Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Eva Ellet & Rossweisse
SLEIPNIR - Artificial Park
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

---The World sometimes seems like it has it's own sense of humor.

Out of any combination of the Big Four that could have shown up here together first, the Rose Cross and the Rothschild were the two who were the most drastically different to each other... The SDCD Kids weren't hated by anyone really, they were the sort who could come and go as they pleased, fitting in with everyone equally, while the Knights were obvious human heroes, people who were actively trying to recreate the legends of the past, and could thus get a certain amount of innate respect from both the Church and the Dark Summoners, albeit for different reasons...

But well, the Holy Warriors alongside the ones that are known to consort with the more... Disagreeable of demon-kind, well...

It was like coming across a group of people with ideals that were directly opposite to ones own... Personal power versus power granted by one's faith in God, the brisk safety of Law against the potentially dangerous freedom of Chaos, as some of the old World might like to say, but...

“Y-yes! I’m Agent Rossweisse! I’m looking forward to e-escort y-you!”

A second attempt is made from the Red Shield, a rather adorable stammering attempt, and well...

While one on the Rose Cross side fails to manifest enough brazen courage to do the same, it is no damaging matter, after all...

"Nice to meet you Rossweisse."

There is one member of the Church who has stepped forward to do what must be done; yes, it is in Catherine's nature to lead the way, to the point of it becoming annoying at times when she tries to correct every last little thing you do, but...

Stepping forward now, and doing so with a smile, that brown-haired girl...

---Shows she is the most brazen of everyone here, after all...

She pats the silver-haired girl on the head?!

In front of everyone?!

Like she just couldn't help herself?

"You're quite cute. Stammering and everything, there's no need to be so nervous. This will all go just fine."

She smiles, then turning back to her group...

"We'd love breakfast, right everyone?"

S-Strong-!

She was the 'calls it as she sees it' type, but still-!

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Nameless Forest ~ Kuzunoha Village
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

"...I can think of a few."

---An amused smile.

Of course Laplace was important to the whole Joker hierarchy, the information dealer as it was, the one who made a lot of what they did possible, so in a certain sense it would be an honor and privilege to meet her, but...

Well, the idea of her existence is also scary.

She's someone that seems to know everything...

Someone like that could certainly come across as intimidating, after all, if some sort of shadow broker was determined enough to take someone out, she had already proved that she had more than enough time, money, information and power to get it done...

Hell, her entire family seemed strong; on personal connections alone, even without being Laplace, this person could certainly come across as intimidating...

"But yes, Alcheringa."

She pauses for a moment, then-

"It's an Arandic word, used to refer to a concept called the Dreamtime," her voice is clear and almost clinical, like a doctor prescribing a patient, or a detective talking about the facts of a case, "It has a few other potential meanings, like eternal or uncreated, so it's a bit of a vague term, but it's the best one we could bind them with, better something concrete and a little vague than just leaving them completely nameless and vague."

Dishes clatter lightly, a mother's trained hand putting things in a porcelain rack with a casual ease...

"Supernatural beings love being undefined, the less bound they are to concepts, the more leeway they have in their abilities; Observation can only chain things that are understood, so the less understood you are, well... It's a bit of an avalanche, point being, we use that word to refer to a group of... Individuals, that seem to exist mainly as a sort of info-hazard? Well, I'd call them a cognitohazard myself, but the premise remains the same, they are beings that become dangerous when information about them is known."

Yes.

It sounds quite like a detective reciting the notes of a case... Then again...

What was Laplace if not a sort of detective?

"In the early 1990s there was a group of individuals known as the Masked Circle, they operated online under code names and possessed an assortment of supernatural abilities, claiming the ability to grant the wishes of those who contacted them in exchange for favors... Needless to say, the masquerade was still in place at the time, so this was a bit of an oddity, investigations were started, testimonies were taken, and well..."

She pauses for a moment.

You can't see it, but you can almost feel her frown from where you're sitting...

"Much of what they wanted from their victims was exposure, spreading their existence around to everyone you know, rumors about calling your own phone number being a way to contact them, that sort of thing, the sort of rumors that spread easily; once you did it enough, they would appear to you in person and grant your wish in return for one last favor, however... Those that participated in these little rituals spoke of bizarre dreams, of seeing figures no one else could see, hearing voices no one else could hear, and for those who got their wish granted outright... Eventually went on to commit violent crimes along with possessing blank spots in their memory, like they had fallen victim to some sort of possessing spirit. Those that testified about them were killed in confinement, closed room murders, like they were killed in their dreams in retribution."

She turns around to face you.

"That's what the Alcheringa seem to be, possessing spirits of some sort, unable to directly manifest outside of dreams or hypnotic states. They claim to be "survivors" of a previous human civilization, but little about what they want is known, they are malicious seemingly for the sake of being malicious, but perhaps they act so violently simply to burn their existence into the minds of others? For an entity that can only exist if it's known, making people fear or hate you... That's a good way to not be forgotten, right?"

She shakes her head.

"They're acting up again. Information about them was... Altered... in 1996 to make it harder for them to manifest, but they're resurfacing more blatantly again, showing up in online forums and whispers in the streets, and well..."

A frown.

"Sometimes they wait awhile to make good on their contracts... And well, I won't mince words here..."

She locks eyes with you.

"I have reason to believe Tsukiko Yonagi had some sort of contact with one of them as a child, I doubt she remembers, but it's quite concerning."

And drops a sort of bomb...

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Nameless Forest ~ Kuzunoha Village
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

Cognitohazard?

Aster: Something with an adverse effect when observed. Typically via the five traditional senses, but there are incidents of anomalous effects via sensing spiritual energy.

Ayra listens to the rest of Mika’s explanation, any awkwardness replaced by the seriousness that comes from the decision to set things right. Mysterious beings from another world, allegedly, that only exist in dreams, where they spread and propagate by making contracts with others and putting them to violence. In that sense, they were like typical portrayals of demons, before the masquerade had fallen.

All of that seems a bit difficult for someone like herself to deal with, but it wasn’t a problem. She’d find a way to succeed.

"Sometimes they wait awhile to make good on their contracts... And well, I won't mince words here..."

"I have reason to believe Tsukiko Yonagi had some sort of contact with one of them as a child, I doubt she remembers, but it's quite concerning."

If Ayra Lilygrove lost her composure every time Tsukiko Yonagi was mentioned, she would undoubtedly be out of a job. But try as she might, her feelings are still visible, a previously neutral expression shifting to a more forced one. Not noticeable enough for a normal person to recognize, but something someone like Mika could pick up on quite easily.

“And what sort of evidence would that be?” Her voice is light, too light for the situation at hand. She has no idea how to navigate the situation, to tame and control the emotions that run rampant in her heart. How much worry is too much for coworkers that always avoid each other? How much of an expert is Mika at reading people? Instead, she tries to bury the truth, but Knights are not known for their skills in deception. They shine, and the brighter the light, the less shadows there are to hide in.

“Regardless… you sought me out because I’m the only one who can get close enough to her to solve the issue, is that right?” The answer she wants for this question, she doesn’t know.

Do promises still matter when they’re broken?

That’s something for you to decide.

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
SLEIPNIR - Artificial Park
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

“Y-yes…”

Struck by Catherine’s brazen display, Eva’s response is a little off tilt.

…very forward.

For her, who had decided to skip the opportunity to respond to the welcome given by the people of Rothschild (miss Rossweisse and miss Anna, if she remembered correctly), there was no more succinct phrase for her thoughts on Catherine’s response. She did not mean anything bad by it- on the contrary, she thought it was a very good idea that she had decided to wait for someone else to handle the situation, even if she had not quite been expecting this… response. After all, there was no way Eva would have been able to be nearly as forward…

Nonetheless, now that Catherine had broken the ice (rather violently, at that), there was no longer any excuse for any further silence on her part. Not that she needed any- Catherine, at least, was someone she was more than comfortable responding to.

“Breakfast sounds rather nice. I doubt anyone has eaten much, given we knew we would be using the terminals fairly shortly.”

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Nameless Forest ~ Kuzunoha Village
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

---She sees right through you.

It's not hard to tell, the eyes that watch your movements have always done so with an absurd sort of clarity; it's something that's hard to truly describe, the sort of eyes that Laplace seems to have when you're looking into them, but...

Right through you.

No... Almost like she could see not just through you, but through time itself, into the future...

Clairvoyance?

---It wouldn't shock you if so, either way...

“Regardless… you sought me out because I’m the only one who can get close enough to her to solve the issue, is that right?”

...She doesn't comment on your discomfort, but you can tell that she noticed it...

"That's one reason."

Her voice doesn't waver at all, but the clinical, business-like quality...

It fades a bit.

Just a bit.

Replaced by a hint of a sympathetic warmth...

"It's certainly not something I can go in person to handle, she has no idea who I am so I doubt she'd talk to me and too many people watch me when I leave the house anyway..."

She sighs.

"You're her friend right? So I figure she might open up to you about it if you talk to her, well... It might be a bit more complex than that given your current... Standing... But I think you still have the best shot at it."

Then lets loose a bit of a sympathetic smile...

"Long as we can figure out which one she was talking too, it should be fine. We'll just hunt that one down and crush it. Not easy, but certainly doable. The Alcheringa are dispersable; they don't die if their spiritual forms are destroyed, but it'll take them a long time to reconstitute themselves. Don't panic, alright? Not leaving you alone on this one."

Like always, it seems she intends to have your back...

"As for the other reasons why I feel like it should be you, well..."

She turns back to her dishes.

"...Just a feeling. Same sort of aura that my friends and I had a few years ago, like you're caught in the heart of some sort of massive trouble, hand-picked by the universe."

She laughs, although it's also a bit of a huff... A scoff... As if she herself couldn't believe she was putting any stock in a concept as nebulous as 'fate.'

"Has to be you. Simple as that. That's what my instincts tell me."

The rhythmic movements start again...

"Something, something, X-Cross after all..."

Although you hear her mutter that under her breath, more to herself than to you...

Were you meant to hear that?

Hard to say.

This one seems like she might whisper just so you pay even more attention...

"As for my evidence, well... Mostly old photos from that school of yours, sent to me by a COMP that can't actually be built until this December, but is somehow functioning right now anyway."

She sighs again, although this one is long and deep and really, really heartfelt...

"When something like that happens, well, that's how you know the universe is up to some nonsense again..."

...What kind of history did this person have?

She seemed more... Tired... Than anything else about this particular statement...

"Potential headaches aside, she was occasionally seen with someone matching the vague descriptions of one of the Alcheringa during your school years, some short woman with a book. No idea on the name, code-name or otherwise. We need that much at least to try dragging it out of hiding..."

[Airen]

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

---The moment it clicks, is the same moment you move to strike.

"As if I'd let you asshole, it won't go the same way it did last time, you piece of shi-"

Of course, it's not your fist that interrupts these words; not so much in the sense of them colliding with his face anyway, but rather, it's the sudden screech of metal tearing apart under a sudden spike in pressure, sparking and ripping and tearing apart in a blaze of azure fire and sheer physical might, a storm of smoke and flames shooting up into the air as gravity drags you down below, yes...

---It's a feint to escape.

At least momentarily; some might say that running away from an opponent is a cowardly move, but simply standing there and letting someone strike you was stupid, and well...

If there was one thing Blaise Pendragon was not, it was stupid-!

So down below you go, into a cavernous maw of broken pipes and flooding steam; as if the ship itself was quite clearly alive, in spite of the fact that it had only recently dragged itself from the waves... The floor of the massive room you fall down into is waterlogged, a clear two-inches or so of water present on the floor all around you, not a consequence of your literal rocking of the boat (although the water falling from above does make it quite clear that the vessel was at least swinging heavily with your last strike) but rather a consequence of it being, well, a ghost ship recently risen from the waves...

Of course, being a World War Two era vessel, the interior was -as expected- quite massive; you had fallen down into what seemed like the long abandoned living quarters... There were shredded cots all around you, a consequence of your meteor-like fall from above, and a number of broken pipes and steam clouds decorate the sky just above you, concealing your position from (at least mundane) vision from above, and...

Around you, knocked to the ground, all over the place...

Was the same sort of... Book...?

In Lak'ech...?

It's a black book, bound in leather, font in gold, and judging by the sheer number of copies dotting the floor...

Must have been a ship wide read?

Some sort of bestseller back then?

Hard to say, and probably irrelevant right now, yes...

Right now...

"Are you shitting me...? Did he jump down this hole...?"

You can't see him, but you can just barely hear the moron from the other day up above... The sound of his voice and his choice of words make it seem like he's standing right over the edge of the hole, chatting away at whatever spirit had taken root inside of his body...

Yeah...

This one was almost all power, the spirit was carrying him pretty hard, problem was...

The youth seemed to know that too, at least to a degree, after all...

"Should we chase him?"

He keeps asking it's opinion on what they should do...

Ordinarily, this kind of action might come across as some sort of bait, purposefully talking aloud in order to make you think one thing while they did another, but right now...

No.

It feels like he really is that inexperienced when it comes to these things... Although the entity...

That one seemed to know what it was doing, then again, it had chosen a rather poor host...

Either way, seems like you have the advantage in the next couple of seconds...

He's right up above you, and there are corridors to either side of you, although you're not sure where either of them lead, so...

[Verg Avesta]

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

Is he really that badly connected to whatever's using him...?

Blaise could hardly believe it. In all honesty, this had to be a trap. The guy from back then had been your typical delinquent, but Blaise wasn't as arrogant as to call him an idiot. Every person had their own strength, and unless they purposefully drove themselves to such lengths, it would take lot to make anyone lose respect in Blaise's eyes. But this moment, this situation... was he really that drunk on borrowed power that he thought he could afford to hold such conversations? Act so lackadaisical?

No, this had to be a trap.

But... the fact was, Isamu was still out there.

Blaise had to keep the pressure up. And if the thug really hesitated and second-guessed the one giving him power, then that was the weakness Blaise had to exploit. If he didn't give the source of power time to advice the boy, he would have to rely on his own instincts. And at that point, Blaise would be in much stronger position. An opponent out for revenge was always easier to bait and to misdirect.

So.

Trigger the trap.

Bite down twice as hard, even though there's danger.

Pull that card they're clearly offering.

Bring up the pressure, cut the communications to a minimum...!

"--------!"

But most importantly.

--- Deal with the obvious strangeness in the battlefield around you and take them by surprise.

"Haaah--!"

With a massive roar, Blaise jumped upwards, turning around in the air. He slammed his feet against the ceiling, hopefully staggering and knocking the thug's sense of balance out of whack for a moment. At that same half-second, his hands lunged out, fingers grasping for the ankles of his opponent. Were they to find their target, he would grip on tight and swing like a pendulum upwards - or downwards from his opponent's point of view.

Basically... slam him as hard as he could, all the way down through the lower decks!

But as that happened, Blaise's mouth opened at the same time, and the inferno of white and blue expanded. That same pendulum-like movement directed his aim, and he spewed flames of winter night and moonlight all around him.

He would turn this lower deck into a sea of fire.

After all...

--- Whatever these books were, it was safer to burn them!

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Nameless Forest ~ Kuzunoha Village
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

"You're her friend right? So I figure she might open up to you about it if you talk to her, well... It might be a bit more complex than that given your current... Standing... But I think you still have the best shot at it."

That easy to read, huh.

Aster: Truthfully, I would be offended if Laplace couldn’t.

Some of the tension in Ayra’s shoulder eases when Mika voices her support. Of course, it was unlikely that she’d be sent into this blind, but the promise of help nevertheless makes her feel better. Really, she has to be more controlled. In the worst case scenario, she and Tsukiko are enemies.

If her resolve breaks then, her ideals will have meant nothing all this time.

"...Just a feeling. Same sort of aura that my friends and I had a few years ago, like you're caught in the heart of some sort of massive trouble, hand-picked by the universe."

"Has to be you. Simple as that. That's what my instincts tell me."

“You didn’t strike me as the type to believe in destiny,” she says. No, judging by that critical gaze, Mika struck her as a very, very prepared person. The kind of person she wished she could be, but somewhere along the way her heart became the determining factor in all her decisions. Whether that was better or worse… well, the grass was always greener on the other side.

"Something, something, X-Cross after all..."

"As for my evidence, well... Mostly old photos from that school of yours, sent to me by a COMP that can't actually be built until this December, but is somehow functioning right now anyway."

“X-Cross?” Naturally, Ayra takes the bait. If Mika didn’t want her to ask, she would have never mentioned it. She is not going to think about whether or not it is appropriate to ask.They’re both members of Joker, after all. It’s their role to bring hidden secrets to light.

Aster: If you don’t ask about the COMP as well I will personally figure out how to ditch you.

It’s not my fault there are so many things to ask! I’m getting to it!

Aster: It’s important.

“And… a COMP that’s functioning before it’s built? This a NWAB project of sorts?” Truthfully, the weird part was how blaise Mika seemed to be about temporal anomalies, but considering the people she surrounded herself with… Maybe it was normal for her?

"Potential headaches aside, she was occasionally seen with someone matching the vague descriptions of one of the Alcheringa during your school years, some short woman with a book. No idea on the name, code-name or otherwise. We need that much at least to try dragging it out of hiding..."

“Like a teacher or a student? I’d think I know that sort of thing, so maybe if I saw the pictures in question…” Though, if it was a student, Ayra had to admit she probably couldn’t recognize them. Her diligence had afforded her a pretty good understanding of her fellow classmates—know thy enemy and all that, especially for sparring—but if she had to recognize anyone else, the result would not be pretty. Hell, she barely managed to recognize Asuka at first, back when she was first selected to be her squire…

Aster: The price of being a square…

I think being a ‘square’ has put me in a pretty good spot, don’t you think?

Aster: Whatever makes you sleep at night, Ayra.

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Nameless Forest ~ Kuzunoha Village
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

“You didn’t strike me as the type to believe in destiny.”

"Refusing to believe in something I've seen at work would be silly."

She shrugs.

"There is certainly an invisible 'will' floating through everything, fate exists, destiny exists, it's just that people's thinking about it tends to swing too far in either direction," a plug is pulled from beneath the water, a rushing, flowing sound gurgling throughout the kitchen as she finally finishes, "Sometimes it's helpful, sometimes it's harmful, it's not an absolute force that cannot be defied, nor is it something that is easy to toss aside just because you don't believe in it."

A complex view of sorts...

"Although I suppose in the end, I'm one for willpower and self-actualization; I'm not silly enough to pretend like higher forces aren't at play sometimes though, if they get in the way, you deal with them then, but it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes the World just needs a little help."

“X-Cross?”

At this, a pause, then...

"It's a name I heard in my dreams. Not as good a clairvoyant as I used to be, but I do still get flashes of insight from time to time. A group of kids up in the North Pole, that's the name they decide on, or something like that... They're at the heart of this trouble, but exactly what the trouble is... My powers wouldn't say, so it seems like I'm meant for more of a side-role this time around... Although we'll have to see on that one, World won't end on my watch, we went through way too much back in the day saving it for it to somehow go and end itself now. Gotta protect my investments."

A laugh...

Although it's a bit dry... Dry with a hint of nostalgia...?

“And… a COMP that’s functioning before it’s built? This a NWAB project of sorts?”

"Yes."

A simple answer.

"It's still in the planning stages, but to put it simply, they located a special sort of plume recently. You know how most plumes synchronize to a single person, right? Copying their reiki patterns and all that? This one appeared to have "synchronized," or "imprinted," on humanity as a whole... Any human can use it at 100% capacity, so it's like some sort of nexus crystal... An ultimate plume, in simpler terms. They've been studying it to see exactly how it functions, but the higher-ups gave the go-ahead to split it into three and make a set of armaments out of it to increase it's power. Can pour a lot of resources into something that we can actually pass down reliably, were gonna end up as last resort weapons for worst case scenarios."

She shrugs, sliding back into a chair at the table as she does...

"I know the names they were working with for the individual pieces, where they happen to be stored right now too, and yet one of them messaged me a few days ago, but that's a headache waiting to happen so I just accepted it and moved on... Considering the nature of that crystal, anything born from it would be inherently loyal to humanity, for better or for worse..."

As for your last question, well...

"Photo wise, here..."

She slides them towards you.

Physical copies?

Shockingly rare in the modern day...

"I don't think it's a teacher, student would be less conspicuous."

There are only a handful of them, a series of images that seem to focus mainly around the front gate and marble white stairs of your old academy... It's a bit nostalgic, looking back at the castle-like building and the ever-flowing green grounds, students (all dressed rather nobility-esque due to the school's nature) dotting the backgrounds and foregrounds of some of them, but...

The main focus, as could be expected, is always Tsukiko and someone else...

Tsukiko herself has a strangely serious expression on her face in all of these, considering she was more of a tease back then it's not the sort of look you were used to seeing, no...

It's a dead-set, focused expression, like she was trying to repress something, although her pose of sitting on the stairs most of the time doesn't scream that she thinks she's in danger or anything, while her gaze itself...

Is focused on a shorter, but no less regal, purple haired woman...

...A name doesn't click to mind, but...

This does... Sort of... Ring a bell...?

The sort of person you'd only see in the background in spite of her long hair and grand clothing, yes...

Not very talented in a physical sense, got good scores on magic theory though, you could remember that much, so she must have been in at least one of your classes at some point, but...

The name...?

For some reason... You couldn't really grasp it...

Like your brain was actively choosing to not cooperate with you...

Still...

Acquired: Photo of Tsukiko and ???

[Kuroyuki]

Rossweisse
SLEIPNIR - Artificial Park
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

After I made my offer, I felt like I was standing there for an eternity. What if they already ate something? Do they want a tour already? I could do that… Maybe… It should be a relatively easy tour. Take them around here, then the simulators, and then the deck… That would hit the noteworthy parts of the ship, but they’re all faraway from each other. H-how would I keep them entertained during the in between moments?! I was so distracted that I…

"Nice to meet you Rossweisse."

Didn’t notice someone placing their hand on my head until they were right next to me. I looked at them confusedly. This unknown Rose Cross Knight decided to headpat me?

“Eh?”

"You're quite cute. Stammering and everything, there's no need to be so nervous. This will all go just fine."

“Eh?!”

I made a quick aside glance towards Ms. Anna on what I should do after she turned around back to her fellow members. I was expecting something like a simple yes or no answer. Not this! Actually was this how the other factions were like?! Was I wrong when I heard that the other factions were normal… Well more normal than our faction.

"We'd love breakfast, right everyone?"

“Y-yes just head this way!”

I started leading them towards the tables that had all of the food and drinks. Maybe things will become easier once they’re all seated down… Or the other factions would be easier to deal with… Maybe. Hopefully.

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Nameless Forest ~ Kuzunoha Village
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

“I see,” Ayra says, responding to both Mika’s perspective on destiny as well as the matter of X-Cross. If Mika said that destiny did exist, shouldn’t she believe it? Yet, at the same time, the idea there is something special in store for her doesn’t feel very pleasant. Perhaps the best way was to look at it as an opportunity she had to make the most of. Yeah, that was for the best. Any further thought might end up making her think in circles.

“X-Cross… I suppose it probably has something to do with that cross-faction mission at the North Pole, then. Though, I declined already,” she confesses, but she has no idea what it means for her or for that group, for that matter. Would she end up being dragged back in regardless?

...Too difficult to say, really.

"Considering the nature of that crystal, anything born from it would be inherently loyal to humanity, for better or for worse..."

Aster: That has to be her.

Wait, the tip you got was…

Aster: From a COMP that doesn’t exist yet, yes.

Aster: Ask her about Burroughs.

“Like Burroughs…?” Ayra asks it more of a question, because she has no idea about the nature of this conversation. Still, she trusts Aster with all her heart, so if Aster tells her to do it without making a joke, she’ll do it. Aster always has her best interests in mind, after all.

"I don't think it's a teacher, student would be less conspicuous."

The scenery is oh-so-familiar—she’s walked the grounds countless times and knows every single spot these pictures were taken. Tsukiko in these images looks much less relaxed than the one in her memories, which bothers Ayra because she never really got to see that sort of expression on her.

Tsukiko did trust her, right? She could have told her about any worries… but perhaps it was her fault. Ayra was so used to letting Tsukiko lead that maybe she’d been too passive at addressing things…

Aster: As much as I enjoy this topic, we’re currently guests.

Right. Sorry, Aster.

Aster: I’m not the one you need to apologize to.

She looks at the other girl in the photos—purple hair, specialized in magical theory, bad physical scores. The latter two were fairly common, but Ayra thinks she could remember anyone who dressed like that. But when it comes to a name…

…

…Why can’t she put a name to a face?

It’s on the tip of my tongue…

Aster: I’ll see if I have any records.

“I’ve seen her, I think, but when I try to remember her name my mind just… blanks.”

[Airen]

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

---She'd been here awhile.

Not just today, but all week long, the manifestation of a behavior that must have been habitual; it's a bit telling of an unhappy past, that the normally cheerful girl turns to alcohol at the appearance of massive traumas in her life, the sort of ingrained habits that make it clear this wasn't the first time she had been waist deep in bottles, and well...

It's a bit sad, a bit pitiful, but nevertheless...

She is someone.

A strong someone, a candidate for Ace... If it wasn't for a certain golden-haired Tamer and all his perfections, and...

Right now, that sort of power seems like it might be needed; everything about this scenario screams that some sort of enemy is approaching the city, it's an idea that should be impossible, the Magic Era was the safest things had ever been really, but...

It seems to be happening, so...

Flying low, doing your best to avoid line of sight to the windows (from at least mundane vision) you arrive at the side of the sleeping Saria and attempt to slap her awake... The light slaps are something she'd barely feel even on her worst day, so you're forced to put about as much power into your body as you can in an attempt to shake her, and...

"...Hm?"

---Eventually, yes...

Eventually...

The girl's eyes flutter open and she groggily looks up at you, one hand rising to suppress a headache as she lets out a sound like a moan, a half-asleep young woman who was taking quite awhile to force herself into a functional state, as...

"...Something going wrong... What are you talking about...?"

Out of sight, around the corner of the bar...

The front door slides open... As someone comes through...

---Their presence is almost non-existent, you can't feel their Reiki, but you can hear their footsteps. Slow, but not so slow as to be purely ominous, they are more careful steps, the steps of someone who is taking their time for the sake of being cautious, but the suppressed nature of their powers doesn't scream anything good, it speaks of overly sneaky behavior, almost assassin-esque, especially with the evil-feeling fog pouring in through the now open doors, and...

"..."

Perhaps sensing this herself, even in her half-awake, hung-over state, Saria stands up, hand automatically going for her crimson greatsword (Trial By Fire, if you could remember correctly) the girl has already blown through the tables to reach the apparent assassin before she even gets an answer to her inquiries, burned in instincts telling her to act first and ask questions later, and well...

"Stop. Freeze. Hands in the air. Shake off the hood and identify yourself."

...At least her voice is firm, firmer than one might expect for someone that had spent every day of the last week drinking herself into a coma... But as the figure -garbed in black- moves to comply, well...

The sword clatters to the ground, a choking sort of sound erupts from Saria's throat as she sees the person under the hood, and...

"...Sorry. I wasn't trying to frighten anyone... I'm still a little bit confused myself..."

Encountered: Mary Fairchild (?)

"I just woke up... The city's so dark and... Where is everyone...?"

[palad1n]

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

Eyes widens, mouth gapes open, and time seems to stop. Words failed to express the sheer impossibility before Sariel that she couldn't even make a sound.

How?

Why?

Is this a trap?

An illusion?

--such thoughts were quickly discarded in favor of the present, of the reality before her.

Sariel sprang to her feet, and as gently and delicately as possible - as if she was afraid that a little wrong touch would break the woman in front of her - she guided Mary to under the table, making sure to cover the woman from the window with her own body, before gesturing to Saria to come too.

Her priority has now shifted.

She so badly want to catch up, to understand what's going on, but--

Protecting Mary come first.

And right now might be the worst timing that Mary came back. The innumerable sound of footsteps, the approaching foreign Goddess, the disappearance of everyone else...

If nothing else, Mary Fairchild should be protected at all cost.

Leaving Vatican for now would be the best.

So--

"Lady Mary," she began, and found her voice trembling. "Please stick with Saria. The situation right now is... confusing, and dangerous. It's best to get you out of the city for now."

Glancing at Saria and giving her a look - one that practically entrust the protection of the Pope - Sariel then gathered her nerves as a plan of action quickly formed in her mind.

She had never felt this scared, or this independent.

"I shall try to scout outside, and if it's safe, I shall give a signal. If there are enemies, then I'll try to take their attention while the two of you sneak off. Okay?"

And before she lost her nerve, taking one last look at Mary to give her strength and determination, Sariel stood up, patting Saria's shoulder as she did and entrusting Mary in her care, and went out of the bar.

She will ensure Mary's safety, no matter the cost, or she would never be able to face Cosmos ever again.

[Airen]

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

"...Under the table...?"

---If it's an illusion, it certainly sounds identical to the real one.

While there is a noticeable lack of warmth to the woman's body (you can't sense any reiki at all really) the way she talks and moves around is more or less identical to the Mary in your memories...

Of course, she's wearing different clothes than the usual...

Having found some sort of black cloak somewhere (likely in an attempt to get out of the rain) the most striking thing about the woman's appearance was not her clothes, but rather the rosary around her neck, and the walking stick in her hands...

Both of whom belonged to... Alisa... If you could remember correctly? They had the Kingsleigh Family Crest engraved into them, that of a thorned rose intertwined with the letter "K," molded out of clear silver, a sharp bit of contrast from the otherwise refined wood of the deceased woman's sword-cane, yes...

That was Alisa's weapon alright, not a COMP, but a family heirloom...

---It's a bit warm to the touch, Reiki gently flowing inside of it, and Mary...

Is clutching it almost unconsciously, tightly, but with such a grip that it's clear she's not really thinking about it too hard...

"If it's dangerous, I can't just leave..."

---Of course, when one attempts to push her under the table, well...

Mary is stubborn.

Weak body or not (and she seemed stronger than usual) the woman was not one to be pushed around, she could be very opinionated when she wanted to be, the gentle, saint-like mom that could nevertheless flip and turn into an iron-hearted mama bear, so...

"I shall try to scout outside, and if it's safe, I shall give a signal. If there are enemies, then I'll try to take their attention while the two of you sneak off. Okay?"

"...There are enemies? We're fighting someone? In that case I really can't go anywhere."

...When she frowns, and frowns hard, there's a certain sense of authority in it...

"This city is my responsibility."

---Yes.

Those are the words that follow you outside of the bar, or rather, they are some of the words that follow you out of it, the others...

"Another angel?"

...Come from a young man you find on the other side of the door. One dressed in -shockingly stylish- clothing, dark hair a spiky tired mess, a knife in one hand, and a black pistol -one of a strangely alien looking make- spinning around the fingers in each of his hands...

He doesn't look like someone dangerous, at least, he wouldn't if not for the weapons he was obviously carting around, and...

The look in his eyes.

---Completely emotionless, like shaped crystals, ice cold...

"Ah no, you're the one I'm looking for..."

Yes.

He smiles at this, it's a youthful smile, handsome even...

"You know Cosmos Fairchild right? I'm here to talk."

He nudges his head towards the building behind you.

"She in there?"

---His words are remarkably friendly sounding, but...

"I missed her at home. Shame. Looks like she went out."

[palad1n]

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

"And why are you searching for Cosmos?" Sariel asked back, defensive as her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

It was a natural reaction.

Even as she stands still, barring the man from entering the bar and seeing Saria and Mary, Sariel's nature as Cosmos' guardian angel shine through. Even discarding the fact that the majority of humans and angels are now gone - which makes his appearance suspicious - Cosmos was not a tamer of great renown, despite being Mary's daughter. Even in Vatican, there are bound to be many who don't know who she is, and the girl had never even once stepped outside of the Vatican until recently.

So the fact that someone just shows up looking for her is suspicious.

Too suspicious.

The fact that he is armed only makes it clearer that he was not here for a chat.

"But perhaps you aren't searching for her for malicious reasons?" Sariel asked, closing the door to the bar so that Mary and Saria wouldn't be involved in this mess if a fight breaks out. "You are armed, but the city is in a dangerous situation right now, so that's only natural. If you are looking for her with a good reason, then I can point you in the right direction."

She surprised herself at the lack of stuttering despite the intensity of the situation, but Sariel hold her ground.

It would be good if he could be sent somewhere else without a fight, but Sariel honestly doubts it.

She just has to make sure his attention is on her and her alone for now.

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Rothschild - Halls - Eyes Beyond the Veil
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning
Will: 10

---A sharpened malice that seeks to pierce your heart from behind; it's a flash of instinct from the sixth-sense, a warning from your primal sides, a flash of alarm and recognition that acknowledges that an attack is approaching long before it actually does so, yes...

In the face of such a thing, razor winds manifest.

In the face of such a thing, your legs launch you towards the door of the Brewed Awakenings-!

It's a reversal of positions, a sharp shift in the battlefield, made with the knowledge that your opponent must at least be somewhere behind you, thus...!

The plan is simple, for now, simply hinder your enemy, try to flush him out. His bizarre method of stealth is one your brain has trouble locking down, you can hear his voice at times, but it almost feels like the world itself is speaking to you in his tones, rather than the skeleton himself actually standing in any one place, but if there is one thing that is becoming increasingly clear about this encounter, it's that...

Tch... Bastard... Same as always... Talking bullshit with that oh so calm face...

...This opponent really does not like you...

It's only a snippet of actual thought that you can hear, a garbled static thing that nevertheless expresses absolute distaste, a clear condemnation of your personal existence that hadn't been present when he was attacking Astra, that was only getting worse and worse as time goes on, or rather, as he is left alone inside of this area with you, but along with all that personal malice...

There's a hint of glee.

Joy.

Like someone finally unwrapping a present that had been sitting under the tree for ages on Christmas Morning, yes, watching you scamper about so suddenly had felt delightful to the flaming skeleton, and as a result...

---He doesn't strike.

Malice does not disappear, but the prophesied attack does not come, instead-!

"Ha... Hahahaha, good, run! That look suits you!"

It's laughter follows you into the confines of the bar... Still echoing out from everything, no sounds of pain or damage apparent in your last attacks... Had your blind strikes missed? Possible. But the idea that it could just keep hiding like this was rather unnerving, if it had been in that hall you should have seen or felt something come from it, but there was nothing at all...

No flash of pain, no grunts, just the laughter that echoes from everything and nothing...

Still, inside the bar...

Things are somewhat different.

The doors Vincent had made earlier are gone, and the bar itself is empty, much like everywhere else in the ship... There are no people at all, although there's a new phone on the counter, and the existence of leftover glasses and plates sort of gives the impression that everyone had simply vanished into the aether, a theory that you, after a bit of thought, reject much more wholeheartedly, after all...

---It was much more likely that you had been dragged into something else, some sort of nightmare? A power similar to the one Alexia used on you? Had that been a warning you were too blind to see, or were you just looking too deeply into things...?

Perhaps those sorts of thoughts race through your mind, as you prepare for your opponent to do something again, tip their hand one more time so you could track down where the skeleton was hiding from like a coward, but...

"Alright, take two, just like shooting fish in a barrel... We'll see how far that bravado gets you."

...This time, the voice does not come from the world, rather...

It comes from outside the window.

Window that had been showing the greys of clouds before, but that now appeared a vivid black in it's center, not the black of night, but rather...

---That of a massive gun barrel, pressed up against the window of the establishment.

Because that is what it was, an almost cartoonishly sized pistol, held in the grip of a skeleton that was far too large now, a giant, clutching a ship that was much too small in a single gargantuan hand...

---Like the sudden swerve of a nightmare.

A blatantly unfair move-!

The laughter is booming, the cackling of a literal titan...

"Let's put you in a pit you won't crawl out of this time, eh Karlfeldt?"

It fires.

The ethereal rounds are easily larger than cannonballs...

And you...

[Airen]

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

---The designated meeting grounds were just a bit away from the main base, alongside the familiar Western-Style structures and streets of Brick Lane; it was a spot that had been chosen mostly due to the abundance of mundane shops that exist throughout it, so that those with a more slacker-esque disposition could grab some last minute supplies, be it from the clothing store "Boutique Nomad," or snacks from the Mokujima Bakery (where your surrogate 'parents/grandparents' depending on how you looked at it) were always hard at work crafting sweets...

In terms of mission operation, Shuichi had been placed in charge of the group as a whole; it was only natural, the SDCD's Ace was the obvious pick when it came to adaptability... He might be somewhat quiet around his friends, but you were positive the boy could turn himself into quite the diplomat if it was necessary; it wasn't one of the skills you had seen from him personally (although he did have a sort of almost supernatural charisma about himself) but Shuichi was the type that seemed like he could basically do anything, and everyone trusted him, so...

The easy choice.

Still, as the two of you walk together down the actual 'Lane' of Brick Lane, passing the familiar but enigmatic "Devil May Cry" (still had no idea what that shop was about), you can't help but notice that it's well...

Slower than usual?

Quieter?

Namely, there aren't very many people around here... Not like usual, usually there's an artist painting outside just outside of the antique shop, or people streaming in and out of the bakery, hell, even the shady suit-wearing guys aren't pretending that they're subtle going in and out of the antique shop, really, it's almost like everyone has just disappeared for one reason or another, although looking at the sky...

It looks like it's going to rain soon?

So that might be why...

Still...

"...Looks like Davis is early. That's a bit surprising, eh?"

Having maintained a bit of levity even after departing from Sofia, Shuichi raises a hand to point ahead as the two of you swerve around the corner towards the bakery (the town fountain just outside of it is the official "meeting place") and...

Indeed, Lexie is here, standing outside of the Mokujima Bakery (just under the awning) eating away at something (or rather a bag of somethings) that she seems to have purchased from the shop...

---That was probably why she was here early, although she seemed to have signed up for this mission purely for the sake of helping her friends, so maybe that had something to do with it too? Either way, she doesn't see you just yet, gaze fixed ahead on the fountain as she happily chows down in a way that makes it seem like she might gain some weight if she keeps it up, but...

Before you can say much about it, or rather, as you're thinking of how to respond (and also vaguely wondering where Chris is) you get a message over your RAILS line, specifically, it's a message from that guy.

---No idea why he'd be texting you, but it's normally never good, almost always some sort of prank...

...He wouldn't hit you with a virus again, would he?

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Rothschild??? - Halls - Eyes Beyond the Veil
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning
Will: 10

---The World is strange… that should have been the first clue.

Lydia, kill the recording.

Eh? But…

Trust me.

---“Eyes Granted" Recording process: Terminated.

Lud what’s going on?

I’ll explain later.

Is it because he wanted to believe in it? A feat that defied expectation, a sweet lie in a cruel reality.

He should have realized it sooner, the revival of the dead is a feat beyond impossible… but he wished so dearly for it to be true. For Lara to be alive.

Yet the impossible did occur after all, not only Lara, but even Sarah Starbright had returned from the dead. As a Tamer, an existence that bridges the natural and supernatural, Ludwig had simply assumed that miracles could occur, too overjoyed with his sister’s return.

Two birds with one stone huh… she got me good.

The young Tamer hadn’t grasped the intentions of Alexia Wright at the time. Maybe it was to be a bonding experience, maybe it had been to clear Adala’s head. A moonlit walk in the past, beholding sights and events that should be impossible…

---That are only possible in the depths of a dream.

Perhaps that had been her real goal last night, to introduce the concept, the lost memory of walking in a dream.

Ludwig had decided that he wanted Adala to be his teacher, yet it seems even after his rejection Alexia had imparted a final lesson.

---Truly, supernatural entities can’t ever just be plain about their actions, can they? Vincent too showed off his power over the domain of dreams, crafting a door to a different realm on the very ship out of nothing.

And finally, there was that tiny shard of memory that resurfaced. A sliver of the future now the past.

All these events and more should have confirmed the ESPer’s suspicion long ago.

The inability to pinpoint when events occurred, memories growing hazy with events long forgotten. And now LUCID, an entity of dreams had shown himself.

---The World is indeed strange… that is, if this were to be Reality.

But with this blatant change of what should even be possible, a titanic monster outside of the ship... this could never be Reality.

A script that could not be accepted, so it had to be rewritten.

Altering reality itself by overwriting the events of what has been by what shall be.

The replication of a miracle, the manifestation of a World of Fantasy Dream World , in an attempt to save what was lost.

---This was far from what must have been intended.

Naturally, the face that beholds these ridiculous circumstances is one that pisses this entity off oh so much. Unfazed, calm, unfettered.

”Is that what it's like to have someone poking about in your head, or are you that eager to make yourself known? Either way I can't say I'm impressed.”

The Karlfeldt Heir is having none of it.

Reiki gathering rapidly in the boy's fist, the boy unleashes an explosive laser of spiritual power in response to the ethereal, overgrown bullets heading for him.

"If this is a nightmare, I'll be the one deciding how it goes. Same goes for whatever script you whine about, one's fate is forged with their own hands."

Were it so that this is indeed another dream-like reality… couldn’t he, at least temporarily, fight for its control?

Defy the Dream. Trample it’s Reality. Create a Dream within this Nightmare.

Unleash your own World, your inner Sea.

And eventually...

Devour this Nightmare.

And indeed, the World's shape and form shifts once more. Reality is twisted and remade between Alcheringa and Tamer alike, as if it was but a mere plaything.

Dark waters spread out in tidal waves, bringing forth a pitch-black darkness. Ripples form where the Tamer stands, at the center of the World Shift.

For a moment it's darkness seems to stretch infinitely, almost peacefully so, as if to mock the grandiose portrayal of the Nightmare that the boy just witnessed... yet the next moment that illusion is shattered.

The light of the stars bloom into existence, showing a sea that flows as far as the eye can see. One by one more lights appear, revealing the nature to those inside this Sea.

A 'World' that is created by Ludwig Karlfeldt, his 'Dream' within a Nightmare.

One's internal Soul Sea.

And the existence of the Reaper of Cognition, now within this place.

Ludwig's spiritual power takes a near visible form storming over him as those stoic eyes regard this foe.

"So eager to fight Tamers, yet the first thing you do is teleport one away. Well it is now as you wish, just you and me, LUCID. You can lose the dramatic disguise... like you said, I’ll keep your story to myself. After all...”

The Heir of Unity steps forth and blasts ahead to this mass of unreasonable malice, another fist ready to embed his Reiki into the gun wielding mystery figure.

“Whatever narrative you’re pushing ends with me."

[Bloble]

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

"Well, that wasn't so bad, was it? Sofia-san seems really nice. And she tells great stories, too. Why were you so worried about her?"

The young COMP (in adult form) walking alongside Namasaki Shuichi doesn't look quite as clean as he had upon setting out for the morning. His suit is a bit ruffled, there are coffee stains on his bow tie, and several strands of hair have decided to defy gravity, sticking out in strange directions as if belonging to some alien who fell to earth. This is the cost of interacting with fairies. On the whole they were lenient this time; Daisuke won't have to go in for repairs. He does expect to be fishing bits of gum and sticks out of various crevices for the next few hours though.

The familiar street is eerily empty as they walk down it, something Daisuke can't help but pick up on. This is not quite home - the young COMP considers Chris' room and the SDCD base to be his place of residence - but the bakery is a home away from home that is often visited over weekends and holidays, so he knows the surrounding area quite well. He even has all the familiar faces stored in his directory: the diligent painter, those shifty antique buyers, the guy with white hair who occasionally walks into Devil May Cry looking like he'd just been whipped... but none of them are to be seen today. The curious question of 'why' is easily answered by simply looking up and noting the increase in humidity up above. Of course some small separate process (Chris had insisted on not being complacent) continues to search for alternative explanations, but as a whole he has no reason to doubt the obvious. Rather...

"Ah, Shuichi-san, maybe we should move the meeting spot." If it's going to rain, then there's no sense in meeting outside by the fountain. "Maybe in the bakery? Mom and Dad wouldn't mind - eh, Lexie? That is surprising..."

Since when is that lazy girl early to anything? Even Chris (who really should've been here by now) is more proactive than her! And yet Lexie stands in front of the bakery, munching on something sweet, gaining weight, staring at the fountain that had been a staple of the view from his Buddy's window for most of her life.

"Heeeey! Lexie!" Daisuke waves. "What's going on? You're 143% earlier than usual! Did you want the super early morning sweets fresh? You know you could just call and they'd hold onto some for you, right?"

As he's waving, the Daisuke on the inside is alerted to something. A LINE message. Not an unusual occurrence; most people use it, even if it's not quite the most secure form of communication available to Tamers. However... this is not a regular message. The sender is one that sends shivers up Daisuke's digital spine. It's a message... from him.

For a moment, even as the duo approaches their friend, everything freezes. The world of seconds is paused while the world of high speed processing roars into action.

Last time that guy sent a message, it was a silly prank that'd left Daisuke in an embarrassing position. For him to send another, now of all times, is the worst possible timing. Especially because...

"Ugh..."

He knows Daisuke will read the message, even if it's 100% a trap.

Of course, the young COMP has learned since then. He won't be caught off guard again. Chris gave him some tips afterwards, calling it a useful lesson in how to handle potentially malicious data. Isolate everything in a secure subsector. Run a virtual machine with no capacity for affecting anything outside itself. Implement several different layers of antiviruses, cut off connection to the net, and... open.

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
???
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

Azure light shines to oppose the incarnate malice.

The once empty form of Vincent's bar has disappeared, swirling black waters moving to overtake the room, the clouds below, and even the Titan outside, returning it to a form that could once again be called humanoid; it has to struggle to do so, the 'world' itself seems to resist the encroaching digital field, the recreation of the hypothetical world that exists within the heart of every being, but...

In the end, the Reality Shift seems to come out victorious, the titan disappears, replaced with the form from before, now revealed to your eyes and...

...Direct hit.

For the first time since the assassin had appeared, a direct strike to the body, a combination of physical force and spiritual energy that launches the body away from you at high speeds; as Aura Blast is essentially a wave of Reiki made physical, the dragging force behind the skill is potent, with nothing to brace oneself against getting out of it's current is difficult, but...

“Whatever narrative you’re pushing ends with me."

...You're not stupid.

While the skeletal figure disappears within the storm of azure light and is carried away from you, detonating in a massive surge of Reiki somewhere in the distance, you do not for once, for even a single instant...

Think that's enough to kill it.

---No, this entity is a bizarre being, if it is some sort of "manifest dream," a nightmare, then what are the odds a single decisive blow like that would be enough to wipe it out?

And as if to prove that logic true-!

"Disguise? My true face?"

---A chuckle from the darkness.

---A disgusted chuckle, full of loathing...

"There's nothing to see there, I am what I am, what the old hags wanted me to become, if you can't remember it, well... That's exactly why you deserve this."

---It emerges from the clouds of reiki, one pistol held tightly, another clasped around something you can't quite see correctly... Some sort of orb?

A sphere?

"You're all so stupid, a bunch of broken people trying to save others before figuring out what's wrong with themselves; did you think the cracks in your own hearts did not exist? Do you think yourselves some grand saviors?"

It chuckles again...

"A moron chasing an ideal that is not his own, an idiot so blinded by the light she loves that she never understood what was actually beneath it, fools that torture themselves for crimes out of their reach, fools that don't know who they are, fools that cry over inaction, fools who cry over lost teachers, fools who can't comprehend the malice of a family member, others who exist purely out of spite, it goes on and on... Oh you're all so broken, so broken, of course you can't really save anyone else. You should have never come here."

Footsteps stop.

It's closer to you know, but not too close...

"...Not like it matters in the end, you're weak. Always have been, don't know why they picked you."

---The world makes a noise.

---In the depths of the star filled void, a 'vibration' quickly becomes apparent through all five senses-!

"I won;t forgive you anyway, so broken or not, ideals or not, hopes or not... It's all worthless."

For a moment, you swear you can hear a second voice beneath the first.

"I'll show you how little the World means in a nightmare."

It raises the orb.

---Inside it, a familiar scene can be made out with your eyes.

It's this scene.

This scenario, you and the skeleton, standing together in a sea of stars.

---Like it was holding the entire world in it's hands.

---The cackling of a skeleton.

---Erupts again as something pierces the orb.



Something pierces your legs, the sound of metal scraping against bone.

There are no warning signs from your opponent, no direct line between you and him, simply a sudden flash of intense pain and the feeling of gravity suddenly gripping your body as the world rips open beneath you.

---The culprits are strange white chains.

Digging into your flesh like sadistic hooks, their violent pull on your body is ruthless, like hell itself had opened up to swallow you whole-!

You slam into some things on the way down, unable to wrench yourself free from the sudden, titanic pull on the other end, but eventually...

You come to a stop.

---Around you, there are a myriad number of staircases, the things you had been slamming into on the way down, and one you were now holding in a death grip to keep from plunging even further, all tinted in a strange crimson light...

Reminiscent of a certain pit from your childhood, and...

"Ludwig...?"

A certain voice echoes out from down below...

About three floors down?

It's Lara's voice, and with it...

...Something starts tugging on the chains again in an attempt to pull you down, chains you can't seem to dig out with your hands, as...

"Don't crawl out this time."

The Skeletal Gunman's voice calls down from above...

In a completely emotionless tone.

LUCID

Name: Lucid (?)
Gender: ???
Age: ???
Character Type: Alcheringa

Abilities

-Nightmare Fiction-
Element: Almighty
Rank: A (?)
Apparent ability to create and control dreams and nightmares, to the point of effectively warping reality. An innate ability shared by the Alcheringa. Only capable of affecting those with ???, and loses or gains power in accordance with the stability of ???, some uses of this power appear to require intense focus, however further information is unable to be divined at this time...

-Reveric Chains-
Element: Almighty (?)
Rank: C
Cursed chains that bind a target on a physical (?) level; at the start of the target's turn, they must make a STR check to avoid being dragged a certain distance by the chains. Further information is unknown.