Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt Estate
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

The sound of the main door of the mansion had always been a heavy one.

Heavy and old, the creaking of an ancient metallic draw-bar across the wooden surface of the door is one that puts a certain sense of finality to things. Of course, it goes without saying that the maid could easily break down the front door of the mansion if she was so inclined to do so, indeed, something as simple as a door being closed should not be enough to truly assuage the mind -Ida was sort of like a slasher villain after all, seeming to teleport the moment you can no longer see her- and yet...

Creak.

Thud.

The castle gates fall closed, your last glimpse of your opponent that of the sphere she had been trapped beneath...

Sphere that had slowly begun to move *up* instead of down, moments before the closing of the door sealed off the inside from the outside. It is not a surprising fact. You had never believed that Ida would die to something as straightforward as a falling star, but seeing as how she had been indisposed for awhile, you had taken the chance to push for a retreat to the inside of the residence. Lara hadn't fought the idea much... While she hadn't said anything in response to Lydia's words -she didn't seem to understand what they meant- the request to retreat had been complied with, but she had kept her gaze on the sphere outside until the very last moment, as if breaking her gaze from it would dispel the illusion that was the maid's struggle, but now...

"...Hah..."

She sighs, turning away from the barred door, as if acknowledging this was the best that could be done under the circumstances.

Entering the Karlfeldt Residence invokes a feeling like stepping into a different world, a tiny bubble inside of a much larger bubble, where things that should have been lost to the modern ages persist on as elusive shadows, monsters and spirits that hide just beneath the edge of flickering candlelights. It is almost always dark inside of the estate; no matter what the time might be outside, to tread into the interior of the home is to find yourself in the depths of an unending plenilune night. This does not mean time does not exist of course, it passed just the same inside as it did on the outside, but some of those that dwelled here...

Simply seemed to bring the moon with them.

Where they were, so too would the moon be... And since they were almost always here, so too was the moon almost always here...

Still...

Looking at it now, it seems that someone had made quite the mess on the first floor; every room that had a door has had that door kicked in, and the closest of the staircases leading up to the upper rooms of the house had been destroyed, the way the rubble had fallen implying something had erupted from beneath the stairs, destroying them...

---It was strange.

If Ida had seen this, even her eternally calm demeanor might show a crack... Perhaps that was why the fake form of her was being so aggressive?

...Probably not.

But humor often shows itself at inopportune times...

"...Not the way I pictured coming back here, but it's a good enough setting for a nightmare, I suppose."

Says Lara after a few moments...

Breaking the strange silence that had fallen over everything.

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt Estate
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

The manor is as unwelcoming a home to return as ever, the very place exuding a feeling of dread, despair and foreboding. Catherine's earlier judgement of the house wasn't off, the trauma locked within this house is almost palpable. A place of darkness, a den of monsters. A stage of nightmares.

And yet, despite this being such a place.

---His legs move on their own.

The situation certainly doesn't call for it. Stuck in a nightmare, with their mentor figure on a warpath coming sooner rather than later, unsure of how they can even escape this place, and yet.

Bottled up emotions take hold and sway whatever resolve had manifested itself prior. The utter denial and self deprecation that flowed like poison through Ludwig as he attempted to reprimand the Administrator Burroughs for involving his family crumbles away.

Once again there she is, Lara, the real one, having made her way here in this nightmare as if it was only natural. Taking place of the tulpa version of her, here she is once more if it was only natural to defend her little brother, just like in the past.

And so, arms awkwardly fling themselves around her, before even Lydia can attempt to goad her User into making this decision.

For so long had they been apart. Taken away by the power of the Almighty, only to be reunited as enemies. It took Ludwig's mind, body and soul to cease holding a presence in the world, for this predicament to change, where Lydia had seen that same rebellious spirit flare up, much like her little brother had.

But such contrivances no longer stood in the way.

It was but a single phrase that pierced Ludwig back in the hotel, a wound in the bulwark of complicated feelings adults often make for themselves, that slowly and surely grew and wore down those superficial defenses.

'I care about you all because I care about you all.'

Simplicity itself, and yet, no precisely because of its simplicity it carried an undeniable strength. Truthful to oneself, an existence that didn't struggle against their own emotions. One that didn't need to hide away from their own soul's yearning, for fear it would clash against the expectations weighing down upon the boy's shoulders.

It was through that honesty that eventually the Heir of Unity decided on his own course. The meaning of 'unity' that the Karlfeldts ideal surrounded. A uniter not through fear, power or compulsion, but through hope. One that embraced the willing, not that forced the hesitant.

For those that would look upon the stars and hold the power to believe in a brighter tomorrow. A beacon of hope, rather than an omen of fear. Much like the heroes of the past.

...Although... what exactly did happen to those heroes?

Releasing Lara from the sudden hug after a little while, that's the question that remains.

"...Lara. What, happened to us? I saw a vision, a memory of yours, but..."

The story Ludwig is familiar with regarding the Kyuubi, the Nine-tailed Fox that brought about disaster and sought to bring ruin to the world, is one of its defeat. A story of heroes overcoming the darkness, beating the odds and persevering beyond the adversity it posed. Twice it had appeared, with the second incident being its final one.

There were some rumors circulating around on the SLEIPNIR, about how every year it grows a bit only to be beaten back once more, but that much is only rumors.

However, the memory Lara's presence evoked was not of such a history. It was a tale of defeat, tragedy. The heroes did not return that day, the world was not saved.

So... what was the truth?

"It doesn't match up, with this world... does it?"

The awkward silence returns, as Ludwig lets the statement rest. He looks around to ensure there is no lingering presence in the darkness, but his gaze meets with Lara's ever so often, gauging her reaction.

Somewhere in his heart, he knows that truth can be stranger than fiction. Even in this world of fiction turned truth. But, if that vision had proven to be correct... was he even of this world? Did the Karlfeldt family take children from a different world entirely, or was something else going on?

"...LUCID might know of a way out of this, connected dreamspace. Let's go."

Not forcing an answer out of his sister, the boy begins to walk move ahead towards the locked door. Another vestige of nightmares, locked as it may be he could still take his chances with it. Given the peculiar nature of this interwoven nightmare landscape, knowing what lies ahead of that door may be paramount to opening it. Theresia had seemingly willed it to close and open before, perhaps the rules that govern this place allows strength of will to overcome more physical barriers?

Though really, the odds of LUCID aiding the Karlfeldt siblings weren't exactly good odds, but well...

...Time to sleep... It'll be alright... In the end...

If those parting words had been meant as a goodbye, meant to assure those the lost orphans will now protect in their own way...

---Really, the three remaining Karlfeldt kids were too similarly minded if that was indeed the case.

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
Monday - Noon
11/16/2026

"...Were you with mother in the dream, auntie?"

"...Hmm."

Aunt Alisa doesn't answer right away.

It's the pause of a person who is unsure about their answer, rather than one that is purposefully hiding something, but eventually...

"Mary... I wanna say yes, there was someone nearby that felt a lot like Mary, but there was something... Off about her too..."

A strange, hesitant answer.

"Not that the rest of the dream wasn't also surreal; even for a dream, the atmosphere of it was bizarre. Everything felt hazy, even the sound of the rain was strange, although I can't quite remember why..."

"And... what does the White Shroud want?"

"..."

Here she pauses, then...

"It seems they came to confront us."

A sad smile, as if she thought the idea that her subconscious would conjure up such an image in the first place was sad...

"There was talk of us practicing heresy, of them finally doing 'what needed to be done,' what the Lord had told them to do... Things of that nature. I didn't pay too much attention to it after the first few lines. It was almost... Cartoonishly villainous, really."

The sad smile deepens, unseeing eyes focusing on some distant aspect of internal memory.

"It may have been a dream, but I acted quickly to subdue the Shroud... What was strange about that though, is when I went to incapacitate them..."

A pause.

This one long, long enough that you can hear the sounds of drizzle overhead become a more steady downpour as a storm rolls into town...

"...They seemed surprised by it. Caught off-guard. Like I was the one picking a fight with them."

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
Monday - Noon
11/16/2026

"..."

What is really going on?

The golden tower in the distance, Mary feeling "off", the White Shroud acting surprised when attacked, like Alisa's the one picking up fights instead of the person who's literally calling her mother and aunt as doing heresy...

Something is not adding up.

Idly, she noticed that it's starting to rain outside too, and--

"Everything felt hazy, even the sound of the rain was strange, although I can't quite remember why..."

It was... always raining...?

The world is strange...

"..."

UNO now temporarily forgotten as Cosmos' mind went buzzing with possibilities, the petite girl put a hand under her chin as she starts thinking about numerous different things at once. Does rain indicates an omen of sorts, like JESTER's involvement? Is the White Shroud Alisa saw in her dream the same as the one who confront her and Alyx in that corridor between worlds? How did the camera not record White Shroud's presence in the church at all?

'One thing at a time, Cosmos. Focus.'

'Right...'

She should focus on her aunt's dream for now, about White Shroud's strange reaction, because that's the part that felt the easiest to answer.

"This is just my thought, but... could there be some kind of perception manipulation going on?" Cosmos wonders out loud as she looked at her aunt. "So what auntie and mother's seeing as 'White Shroud' is not actually one, which is why they seem surprised when auntie moved to attack..."

Of course, the question then becomes who did they really meet. She remembered that the only two people who entered the church besides her mother and aunt were a purple-haired girl and the demon Bathory, and they didn't seem like the type that fits with this supposed White Shroud's reactions...

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt Estate
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"It doesn't match up, with this world... does it?"

"...No."

A bit less outwardly friendly than the tulpa had been, as if there was something heavy weighing on her thoughts, Lara had frozen up a bit at the hug that had been more or less thrown in her direction. It was a stun born more of surprise than anything else, as if she hadn't expected you -or at least, the current you- to do something like that, but...

"It doesn't."

...Ultimately she does hug you back, even if in an awkward, one-armed, feeling-a-little-guilty sort of way.

Of course, her answer is short and to the point. Perhaps as a bad habit of being raised by the Karlfeldt's, who thrived on ambiguity to the point where you didn't even know what most of them looked like, Lara had simply confirmed your suspicions about the memory not fitting in with what the world should be and nothing more...

At least not at first.

No...

The two of you set off towards your destination first, even though it feels like Lara doesn't quite know who this LUCID is supposed to be for some reason...

Still, it's a slow walk.

It had never been a good idea to run in the Karlfeldt Estate. Not just because accidentally breaking one of the myriad pieces of pottery lined up along the walls and often meant some sort of punishment game from the maid, but because...

Some of the strange, unknowable things that lurked in the dark had strong... Instincts... Prey drive?

Seeing someone run?

Well... Of course they'd chase, like a dog spotting some sort of unknown animal on it's property.

Chase and pounce.

Best to walk -especially on a night like tonight- so walk you do, and...

"...Lud."

A quiet voice, from the form of the guardian that was your sibling...

"Do you remember a guy named Jonathan Black?"

A strange question, one that seems to lack some context...

Or was perhaps, some sort of probing question from her to you...

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt Estate
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

---It doesn't.

A confirmation that opens up a world of possibilities, few of which good.

Lara's memory showed the other kids, as well as Ludwig, living in a world with different events from the history he's familiar with. A history in which tragedy was prevented, where the world was saved from the brink of despair. Heroes of light had risen up against fate and returned victories, still watching over this world.

A history where people like Jonathan Black, a wanted man that did much more harm than good, were hunted down and faded out of the picture.

But this is not the first time that memories and events of the past have been messed with, altered. Is that what's going on here now, a shift in cognition to rewrite history? Had the success of such a thing in the past led to the decision to try such a brazen plan once more? Or, was it something else?

Rather than an alien world, with different people, different souls, that live a life far removed from the events of another worlds... a world separated by a difference of choices. A difference of results. The Many-Worlds Interpretation, one where the outcome of an event creates two parallel worlds.

Binit did say she had watched countless versions of the X-Cross try and fail... Did that mean there were numerous versions of a ruined Xanadu somewhere in the quantum?

Impossible to say.

"I've heard of the name, though nothing good in regards to it. But do I remember him personally... no."

In the case of Jonathan Black, all that Ludwig could recall was from Tamer reports. A wanted man, a killer of ESPers, that was never heard of again after a certain, global event. Not publicly at least.

It was of course well within possibility that the man had been taken care of by the grieving families of his victims, hunted down and killed within the darkness he lurked, or perhaps he was disposed of by the demons he made use of.

Demons respect power most of all, but even that is no guarantee for loyalty. Certainly not for those with darker ambitions.

Wary eyes look around in the seemingly ever-present darkness within the manor. Still vigilant of Ida's return from the shadows... or worse.

"I don't really remember anything from before I was taken in here. Probably too young, though maybe..."

Maybe the events were too much for a child.

---The Karlfeldt upbringing certainly would qualify for such things.

"Why, did he do something to you?"

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
LOVELESS ~ Second Floor
11/16/2026
Monday - Night


Her mind blanks out. She missed this but it’s also exactly as painful as it was back then and she has to maintain a good image for Asuka and it’s just so wrong to stare at a window into the past like this. She tries to look serious despite the heat in her cheeks. She apologizes to her squire in her heart. Ayra Lilygrove is deeply apologetic that she can’t keep it together on business.

This is like when you look back at your old high school photos and cringe, except it’s your friend.

It feels wrong.

You wanna settle it the diplomatic way or…?

Absolutely not.

"I mean, you do seem like the type that might be just as dangerous as you are beautiful, carrying a sword like that around..."

“Might?” Despite being flustered, Ayra is genuinely offended. She is a Knight, and her skills will never be in question. Even if this doppelganger obviously wouldn’t know anything, it is an affront to her pride nonetheless.

“It’s certain.”

That feeling bleeds out of her words, almost maliciously. There have always been rumors of Ayra Lilygrove being too competitive, washed away by a diligent and polite exterior. And yet, when faced with this specter of the past, the perfect mask cracks and gives way to the more unsightly, more human emotions underneath.

She beat Tsukiko thoroughly in their last duel. Many close battles finally resulted in a decisive finish. But the thought has always lingered in her mind.

Could I do it again?

Even though it’s not the same, it’s as close as she can get for now.

“I’ll give you the first move. Someone as cheeky as you ought to be disciplined.”

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Karlfeldt Estate ~ Forest
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

Eva quietly considered the woman’s words in more depth as they walked. The premise was shaky to her- it was difficult to associate either of the two Velvet room occupants she had met, with what she knew about the Devourer.

But if she put that aside, and accepted it as a possibility- the woman seemed quite confident in her assertion, and perhaps the Devourer was someone else in the Velvet Room that she hadn’t quite met in person, then…

… it didn’t seem like a great suggestion to her. Eva only knew of the Devourer as an entity who had wished to erase all of humanity- she couldn’t imagine what would drive someone to desire that, and thus the mindset of such an individual was unimaginable to her. Asking it for assistance seemed more likely to elucidate an attack, if anything. Although, according to this premise it had already helped her, which was confusing. Eva did not see at all how helping her would be related to that goal.

But assuming furthermore, that it was indeed possible to convince this entity to her side- it struck her as a wholly unnecessary action. The Devourer was one of two recorded S-Class threats, capable of destroying the world. It was sealed away for good reason. To convince it to come back was an action that would only make sense if the gains outweighed the risks- in this case, a very non-negligible chance that the world would again be put in peril.

And logically, that meant the situation it could help avert was of similar scale.

For this woman to suggest it thus meant they were in such a situation, which confused her. It was true that the world had changed very much- but if Liesl was to be believed, it was mostly for the better. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong that would require the aid of a world destroying entity like the Devourer…

Just what was going on?

And as she ran through these thoughts in her head, they arrived. The person who currently held the key that she was interested in was…

… surprisingly, someone she recognized.

Saria Justice, Rose Cross Tamer. Recognition was the extent of it- she’d never interacted much with her personally. They weren’t close.

"You're stuck in this mess too...?"

“‘Mess’ would describe a lot of things, and I’m not sure if we’re talking about the same thing…”

The changing world, perhaps. Or this dreamlike world that they were currently in. It could also refer to the doll-like creature that had been chasing Eva up until recently, or, given that none of those seemed to match well with Saria’s current state, some other situation she was unaware of. Perhaps the same thing that Theresia was talking about.

It would certainly be important to know which one she was referring to. But…

Looking at Saria’s tired appearance made it hard not to feel sympathy for the girl. Talking about it and the key could wait.

“…but that’s not important right now. Are you OK…?”

[Airen]

Daisuke
Brewed Awakenings, Aoyama
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour

"...I wouldn't be able to tell you much about her even if you did pry." Saya had answered, seemingly having chosen to not object to your decision to not try and use the strange paper you had been given, perhaps because of her own distrust of the person who had given it to you? "I've never met that white-haired girl before in my life."

Here she had paused, her communication modules falling silent, before:

"...And I've been with Shuichi for most of his life. She knew him somehow, but I don't think he knows her... And I missed a lot of what she said to him while they were fighting..."

The idea seems to bother her...

An uncertainty around her user that she can't quite pierce, still...

"We're designed to be resistant to tampering, yes, but we're not exactly immune to it either. Could be viral magic?"

Before any of the humans can answer, History steps forward on her own, although unlike her normal behavior...

She doesn't project her hologram into the world so she can be physically seen, like something about the idea of doing so made her feel a little uncomfortable for some reason...

Still, she does speak the truth.

While most magic is generally ineffective towards COMPs due to their nature as energy beings (with notable exceptions being physical destruction of the plume, which wasn't exactly simple to do) there was a brand of magic that more or less acted as weaponized computer viruses, things that didn't target Tamers directly, but that could tie up COMPs in mathematical paradoxes and the like, of course, such things rarely manifest themselves as something like a green moon, and you hadn't been affected by it seemingly, so...

"...Well," Shuichi starts after a moment's thought, frowning as he takes a sip from his coffee mug. "The moon is commonly associated with lunacy. That is, insanity. So it could have been some sort of... Conceptual magic, that drove the people beneath the moonlight crazy... Although it doesn't explain why the moon was green, or why only the COMPs were affected..."

He glances at you.

"Although... You seemed to be fine back there," eyes return from you to his coffee mug, "That adds on a few more questions... Maybe some of us were protected by some other force?"

He glances at Lexie -or more specifically at her wounds- and a troubled frown flickers across his face...

"Although I can't say the humans were entirely unaffected, the White Shroud seemed rather more... Aggressive then I'd expect from one of their number."

In the end...

It seems the moon is a rather strange thing indeed, one that the group doesn't seem to have a decisive answer to (Akiko and Vincent didn't seem to see it at all, while Noriko seemed to be leaning towards the "Moon makes you supernaturally crazy," theory) but, even as things trail off to silence...

The bell above the door rings out, announcing someone's arrival...

"How cozy."

And a certain long-haired fae, with wide chesire-cat smile and bit-too-large umbrella, strides into the room with that confidence innate to a fae in their element.

"Good, good, everyone is safely under the protection of the Shepard." The fae smiles, "The summoner should be happy with this result. I protected the street, just as requested."

Humming, the fae then...

"...Now I just need to watch you, child. Alas, my work never ends."

...Sets itself down next to you, like you were friends...

"Shouldn't be long now until morning." It's eyes sparkle beneath the warm, orange lights of the room."So? What dark mystery is being discussed right now? I am in a... Particularly good mood~"

It hums.

---Dangerous.

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Karlfeldt Estate ~ Forest
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"Me?"

---For some reason, the girl almost seems surprised by what ultimately amounts to basic concern for another living being. She blinks at you, silence following her words as she takes your figure in, looking almost like she was trying to find something in your eyes or face that you couldn't quite identify, but...

"Ah, sure, I'm... Doing okay I guess."

Ultimately she just chuckles, an invisible sort of tension falling away from her shoulders.

"Not a fan of this whole nightmare death curse thing... Turns out there's always something following you in this place, even if it's not obvious at first..."

She laughs, somewhat weakly, long-dark hair flowing in the renewed strength of nightly winds.

"That's what I mean by mess... This whole... Nightmare world nonsense..."

Chest that had been moving rapidly for air has begun to calm, as the woman seems to feel safe enough to stop here with you in spite of the somewhat alarming nature of her words... Of course, you had already known there were some stalker-types in this place (the doll thing had been awfully persistent after all) but if she was running from something, then it only stands to reason that that something would be following along right behind her right?

She doesn't seem to pay it much mind, or at least, doesn't see fit to start sprinting away again...

The taller, empress-like woman (who had been so talkative up till now) has fallen silent now that her charge is around, melting into the shadows of the trees in a way that reminded you a little of the monster in a horror movie, a red-eyed silhouette that nevertheless doesn't seem to be malicious, no...

"..."

She just seems curious.

"Do you know how to get through it?" Saria continues, drawing your attention back to her. "Is this your first night? Do you need help? I haven't seen you in one of these before tonight, but I might have just missed you..."

She sounds eager, or rather...

A little... Frantic?

Speaking fast, as if wanting to get out as much information as she can while preparing herself for another dash into the darkness, towards...

The mansion you had just left...?

Up above, a blue light moves in the sky.

A star, out of it's place.

Like it was starting to move...

[Rafflesiac]

Amelia
SLEIPNIR - Logan's Room
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

SDF? Shinar Defense Force, maybe? No clue on Void-out though. Babel’s gotta be that sore thumb of a tower. Hopefully it doesn’t shoot Almighty lasers like the last one.

“Good luck,” she says into the controller. And with that, Amelia heads to the fridge to pick up any consumables.

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR - Logan's Room
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

It was a good library, albeit somewhat dated. The game developers had clearly put plenty of care into stocking the shelves with books appropriate for and enjoyable to children. Or would that be putting care into representing the consideration the caretakers of the orphanage would have? At any rate, it was filled with the sorts of books he rarely read as a child. The bulk of his literature was materials for spiritual development, magical theory, and the like; what little reading he did for leisure was the bare minimum to not become a social pariah.

Logan unfurrows his brow and moves his character through the shelves, noting various titles. All of humanity uniting with an impossibly advanced machine, resetting the universe after its collapse… He aims for a conspicuous world history book and interacts with it. It presumably will be abridged, but if not, he’ll just have to discern the necessary details. That won’t be a problem. He’s used to studying, after all.

---

Wise Up!

Mundane Trait - Hitting the Books: Logan’s ability to collate and comprehend information upon reviewing gathered data. He is adept at drawing rational conclusions and understanding the fundamentals of subjects related to analyzed materials, as well as recognizing patterns and drawing out hidden meanings. As you would expect, this trait shows its true value the more time Logan invests into his studies. This is a skill that Logan forged through over a decade of rigorous academic studies in his quest to become an ideal Spirit Tamer.

Logan doesn’t consider this trait particularly impressive, as it’s the sort of thing that anyone could do given enough time.

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Karlfeldt Estate ~ Forest
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"Do you know how to get through it? Is this your first night? Do you need help? I haven't seen you in one of these before tonight, but I might have just missed you..."

“… no, not really. Today’s the first night I’ve ever been here.”

It was an unexpected answer. For Eva, whose memories of this reality didn’t reach past this single day yet, anyone talking about events over a longer period felt weird to her. She couldn’t tell whether or not those memories were fabricated or genuine, after all. But whether or not they were real, the sense of exhaustion and caution she felt from Saria seemed genuine.

The girl truly did seem to feel like she had been suffering from being here for many days, and to that, there was one thing Eva could say with 100% certainty-

“…but you’re definitely correct. This place is awful. I’ve learned that much tonight – I’d rather not imagine what it would be like to be stuck here many nights in a row… you have my condolences, Saria.”

Getting chased around by that doll was a terrible feeling. Having this happen every night… She truly felt concerned for Saria, if that was the case.

As for her offer of help, however…

“As far as help goes, while I appreciate the offer…” Eva looked over Saria’s condition once more, before continuing. “…I’ve been doing okay, I think.”

Saria looked like she needed help more than Eva did.

She hesitated to bring up the next topic that came to mind– although she had thought that Theresia(?)’s assumption that the girl with the key was running away from them was unreasonable before, the fact that the girl they were chasing was Saria, their classmate and thus someone who might easily recognize Catherine, made it less so. Perhaps it was indeed possible that Saria was running away from Catherine, and maybe it wasn’t the best thing to bring her up now, but…

… Eva didn’t know much about this nightmare. She’d just been able to get by thanks to Catherine’s help, and from her perspective, for Saria who also needed help, there was no one to ask except for Catherine.

“... the truth is,” She spoke hesitantly, not sure if this would cause Saria to run away- in which case, the woman had been absolutely right. “I met Catherine earlier. She’s been really helpful here, and seems to know a fair bit about what’s going on here. I could ask her if she has any advice for this situation- she should be nearby, after all.”

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt Estate
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"Why, did he do something to you?"

---For a moment, the implication behind your words seems to catch your older sibling off-guard. Of course she was the old-fashioned sort, in her eyes, it is the duty of the oldest sibling to protect the younger ones, she had always claimed that was the reason why they were born first after all, 'to protect the little brothers and sisters that come after them...'

Incredibly old-fashioned thinking, but-

"...No. Nothing to me."

-even so, she does crack a bit of a smile at your words, as if appreciating the sentiment.

"I cannot approve of his ideals however... So it wouldn't be wrong to say that he's a personal enemy of mine, regardless of whether or not he has... Directly done anything to me."

Jonathan R. Black.

An ESPer serial killer and doctor who apparently reigned over 'water" and the contractor of the God of Stars "Amatsu-Mikaboshi." According to his files in the SLEIPNIR databases, he was a man who believed that only the strong were worthy of life, thus, he had spent his formative years as a serial killer, operating as a talented surgeon in Tokyo hospitals during the day, while apparently taking his victims at night, doing his best to purge the world of those he saw as 'weak,' which effectively meant all 'normal humans.'

To Jonathan, society was something that had been crafted to protect the weak while also chaining down the strong, a useless construct that was better off destroyed then allowed to continue to exist. During the second Kyuubi incident, he had apparently been one of the major players of the night, one of the villains in opposition to those 'heroes of light,' who had apparently escaped being decisively defeated only due to the number of other threats that had also torn through the World that night...

With his kill count, he was a man marked for execution with delayed reincarnation. His file had his current status set as "unknown," but...

Your sort of got the feeling he had been... Taken care of already.

At least, that was what your gut had always told you. If those heroes of light were what they had appeared to be, then certainly they wouldn't let such a threat continue to persist all these years later right?

But under this context, when it came to 'multiverse theory,' well...

Who could say what had happened elsewhere?

"He's a murderous madman, drunk on his power, always seeking more..."

She frowns, footsteps coming to a halt.

"Regardless of whether or not he saved o-" a pause, as she corrects herself. "My life once... He's someone that needs to die."

And says something quite alarming, a pure, murderous intent that seems out of place in your always stoic sibling...

"But I see..." She chuckles. "You don't remember... Well, you were young, so that's to be expected... Probably better this way."

Her gaze moves ahead, towards the rapidly approaching door, the gate to the mud, the only one in this area that hadn't been kicked in by whoever had gone around breaking the rest of the doors...

"...Anyway." An obvious attempt at changing the topic. "Who is this LUCID person you keep talking about...?"

She...

Genuinely doesn't seem to know...

At least, that's the feeling you get over the link.

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt Estate
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

LUCID. The Reaper of Cognition. An amalgamation of the souls of Lara and Ludwig's fellow orphaned brothers and sisters.

"That's... difficult to explain."

It had been a topic he had been hoping to avoid given the revelation it would lead to, knowing full well that eventually the truth would come to light. The truth that, as far as most of Lara's memories --and possibly many more people-- are concerned, the Ludwig here doesn't truly match up. How could he, given the difference in the world he's found himself.

"It's a title I shouldn't know about, yet do. A title belonging to our siblings who should be beyond that door, though you'd know them better than I would. After all, I..."

A world where Lara never vanished, a world where the orphans taken in by the Karlfeldts weren't lost to that pit. Memories of their original lives had been washed away and rewritten by Binit now, yet those old memories remained in Ludwig's mind. How in this altered version had he reached the path of the Almighty? What had motivated him to prove himself a member of Rothschild? To whom did the title of Inheritor belong now?

"I can't... I can't remember their actual names anymore."

His fists clench hard enough that blood is drawn as fingernails bite into flesh. An admittance of his own failure to keep those precious few within his memories is spoken out, along with the revelation that ultimately this Ludwig Karlfeldt.

---Doesn't belong here.

It's a bit of a philosophical quandary perhaps. Just how formative to a person is their memory? If someone were to be stripped of their memories, yet retained their body, mind and soul... were they the same person still? Would they end up making the same choices, or would they end up living a different life entirely, with but a single different choice made? Were this same person to be granted a different set of memories, how much would that impact them? Would they still be the same person then?

"You must have realized something was off already, and if so that instinct wasn't wrong. I'm not entirely sure how to word it, given what this world is, and perhaps it is better for you to not know."

Even if it's a sentiment the boy doesn't truly believe in himself, it's a choice he offers all the same. Knowledge is power, but so too can it be a curse. In more ways than one, ignorance is bliss.

But should the bliss of a lie be chosen over the adversity found in truth?

"There is much that I don't know about, perhaps even more that I've been forced to forget. That goes for you too sis. I'll explain all you want to know if you so desire... but perhaps now isn't the time."

Just what is the truth, perhaps it is simply what is chosen to believe in, in the end?

"My last meeting with LUCID wasn't a friendly one... my remembrance of the event might be problematic."

That's one way of putting it...

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
Monday - Noon
11/16/2026

"...Perhaps."

Alisa admits after a moment's thought, the same, melancholic smile on her face.

"Some sort of illusion or perception manipulation may explain a few things, although, I suppose it's probably asking too much for a dream to make sense." Her smile brightens slightly, unseeing eyes focusing on you in spite of her blindness. "That's the thing with dreams I suppose, much of the time, you do not question the events that go on inside of them, even if they are ordinarily nonsensical."

Daniel nods in agreement.

"Quite right." He chuckles. "The haze of dreams is quite strong, one often only realizes they were dreaming when they wake up... Even then, sometimes you just wake from one dream to another without realizing it, an endless sort of chain... It's a fascinating topic."

Another chuckle.

"Yes."

Alisa nods, drawing the attention back to herself.

"Quite. Of course, this White Shroud... Or perhaps, the *illusion* of the White Shroud, was quite powerful. I like to think I'm rather good at making arrests, so I was more than a little impressed when they parried my attempts in spite of being surprised by the initial attack..."

The situation was... Bizarre.

To the others, it is merely a strange dream they are trying to parse some meaning from for fun (or at least, that's likely how Alisa sees it) but to you...

It raises a lot of questions.

If illusions or perception manipulations were coming into play now, then a lot of the evidence you had picked up back then becomes...

Questionable.

After all, JESTER had shown a talent for messing with technology had it not? Embedding an image of itself on security camera footage? If that was the case... Then wasn't it possible that what was seen on the cameras had been altered as well? That the two people who had entered the building may not be exactly what the camera had shown them to be? Or maybe they were, and you were just overthinking it now?

It's somewhat of a frustrating thought, one that has Preciel humming away in the back of your mind again, but...

"Still, things get even hazier after that; I fought the Shroud for awhile, then for some reason..."

She pauses.

"...We started fighting together against someone else. I don't remember why... I think the person that reminded me of Mary had vanished? Someone was threatening the kids with us? The dream gets... Even more unclear from that point on..."

[Tobias]

Raz Stone
???
??/??/????

The drama vids missed a few things about broken bones. The disgusting feeling of wrongness as muscles and bones pushed against each logged in a way never intended by design. The instinctual, panicky desire to not move, born of a natural species inborn understanding that if you move your own sharp bones might open up internal injuries, your own body becoming the weapon that ends your life.

Fortunately, Erika knew how to fall, even while holding someone. Of course she did. Any squire of Raz that couldn’t efficiently and effectively utilize the princess carry would absolutely receive a failing grade. She was even able to use reiki to absorb most of the impact of landing. There was however a critical, time sensitive, imperative message that had to be conveyed, even if Raz had to divert precious resources of energy and concentration that were barely keeping ahead of his internal injuries.

”Hey..” the weakened knight said, bracing himself as best he could through the impact. “When princess carrying a male, shift your arms lower. For a girl, you want your upper hand placement just outside the breast, so it bumps as you run. This way you are not crudely copping a feel, but she is aware of the sensitivity of her body and how…close you are.” He had to take a gasping breath.

“For guys though, they traditionally don’t like feeling helpless. And their chest is less sensitive, usually. Shift your hands a bit lower so they are sitting up a bit, also this places your lower forearm right on the upper thigh to press against the rear and groin. The rocking motion will induce feelings of inti…macy. Then press them into your chest so there is a feeling of…warmth.”

Erika didn’t know it. But Raz thought the day when her day as a target of many of the squire males was not that far off.

Ngh…you get the data?

Go teach your grandmother to suck eggs, flatfoot. I am reinforcing your skirt’s Harmonix and compiling now.

How’s LUCID?

Like I said, I’m working on it.

The data, what are we looking at?

Cliff notes version? You scored 33%.

Better than usual.

Unless he was giving you the loose round, he let something slip. Taking him off the planet actually weakened him and induced vulnerability. Won’t be so easy next time, but at least we know. However, his ability to weaken and “kill” things he touches wasn’t effected. So you can take away his Kevlar, but not his Ruscoe.

So that’s one place I was right and I was wrong, what’s the last one?

Stop being lazy. You tell me.

I’m trying to keep my rib cage out of my lungs here…all right…it’s gotta be Lied Ordus. He hadn’t ever seen my draw before. Combining the light of the sword with my technique should Pierce defenses, but he caught up to it just fine. At minimum then, the guess that he would be weak to a holy attack because of his curse, that was wrong. He might actually be strong to them instead.

See? You can do it. He isn’t used to having to defend himself, and still kept up with you despite an unknown technique and you covered in all our spellwork. It’s worth noting you were trying to make a target of yourself and might have cut through if you hadn’t been trying to occupy his attention for your skirt, but even with that, he is likely not effected by the sword. Fortunately, the reverse is also true.

That was and had been a significant source of relief for the bard. It had taken a few attempts to return the Song of Sunrise to its lacquered sheathe.

And it was noticeable, the sword's golden light had begun to dim, thrumming with a subdued cadence. However, this was not due to Cain’s assault. It was merely a result of having been used enough to reduce it down to simply enough charge to maintain its status as a holy sword. Using it any further would reduce it to a simple lump of iron. At this point it would be better to keep its last bit of light within the blade for its ability to steady his Tamer abilities, should the DTG be otherwise occupied.

Merlin’s incalculable gift showed its worth again it seems. A lesser weapon would have broken or damaged by a single pass of the curse.

Without needing to be told, Erika had taken to foot in the direction of the other battle. Raz amusingly noted that following them was a certain rolling skull. There was no time to rest. There were still foes to be dealt with, and allies to save.

One of whom was his sister.

Raz forced the thought from his mind with a pained grimace. What was especially annoying was Raz actually had two separate means of getting back to his feet. If he could start the song of battle, his natural regeneration would kick in, at least enough to be able to run unsupported.

Unfortunately, this was actually a weaponized version of his own willpower, crystalized into reality. And he could not utilize such without the stage. More importantly though, there was a reason why, during the early days of his novitiate that he had been considered for a prospective shift to the church.

Namely, Raz knew the Dia spell line.

Dia spells were quite powerful. With a single word, Raz could cast Diaharan and restore himself to complete fighting fitness. Hell, he could even cheat with the song and completely restore all his allies, in a way even of envy to someone casting Mediaharan. Diaharan, the single target healing spell, was more powerful than it’s multi use counterpart, but Raz could target multiple allies with his by converting it with the Song.

So why didn’t he? It was simple. Raz might have found a way to maximize the spells potential, he had no way to avert its greatest weakness. Because of the impact of using a heal, the COMP casting it would be able to manifest less magic before overheating. At least not without repair. Therefor he only had one real cast in him before being rendered impotent, and even one usage would sharply hinder his ability to get a spell rotation going.

So, if he was going to only have one cast, he absolutely wasn’t going do so until he could be sure Ada Stone was one of the targets. In the meantime, there were worse fates then being held by a cute squire.

“Hurry…” the black-haired knight said, lolling his head back.

WISE UP!

Heat: vented!
DTG action: Harmonix

Special ability revealed!
Harmonix (DTG Ability): Use sound-wave theory to alter sound into a phenomena capable of slightly re-stabilizing the Harmonizer Fields of allied units. Cannot be used alongside other COMP actions.

[Airen]

Raz Stone
???
??/??/????

"...Yeah, I know, I know."

A determined sprint through these strange wastelands.

Leaving the method of movement to your squire, the usual abrasiveness that normally exists inside of the voice of Erika Winters has been overwhelmed by a simple, pure feeling of absolute fatigue. It had been a long day for not just you, but for the others as well, one filled to the brim with opponents that lay far beyond the usual expectations of a Tamer's daily life, special sorts of battles that were more meant to happen once in a blue moon, rather then multiple times over the course of a couple of hours... The arms that hold you up are trembling slightly as a result of this fatigue, the lithe muscles of her arms shaking with a lack of energy, a sign of a body that just wanted to stop for awhile, rather then continue on recklessly, nevertheless...

She is a squire.

No... She is a Tamer.

Defense of others is in her blood, the others of your group were still in some sort of danger (or so implied everything you had seen on the way here) so she couldn't rest until that issue was taken care of, one way or another, thus...

Through the wastelands.

She moves on foot, one arm holding up you, the other eventually grabbing hold of the (surprisingly nimble) skull of a certain demon whose body had been more or less destroyed by Cain's magics. In terms of pace, the speed with which Erika moves is about as fast as expected, a supernatural glide across black mud and sand, not on the level of her final rush against Cain, but fast enough that she would have kept pace with the stage in a race. In her current condition it's the best she can manage, willpower or no willpower, and the shaky jolts of each stride across the sands agitate your wounds, a constant flickering pain that returns you to reality every five seconds or so...

A hazy journey.

A struggle for all involved, but one that you make nonetheless.

"..."

---You arrive at a battlefield, or rather, the remains of a battlefield.

The bodies of countless creatures made of that soul-eating black mud litter the ground, accompanied by the strange sight of what appear to be porcelain masks, scattered all the way from the now-fallen stage to the edges of the visible horizon, giving those without a face one of their own. Judging by how the piles grow steadily higher the closer to the fallen stage you get, it seems that that was the epicenter of the destruction, a 360 degree battle where infinite creatures had poured in from all sides to assault the living, a stark contrast to how docile the mud had been -still was- around you, but...

Thankfully the living were still the living...

While the stage had apparently crashed for some reason, you could recognize the unconscious forms of those atop it... There was the vampire, who was slumped up against the back wall, hands coated in that strange muck, Dejah, embodying the aspect of a fallen princess, pristine form untouched by the muck around her as if it naturally repelled it, and-

"...!"

-Ada, who seems to be hanging unconscious from the stage lights, chains of that strange black mud wrapped around her arms and legs, giving her the appearance of a puppet on unmoving strings... Left hand clutching at her head in what seems like frozen pain, while her right hand...

Was still tightly clutching her COMP, which even now has it's business end lodged in the decimated form of one of the strange monsters, the pile of them below her on the stage giving off the appearance that she was sitting on top of a mountain of corpses she had personally made...

Or rather...

Shadows.

This black mud does seem similar in nature to those sorts of apparitions after all, nevertheless...

"..."

...When it comes to the conscious, there are only two in the area.

Two staring at each other over what seemed like a table constructed from this same black mud...

Zerah -who seems less then pleased with the person across from him, but is choosing to bear that emotion for some reason- and-

"...And those are my terms. Easy, right?"

-a bookish looking man who seemed to be in his early twenties.

One who seems more or less harmless at a glance, or at least, he would...

If not for the fact that his reiki signature seems to be the same as everything around you right now.

The floors, the sky, the slain monsters, the mud, the air...

All of it.

---His presence engulfs all of it, like it's just an extension of himself.

Nevertheless, Zerah seems more annoyed then worried right now, and seems to be...

Engaged in parley?

Perhaps you had walked in during a ceasefire?

Still...

Neither of them look at you as Erika stops at the outskirts to assess the situation, although you're not sure if that's just because they haven't sensed you, or...

Neither of them are willing to look away from the other one.

Negotiations between supernaturals are often like that...

[Airen]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt Estate
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"..."

If it was possible for an eyebrow to pierce the heavens, then the look Lara gives you at the end of your speech was one that would shoot God down from his throne. It's the expression of someone who isn't quite sure what to make of what you were saying... Which probably wasn't too surprising, considering how you were definitely beating around the bush in a few places there, but-

"...Their... Names?"

-in the end, she seems to focus on this fact.

The implication behind what LUCID was...

"Do you mean Liesl?"

A genuine question, one that sends a feeling of wrong shooting across the surface of her thoughts as what she knows about a certain gestalt sibling of yours doesn't match up with what you do...

She tilts her head-

"We only have the one younger sister, right? You're saying she's this LUCID character?"

-then frowns.

"She's at school right now... What do you mean not friendly...? You two were getting along just fine the other day..."

---A topic that threatens to manifest as a migraine. Mostly because you were confused about this whole 'rewriting of history' thing yourself, but-

"...Geez."

-before that particular conversation can go any further along-

"You guys are loud as hell..."

A certain familiar figure...

Steps out of the door you had been heading towards, shuts it behind her a slight kick -the sound of a lock twisting in it's place as she does- and-

"...Since when do we talk so much in the halls? You morons are definitely gonna get eaten by something if you keep that up."

-shamelessly acts as if this situation isn't completely insane.

[Bloble]

Daisuke
Brewed Awakenings, Aoyama
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour

"Ah."

The fae arrives as he usually does, sitting himself down next to Daisuke as if they were old friends. That he's taken Chris' form makes it all the weirder.

"So? What dark mystery is being discussed right now? I am in a... Particularly good mood~"

"Um. It's, y'know. The whole 'dream you don't remember' thing. And the moon. And... a buncha stuff, really."

Contrasting Robin's cheer, Daisuke's response lacks energy.

It's a headache, alright. Not that COMPs can get such a thing. But if he were a human, the whole mess of unanswered mysteries and dire circumstances would have had his brain boiling. Even the calming atmosphere of a friendly coffee shop can only penetrate so deep into a youngster's troubled thoughts.

"I'm... sure your summoner will be pleased."

Chris must be alright, at least, if Robin is here doing his thing cheerfully. That's something to be happy about, right? Yet the feeling of relief refuses to come.

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Karlfeldt Estate
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

"...Liesl."

Ludwig speaks her name, almost as if unsure. An effort to voice out her name as if doing so would bring to mind memories of old. A test of recognition, and while human minds are quick, desperate even, to create memories where none exist, it certainly sounds right.

Some worries assuaged, the Heir of Unity steps up to LUCID, titling his head somewhat as he considers the time and place. Questions regarding her schooling, the memories the three of them should be sharing, and whether the other souls are able to 'speak up' as it were can wait.

"We were just looking for you, it's... good to see, really."

Despite the events that happened when these siblings last met, the tone of Ludwig's statement is genuine, a ghost of a smile appearing through his usual unmoving expression.

"Though yes, we're currently being hunted by some... thing that takes the shape of one's fear. Most likely it has taken on a different form than Ida now, presumably..."

He looks over at Lara, remembering the final words spoken by the nightmare. Of a haunting memory that could not be bested.

One that may be a problem very soon, should it be allowed entry in this house of monsters.

"...We need to wake up, any idea if 'overcoming' the manifested trauma works for that purpose?"

Given her nature as an Alchera, dreams should be something she is much better versed in than either him or Lara. If nothing else LUCID might be reliable as far as safeguarding Lara is concerned, as she is still affected by this rewriting of events.

Ludwig however... does not fall under that umbrella. A fact Liesl almost certainly has caught up on, if she could hear their previous conversation.