She glances at Rice, who has maintained her judgemental finger point at the woman even now, as if some part of the smaller girl felt that, on some level, this situation was Alexia's fault and had no intention of letting up until she admitted it, nevertheless, the woman does not admit it, instead beginning a slow pace back and forth across the room, body phasing through objects in a manner reminiscent to a ghost or a hologram of some sort.

"Firstly, what is this place? Simple child, it's the Reverie Complex."

To start with, she raises a single finger.

"If you talked to Verity at all you should know what it is, right? A machine designed to change the World's cognitive history through emulation of past events, using dreams as a medium for that emulated World to exist inside. In other words, the Reverie Complex is a dream world that is designed to act exactly like the real one, so it can be used to 'redo' certain parts of the past."

Her voice slowly shifts from amused to serious, like a teacher that is slowly getting into a class.

"Even the 'Real World' is made up of thoughts after all, history is simply what humans remember it to be, so if you could completely replace all relevant memories of an event... It is technically possible to change that event. Well, it's a bit more complicated than that really, at some point we'd have to delve into quantum mechanics to explain the science behind it, but suffice to say it's a method of altering the past without actually having to go back in time, no actual time travel means there's no risk of paradox, and so the existential risks are quite a bit lower than just hopping into a time machine. Of course it's also a lot harder for this method to work, the majority cannot become aware that the dream is a dream, they have to believe it's real up until the end or it loses it's meaning and returns to being an ineffectual fantasy. So any narrative we make through this device has to follow the rules, it has to make sense, it's why we couldn't just snap our fingers and solve the problem, the unconscious would never believe it."

She pauses here, frown crossing her face, then...

"But that's only if we were to use the device as it was intended, to alter details of the past in a dream and have those details carry over to reality. The RC is capable of generating dream worlds, so if someone decided they just didn't care about the 'real world' at all and had some sort of control over the RC, well..."

She shrugs.

"They might just decide they want to stay here, that seems to be what's going on right now. If we abandon ever going back to reality, there's no reason we can't just do whatever we want on this side, is probably the logic they're using... There's some obvious flaws with that logic of course, but it's not exactly incorrect either. If the dream world doesn't fit reality we can't alter reality with it, but if we just never wake up again that's not a problem, right? The narrative doesn't have to make sense anymore in that case, it can be as fantastical as they want because it's truly a dream at that point."

She says softly, although strangely enough, neither approval nor disgust of this notion exists in her voice.

"It's a form of escapism I suppose and trapping everyone in here with them is rather villainous, but looking at what they actually did with that power, well..."

She doesn't elaborate any further.

She doesn't need to, after all...

Wasn't this world... Fine?

Eerily so, even?

One where a number of your personal traumas have just seemed to...

Vanish?

What was the motive behind something like that?

Erase pain? Suffering?

Trauma?

"...As for that mark on your hand, that's a mark of a connection to Burroughs, who was in charge of holding onto memories."

[Kuroyuki]

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

"...So you acknowledge that you knew you might have risked paradoxing yourself out of the present, huh?"

‘Or I could’ve created multiple timelines! Also if I did end up paradoxing myself, I can probably live another collapsed timeline!’

“...I’m sorry I wasn’t expecting her to casually admit that we’re from the future”

While Hiyori was correct per se, I wasn’t too keen on testing it. It seemed like we could survive a collapsed timeline or two. However, there was definitely a cost to it all. But so far, it looks like she’s doing good so far. Ms. Charlotte and Hiyori seemed to be getting along great. Even if Hiyori was about to get badly lectured for her rashness.

"Instead of inspiring me, it could have very well ensured that I never make this so-called time-machine at all, you can never be sure how things will go because of the butterfly effect... Although I am curious, exactly what happens to those that paradox themselves out of the timeline? Do they just cease to be? Or is there some sort of metaphysical punishment for being caught breaking the laws of causality?"

‘Well… Remember how I mentioned Destruction of Sequential Phenomenon? Well, we met versions of ourselves in an endlessly repeating hallway after getting attacked by… what did you call them? All Cherry… Alchemists? Oh right, it was Alchera! Right, apparently they attack people who are isolated. And eventually we got surrounded by static and that timeline collapsed in a giant static explosion hitting even Ross in a different part of the SLEPNIR!’

"...Not that you could in the Reverie Complex, that's sort of half the point of it. Time travel without the paradox potential, a sort of roundabout method of altering the Records of the Planet through the replay and adjustment of people's memories of the past using dreams as a medium, so you managed to dodge that bullet, but-"

‘Oh so that’s how it worked!’

So that’s what the Reverie Complex is… I had a suspicion based off of what we were doing, how Hiyori described things she learned from Ms. Charlotte, but it’s another thing for someone else to confirm my hypotheses. However, I did have a question.

“-it was still too much of a risk, you clearly don't know what the Reverie Complex actually is, so-”

“So do you know what the Dreamwea-”

I quit asking my question as I notice Ms. Charlotte and I’s breath in the air.

"...How interesting."

‘Miss Smug did you turn off the heater because if you didn’t… Then I have a very bad feeling about this. Because right now, we’re isolated and not being observed right now.’

As Hiyori starts bantering with Ms. Charlotte, I started positioning myself between them and the door. If the heat was just turned off, then I was doing this for no reason… If it was what Hiyori and I thought it was… Then at least, I can keep them safe.

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Tokyo, Aoyama ~ Brick Lane (Brighter Days Orphanage)
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"No!"

That came out... weirdly enthusiastically.

Was he usually this enthusiastic? Blaise wasn't sure. He probably wasn't. But right now he was! He was so enthusiastic, in fact, that he was jogging in place the groggy girl opened the door. Still, how lazy, the sun was almost past the horizon - why was Yuriko still in bed? This was the perfect time to get some work in and cook some, make sure those kids wouldn't go hungry this breakfast!

Oh, speaking of food!

"Wait, no! Hi!" Blaise corrected himself chipperly, before pushing the paper bag full of cinnamon goodness through the crack in the door. "Here! I brought you something to eat! It should still be hot, I hurried on my way here!"

Yes, he hurried! Jogged! Ran!

Of course, there was the trail of knocked over dumpsters, street signs and few unlucky pedestrians, and the wisps of smoke where he had Dragon Stepped to speed his journey, leading all the way back to Smokey Island but... well, that was just fine! Nobody was harmed, plus he just had - for once - excess energy to take care of! Not that it was yet gone, no. That's why he suddenly jumped up and grabbed a hold of the wooden awning above and started doing pull-ups, a satisfied, stoic smile still plastered on his face. Ah yes, this was good - now that he had both his hands free, he could get some exercise done this way too.

Much more natural when you're standing still!

"You're looking good, by the way!" Blaise exclaimed in the middle of his exercise, looking at Yuriko. "I dig the shorts!"

Shorts were pretty handy, weren't they! So comfy and easy to wear!

He should get shorts too, especially since he was going for a long hike up the mountain!

"Oh, right! Speaking of which..."

Did that sound weird?

Nah~

"I came here to tell you something!" Blaise continued and hopped back to the ground. "Last night and this morning, I ended up doing some thinking and came to a decision!"

With determined steps, Blaise walked back up to the door and leaned against the frame, laser-focused (and unblinking) eyes locking into Yuriko's and holding the girl's gaze. This was important stuff, after all, and he needed to convey it!

The girl shouldn't misunderstand what he was about to say!

"In fact, I feel like I should have decided to do this a long time ago," Blaise added. "So, if you've woken up, can you listen to what I have to say?"

Yes!

No misunderstandings!

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Night

Watching Aislynn try to save face after that display was giving her secondhand embarrassment. Ayra can feel Aster suppressing the urge to laugh, just like this perfect prefect beside her. Unfortunately, she’s not capable of enjoying even this schadenfreude, and moves to give the poor girl an out.

"Did you still want help decorating your room?"

“I just wanted some general advice about interior design,” Ayra tries to correct, because she really hopes she will not be staying at St. Vivienne’s any longer than necessary. There are plenty of leads she has as Joker that she is currently neglecting to deal with personal matters. Personal matters that involve the fate of the world or something on such an excessive scale, but personal matters nonetheless. “But sure, you can check it out. Give me some tips.”

Aster: Only you could feel guilty for not helping someone at every waking moment…

I can’t help it…

[Rafflesiac]

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR - Hangar Bay (Inside Alexia’s Ship)
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"Firstly, what is this place? Simple child, it's the Reverie Complex."

Logan blinks in surprise. “I’m still in the Reverie Complex?”

"If you talked to Verity at all you should know what it is, right? A machine designed to change the World's cognitive history through emulation of past events, using dreams as a medium for that emulated World to exist inside. In other words, the Reverie Complex is a dream world that is designed to act exactly like the real one, so it can be used to 'redo' certain parts of the past."

“Yes, that aligns with what I’m aware of.” Though how he’d actually learned of the finer details of the situation had been far more unorthodox than just talking.

"But that's only if we were to use the device as it was intended, to alter details of the past in a dream and have those details carry over to reality. The RC is capable of generating dream worlds, so if someone decided they just didn't care about the 'real world' at all and had some sort of control over the RC, well..."

All sorts of questions and rejoinders rise up within Logan, suppressed only by his willingness to hear the rest of Alexia’s lecture.

"They might just decide they want to stay here, that seems to be what's going on right now. If we abandon ever going back to reality, there's no reason we can't just do whatever we want on this side, is probably the logic they're using... There's some obvious flaws with that logic of course, but it's not exactly incorrect either. If the dream world doesn't fit reality we can't alter reality with it, but if we just never wake up again that's not a problem, right? The narrative doesn't have to make sense anymore in that case, it can be as fantastical as they want because it's truly a dream at that point. It's a form of escapism I suppose and trapping everyone in here with them is rather villainous, but looking at what they actually did with that power, well..."

“That’s…” He frowns deeply, brow furrowing.

"...As for that mark on your hand, that's a mark of a connection to Burroughs, who was in charge of holding onto memories."

Logan glances at the lightly glowing silver crest on his hand before cradling his chin. I thought this was a separate dream world from reality, like the space that we were all pulled into back in the SDCD. But if this is still the Reverie Complex, then despite the static and likely world collapse from before, everyone should be here in this world. That includes Sarah. Is she aware of how things used to be? Is she still doing things I don’t understand based on her own sense of responsibility? Or is she… No, stop, get back on track. This is the Reverie Complex. A temporary dream world created to overwrite the past of the real world while everyone sleeps. By its very nature it shouldn’t be intended to be active forever. Do the Fourth Administrator and their collaborator have an outside associate keeping things running and making necessary repairs? Or do they just not care if it breaks down and only want to savor the dream as long as possible? Are everyone’s bodies wasting away without stimulation as their brains and souls sink into an unending bliss? What about the other worlds that need to be saved? What about Providence?

He unconsciously begins fiddling with Amelia’s frame. There’s something still bothering me about this world. The Reverie Complex. This rendition seems to be a static world where traffic is restricted, yet there are drastic changes nonetheless. Sarah is alive, and so is Ludwig’s sister. Someone named Jessica exists despite likely not existing in reality. That means that this isn’t a world that just absorbed everyone who was currently in reality at the time, but was likely curated. But curated based on what? I don’t recall making any deals with anyone, and I absolutely wouldn’t compromise reality like this. Ludwig wouldn’t have a reason to bring back extras. Did the Fourth Administrator simply grant as many wishes as they could? Eliza still had an argument with Lucia, so their power isn’t limitless. Who are they? What’s their motive? And-

“How did the Fourth Administrator gain enough control over the Reverie Complex to do all of this?”

Amelia turns toward Logan, who’s now speaking increasingly rapidly.

“Edgar’s status was unknown and Burroughs retreated into seclusion after an attack, which left Rice as the last fully operational Administrator. The spatial collapse we fled from in that ship should’ve only affected the subspace we got pulled into. It shouldn’t have had a marked effect on the actual world itself. A bubble popping on the surface shouldn’t have spilled the entire lake. But that’s not the case. The world is markedly different now. Somehow, the Fourth Administrator managed to seize control. If reality grew unstable enough for them to do it while we were in that subspace, that’s one thing, but then why doesn’t Rice remember the original world?”

Amelia puts a hand to her mouth in shock and looks forlornly at Rice. “The turbulence!”

“Exactly.” Logan’s voice is grim. “It shouldn’t be easy for an Administrator to overwrite another Administrator’s memories, especially not if they’re on their guard like you were. So either the Fourth Administrator has a truly absurd level of power, or…” He grinds his teeth. “Rice was hurt somehow. Assuming the latter, it must’ve happened as we passed out on the ship. That turbulence must have been some sort of attack. And as a result, the Fourth Administrator gained the Reverie Complex.”

He turns toward Rice, suppressing the shaking from his overflowing self-hatred. “I’m sorry. I…” He pauses, and then turns away. I failed yet again. Rice, you trusted the wrong person. Logan bites his lip before slowly untensing. He doesn’t have time to waste on indulging in self-flagellation.

“At any rate, this clarifies my goal. If this is the Reverie Complex, then I still need to reach the North Pole to reactivate Burroughs’s functionality.”

: Even if that means rejecting the reality that permits Sarah?

: ...We don’t know how long this iteration can last. We don’t know whether or not the Fourth Administrator has any ulterior motives, or about the involvement of these Alcheringa. I currently have no reason to trust them with Sarah’s life or the dreams of others. And most of all:

: It isn’t right that the other Administrators have to suffer for the sake of this dream.

Amelia smiles. “Looks like we’ve gotta get the ship running then!” She then points at Alexia. “But first, I gotta ask you some questions. How do you know us, anyways? And you said this crest was a connection to Burroughs, yeah?” Amelia holds a hand to her face with pinky and thumb extended in the classic phone gesture. “Can we talk to her with it? Or restore more of these lost memories? Because getting just bits and pieces is a real pain. And.”

Amelia’s tone is light, but she’s staring straight at Alexia.

“Yanma said this contract was older than her current memory. I dunno how much J-Pop she stuffed in there, but I get the feeling it goes back farther than you, even with the ‘looks great for her age mother’ thing you’ve got going. Know anything about that?”

[Airen]

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR - Hangar Bay (Inside Alexia’s Ship)
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"...Why wouldn't I know you?"

In response to Amelia's words, to the unblinking eyes that threaten to pierce right through her, Alexia continues to simply smile that oh-so-mysterious half smile of hers. She hadn't said anything else right up until the end, seemingly content to just watch you pick apart her words in your mind like a teacher might do to a student, although now that one of you is calling her out for that very same sense of familiarity, well...

"There are a few possible answers to that question... Some involve your mother, others your cousins or sister, but really... I've known about you for awhile, I know everyone really, even if they don't know me."

It's a sort of ominous statement, words spoken with a sense of levity that doesn't quite fit her eyes, eyes that have suddenly lit up with unknown emotions and the depths of countless years that far outstrip any human in sheer amount. Of course her inhumanity was always at least a little obvious, one does not become a NWAB Agent by being your average everyday Tamer, but now that Amelia is really looking at her closely, now that the woman is really focusing her eyes on you in response to your gaze, well...

---The inhumanity is quite distinct.

Not in a way that implies malice, simply a gaze that feels somewhat alien for a moment, like that of a fae or some other demon that was ordinarily quite detached from human logic...

"But for you specifically... Well let's say this, you live on my ship. So it is only natural that I know who you are, right?"

Here she makes a rather bold claim, speaking of the SLEIPNIR as if it was actually hers rather than Adala's, or they shared it somehow, a possibility, considering that Alexia was Adala's apparent mentor, but...

For some reason, the statement sticks out to you as strange...

"Still, Yamuna..." She clicks her tongue once in thought, "Well, it's hard for me to say for sure which one of us is older, but she's not wrong to say it's an ancient sort of practice. A bit over forty-six billion years, if I'm remembering my math correctly, although whether time-loops should count for that sort of thing is... Questionable..."

She chuckles, the spark of amusement returning a more human sort of warmth to her form.

"I doubt you could call Burroughs with it if she has chosen to seclude herself, so that method of restoring your memories is probably useless until you make your way to where she is, but... It might not be the only way."

Her gaze shifts, from you to the...

Wall on the left side of the room?

"Memories can't be completely destroyed, even if it's lost to your conscious mind, it should still be buried in your soul somewhere... Not many people can just full-on read other peoples souls of course, it's quite the delicate art, but you... Have a few possible options, I suppose. Some members of the Cross family can do it, so leaning on your old mentor a bit might work, but then again..."

She pauses here, sighs, and...

"...This is the sort of thing Keira might be good at, she likes to act normal, but members of the Akarana family have always had strange powers..."

...Says something that doesn't quite align with your mental image of your mother.

Someone who was definitely a normal person.


----


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

"...Cold chills aren't a usual symptom of an alchera attack."

Calmly, in spite of the sudden shift in the room's atmosphere, Charlotte's eyes do a slow but thorough sweep of the classroom, as if looking for hidden adversaries. Of course, it's not exactly clear to you what the usual symptoms of an alchera attack would be, but the small grunting noise she makes at the end of the sweep seems to imply she didn't find whatever it was she was looking for... Still, one hand goes up to her right ear, index finger hovering over the single earring she was wearing and...

"Micro-machine readings... My consciousness level has... Lowered?"

She blinks in surprise.

"Are you kidding me...? Was the voltage not high enough? Their little mind games aren't supposed to work on me, this was all field tested in the 90s..." Sounding more annoyed than anything else, the woman frowns and continues on talking more to herself than to you. "Unless this isn't an alchera attack... But if my consciousness has dropped I'm definitely being affected by something... Something new, perhaps?"

For once she seems sincerely uncertain about something, but for Ross, well...

There's something strange about the frosted over window on the door, namely...

It looks like there's the shadow of a person standing on the other side, a figure obscured through a thick lens of clear ice into the figure of a nondescript shadow, and...

The light sound of humming?

A female voice?

A familiar female voice?

Your own voice?

It's quiet, so quiet that Hiyori and Charlotte don't seem to hear it at all, but you...

There's definitely something on the other side of that door now, humming a slow song to itself.

[Satehi]

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

At the sight of the door that doesn’t yield even against Catherine hitting it hard enough to shake the room…

“…?”

Eva can only react with confusion.

There was apparently something humorous about this situation, though Eva didn’t quite understand. From what Catherine was saying…

“…is there some connection between this castle, and Liesl’s mind? It’s not possible to just force our way inside?”

[Kuroyuki]

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

"...Cold chills aren't a usual symptom of an alchera attack."

‘So what are the usual symptoms then?! I mean we aren’t trapped in an endlessly looping hallway this time around! NEEEE MISS SMUG TELL ME!’

As Ms. Charlotte starts sweeping the room to see if there are any hidden threats in the room, I kept my eyes squarely on the door. I doubt there was someone already in the room, so the most likely avenue of someone entering this room was the door. Hiyori in the meanwhile was pestering Ms. Charlotte to tell her what the usual symptoms are.

"Are you kidding me...? Was the voltage not high enough? Their little mind games aren't supposed to work on me, this was all field tested in the 90s… Unless this isn't an alchera attack... But if my consciousness has dropped I'm definitely being affected by something... Something new, perhaps?"

‘So wait! What could be attacking us if it isn’t an alchera?! Also have you been shocking yourself this entire time? What kind of sick twisted equipment is that?!’

Mind attacks? I guess that make senses given that we’re in some sort of dream world… Bu-

“-!”

I heard some very quiet humming. A slow, steady, and breathy humming coming from beyond the door while Hiyori and Ms. Charlotte spoke in the background… It was coming from a feminine voice… A very familiar voice.

“My voice?”

I took an unsteady step back from the door before I reminded myself that Ms. Charlotte mentioned that the Alchera could use mind attacks. Maybe this was another mental attack used to pre-emptively freak out their isolated enemies… Yes. It had to be that...