A Typical High School Life Filled with Supernatural Battles

[shibosho]

You are:

[ ] a boy
[ ] a girl

And your name is:
[ ] Write-in

You are a completely normal second-year high school student. You come from a pretty norm middle-class family that consists of loving parents who are still sickeningly sweet with each other and two siblings. Your parents have normal day jobs with your mom being the epitome of the dutiful housewife while your dad is the main breadwinner of the family as a manager at his company.

The school that you go to is a normal one that you could find anywhere. Other than a couple of respectable sports clubs that managed to reach the nationals every other year or so and a few weird clubs, there isn't anything particularly noteworthy about your school. There's maybe a group of supposed delinquents whose bark are worse than their bite, the student council doesn't have immense power and influence over the school and are just overworked, the teachers are pretty normal except for that one guy who's everyone hates, the principal isn't perverted or in any way remotely insane though he might need to retire soon, and there are no secret hidden bases in the school building - you've checked.

You have a number of friends and acquaintances that you hang out from time to time. Sadly, you don't recall having a childhood promise with a childhood friend. If you do have one, you're not remembering it anytime soon.

Your life as far as you can remember has been pretty normal.

Up until this morning when you woke up to discover that you've spontaneously developed superpowers.

More specifically:
[ ] You woke up to find your room filled with a thick white fog that was coming out of your body like steam. Strangely enough, despite how thick it was, you could somehow see through it.
[ ] After tidying up the place a bit, you were messing with some of your old handout sheets and made some origami cranes. To your surprise, the cranes came to life and began flying around the room on their own.
[ ] Your hand slipped while you were frying some bacon but instead of being burnt, you somehow absorbed the heat and was left unharmed. However, you accidentally burn the toast when you couldn't hold in the heat anymore.
[ ] You noticed that you'd forgotten to water your plant and found it dying. However, while wishing you could fix it right away, you released this glowing pulse of energy which revitalised the plant somehow.
[ ] A stray cat somehow got into your room and was tearing up the place. After several fruitless attempts to catch it, while on the verge of giving up and screaming, a net shot out of your hand, trapping the cat.

Having discovered that you now had supernatural powers, you reacted to them with:
[ ] Anger – Your life was perfectly great the way it was and these powers can only spell out trouble for you. You've seen the animes, who knows what crazy stupid crap is gonna happen!? Oh god, you better not be the main character of some stupid shonen anime or something.
[ ] Fear – You've watched enough TV shows and movies to know that if the government ever got a wind of your abilities, you can kiss your peaceful life goodbye. Not to mention shadowy secret organisations that are surely out there somewhere. You don't want to be a lab specimen!
[ ] Apathy – Huh, okay. You have powers. Neat. Whatever, not like it really changes things. If you don't use your powers in public, no one will know about them. What are you gonna be using these powers for anyways?
[ ] Excitement – It's like a dream come true! You've fantasised about having superpowers ever since you were a kid. This is gonna be awesome! Obviously, you're gonna get drag into some quest to save the world or something!

***​

Sup peeps, welcome to my new quest! During one of my attempts to break free from my writing block, this idea turned up and I felt the need to throw it out there to get the creative juices going. That and something to fill in the time between classes at Uni. This quest was inspired by a bunch of stuff, including Tokyo ESP, When Supernatural Battles become commonplace, the Toaru series, law of Ueki and so on.

Let's see how far I can go with this quest, shall we?

 

[shibosho]

Name: James Miller
Age: 16
Affiliations: North Rizen High Student 2nd year, Gifted of the Papyrus
Appearance:

Spoiler

Star Gift: The PAPER

• Control 3 - Move the equivalent of 200 sheets of A4 paper. Can gather paper in a 20-meter radius. Paper can now be moved as fast as a fastball in baseball.
  
• Hardening 2 – 4 sheets can be hardened to aluminium hardness. 1 sheet can be made as hard as steel. Hardening remains for five seconds after release.
• Form 2 – You can fuse pages together to make A3 sheets of paper. A construct made from paper can follow several simple commands and have set conditions. Paper can be folded without physical contact.
• Sharpness 2 - 4 sheets of paper can be given a sharp edge. Sharpness lasts for three cuts. Can cut through flesh.
• Multiply 1 – A single sheet of paper can be multiplied into max amount that Control allows once per day.
  

 

[shibosho]

[X] Plan:Superpowers who cares?
[X] a boy
[X] James Miller
[X] After tidying up the place a bit, you were messing with some of your old handout sheets and made some origami cranes. To your surprise, the cranes came to life and began flying around the room on their own.
[X] Apathy – Huh, okay. You have powers. Neat. Whatever, not like it really changes things. If you don't use your powers in public, no one will know about them. What are you gonna be using these powers for anyways?


In the privacy of your own room, you watch with mild interest as about half a dozen paper cranes float about in your room at a sedated pace with nothing save your thoughts controlling their movements. You're not sure what had happened. After wasting about ten minutes turning some old handouts you found on your desk into birds, you idly thought about what they would look like if they were flying and just like that one by one they began flapping their wings and floating up into the air.

It appears that you've developed the power to….make paper cranes fly?

No, you probably can do a bit more than that, you can feel it, but honestly, you can't be buggered to try at the moment. Watching these paper cranes fly around is a pretty neat sight and you wonder what a thousand flying paper cranes would look like.

You do find yourself asking yourself questions like where did this ability come from, what exactly can you do with them, and so on. But really - does it matter?

As far as you're concerned, you can make paper move and do stuff which is pretty neat but from a practical point of view, you can't think of a good use of it beyond party trick. If you wanted to be a stage magician then maybe it'll be useful for putting on a good show but other than that, having this power isn't some life-changing event, you think.

Any more philosophical pondering is put to an end when you hear a rap-a-tap-tap on your door.

"Bro! Breakfast's ready and mum wants everyone in the dining room." You hear your younger sister Alice through the door. "You better hurry or Claire's gonna eat all the bacon." You hear Alice run down the stairs to get her slice of bacon.

That jolts you right into action. Your mum usually makes bacon just how you like them and you'll be damn before your big sis eats them all.

With a thought, you release your control and watch gravity reclaim its control over your paper cranes. Eh, you'll clean it up later.

Coming downstairs, you find the familiar scene of your family around the dining table eating breakfast.

To your dismay, your parents are doing their sickeningly sweet couple routine - type B, where your mum feeds your dad and he praises her food. Claire is ignoring the saccharine scene in favour of grabbing more food while Alice blanches at the sight of her parents being stupid in love.

Maybe one day, they'll stop acting like newlyweds but until then you'll just have to stomach it. Ignoring your parents' presence after greeting them good morning, you grab a plate and start piling up food for breakfast.

"Hey Jamie, did you see the meteor shower last night?" Your older sister suddenly asks in between bites.

"You mean when all the stars were falling? I thought it was really pretty!" Your younger sibling cheerfully says as she drinks her cup of orange juice.

"Not as pretty as your mother, Alice!" Your father injects, causing you and your sisters to roll your eyes.

"Oh you flatterer." Your mother giggles like a schoolgirl before looking thoughtful, "Though I have to say, it's pretty rare for something like this to happen at all, let alone several nights in a row."

What. Not only have you been missing this meteor shower, it's been happening for the last several nights!?

"I know, right? Plus I hear that you can only see here in our city. This once-in-a-lifetime event could only be seen in Yorizen City due to the weather and our location being just right to see it. Lucky us." Claire explains, most likely repeating what she heard from somewhere.

"Hey Big Bro, you saw it right?" Alice asks you.

You shake your head, returning your focus back to your food. Eh, whatever. You'll just look up a video of this astronomical event on youtube or something. It's no skin off your nose.

You wonder for a moment on whether or not you should tell your family of your ability to move paper with your mind but decide against it for now. You only just got it so you want to see exactly what you can do with it first before making a decision.

The conversation quickly turns to small talk and mindless banter and you leave the table with a full stomach and a couple of things to think about.

= = = = = = = =

You're glad that North Rizen High is within walking distance from your home. It means that you can you get a little more sleep than other people. One of your acquaintances lives on the other side of the city so it takes them ages to get from their place to school everyday meaning they have to wake up early every day.

You're a morning person but you'd hate to get up at hours that guy has to just to get to school on time.

As you follow the path to school, someone suddenly grabs you from behind and cover your eyes.

"Guess who?" A female voice asks.

"Morning Maddy." You reply tiredly. A girlish giggle and the hands move away as one of your closest friends skips around to the front with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Dingaling! Correcto Mundo! And your prize for the day is random news!" Every morning on the way to school, your friend Madelyn Kirby does this routine without fail, with only the prize changing. Yesterday was her lunch that she didn't want on account of it having some kind of fermented food item used in it with a rather strong smell. You ate it since you wanted to save up money for a new computer and didn't want to spend money on lunch. "Did you know that the local news has started calling the three-night long meteor shower the Yorizen Star Storm? Betcha you didn't know that?"

No, you didn't know that, having only learnt about the meteor showers just a short while ago from your family. You are a deep sleeper.

"Well, now you know! So what's shakin' bacon?" Madelyn asks you, joining you on your walk to school. "You seems a little different than usual today."

"N-Nothing's different from what I can tell." You lie, startled by the sudden comment. Does she somehow know about your new power?

Madelyn raises a questioning eyebrow before pointing an accusing finger at you, "Ah-ha! I know what it is! You found yourself an internet girlfriend!" You almost trip from hearing that and immediately deny the accusation. "Dang, no friendly teasing about that then."

You certainly hope so. You're also glad that Madelyn doesn't know about your powers. Who knows what would happen if an energetic girl such as her got the wind of what you could do.


The rest of the walk to school is filled with friendly banter and Madelyn's cheerfully spouting whatever's on her mind.

= = = = = = = = =

Today's classes were...a little off to say the least. There were a fair number of absent students in many of your classes, enough to be noticeable, and there were rumours that some kind of bug was getting around. Everyone at school was also talking about the Yorizen Star Storm and whether or not there'll be a continuation tonight. The teachers pushed forward with their classes regardless of the absentees though you did get the impression that they were less than comfortable with the absences.

Fortunately, your other best friend, Zane Weaver who you've known since Kindergarten was here today.

"Man, it's weird seeing all these empty desks, don't you think so, J?"

You could only agree with your life-long friend. It was a little disconcerting seeing all those empty spots in all your classes. Still, if there is some kind of cold or sickness going on, you're glad that you haven't caught it.

"You know about the Yorizen Star Storm, right?" Zane asks. You can only roll your eyes in exasperation and nod, having been hearing about it all day. It seems like everyone except you manage to catch a sight of the meteor showers that's been plaguing Yorizen's nights. "Haha, yeah, you're probably tired of hearing about it but listen to this, there have been rumours going around that the Yorizen Star Shower is actually some kind of divine proclamation for something, like the coming of a new god or king."

You give him a flat stare and ask what he's been smoking and if you could have some.

"Hey, I'm just repeating what I heard plus I don't do drugs, buddy."

Whatever, it all sounds like bullcrap to you. Though admittingly, you do want to see the Yorizen Star Storm for yourself. You mention this to Zane who gives you an understanding smile.

"Well, you're in luck. The news' saying that there's a high chance of another star storm tonight so better get a good camera out so you can record for all of your descendants to see or something like that."

Hmm, maybe you'll do just that.

The bell soon rings declaring the end of classes.

What do you do?

[ ] Head home, you don't do extracurricular activities.
[ ] You actually have detention due to pulling a prank and being caught. Dang.
[ ] You've got your club to go to. Attendance is mandatory today.
[ ] Write-in what club
[ ] Go and find some secluded location to test your new powers
[ ] Write-in

 

[shibosho]

[X] You've got your club to go to. Attendance is mandatory today.
-[X] Occult Research Club

On paper, the Occult Research Club is a gathering place for those with an interest in the occult to let loose and indulge in their curiosity for the abnormal and mysterious phenomenon that couldn't be explained through science. It is also known to be one of the more unusual clubs that North Rizen High has to offer. One of the reason it is considered as such was waiting behind the door to the club room.

"Thou hast arrive past the appointed time!" You blink owlishly at the finger pointed in your face before following it to the face of your club president, Lucille Barber. You note idly that she's also wearing her "Supreme Witch Cloak" along with her Witches' hat. "For thine transgression, I sentence you to death! If thou wishes to avoid such a fate, then thou must swear an oath to sacrifice thy wealth in my place when next we gather at the house of Rock Stock on Satyr's day."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll pay the bill for everyone meal on Saturday." You know better than to argue plus you don't really mind since Lucille always pays you back.

"Good, then thou art forgiven. Now join your comrades at the Round Table so we may speak of the most importance of news." You nod and raise a hand in greeting towards your fellow club members who have arrived ahead of you before taking your seat at the "Round Table ", a circular antique table that Lucille brought in from somewhere.

Lucille, or Lady Lulu as she insists on being called, has a very active imagination, to say the least. If you were to borrow a Japanese term, Lucille is the very image of a chuunibyou, a person who admires stuff like magic and the supernatural and pretends to have mystical powers themselves. While this would normally result in social ostracization, her beauty, intelligence, and charisma kept her from such a fate. Thanks to this, she has been able to indulge in her fantasies as much as she wants at school as long as they didn't interfere with her or anyone's studies.

"Lady Lulu, please forgive your erstwhile servant for being ignorant but may this unworthy one asks while?" The one who asked the question that was on everyone's mind was Enoch Callahan or just Eeno as he preferred to be called. Despite being the class representative and the serious academic-type, Eeno happily played along with Lucille's delusions, taking on the role of her butler for some reason. You think he has a master-slave fetish or something like that.

"Um, I would like to know too. The message you sent everyone made it sound like it was really important." That was Angelique Wilkinson, the other female member of the club. Being one of the shortest people in the entire school, Angelique was what many would call cute, tiny and adorable. It didn't help that she was known to be a domestic, kind, nice and considerate person - so much that she was on the top of the unofficial list of girls you'd want for a wife. It had been a surprise to the entire school that when Lucille asked Angelique to join the ORC, she said yes. Apparently, she had a long-time interest in fairies, the fey and the more cutesy supernatural stuff.

Jungo Hiiro, the remaining member of the ORC, stayed silent, seemingly disinterested in what was going on in front of him. In contrast to Angelique, Jungo was the tallest person in the room. His face, almost perpetually in an annoyed looking frown which, combined with his eye-covering hat and tall height, made him look very intimidating which was a shame since he was rather nice and sincere. While somewhat simple-minded, he was a good person and an important member of the ORC.

"Hmph, verily well then comrades. I shall enlighten you all on why I have summoned you all!" Lucille declared, pulling out several newspapers and laying them out on the table. They were from yesterday and the day before and Lucille had circled certain articles in red. "I beseech you all to take a moment to read the passages that I have encircled in crimson."

Nodding, you along with the rest of the club took a minute to skim over the articles. They were mostly about vandalism, thefts, and sightings of strange phenomenon that had been spotted around Yorizen. However, what caught your interest was that many of the marked articles were also suggesting, jokingly or otherwise, that the Yorizen Star Storm was somehow responsible for this wave of petty criminals and possible supernatural activities.

You're starting to get an idea of why Lucille called a meeting.

"Excellent, James Miller! I see that you have already discerned my reason for gathering you all." Lucille announces suddenly. You're not sure if she just bullshitting, reading your mind, or good at reading expressions. "Ever since the falling of the stars three nights ago, the supernatural forces that believe itself to be hidden from our sights have been growing restless." Oh good, looks like she's stopped using ye olde English. "As members of the Occult Research Club, it is our duty to investigate these incidents and ensure that disaster will not befall our city of Yorizen! For that purpose, I call upon you all to follow me as I seek out the truth!"

You mentally roll your eyes as the rest of your club clap their hands at Lucille's declaration of intent. This was one of the other reasons why the ORC was considered weird. This isn't the first time Lucille shanghaied you all into going around checking out paranormal incidents, even when most of them had a reasonable explanation behind them. In any case, this counts as club activities for the purpose of the club budget so you'll just grit your teeth and go with it.

"Positively inspirational, Lady Lulu! As you command, once the meeting has ended, I shall hence set out to discover the truth behind the destructive acts within our fair city!" Eeno declares, applauding Lucille with gusto. Sometimes you wonder if Eeno is really just acting or if he's actually is Lucille's servant for real.

"I-I'll wish everyone good luck then. Even though I have to help my parents out at the store, I'll definitely be thinking happy thoughts about everyone!" Angelique says, trying to look pumped, resulting in merely looking adorable (Not that you'll ever admit it to anyone). Though you do note that she's not actually going to help with the investigation.

Jungo simply nods and gets up from the table.

"A moment if you all will, I have not finished yet." Lucille interrupts, causing Eeno and Jungo to quickly return to their seats. "While your enthusiasm for our glorious mission is much appreciated, it is unwise to simply head out without a plan to ensure that we search all incidents with efficiency and haste."

It was moments like these that makes you remember that despite her delusions, behind that pretty face was a sharp mind. The rest of the meeting becomes a planning session to figure out who will check out what. During the impromptus planning session, you wonder for a moment if you should show everyone your powers but decide against it. Lucille was currently focused on investigating these incidents right now and you wanted to get a firmer grip on what you can do with your powers first anyway.

The planning lasts for about fifteen minutes before Lucille is satisfied with everyone's assignment.

You have been tasked with:

[ ] Looking into the acts of vandalism - All around Yorizen, buildings and property have been found damaged in strange ways that would be considered abnormal for the usual delinquents to use. Lucille suspects that this is actually the work of some mischievous spirit and you just have to confirm it. The buildings and places that have been vandalised have one thing in common though - they were all in relatively secluded areas will little pedestrian traffic.

[ ] Investigating a wave of thefts from various stores in the nearby shopping districts - Someone, or something, has been breaking into stores and stealing all kinds of stuff. Strangely enough, any money that was on the premises has been left untouched while material goods such a food, building material, and other products have gone missing. Just what is this thief's angle?

[ ] Checking out the strange lights in Skyfall Park - Every other month or so, someone reports seeing floating glowing lights in the middle of the park, usually in the evening or at midnight. Usually, they turn out to either be pranksters, drunkards, or fireflies. You're pretty sure that this won't be any different from the last time. This will give you the chance to see the Yorizen Star Storm at Skyfall hill.

[ ] Nothing since you've got other stuff to do, unfortunately. While you'll be disappointing Lucille, you want to spend some time exploring your abilities. So sorry, Lady Lulu, James Miller won't be participating in the search for the paranormal to focus on his own paranormal abilities.

 

[shibosho]

[X] Checking out the strange lights in Skyfall Park - Every other month or so, someone reports seeing floating glowing lights in the middle of the park, usually in the evening or at midnight. Usually, they turn out to either be pranksters, drunkards, or fireflies. You're pretty sure that this won't be any different from the last time. This will give you the chance to see the Yorizen Star Storm at Skyfall hill.

After much deliberation and arguing as well as some minor bribery, you were tasked with checking out the mysterious lights over in Skyfall Park. Eeno was looking into the vandalism incidents while Jungo was investigating the strings of mysterious thefts. After calling your mum that you'd be coming home late, you headed out to check out the park. While you're not much of an outdoors kinda guy, you enjoy hanging out at Skyfall Park every now and then. It's big, clean, and a slice of natural tranquillity in an otherwise high-tech society.

And as it turns out, your club president also liked to hang out at Skyfall Park.

"Hmm, it seems we were far too rash to come seeking the spirits of light while the grossly incandescent radiance of the sun still shines upon this part of our beautiful ugly world. We must wait until the black silence of the nether hells descends upon the land once more for the spirits to reveal themselves to us. Only then can we renew our search for the truth."

It takes you a few moments to mentally translate what Lucille's words, "So...We came too early since mysterious lights probably can be seen during the day so we should wait until evening to resume our search?"

"Was that not what I said, comrade?" Clearly being in public did not deter Lucille from her delusions. Fortunately, there aren't many people in the park at this time of day to see Lucille act so melodramatically. The two of you were currently on a bench near the playground where a couple of kids were mucking about. With the sun still up, there was little for you to do except wait for the sun to set. "Come, as there is little for us to do save wait, I suggest we take a moment to reflect on life's mysteries."

You nod despite having no idea what Lucille meant by that.

You end up just walking around the park as your companion goes on about various occult knowledge that she had accumulated over her years of study and pursuit of the supernatural. Much of it is stuff that you've heard her say before but it's familiar and comforting to hear, though you do have to question the usefulness of her occult trivia - you doubt that there'll be a time when you need to know how to perform a ritual for purifying a cursed charm using blessed salt and water.

Time passes by surprisingly quickly and somewhere along the line, you find yourself and Lucille at the top of Skyfall Hill, cradling cans of hot coffee that the two of you bought from a nearby vending machine. Lucille had become oddly silent as she nursed her drink, staring out into the horizon. The sun was setting now and the sky was slowly shifting colours. From the top of the hill, you had a view of the city as it was bathed in the light of the setting sun. You take a photo to remember the moment with your phone before falling into silence alongside Lucille.

"Did you know that ever since I was little, I've always loved it when the sky was purple?" Lucille suddenly tells you out of the blue. Looking up, you see that the sky has indeed become purple. The expression on her face is unreadable but you can hear a tinge of nostalgia in her voice. You wordlessly bade her to continue and she gives you a wistful smile "My grandfather, when he was alive, used to scold me for it. He'd used to say that it was something that no one should admire or look forward to. That it was beauty and vulgarity blended together. That it meant a storm would be coming. Even so, I still loved it. Because it was different from the normal sky. And because it was the color the sky was when I was born."

Lucille fell into silence once more with a look of deep contemplation appearing on her face. You stayed quiet, allowing her words to sink into you. You feel that she's trying to tell you something with that story but the deeper meaning escapes you.

Lucille then turns to you with an apprehensive expression, her eyes filled with hesitation and uneasiness. "Do you like the Occult Research Club, James?"

Though taken back by the sudden question, you tell her that you enjoy being part of the club. A bit of relief enters her eyes when she hears you say that.

"Then, do you like hanging out with me?" She then asks, the fear evident in her voice.

Confused, you simply say that you do. However, she bites her lips and continues, the corners of her eyes welling up with tears.

"I know what a lot of people think about me. They think that I'm a delusional fool who's childishness is forgiven simply because I have a pretty face. I know that a lot of guys play along with what I'm doing just so I'd think better of them and date them. I know that when I'm telling everyone in the club about the things I've researched, you guys usually kind of space out until I'm done."

You find yourself frozen as Lucille spills out her fears and insecurity to you and you have no idea what to say. Tears have started to fall down her cheeks and you can't help but feel that this was oh so wrong.

"The only one who really ever took me seriously was my grandfather. He used to tell me all kinds of stories about monsters and spirits. Even when my parents told me not to listen to him, I couldn't stop myself from visiting him, just to hear legends about youkai, mythical creatures, and ghosts. It was thanks to him that I became interested in the occult in the first place.

"When he died, it was like a hole was torn right out of me. I thought that if I could find people who were interested in the occult like me, it would stop hurting. When you guys joined my club, I was happy. But as time went on, I realised that none of you really believed like I do. Eeno like the club because he can turn off his brain and act like an idiot and not be judged for it. Angelique is only really interested in cute fantasy stuff like fairies and unicorns. Jungo is a good guy but he never says anything and just goes along with whatever plans I make. And you...I don't know."

She's crying uncontrollably now and it continues to disturb you immensely. "I need to know. Do you really care about what the club is doing? Do you really think that the supernatural is real like I do?" She stops to wipe her tears on her sleeve before looking at you with tearful eyes.

"D-Do you even l-like me?"

Silence falls upon you both, broken only by the sobbing of the girl in front of you.

What do you do?

[ ] Write in

 

[shibosho]

[X] Fold a crane out of whatever paper you can get your hands on, animate it and let it circle around her and land it on top of her head as an answer.
-[X] Maintain deadpan.

Your mind struggles to figure out how to respond to Lucille confessing her fears and insecurities to you. To find out that all this time Lucille had been putting on a brave face in front of everyone whenever people made fun of her hobbies when she was hurting inside with no-one to truly share her true feelings with was painful to know. You'd love nothing more than to reassure her, to comfort her and to tell her she's not alone but no matter how hard you think about it, your mind just can't come up with the words to describe your feelings on the matter.

You didn't want to confess that you only had a passing interest in the occult, a vague interest to fill in the tedium of your normal life that was nowhere near the devotion that Lucille had for seeking out the supernatural. You'd just wanted to have fun with friends and do something that you found interesting.

The sight of Lucille crying in anguish was a travesty that should not exist.

Then it occurs to you just how you could make everything better. Did you not discover that you had supernatural powers this very morning? Is that not evidence that the world was more than what it seemed?

Following that train of thought, you pull out a class handout from your bag. Lucille's eyes stare in muted curiosity even as tears continue to fall. In response to your thoughts, your power starts folding the paper without any physical manipulation on your part. Her tears slow down as Lucille stares at the animated sheet of paper, transfixed by what was happening in the palm of your hands.

Quietly, the piece of paper was folded into the form of an origami crane. The corner of your mouth twitches upward as you push your power into the paper construct, permeating its existence with your will. At first, nothing seems to happen when its wings start to twitch ever so slightly. In front of Lucille's eyes, the paper bird begins to move on its own, stretching its wings and neck as though it was waking up from a deep sleep.

Slowly it rises from its resting spot in your palms and floats through the air as though it was carried by a gentle wind. It circles around Lucille who turns on his feet to keep it in her sight. After making a single revolution around the girl, it lands right on top of her head where Lucille almost hesitantly reaches up and take into her own hands.

The tears have stopped just as you hope it would and she stares with awe at the small piece of origami that you made with your powers, turning it around gently in her hands as one would do with a priceless trinket. Eventually, she turns her eyes back to you, her body trembling slightly in excitement with certain proof of the supernatural in her hands. She asks the question that you've been expecting the moment you decided on this path.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had superpowers?" Her voice filled with both awe and perhaps a twinge of bitterness.

"You never asked." You simply state. Never mind that you've only had these powers since this morning. From this point onwards, you have always been a supernatural phenomenon that Lucille have been searching for her entire life.

Lucille stares at you, her expression seemingly shifts through several emotions - shock, surprise, outrage, realisation, annoyance, relief, and finally tranquil joy.

"This entire time, the thing that I've been looking for was right in front of me all this time." She says before giggling, shattering her tranquil expression. Then without warning, she grabs you by the front of your blazer and starts shaking you. "WHY DID YOU SAY ANYTHING SOONER!?" Due to how hard she's shaking you, you are unable to answer. However, she starts giggling uncontrollably as tears of joy pour forth from her eyes. The shaking soon stops and she slumps against you, her knees having given out in relief over vindication of her hopes and dreams. Her weight pushes you over and you find yourself lying on your back as Lucille lies on top of you still laughing, her arms around you as she rests against your chest.

"I'm never letting you go." She says suddenly as she snuggles against you.

You have no idea what's happening but you feel that it is not a bad thing.

By the time Lucille manages to compose herself, the sun has since gone beyond the horizon and a star filled night sky looks down upon the world.

Lucille and you sit together on top of Skyfall hill in silence, taking comfort in each other's presence. The front of your clothes are slightly damp from Lucille's crying but the joyful smiling face is worth the slight discomfort.

"Phew, that was a good cry. Sorry about all that." Lucille apologises suddenly, her cheeks slightly red from embarrassment "I don't know what came over me."

You simply tell her that finding out that your beliefs and dreams weren't wrong after all tends to cause people to do what Lucille did.

"Oh shush you!" Pouting, she gives you a playful hit to the arm before breaking into a happy smile again. "All this time and you didn't say anything, you meanie."

You simply tell Lucille that it's expected since before you told her, no-one else knew about it either since you like your peaceful life.

She scoffs but smiles all the same, "Okay, I understand what you're getting at. Don't worry, I swear on my name that I will never ever betray your secrets, my friend."

You smiles and thank her. She blushes ever so slightly before shaking her head and gets to her feet.

"Okay, I believe it's time to get back to - Ah! It's starting!" Lucille looks into the sky, gazing with apparent excitement in her eyes. Confused, you pushes yourself back to your feet and look to where Lucille is staring.

There, over the city of Yorizen, dozens if not hundreds of lights streak across the night sky.

The Yorizen Star Storm had begun.

What little you know about astronomy tells you that what you're seeing shouldn't be possible but you don't really give a damn about crap like that.

Before your eyes is a once-in-a-lifetime event and you're in the best possible place to be for it, accompanied by someone that you now feel a strong bond with.

You stand there watching as shooting star after shooting star fly across the sky, mesmerised by the universe's natural light show when Lucille suddenly turns to you with a mischievous smile.

"They say that if you wish upon a shooting star, your wish will come true, right?" With a flamboyant gesture, she waves her arms out towards the veritable storm of shooting stars. "With this many shooting stars, one of them is bound to grant a wish! Why don't you try it?"

Surprised by this insight, you ask if she's already wished for something. Lucille giggles in response and tells you happily that thanks to you, she's already gotten her dearest wish.

Look back to the Yorizen Star Storm, you figure why not and quietly make a wish.

What is it that you wish for?

[ ] You wish for the happiness of your friends and family
[ ] You wish for a future worth living for.
[ ] You wish that all your precious people can die with a happy smile on their face.
[ ] You wish that life will continue to be interesting no matter what.
[ ] You wish to rule the world one day. No, wait, that's silly.
[ ] Write-in
It is time. Peaceful days are over. Fight for your life/justice/desires/hopes/dreams/everything.

 

[shibosho]

[X] You wish for a coat, it's a bit cold.

Truthfully, you don't really have anything that you would like to wish for. You are actually pretty content with how life is going for you at the moment. You're doing alright at school and your home life is good. You have friends and family that you are close to so no problems there. Sure you got thrown a curveball from the superpower thing but as far as you're concerned, life is just dandy. All the things that you want are things that should be obtained through your own efforts, not through wishful thinking and superstition.

So rather than wish for something like happiness or stuff like that, you wish for a coat. It's getting cold out and while Lucille is fine since she has that cloak of hers, you're not. Thus, you send out a small wish out to the shower of shooting stars for a coat to keep you warm on nights like this.

You glance towards Lucille who's watching you expectantly. You're sure that Lucille will get mad at you for wasting such an opportunity but you're sure that the two of you will be laughing about it later.

With a smirk, you open your mouth to tell her the inane wish that you made.

And then a sharp pain blossoms out across your chest as something pierces you through the heart

Clawsripsoutyourgutsandtearyoufromlimbstolimbseyesgougedoutandcrushedbonesbreakoverandoveragainandagainskullcrackedopencutapartslicedapartdiceandcutintosomanypieces

You gasp for air as you are sent reeling to the ground. You barely manage to catch yourself and fall to your hands and knees. Your stomach lurches violently and you end up expelling the contents of your stomach. You would be mortified for doing it in front of Lucille if you were trembling in terror right now. Lucille is by your side, saying something but you can't make out what is being said, your mind still reeling from what you just saw.

It wasn't some illusion you just witnessed. It was an intent to kill solely aimed at you – a killing intent so strong that you saw an image of death, your death. Something wants to kill you and it is undoubtedly close by.

"What's wrong?! What happened!?" Your mind has caught up to the present and you can now see Lucille worrying over you, concern evident on her face. "Hang on! I'll call an ambulance!" You see her whip out her smartphone to call the emergency number.

"N-n-NO! We need to get out of here right now!" You hear someone scream before realising that it was you. Even though you are shaking in terror, you still have enough control to shout. Lucille is taken back but the sudden shouting but her eyes widen in realisation and she nods.

"I-I get it! A secret organisation is trying to punish you for revealing your powers to me, right?!" Lucille guesses as she helps you to your feet. "My place is close by, we should be safe the – "

*Crack*

The sound of someone stepping on a branch startles Lucille and she turns to look in the direction of where the sound came from.

You turn to look as well and your jaw drops at the sight of your enemy. "Huh, that's weird. I don't see anyone…" You hear Lucille say in a confused tone that only fills you with growing apprehension. She can't see it but you can.

It stands at the foot of the hill.

It is not human.

It is taller by at least two heads. Its beige body is shaped almost like a fish turned upright on its tail though where the tailfins would be, you see two short digitigrade legs. A mouth filled with fangs extrudes around the right side of its hide with a bulbous eye staring at you further enforcing the image of a fish. Two muscular arms that end in metal blades hang at its side. Even though it should look silly, you can only feel dread at the sight of the thing.

You are frozen as you try to comprehend just what exactly are you looking at. That is mistake nearly cost you your life as its huge bulk moves far faster than something that shape and size should be capable of.

In a flash it is in your face, its left arm swinging to cut you down.

Your powers alongside some new found instincts are what saves you. Your bag bursts open as the pages from your notebook tears themselves free and slams into the form of your charging assailant. The force they bring to bear is hardly enough to do any harm to the thing which appears to be made out of clay but it is enough to push it off balance enough to save you from a lethal wound. Just barely, though.

You dive to the side as the creature's blade hurtles pass your face. You feel a sharp pain in your left cheek as you watch your enemy continue running for several more seconds before it starts to slow down.

"James, your paper. They're stuck on something! I can't see it but there's something there, isn't there!" Lucille's eyes are wide with fear as she stares at the creature. Even though she can't see it, she can still see the sheets of paper flattened against its form. She turns to you to ask you something but pales and points at your cheek. "Oh god! You're bleeding!"

You blink before reaching up to your cheek and feel something wet across your cheek. Pulling your hand away, you see your fingers covered in red.

Your cheek hurts but thanks to that, you're not shaking anymore.

Your enemy turns around, pieces of paper slowly falling off its front one by one. You see it start to tense up, no doubt preparing for another charge. You also notice to your utter dismay that it seems to have noticed that Lucille can see it when its one eye focuses on the now panicking girl for a moment before whipping back to you.

Double crap.

You take a quick assessment of the situation. There's some kind of clay monster that's trying to kill you if the bloodlust from earlier was any indicator. You are a teenager with the physical ability of a healthy teenage boy. You can telekinetically manipulate about a dozen sheets of paper. You might be able to harden a single sheet of paper, you think. You can only make origami constructs made out of a single sheet of paper move on their own. You are accompanied by a female friend who has the physical abilities of a teenage girl. She has no powers as far as you know.

What do you do in the face of an obviously supernatural threat?

[ ] You can't do anything against it. Not while Lucille is here. Grab Lucille's arm and fucking run! It might go after her so you can't leave her alone!

[ ] Run! It's only after you so by that logic it should leave Lucille alone if you split up. You can't let her get hurt after all.

[ ] Charge tackle it. You might be able to knock it rolling down the hill. That should give you some time to work out a better plan of action or at leave figure out where you should run to.

[ ] Write-in

 

[shibosho]

[X] Move all the paper covering its body to the eyeball.
-[X] Grab Lucille's arm and fucking run! It might go after her so you can't leave her alone! While running away make more origami cranes to distract it.

Right, first thing's first. With a wave of your hand, the pages of your notebook on and below the clay creature pull away from the thing as you gather them above your outstretched arm. Thrusting your hand forward, you send the pages flying back towards the creature, this time aiming for its eye. The impact of a dozen sheets of paper all at one sends the clay thing – a golem if you had to call it something – stumbling backwards. On the side of a hill like this, it ends in one way.

"Hey! What are – oh right!" As the golem rolls down the hill just as you hoped it would, you grab Lucille's arm and drag her with you as the two of you begin running. Sending the clay entity rolling down the other side of the hill is only a temporary measure. It will no doubt get back onto its feet and resume coming after you. You need a plan of action fast. "Head to the playground, we can use the equipment to defend ourselves, I think!"

It's as good an idea as any so the two of you head towards the playground. As you run along the paved path, you get an idea. Tapping the side of your bag with your free hand, you pull out more pages from your notebooks with your power. With a mental command, you will the sheets of paper to fold themselves rapidly into origami cranes. As soon as the cranes are folded, you give them all a single command, "Attack the golem"

Instantly, the paper cranes fly around you and Lucille and head towards where the golem is. You honestly don't think they'll be able to do much but you hope that at the very least they can distract it long enough for the two of you to get away properly. Several minutes pass by as you and Lucille continue running and eventually you both reach the playground.

Skyfall Park Playground is fairly elaborate by normal standards. Consisting of several wooden structures connected by wooden bridges with the usual playground stuff extruding from them such as slides, climbing ropes, monkey bars, and even a flying fox - to many young children, the playground is practically a castle. Hopefully, for the two of you, it'll be your barricade against the clay doll.

You and Lucille quickly clamber up the playground stuff, climbing up onto the roof of the highest part of the playground equipment to take a moment to catch your breath. Lucille is panting heavily and wildly looking around the playground, expecting the creature that tried to attack you to show up again. You don't know when it happened but at some point of the retreat, the two of you were holding hands. If you weren't in danger of being sliced up by a fish-shaped golem, you'd make a joke about how lewd this simple gesture was, as considered by the internet. Adrenaline is still pumping through you and you also note that you can feel the presences of the paper cranes that you sent after the golem.

You grimace slightly as you feel the cranes' presences disappear rapidly, one after another. Well that was what you were expecting, pitting paper birds against an animate clay sculpture with swords for arms. However, you can also feel the presence of the golem and it is coming towards the playground at a brisk pace. You also think you can also sense a frustration towards you coming from the clay monster as well. Damn, so it was just gunning for you after all.

You're pretty sure that it won't attack Lucille so that's good. One less thing to worry about.

"Hey James, you control paper right? Can you make paper really sharp or hard?" Lucille asks.

You frown and pull out a piece of paper. Focusing on it, you imagine it having something like a sharp edge or becoming hard like metal. The piece of your notebook twitches between your fingers and you feel it stiffen up. You give it a flick and find that it feels like a sheet of metal now. However, the moment you stop focusing on it, it loosens up. Experimentally, you hit the wooden roof with it, and to your disappoint it does not leave a cut in the wood. Lucille looks thoughtful at your quick demonstration.

"Okay, think you could make it into a spike? Like make it into a cone that you could use to pierce something?" Lucille suggests after a moment's thought. You give your club president's idea a try and find that you can indeed make a usable spike out of paper by hardening it. Good, that means you have more options now. "That's good, can you describe what chasing us? I need to know." Taken back by her question, you tell her that you think a clay golem is after you. Lucille nods and takes up a thinking pose, her eyes closed with a hand holding her chin as she thinks about the current situation.

Barely ten seconds passes before Lucille suddenly gets up, giving you a determined look. "James, I have a plan! I just need to go get something nearby. We can beat this invisible golem thing. I know it's asking a lot but I need you to keep this art project reject that's trying to hurt you busy while I go get it. Please, please trust me on this. I believe you can do it."

Before you can stop her or say anything, Lucille jumps down from the roof of the playground equipment and rushes off down a path before turning around a corner and disappearing behind a corpse of trees.

You have no idea what Lucille is planning but the golem will be here soon. You feel the last of your cranes disappear and sense the golem is now running towards your location. It'll be here in a minute, probably less.

Lucille has gone off to get something but you don't know what. You can make and use paper spikes but only one at a time but they can pierce through wooden planks if you throw them hard enough. They should be able to do some damage to the golem's clay body. However, is it really a good idea to stay here and wait for the golem to come?

Should you put your faith in Lucille and keep the golem busy until she comes back?

Or should you leave to draw the golem away and find a way to stop the golem yourself beyond peppering it with paper spikes?

Is there a better plan that you haven't thought of yet?

What do you do?

[ ] Hold the fort. With its sword arms, digitigrade legs, and your supply of paper, it won't be able to climb up the ropes, slide, ladders or even the stairs, let alone get close to you. You don't know what Lucille's planning but she seems to know what's she's doing. She putting faith in you so you should put faith in her.

[ ] You can't risk it. Lucille might mean well but you can't stay here. You aren't even sure just how strong the golem is. For all you know, the wooden playground might not pose much of an obstacle to the thing. You need to keep moving. Your powers along with your paper spikes give you a chance of defeating the golem. It's gonna be a hit-and-run operation but you might be ableto do it.

[ ] Is there perhaps another plan? (Write-in)

 

[shibosho]

[X] Hold the fort. With its sword arms, digitigrade legs, and your supply of paper, it won't be able to climb up the ropes, slide, ladders or even the stairs, let alone get close to you. You don't know what Lucille's planning but she seems to know what's she's doing. She putting faith in you so you should put faith in her.

You decide to believe in Lucille. It's not like there isn't any merit to staying where you are and standing your ground. It won't be easy for something of the golem's shape and stature to climb up to where you are, though you are half-expecting it to try something like chop down the wooden supports holding up the wooden fort you're on. You don't know what Lucille plans on doing but from how determined she looked, the ORC president seems to know what she's doing, or so you hope.

Whatever the case may be, you have to focus on your current situation. You sense the golem somehow and it is nearly here. Your only real weapons are hardened paper spikes that you can fire fast one at a time with enough strength to pierce through wooden planks. You can only hope that they're strong enough to pierce through the golem's clay body.

After a short period of anxious waiting, the golem comes into view about fifty metres away from where you are. Your eyes widen when you spot a small crack on the left side of the golem's body. Did it get that from when it rolled down the hill? At the very least, it shows that it can actually be hurt. Some scrap pieces of paper cling to the surface of the golem's clay body, most likely the remains of your cranes. Other than that, however, it looks just the same as ever. Ready to kill.

It seems to blink in confusion before looking up and spotting you standing on the roof of the mini fort. You see it narrows its single eye and begin its approach. Yep, it's not happy. Right, go time. Tossing a sheet of paper into the air, you draw out your power and begin the counterattack. Your will rolls the sheet into a cone and hardens it to the level of sheet metal. With a mental twitch, the spike shoots forward towards its assigned target.

The golem's eye widens in surprise but before the spike can hit, it swings its arm in an attempt to slash through the spike. To your pleasant surprise, instead of cutting through the paper spike, the sword ends up deflecting the spike away from the golem. However, you see a scratch on the sword. The golem's eye briefly looks at the scratch before returning its attention back to you.

It continues its approach, walking rather than running, disconcerting considering how fast it was when it first attacked. You realise that it's being cautious. Rather than rushing in recklessly, it preparing itself to defend against your attacks. Well, you're not one to disappoint. Pulling out your notebook for science, you swing the book out, pages flying out wildly before you grab them with your power. Time to being firing.

The sheets of paper gather around you in a ring and you point at the one in front of you and snap your finger as though you were firing a gun. The sheet launches forward, twisting into a spike aimed at the golem. Like before, it brings its other arm to block the spike but as soon as the spike has been knocked aside, the next sheet swings into place ready for you to impose your will on it.

Spike after spike fire one after another, each one leaving a scratch on the arms of the golem. Every time you use up a ring of sheets, you rip more out from your notepads and textbooks. It pushes on forward despite the spikes that are slowly chipping away at its arm. Unfortunately, you haven't managed a solid hit on the golem and the damage does nothing to impend the golem's gradual approach.

Right, a slight change in tactic then. The ring of pages around you converge above you and with a wave of your air, you throw them at the golem. The clay creature stops and braces itself against the white flurry of pages. However, that was a mistake on its part. A spike thrown through the tiny storm of paper strike the centre of the golem's body, the blow staggering the clay beast. From where the spike is embedded, you see cracks radiating out from the point of impact. The golem is visibly shocked and you immediately ready another spike.

However, before you can fire it, the golem opens its mouth wide open and without any warning lets out an ear-splitting screech.

God-damn it is loud! Clapping your hands over your ears does nothing. You lose concentration and the paper around you float to the ground. Crap, your ears are ringing but you need to continue shooting your spikes.

That's when you notice the golem's legs tensing up. Was it going to try and charge towards you, despite you being up several metres above it? Before you can get yourself together, the ground cracks and suddenly the golem is airborne. It was so sudden that you are almost skewered when the golem comes falling towards you with its arms swinging.

Crap!

Barely dodging out of the way, you fall off the playground equipment and land badly on your leg, a sharp pain exploding from your right ankle. Grunting in pain, you scramble to pull yourself together before the golem attacks again. A shadow form above prompts you to roll away just into time to avoid being crushed as the golem drops back down to the ground.

Everything about this golem breaks what you know of reality. It shouldn't be able to move as fast as it should be, let alone jump that high! Up close, you can see small cracks all over its body. It had taken damage from its landing but now it's got you within its range. You practically push yourself off the ground, narrowly avoiding getting your head chopped as the golem swings it arm down.

Fuck fuck fuck! Your ankle hurts like fuck! You might have sprained if from falling earlier which means you're in big trouble! You pull in paper from nearby, mostly those from your spikes, and throw them at the golem but this time, the golem just ignores them. It is close enough that all it needs is a lucky hit to end your life. It's a now a high-stakes game of cat and mouse as you continuously dodge its swings.

You just need one shot but you can't concentrate while it's attacking you. It's taking your all just to evade its attacks.

"JAMES!" Relief floods your system the moment you hear Lucille. The golem stops to look up and you finally manage to make some distance between you and it before you look to where Lucille is. She's in her witch's hat and her cloak, standing beneath the lamppost lighting up the playground. Before you can say or do anything, Lucille charges towards the golem. "THIS ENDS NOW!"

The golem seems to disregard Lucille and turns back towards you. However, that's when you notice what's hidden under Lucille's cloak.

"YEEEEAAARGH!" With a roar, Lucille twists around, making her cloak spread out around her shoulders, giving you a full view of what Lucille's is holding.

Where the fuck did Lucille find a sledgehammer?!

Dragging the thing off the ground with all of her might, Lucille smashes through the left arm and side of the golem, the clay construct making a sound, not unlike a vase being broken. Its single eye is wide in disbelief. It wasn't expecting someone that couldn't see its true form to being able to attack it like this.

It's not finished just yet.

Lucille, thrown off-balance by the weight and momentum of the sledgehammer trips and the golem, despite its crumbling state, manages to turn around towards the fallen girl and raise its remaining sword arm to cut down the life of the one that had dealt it a fatal blow.

There's no way you can stop it in time. Your paper won't be able to stop it and you can't move fast enough to tackle the damn golem down. Because of you, Lucille was going to die.
[LIMIT BREAK]
No, you can't let Lucille get hurt. Not when she just saved you. Not when she poured out her heart and soul to you. Not when she gave you a beautiful smile against a rain of stars.

Without thinking, you grab every single piece of paper nearby with your power and somehow they respond. You can feel them all, every single piece of paper in the park answers your call. Candy wrappers, newspaper, food packaging, lunch bags, each and every one of them gather above you in a true storm of paper before connecting and hardening together to form a shape. The golem notices what you're doing and looks up shakily and its single cracked eye widens in what you hope is terror.

A giant hand of paper held together by your will hangs in the air right above the golem. Clenching your fist, the giant construct mirrors your action. You give the golem a look of contempt for daring to think about hurting your friend.

"Disappear." Swinging your fist down, the paper fist comes down on the golem like the angry fist of the gods. And just like that, it's over.

The fist stays intact in the small crater that it made before it starts to fall apart. Lucille has gotten up and is staring at the pile of paper that made up your construct.

"James, just…what was that?" Lucille asks in awe and you let out a breath of relief seeing that the ORC president is just fine.

Suddenly strength leaves your body and you collapse to the ground. Your eyes begin to swim and your vision starts flickering in and out of darkness. You hear Lucille run to your side and the last thing you see before you lose consciousness is Lucille's worried face.

…..

…..

There is a star. It is small yet it still shines within the depths of that which it has chosen. Nearby, several tiny sparks appear - five in total. However, only two of them comes and join with the star while the others join together to form a new star that disappears into the depth of another.

The sparks however still make the star shine a bit brighter, stronger, and better.

You can feel a shift in your power occur.

…

…

Having defeated the golem, your powers have grown. While not as much had you defeated the golem by yourself, you still obtain the sparks of potential that can be spent to strengthen aspects of your power or even gain new aspects. Now choose what to spend these sparks of potential on.

Current Aspects

Control 1 – Move the equivalent of 12 sheets of A4 paper. Can gather paper in a 5-meter radius.
Hardening 1 – A single sheet of paper can be made as hard as a thin sheet of aluminium. Hardening remains for 1 seconds after release.
Form 1 – A single sheet of paper can be folded rapidly without touch. A construct made from a single sheet can be made autonomous and given a single simple command.

Choose 2 upgrades

[ ] Control 2 – Move the equivalent of 36 sheets of paper. Gather paper within a 10-meter radius.
[ ] Hardening 2 – four sheets can be hardened to aluminium hardness. 1 sheet can be made as hard as steel. Hardening remains for five seconds after release.
[ ] Form 2 – A construct the size of a person's head can be made autonomous and given simple commands. Up to four sheets can be folded rapidly.
[ ] Sharpness 1 – A single sheet of paper can be given a razor edge. Sharpness rapidly deteriorates after a single cut.


What does James Miller look like?
[ ] (insert picture)

 

[shibosho]

[X] Sharpness 1
[X] Hardening 2
[X] Appearance

Spoiler: appearance

= = = = = = = = = = =

You think you're dreaming. That's the only explanation you have on how you suddenly found yourself in this dark place. It is very dark, disturbingly so. The only lights that you can see are far off pinpricks like stars in the night sky and the light that you have.

You can feel that this light, this star of yours, has grown a little bit stronger, a little bit brighter, and all the more beautiful. It pushes away the shadows nearby and what little you see tells you that there is a path in front of you. However, somehow you just know that there are things moving in the darkness and your star will only draw them ever closer. Unless your light is strong, you will eventually be swallowed up by the darkness just as other stars in the distant have.

In the darkness, you hear a voice speak from nowhere and everywhere.

"Oh child, blessed by the stars, the path that lies before you is covered in darkness and uncertainty stills your steps. But fear not for the gift, your star, will light the way. Though it is weak now, it is a star that will one day become bright enough to burn away all shadows and light the journey towards your destination.

Until such a time comes to pass, you will be tested and pushed to your limits. The shadows will come hungering for your star. Slay them and free the sparks of potential from the depths of the abyss.

Your path will cross with those of other who carry a star within them. There will be those who will seek to take the light of your star and leave you in total darkness. There will be those that will join forces to push back the darkness and follow the paths that are revealed before them. Defend your light from those that would steal it. Journey alongside the stars that you accept as part of your constellation.

And perhaps, at the journey's end, you will discover what you are looking for. Even if you do not have a dream that you wish to fulfil, it is certain that you shall find one along this journey."

The voice falls silent and you look to the path once more. Indeed, it is dark but your star will surely become bright enough to show you the way.

Suddenly, you feel everything begin to fade away.

Before everything disappears, you hear the voice call out to you once more.

"Oh, and gifted of the Papyrus, your original wish shall be granted."

Wait what?

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

You open your eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. It takes a few moments for your mind to boot up and begins asking important life questions such as "Who am I?", "Where am I?", "What did I do last night?", "Oh god did I do anything stupid last night?", and "Who the heck is lying right next to me?!"

It soon all comes back to you.

Lucille's confessing her fears to you. You comforting her by revealing your powers. The Yorizen Star Storm. The golem, holy shit that wasn't a dream! You getting hurt. Lucille smashing it with a sledgehammer. You finishing it off with a giant paper fist. You blacking out. The dream and the voice.

Lucille! What happened to Lucille after that?!

And where the hell are you anyway!?

You're in what you think is someone's guest room, lying on a bed. Were you in Lucille's house? Did she bring you back all the way from Skyfall Park? What about your parents? Did they call or are they worrying their guts out right now?

"Mmmm…evil spirit….disappear…" You hear a familiar voice sleepily murmur next to you. Turning your head, you come face to face with Lucille's sleeping face. She's in a chair right next to your bed, using her arms as pillows as she breathes ever so softly in her sleep. Your heartbeat seems to grow louder in your ears as you stare at the sleeping expression of the girl who had pretty much saved your life last night. A slight blush suddenly appears on Lucille's face and you hear her murmur some more, "…touching…dirty…naughty…James…"

Okay, time to get out of bed. As quietly and carefully as you can, you get out of the bed that Lucille put you in and leave your club president to her dreams. Your ankle is a bit sore but you can walk on it if you don't put too much pressure on it. You're still in your school uniform while Lucille is in her pyjamas. The cut on your face has been cleaned up and covered with a bandage. It seems that Lucille took care of you while you were out before falling asleep at your side. You can't help but be touched by such care.

Leaving the guestroom, It's a large apartment unit, meant for a well-off family. The furnishings are all high-quality stuff and very avant-garde. Lucille's family definitely has money to spend. You can, however, see Lucille's own touches. Dreamcatchers, tiny stone idols, Japanese style charms, and all kind of mystical knick-knacks are all over the place if you look carefully. However, as far as you can tell, the only one living here is Lucille. Does she live on her own, separately from her parents?

You musing are quickly cut off when you step on the most fiendish object that you could possibly step on. A lego piece. There's a lego castle on the coffee table and there are pieces of lego all around it and some of them have been left on the floor for you to step on.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" You swore loudly, and you jump back in pain. Goddamn, those things smarts. You hear a yelp coming from the guestroom followed by confused panicking before the guestroom door is slammed opened to reveal Lucille holding the sledgehammer she used to smash the side of the golem last night. You also realised that you missed the fact that she didn't wear the bottom half of her pyjamas when she went to sleep.

Are those side-tie cat panties she's wearing?

"What's wrong!? Did another golem come!?" Lucille practically bellow in adrenaline-fueled panic. Then she takes a look at you frozen on the spot. She has the decency to blush as she carefully places the sledgehammer against the wall behind. "Um…Hey?"

"…Just where did you get that sledgehammer?" You find yourself saying before you could stop yourself. Lucille pales and looks around anxiously while you scramble to figure out what would be appropriate to say in this situation while hoping she doesn't realise she showing off her panties.

At that moment, the large fancy digital clock hits seven AM and starts sending out a loud repeating alarm.

"Ah! Good morning, James! We have school today so let's have breakfast! I'll go make some eggs and sausages!" Lucille then turns and runs into what you assume to be the kitchen.

"Yeah, morning." This was going to be an awkward morning.

"OH GOD! I FORGOT MY PANTS!"

Make that really fucking awkward.

A short while later, you and Lucille are seated at the dining table, eating breakfast in silence. The incident from earlier makes it very hard to talk and neither one of you are willing to break the ice just yet. Meanwhile, you've checked your phone to find that Lucille had been smart enough to send a text to your parents saying that you were staying over at a friend's house to help them study for a test. That one thing you won't have to worry about.

You have to admit though that Lucille makes a nice egg and sausage breakfast.

As you are halfway through your second sausage, Lucille finally speaks. "So as you can see, when you fainted last night, I couldn't take you to your house since you got your face cut and everything so I took you back to my place since I don't live with my parents."

"Uh-huh. Thanks for patching up my face." You say to her, getting a slight blush from her. A bit of tension leaves the room and you find it easier to speak again. "So…you wouldn't have any idea what last night was all about, do you?"

What Lucille says next was not what you were expecting. "Um, wasn't the golem one of the shadows hungering for stars?" It takes you a couple of moments to realise that you hadn't heard Lucille wrong.

"You had the same dream!?" You ask perhaps a tad louder than you wanted. Lucille flinches slightly but quickly composes herself.

"You mean the one where everything was dark and there was a voice talking about how our stars would draw shadows that wanted to eat them and more stuff. Then yeah, I had that dream."

You gape for a few moments at Lucille before realising what this meant. "You have powers now?!"

"I-I think so. I haven't tried them out yet but I think I do." Lucille admits soundly a little excitement before pouting angrily at you. "And you were lying! You only had your powers for at most a couple of days!"

You tell Lucille that you never said that you had them longer than a day, only that you had them and thus were supernatural. Lucille glares at you before her expression softens and she lets out a giggle. She grabs your hand in a comforting manner and gives you an understanding smile.

"Don't worry about it, James. I forgive you plus now I know the supernatural is real! So thank you" Lucille says before looking at her hand. She's entwined your fingers together and her hand feels soft and warm. She yelps and pulls her hand away to your disappointment, her face red with embarrassment. "Um, so yes. All is forgiven and we should probably get ready to school.

You frown as you think about everything that has happened to you in the last twelve hours or so.

To be frank, you're not sure if you really want to go to classes. While Lucille seems to want to go to classes, it might be prudent to skip classes for the day to figure out what the hell is going on. If your dream was telling the truth, then that means there are other golems out there along with other "Gifted" out there.

What should you do?

[ ] Go to school. People are expecting you and Lucille to show up to classes since you two are still students after all. Hell, the incidents that the other members went to check out might be related to this whole supernatural business! Maybe you'll find out something more? So what if you had a life-and-death fight with moving clay statue last night?

[ ] Skip school. Fuck academics! You've got more important things to worry about! Like when will more of these golem monsters will show up, what kind of powers does Lucille have, and what does all this star business mean! That and you still need to get your head together over everything. You and Lucille need to support each other in this period of turmoil in your lives.