Forieri di Tarocchi - Harbingers of Tarot

[Astoria]

The turn of events was quite amusing, and for a dream, realer than ever. She was more than content to watch the events unfold without interference, but her two dream classmates had other ideas in mind. Like Jackson, she had no intentions to go about and fooling with the gallows; despite her morbid curiosity, she was no fool. Seeing Kaede move to touch the killing instrument, she too began to advise against it but stopped as soon as the Asian girl was attacked by thorns, quickly being held in place by thick vines and a noose that had wrapped itself around her neck of its own accord.

Content in the fact that she was still in an odd dream, she passively hung back, watching the unusual ordeal. Cocking her head slightly as the din of shouting was replaced by what appeared to sound like a priest's sermon, she looked at Jackson as he returned, ushered in by the toll of a cathedral's bells in the distance.

She ran her free hand through her sidetail as Jackson addressed her, continuing her slight tilt of her head. He had some interesting words for her; for a dream person, he seemed to be oddly self-aware. That, among several other indicators, raised Iphie's curiosity. "I don't know. I have to say, this is rather absurd if I'm not dreaming, though."

Finishing her words, she eyed the walls of vine as they split once again. Seeing little else to do, she agreed with her partner and headed north.

What she found in the Northern room was quite different than the room before. Stepping in, she was alarmed to find the path behind her closed away, only leaving an exit across the room. With little else to do, she inspected the contents of the room. It was quite spacious, larger than the others; while collapsed, from its damaged contents, Iphie made an educated guess that it once was a church of some grandeur. Walking north, the rusted remains of a massive bell caught her eyes. Glancing beneath it, she found the remnants of what appeared to be a destroyed drafting table, probably smashed when the bell fell from its perch long ago. Kicking around the ashes, she found a piece of half burnt parchment. Picking it up, she surprised to see what appeared to be a draft resembling the area that she had been stuck in. Curiously, a design of a white swan featured prominently in the center of it all.

Further search returned little extra information, and she eventually moved on, leaving through the sole remaining exit in the room.

 

[Tsu]

​

[fieldbox="NIGHTMARE - Kaede's Timer: One Sequence, red"]
Each room provided only one exit point that led its inhabitants towards the leftmost side of the maze. Albeit some changes to the environment, the new space resembled a seeming mirror of the room they were just in. If anything, it was almost as if Jackson and Iphie had taken a step into the past. In the case of the southern room, all of the furniture was neatly organized across the space while several oil lanterns provided sufficient lighting for visibility. Sounds of children's laughter were audible as an echo against the walls; however, most noteworthy were the pair of gentlemen seated at the center-room table. One of the men was without a doubt well-dressed given the vest and coat attire perfectly fit upon his body, and the fact became even more apparent when it was compared to the tattered robes of the priest across the table. Regardless of Jackson's actions or behaviors, the pair of gentlemen would have been seemingly oblivious to his presence, and it would have been a short moment after his arrival that a conversation would have sparked between the two.

"It has come to my attention that the great Lord Dunwall has taken residence at this home. Might I inquire the reason for choosing our humble village?"

The man known as Lord Dunwall smiled and took a sip of his tea for responding to the inquiry set forth by the priest.

"A change in pace was desired for my next project.
This village was chosen as the perfect location for my charity.
As a man of God, I'm sure my donation to the village church will be much obliged."

Low laughter was the priest 's response as he stood and bowed in appreciation for Dunwall's offer.

"Of course. With a name such as yours on our village's architecture, there is no doubt that life might breath into our markets again."

Immediately after the priest's final words, both men would fall silent for a moment of time before the exact conversation would continually repeat for as long as Jackson remained in the room.

~~~

Entering into the northern room was a sight to behold given the pre-ruin architecture of the space. Rows of perfectly shaped pews were lined across the ground while glimmers of sunlight shined through the stain glass windows and glistened against the marble white stone. Immediately upon entering into the room, two small figures were visible hiding behind one of the nearby pews. Both heads were topped with black, matted hair; however, one had long flowing locks in comparison to the short spikes of the other. Regardless, both figures were intently gazing in the direction of the north most wall where a priest was whispering to a group of his acolytes with barely audible words.

"For the sake of this church, the act must be done."

An expression of hesitation encompassed the faces of the acolytes as one attempted a protest against the priest's words.

"But Reverand, h-he..."

The acolyte's words were immediately cut short as the priest snapped back with an angry retort of his own.

"I know who he is. It gives our actions more merit.
What effect has this construction of wood and stone brought us? Nothing, that's what.
No one cares about a work of art in the farthest reaches of the land...At least unless it has....true value...the value after the math."

"B-But what of the girls?"

Laughter burst from the priest in response to the statement of the acolyte.

"The immorality of that family gives our actions reprieve in the eyes of the Lord. It is their sins which have brought this upon them.
You know, in that maze of his, Dunwall did ask if I would oversee the ceremony for the girls. As a last favour, let us give him his wish.
Perhaps Dunwall still lives. At least then, he would have lasted long enough to hear the binding of their fate. Maybe their cries of joy and happiness can reach him down under."

~~~

In the alternate realm, events were roughly unchanged from how they were before. As a whole, Kaede's whispers were relatively ignored and ultimately drowned out by the prayer of the priest. As it stood, the prayer was more or less a declaration of the guilty's sins which as of now included arson, murder, and consanguinity. The more the priest spoke the louder the crowd became out of anger towards the pair being hanged. Nonetheless, such reactions were a benefit for Kaede as her attempts of loosening the bonds went relatively unnoticed.

"The questions are not for you to ask.
Answers to declare are surely your task.
Information you need, but sorely do lack.
Perhaps, abandoned by friends. Potentially a fa--."

The riddled voices came not as a response from within the environment, but rather as one directly in Kaede's head. Nonetheless, their presence was short-lived; instead replaced by a peculiar sensation which seemingly cut off the conclusion of the rhymes. For anyone, the sensation would have been difficult to describe in words. At best, it was a sudden warmth, chill, and feeling of grounded comfort all wrapped into a single emotion. Regardless, the situation was unchanged and the priest was slowly approaching the conclusion of his prayer. Urgency was the key in concluding a plan of action for survival.
[/fieldbox]​

 

[TerraBooma]

Jackson watched the figures talk with interest. He had called out a few times, but they had ignored him. Curiously the teen walked closer. The two figures talking were...almost fake, dolls really. The notion sat a bit heavy in Jackson's heart, head still turning. One of the men was clearly Dunwall, and the other man was probably the Priest from the journals. The whole event was confusing...but Jackson had a heavy feeling in his heart that the whole event would prove to quickly become something vital...or at least useful. He just hoped he wasn't too late. He'd been cut off, but there seemed to be a way back through to the Gallows. He had no idea how Iphie's own trip had been...which meant he might be on his own to free Kaede, and who knew how much time he had left.

Gritting his teeth and determined more than ever to save the precious documents that he held onto with an iron grip, Jackson ran forward, trying to think of what the hell this whole thing even meant. Was it connected to Kaede? How so...were they her ancestors? The hanged women? Or was it just some cruel nightmarish reality fighting against his pyche? And what even had happened to Dunwall and the Priest...how could things have gone so wrong in this town? One thing Jackson knew for sure as he darted back towards the Gallows, letting out a shout of "Hey! Kaede! I'm back!" As he ran up to the wooden structure to make sure she was still alive. The one thing he knew...was that this was one weird nightmare, and Jackson was slowly starting to wonder if he really was dreaming...normally when things go wrong in a nightmare, he'd have woken up.

Covering the documents from the pouring Rain, Jackson cursed out loud. "There's no switch!" He declared to Kaede's hanging form, doesn't look like my path had any way of freeing you directly...and those vines aren't cutting either. I found some information though...Some weird scrambled letters regarding some people...as well as a weird as hell conversation by some kind of...puppets." Jackson sighed. "This whole thing is beyond me...I hope you have better ideas." Jackson proceeded to fill Kaede in on the details of his experience, figuring that at the very least she'd be a bit better at deciding what the hell was going on here.

When Iphie returned to the gallows, Jackson would look happy that his other friend wasn't dead or in danger herself. "Hey Iphie! I found some weird stuff..." He held out the letters for Iphie to read herself, before filling her in on the rest of the information.

"Something weird as hell is going on here, and I don't like it...can you make any more sense of it then I can?"

 

[Voltin]

Silence. There was too much silence. Kent had worked past the delusions that this was a "dream", though exactly what it was within the confines of reality as he knew still eluded him. All the while, the blobs on the paper moved about. He had already guessed them to be the two remaining classmates he had seen within the maze from below: Iphie and Jackson. So, when they separated into different rooms, and nothing more changed on his map, he closed the doors behind them, opening the way to the rooms directly toward their left.

Again, when they reached their separate rooms, and nothing changed, Kent began to feel even more anxiety build within his chest. Lacking any other solution to the hanging Kaede on his end, he opened the way so that the two could rejoin their hanging classmate in the center, while also opening the way to the goal room in case they did manage to find some way to save her.

 

[Doughguy]

Well it was nice of her brain to list out all the crimes she was being hanged for so she wasn't completely ignorant. It would have been nicer if her brain gave her a knife. Instead she just had a card. She turned it over in her hands and traced the pattern just like she had in the simulation, and the card dissolved into the same three marbles. Well great, they would sure be useful here. She noticed there was a difference, as the colours of the marbles were swirling about within their casing. Maybe that was something? She dropped the red one and caught it under her foot, holding it there. She put one marble in each of her hands, spreading out her 'options'.

The voices from before suddenly popped into her head, a quick rhyme that infused her with a range of emotions that disappeared just as quickly as they had come. It brought her attention back from the current scene to the shadowy figures indicating those of the world she had come from. The Jackson one had returned. He wasn't able to free her but was able to explain a lot of the backstory. When Iphie joined him she filled in some of the blanks, though there were still plenty of them.

She was probably meant to use that to defend herself. But how? It was pretty clear the other girl had actually burned down the church so she couldn't really get out of the arson charge. She didn't know what consanguinity was so that was another dead end. But the murder? What had happened to Dunwall? The priests had kidnapped him, she knew that much. And they thought he was alive, but weren't sure. So at the very least they'd put him in a fatal situation. Were they trying to blame that on her?

"The only one guilty of murder here is you." she called out, directing her words at the priest, "You kidnapped him and killed him. After everything he did for the village, the new cathedral, the garden, you repaid his work with blood." Hopefully that would buy her some time or cause the priest to slip up. She stopped her work on the bindings a she spoke she there wouldn't be any extra attention drawn to her backup plan.

 

[Tsu]

"Good job, child."

Once again, the familiar tone and choice of words came from the front row pew directly behind Kent's position. There, the suited man was seated, cross-legged, with an amused grin fixated upon his face. Unlike before, his usual set of cards were longer orbiting his body, but rather safely stored in the deck box on his belt. The man waited for no reply before rising to his feet and crossing the distance between himself and Kent. Once at the student's side, the man gazed upon the now complete diagram which slowly construction an origami scene for each room in the maze. Starting the bottom left, a table with two men rose from the paper; soon followed by the top left where a group of priests existed among a set of pews from which a pair of figures hid behind. Next was the bottom right were a scene of chaos was constructed across the paper. Finally, the upper right where the very paper began to char and crumble into ash.

"An architect is more than a man of physical design. Sometimes even memories require reconstruction.
It explains the lack of danger that you have experienced. After all, it would be counter intuitive to harm the medium of a symbiotic relation.
Regardless, the fate of your acquaintance is no longer in your hands. You cannot influence the outcome of their survival.
Thus, it is time we move on. We have a small journey ahead of us.
If you wish to understand, please follow."

The tone of the man's voice was for the most part neutral, yet a hint of somber existed as an undertone all throughout his declaration. Regardless, the man was quick to move upon beckoning Kent to follow. He made his way to one of the cathedral's side towers where a spiral staircase led to the belfry of the structure. For the most part, the area was no different from the expectation of a cathedral abandoned to the wilderness. There, a large church bell existed among a plethora of aged nests, rampant overgrowth, and a collection of antique supplies; however, peculiar and standout was a staircase which led up into the sky. There were no measures of safety preventing the fall of any pedestrians, yet the constant lack of breeze made the trip somewhat effortless. Nonetheless, clothes were gradually dampened from the thick clouds which shrouded the journey against any view down below. As the man slowly stepped up the path, he began telling the story of the location they were in and the reason for their journey.

"The history of this place is really quite sad.
It was roughly in the 1800's, I believe. Around the time when a man known as Edward Dunwall walked the Earth.

He was a famous architect of England; so famous he was even granted the title of Lord. Even with that fame though, the man could not find happiness in his life. A bad marriage between families ruined his immediate chances for an heir, and quite honestly, his occupation left him no time for the frivolities of romance. Nonetheless, his lineage was spared thanks to his interest in the architecture of far east. The designs common to Europe had begun to bore his mind; thus, he began a series of educational journeys across the path that once was the Silk Road. Needless to say, it was in the streets of a Chinese slum that he found his ultimate happiness.

Their names were Yin Ji and Yang Zu; two girls whom he brought back and adopted upon his return to England. Soon after this event, Dunwall retired as an architect and began a new life as a father for his family. They moved to the small town of Bodwin in the south western peninsula of England where, of course, it took no time for such knowledge to spread throughout the village. This led to a series of curious events; however, of most importance concerned the head priest of the town. Bodwin was run down after a series of economic pitfalls, and as an attempt to revitalize their town, the priest wished to use Dunwall's fame and expertise to inject life into their markets. After all, Tourism was a growing industry that found success across the nation. The plan was mutually agreed upon and for the next six years, construction began on the primary church of the land. During this time, close relations developed between the Dunwalls and the church; especially towards the children who were further adored by the village as a whole. Close relations also developed among the family. Edward was the father that the girls never had while the girls were the children that Edward always desired in his life. Up front, such relations were hardly peculiar, yet a rose began to blossom where none could have expected. In the eyes of most, Yin and Yang were adopted twins; however, blood did not bind these girls. Only the close relationship which developed from the bonds of their past. Love between same sex was not a new concept during this time, yet it was not a concept accepted by a religious village as small as Bodwin.

Edward had no qualms towards the immorality of his children; the man only desired their happiness, after all. Thus, as an amendment to the original contract of construction, Dunwall requested an additional favour from the priest. Under normal circumstances, such values were in direct conflict with a man of god, yet for the sake of the village's well being, it was easy for the priest to turn a blind eye. As such, the construction of the rose maze began five years after the start of the church as a private sanctuary for a hidden wedding. Had everything gone as planned, a simple life of happiness might have encompassed the Dunwalls' fate; however, the results of the church's completion was far from the expectations of the priest. Time passed without change, and gradually, the priest began to grow more frantic.

We can skip ahead in the story to the eventful day when everything fell apart for the Dunwalls. The girls had a fascination for their father's work, and as usual, they were exploring the town as a means of study assigned by their father. Today, they were on a mission to sketch the village's church bell; however, under normal circumstances, only the priest and his acolytes were authorized into the belfry without supervision. By now, the girls were in far into their teens, and rebellious mischief was of course an expectation. Originally, their plan was to sneak past the priests, yet they found themselves distracted by a conversation between the inhabitants within. At first, the words spoken by the head priest seemed meaningless in nature. True value after the math?. Yet as the conversation continued, things slowly became painfully clear. The girl's recognized the danger of their father, and immediately made a return for their home; however, gone was their careful sneaking.

The Dunwalls lived on the outskirts of town which gave the priests ample opportunity for the crime they committed. At this point in time, I'm sure it is no surprise to you that their house was found ravaged and Edward was found missing. From this point on, the girls never did see their father again. That night they ended up burning the cathedral as revenge against the traitorous priest. Nonetheless, it was in the same night that they were caught and subsequently hanged in an unjust trial gone unnoticed by English history. With the murder of their father and the arson of his work pinned on their name, it was easy for the priests to rile the emotions of the vulnerable villagers who loved Edward. Even more so given the diary of the girls which depicted their love that was seen as consanguinity.

What really happened never came to light even years after the event had passed. Edward was kidnapped soon after the girls had left for their assignment. The man put up a considerable fight, yet an inevitable head trauma left him dazed and unable to resist. As previously implied, the priests took notice of the girls as they departed from the church which in turn rapidly changed the plans that had been set in motion. Originally, they were to be executed under the guise of their wedding. Thus, Edward's body was buried at the intended location of the event. Ultimately, however, it was the act of arson which led to Yin and Yang's downfall. Truly, a sad series of events."

The duration of the man's story lasted for the length of the journey. At the end of the stairs was a smaller island which held a similar instance of the maze down below. That being said, unlike the withered state which defined the other, the current maze was vibrantly in bloom with roses of black and red. The final destination was the center room where two figures were situated at its core. The taller of the two had flowing white hair in contrast to the short hair of the shorter figure. Both were dressed in a white coat which was worn over a multicolored outfit ranging from a dress to blouse and shorts. The pair was cuddled against each other; their arms wrapped around the other's figure. Their bodies were motionless while their skin was tinted an unnatural charcoal which contrasted with the lifeless yellow eyes that defined their faces. Upon seeing their bodies, the man suddenly encompassed a a solemn expression which was followed by a heavy sigh that preceded his speech.

"Our kind is unlike yours. This is not to say that we were not once human, but as it stands, we have transcended the bounds of mortality. We are born from the unfulfilled potential in a life that once was. A reincarnation of who we once were; destined to fulfill what we left undone and destined to maintain the balance of the universe.
Many decades ago, there existed a kind much like ours. An imperfect existence born from similar means and destined to fulfill similar goals. Imperfection led to inevitable corruption, and corruption led to fated destruction. All was not lost, however. Evolution rose our kind into a new era; an era of supposed perfection...or so we thought.
When our kind is born, memories from our past life are lost in the rebirth. This is an intended process which eliminates a component of emotion that might withhold our duty. But what if memories reside? Memories deep within the mind, waiting to burst with a fury of vengeance for the life long-lost.
This, my child, is the result."

The man directed a hand towards the blackened pair who up to this moment had yet to move. Once again, a heavy sigh exhaled from the man just before he continued his explanation from where he left off.

"They are Fallen. Unable to overcome their past, their realm has become a bramble of thorns built upon the desire for peace. It is why you were chosen, dear child. Chosen as a architect of memories with your acquaintances as your tools. Our kind desires a medium; an eternal bond to which both involved reap the benefits of the relationship. Fallen still desire this bond, yet lost in their past, they are unable to act as they once were. If your acquaintances succeed, no lives shall be lost. The bond will be yours and all will return home.
Should they fail, Yin and Yang will attempt to force a fallen bond; however, with your knowledge of their true history, easing their soul is nothing less than simple. No danger shall befall you today.
With that said, it is with all my heart that I apologize for this event;chances are Kaede will not survive."

 

[Astoria]

"What a mess. It feels like I'm playing the part of Sherlock Holmes in fantasy thriller," Iphie murmured to herself. As she moved North after finishing her inspection of the previous section, the sounds of unfamiliar voices caught her attention. Looking forward, the sudden transition from the destroyed remnants of the church to a brilliant untouched structure of God caught her off-guard. Up ahead, she sourced the voices to a gathering of holy men, and instinctively, she ducked down behind a nearby pew. Inspecting the shift of imagery, she noted the hidden forms of two figures crouched beneath a row of pews, much like her. Making no effort to interfere, she observed the peculiar exchange with a silenced breath.

In the end, Iphigenia's precautions were unnecessary; the conversation she witnessed was some sort of projection. Once finished, it would repeat itself again, and she could walk about the church with impunity, and even get in the faces of the characters without interference. Taking advantage of this oddity, she closely examined each individual, even the two hidden figures, discovering them to be the two contrasting girls in the gallows room. Tapping her own head, she struggled to piece together what the exchange meant in light of that revelation.

With little else to glean, Iphie returned to the gallows room to find Jackson waiting with a handful of old papers in his hand. Hunching over the papers to keep them dry, the pair exchanged information as quickly as they could; reading through the papers, she handed the charred sketch to Jackson to make sense of as well. "You've relayed your side of the information to Kaede, then?" Handing back the papers, she tugged at her rain-soaked shirt. "What a strange experience. But I think we have a complete picture here, more or less. Are we meant to relay this to her? It's clear she's speaking to somebody we can't see."

Having explained her piece, Iphigenia made good on her words and carefully approached Kaede, but not before returning Jackson's knife to its owner as a precaution. She bit her lip as Kaede spoke again to nobody discernible, but from the clues she pieced together, it seemed like she was accusing the priest in the images Iphie had seen, almost as if he were there before Kaede. Considering the overall state of the little universe seemed to be hanging on a thread, she felt it unwise, almost as if it would open a powder keg of disasters if not properly addressed.

"Kaede. More information." Interjecting at the best possible opening, Iphie rapidly the fed the strung up girl more of her side of the story. She elaborated on anything she may have missed on describing the rooms. She detailed the context behind the swan and put forth the theory of Schrödinger's Dunwall. Since the swan and the ring in the center of the map implied a union of sort on the very location they were standing, there was a good chance that the great architect, dead or alive, might be somewhere very close by if the priest's words were to be trusted. Could he be found before it was too late? "You're right. The priest is suspicious. But what we don't have is a smidgen of proof that he did it besides a hodgepodge of circumstantial evidence and hearsay. Back it up or we're done here. Since the weeping girl is not with us now, I assume you're meant to be some sort of symbolic replacement. Worst comes to worst (in a dream), and you can't connect the dots, take the fall instead. Literally. Prove their innocence."

 

[Doughguy]

The priest simply scoffed at Kaede's accusation, dismissing it as she had no proof and not giving her the slightest hint as to the truth. He started his walk towards the pair of trapped girls. Evidently she had run out of time to convince them. She couldn't help but feel a sense of panic. She closed her eyes focused on the words Iphie was relaying to her. A swan, a marriage, a trap, a garden in the centre, Dunwall was nearby. She opened her eyes. It was nighttime, darkness swallowed everything except for the light provided by the torches of the angered crowd. "Dunwall is nearby!" she yelled, putting as much authority into her voice as she could, "Richard is using the dark of night to hide the truth from you! Spread your light around and search for the truth he's hiding!" It was about all she had. it might be a dream but she didn't think she had the strength to take the fall herself even without the risk.

 

[Tsu]

[fieldbox="NIGHTMARE, red"]The effect of Kaede's declaration was immediate. Across the plain, bodies of the villagers began to rapidly whither while Richard suddenly fell to the ground, writhing with a pained expression across his face. In no time at all, the plain was transformed into a field of corpses; the final observation before Kaede's conscious was thrust back to the realm where her body now lay atop a pile of withered vines. Around her, the gallows were shattered to pieces while the noose around her neck had loosened to a gentle embrace. As far as the horizon, the skies had cleared, and now perfectly visible were the two floating islands of the realm's origin. Despite the successful reunion, little time was given for recuperation as the maze and ground began to crack and crumble. The collapse started slow; however, it rapidly began to ramp in speed until large portions of the realm's ground began to fall into the abyss below. For the students, there was no escaping their inevitable fate, yet as their bodies began to fall, a gentle whisper of Thank you caressed their ears; just before a forceful awakening left them staring at the familiar ceilings of their rooms.

The islands in the skies remained safe from the collapse of the ground which in turn left Kent still within the realm. Upon the success of his peers, the charcoal skin of the twin figures began to fade until pale white snow was left in its place. Immediately, the figures collapsed onto the ground after which sounds of gentle snores signified their safety. A sigh of relief exhaled from the man who reached over to pat Kent's back at the same time he choose to speak.

"It seems your acquaintances have flipped the outcome of the fates.
The realm of Temperance is in need of reconstruction, yet it will take time for their power to return.
The night has been long, and it is time to reunite yourself with your own realm.
But first..."

The man reached into a separate deck box along his belt where he retrieved two blank tarot cards that were tossed in the direction of the figures and Kent. One of the cards fixated itself to the ground between the two girls while the other latched itself onto the back of Kent's left hand.

"I congratulate you on your bond, and welcome you as a Medium of the Tarocchi."

The man's words would have sparked a sudden sensation of searing pain where the card touched Kent's skin; however, any major discomfort would have been relatively short lived as the man reached forward and flicked Kent against the forehead. Immediately, the world would have faded to black, only for a sudden reawakening back in his residence. By this point in time, the bulk of the pain would have long past apart from a light tingle at the back of his hand which now sported a permanent, black and white symbol of Yin and Yang.

[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox="Day 3 - Morning - Arc 1, teal"]
The morning sun presented a surprise for the administration of Trinity Institute. Caretakers across the campus sighed at once in response to the sudden litter which plagued the school grounds. Black rose petals and withered vines were scattered all across any source of local flora, while the familiar petals further extended themselves into the rooms of select students. Nonetheless, rose petals were not the only phenomena which plagued these students as most would have found themselves soaked and scratched from the experiences of their nightmares. Furthermore a sense of considerable fatigue would have exhausted their body and mind; however, given it was the morning for the first day of classes, there was little time for additional rest.
In the case of Kaede and Ihpie, the cards that they received from Dr. Magus would have remained as they were from the nightmare. Gone was the technology, instead replaced by the antiqued cloth and ink design. In the case of Kent, the area surrounding his immediate position would have been covered by a plethora of cloth cards. For most, an illustration of a swan trapped in thorn brambles would have defined their existence; however, a single card would have sported an illustration of familiar twin figures in tandem with the title of Temperance at the top.
[/fieldbox]

 

[TerraBooma]

Jackson took a few involuntarily steps backward as the world began to crumble, confusion and fear etched on his face. Had they failed? The world was seemingly collapsing around them... but they had done everything right! He hoped so anyway. Jackson gritted his teeth, praying that it was in all honesty just a dream. Part of his head knew it had to be that...but the way the others reacting, his inability to wake up, it screamed something else...and Jackson didn't know what. Cursing to himself, he looked up to the others, they didn't have time to find a way out, the realm was vanishing too quickly. One hand wrapped around his knife and the other around the mysterious sandal he'd yet to have a look at. Jackson's glance flew over to Iphie, then back to Kaede. "Hey! Iphie! Kaede! If this wasn't a dream...if this hellish world actually happened..." Jackson gulped. "I just hope we see each other tomorrow." Jackson tried to think up a phrase, some kind of codeword that would let him know. Unfortunately, Jackson wasn't exactly creative with his life on the line. "Codeword! I-It'll be that, kinda lame...but-" before Jackson could phrase anything further, and his world began to descend. The voice in his ear was reassuring in a way, but as Jackson flew to the darkness, he just hoped he'd wake up.


Fortunately for Jackson, he did wake up. Huffing and puffing in his bed in the middle of the night. He held one hand tentatively to his head, a cold sweat over his body. At least, that's what Jackson had first thought. As he looked around, petals had adorned his bed, and he realized his close were also slightly torn. His knife was next to him...and the mysterious sandal was as well. As Jackson read the tag, his eyes widened. Maybe kent had played a role in that hell after all...although he didn't understand what. He hoped Iphie would have a better idea...if these things had followed him into the real world, at least part of the dream had to be true.


Jackson forced back a yawn as he arrived at school. Sleep had been so difficult to come by that Jackson had actually managed to get to school on time, a large black coffee in his hand and the sandal in his bag. He was wearing new clothes by his standards, an old pair of jeans that were only slightly better than his soaked and torn ones. A T-shirt however that looked pretty normal on the thug, and as Jackson gave in to the yawn, he almost convincingly played the part of a normal sleep exhausted teen. His sleepy mind however, was still trying to process what had happened.


When the others arrived, he gathered everyone together. The first thing he said was his aforementioned codeword: "Codeword." he looked expectantly at the others. "I'm not crazy right? The thing that happened last night...we were all there for that right? And you." He pointed to Kent. "You were there too...I think." He held up the Sandal. "You dropped something." He gave a tired chuckle, and pulled the sandal out of his bag. "I think this belongs to you."


Jackson let out a sigh, taking a long sip of his coffee. "But what the hell even went on last night? You guys know what I mean right? The letters...the rain...the vines? What was that?"

 

[Astoria]

The sudden devastation of the dream-world took Iphigenia aback, but a satisfied expression quickly formed on the English girl's face. The collapse of the priest upon the declaration of her fellow classmate signified to her that they had indeed solved the puzzle and favorably came out of the situation. The clearing of the dreadful rain and its clouds briefly revealed the floating bastions in the sky before the realm crumbled around her. Despite the ruin, Iphie was mesmerized by the collapse; her ears graced by an almost angelic voice, the ruin seemed almost beautiful in a poetic wort of way.

She found herself broken out of this reverie by the voice of her partner as he faded away, but he was right. What if it wasn't a dream?

Iphigenia awoke with a jolt, immediately rolling over and nearly collapsing onto the floor from the seat that she had fallen asleep from. She was soaking wet and so was the cushioned chair she sat on; looking down at her body, her clothes were pulled and nicked at places. The formerly pristine loafers that she had been wearing were soiled with mud and dirt, and the thermos that had rolled onto the floor was nearly empty. Around her laid a familiar litter of black rose petals and withered vines. Most surprisingly of all, the card she had received earlier was on her person and in the form that she had dreamt in her dream.

Blasted by a rollercoaster of emotions, Iphie sat where she landed. Taking a few minutes to regain her wits, she finally stood up and willed herself into the shower. The entire time in there, she replayed the events of the dream over and over in her head. With the events fresh in her head and as clear as day, she found herself unable to sleep despite her exhaustion and was on her computer not too long after with a pot of stout coffee in hand. The name Dunwall and his title of Lord stood out to the British girl the most and it was the first thing that Iphigenia typed into her search engine.

Sipping her black coffee, to her stunned surprise, the keywords provided many reliable and tangible results. There was even a Wikipedia page. Ravenously reading through the article, she put down her mug in utter disbelief. Styled Lord Edward Dunwall, he was a viscount in early 19th century England. A famous architect, several of his works of art still apparently existed, including several buildings that Iphigenia could easily name or recognize. The article dutifully noted his Eastern pilgrimage, and his death not a decade later on 1819. Fixating on that date, she reread the last segment twice and then twice more.

Article:

Dunwall moved to the secluded village of Bodwin, England in 1813 to start the construction of St Anne's Cathedral. [19]​ It would become his last work; in 1819, the recently completed cathedral burnt to the ground in an accident. He was believed to be the only victim.

The ruins of the church still exist today as a popular tourist destination. [20]​

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Dunwall

That was impossible. She had never heard of the incident or the man before today, but the entire story down to the fire had played out in her dream almost exactly as the article had described. Oddly, there was no mention of his children or an execution, but indeed, the pictures of the ruins were strikingly similar to their appearance in her dream. Iphigenia immediately printed out multiple copies of the Wikipedia article. She was definitely going to have to look farther into this. Between her sullied clothes, the card, and the article, there was no way that she had merely dreamt it all.

Iphie arrived at school with the remainder of the coffee in her now well-traveled thermos. With manila envelope in hand, she had no difficulty finding Jackson and the others.

Looking at Jackson, she shook her head and removed several printed packets, wordlessly handing them out between the four of them.

"Never mind your rubbish codeword, Jackson. Read this."

 

[Voltin]

Kent felt the shivers of a presence before he saw the man, now giving his regards. He mentioned harm, and how he was not to be a part of it, yet the origami version of Kaede still rest on the drafting table's current work.

There was curiosity that was sparked by the man's words, yet how couldn't there be when his situation was already as ambiguous as they come. Without much hesitation -- yet -- Kent proceeded to follow the man, there being no sense of danger from him. Their path now revealed, however, Kent's self-preservation was now kicking in, with the height and lack of railing more than enough to deter him. The man continued to speak, despite Kent's hesitation, and his words were enough to spur the architect on.

At the end of his story, Kent couldn't help but agree, despite what his expression was giving away. Empathy wasn't something Kent felt easily, yet this bizarre, depressing situation had temporarily broken his false sense of apathy. Even stranger, he could already feel a deep-seated seedling of connection -- already sprouting, but lacking the care it required -- and the already forgotten word of "medium" came springing back to him. There were no questions about this to be asked, as they had already come across the ashen ones who must have drew the group in.

A brief worry came upon Kent at the sight of their state, but such emotions were fruitless, as more expository story came from his guide, and much of what had been explained had clicked for Kent. Yet, despite the jubilation that should have come with these revelations, Kent could only feel shock. Kaede, dying? He was quite sure why this was giving him so much pause; he had only known her a few days; there was hardly any time for the thing called friendship to evolve. Yet, it hit him all the same.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, everything changed. the weather, the atmosphere, the land below... Everything... The man started talking again. His words meant nothing to the blank mind Kent now held. The one thing to bring him back was the gentle caress of something along his hand, the last line from the man, and then, the short-lived pain. Then,

~

he awoke. It was a peculiar thing, waking when you're already awake, but Kent pushed past that, instead feeling the dampness to his clothes. He didn't like it, yet with the time he had stirred, he just had enough time to change before heading to class for the day. Only with his shirt halfway over his head did he finally notice the tattoo-like mark now adorning his hand. He stumbled, not quite expecting something so permanent.

Then, he finally noticed the state of his room. A disaster; cards spread about, yet most of them bearing the same design. The one that didn't bore the image of the girls he had seen just moments ago. He picked it up, and noticed the pattern on the back; similar to Magus' cards, for the most part. Upon activation... No response. He briefly wondered why -- having missed his guide's former words -- before looking upon the time and hurrying with his clothes.

~

Along the way to class, it was obvious to anyone who had been in the "dream" that this had been an effect. Mundane for now, but with a conversation he had had with Kaede now resurfacing in his mind, he wondered how long the causality would continue, and how long it would be before things took their turn for the worse.

Arriving in class with his entirely mismatched outfit, Kent was pulled over by Jackson, who subsequently handed him one of the slippers he had thrown from the island last night. "Just the one?" he asked, no merriment apparent. His comment was quickly brushed aside however as they moved on to more important things."I was there," he responded simply, clutching the gauze now wrapped around his hand to hide the mark. "It was... weird. Those poor girls."

When Iphie handed her partner the printouts, Kent blankly glanced over to Kaede, and asked her: "You're not hurt from the hanging... are you?

 

[Doughguy]

Kaede watched as the scene before her imploded. The villagers lost all life and emotion, dropping to the ground as empty corpses. The priest's end took longer and was filled with greater suffering. She turned her head away from the sight. And then the world was gone. She was on her back atop a pile of dead vines. She felt the rope of the noose still around her neck but no pressure, it was barely touching her neck let alone constricting it. Nonetheless she threw it off and took deep, greedy breaths, enjoying the unrestricted feeling. The feeling of dread she'd been suppressing had disappeared as well.

Then the ground below began to crack. Before she even had a chance to recover everything was falling apart. She heard Jackson shout something at her but the words meaning bypassed her. A few seconds later there was another sound, this one closer to the ear and made with gratitude. She was falling, falling, watching the sky move further and further away.

Whack. It was a mental hit though, not a physical one. She was staring at the roof of her dorm room. Her frantic breathing steadied as she realised the dream was over. Pushing herself up she winced as a pain shot through her right side. Confused she pulled up her ripped tank top and saw the long red line along her side where the vines had cut her. "What?" she breathed out. Examining the rest of her body she saw she was covered in small cuts. Her body and bed were soaked with water. And there were flower petals everywhere.

It hadn't been a dream. The realisation dawned on her and she leaped out of bed. She ran to the door and tested the lock, it was still closed. None of the windows had been tampered with. "How?" she demanded the room. Her bedside table drew her attention and she walked over to it and picked up the card Magus had given her. No longer made of technology it was now sturdy cloth. She lifted her finger to the pattern and traced over it. A trio of swirling marbles tumbled from her numb fingers onto the floor, clattering on the ground before they lost their momentum.

The noose had been real too.

~***~

She was one of the last to arrive at class as she'd still managed to do a very short morning run before class. The exhaustion from whatever had happened last night meant she hadn't gone anywhere close to her normal distance but she refused to let herself slack completely. Today she was wearing a yellow floral dress with short leggings on underneath in case something physical came up. As soon as she arrived Jackson pulled her aside and she found herself talking to Iphie and Kent as well.

She listened to their words in silence as they confirmed what she had concluded when she woke up. It had been more than a dream. It had been real, somehow. She took the packet from Iphie and read the words. It was only getting weirder. The whole thing had been a real event? Dunwall had actually been killed and the two girls hung? But who could know that? She shook her head, this was all impossible.

"I'm ok." she replied to Kent's question, a little surprised by his worry even if it had been delivered rather blandly. Her hand went to her throat and rubbed where the noose had pressed against the skin. It hadn't been there long enough to leave a mark or leave any lingering effects thankfully. When the others were done with their contributions she placed her other hand out in front of her. On her palm was the cloth card. Using her finger she traced the line and turned it into her three marbles. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." she said.

 

[Tsu]

The bell signaling the start of classes blared across campus as a means of informing any absent or late students of their sudden tardiness. Classrooms at Trinity Institute were unique in a sense that their doors were locked shut at the sound of the bell. As such, any stragglers were required to document their absence by visiting the campus main office. Nonetheless, for the group standing outside of the Academic Tower conversing about their night, luck was on their side as a voice called down from several floor above. Dr. Moon's tone was painstakingly bored and the sound of teenage laughter emanated from his background, yet the words that he spoke were promising and kind for the four tardy individuals.

"I'm sure your conversation is very important, but you got like 30 seconds before security comes.
I jammed the door so hurry it up if you care."

~~~

Class began with several logistics that had seemingly changed over the course of a night. First, several students had dropped from the course leaving the necessity for a reconstruction of pairs. In particular was the sudden grouping of Kent and Kaede as new class partners. Nonetheless, even more intriguing news followed when Dr. Moon began addressing the sudden appearance of rose petals across campus. Officially, Trinity Institute was ruling the incident as an act of pranksters; however, Dr. Moon began a spiel of potential further foul play.

"Now, I'm not supposed to make this announcement, but since it involves my class, I believe this is the right thing to do.
Last night, a student went missing. Some of you may know Ethan from our class, but his dorm mate reported a sudden change in personality before he stormed off into Trinity woods.
Since then, he hasn't yet come back, and more than likely, an investigation will probably be conducted along with the one for the rose incident.
Now, the institute won't admit it, but my gut is telling me that the two events are related...and not in a good way.
All of this isn't meant to spook anyone though. Everything is purely speculation, and for all we know this is an elaborate prank by a group of cheeky students.
I guess what I'm trying to say is just to remain alert and ready. And if you find any further information, please inform the Institute.
A public announcement will be made later today concerning the latter event.
With all that said, let's begin class now."

~~~

As a whole, the day went by much faster than most could have expected. A majority of professors were not concerned with diving straight into lecture, but rather, used their class period as a means of introducing the class among itself. Nonetheless, not every professor was concerned with socialization as some had mandatory assignments for their students to complete. One of these courses was Dr. Moon, who had begrudgingly assigned the next pair task. Similar to the previous assignment, the current one involved a journey off the main campus; however, unlike the fixed destination of the former, this assignment tasked students with a mission in the woods. Biological diversity was a key component in Yurich's flora and fauna; a majority which was densely distributed throughout Trinity Woods. Regardless of major, understanding such diversity was a key component considered by the academy which in turn gave merit for this assignment. Pairs were required to obtain an uncommon specimen, research their specimen, then prepare a short presentation for class the next day. More points were weighted towards properly designating any species as unique. This included a proper explanation of why some species was uncommon to both students in the pair, then properly conveying such information to the class.

 

[Doughguy]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kent only looked away and nodded when Kaede gave her affirmative answer, though, he found himself looking again in time for her card trick. "Don't do that here!" he whispered harshly, looking her dead in eye. That was the last thing he wanted; for everyone to see them doing something like that and getting called freaks. Or, even worse, for someone to put two and two together to get three; that somehow her card trick was related to the strange vandalism of the morning and get hauled off on their first real day of classes.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Jackson nodded. "I don't know what the hell we're getting into...but I think the last thing we want is to attract attention to ourselves." Jackson would have said more, but his thoughts had drifted. The whole new world thing was jarring...and Jackson was hoping for answers. Before the group could could continue speaking however, they were cut off by the bell and a charitable feeling Dr. Moon. Jackson motioned to the door. They did have to get moving. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kaede closed her hand around the marbles hiding them from view. She'd been oddly reluctant to let go of them since she'd first transformed them this morning and they remained in her hand rather than going into a pocket. "It's like the simulation from yesterday followed us out." Though that didn't explain why Jackson was involved, unless it was due to Iphie. Or was it those who had visited Mu?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]From the reactions of everybody around her, Iphigenia was mildly surprised by how everybody had so quickly established what they had experienced as fact. She could have spent the entire time outside discussing the night's events, but a head sticking out of a window and calling out from above spurred her to move. The incredibly over engineered campus building was starting to leave a bad taste in her mouth. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]~~~[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]When they got back to school, Jackson was mostly lost in thought.He'd gone to middle school with the missing boy, Ethan. He hadn't really been friends with the guy, but he was a bit of a joker, and even Jackson didn't mind him, which for Jackson had been a...rare disposition. The teen had struggled through middle school, and he had gotten into more than his fair share of fights...it was a wonder he hadn't been expelled, and only then was because of his uncle's influence. Regardless, Ethan's disappearance had a lost look in Jackson's eye, the other teen had been well off and liked by everyone...what would cause him to go off like that? Jackson shook his head, trying to focus on something. Sleep deprivation combined with a sudden revelation of other worlds was making it slightly difficult to focus on a missing student.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Hearing of the missing student, Kent felt almost like an oracle, though one of bad luck instead of good fortune. Though, with how quickly it had escalated -- all in the same night as a matter of fact -- Kent couldn't help but feel that it was off… It was most definitely related, though, it wasn't likely to be Yin and Yang's fault… A Fallen, as his guide had put it? Could the same have happened to him if his peers hadn't gotten the "sisters'" riddle correct, and the man not there to give him the answers he required? It was a haunting thought, one Kent was glad to be rid of as classes went on as normal.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Inside, curious news awaited. Apparently a student, Ethan, had gone missing during the night. Could it be linked to the shared dreams from last night? Iphie couldn't help but to try and make connections. It was too odd to be a coincidence. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The remainder of the day was mundane in comparison to the last twelve or so hours. Iphie and the other members Dr. Moon's class had been assigned some sort of biology or ecology assignment. Coincidentally enough, they were instructed to enter the very forest that the missing student had disappeared into, but it wasn't something of concern; she intended to look into Ethan's disappearance as well given the odd connection, and the assignment would facilitate it. Unfortunately, she hadn't the faintest clue about plants and ecology, so she would have to lean on Jackson for this one. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]With the classes for the day over Kaede turned to Kent, who had been assigned her new partner in a lucky break, "We should head straight to the woods for the assignment. We can ask Iphie and Jackson to join us." Maybe some of the other pairs would also do the same but it would give them all the chance to talk about the events of last night with little chance of being overheard. She rose from her seat and walked over to where the others sat, catching them before they could leave. "Do you guys want to head to the woods now together?" she asked.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kent hadn't even the chance to respond before his new partner was already rushing over to form a group. It wasn't as if he had a problem with with working together -- quite the opposite, in fact -- though he didn't exactly like being asked something so rhetorical when it shouldn't have been. Despite this misgiving, he got up from his seat to join them, only to mutter, "I know about plants and animals…" without a reason as to why.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I don't see why not," replied Iphigenia, rising as Kaede approached her desk. "Jackson?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Wh-what?" Jackson shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts. "I...yah yah, sure." Jackson struggled, brain only half paying attention to what the group was doing, but Jackson figured it was probably either to talk about what the hell happened last night, or maybe even work on the assignment. He was hoping Iphie knew a bunch about flowers. Jackson knew the basics and what was local, but nothing fancy. "Let's head out then, we gotta collect some kinda nature stuff right?" Jackson took a stab at what they were doing, but was still clearly out of it.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]~~~[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It didn't take the group long to arrive at the edge of the woods. Looking to the left and right Kaede became both more hopeful and worried about what was required. The woods were massive so there should be plenty of flora within, but it also meant they could be spending hours inside looking for something unique. She remembered the day before yesterday when she'd ran through them and how long that had taken, and with night approaching she was glad she'd made a detour to her room to grab a torch before meeting back up with the group. The marbles clinked together quietly in her hand as she rolled them about. "You said you know plants." she said as she turned to Kent, "Any idea where to start?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He nodded, looking around the forest at its trees. When he spotted one in particular, Kent began to dig at its base with not an explanation to be had. Now wearing sturdier clothing -- the simple jeans and white t-shirt combo -- he held little reservation about getting dirty. "You dig, too," he said, only stopping for a second to face Jackson.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Me? Uh...alright. Sure." Jackson nodded, glancing about the underbrush himself. They were going the plant route then? Jackson shrugged, content to dig up whatever was interesting enough to get them a decent grade. Jackson's own outfit was fairly ragged, so he had no reservations for digging around in the dirt. He moved in and started collecting plants, before calling out to the group. "So...just what plant are we looking for here? One of the rarer ones?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Truffles," Kent said while continuing to dig. "They can be found under trees like these, and it looked like some animals have been digging around."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Jackson nodded. "Right...they're decently common around here, I haven't looked for them often though." Jackson gave a shrug. "Might as well get digging, any other ideas? Working together is great...but we can't present as a group of 4 can we? We'll have to find two plants or an animal or bug for one group, you know what I mean." Jackson glanced back at Iphie. "If these guys are doing Truffles, we'll have to think up something on our own, you got any ideas? I know the area, but if you can think of a rarer plant that'd be useful too."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The British girl shook her head. "I'm not sure what's unique here in Maine. You're the local, lead on."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Jackson nodded. "alright then, we should get moving ourselves. If two groups come in with truffles I doubt they'll be called unique." Jackson laughed to himself for a short time before speaking again . "If we want to catch an animal or find a plant of our own, we should get going."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"A sample size of two isn't statistically significant."[/BCOLOR]

 

[Tsu]

Trinity Forest was the natural habitat for a wide variety of biological diversity that was native to Maine. The dense woods which bordered the campus was the primary source of research grounds for the students whose field of study concerned such necessities. It was an expectation for scientific footprints to litter the area, and today was no different in that regard. Traces of human presence existed all across the grounds; relics of previously roped off regions, mounds of sampled and acquired dirt, even instances of machinery which were busy collecting tasked samples. As such, finding fellow students in the woods was hardly a surprise; at least unless they were entirely out of place.

"J-Jackson...

It was several minutes after the group of four had split into two that Jackson, alone, experienced the muffled sound of a familiar voice who quickly revealed herself off in the distance. Leaves and dirt matted her hair while cuts and bruises were visible through the torn outfit which clothed her body. As she approached closer, large beads of sweat became visible on her forehead as she fell to the ground whilst heavily panting. All in all, it was an easy sign that she had been running for quite some time.

"I-It ha-happening...m-m-orning..
H-He-He...
I-I just es-escaped..."

The girl's words were flustered and incoherent from the constant stream of tears which rolled down her face; thus, nothing she was attempting to say made any sense at all. Realizing this fact, the girl quickly gave up on her endeavors to speak, and instead, began slowly crawling towards Jackson with the intent of embrace. Nonetheless, it was only Jackson who would have seen any actions or heard any words by the girl. From Iphie's perspective, the scene was almost exactly similar; however, rather than the young girl, it was a male figure who slowly crawled with a hunting knife in his right hand. Had Iphie payed any attention to the first day of class, she might have recognized the figure as Ethan; however, at the end of the day, what was truly important was the likely distraction that either figure served.

Slowly, a black mist was beginning to envelop a wide radius of the forest. The mist was faintly visible to anyone closely paying attention to the forest surroundings, yet given the approaching night, nothing was entirely out of place by its existence. What mattered, however, was the inevitable isolation that began to occur across all inhabitants of the forest. Apart from the presence of immediate companions, the forest began to feel empty. The sounds of wildlife faded from the background; the scents of the woods evaporated from the air; and a gradual chill began to descend upon the region. Furthermore, a subtle phenomena began to sporadically occur across random patches within the forest; loops of repetition that brought inhabitants back to a single location regardless of the direction that they walked.

In the case of Kaede, a slight tingle began to emit from the marbles in her hands. An occurrence that was soon followed by a soft whisper which danced around her ears.
Open ya' eyes to the smoke and mirrors, Cheré.

 

[TerraBooma]

Jackson had been enjoying his day with Iphie, making quiet small talk and learning how little about plants his partner actually knew. It was a bit of a weird change of pace, normally he was expecting Iphie to carry his sorry behind through most of the academic classes...it was almost a little relieving to know that there were some cases that he really did need to step up his game, and that they were partners after all. His jovial mood ended pretty quickly however, as his younger sister Lana walked out of the forest, bloodied and bruised. His expression was one of confusion, then concern, morphing into panic and a deep rooted anger. Someone had hurt his sister! When he got his hands on whoever did this he...Jackson shook his head, trying to focus. What mattered now was Lana, he had to help her...call an ambulance. The entire thought process taking mere seconds to happen.


"Lana!" He called out, dashing forward recklessly, concern on his face. Jackson's face was twisted in anger and fear of what had happened to his sister, but he knew he had to try and put on a face for her sake. "It'll be okay, it'll all be okay." He bit back a swear, something Lana had never liked him doing, and reached down to grab her in his arms. As he did so, he called to Iphie. "H-hey! Iphie! Call an ambulance or something! We need to get her to the hospital!" Jackson's voice was heavy with emotion. "Please it's...it's my sister!"

inventory

Gardening Shovel
Book on local wildlife
Clothes
Bottle of Water (Half empty)
Set of keys

 

[Voltin]

Kent continued to dig, even as Iphie and Jackson took their leave, without so much as a word. When he couldn't find the mushroom he was looking for at the base of the tree, he simply moved on to the next most likely spot in their immediate area. As his new exposition began, a thought struck him.

"So, I'm not very good at… talking, but last night, I met two girls: Yang and Yin…. They were… sleeping, yet the strange man said I ha-"

His chatter was cut short, along with his digging. Something was off; some sort of change in the atmosphere. "Do you hear that?" Kent said, unaware of the voice in Kaede's head. "It got quiet." The sound of chirping birds had stopped. The light breeze as well, yet Kent still found there to be a chill compared to just moments ago. It no longer smelt of a living environment, but that of a sterile one. Darkness descended, not that of night, but something inexplicably else.

"Ah," he had finally noticed, "Where did Jackson and Iphie go?" Kent got up from where he was kneeling, and started walking in a random direction without Kaede's input. After a minute, he finally came upon another person… Only for it to be Kaede, her back facing towards him. The scenery was the same as it had been when he left, too. The same trees, the same one and a half holes, and, again, the same person he had just left behind.

That wasn't possible, was it? For him to walk in a straight line only to end up where he had been? Without any more thought, he began racing to his right, only to be back again, this time to Kaede's left. "That's… mildly irritating." He said without any actual tone of annoyance. Then, he said something else, a winking remembrance to lighten the mood. "I don't think we're in Kansas any more, Etoto."

Inventory

~Wallet
~Smart phone
~Room key
~Empty tote bag

Wallet

~Temperance
~1 Swan card
~~30$
~Credit card
~Bank card
~Too many gift cards
~Driver's license
~Studen ID
~A Momento

Appearance

~White t-shirt
~Blue jeans
~Worn hiking boots

 

[Doughguy]

Kaede wasn't really sure why they were splitting up. The idea had been to head out here as a group to discuss the events of last night. But the other two were already heading off. She let out a sigh, at least she could ask Kent what had happened to him as he dug. Without any tools she couldn't join him so she began moving around the area they were in looking for any flowers or growths that looked uncommon. Just as she was about to start the conversation Kent took the lead, yet before he could actually get anywhere things started to change. Everything seemed to get a bit darker and quieter. "I don't hear anything." Kaede replied, suddenly worried.

She felt something in her hand like a slight buzz from a shock which drew her gaze down to the marbles. Nothing about their appearance had changed. A voice quickly followed, a teasing hint in a french accent but ambiguous in its gender. Had it been the previous day she would have dismissed it all as nerves and the wind. Today she treated it seriously. Were they 'dreaming' again? Or had something followed them out into their world this time? She saw Kent start walking off as if nothing had changed. "I don't think you should ..." But he was already gone into the trees, disappearing from view between their trunks and the dark.

She shivered, not just from the cold, and spun around as she felt a presence behind her, raising her torch up to protect herself. But it was Kent, somehow returning from behind. "Smoke and mirrors." she said, repeating the voice's hint, turning to face the direction he had left from, "Open your eyes.". It was clear from Kent's words he hadn't been expecting to return. It was just like that Cardcaptor Sakura episode. They knew they were being tricked so they had to look past the trick. She flicked on the torch onto its thin beam and methodically shone it over their surroundings, looking if anything out there reflected it like a mirror would, or if something on the ground showed up through the darkness. She started walking in the same direction using the torch to search for whatever had tricked Kent.

Inventory

Torch
Magic Marbles
Wallet
Phone
Watch

 

[Astoria]

Unfortunately for Iphigenia, she was never very much of a plant or fauna person. Sure, her family estate had a vast garden replete with splendid fountains and rare flowers, but without having a green thumb herself, it was mostly tended to by dedicated gardeners and paid for by tourists. And while she'd gone on a few trips hunting with her father and uncle, the British girl was positive that Dr. Moon would not be happy if Iphigenia and Jackson brought back a dead deer or elk, as much as the thought amused her.

As the sun began to set, though, the mood began to change; the sky darkened, and slowly, contrary to what Iphie was used to, the forest began to quiet into an unnatural silence. While Iphie knew that silent patches in forests were usually areas that were incompatible with wildlife, usually by some contamination or decay, the fact that the events of last night had happened, in addition to this knowledge and the revelation that a classmate had gone missing put Iphigenia on an edge.

Her growing unease was justified. As the pair pushed deeper into the thickening forest, a figure suddenly stumbled out from behind a tree. Crawling along the ground was a ragged figure that Iphie vaguely called as Ethan, but her eyes fell to his hands, the glint of a hunting knife recognizable in his right hand. Iphie stepped back, unsure what to make of his calls and state, but was surprised to see Jackson's reaction. Calling out the name of his sister, it was almost as if he didn't see Ethan, but somebody else entirely. Confused, she shook her head. "What? That's Ethan. He's got a knife in his hand, too."

Clutching her own weapon folded away in her skirt pocket, Iphigenia allowed herself to pause for a moment. Thinking about it further, they were clearly seeing two distinctly different people. She had a hunch that something was not what it seemed, but wasn't positive. "Jackson, watch out. I don't think that's your sister or Ethan. Hold her right wrist, I'm calling emergency services."

As she said so, with her other hand, she reached for her phone to dial 911, pausing for a moment to recall the American emergency number and noting the sporadic cell signal. Taking the opportunity to look around for additional danger, she took note of a black mist slowly seeping around them, permeating throughout the forest. She shuddered as the phone continued to dial and dial, but it never seemed to pick up.

"It's not working," she said uneasily, returning her attention to her partner and the unknown figure that he had rushed to help. "Something's wrong here. We... need to get out. Where is Kaede and Kent?"

Acting on her own question, she called out for their names, hoping they were nearby.

Inventory - On Person Inventory – Messenger Bag

• 
  Keyring, with three keys and a usb stick
  A wallet, containing a pair of IDs, $285, a £10 note, a debit card, an Oyster card, and a credit card
  Swiss Army Knife
  A roll of gummy Lifesavers
  Hertz rental car keys
  Clicky Pilot Fountain pen
  Gold Scepter card
  
• 
  USB C charging cable
  A4 size Campus notebook
  Set of generic #2 pencils
  Pack of yuzu gummy candies
  Aluminium thermos half full of coffee
  Manila envelope with Dunwall article