Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

"...A fool wouldn't be the word I use. Your intentions were noble enough, certainly reckless perhaps, but do not forget you are a victim in this too, Fairchild Girl. A victim of manipulation can only blame themselves so much, when it comes down to it, the manipulator is truly the one at fault. That is how I see things anyway."

...Today was a strange day.

Cosmos had left her room with the intention of pursuing the truth alone. Still burdened with regret, still chained by self-hatred and self-depreciation that had been building up slowly for years until the tragedy made it grow at an unparalleled rate, nearly consuming her very being.

Simply put, Cosmos fully believed that everything that had happened happened because of her fault, and that's why as long as she could undo her foolishness, then she would never hesitate to throw herself into the fire. She might be destined for hell, but if she could save her mother from the mistakes of her foolish daughter, then maybe there was a meaning in being found and adopted by Mary. Maybe her mother didn't make a mistake when she found her, ten years ago.

That was the quiet, silent prayer that Cosmos Fairchild kept in the deep, little corner of her heart: that she could at least do this one thing right. That she could do a little good by ensuring that the world doesn't lose such a kind and saintly woman so soon.

In comparison to that, her own life and existence is but a pebble. She would gladly throw it away and disappear if it means she could save her mother. She's not afraid of death, nor is she afraid of being forgotten.

And yet, today she met two people who somehow told her the opposite of what she wanted to hear.

They didn't call her wrong, or useless, or a fool. One seems to look over her like a mother hen, promising to not let her disappear despite being an investigator and a NWAB agent; the other is a princess who bluntly told her what she thought without reservations, that she is merely a victim of manipulation despite losing someone herself.

Of course, Cosmos herself disagrees. She had wanted to be called a fool, a mistake that shouldn't have existed; she wanted to be beaten up, to be told that everything that she did was for naught, that her existence was merely so that Mary Fairchild could be killed. She wanted to be justified for her feelings, that her self-hatred was right, that she was not really a victim but an unwilling accomplice. The reason why she didn't take Illia's reassurance to heart was because she was all too aware of her COMP's devotion and love to herself; of course Illia would console her, of course Illia would tell her that she was not at fault, that her existence is a blessing and not a curse upon the world.

And yet, these two people - practically strangers to Cosmos Fairchild - didn't condemn her. Didn't mock her. They might have thought nothing of it, perhaps even feeling that they are merely stating a "fact" rather than trying to make her feel better in any shape or form, but...

For a girl who had deliberately avoided people for years, fearing the darkness that lurks behind humanity...

Being shown the other side, the 'light' and potential to do good from people outside her small world in such a dark time was something that touched her heart in a way that she never thought was possible.

That's why while Sofia was rapidly typing away at the keyboard with Daniel looking closely, Cosmos used the opportunity to subtly wipe her eyes that were getting rather misty.

It wasn't enough to truly dispel the darkness that had taken roots in her heart, but it was enough to lit a small ember of hope - hope that gets brighter as she saw the recording of that fateful day, that she wasn't mistaken and that there was truly something that was running away from her.

Of course, that small moment of reprieve was shattered the moment Alyx and herself disappears into the fountain, as the image of a court jester filled the recording with its chilling laughter. A laughter that lasted for an agonizingly long minute, as if it was laughing at her actions, laughing at her mistakes, laughing at what is about to come...

Unconsciously, Cosmos gripped the edge of the table.

And then, those eyes turned into the camera, and--

"Hello up there! Now, who do we have watching the monitors this time...? Ah, the midget with a glass heart, the thirsty bitch princess, and Mr. 'The Fedora is still in style, I can make it work even though it was awful in the 80s!' Wonderful! Quite a crowd, quite a crowd! Did you have a fun trip, kiddo?"

Did something so absurd it left all three of them speechless for a moment.

Immediately, Cosmos' mind went into work. The first thing that came to mind was that the jester had merely addressed the camera because he knew it was there and that someone will eventually take a look - a notion that was dispelled because the jester had accurately describe the three of them. Perhaps some form of clairvoyance then? But the jester wondered to himself who is watching "this time." Why use that particular word? Someone who could time travel?

Silently, Cosmos took a deep breath.

Thinking and worrying about it won't change anything.

There is one simple thing that she could do to see whether this is merely a recording or if he truly is (was?) talking to them.

"If Magatsu was your definition of fun, then you have a twisted sense of humor, Mister Jester." Cosmos coldly said, practically glaring at the monitor. "Who are you? How do you communicate with us through a recording?"

A pause. Cosmos gripped the edge of the table harder.

"Are you one of the people responsible for my mother's death?"

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

"Why are you talking to a recording, short stuff? I can't hear youuuuuuuuu-!"

---What an obnoxious existence.

Considering it's nature as something that exists inside of a recording, there are a few possibilities that come to mind as it what it could be... Some sort of viral entity that can invade technology? A memetic agent? Someone using clairvoyance to predict the future? That sort of clairvoyance was rare but possible, it wasn't an unheard of power, although when it comes to thoughts of time travel, well...

The implications of that sort of power are apocalyptic all by themselves in the wrong hands, even if paradoxes and natural laws would almost certainly get in the way of a traditional time traveler, but...

Probably best not to think about it too much, time travel was one of those powers that existed in the grey area beyond traditional magic...

Even the Gods couldn't really do it nowadays...

"But ah well, let's take a guess at what the brat would say eh? Magatsu is super funny! Everyone there had the whole mud hell coming, forcing all of their problems on one person like that! Ah, it's so gross, so gross, disgusting really, let em rot I say!"

What was it even talking about...?

A cackling, energetic figure in the recording, the apparent jester shakes the camera a bit in his chuckling...

"What else? I'm sure there was some indignant call for my name, but you can just call me JESTER. I'd say you could call me Joker, but that name seems to be in use! Ah well, can't be helped I guess!"

"My my," a strained, ice-cold smile crossing her face, Sofia shows zero fear in the face of an apparently psychic clown, "I hate it already. It's not a viral entity, but it's every word is really just begging to be destroyed, so I suppose I'll just have to find it and fulfill that suicidal wish."

---That's intimidating in it's own way, but...

"That's a good one, as if you even could-!"

...The clown responds to that one too seamlessly, it's every sound so perfectly timed it almost felt like it was in the room with you...

"Princess interjections aside, let's see... Am I the killer? That's quite the question, you know? What does it mean to be guilty really? Although you're quite cold, aren't you brat? Just your mom? Aunt Alisa must be rolling around in her grave! Still-!"

It cackles.

"Is it the Shroud's fault for delaying you? Is it the fault of the guards that couldn't protect them? Is it the person who ripped out the soul? If you poke and prod around you could probably find all sorts of people that contributed that day and didn't even know it! Guilt really is such a strange, strange thing!"

...Daniel's eyes have returned to their usual analytical gaze, as if automatically deciding not to let the strange entity shake him, his expression is completely unreadable in the face of it, and thus it actually seems to ignore him...

"But if you're asking if I did the kill blow, well no, not really. Although look at me-!"

He spins around once...

"I'm definitely the sort to lie!"

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

Cosmos Fairchild had never felt hate.

Annoyed, yes. Dislike, yes. But not hatred. At least, not hatred at other people, because she certainly hates herself in ample amount at the moment.

But watching the jester on the screen speaking, moving, taunting her... it made her blood boil. It filled her with annoyance and dislike and the sheer want of wiping that smile off his face, and she knew that the world would be a better place without someone like the jester. Just in a short amount of time, Cosmos found herself to hate hate hate hate the clown.

But unfortunately, she couldn't do that, At least, not yet. They had no means to attack the clown right now, so the only thing that she could do is to try to gather some information. Of course, knowing the clown it would be obnoxious and likely dodge any such attempts, not to mention he could lie, as he himself admitted...

But then a flash of inspiration struck Cosmos.

If there's one thing about the clown's personality that she's pretty sure of, then it's the fact that JESTER is a sadist. The type to relish on other people's pain and suffering. The fact that he made that snide comment on Aunt Alisa - and the fact that it worked, as she felt like she was stabbed in the back - made her quite sure of that fact.

That means he might slip up the truth if it would make someone suffer.

So she prepared herself for what she is about to do, and prepared herself for the answer. Hopefully, whatever answer that he would give from this question, they'd glean some kind of information from it.

And hopefully, she'd be able to tell whether he's telling the truth or not.

"Then you know who ripped their souls out." Cosmos accused. "You know what happened in the cathedral. So answer me. Who does it?"

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. It doesn't work, if her trembling is of any indication, because she knows full well that the truth can be the cruelest mistress of them all.

"Am I the culprit? Did Alyx and I... Am I the one t-to ripped their souls out?"

[Rafflesiac]

Logan Starbright
Simulator
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"...You can call me Verity, if you must have a name. A certain two fools once called me Rice, but I never agreed to such a moniker."

: Verity, huh? Truth. Amelia, run a search on that, see if anything pops up.

: Just some rumors and a bit of whining on how she can’t be hit. Doesn't seem like she's attacked anyone or done much of anything really. Though someone says they saw her by the moon, but that can’t be right, right? I didn’t find anything when searching ‘Rice’ either.

: Rice… What a weird nickname. If you really had to compare her to food, she’s more like a partially unwrapped stick of spearmint gum.

As Amelia cackles in his mind, his eyes stay trained on Verity.

"...I am the one that locked you in this room yes. I'm sure that's quite upsetting for you, unfortunately, I don't really care if people like me or not, I have a job to do, and my other coworkers are down for the count it seems."

“Other coworkers?” he can’t help but exclaim, even as Verity continues to speak.

"Not much time to do it in either, so I thought I'd do a lot of things at once. It was a bit of a pain, getting you this isolated, but I'm sure it will work out in the long run. If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure you will forget this ever happened eventually, that's something else I need to test..."

‘Get you isolated’ - She needed me, in particular? Why? And forget everything?

"Interference in the sync ratio...? No, it's never 100% for most human-COMP pairs... Is that fixable...?"

: What even is she talking about? Amelia, check our ratio if that refers to us, and see if there’s anything up with our perception of time too. As for everything else, she’s raising way more questions than she’s answering; I’m about done with this.

What did this Verity want? What was special about him in particular? She said she didn’t have much time, so does that mean her goal is related to the joint operation? Going back to the second point, what was unique about him, that wasn’t shared among most Tamers? The tattoo on his hand? How would watching a video with few others relate to that? Watching - is it something related to observation? He’s an artificial clairvoyant; that’s neither common nor unique to him. This video, End of Rev, is something Verity wants him to observe… or actualize?

Logan frowns. Actualization of Reverie Complex. Is she trying to create a specific future by having it forecast by a seer?

“If you just wanted to tell me something, you could’ve left me a note instead of going through all of this. Whether I like you or not, you’re not inspiring much faith, and I’m fairly certain you’re trespassing as well.” Fates yet to be spun fade from sight as he decides. “If there’s something you need, either tell me more about it or tell it to the Tamers in charge once I bring you to them.” And with that, twin chains of spirit power ripple out from outstretched arms to encircle his mysterious captor.

---

Spoiler:

Auto-Skill: Revitalize
Spells Set: Astral Chain, ???, ???, Eye of the Fates, ???, Phantasm Step
Spells Used: Astral Chain (x2)
Heat: 5/10
Stamina: 15

[Airen]

Logan Starbright
Simulator
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

“Other coworkers?”

---While the girl's eyes flicker to focus on your face at this exclamation, she only does so for a moment; indeed, the feeling of being under this person's gaze was an enigmatic one, her words seemed to imply she didn't care too much about what you thought for one reason or another, indeed, it was almost like she was looking at some sort of specimen beneath a magnifying glass, but...

At the same time, that feels like it's not the whole story...

There's a hint of worry there too, you can only see it for a second, and even then only in that flickered glance, but...

...It turns to mild disdain later on, as you continue to speak, to make your mind known to a person that wasn't doing herself any favors in the way she was going about things; indeed, it would have been a lot easier to humor her if she had bothered to explain her actions to you, but seeing as how she had no intentions of doing that, you might as well drag her in to the higher ups and see if they could get anything out of her, and to that end, spectral chains ensnare the enigmatic girl from both sides, arms and legs targeted in one of the basic moves possible with this spell, and-

-there's a burst of static.

A flicker really, like something had gone wrong with your vision for the briefest of instants, but when it's over...

She's moved behind you again, the sound of spectral chains clanging against themselves accompanying your rapid spin to face her-!

...There hadn't been any outwards signs of physical or supernatural movement. No air had been displaced in her wake, no part of her body had moved from it's previous position, no reiki had surged, and yet the girl had seemingly flickered out of the way of the attack in spite of that?

"..."

A pause, as she regards you again, then...

"I want all sorts of things, I want to help my creators, but simply telling you what I know from the start is not an option, after all, you could be the traitor."

...Eh?

While a lot of things she had said had been confusing, this one was certainly up near the top of her vague statements...

"The one person that could have tampered with the memory systems would be a member of the X-Cross, someone stabbed everyone else in the back, and I'm not sure who they are... Is it just one? If not, how many are there? What sort of people are they? Were they my friend once?"

...Now she's just getting really strange, using terms you've never heard, her eyes unblinking, staring at you as if she was trying to pierce straight through your soul to find the secrets deep within...

"Notes can be read by unwanted eyes, conversations can be overheard by unwanted ears, the World is strange, something is often watching; believe me, I wasn't this convoluted just for the sake of it."

The enigmatic smile returns...

"But it doesn't matter. Explaining something to someone that will just forget is pointless, and doing the same to a potential traitor is dangerous... So very well, I'll try talking for a moment, humor you a bit, since you're being slightly more level-headed about this than the hermit... At least, if we ignore that arrest attempt just now... Does this simulation bring back memories?"

It doesn't.

Her eyes narrow after the first question, and then comes the second-

"Have you met with Sarah Starbright? Did she feel real to you? Were you happy to see her back in spite of the impossibility?"

-cuts a bit closer to home, although it's also not clear why she's asking about such things at all...

Meanwhile, in the distance...

The meteor-like form of an android approaches at high speeds...

As for Amelia's self scan, well...

The dates for last week were a bit... Messy... Every-time she looked at the files, the date of their creation was always different by a day or two from when she had looked at them last, but the sync ratio...

88%

Pretty normal for a Tamer, no problems there...

To get to 100%, Amelia's plume of dusk would have to be actively placed inside of your body, a feat that would probably result in at least one of you overloading and dying as a result...

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Vatican City ~ Obelisk Square
11/16/2026
Morning, Sunny

Eva’s first thought is to refuse.

Regardless of what others might think, she did not by any means consider herself a child.

By human standards, her age might be young- but those same standards would imply the same of all the many COMPs that must be younger than her, which did not seem accurate. And her appearance, while somewhat young, was just that- an appearance. In fact, considering that her body would not age on its own, one could even say that this was her mature form.

Therefore, she did not consider herself necessarily a child, and in fact did not.

Adults did not accept candy offered by strangers.

Therefore, Eva would not accept any either.

Such is her thought process, and yet…

Her decision begins to waver.

It begins to occur to her that there is a possibility that this is more than a simple apology- that this is an attempt to actively get along better. It would be a rather aggressive approach…

But not unwelcome. On the contrary, she wouldn’t mind taking a couple tumbles if they turned out like so- although down a couple mountains, if Myra’s anecdote was to be believed, was a bit much.

“That’s very generous of you.”

Getting up and similarly wiping any dirt off her body, she turns to Myra and accepts her offer.

“If I had to pick… candy, I guess? I don’t have any preference, but I guess I do like caramel more than others.”

[Verg Avesta]

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

"-----!"

No time to hesitate.

The crimson sphere of bubbling winds and zephyr-like torrent screamed closer, Blaise was already on the move. His COMP had already recovered from the earlier barrage, meaning that his options were now much greater when it came to how to defeat this source of food. He only needed to take one look at the attack it had launched to realize he didn't want to get hit by it - whatever it was, it was an attack meant for this sort of environment. He was not. In other words, he was naturally on a weaker position when fighting here.

But at the same time... that didn't mean he was weaker.

It just meant he needed to actually think about what he was doing.

"Rhhhhhh---!"

A growl escaping from his lips, Blaise's whole body was enveloped in power that was then thrust behind him - almost like slamming the sea itself with the power of raw magical energy. The draconic jet-thrusts accelerated the boy into a charge that was as fast as it was furious. He became nothing more than a blur on the ocean floor, zooming forward with sheer power and nothing more. That was where the Dragon Flash's beauty lied. It was nothing more and nothing less than what it said on the tin, and thus, it was surprisingly adaptable to different situations.

For example...

--- When you moved through the ocean floor at hypersonic speeds, instead of teleporting, you created a cloud of mud and sand!

The furious charge kicked up the sand from the ocean bottom, first as two trails that appeared behind Blaise and then settling into a frenzied storm thanks to the disturbed currents of the sea around the two combatants. With his movement, he cut down the visibility of the battleground over by a half, a situation that suited him much more than it did the monstrous crab. After all, it was much larger target - he would have less trouble spotting it in the underwater sandstorm than it would have with him. And since the crab had been at the top of a slope, standing on a large rock, aiming his bubblebeam down at Blaise, it would mean that at the very least initially, the beast would experience the worst of the smokescreen! Before the sand had settled, most of it would be up towards the top, from where it would slowly start floating downwards.

And that position of higher elevation also gave Blaise his perfect route of escape.

That is...

--- Straight forward!

--- Up the slope!

--- And then...!

"HRAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Flames struck against the rock, and foregoing his physical strength, Blaise poured all his heat into the rock that the crab stood upon. White and blue flames surrounded it all, increasing the heat by several magnitudes in a hurried pace. The water started boiling and everything became a hazy mess governed by sand and heat. And in the middle of that maelstorm of scorching wills stood Blaise, readying his next course of attack.

Not boiling the crab alive anymore, no.

But boiling the rock, heating it up, to the point that it would explode with violent force!

And as a consequence...

... So would the waters around the crab!!!

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

---A moment of silence, as a potentially world-shattering question is brought out into the open... It's a question about a truth that you had long suspected, that the simplest answer to the assassination was the correct one, meaning that Cosmos Fairchild and Alyx Kingsleigh were, through one method or another, actually responsible for the deaths of their parents.

It's not a truth you could probably handle, if it truly came to pass, at least not as you are right now.

But that is why it just might work.

If this enigmatic clown knows all the answers -as it seems to imply it does- and it's personality is truly that of a sadist, of someone who gets their thrills by seeing the agony that others are put through, then this, the opportunity to effectively crush your psyche with but a few words, should be an irresistible sort of prospect, however...

"..."

At first, it says nothing, as if thinking about the question itself (even though it had already implied it couldn't actually see you) then...

"Ha..."

A light chuckle...

"Hahahahahaha!"

One that turns into explosive, high-pitch laughter, as the entity's hands rise to it's stomach and it rocks back and forth, as if the words you had just uttered were the funniest thing it had heard in a long time-!

"You got moxy, dwarf! I almost answered that one without thinking about it! What was the play there? Get the monologuing villain to spill the beans?! You think I'm some kind of Saturday morning cartoon antagonist?! Mannnn!"

The laughter continues for a bit longer, then:

"But hell, maybe I am?! It's good bait kid, good bait! So hell, let's give a half answer eh?"

So saying, the clown extends one arm, snaps the fingers of a gloved hand, and-!

A marker board appears on screen, old-fashioned, summoned by some sort of summoning spell or another, and on it, in big all caps multi-colored english lettering, was-

"JESTER'S LIST OF BRATS THAT REALLY FUCKED UP THAT DAY (MIX AND MATCH, THE ORDER MEANS NOTHING EDITION)"

-Cosmos Fairchild (Naive as she was!)
-Alyx Kingsleigh (Stupidly loyal as she was!)
-Issac Angelos (Indecisive as he was!)
-Saria Justice (Desperate as she was!)

AND

AS A BONUS

-Every member of the X-Cross! (Forgetting why they were even here in the first place, then dying like the mongrels they were!)
-Xanadu (For trying to pull a fast one!)

-a message that doesn't answer all too much -at least at a glance- but...

One that has the clown rolling around again, even as Daniel and Sofia...

"..."

...Say nothing, as if still processing the information they were being presented with...

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

--What did JESTER mean by "that day?"

Is it the day she went to another world? Or is it the day that her mother died?

Her mistakes - as well as Alyx - made perfect sense under the context of "that day" being the day they went to another world. Her naivete would refer to jumping into the fountain without much thought, and Alyx jumping in after her would definitely count as "loyalty." That girl has always been loyal to her family despite her rebellious streak...

But what if "that day" refers to the day of the tragedy?

Her naivete - along with Alyx's loyalty - would gain a much darker light.

And what about Isaac and Saria? Whichever day this refers to, she had no clue as to what they were doing to warrant the sin of "indecisiveness" and "desperation." Besides of which, if the information that Illia told her was accurate, then Saria had been drinking her sorrows since that tragedy; it's easy to assume that's because she felt the sadness of seeing both of her friends being depressed, but what if she had a hand and felt responsible?

--It's getting harder to breathe.

It's getting harder to breathe.

It's getting harder to breathe.

'Calm yourself down, Cosmos! Do not speculate and think so hard when the information we get is incomplete and might not even be true!'

Her vision sways.

Illia was right, as she always did. She needs to calm down and--

But it's hard to think when every breath seems heavier and heavier.

What breaths she managed to take is too short to really gets any air to her lungs.

--Needs more information.

Needs more information.

"W-what day do you ref-refer to...?"

Her chest hurts.

She had grabbed on to the desk for support without realizing it.

"The day I went to an-another world? Or... Or... The day mother... mother-"

--Panic attacks? Is she having a panic attack right now?

Doesn't matter. Needs more information.

"And-and what about you? What role... d-did you play in all this-?"

Needs more information.

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Vatican City ~ Obelisk Square
11/16/2026
Morning, Sunny

"Candy? Candy! Okay! Let's see, I should have the good stuff near the top!"

A very excitable person, so much so that it's almost hard to look at her directly, as she seem to be glow with a -mostly metaphorical- light at your words! Of course, if this is in fact a method of befriending people then this girl has it down to a science, indeed, rummaging around in her bag -clearly enchanted now that you were actually looking at it- you can sort of tell that she seems to have every possible variation of candy hanging around in there somewhere, from some strange white chocolate labeled "Dream," to more well known name brand stuff like Kit-Kats or Skittles, or...

Twizzlers?

Licorice?

...To each their own, perhaps?

As for what she ultimately comes up with for you, well...

A -rather large- plastic bag filled gold-bar esque caramels, in a bag labeled with the golden "Brewed Awakenings" logo? (A sheep jumping over a tiny fence, with a witch flying in the background)

...That business was really going above and beyond the means of a coffee shop and bar if it was selling candies now, but-!

"Here you go!"

-She deposits it in your hands all the same-!

"I've got tons of the stuff! Wanted to be really prepared for a long trip, so I stuffed this thing full! Fuller than full! If the ship ever runs out of stock, we'll be able to make it another three months, easy! So just come ask me if you need more okay? Or some midnight snack type stuff! Got plenty of that too! Refrigerated compartments are pretty handy for like, microwave pizzas and things-!"

...Yep.

Very chatty, but in the warm sort of way.

"Gonna have to stick together soon after all, we're headed into unknown territory!" One hand shooting into the air in a 'yeah!' gesture in spite of the way her voice lowers, as if she was trying -and failing- to be subtle, the girl smiles at you, although after focusing on you for a bit, that smile becomes slightly more contemplative, as if she had only really begun to do so just now, "You're... Eva Ellet, right?"

...That seemed like... Sort of a strange question?

Indeed, the fact that she knew the name at all meant that she had to have at least a passing familiarity with you, so going back around to the introductions now...?

Well, she seemed mostly curious about it, but still...

Rather strange...

Meanwhile, as the others begin to line up around you again as the group falls back into order at Catherine's behest...

"Wait! Wait a second!"

You can hear a voice calling out from the distance, but this time...

"Alyx! Cosmos!"

...It's not for you, indeed, the dark haired girl that's come sprinting this way (face oddly crimson, as if she had been pushing herself recently) is someone you can recognize as Saria Justice, and rather than aimed at you, her words confusing as they turn out to be...

"Are you guys sure you're okay?"

Seem to be aimed at well...

Cosmos and Alyx...

Not your problem, thankfully enough...

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Vatican City ~ Obelisk Square
11/16/2026
Morning, Sunny

“Thanks.”

Accepting the enthusiastic girl’s package of sweets with a small smile- more so because it was nice that she seemed to be getting along with the girl, as opposed to the particular contents of what she was handed (although those were certainly nice too, in their own way), Eva quickly deposited it into one of her empty pockets. She was by no means bold enough to start indulging right away, in front of the considerable audience around them- it would be saved for later, when they got settled into the ship and no one was watching, perhaps. Candy wasn’t going to disappear on its own, and… there were other things vying for her attention at the moment.

"You're... Eva Ellet, right?"

“…?”

It struck her as an odd question to ask. Not nearly as notable as the appearance of the somewhat flushed looking member of the Rose Cross- Saria, she believed her name was, but at the same time the question concerned her personally enough that she could not simply observe with passive interest as she did the other affair.

“Yes, I believe that is my name, and I do not go by any others…”

Of that much, she was fairly certain. She had been Eva Ellet for as long as she could remember- even longer than that, actually. Who or what exactly that entailed, was not always clear to her- but considering the situation, there was a 99.99% chance that if Myra was referring to an Eva Ellet, it had to be her.

Perhaps there was some disparity between the girl’s prior knowledge of her and her actual self that prompted the question?

But try as she might, she had little recollection of meeting Myra before now.

“We wouldn’t have happened to have met before, by any chance? If so, then I must apologize- I can’t seem to remember it…”

[Airen]

Mokujima Chris
Brewed Awakenings, Boundary
To Those That Wish to Escape
???

"Can't stay long," she whispers, half to him, half to herself. "Need to... do something important. No time. But... it's good."

The man chuckles to himself.

"Good to hear my training has been paying off."

Ever the image of a bartender, those calm hands soon rise to shine a glass to the point of sparkling perfection; it's an unconscious movement born from ceaseless practice, the movements of a bartender at a bar that is always open, never closed...

A place where time almost seems frozen, or at least...

Isn't quite moving in the way you would think of 'movement.'

"As for the duration of your stay, well..."

He chuckles again:

"That's one of the quirks of this place, it will not rob you of your remaining possibilities... To put it another way, you can think of it as... Stepping outside of time, at least for the moment."

---That's quite the claim, even in a land of dreams where things don't necessarily have to make sense, but then again...

If one thinks of it that way, it never had to make sense from the start, after all...

Anything is possible in a dream.

"There should be no problems with finishing your drawing at the least, so don't worry about letting anyone down outside due to the time spent here... Not that I mind a kid with a more pragmatic approach to things."

As for Sakurako, well...

"...heh."

In response to the 'kyaa' only this sort of response can be given... It's an interaction that many outsiders might find as being bizarre, but such tiny rituals are common amongst friends of all types, little inside jokes, methods of communication that only really 'make sense' to those in the know, yes...

It's a tad bizarre, but such things are perfectly fine.

Of course...

"Been a while, huh?"

Such things will naturally give this girl pause, even as her fingers move of their own accord to accept the invitation...

It has been a while of course, and the last parting had been under very bizarre circumstances...

In effect, this was like talking to someone that had been kidnapped, or rather, someone that had allowed themselves to be kidnapped for reasons that you could not quite discern just yet... If this was more than a dream (and that was looking possible) was there some way of getting her to open up about it here?

Was this bar that sort of place?

...Hard to say.

Or was it?

...For now, leaving your friend to figure out what to say, your mind strangely returns to the plights of the others...

Perhaps it's difficult to ignore them if it's happening right in front of you? Or is it your scientific curiosity? The possibility that your brain had simply made them up, or that the collective unconscious of life was still an ocean of mystery, a place where souls can find themselves dreaming together in a world where things like 'real' or 'fake' cease to hold any actual meaning, a place that can't truly be tamed or understood completely no matter how hard one tries...

It could be a lot of things.

Nevertheless...

"You're good, but... can only do so much. They're alone," she posits, indicating the other patrons. Some things, a stranger can't fix, no matter how good he is. "No bringing friends?"

...You do pose a certain question to Vincent, and in response...

"...Sometimes your friends can follow you in, almost like they can hear you calling for them... Well, that's probably exactly why some people find themselves here actually, but it's not something that happens all the time."

Is that how you had found yourself here?

A possibility.

...Considering the nature of dreams, there was probably no way to know for sure.

"Of course I'm always here," he chuckles again, "There are some things a stranger can't do, but... By that same token, sometimes there's things you can't tell your friends either... Sometimes you need a stranger, a friendly face in the bar, an unrelated confidant."

Someone unrelated...

A casual, everyday person, someone you don't know, a person without some sort of bias for or against you...

Yeah.

Sometimes people might want someone like that too...

"...Not that I mind becoming anyone's friend of course, sometimes strangers can turn out to be rather good friends. I like to think I'm a likable sort of guy, but..."

His expression becomes more contemplative...

"Seems like there's a lot more troubles than usual nowadays..."

A bit of an enigmatic statement, still...

Behind you, the door rings out again as someone else walks inside...

Their appearance is strange, audibly so, the sort of thing that you only notice because of your natural perceptions... Yes, it's the footsteps of someone rather small, the rapid-fire clicks of someone that can't have been more than a foot or two high, whose appearance brings with it a momentary flash of cold air, but when you turn around...

It's actually someone pretty tall...

Ethereal red-hair, a hat that's reminiscent of a stereotypical court jester's (without the bells on the end) a guitar in one hand, and a scarf (with what seems like the name "Jacqui" sewn into the fabric) that trails along on the ground behind them around their neck as they walk with purpose, absolute purpose, towards the girl drowning her sorrows in the back...

Girl who seems to have collapsed slightly, head on the table now, perhaps from drinking too much, perhaps from simply being overwhelmed by her own thoughts again?

Either way...

This new crimson haired woman sits down across from her, puts one leg over the other, and...

"..."

Starts tuning her guitar, face turned in such a way that a lot of her features are difficult to really make out, although she has a sort of...

Demon-esque vibe to her? Not in the sense of lacking warmth or anything, but simply...

Someone that comes across as vaguely inhuman on sight.

She seems to be waiting for the other girl to notice her on her own, a more gentle way of shaking up the melancholy perhaps...

Either way...

"Yeah... Guess it has been a while huh..."

If Sakurako wasn't playing the game right now... You could practically picture her anxiously tapping her fingers together in an awkward sort of way...

"Left rather... Uhm... Uh... Suddenly...?"

A pause, then...

"...Sorry."

Yep.

Still awkward...

As for the bar's other patrons, well...

The blonde keeps flickering through the channels, and the boy...

Has turned his gaze back up towards the game that does not exist.

Glaring at it for some reason...

[Bloble]

Mokujima Chris
Brewed Awakenings, Boundary
To Those That Wish to Escape
???

Not a singles establishment after all.

Despite the bartender's claim that this is a place where time does not progress, people and demons certainly seem to be streaming in at a steady rate. The strange hybrid of demon and something else is clearly here for the Rose Cross girl, but the other two are alone still, staring at screens as if they hold all the answers. Will someone arrive for them? Or will they wallow in misery until they leave? Perhaps that 'someone' is right here, drinking coffee and drawing and playing games with her friend.

Sadly there is only one Mokujima Chris, and she is already taken.

"That's one of the quirks of this place, it will not rob you of your remaining possibilities... To put it another way, you can think of it as... Stepping outside of time, at least for the moment."

"There should be no problems with finishing your drawing at the least, so don't worry about letting anyone down outside due to the time spent here... Not that I mind a kid with a more pragmatic approach to things."

"...thanks. I'll try not to worry. And... this isn't a drawing. It's a name."

Of course, that might be impossible. Worrying is in her nature. But certainly, she's worrying a bit less. This place won't rob one of time. She'll believe those words. But...

"Seems like there's a lot more troubles than usual nowadays..."

"...mhm. Rainy season. Something moving. Should be our job to keep it calm. But for these..."

Chris observes the bar's occupants again. Having worked at a bakery for some time, one might say Chris is familiar with interpreting customers's actions. Not that she ever did so herself, but...

For the blond girl, switching channels: "Green tea. In fine china, hot." She is clearly looking for something, but that search pattern won't ever find it. One needs focus and to be in their own comfort zone to properly put their talents to work. A sloppy approach will only get one burned, so it's best to go at it slowly and carefully.

For the boy at the arcade: "Lemonade." He'll get eyestrain before he bores a hole in that screen. The sourness should be outside, not inside. More than that, he's clearly on edge. For that type of kid, it's best to shove something into their hands just to keep them from taking a swing at themselves.

For the drunkard, and the half-demon with a guitar that just walked in: "Peanuts, black coffee... and water." She needs to sober up. More than that, those two need something they can share. Perhaps the half-demon is here to play a song for the guests? In that case it's always nice to have something crunchy to go at instead of one's own soul.

Her circuit of the room returns to the bartender, and Chris tilts her head.

"...a good night's sleep."

The last one is not something you can order at a bar. Or perhaps it is: One joke, served as dry as the desert.

"How...about it? Hiring? They don't pay Tamers... as much as they used to..."

Is... is she making small talk? Certainly, no one who has ever spoken to Chris would be able to recognize such behavior. But it's a dream, so breaking character to chat with the bartender is fine, right?

"And... could I... call someone? Pragmatically."

A strange request. Call someone in a dream? Who would ever be able to answer that sort of call in the first place?

"Can't promise... it'll help anyone else here. But... he's good at turning tragedies into comedies."

Yet, Mokujima seems certain that it would be answered, if the owner of the establishment gives permission.

While she awaits a yes or a no, it seems that Sakurako has found her words again.

"Yeah... Guess it has been a while huh..."

"Left rather... Uhm... Uh... Suddenly...?"

"...Sorry."

There is no immediate response to the gloomy girl's words, save for the continued tapping of fingers on phone screens, and the muted sound effects from the game. In fact, there's no response at all until the level is completed, whereupon the phone is put down, fingers are stretched out, knuckles cracked, coffee sipped before it cools. Only after all that does Chris finally turn to look her friend in the eye once more...

"It's not your fault. I was being pushy."

A relationship between people who aren't good at interacting with others is bound to have rough patches. It's nothing to get too discouraged over.

But still, she was discouraged. For all that time, until now, she was certainly discouraged.

"That is, um... I don't hold it against you. And sorry. Even though you let me turn down your invitation, I didn't let you turn down mine. So next time, let's go together."

Perhaps it isn't simply a coincidence, or the call of a friend, that brings Chris to this place. Maybe some regret from that time lingers, and has manifested here in the form of a dream.

Slowly, Chris' eyebrows draw together, and something between a pout and a frown forms as she taps her knuckles on her forehead and averts her eyes, her cheeks warming up.

"...doesn't sound as good apologizing second, huh..."

But, those regrets aren't easy to dispel...

[Airen]

Hiyori
SLEIPNIR - Bottom Level, Genesis's Lab/Engine Room
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

---Dropping the spell into the depths of the furnace was much like dropping something into the gaping maw of a metallic creature, or at least, that was the sort of image that ultimately came to mind as you let gravity do the work for you, perhaps out of paranoia that the furnace itself might try to draw you in if you got too close to it?

It's a reasonable enough paranoia admittedly, while many of the mysteries of magic had been cleared up over time -to the point where it is effectively a science in it's own right- there are still the occasional phenomena that crop up that simply do not make sense, and well...

Seemingly sentient self-installing furnaces within the depths of a Tamer Base were just the sort of phenomena that doesn't really make sense, thus, it was probably best to give it a wide-berth-!

Of course, you had fed it!

You had certainly fed it!

A combination of paranoia and free thinking perhaps?

---Regardless, maybe it was possible to ignore it now.

The whispering had stopped after you had sent the spell into it, so perhaps it was content with the reiki content of the manifestation?

---Well, nothing you can do about it now, thus-!

"Mysterious app you say?"

Adjusting his glasses with his left hand, light shining in the obviously villainous way that most of the members of the Rothschild seemed to fall into from time to time, the azure haired android nevertheless chuckles warmly at the question, shattering the illusion of a mad scientist right away!

Or mostly shattering it anyway...

Lucia (who had responded to your question of how to restart Genesis with a "might have to knock him out," an idea which her COMP was still nodding enthusiastically over) doesn't seem entirely convinced that the rest of the room hasn't just gone insane on her, but then again, she seems to think better than to voice that opinion outloud (or perhaps reminds herself that she does live in a world filled with bizarre things) and instead turns her sharp gaze to what you could only assume was the furnace's mouth, where endless flames were still tumbling around ceaselessly, looking more and more to you like a churning stomach, while Genesis-!

"It is not a problem, little one. I am both the hardware and the software technician, it is my job to investigate the many mysteries of our data-based compatriots, yes?"

He smiles, gesturing towards one of many tables he has placed here and there, and-

"Just come sit down over here and I will take a look at whatever seems to be ailing you-"

-is almost comically interrupted by the sound of the furnace roaring again as flames explode out it's maw, no...

The sound of it burping, or the closest thing it has to such a bodily function, as something shoots out from it's mouth, something tiny, about the size of a bullet, or maybe a marble-!

A marble that seems to be doing it's best to not explode, considering there seems to be some sort of storm of fire inside of it... No wait, this isn't a marble at all, it's...

It's your own aura shield?

One that's been bent, compressed, and finalized into some sort of tangible container for the fires of this furnace?

"..."

For a moment, no one says anything, then...

"...It can imbue items with elemental properties? No, refine spells into items...?"

Genesis speaks, scientific curiosity lighting up in his eyes-!

"Ah of course, it waits till other people are here to show a part of it's hand! A shrewd furnace! Or perhaps it is merely another trick to be fed... Yes, almost certainly a trick to be fed, it must want to prove it is useful in spite of being a trespasser! Very well, prove your worth to me ominous inferno!"

Oh no.

He dashes over to the nearest pile of junk and starts digging through it earlier proclamations of examination forgotten in the wake of newfound curiosity-!

A bad habit of this particular android when he finds something that interests him-!

A habit that others have to wrangle from time to time-!

[Airen]

Aster
The Boundary ~ Azure Horizon

“Just gotta roll with the hand fate deals you, you know?”

"..."

At first, she doesn't say anything in response to your words.

Listening to them quietly as you state your reasoning, doing your best to maintain a neutral outer stance towards this so that she believes you, so that you can keep her from causing undue trouble out of benevolence without also hurting her feelings, and...

"...I see."

Certainly, with all the data she must have, actually asking who you were talking about had probably been more of a formality than anything else; indeed, the shorter A.I does not ask you to elaborate on the matter, nor does she show any sign of not knowing who you were talking about, and...

"But what if the hand isn't fair...?"

...Asks a strange question, no, one that is simply...

Difficult to answer.

Her gaze lowers for a moment, then, biting her lip, she...

"...Trying to make everyone happy is really hard, huh? I've been trying to figure out how to do it... But it's all so complicated... Sometimes I offend people without meaning to... Go a bit too far I think..."

...seems to be struggling with certain philosophies that shouldn't be bothering someone of her apparent age, but well...

She does seem like that type...

The type who sincerely wants to help everyone out...

It's a pure enough innocence, but...

That sort of innocence can also be dangerous in it's own way...

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Vatican City ~ Obelisk Square
11/16/2026
Morning, Sunny

“We wouldn’t have happened to have met before, by any chance? If so, then I must apologize- I can’t seem to remember it…”

"..."

---Even to someone as socially inexperienced as you, the expression that appears on the girl's face can only be read as "uncomfortable." It's another sudden shift, from her cheerful offerings of candy to contemplative thought, and then from contemplative thought to an awkward looking sort of smile, as if she had just realized she may have stumbled on something bad (although you can't imagine what it might be at first) and was rapidly trying to backpedal her way out of the situation, but...

No method of doing so appears to her, thus...

"Uhm... I thought we might have, but... Uh..."

Now she's poking her fingers together slightly, still visibly trying to think of some way out of this (for some reason) and continuing to fail at it-!

"You're... A bit shorter than I remember you being... Your face is the same as the Eva I met while taking my entrance exams in America a few months ago, but... Uhm..."

She nervously scratches at the back of her head...

"She was a bit taller... Not as polite... and uh... Wasn't an android..."

A pause, then:

"Not that I mind androids!"

Frantic waving of her arms-!

"Was just surprised is all! Got thrown off a bit by the similar looks so I had to ask, but I didn't expect you to actually say that was your name... But small world, huh? Guess anything could happen! Coincidences and all that!"

...There are a lot of things you might have expected to hear today of course, but this...

This...

Definitely was not one of them.

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

---Laughter fills the laboratory.

The giggling of a clown that can't help but laugh at weakness, that was all too eager to go along with the request of a girl to effectively be stabbed; it's not even hiding that sadistic streak now, every chuckle, every sickening guffaw, is laughter directed at the girl who was effectively having a panic attack, one he clearly saw as a fool for bracing herself for an impact...

And then being leveled by it anyway!

...Yes.

It's a cruel, gross existence.

Even if it's not a villain itself (although it is difficult to imagine that it is not) it's existence is a clear sort of cancer, a sick and twisted mind that revels in the dirt and darkness, kicking people's hopes out from underneath them with a blissful smile on it's face.

---That's why it won't tell you the day.

Because you'll suffer more like this, grovel in the dirt and cry, because it sees your heart as weak, but...

"And-and what about you? What role... d-did you play in all this-?"

"Me?"

...It'll keep laughing at you.

That much it will always do, it will laugh at everyone until the very end-!

"I just watched it all happen!"

Lightning cracks, thunder pops...

"...Calm down, Fairchild Girl."

Sofia's response is contrastingly calm, although clear disgust is thrown at the screen showing the jester.

"You have to breathe, don't feed into it's loop."

Completely calm.

A single hand on your shoulder, and words meant to bring you back down to reality, rather than the world of horrific what-ifs and questions that your brain was dreaming up entirely on it's own.

Indeed.

This reaction is exactly what JESTER desires, it clearly searches for it as it talks to anyone, searching for their weak points, trying to figure out the best place to stick a metaphorical knife, and then...

Twist it.

Twist it hard, over and over and over-!

Indeed, it laughs because it was all too easy.

Introducing new damage on top of the old, and it would have kept laughing, laughing in a way that was almost in sync with the thunder outside, if not for...

"I think that's quite enough, JESTER. Or should I say, JOKER of the "Masked Circle"?"

...Daniel's words cutting through everything else like the sharpest of blades.

He doesn't put any obvious emotion in them, indeed, ever the snake, it's not something in the tone of his voice that signals danger, but...

Danger does exist.

Eyes open slightly, golden orbs peering at the screen with absolute disgust, yes...

"That is what you are, is it not? An existence that first made itself known with the introduction of the internet into the public domain... Yes, August 30th, 1993 was it...? A rumors site first appeared around that time, telling stories of a group of entities that could grant wishes, a cult of sorts, and amongst the many figures of that group... There was a certain entity that was said to grant the dreams of those that call their own phone number... In exchange for a favor, favors that typically lead to disaster. Neither human nor demon, a bizarre existence that was mostly suppressed when the modern Joker took up that name and changed it's meaning in the cognition... Probably why Joker took up that name, to be frank."

The laughter stops.

"Do tell me if I'm wrong, but your visage and behavior match the files."

Daniel's voice remains ice cold, and...

"...Never did like you ESPers much!"

The clown giggles.

...But it seems to have been caught slightly off guard...

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

He didn't answer, he didn't answer, he didn't answer the most important question, she shouldn't have ended it with that last question, useless information useless information useless information useless info--

A single hand on her shoulder broke her out of her trance.

The reason is simple. Cosmos Fairchild has never been big on human contact; Mary is the only person who has her full consent to touch her, with Saria being the other exception for her persistent flying glomp. In other words, physical gestures are rare, and experiencing one from someone not named Mary or Saria would be enough of a shock.

And that is exactly what was needed to broke her out of her trance.

"Calm down, Fairchild girl. You have to breathe, don't feed into it's loop."

Of course, that is easier said than done.

A panic attack isn't merely something that only affect the mind, but also the body. Despite "returning to reality," Cosmos' breathing is still ragged and short, her body is still trembling, and the laughter of JESTER is still ringing in her ears. Staying calm and cool in this situation, not feeding JESTER despair, is not easy.

'Listen to my voice, Cosmos.'

-A voice resounded in her head.

''Listen to my voice. Ignore the others for now. Just focus on my voice, okay?'

A familiar voice.

A calming voice.

''Remember what Mary told you. God won't give someone a trial they couldn't overcome.'

'But... Mother is, I--'

''God won't give someone a trial they couldn't overcome, Cosmos.'

'But... Mister Daniel is saying something important, I should...'

''I shall listen in your stead. You don't have to worry about anything for now, Cosmos; just focus and listen to my voice. God won't give someone a trial they couldn't overcome.'

Slowly, Cosmos dropped to her knees, spent and tired as she focused her attention on Illia's voice, repeating it in her head like a mantra. Her breathing calmed down and she managed to breathe, even if she's still trembling and her eyes still has a faraway look to them, hugging herself to provide herself some form of comfort.

The conversation between Daniel and JESTER passed over her head, trusting Illia to keep her word while she tried to get herself together.

God won't give someone a trial they couldn't overcome.

God won't give someone a trial they couldn't overcome.

[Katie]

Aster
The Boundary ~ Azure Horizon

"But what if the hand isn't fair...?"

“Well, that’s when some people move to tip the scales in their favor,” Aster says, eyebrows narrowing in thought. It’s a struggle for her to vocalize thoughts she has held to herself for so long. She understands herself perfectly, but conveying it to Burroughs is a much different story. “For them, it’s their way of achieving equality.”

“But an eye for an eye makes the world blind. If we stoop to the same level when quashing injustice, when will we finally draw the line? How far is too far?”

Aster sighs, the frustration evident on her face. Perhaps it is her nature as a COMP, but she is not one to rebel against her circumstances, as much as it annoys her. The thought of it riles her up just as much, if not more.

“Besides,” Aster pipes up after a pause, “it’s a fixable hand.”

"...Trying to make everyone happy is really hard, huh? I've been trying to figure out how to do it... But it's all so complicated... Sometimes I offend people without meaning to... Go a bit too far I think..."

“Don’t.”

Aster’s words cut through the air like a knife. Her gaze is stern but pitying, like a teacher reprimanding a student.

“If you seek to placate others, you’ll be the unhappiest of all. People are fickle, callous, and stubborn. One man’s happiness is another’s despair. If you want to make everyone happy, you’re just asking to tear yourself apart to accomplish nothing.”

“It’s impossible to make everyone happy, but it’s possible to make yourself happy. You’ll crush yourself if you feel burdened every time you let someone down. Life is full of mistakes, even if you act in good faith.”

She folds her arms in an exasperated huff. To be honest, she half-expects her words to fall on deaf ears. Idealists are the most stubborn, after all. Experience has proven that much.

“Just remember that the next time you help someone. Sometimes, they may not want it, and sometimes, they’ll hate the way you do it. The best thing to do is take solace in the fact you tried.”

It isn’t comforting advice, but Aster doesn’t think she can give Burroughs a “catch-all” for helping people. If anything, she thinks that ideal of making everyone happy is a waste of time.

But she can’t find it in herself to belittle anyone that tries.

“If you want to brighten the smiles of others, make sure your own shines, okay?”

[Rafflesiac]

Logan Starbright
Simulator
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

What just happened? Logan twists his body and cranes his neck upward to stare at the girl who’s no longer entrapped within clattering and limply dangling chains. For an instant, I couldn’t perceive anything and my attack failed. Did she dodge it? His eyes narrow. No, she doesn’t have a single thread or strand of hair out of place. It’s like someone cut her out of reality and pasted her somewhere else. I don’t detect any air currents or traces of spirit power either. Had he made the wrong decision? Should he have continued using Eye of the Fates? No, there’s no need to abandon my prior hypothesis yet. I know I didn’t just lose focus; I trained my reflexes and stamina for that after all. Then what about mental interference or illusion magic? Or even event alteration? I’ll have to figure it out through trial and error if it comes down to it. Verity stares back at him, her disdain fading to leave a cold and hollow determination as she speaks.

She wants to help her creators? Then that means she’s a COMP? Is that what she meant by a sync ratio; was she referring to her own? Or is she an artificial life form like a Suppression Weapon or a homunculus? And who are these creators? The NWAB? Some other organization? Them? She did appear from nowhere like Omega, Lara, and Sarah did, but there’s no sign of the device they used to mask their spirit signatures. Traitor, what traitor? Traitor to who? Spirit Tamers? Humanity? Is she including herself in the same group as me? I’ve never met her before though, and I have no reason to betray anyone. If anything, I already betrayed everyone a long time ago. Is that what this is about? Is she trying to root out failures and weak links? No no no, I’m going too far off just an assumption. Go back to the prior hypothesis: at some point, Verity believes that there will be a traitor to me and/or her in some way. Though what does being a traitor entail here? Trying to kill people? Smuggling criminals or goods? Sabotaging critical devices? Oh, she mentioned memory systems. What memory systems? As in computer memory? Someone erases critical data then? Or human memory of some kind? Does that have to do with what she said before about me forgetting this? Would that mean that there’s some kind of collective unconscious then, like the Akashic Records? Shelve that for later, for now it’s just a keyword of possible sabotage targets from a possible traitor to a possible group that might include me. What’s the X-Cross? Some sort of organization she thinks I’m a part of? Or might be a part of? Is that supposed to be a Spirit Tamer organization or sub-group like the Albion Knight Brigade 42? Why would a Spirit Tamer betray the others, especially one vetted for a join operation? Assuming this even pertains to the joint operation. And she has friends? Are those her coworkers? Or her creators? She went with all of this because she’s afraid of this enemy’s observational capabilities. If this traitor is so omnipotent, then why would they bother with the subterfuge of a sabotage? If they can see and hear everything within a world Verity believes is compromised then they’d have no need for infiltration, unless those abilities come with a price. Is this traitor the operative of a greater entity prohibited from acting in some way? Could it be a large-scale organization where only select operatives have the combat power to match up to Spirit Tamers? She mentioned the world, is that the scale she’s working on? Or is that just the scale she thinks she’s working on? Verity, how cornered are you? Are you alone?

Her words end and her smile returns. Logan frowns; the prior her, cold as she was, was far more honest.

“Does this simulation bring back memories?"

Of course he doesn’t remember this imagery before; he’s never seen anything like it. Is she implying there’s something off with his memory?

: Logan, our sync ratio’s fine. Same with our time perception. In the short term, anyways.

: The short term? What do you mean?

: ...Replay me what happened after last Monday.

: I debriefed after the attack, practiced in Simulator 5 for hours, left to prepare for my appointment with Omega and the Commander on Tuesday, then left for Simulator 3 until you blackmai- convinced me to pause to eat around… around… Strange, did it blend together? I shouldn’t be that exhausted.

: How about your date?

: The outing with Astra? That was yesterday of course, which was on… on…

: Amelia!

: It’s the same with me, my records are scrambled from last Wednesday to yesterday and I can’t place why.

It’s not a revelation Logan can give much thought to, however; Verity’s next words ensure that.

"Have you met with Sarah Starbright? Did she feel real to you? Were you happy to see her back in spite of the impossibility?"

Yes, yes, a thousand yeses.

Logan’s grip tightens on one of the chains so tightly it creaks. “What do you know about her? Does she have anything to do with this? Does the Messiah?”

She knows that Sarah’s alive, but wasn’t observing the battle. Does that mean she’s not with her organization? She could just be lying. She could be lying about everything. But that’s not a very productive tack to take. I don’t like this dispassionate gaze of hers, like she’s watching soup heat in a microwave for a minute longer than usual, but I don’t want to believe those eyes of hers from before are a lie. In which case. Logan sighs.

“This traitor, these people you don’t trust: They’re stronger than you, then? Stronger than your coworkers? Stronger than Spirit Tamers?”

Trust means that you’re prepared for any eventuality. When you trust a person, it means that you can fix things if they fail, stop them if they betray you, and accept the consequences of their actions no matter what. Anything else is just relying on them. That’s why only the strong can trust others. That’s why he can’t permit himself to trust anyone anymore.

: Amelia, tell Jane to stand down. Verity might not be attacking us, but we don’t know how she’ll respond to an outsider like her, and I doubt she’s the ‘hermit’ Verity was complaining about. You asked for her help, right?

: I didn’t ask for it, I just warned her that things might go badly and she should bail if she wants to. Her name’s Eve by the way.

Logan sucks in a breath and yells. “Don’t get involved! I’ll handle this myself!”

Amelia sighs, then addresses Verity. “That nickname of yours… You know an Edgar by any chance?”

---

Spoiler:

Auto-Skill: Revitalize
Spells Set: Astral Chain, ???, ???, Eye of the Fates, ???, Phantasm Step
Heat: 0/10
Stamina: 14