........ @SolarGemX, you really had to make that Pokemon omake and involve Shadow Pokemon, didn't you? XD is one of my favorite GameCube games. Now I've got ideas in my head about omakes to the Void Version omake.
Everyone, if I end up busting out another Omake tomorrow, you know who to blame.
........ @SolarGemX, you really had to make that Pokemon omake and involve Shadow Pokemon, didn't you? XD is one of my favorite GameCube games. Now I've got ideas in my head about omakes to the Void Version omake.
Everyone, if I end up busting out another Omake tomorrow, you know who to blame.
I loved Coliseum and Gale of Darkness as well. Feel free to write as much as you want. I cant be the only one feeding Rei OExp. Ive been asked to refrain till chapter 2.14 at least, so go in my place and pick at Kermies Sanity, bit by word driven bit!
Next Up On Perhaps For Love, Or Maybe Justice…
Jun's place is the same as always. Kinda quiet, kinda calm; always safe. Speaking of Jun, he's at his desk, casually playing an MMO. Apparently, it comes in both VR and non-VR servers. Right next to him, Himari's on call with Kirata, watching some anime and talking with her about Awakening Day. Finally, you notice something on your shoulder. It's Purrson, white fur standing out among the black void. Almost instinctively, you realize it. He's holding together this space, making everything stick together… like some sort of magic magnet. "Alright then, I call this first meeting of… we'll figure out the name later… to order. Rei, if you have anything you want to address, you can get started." Shit.
Ok, don't panic. There has to be someone causing this. Maybe Akemi and Jun can get you out!
"AKEMI! JUN!" you yell, "HELP ME OUT HERE!"
…nothing. Time to panic. To this day, you're still unsure what her last words truly were.
But you remember the day after, after you and Akemi had burnt her corpse as she had requested. Five years ago. August 14th, 2075. "Oh god I need therapy."
Jun's place is the same as always. Kinda quiet, kinda calm; always safe. Speaking of Jun, he's at his desk, casually playing an MMO. Apparently, it comes in both VR and non-VR servers. Right next to him, Himari's on call with Kirata, watching some anime and talking with her about Awakening Day.
[CUTE]
>Oh, I wonder what he's playing.
And on the couch, Akemi's laying down, headphones and blanket on, eyes closed. Ever since that training session with Kirata, she's apparently had a really bad fever. Damn. Hope she gets better soon.
Finally, Purrson is perched on the table in the center of the room. He's looking at the mysterious deck where all the spirits in your head come from. And that's where the feeling of impending doom/suckiness comes from.
…because it's related to the Void, and with the Void comes a bunch of nastiness, right?
Bingo, Atry. But enough about that. Purrson's said that before the interesting (>Read: Dangerous) part, he's gotta do some more boring stuff first. Twenty minutes straight of him pawing at the deck hasn't been very interesting, but it is very cute. Akemi would be cooing over him if she wasn't actively about to evaporate into a puddle.
He looks up at you, feline eyes mysterious as always. "Ah, Rei. Do you think you could find somewhere away from everyone else for this next part? Magic explosions and all that."
Akemi's eyes shoot open, and she throws off the headphones. Jun just narrowly dodges out of the way, catching the headphones in his free hand. "Hey, what did I just hear? Purrson, what are you doing?"
Purrson just yawns, before curling up into a ball. Dammit, why does he go through all the cat emotes like that? Is he trying to tug on all your heartstrings? Because it's working. "It's fine. Nothing you need to worry about, Akemi. Go back to sleep."
Akemi doesn't seem convinced, but she puts the blanket back on and sinks a bit deeper into the couch cushions. Purrson turns his attention back to you, looking at you with something a bit incomprehensible in his eyes. He jumps on your shoulder, and points his paw towards the table. "Ok, I suppose this first part could probably be done right here on the couch. Rei, please pick up the deck of cards and close your eyes."
You do just that, and take a deep breath as your world sinks into darkness. ??? 6:39 PM
You open your eyes again, and you are in the middle of an endless void, sitting at a table. A round, glass table. As you look across, the shadows seem to disperse, revealing Atry sitting on a glass throne. No, "throne" isn't a good word. It's closer to a seat of honor, or maybe even just an extremely comfy chair. Behind the chair, a vaguely draconic figure floats. You'd hazard that to be Gargoyle.
"Been a while since we've been here together, eh Rei? Good to see you."
Before you can respond, the fog of shadows to your left disperses. Both the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen sit at their own chairs, blocky and made of pixelated red polygons. The other Malice girls stand behind them, ready and attentive. This is actually the first time you've seen them as larger than chibis— you wonder how they can deal with carrying around such overcomplicated dresses on a daily basis.
">Well, it's not like she had much reason to come here before. Lord knows it was crowded. Still is."
">At the very least, we're organized now. I think this table is new!"
On your right, the three ninjas are also there at table, standing. Unlike before, they're dressed in casual kimonos. Fuma stands with his arms crossed, while Kizaru feeds the monkey perching on his shoulder a banana. It's Hatsume that speaks for their group.
"Two, four, six… that's almost all of us. Just need one last group."
Right on cue, the shadows disperse one last time, and Blackbeard appears in all his green-skinned glory, rolling in on a tall wooden throne. Bluebeard and Goldenhair are pushing said throne forward.
"Yarr, I'm here now. You all can start."
Finally, you notice something on your shoulder. It's Purrson, white fur standing out among the black void. Almost instinctively, you realize it. He's holding together this space, making everything stick together… like some sort of magic magnet. "Alright then, I call this first meeting of… we'll figure out the name later… to order. Rei, if you have anything you want to address, you can get started."
You crack your neck. "Thanks, Purrson. Let's make this quick, since everyone else is still waiting on the outside. First off, let's get a few things straight. Everyone here aside from me and Purrson got attacked by the Void or some weird equivalent shadow creature before meeting me, right? Does anybody have any ideas about what happened there?"
Everybody nods. Blackbeard in particular leans in. "If I had to take a gander at this particular question, from what everybody else here's told me… my guess is that the situation we're currently in is like the situation with krakens."
Some of the spirits tilt their heads in confusion, but Atry just shakes her head and motions for Blackbeard to continue.
"Some of my pirate friends and I fought giant sea krakens, back in the days when there were enough fish in the sea to sustain more than one or two of those behemoths. Zealantis, Neo-Daedalus, the works. What was interesting about those guys is that due to their size, it actually took a darn long while before you actually got to the stomach. Provided that you could ford water decently well, it was actually possible to get out of their mouth while the big lugs were sleeping. Now, granted, getting out without waking them was its own challenge, but still…
Fuma raises an eyebrow. "Interesting. And how is this important?"
"What I'm saying is that maybe the Void is like one of those leviathans. And we just barely managed to get out thanks to Rei getting lucky and coming along before we got… digested."
You put a hand on your chin. "That… would make sense actually. Especially considering I tossed myself into a sacrifice spell meant for two instead of only one. Maybe the Void thought I wasn't worth eating on my own, and instead spit me back out with all of you guys. Still doesn't explain how you guys were awoken by my friends, but it's a start."
[Further Info on Mysterious Deck Deck Of Darkness unlocked: While it's definitely tainted by the void, the spirits inside likely would have died if not for the fact that they clung to you.]
Atry watches as all the others fall into thought, and nods. "We'll have to consider it more once we've got more residents up here. Now, second order of business- we've gotta get this place cleaned up. We can't have so many people in Rei's head speaking all at once."
Everybody in the room shifts around awkwardly. You're pretty sure that Cheshire just coughed. You never really bothered to say it out loud, but it's pretty obvious to everybody that your head is really starting to ache from all the noise.
It's the Hare that comes up with the solution. ">What if we had a rotating system? We spin a bottle or something whenever Rei isn't using any of our powers in her transformation so that we can decide who's going to be with her for the day."
That sounds… pretty good, actually. "How are you all gonna do that, though? Do you guys have some sort of microphone that you can pass around?"
Atry just leans back, Gargoyle catching her chair before it tips over. "I'm pretty sure that you only hear us whenever we directly speak to you, so I think an honor system would work. Does anybody have a pen and paperin here? It's not that hard to materialize stuff inside this mental space, but getting it to stick around is tricky."
Dormouse raises her hand. ">I've got a notes app on my phone, and it's not like I can do any hacking from here, so I'd be down, I guess..."
"Great! Alright, so today I'll go, and then tomorrow…"
The group of spirits (which you should really decide a name for) bursts into conversation. You look at Purrson, who's now sitting on the glass table. "Looks like they've gotten their shit together. Hell, I'm pretty sure that I can just leave this to them for a while."
"I almost want to chastise you for the language, but I know you wouldn't listen to me anyways. Now c'mon, let's get to the important part. I've got a lot to say to you."
"Ok, ok. Just let me tell Akemi, Jun and Himari what we'll be doing first."
Rei gains +2 to her Mental from having a clear(ish) head!
Each update, four voices from among Rei's spirits will be randomly chosen to speak. Atry and Gargoyle will be counted as one spirit (not like Gargoyle talks that much anyways) and will always be one of these voices.
6:44 PM
Jun's Guest Room
Both Jun and Akemi look at you uneasily- Himari already wished you well, since she's apparently too busy discussing the newest season of the Dandadan: Hallow's Eve anime with her sister. Lucky.
You're laid out on the bed, Purrson on top of the frame. You turn to Jun and Akemi, who're both looking at you like you could spontaneously combust at any moment now. "Why so serious, both of you? Am I on my deathbed or something?"
Jun shakes his head. "No, it's just…" he looks up at the bedframe, eyes seeing but not comprehending. "Hah, give a dude a break for once, Rei. You're having a private talk with what might be a god or some sort of malicious yokai, and for some reason we have to leave you alone, in my house, away from anything that could harm you. What am I supposed to do, not be worried?"
You look up at the bed stand again, and Purrson jumps down from there onto a pillow. Jun's not completely wrong. While Purrson isn't malicious, he specifically requested that it should just be you, him, and Akemi when trying to unlock any hidden memories that he might have. And right now, Akemi's not feeling too well. She coughs a bit, and her face is still red. "Khm— Sorry about that, I'll need to push away the side effects of that Void Contract in a bit— Jun's right, Rei. It's pretty concerning. And I've known Purrson for longer than you have!"
You wave her off, sitting up a bit on your pillows. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. I mean, last time I went into the Void, I just screamed at it and beat up my own hand. It was fine." You take a glance at your right hand as you say that— the Void Glyph has faded into a couple of barely noticeable jagged scars. Thanks, Kirata.
Both of them still don't look convinced, but eventually, Akemi takes a breath out. "Fine. Call us if you need anything, alright?"
"Ok!"
The door shuts, and now it's just you and one very interesting cat(?), who jumps down from onto the set of pillows next to you. His feline eyes glint with the telltale gleam of something extraordinary. "Very well then, Rei. You asked for this, so where should we start?"
For a second, you consider consulting the spirits in your head, but you don't get any response. They must still be debating that schedule. In lieu of asking for advice, you instead just sigh and go with the first thing that comes to mind. "Ok, let's start from the beginning. I don't remember much, but I definitely remember hearing your voice from before I met you… and during the incident at Animate that started this all. Do you know anything about that?"
It was while you were getting tossed through the Void. You thought that it was Akemi you heard, but really, knowing what you know right now… there's a chance that it was Purrson.
??? said:
C'mon Rei. You can't just go down here! I've already put so much of my hopes into you- you dying here would be a complete waste.
He purrs, seemingly considering it. "Well, it's as I told you. There are multiple holes in my memory. It's possible that I met you while you were in that space, but as some unembodied spirit because of the effects of the Void?"
You shake your head. "No, that doesn't sound quite right. And you don't seem like any of the Shades that we've met so far."
Purrson rolls over, laying on his stomach. He growls. "Then there has to be something else, some way that my memories can come back."
"Don't ask me. I dunno."
Purrson's eyes close for a second. When he opens them, he sounds a bit less confident. "Perhaps you can talk about yourself? Maybe I'll recognize something."
"Well, ok."
You begin to tell the story. And in a second, it's like… You're back here again, where there's nothing. You don't remember much of your past before the Guild. There is… an empty, gaping hole where your childhood should be. Akemi once had parents, who hated her for how she broke everything around her.
Not you. Your first memories are of when you woke up and took to killing and training for said killing. For all you know, your life started when you were eight.
There was something there. There has to have been. You would not be surprised, however, if the Guild had found some way to kill the parts of you that mattered most— your memories.
Maybe in another life, you could have been like Arata or Mako. Living a normal life with memories intact— wait.
When you blink again, suddenly nothing is there. How lost did you get in those memories? The bed underneath you is nowhere to be found. There's just… an empty black void.
Shit. You didn't even poke the Void this time like Kirata did. What happened?
Ok, don't panic. There has to be someone causing this. Maybe Akemi and Jun can get you out!
"AKEMI! JUN!" you yell, "HELP ME OUT HERE!"
…nothing. Time to panic.
You almost begin to scream, maybe reach for your deck in order to transform. But there's nothing.
Those memories weren't yours. They weren't. You look through the void, up, down, all around. And then you look behind you. For a second, the darkness clears, and you see her through a tear in the dark space. Atry, with her blue hair and all. She reaches out, and behind her, you just barely manage to see multiple pairs of eyes and hands— it's all the other spirits, reaching out to you.
The void begins to close up, but before it does, you just barely hear Atry scream out something.
"Hang tight! You just have to hold tight against the memo—" You distantly remember when you went up against a General of the Guild. Her name was Solferina. Long hair, blank eyes, a futuristic pair of headphones in place of ears. She was a HumaGear— you hadn't met Mai yet, so to you that meant that she was a machine made for killing.
You wanted strength. You needed strength. You needed to learn about strength, and if that meant experiencing it for yourself, you were willing to put yourself up against goliaths. So you challenged her to a duel. Friendly.
It took five seconds. Exactly five seconds, calculated to the most minute moment, for you to be swept off your feet and stabbed— with a protruding spike from her arm going right through your gut. Even now, you remember that horrible feeling of slowly bleeding out. It was the most painful experience of your life, until you passed out.
When you woke up, you were in the medbay, and she was next to you. Sitting on a chair, staring into space, but politely looking in your direction.
You don't know what possessed her that day, and the year after that. But every week, you went up against her
Is she still alive? No… she can't be. That spark of kindness can't have lived on for four years now without being snuffed out. And Himari told you otherwise in her recording that Jun showed you.
In another life, would she have been…?
The winds of shadow whip up around you, tossing you away from your mentor and slamming you down.
Is this the Void trying to kill you? Bashing you against your own past until your head splits open? Because it's working. Your chest hurts already.
You take a deep breath, and get to your knees, bracing yourself with your hands. There has to be something, some way out…
There! In the corner of your eye, you spot a speck of light— radiant, white and beautiful.
Is that Purrso—
You are̷̳̗͙̱̰̪̭̩̗̜͙̥͑̐̈́͂̃̆́͂̏̃̈́̈̾̀̕Ḥ̷̢̡̛̗̮̹̠̟̼̥̣̹̟͕̝͇̞̾̄̈́̉̆̄͋̍̅̃̽̇̚͝͝ ̶̯͉͔̺̺̈́̀́̀̋͘W̸͇͊͑p̵̢̡͎̬͈̺͇͇̳̳͉̥̤̝͒̃͊l̶̢̨̡̛͖̙̳̮̮̹͚̰͍̏̉̓̉̒̈́̈́͘̕͘͜͠͠͠ͅj̷͚̮̳̫̃̉̂̉̈́͑̾̆̈́͠l̷̖̜͓̯̄̽̅̍̄͌̅̅̊̌̽̚ͅ ̶̦͍̦͔̗̯̜̝̪̳͎̖̈̾̄͐̏̎́̃̀͗̚͝͝V̴̳̯̰͊̒̔̅̿̈́ḿ̸̡͚̘͔͇̪͖̻̞̫̿͐̉̓̽̈́̆̔̑̑̆̕ ̸̛͓̦͓͕̖̙͚̣̤̻̹͕̞̭̥̱̘̃̒͊̂̏͊C̵̲̗͑̕͝ͅv̵̨̧͕̯͕̪̼͕̮́̓͌ṕ̸̪̮̦̩̜̣̤̅̇̑̂͊̐͐͌͊̃͘͘k̸͎̰̫̝͓͎̠̞̥̊͐̔̊̀͑̐̎̕͘͝͠.̷̢͚̘͓̤̝̹̰͇̹̘̮͒͗͋̀̇̇͊͜
You are the pain of a lost child. You are the hurt of a lost family. You are the dying gasp of o̵̡̱̹͈̮̟̫͇̣̲̼͙̍́͊́̕͘b̷̛̗̥̘̥̼͉̪͕͎̹̦̘̀̏͆̂͛͋̈́̓̑̎̀̐̈́͆͠ŭ̴̧̻̭͖̙̥̱̞̼͈̓̽̀͐́̅͆͋͗̅̚͝͝k̴̢̠͙̭̯̮̒͐̉͌͂͗̏̆͠y̷̢͉̲̰̘̥̰̲̖̬͓̩͙͇̻̅́̔͊̏ḻ̷̩̮̮̟͙̲̪͇̤̠͖͕̽̑̂̌̊̈́̈́͊̋̿̔̿̾͂͊͠k̵̡̞͇̭̰͔̮̲̞̜̟̫̭͇͙̀̑̊͗͆͂̈́̌͊̈̆͐̔͘͘͝z̷̢̧̤̗̬̖̥̰̦̥̹͛́ ̶̝͓͔͚͚̲̬̳̼̰̼̭͔͊͆̾̓͂̄v̶̛̛̫͐́̃͆͑̐͊̈́͋̉́͝͝m̶̧̡̥̝̱̣͖̘̪̫͖̝̬̦͋̆͒͒͆͒̎̉͐̿̏̈̒̚͝ ̵̨̹̩͎̥͚̺͕̮̲͙̲͒̎̎̄̈́̕ä̵̩̩̇̒̅͊̀͛͊͗͊̚o̷̡̗̲̤̥̲̹̗̞̘͆̔͗́̾̄̂̃̄͐̍̐̽̀́͝ͅv̶̧̛̤̩̖̻͋́̾̈́͑̈̀͘͝b̴̜͈̖̜̯̩́̈́̚z̷̨̖̟̮̠̣̰͍̯̅̄̎͘h̴̘͚̘͕̦̥͇̬̞͖͇͈̼̤̞͚͒̃̀̌̓͂͌̽̐̆̀̌̔͠͝u̸̡̧̨̪̦̲̖̤̖̲̹̎̐̽̄͝͠k̴̨̧̨̛̟̪̠͕̞̭̠͈̜̘͙͉͙̄̒̅̊͋̏̉̽̄̚͘̕͘͘͜͝ż̷̢̺͔͚̺̟̦̩̎̂̈́͆͜ ̸̨̧̨̛͖͓͙̭̰̳̝̘͌͆͌̈́̑̅̕͜v̷̞̤̩͐̀̌̑̓̐͗m̶̢̨̺̭̻̣̙͈̤̖̯̙̫̦̺̼̀̆̓͌̂̚ ̸̧̹̮̳͓͉͎̐͊̅̕͜͜ṣ̵͍̀̅͑͌̑͋̂̑̄̉́͂̉́͌͑͝ͅͅv̷̟̪̎͆̓ư̴̡̧̡͓͖̫̫̤͖̫̹͖̮͕̪͚͔̽̌̍̀͗̋̓͆͗̌̎̀̐̕l̸̳͖̱͓̦̻̥̈́̏̊͛̓̚s̴̛̩̯͔͔͚̳̪̱̣̠̻̎͆̉͛̈̄̆̚ͅͅͅͅf̶̛̣͖̈͗̐̍̂͐̀̽̇̓̔͊͑͛̃͠,̸̯̘̘͇̖̯̭̑̍͛͗́͘͜ ̸̣̫̤͔̘̻̺̬̩̞͉͒̃̽̐̏̏͘̕s̶̻͉̹̑̋̇̓͊v̷̤̯̹͆͌̇̉̌̍̄̾̈́͒́̕͜͝ͅu̸̡̩͎̝̰̥̩̭̩̭̣͗ͅͅļ̸̛̩͓̩̼̅̈̀͒͂̔͊ŝ̷̨̡͔̥̠̤̦̬͕̳̼͉̽̉̄̎̎̍͌͠f̵̥̠̬͉͔͇̉͐̃,̷̧̥̠̝̩͚͎̱͇̻̥̗̔͝ ̸̨̧̨̟̼͓̖̼̳̞͕̯̻̲̞͌̍̅̕ş̷͈̹̞̭̞̼̯̻̹̗̳̥͖̹̮͔̏̄͂̒v̴̡̡̰͓̠̗̺͈͓͍͓̬̊ü̴̡̞̪̖̖̱̻̫̦̥̿̌͌̉͋̈̽l̷̢̛̻͚̜̼͓̰͈͙͉̹͎͚͓̑̔s̸͇͖͕̦̝̜̘̺̬͉̊͐͂̂͆͂̌̃̏̄͌̾̿̚͘͝͝f̷̢̬̖̯̥̟̩̦̟͓̮̼͗̈́̈́̆̎̎̋̽͐̚—̴̛̤̦̳̖̰̬͋̾̄́̄̍̓͒̀̌͛̒́̈́͂̌
You are the prayer of a girl who was born too late.
You are-
You HAVE TO BE-
You are s̶̻͉̹̑̋̇̓͊v̷̤̯̹͆͌̇̉̌̍̄̾̈́͒́̕͜͝ͅu̸̡̩͎̝̰̥̩̭̩̭̣͗ͅͅļ̸̛̩͓̩̼̅̈̀͒͂̔͊ŝ̷̨̡͔̥̠̤̦̬͕̳̼͉̽̉̄̎̎̍͌͠f̵̥̠̬͉͔͇̉͐̃.
You gasp, and grip your chest to still the pain swelling up inside of there. That one hurt. And again, that memory wasn't yours. It feels like casting even the single most common spell would send you into a year-long coma. Your head is dizzy, and it feels like you could vomit.
But you think that get it now— the Void isn't just some alien or spirit. It's a bunch of grouped up negativity, stuffed up nihility. You're seeing it in its purest form right now, you're inside it's metaphorical stomach. That's why it keeps on bringing up those old bloody memories. Because those memories are essentially crucial pieces of Void. That's how it keeps itself alive, living rent-free in everybody's head.
And you're stuck right in the middle of a huge manifestation of it.
It makes sense. Whenever it gets touched, the Void lashes out like a wild animal, thrashing around with its/your memories. And while Akemi traded away her time to it, Purrson probably traded away something else— but the result is the same, just more wild.
Almost instinctively, you know in your heart what it's about to throw at you. You grit your teeth, as you're pulled into another space from the past, and reach out towards that light—
You had a sister, once. She wasn't your blood sister or anything. It's just that Maruki is a surprisingly common last name.
The classes in the Guild ran all day, everyday. As long as you attended a class, it was safer than being sent on an actual mission by one of the Generals. Even Solferina, despite that soft spot that she grew for you, couldn't go against the system ingrained into her code. So everyone put their head down until they could either become a top-tier combatant or luck into a job manning the front desks or dealing with all the money laundering schemes. Sometimes, even that wasn't enough.
So it was another day, another marathon, another obstacle course with lasers. That was when you met her— white hair, like Akemi's, but with the strangest green streak right down her bangs.
Her name was Kasumi Maruki. Before meeting her, you were… cold. You didn't know about kindness, or empathy, or anything like that. Nobody bothered you before then. She did, pushing you out of the way of a stray laser. You couldn't help but ask her during lunch just why she did that. She said that she'd give you an answer, but…
"Don't worry, Rei. I'll tell you just why I saved you one day. As long as you be… well, let's call ourselves "conversation partners"."
Every day, she kept on pushing forwards. Even when you began to talk with Akemi on her suggestion, she always kept a wide berth between you and her. Always completing a new mission, always going forward. Every day, when you got out of those classes, she always came back to the Guild safehouse, with blood dripping down her head and that same gentle smile on her face. But she never asked for any promotion to a desk job. Instead, she asked the Guild leaders to give her… money.
You never knew why, and she never gave you the answer. Instead, you two talked of the birds, the flowers, the trees, the buildings, and the TV shows on Sundays. When you talked with her, it seemed like killing was a myth located a hundred miles away.
Then, all of a sudden, she challenged you to a Duel one day. Said that she "had to teach her junior one more personal lesson." You accepted, of course.
As you walked onto the field and picked up your customary swords, she said that "by the way", it wasn't a friendly spar. It was to the death.
To this day, you still remember holding her in your arms, as she whispered something quietly to you. It was a rainy day. Cold. Gloomy. To this day, you're still unsure what her last words truly were.
But you remember the day after, after you and Akemi had burnt her corpse as she had requested. Five years ago. August 14th, 2075. It was in her will, a tiny document on an old phone, probably made 30 years ago. It was encrypted with magic to only open for either you or Akemi. She had planned out her death. For her, there was no point in living life as a weapon.
She had left everything to you, as was customary for the loser of a Duel. Her weapons, the proof that she lived, her position in the Guild, enough money to survive for years, a deed to a tiny apartment in a small part of Tokyo… and her humanity.
Her code name was Agent Camelia. When you finally completed the requisite 10 missions in order to get your name as an official Guild Operative, you chose Agent Roze.
She always liked roses. They were her second favorite flower, beautiful despite the thorns. You wonder to this day if she'd be proud of you, Akemi, and Himari. In another life, she probably would have, but would that have been your Kasumi?
The void turns faster, gusts of darkness slashing at your skin. Tears spill from your eyes, as your soul is rent asunder and put together again. You gasp out and it feels like your lungs are filled with lava.
But against all your instincts, you reach forward, to somewhere deep inside of you. And once again, you think of the people you love. You don't have your power right now, but if you're going to die, you want to have-
Akemi, always there, a silent voice, a smiling face even through the pain. It took ages to earn her trust, but now you have it forever. How hard will it be to hold on and keep that promise you made to her?
Himari, who's going through the same things that you did, but with friends and family a thousand times better than either of you could have ever imagined. Will she surpass you one day?
Jun, who spent a million yen- all so that both you and Akemi could disappear and bury the past. What compelled him to help you?
And Mako, Mai, Kirata, Arata, Atry, Red- all of them are people you won't ever forget. All of them are carrying their own hurt. You're still carrying the hurt.
But all of you still have to walk forwards. And as that thought passes through your head, as your life flashes before your eyes as you drown in the worst pain you've ever felt something finally clicks—
You are the end result of every person who's ever loved you and taught you. You are made of love.
You were born with death, and you've lived through death. But ideas cannot be killed. Hope cannot be killed. Love is always there in the world. You ended up finding it even though you closed yourself off to it.
You may never be a hero. You are a monster. The dead will not remember, but they won't forgive either.
But there's one person you knew who crossed that border. She's still living in your head even after her death. There are no photos of her, no coffin- just her smiling face, still living right there in your precious memories. You understand her last words now. The rain and gloom in your head are starting to fade.
"We're all going to hell. But we're not getting another life, so we may as well be good despite the past. Now you know… why I saved you."
"Love you, Rei. Now go, and don't be afraid to love others."
The foreign memories flow in one more time. You grab on, hoping against hope, your tears falling like rain. And you reach your hand out for the light. You are everything and nothing at the same time.
You are a creature made of memories. You are one hundred thousand million prayers for salvation or maybe just that simple yet complicated thing called life.
One thing you are not is Void.
Perhaps you were a part of something greater, once upon a time. But you don't know. But it doesn't matter.
Because you're not getting another life.
You are formless and nameless. But somewhere out there, you just know that there's a girl, who you know is buckling under the weight of the world. And another girl, always resigned to suffering in silence.
If in their dreams, there's a cat slipping in to comfort them… Well, that wouldn't matter much to the Void, would it?
But even if they don't remember you exactly, it still means everything to them.
You catch the spark in your hand, and everything fades. ???
??? AM/PM/???
You gasp desperately for air, and sigh in relief when it feels like your lungs aren't drowning. It's over. You brace yourself to get flung again, and when nothing happens, you get to your feet.
Ahead of you, there is a white light. It shifts, quivers a bit, before it dims. No, it doesn't dim, rather it shrinks, solidifying. Within a couple of seconds, the light gains an outline, and the outline shifts into— the shape of a human. One made of light, with absolutely no distinguishing features.
It looks at you, and speaks in a voice that's all too familiar by this point. "Rei. I'm amazed you made it here."
"Purrson. W- where are we?"
The figure looks towards the horizon, which isn't blank this time. Beyond the edge of whoever you're floating, there is- wow.
Thousands of stars shine, brighter than you have ever seen in your life. Even in the countryside, they don't burn as brightly and as brilliantly. Nebulae sway and roll in every direction, and asteroids burn streaks into the night sky.
"You can drop the extra "r" now."
"What?"
Forgot you were speaking in Japanese- no matter. I'm impressed. You made it to my Heart of Hearts,"
That was capitalized! You heard that!
"And got past the cognitohazardous defenses of the Void." Purson continues, talking quicker and quicker, his body of light flickering in and out, "I'm sorry that my incarnation didn't tell you about it. But I have to warn you, if you want another talk like this, you'll have to get past the Void inside me again. And next time, it'll be prepared."
"Oh god, I need therapy if I wanna make it back here again?"
"Yes you do."
Purson's facade of light has its mouth open, before closing again. "But getting back on track. Rei. I only have a few more minutes, before the Void takes us both again. Take my hand, or ask me something. This is likely our only chance for me to sit and explain without the maw of fate biting down on both of us— please, trust me right now!"
You stand there, almost dumbfounded, as he holds a hand out to you. Somehow, you know that you won't get this chance again for who knows how long. What do you do? [ ] Ask A Question
-Ask Purson a question before he goes. Well, two actually. He will attempt to answer honestly and to the best of his ability.
-Please note that while Purson knows a lot of things, there are still some holes in his memory. In addition, here's a few things that you cannot ask him, since he doesn't know about those things.
AKA the "please don't try and act smart with me" list:
How to become better friends with (X) (You can figure that out yourself, Rei!)
About the World Creation update (it's actually non-canonical! It's only character creation pt 2 and onwards that actually happened. Might have to edit it later to canonize it.)
About the Archmages/the Great Magical War (Go ask Kira!)
Dokuro or Senkesha's identities/motivations (who???)
Anything related to the Great Leader of Umbra or his subordinate, ????? (Rei doesn't even know they exist.)
Anything related to the Guild Overboss, or members of the Guild Rei doesn't know personally. (I'm sorry, but I wouldn't know where to start!)
Anything meta/4th wall breaking (my writing process, his thoughts on other magical girl/KR series, etc.)
[ ] Take A Walk
-Drift with Purson through the collective unconsciousness. Each voter gets their own write-in, and from there you'll see multiple snippets of other people, other places, other things, from an omniscient POV.
-You may not get what you ask for, but you'll get what you want.
-Afterwards, take two things to remember. It will be added to next week and every week after that as an investigatable subject.
Please do not vote for specifics of what you want to ask/see— there will be a vote runoff.
Voting opens at 7 AM PST. Author's Note:
Few pieces of trivia here!
-I decided to just give you the rewards from the investigation and the getting it together action, since they both fell into the same niches. Also, I wanted to get to the narrative part without waiting for rolls.
-Originally, everyone was supposed to sit on the same glass thrones, and then the Secret Six (Three?) Samurai were supposed to be sitting on tatami mats. This was very obviously nixed.
-Back when I conceived this action around 2.13, you were originally supposed to throw hands with Purrson as a spar, but that was nixed after I realized that I couldn't think of any ideas for his moveset aside from Cat Divine Death Blast (yes, really). So instead I just chose to put Rei through The Horrors. Sorry not sorry!
Happy voting, heroes! And happy Halloween. I'm going to bed now and I'm not explaning anything. This is basically this quest's equivalent to Space Oddity 1.7, and I'm gonna let you all deal with that for a bit. Speculation welcome!
Further Info on Mysterious Deck Deck Of Darkness unlocked: While it's definitely tainted by the void, the spirits inside likely would have died if not for the fact that they clung to you.
So it was another day, another marathon, another obstacle course with lasers. That was when you met her— white hair, like Akemi's, but with the strangest green streak right down her bangs.
What about the secret third non canon (?) option?
[J] Grab Purson's hand and take him with you, you got spirits in your head after all, what's one more?
Otherwise, fun chapter! It was a joy to read!
I do want to actually forgo any boons and help Purson though. If this is going to be the easiest chance we get at getting in here to Purson, the Purson who gave up memories for Rei and Akemi (I think?) then... why waste our time here with questions and other views?
We pulled out a bunch of spirits that were gonna get nommed by the void before, so why can't we do the same with Purson?
Unless him losing his memories was the payment for getting Rei out of the void when she jumped in... which actually?
No, that doesn't add up. I 100% bet that purson's memories here would not be enough for the void to be willing to part with a but load of spirits.
So... yeah why not?
Well other then it not being an option. It's late and I'm rambling-
Well we finally have a name and damn thats both cool and horrifying. The deck is basically Noahs arc for the monsters. Jeez I could actually see this a Duel Monsters plot. Z-Arc or the Light of Destruction going on a spirit world destruction spree and the Main characters decks serving a a new home for them. Or maybe a Duel monsters management quest where the mc needs to gather Duel Energy to slowly rebuild the homes of different spirits starting with their own.
Her name was Solferina. Long hair, blank eyes, a futuristic pair of headphones in place of ears. She was a HumaGear— you hadn't met Mai yet, so to you that meant that she was a machine made for killing.
Well thats a name i didnt expect. Was she originally made for this quest or did you just reporposed it from the Project? Man 2 worlds and she's suffers in both. But she kept Rei alive after every deat spar huh? Hmm... interesting, I wonder what secrets lie in her head. Also that is totally a future plot important boss fight (unless shes already dead and Im not reading right).
A Persona Reference in this niche Kamen Rider and Magical girl quest? More likely than you think! Also neat theres the other Sky Striker face. Kasumi was a kind soul, and she gave Rei so much, a heart, a home, a chance to live for her own. Rest in piece Kasumi Maruki, well make sure Rei and her friends reach a brighter future. Great chapter as always Kermie and great Halloween update. Sad that I didnt see it as it premiered but, i had some late night college work to do.
I do want to actually forgo any boons and help Purson though. If this is going to be the easiest chance we get at getting in here to Purson, the Purson who gave up memories for Rei and Akemi (I think?) then... why waste our time here with questions and other views?
Well thats a name i didnt expect. Was she originally made for this quest or did you just reporposed it from the Project? Man 2 worlds and she's suffers in both. But she kept Rei alive after every deat spar huh? Hmm... interesting, I wonder what secrets lie in her head. Also that is totally a future plot important boss fight (unless shes already dead and Im not reading right).
...Don't tell anyone this, but Solferina (from Project Prometheus) was supposed to be called Soprana, and by the time I realized that Solferina didn't mean anything music related, I had already submitted that Omake and couldn't think of any other name for her that wouldn't infringe on Bitterman's naming conventions. Now you know.
