Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Ayra's Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Night

“Yeah,” Ayra says, almost seamlessly switching to “perfect teacher” mode. She’s not the type to burden her squires with her own opinions and problems. Besides, can she really explain her circumstances with Aislynn? Obviously not. No, normally, this would be just fine, but…

You need to set things straight.

Now? No way. It’s not a good time.

With the way you do things, there will never be a good time!

Look. We can do it when we get this “saving the world” business over with!

We weren’t saving the world before and you never did it then!

dsakjfkjlsahf

Ayra puts a hand to her forehead as she tries to blot out Aster’s moralizing. There are things that need to be prioritized, like uncomfortable conversations she does not want to have with her junior. Please, for the love of all that is holy, let Asuka pick up the vibe somehow.

“Did you need me for something, Asuka?”

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Brighter Days ~ Yuriko's Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"... Yeah, I'll definitely be dead if I just straight up tell her."

Blaise grimaced at the thought.

The idea of having to explain to Aunt Yuka what he had decided, and where he was going... it would not go over well. Everyone else in his household, yes, but his aunt was a different sort of beast. A "beast" was a good word to use in certain events, actually. If he wasn't careful, she'd either block him from leaving altogether, or chase after him and probably catch him before he could even exit Tokyo.

... Which meant that Blaise would probably need to arrange a diversion.

Wonder if uncle Kazuya was around?

If he was, something could be arranged, perhaps, that lovey-dovey pair was each other's blind spot after all...

"Well, I'll figure something out. Just gotta keep quiet before I make a dash for freedom. I mean, she's in the neighboring district, so even talking this loud might be giving away my plan..." Blaise said, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. "... But I'll definitely need a distraction. Just gotta see what I have at hand to use."

Looking at his reflection, or rather, seeing through and thinking of the immediate future, Blaise found - weirdly enough - that the relaxing sensation was winning over what embarrassment he had felt. Indeed, without even really realizing it, the boy closed his eyes, sighed, and leaned into Yuriko's hands a little bit.

"But before that, I need to go see Ane-san," he continued. "I need to tell her too. Plus... there are some things I need to check."

Yes, Ane-san should know.

But with all the new revelations, he also had some questions for her.

... Including few about a certain maid.

[Airen]

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

Retaliation comes swiftly.

While you had made an effort to only verbalize the worst bits of your past few statements outside of the reach of a certain younger sister of yours, it seems that the dark-haired girl had been actively waiting for something like that to slip from your lips, listening and waiting, as could be evidenced by the way you suddenly find your head being gripped in the palm of one of her hands-!

"Hey now, hologram or not, I'm gonna need you to cut the sexual harassment, understand~?"

A sing-song voice, full of an ice-cold tranquil fury, accompanied by the disgusted face of a younger sibling that has to deal with a perverted elder one, that is, a face that was similar to the one she might make when looking at an overflowing trash can in a kitchen...!

She'd made sure to go straight for your hair too, holding it in her hands and making a cutting motion with two of her fingers-!

A threat-!

---No worse of one than normal mind you, but a threat nonetheless-! How had she heard you? Magical reinforcement? Had the COMP told on you instinctively? She had certain gone bright red at the comments at the end and sort of shut-down like she had been stunned before she could answer your questions, but-

"Mokujima Chris is just a friend of mine, no pictures, we never met IRL."

-when she does speak up, you can tell that last bit is a lie. She speaks with a sort of slow hesitation, like she wasn't sure what parts of something she should be talking about, or was still some form of stunned from your presence, but either way, her claims of having never met this Chris in person are certainly a falsehood...

She had started nervously playing with her own digital hair right around then...

"She's a big fan of yours though, we meant to go to one of your concerts once, but well... Didn't work out..."

She shrugs, refusing to elaborate further, of course when it comes to Ada (who maintains her vice-like grip on your head) she's finally gotten around to thinking about your earlier questions, since her efforts towards slapping down a pervert aren't as necessary when she already has you grappled, and...

"Sefirot? Tif'eret?"

She frowns, although her voice remains as cool as always.

"Aren't those both like... Kabbalah concepts? Tree of Life stuff?"

The frown deepens...

"Pretty sure they are... Something to do with being emanations from God? Eyn sof I think he's called?"

...and then she shrugs.

"Never been one for the religious stuff, always skipped church on Sunday, you should know that much right?"

Smirking at you here, she brushes some of her hair from her eyes with her other hand, the one that had been holding your head remaining steadfast in it's duty.

"But... Some sort of mass sickness, huh? This... RCS thing?"

Surprisingly, hearing about it doesn't seem to affect her much; of course Ada had always been relatively stable, so perhaps that's not really surprising?

"Can't say I've heard of it before, but I do know an Alexia Wright... She's... Well, she's an NWAB Tamer, one of the many geniuses living up on that moon base of theirs..."

NWAB.

New World Administrative Bureau.

The Tamers with global jurisdiction, the best of the best at combating the supernatural, and the Tamer Organization that specialized in handling the crimes committed by former Tamers... In other words, the NWAB was the organization that was meant to keep the other four in check, on the straight and narrow...

"She's a hyper-energetic weirdo who... Sort of vaguely hits on everyone around her?"

A pause.

"...I'd say she reminds me of someone, but you're way more blatant about it."

The harshness of a sibling-!

---

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Ayra's Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Night

"Uh..."

Asuka blinks in mild confusion at you.

"Weren't we going to investigate the Clock Tower tonight?" She gestures at herself, or more specifically, at the fact that she has put on her old university uniform, "I'm all dressed up for the esoteric nonsense. Maybe it'll come to nothing, but magic is all about symbolism, so I figure it's worth a try, right?"

---You can feel only the slightest hints of embarrassment from her.

Of course she was younger than you, and thus not nearly as removed from her uniform days; she looks exactly the same in it now as she had back then really, so it was a lot easier for her to pull off, but...

The lack of shame... It's sorta impressive...

"Headmaster Emma sent me to get you, said she's ready on her end as well, something about looking forward to it since it'd been ages since she did any field work..."

The girl chuckles awkwardly, perhaps as a result of feeling an odd vibe from you? There's some other people out in the halls now, students heading to their rooms, and standing out amongst them as an alumni in their uniform probably also feels a bit awkward to her, maybe even the source of the mild sense of shame, but...

Whatever the case...

"You can sit it out if you're feeling sick though, no worries."

She smiles at you.

"You only got out of the hospital a bit ago, so it's fine to rest if you need to! No need to worry! Being someone that you can rely on is my duty as your squire!"

---What a pure girl.

---

Blaise Pendragon
Brighter Days ~ Yuriko's Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Well, in terms of distractions, it's her day to help out in the kitchen over here for lunch, so if you make a break for it at noon you might be able to escape."

The girl's advice comes casually, but with the seriousness inherent to all who understood exactly what sort of person your Aunt Yuka was, that is...

Yes...

A beast was probably the best term for it. She was like... A manifestation of maternal instincts, warm, loving and protective, someone who would defend her house and family with every drop of strength in her body and then some, but...

To a sort of scary degree sometimes?

If the house had a hierarchy, a chain of command, then well...

Yuka sat at the top.

Even your mom went along with her demands most of the time, what Yuka says is what goes in that house, and her opinion on a spiritual journey like this?

Absolutely not.

No way.

It was the middle of the school year-! Go do your homework young-man-!

You can almost hear it now.

Still-!

Warm water runs through your hair, dexterous fingers beginning the process of shampooing, scent of Eucalyptus drifting through the air along with a series of small bubbles.

She hadn't lied... The practiced way she was moving around really made it seem like she did this sort of thing for other people a lot... Must come with the caretaker role?

"You mean... Ryuumonbuchi-Sensei, right?"

The girl asks slowly, her words echoing in the closed chamber of the bathroom.

"Should be easy enough to do."

The water stops for a moment.

"She stayed over here last night, came to train the kids, or so she said... Think she's asleep in one of the guest rooms downstairs."

The sound of a phone dialing suddenly interrupts the atmosphere-!

"Want me to call her? We could shoot two birds with one stone?"

---Wake her up?

---Let her see you like this?

---Danger...?!

[Rafflesiac]

Logan Starbright
SLEIPNIR - Flight Deck
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Evening

The weight is palpable. The midnight waters grab Logan, squeezing him like colossal hands attempting to wring out every last breath from his soaked body. He can feel his ribs creak in the unrelenting grip of the nightmare’s countless tons. The shrill howl of the wind fades away and the vague outlines of the clouds shrouding the sky grow ever fainter as the lake greedily tugs Logan downward. In a few short moments, the nightmare will swallow him entirely. All that’s left will be darkness. He won’t even be allowed to scream.

But you’re not going to let yourself get snuffed out so easily, are you Starbright? You’re used to the darkness. To bearing the weight. Logan narrows eyes viewing a future he’s all too ready to deny. And most of all - he recalls the resolved gaze of the girl determined to surpass her fear - I’m not alone, so I can’t fall here. His grip tightens on Amelia, and strength surges through his body.

: I’m launching us in one.

: Got it. I’m making my move.

Logan’s gaze falls on the Alcheringa, now floating in the darkness like a stringless puppet. There’s no point in theorizing about its shift in demeanor. The situation is simple: He has strength to spare, and an enemy within reach.

Logan kicks through the water with the force of a torpedo to seize his foe in an iron grasp. The very next moment, Amelia launches them toward the surface with an explosive burst of gale winds!

---

Spoiler:

Spells Selected: Garu line, ???, Tarukaja, Eye of the Fates, ???, ???
Spells Used: Tarukaja
Support Magus: Garudyne
Auto Skill: Revitalize
Heat: 5/10

[Airen]

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

"..."

Silence.

For a few painful, awkward moments, the only thing that comes from the other two is silence. It's an ambiguous sort of quiet, one that could just as easily be from shock of you speaking so energetically all of a sudden as it could be from a reaction to your rather silly idea, but...

"...Hmm."

Eventually, Daniel makes a sound of genuine contemplation, shattering the anxiety slowly building up inside of you-!

"Dreamcatcher huh?"

He chuckles-

"Spider-Web Charm... Bwaajige ngwaagan. Dream snare."

-and his eyes light up.

"That is... Well, that very well could work actually, perhaps not the mass-produced sorts, but one that's existed for a long time, a genuine artifact made with the traditional techniques-!"

He laughs, but thankfully it seems to be sincere laughter-!

"I did overlook that possibility! Magics of that area retain a bit more mystery than other types, America ultimately leans more into the science and aliens direction nowadays, but they do have the most famous nightmare-catching amulet-!"

For once he sounds his actual age, that of a young man rather than a wizened parent type, and Sofia, who herself seems rather stunned at the direction this is going, nevertheless coughs into a fist and tries her best to keep up with the two of you-!

"...We do have some antique stores here in LOVELESS, although Native American relics... Well, like Daniel said, they're a bit more rare so I can't guarantee we'll be able to find one..."

Her voice sounds apologetic, one hand coming up to brush hair from her eyes.

"The size part shouldn't be an issue though, we can just enlarge it's physical form through magic if we can find a proper relic, use it like Solomon did his binding circles, trap and interrogate, although..."

She snaps her fingers.

"There are some demons that specialize in dealing with nightmares too, right? Like a Baku? Or to go along with the Dreamcatcher idea... The Asibikaashi? Could be useful if we could find something like them too, although I'm not sure where you'd look for them other than generally in the Demon Server, which is a bit too big for random searching..."

Daniel frowns.

"...The Server is quite large indeed, loves to rearrange itself too, it's been a few years since I've been inside myself so my mental map is no good anymore, but..."

The frown becomes a smile as he glances at you, eyes sparkling in the dim lights of the restaurant building...

"I've heard the higher ranking angels keep track of those movements... Do you know any angels like that, my dear?"

It's quite the request.

A higher ranking angel, huh?

Well... Now that you thought about it...

There was one you knew, wasn't there?

[palad1n]

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

'Oh my God I can't believe this might actually work.'

'As I said, any idea that could give us the advantage, no matter how stupid it might seem, would be worth a try!'

As she listened to Daniel and Sofia entertaining the idea, Cosmos found the image of JESTER being rendered powerless as he was caught in an extra-large Dreamcatcher both disturbing and amazing. She's honestly not sure if she likes it, but the humiliation inflicted on the clown might be worth it...

Sofia suggesting to enlist the aid of demons that specializes in dealing with nightmares is also a good idea. She wouldn't say no to anything that will increase their chances against such nefarious beings like the Alchera.

"I've heard the higher ranking angels keep track of those movements... Do you know any angels like that, my dear?"

Broken out of her musing, Cosmos gives a nod at the inquiry.

"I know one, yes: Miss Lailah. She's an angel that basically acts like a mother most of the time, and while I'm not sure of her exact rank, I'm quite confident that she's a pretty high-ranking angel. We've met and interact enough times to be acquainted with each other I suppose."

This also reminds her that her last encounter with Lailah was when she chased the motherly angel around the Vatican to return a feather she dropped, before Lailah decided to let her keep it with a smile...

"I can try to look for her and ask if we're really going to do this."

[Tobias]

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

“Toots, you gotta go for an artery if you are gonna cut something. You cut his hair, and three ticks from now the prevailing fashion in Avalon will be to look like One Kick Man.” The old COMP referenced a certain popular manga series notable for its protagonist’s “unique” look.

The manifestation of the Detective COMP had prudently moved at least it’s avatar out of the immediate line of fire when the show started, but now, tipping his fedora further over his face as though to hide underneath its shadow, the Detective COMP around himself once more asserting for his wielder’s actions.

Indeed, despite the extremely significant and daily ritual Raz went through maintaining his image, in particular his hair, he didn’t seem as perturbed as one might expect.

Rather like Knight of the Wind, Raz had an impossible natural charisma and beauty that was impossible to recreate no matter how much effort was made. Unlike her, he also had the honed, focused type that was only gained through relentless effort and experience. An untidy haircut, or even worse, baldness was certainly not nothing.

Was his easy grin a bluff? Did he perhaps, as the DTG ruefully believed, possess the ability to make such a thing the height of fashion? Or was it…

…Simply…

His noticing something that was more important?

”Harassment? Nonsense! I was just creating a chance for skinship! It’s skinship, you see?” The black haired man said blithely, if that somehow explained everything. “I sign her chest, then she takes it to her friend, then her friend has to get her hands everywhere, and. Before you know it, everyone has gotten muuuuuch closer! That’s the power of skinship!”

…it was right around then that the DTG made use of a hitherto never before seen emote wherein he raised the top of his fedora with two fingers…but when he settled it back down, it continued going down, impossible scooping his entire body with it further and further down till there was nothing left but his right hand and part of his shoes.

….which quickly also vanished inside, leaving nothing but an abandoned white hat.

Hey, you remember the Star Studded Concert?

Of course I do. Only you would think about doing a concert on the frikken moon just to flex about how you can fly there using the stage…oh…No. no no no no please tell me you aren’t planning on…

Hey come on, it was fun!

What would be fun is not spending three months debugging our systems because you flew it through a place through a place that deserves the label, “here thar be dragons”.

I bet Ada would be impressed.

I bet Ada would be impressed if you managed to go an entire conversation where she was neither embarrassed or wanted to put a bullet in your craw.

“Sister, heart of my heart, when we get back…what would you say to a little field study? It will be a bit of a trip, but I bet they might have some rare sweets that are out of this world!”

The DTG, unsurprisingly, did not return himself, but a long suffering intermingled grown and sigh did emanate from the direction of the discarded fedora.

”But first, we have a couple of folks in need of a ride, so let’s get this show on the road!”

[Airen]

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

"..."

Somehow, in spite of lacking the bullet holes from last time, the expression Charlotte makes at the tiny fairy-like being whacking her on the head is exactly the same as it had been on the ship, namely-

"..."

-a bizarre mixture of disbelief, mild annoyance, but also acceptance, like it was forgivable because of the sheer difference in size between the two of them, still-!

"It's dream logic, by it's nature it doesn't really have to make sense... No one really questions dreams while inside of them, it's that sort of thing. You could have a nightmare of a car crash, go through the front windshield and land in the vegetable section of a grocery store in a dream and not question a thing about the events, that's the sort of mentality people often have in dreams. So things like this are well... I suppose it's to be expected when in conflict with dream demons."

Ultimately she just sighs as she answers the question, eyes glancing up at the temporarily mended cracks in the ceiling, before returning to you and Hiyori.

"As for me... Well, it'd take a bit more than burying me underwater to kill me." She smiles confidently at the both of you, a hint of her usual smugness seeping through the stress of the situation, "I've got a few tricks for getting out of situations like this, personal teleportation devices, shield generators, a few rebreathers, old set of spirit armor from the SDCD's feudal era, personal ship..."

She lists these things off casually, tapping at her suit jacket as she does as if all of these things would fit underneath it... Of course, the ability to digitize certain items made it a lot easier to carry things around in the modern era, but the mention of a ship was enough for you to want to raise an eyebrow...

Bit too big that one, not feasible even in data form (at least as far as you knew) but-!

"That being said... It feels like this situation is supposed to make us run away, right?"

She shoots a question your way-

"Sorta like setting a timer on a base's self destruct, they're choosing a slow way to try to take us out..."

-glances at the door-

"Almost like taking us out isn't the point, it's almost like they just want us to leave here on a knee-jerk escape reaction, which sort of makes me want to stick around and see what I can see-"

-and falls suddenly silent, as her eyes lock onto something lurking in the darkness outside the room.

Your eyes follow.

Naturally follow, and-

-witness an impossibility.

A very familiar sight, a hulking suit of armor, but one that definitely shouldn't be possible in this context.

Yes...

"..."

It says nothing, it's figure almost perfectly in sync with the darkness around it, making it unclear exactly how long it's just been standing out there...

"..."

Watching you.

"...Oh dear."

Says Charlotte after a moment.

"Things might get violent after all."

[Kuroyuki]

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

As Hiyori and I repair the leaking ceiling, Ms. Charlotte starts explaining the spontaneity and illogical nature of what is occurring right now.

"It's dream logic, by it's nature it doesn't really have to make sense... No one really questions dreams while inside of them, it's that sort of thing. You could have a nightmare of a car crash, go through the front windshield and land in the vegetable section of a grocery store in a dream and not question a thing about the events, that's the sort of mentality people often have in dreams. So things like this are well... I suppose it's to be expected when in conflict with dream demons."

We finish our work nearly at the same time as Ms. Charlotte’s explanation ends. I slowly float downwards as I think carefully about what she said. Meanwhile Hiyori begins to zip around Ms. Charlotte before floating in front of her while furiously nodding as if everything made sense.

“I guess that makes sense… Even if things are absurd in the dream, you don’t typically realize how absurd the dream is until you wake up…”

‘Oh like the occasional dream I have where I’m the Tamer and Ross is my COMP!’

And that would be incredibly illogical as Hiyori only showed up a week after I showed up on the SLEIPNIR. At the very least, it would create some kind of weird paradoxical situation.

"As for me... Well, it'd take a bit more than burying me underwater to kill me. I've got a few tricks for getting out of situations like this, personal teleportation devices, shield generators, a few rebreathers, old set of spirit armor from the SDCD's feudal era, personal ship..."

‘Wait have you been holding out on us Ms. Smug?! Teleportation device?! Pre-COMP Spirit Armor?! Personal Ship!? You don’t have to show them all off but at least let me see the Pre-COMP Spirit Armor set! It’s gotta be so cool!’

“Sorry about this… You don’t have to explain everything if you don’t want to worry about security leaks. Since your enemies can always plan around your tricks if they know enough about them and you...”

While Hiyori gushes about the insane preparedness of Ms. Charlotte, I hold her back from hugging her. While I’m sure she wouldn’t mind… Given her earlier reaction to Hiyori playfully hitting her over and over again. It’s not polite or exactly the right place for us to be going through an exhibition of Ms. Charlotte’s gadgets. Granted I did wonder how she managed to fit a personal ship on her? Even if she were to digitally compress the ship into a device, the device still tended to be noticeable upon carrying it. Some proprietary digital compression algorithm? Instantaneous creation of a pre-created blueprint? Teleportation of the vehicle in question?

"That being said... It feels like this situation is supposed to make us run away, right? Sorta like setting a timer on a base's self destruct, they're choosing a slow way to try to take us out..."

‘Well if they’re going to abide by the standard movie villain conventions, then why don’t we let them? I mean we can even start running at the last minute as the water surges behind us! Dramatically closing the door right before the water catches us!’

I mulled it over a bit longer before answering.

“Maybe they’re trying to force us to fight in unfavorable conditions? Like if we chose to escape from here, we have to leave this room via the hallway or let the water break the ceiling. And assuming we take the ceiling, you have to abandon us or choose something like your personal vehicle or spirit armor. If you chose your personal vehicle, Hiyori and I might have to defend it. If you choose your Spirit Armor, we have to worry about heat and reiki.”

Maybe our opponent was an underwater specialist? Or they’re trying to bait us into the hallway? But why? The chokehold point of a hallway benefits both us and them. Them because they can keep it sealed. Us because it's easy to predict where attacks will come from.

"Almost like taking us out isn't the point, it's almost like they just want us to leave here on a knee-jerk escape reaction, which sort of makes me want to stick around and see what I can see-"

I notice that Ms. Charlotte suddenly stopped speaking and started focusing on something back in the hallway. I started focusing on where she was looking and… what was in front of me was an impossibility. A very familiar impossibility. Without a thought, I position myself between my group and the suit of very familiar armor standing in the dark hallway.

“...”

“...”

It stood there silently staring at me while I stared at it.

"...Oh dear. Things might get violent after all."

‘Wait! Wait! Before things get violent, could we just be coming across one of those Destruction of Sequential Phenomenon? Since that scary looking thing over there is Ross… Well I guess Ross in full Henshin Spirit Armor mode, but still her! I think! Maybe she’s the fake Ross from earlier?’

That’s right… In front of me was a Me when I used my Spirit Armor…

[Airen]

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

"...Yes."

The maid continues to smile her otherworldly smile, her pale skin coming alive beneath the silver light of the moon in the outdoor sky.

"Yes, I suppose it does."

Having chosen to delay your body's flight response for the purpose of trying to talk to this maid one last time, to explain to her exactly what was going on inside of your head, a part of you expects to have to come to blows with her now. She'd leap at you or something along those lines, crimson eyes burning with that mystical light that all vampires seem to possess...

Yes.

Vampire.

You're almost certain of it now.

The eye color, the way her body seemed to look more alive in the moonlight, the fact that you haven't registered her heart beat a single time throughout this conversation, the pronounced canines in her mouth and the graceful hands that seem to end in razor points, nails that are far more like claws than anything a human should possess, yes...

Probably a vampire, or at least some other notable form of undead being...

Such a nature would even explain the sudden urge you had felt to run, android or not, your mind and body had been designed to replicate that of a human; human beings are the natural prey of vampires, and thus the natural instinct born from years of genetic memory is to flee, run from the apex predators that stalk the night, but...

You don't run.

She doesn't chase you either.

There are no sudden dashes, no explosion of killing intent, no attempt to charm you with her gaze...

She just stares at you for awhile after agreeing with your words, looking at you with eyes that are no longer amused but inquisitive, as if she actually doesn't understand why you had chosen to stand your ground here, before...

"..."

...Sighing out-loud to herself. Along with that sigh comes the lowering of shoulders as muscles relax, the body that had been poised to advance instead just stops in place, straightening out her body to once again acquire that immaculate posture of the head maid of a household, and-

"Another young woman that found her way here told me something similar... That she wanted to find out what was going on, so she could make sure it wasn't ripped away from her."

-she speaks, the urge to run leaving you now that it seems she's decided not to attack you for some reason...

"I gave that girl the key you're looking for."

She says bluntly, hints of a sympathetic smile crossing her features.

"I think she still has it now. That room is where Lady Liesl met that Ancient God, so going inside of it may also lead one to a meeting with that God... But it is also the room where her trauma is at it's highest, those that enter may be challenged or swallowed up by it... Is that an acceptable risk to you?"

[Airen]

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

"..."

Shuichi takes a few moments to answer.

On his end of things, the storm outside has only gotten worse; lightning splits the sky, interrupting the low roar of rampaging winds with the catastrophic explosion of nearby thunderclaps. Of course, a storm doesn't mean much to a Tamer if that's all that they have to deal with, and the youthful Ace certainly doesn't seem bothered by it as he moves across the rooftops, his search for invisible enemies both methodical and thorough, going so far as to search other buildings to make sure that no one is hiding inside of them, but...

Eventually...

"...Yeah, I know both of them."

His voice comes over the line as a sort of grunt.

"Akiko looks a bit different from usual... Did something with her hair, but her reiki signature is the same."

He doesn't comment on your theory just yet, instead seeming to decide that answering your last question is the most prudent of the problems facing you.

"The guy is... Well he calls himself Vincent most of the time, but... I'm pretty sure his actual name is Dumuzid."

Dumuzid?

As in the Mesopotamian God...?

"He shows up in these buildings a lot as a bartender, likes to work the night shifts, so his presence here isn't impossible, but..."

While you can't see it, you can more or less feel the Ace's expression slowly shift towards a frown as he works all of this over in his head...

"...Well."

He finally thinks to you.

"If we did get pulled into some sort of alternate dimension or layer... A Deity would probably have an easy enough time following us, someone impersonating them is also a crime they don't typically overlook... So it's probably safe to assume this one is the genuine article."

He doesn't tell you to run away, so it seems like he doesn't think it's necessary, but...

A God working as a bartender?

This situation did seem a little too safe, and that would make sense if this was a literal case of divine intervention, but if that was the case...

It raises the question of why...

Most Gods weren't like Yamuna, they were typically far more proud beings...

After all, to be a God is to exist above others... They were beings borne from the collective unconscious to rule over certain aspects of reality, so the pride is simply a natural consequence of that, nevertheless...

"...We're not dangerous. These shops are always a safe place. It's part of the store policy."

Says the God (?) in question, slowly raising his hands as if to show he doesn't have any weapons.

---Of course, if he was a God, then his existence itself was a weapon and he wouldn't need anything other than himself to crush most beings...

But he doesn't look dangerous to you...

As for Akiko, who has frozen in the doorway in the back...

"...Understood. One moment please, I was never the best at this coding stuff!"

...Her COMPs voice comes off as cheerful, in spite of the clear suspicion being thrown it's way.

And, well...

Her words can be taken a few ways.

[Airen]

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

"...No. I don't think so."

Charlotte says simply, her eyes narrowing at the armor in the hallway.

"If that was the case, there'd be another one of that girl inside of it, a physical body, but that armor..."

From her coat she withdraws a gun of some sort, a single-action revolver, judging by the distinct clicking sound it makes as she draws the hammer back. The drawing of the gun is a smooth, practiced motion, the sort that again marks this girl as a rather odd member of what should be a high-class family... People in her sort of position do not often fight themselves, they have people to fight for them, and the sheer coldness in the motion, the flow from unarmed to armed, gun lining up at the head automatically, finger just off the trigger, she's definitely the sort that's used to this...

And just doesn't mind putting a bullet in anyone.

"...Is empty."

Nevertheless...

"It's just a fragment of will."

Her words do illuminate the situation a little, or perhaps make it more confusing?

Regardless...

If the armor has noticed her pointing a gun at it, it doesn't show any signs of it. No, ignoring Charlotte entirely, it keeps it's empty gaze locked on Rossweisse even as it steps forward, properly, out of the darkness and into the light of the room, a tall imposing figure, taller than the both of you, a hulking black knight straight from the depths of a fairy tale, who-

"...Give it back."

-Speaks quietly, voice a familiar whisper, but one that was also adorned with all the razor sharpness of a blade...

Give it back?

What?

[Bloble]

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

"Ah, please, take your time."

Daisuke dials down the suspicion a notch. Shuichi's reassurances go a long way. The rest will be handled once he and Akiko's COMP can trade codes and verify each other's identities.

"Then please help me treat her, Mister."

He steps into the place proper, and the sound of the storm changes as he does so. Water strikes not the ground, but glass windows. Daisuke looks about the main area... and matches it accurately to the data he has on the place he last entered. It is no fake. This is certainly the same Brewed Awakenings he and his buddy had had breakfast in, weeks earlier. The one normally staffed by the Vice Director who isn't here right now. Vincent must be the night shift, meaning this 'layer' must have reversed the time of day compared to the normal one; what was once noon has become midnight, a dark hour for foul happenings and ill omens.

Daisuke lays out Lexie on a nearby table, gently so as not to disturb her further. He reopens the connection to Shuichi: "You should come back, Nii-san. If he's really who you say he is, then nothing out there would disturb this place. I'm not confident speaking for us here... and you can verify their identities better. Besides, the storm's getting worse. What if you catch a cold?"

It's things like this that he's certain Namasaki Shuichi would need reminding of. So for Saya's sake-!

The humanoid COMP carefully unwraps the hasty bandage he'd tied around Lexie's arm, readying it to be properly treated.

"Thank you, Mister," he carefully nods his head.

If this unassuming man is a God, then he must also be an unassuming one. Perhaps a shepherd of sorts, tending to his flock of sheep. Or a dreamer who flits between the world of the living and the dead, one whose entire existence is spent crossing into other 'layers' just like this one. No wonder, then, that he would be here. The only question left, then is...

"Um. Akiko-san. How did you end up here? And, uh, when...?"

[Airen]

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

"Mister..."

The man chuckles at the title, one hand going up to sheepishly rub at his messy hair.

"Geez, I really am getting old huh? I look like a mister..."

He feels like a normal, dependable guy.

Perhaps your theory is correct? That a God of his type would be a surprisingly unassuming one, a gentle shepherd of sorts? It's impossible to tell without outright asking, the aura of the man who has turned a sympathetic eye down to the wounded girl is one that grants no answers, no grand sense of reiki, no overbearing pride, just a very human concern for someone that was hurt...

No... Human wasn't specific enough... It was more like...

A fatherly sort of concern?

Regardless...

"...The Shroud, huh? Attacking kids now are they?"

He seems to recognize the situation for what it is without anyone telling him about it directly, warm smile slowly replaced by a sympathetic frown, the regretful look of an adult that has come across a wounded child...

If this is a God in human form, he's really got the emotional range down, there was some clear disgust towards someone hurting human offspring, nevertheless...

Even as he starts to dig through the medical kit (a monster of a thing) presented to him by Akiko, the shrine maiden herself has chosen to stand a bit away from the rest of you, as if not wanting to push the boundaries of what she probably thinks is a rather meager trust. Of course Akiko is mute, she cannot speak and thus can't answer your question with spoken words, but...

She does listen to it.

Her head tilts to the side as you ask it, before tilting the other way as she raises a finger to her chin in an obvious thinking pose, an exaggerated motion from a girl that was used to using the entirety of her body to 'speak' to others... Still, she does know sign language, so she should be able to answer you eventually, and indeed...

After thinking about it for a bit...

She brings her right hand in front of her face, palm open and facing her, fingers spread apart as it descends towards her chin...

Sleep?

She points at herself and repeats the motion, slower this time, so as to make sure you get it, and even adding on a 1 and 2 with her fingers at the end in a manner that was more reminiscent of charades than ASL, but...

I fell asleep after 12.

That seems to be what she's 'saying,' although after that...

She just shrugs? Like she's not sure what happened after that?

But the COMP...

[We wandered around for a bit through empty streets till a weird green-haired fairy lady brought us here, so all in all, a normal enough day I guess.]

Is a bit more verbose thankfully...?

As for Shuichi, that particularly stubborn senpai...

...On the way.

His 'perspective' seems to linger on the bakery for awhile, the place where he had encountered the moon girl just a few minutes ago before...

...

He starts to make his way back.

[Bloble]

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

Installing language pack(s): ASL cluster, JSL cluster
10%...
20%...

"You're not old, Mister. We're just young."

With a small pop, Daisuke shrinks into his smaller form. It is not a smooth transformation. Metal screeches and groans as it shifts to accommodate the transformation, a reminder that the White Shroud's heavy attacks had dealt damage to all of them. Daisuke finds a chair, slips off his shoes, and stands atop it to be able to continue looking at Lexie.

"We're members of the SDCD, not kids. Putting a stop to terrorist elements is part of a Tamer's responsibility."

As sympathetic as he might be, Daisuke has no choice but to gently push back against Vincent's fatherly concern for Lexie. Has the man who might be a shepherd internalized some sort of strange common sense that doesn't exist here? It matters not how old a Tamer or their COMP are; the moment they finish training, age ceases to matter, and they become protectors of humans and demons alike. Something like concern for children should not even enter the equation.

Even so. He's worried about Lexie too.

"How's it look?"

Perhaps the first aid kit will have a miracle in it. Haha.

90%...
100%...
Installation complete.

"Thank you, Akiko-san... no, Akiko-senpai."

Daisuke's fingers twist as he speaks. Mechanically, precisely, testing out the new software he just installed. Sign language is one instance where he finds the limitations of a human-shaped body useful.

"In our case, no sleep was involved. Things changed at the end of our routine morning patrol." Well, routine is pushing it. They were supposed to meet and board a certain ship immediately afterwards.

The COMP scans his database of fairies he has seen, finding... nothing matching the description given. Or rather, too many matches to be useful. Fairies are split between male and female much like humans, and shades of green are very common in their hair colours. There's no way to narrow it down with just that much. The only strange part of the story is the one where a fairy offers assistance for free with no strings attached.

"It's good you weren't affected by the moon earlier, or the fog... we encountered some trouble previously. When you went to sleep, was it twelve in the evening? And when or where did you see that fairy?"

Hopefully Shuichi gets here soon.

[Kuroyuki]

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

"...No. I don't think so. If that was the case, there'd be another one of that girl inside of it, a physical body, but that armor..."

While I was unable to see what Ms. Charlotte pulled out, I could hear the audible pull of a hammer being cocked back. I could only assume that she was using some kind of revolver pistol as I stared at ‘myself’ who slowly walked closer and closer to us.

"...Is empty. It's just a fragment of will."

‘Wait a darn tootin minute Ms. Smug! If that thing is just an equipment with lingering will, then shouldn’t it be more like cursed equipment?! Something that’s unable to move and can only tempt you to do evil things in the search of more power! Instead we’re staring at veritable living armor!’

Hiyori was onto something… Typically anything that was just a lingering spirit in an object wouldn’t be able to move. Either it required a mind to guide that lingering spirit and form a ghost or even a poltergeist type to make an object move freely. The other method was the spirit possessing a physical form which is typically a human body. However, it doesn’t have to be a human body. The lingering spirit can possess anything it wants, but its movement might be impeded by its form. So if the lingering spirit possesses a spirit armor…

“It’s not just a fragment. It’s metastable through its possession of… my spirit armor.”

So this lingering spirit had the means to stay stable enough to pursue its last driving goal… What it was I do-

_{"...Give it back."}

‘I’ speak quietly but with conviction towards me. It left no uncertainty. I will yield whatever ‘I’ wanted or it would take it back by force. I started steeling myself to fight against ‘me’ because instinctively, I felt that it wanted something that I would never ever agree to give. I prepared to trigger my own spirit armor to match ‘myself’ as I said.

“Come and ta-”

‘STOPPPPPPPPP! The both of you!’

However, before I managed to answer myself and trigger my Spirit Armor, Hiyori jumped right in between the two of us. Equidistant to both me and ‘I’.

‘I’m a COMP that enjoys her share of fights, but! But! If Lingering Ross wants to talk, then we should let her! Granted, I still have no idea on what she wants either!’

Lingering Ross? I cocked my head briefly at Hiyori before looking at ‘myself’. I guess Hiyori is right in that, ‘I’ haven’t done anything aggressive. Aside from the attempt to pull me into the hallway, it hasn’t done anything. Especially when I know that it could have rushed us down with how much the Spirit Armor increases physical capabilities, but instead it chose to walk calmly into our view.

‘So uh… Lingering Ross, what is the thing that you want? I promise as a COMP of Justice that if it’s possible, we’ll hand it over or help you out!’

Despite Hiyori’s mediating, I can’t help but feel that ‘my’ price was going to be too high and that ‘I’ was going to take it by force… All I had to do was prepare for when 'I' moved.

[Airen]

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

"...That's right, it's thought to be a defense mechanism of sorts."

No real emotions enter her voice, but her eyes take on a sort of inquisitive light, curious, like she found the way you had decided to answer that question interesting for some reason...

"Information can be dangerous, some bits of knowledge are so devastating that they will destroy the one that holds it. In order to avoid that, sometimes the mind simply chooses to bury it in the mud of your thoughts, because it's the only way you can keep moving forward..."

This you knew, after all, you had just said as much yourself right? As a mundane example, a child might repress memories of abuse so they can continue to function in their day to day life, for a more supernatural one, someone may unconsciously choose to forget something that they saw in order to maintain their own worldview, the mind choosing to disregard things that don't make sense, smooth it over rather than finding the cracks in their personal truths and dealing with the fallout of breaking completely, heck, even LUCID had seemed like the sort of entity that could only attack you once it became 'real,' to you, once you knew about it...

Yes.

Information can certainly be dangerous, but...

That's not the sort of thing that stops this girl right, so...?

"In other words... Some of this is not outside influence, some of this is you unconsciously choosing not to remember these things. It's a demand made by your unconscious for your own sake," she smiles glumly here, "And while I am your mind's version of Lara... I am also a part of you."

...Ah.

So that was it, huh?

"Part of you wants me to try and retrieve your memories... Another part of you demands that I do not... That leaves me in an uncomfortable middle ground..."

She can do anything in this space... But that also applies to stopping herself from succeeding...

In the end, a sort of inconvenient contradiction, yet another manifestation of the flaw in the human condition that was the mind turning on itself. It's like an intrusive thought, the more you try not to think about something the more you think about it, and the harder you try to grasp at memories that seem just out of reach the more elusive they become...

"...So I can only try."

She chuckles, dark hair swaying amidst the frigid white of the falling snow.

"...But if you ask me, I don't think you really need those memories right now anyway."

"There's plenty of leads to follow already, no?"

[Zurvan]

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

---It's strange.

Given the nature of things, shouldn't she already know the answer of the questions she asks?

Shouldn't she be aware of the need of information that Ludwig feels? The desperate clutching at straws of the past in the hopes of gaining an edge. If he could just find out the face he must've seen after being called a cheater, only to have his soul snatched from his body. Or to gain a glimpse of the dire situations that caused all this, what caused Marlene's take over of Xanadu as well as the despair-filled worlds and their torment.

What use is he when the ESPER can't even master his own mind. Left unable to face his past, how could he possibly hope to stand against the future that awaits him.

Yet... as much as he desires this information, perchance the cost of it isn't worth the effort.

And what's more, tasking any version of Lara with finding past memories that left you broken and shattered, can only be hurtful to her. Even if she is but a projection of his mind, it feels inherently wrong.

And so despite the desire for more information, his conscious choice denies it.

"Yeah... yeah you're right."

The emotions within his voice are hard to place. Uncertainty remains whilst empathy drowns out curiosity, but his choice is made. His gaze goes away from the woods, the unconscious, towards the house.

Even if he himself can't gain an edge from the past, perhaps the one who threw him in here could.

"...Burroughs, are you here?"

He takes a step towards the house of horrors.

Back to that fateful door, where the stuff of nightmares lies in wait. And with it, a memory.

Of a voice, of an ally, of an event, that may prove helpful.

...Or the house will inflict yet another soul with cruelty.

[Airen]

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

"...There's no need to find all the answers right away."

In the end, Burroughs does not answer your call, instead, the mental manifestation of your older sibling decides to speak once more... Of course her words don't quite match with your own, instead, it seems that the girl is responding to the things you're thinking, the things you're feeling, another aspect perhaps of her nature as a being born from your consciousness, but...

"For now, you just need to think about what Ludwig Karlfeldt can do right now," she says sternly, voice filled with determination rather than the stoicism that had slowly begun to define it up until now, "I do not think the little one would hint that you should do something for no reason, her hands are tied, she didn't lie to you, and is doing what she can with the rules she must follow..."

Eyes narrow slightly, not an angry look, just a contemplative one...

"If we follow that logic... The Karlfeldts are clearly involved in what's happening right now."

She says it bluntly, but calmly...

"After all, Grandmother knew where to find it, it's a being that she was able to recognize to a degree, even if she was being coy and elusive about it. She knows."

As something born from your thoughts, she can probably only say things that are known to you, but...

"The real me isn't bound to any of your subconscious whims, so she could perhaps help you navigate where I am forced to falter."

"The other kids must know Marlene's name and nature, after all, they were acting as one of her familiars."

...Some of them are things you have already decided to reject.

Getting your family involved is too big a risk after all, right? Even if this Lara suggests it herself because of course she would, even if you know for a fact that Lara Karlfeldt would want to help you out here, it's not something you can bring yourself to do, is it?

But those paths are right there, ones that Ludwig Karlfeldt could easily pursue because of who he is, but-

"There's something on the SLEIPNIR that doesn't belong, that pretends to be something else during the daytime."

-Lara persists in spite of it.

Because she's stubborn, naturally.

"And this whole I'm a zombie, thing you've been thinking for awhile now, I have some words about that young ma-"

But even as her words move from the 'leads' she had been talking about earlier to an examination of your psyche-

"..."

The door to the house in front of you opens, someone unfamiliar steps out, and-

"..."

-freezes in place, as if she hadn't expected to find anyone outside of the house.

"...Sorry. I'm just passing through, don't mind me."

She says after a moment.

As if her presence here was completely normal...

[Zurvan]

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

The Karlfeldts their involvement is effectively a guarantee. The Imperator knows of Marlene, and LUCID had said herself that she's exactly what the elders desired. While Ludwig doubts any validity to that statement itself, the elders were definitely preparing them for something.

Still, as the Inheritor it's up to him to deal with the family. Lara and LUCID deserve their lives given back to them, free from the shackles of past cruelty.

--Even if in this world he no longer carries that title officially.

Naturally, the boy isn't the one that gets to decide who deserves what and who doesn't, but still...

Stubborn until the very end.

Plenty of leads remain all the same. Burroughs spoke of the same thing, something that changes natures depending on the time of day. Then there's the mystery surrounding the ship and what happened to Adala that the SLEIPNIR no longer is under her control.

Finding Fenrir once more, and this time taming the divine beast for its ability to devour. The power to take abilities not his own.

Rose Island too remains to be explored.

---But a new arrival halts such thoughts.

"..."

---Who is this?

Ludwig has on many occasions entered the minds of others, an intruder upon their mindscape, and the only one that's entered his all this time had been his sister. But even she didn't appear within this mindscape.

So, then who is this unfamiliar girl? Cute enough that the boy should remember her, but... no memories come to mind.

The ESPer swiftly places her visage on the Karlfeldt maid outfits as to eliminate that possibility. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't reawaken any memories of old, and so the mystery remains.

"...Hi... I'm sorry do we, know each other?"

The ESPer looks over to his sister --entirely ignoring the last thing she said-- in the hopes she has an answer. However her expression is as expected, as a fragment of his own psyche she won't have any more knowledge than he does.

A strange girl, in his own mind. Did the house itself bring forth some tortured soul, or was she an old family friend of sorts. Perhaps she's someone Burroughs threw in from the hotel, as a strange way of answering his previous question?

"I can't exactly overlook trespassing, as a Tamer. So I hope you have a good reason for being here of all places."

A blizzard begins to rumble in the distance, as the Inheritor's mind summons a storm.

Just in case.