Murder Game XV: Civil War

[Verite]

Shiki Tohno and Len: Epilogue 1/4 - The Legacy of Shiki Tohno

"..."

For perhaps the first time in ever, Len seemed to give Sakuya something almost resembling a dirty look, almost as though offended that such a thing like being threatened to love was suggested. Still, she said nothing of it, as usual, though she did briefly shake her head, letting the small bells attached to her clothes by a ribbon ring out just a bit.

Seemed like she didn't appreciate almost getting tag-teamed by Sakuya and Shiki.

With a resounding sigh, Shiki shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, alright. Love at first sight. Whatever... Whatever you say, Len," he said as he'd purse his lips, before letting out a small, well-meaning laugh, pocketing his hands as he'd nod, "In any case, yes. Perhaps it's time to go now already. If we waste too much time here, we'll never actually end up leaving. Set the coordinates to your world, and we'll be on our way."

"Wait."

Blinking in surprise, Shiki turned to face the voice that came from behind him, meeting Akiko standing behind him, the nurse seemingly brought out of her contemplative state while the leaders, or rather leader and other subordinates, carried on their planning in the background. Shiki glanced back at the others for a brief moment, before raising a finger to them.

"Ah... Hold on just a moment. Go ahead and get the portal ready. I'll catch up to you in just a sec," Shiki said to Sakuya and the others, as Len would softly sigh, before nodding and walking off towards the Gateway Room, expecting Sakuya and Remilia to follow. With that, Shiki approached Akiko, casually taking one hand out of his pocket.

"You needed something, Miss Yosano?"

"So then... After all this time, you're finally leaving, huh? Ready to finish up your personal journey and get on your way back home again."

The whole Coalition Civil War Incident was an odd time, to make an understatement. It showcased the darker sides of those who operated within the multiverse. It was a time where those who called themselves "heroes" painted themselves as heroes by vilifying everyone who opposed them, regardless of their opponent's intentions. A time where one had to wonder if the ends truly justified the means. A time where even the jocular were given pause, and grounded to the grim reality that they'd tried to move past. A time of betrayal, revelations, and despair.

No doubt, as a member of the Coalition, the good nurse (the term "good" is applied loosely) was no exception to this. Before, one could view her as a sadistic, facetious, and perverse woman who, despite her general personality, was still considered "good" if only because she still had good intentions, was willing to work with others to achieve the common goal of maintaining peace, and had a surprisingly grounded sense of morality, despite her... less than ideal tendencies when operating on her patients.

Likely to her own disgust on some level, however, over the course of the civil war, Akiko was forced into a position where she had to be serious all throughout. There was no place for caustic humor as everyone heatedly discussed a matter of great importance, and Akiko was forced to pick a side, adding to the division between the organizations of the multiverse. One could say that the ordeal as a whole made her more sensitive, though Shiki didn't dare think that long enough, else he'd risk a devastating right hook. Women could practically read minds, after all.

With a nod, Shiki let out a breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I... I'm heading off now. It didn't feel like a while, but now that I'm leaving, I didn't realize how much time I'd spent here, getting to know people like you, Mr. Kunikida, Ms. Kirigiri, and the like. I'll certainly miss you bunch, but... It's as they say, y'know? Every person's life is a road, and while every road or so often will interconnect or run parallel with each other, they'll ultimately part ways. At the end of the day, the road is its own road. And I need to get mine back on track," he spoke profoundly, giving a genuine smile.

"I see..." Akiko said, crossing her arms and seeming to give a thoughtful nod, "Well then, I'd be loath to give you a formal goodbye, but before I do, Shiki, I need you to tell me something. I need you to answer just one question," the older woman spoke with a serious look on her face. An expression that was usually unlike her to make before the Civil War had started, but now, it was almost indistinguishable from her normal tone.

"... Eh? And what's that?"

"How are you still going on?"

"..."

Shiki blinked, having to take a moment to process Akiko's question. He didn't exactly fully understand it, if at all, but he certainly tried to. It was almost as though it went entirely above his head, but then, that wasn't too unusual for a boy who looked like the protagonist-type you could find anywhere.

"I'm... sorry?"

"After everything that's happened, after everything we've discovered, after everything we've been through... How are you still able to keep going with that dumb, naive smile on your face, Shiki?" Akiko questioned, elaborating without missing a beat, "You may not be a member of the Coalition, but it still concerns you."

"How so?"

"Umbrella was hunting you because you're a Progenitor, you know. That's why Ms. Valentine was killed. That's why a large portion of those who have appeared within the Crossed Testimony, like you have, all ended up dead eventually. The Silent Hill Incident, the Rapture Incident, and the Hunt in between. That's why that man tried to kill you when you first left on this journey. Because you're a Progenitor. Because you were there at the beginning of this all. To their plans, you were more important than anyone else, possibly in the whole Coalition. It was vital to them that you died, more than the leaders of the Coalition and United Nations, more than the dhampir with the inflated ego, more than the strawberry blonde girl, not because of how powerful you were, but because of the latent Malevolence energy that resided within you. The aura of despair that would help Ilona unravel her powers even more, like a key unlocking one of many locks. And even if you were to live past their attempts, which you managed of course, you're doomed to live a cursed life. Don't you remember what we said during the beginning of all this? Those who live with this Malevolence are afflicted, like a disease. The patterns are all there in the writing. Hell, just look at Ilona. You won't even be able to have a child, unless you want another vessel of Malevolence walking around. And another thing, you likely won't even live long enough to raise them to adulthood. The Malevolence is predicted to prevent you from living a long and virtuous life. So with all that in mind, how are you still going on, hopeful as you are? I have to wonder if even Commander Naegi could remain optimistic in circumstances like yours. So how? How can you just keep walking and smiling like that?"

Akiko didn't realize how stern and serious her voice had become until she'd finish speaking. To an outsider, it would appear as though she was angry with Shiki, though in reality, she was simply astounded. Confused, even. Despite the hopeful smile on Shiki's face, the situation she saw him in was hardly one that warranted hope.

And yet... All Shiki could do, after taking in Akiko's words, much faster with the longer explanation than the shorter question, was smile. He let out a light chuckle, rubbing the back of his head momentarily, before giving his own response, hardly even having to think about it evidently.

"Listen... If I had a nickel for every time I was told I was doomed to live a short, tragic life, I'd be able to afford a college education. Between my bloodline, my Mystic Eyes... What's another cause of a bad life? Frankly, the way I see it, Miss Yosano, you only live a life as happy and as tragic as you will it to be. I've had a lot of things happen to me. Seen a lot of things happen. I have all the power in the world, and yet, even I can't prevent tragedy from hurting me or those who I care for... because life isn't about how hard you can hit, y'know. It's about how much you can take before you break, if there is a breaking point, and... As long as I can return to my home, the place where I belong, where people are waiting for me, I'll move mountains if I have to. Or... I'll let the mountains drop on me. Because ultimately, I don't mind. It's okay if I can't bear children, or perhaps live past a certain age. As long as I can live the peaceful life I want, surrounded by those I love, holding the power to protect them, then I'm okay. No matter how short or long my life ends up, I'll be satisfied. I've already fulfilled what I need to in my world. Anything more that I do would simply overflow the glass with water."

"..."

Now, it was Akiko's turn to remain silent. She couldn't possibly believe the answer she'd gotten in return. Truly, Shiki was a boy unlike many others, free of delusions and ambitions. A hero who didn't see himself as a hero. A hero who wanted, more than anything, to protect what was his. Perhaps that was what made him more of a "hero" than those standing atop their shiny pedestals, their higher moral grounds, and whatnot. Because it was then that the nurse realized... At his core, he was more human than anyone around.

Surely, Commander Kirigiri was right about one thing. There were two types of people with absolute power, if not just people in general. Those who wanted to change something, and those who wanted to maintain things as they were. Shiki was surely of the latter, and if someone like him were to be of the former, then more than likely, he'd be someone led astray by his ambitions, driven mad by his power, believing he could do anything he wanted. Time and time again, Shiki was brought to the edge of madness; hell, who was to say he wasn't already mad? But even so, he still retained his humanity. His dignity as a man. Full of conviction, yet passivity. Never wavering from what he'd determined.

Like a man with a mind of steel.

And so, Akiko laughed. She let out a small laugh, having to hold her own sides like she had heard something quite amusing, though Shiki didn't find it all that strange of her to be like that. Hell, if anything, it was comforting to see her be odd like this, like she used to be.

It meant already, the status quo was reforming.

"Stupid, dumb kid," Akiko looked up at Shiki with a rare genuine smile, though her words made it look like she was looking down at him instead, despite the fact that the boy was one inch (or rather, 3 centimeters to be precise) taller than her.

"Damned crazy lady," Shiki shot back lightly. It was nice for the two of them, being able to jab at each other like this were lighter times. But alas, even this had to come to an end.

Clearing her throat, Akiko would change the topic. "So then... I guess this is goodbye then. For real. You may be going home to live your quiet life, Shiki, but tell me one last thing... I can count on you to help out if the Coalition ever finds itself in a pinch again, right? You have the power to solve a certain class of problem, y'know."

Shiki nodded, his smile shifting to a more confident, assured one.

"Yeah. I may wanna go home, but it's not like I'll be out of contact. You'll know where to find me, considering how tied my world had been to the earlier Murder Games. But now, I have people I care for in other worlds, so now, I'm obligated to travel beyond space and time to protect them if I have to, but with your help, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle."

"Well, good on that. I'll be giving you a call soon in that case... though it seems like there's hardly a shortage of cute girls and beautiful women in your life as it is, hmm?" Akiko joked with a knowing smirk, grabbing Shiki by the hand and shaking it, not even letting the boy give consent to shake hands, though despite a small moment of surprise, Shiki didn't mind too much.

Giving a nod, Shiki let out a short breath through his nose, before clearing his throat. "Right... Well, I should get going. I'll see you around, Miss Yosano. Do tell me if you see beautiful older women around," he said, getting one last crack in, before giving a wave and hopping off, jogging over to the Gateway Room in order to travel back to Sakuya's world with her, Remilia, and Len, as Akiko sneered, crossing her arms, shaking her head.

"... Boys. Always the spitting image of male chauvinism."

And with that, the young man was off. The story in his book was over, for all intents and purposes, and now, he was on his way to reach the last page so that he could finally close it.

So that he could finally live his life again.​

 

[Verite]

Shiki Tohno and Len: Epilogue 2/4 - The Heart of Shiki Tohno

The breeze of fresh air hit Shiki's face like a train.

The sun was up and about, the grass was green and healthy, and the sky was as blue as Ciel's hair. Or Minato's. The point being that it was a very blue sky. One that Shiki only just now realized he hadn't seen in a long time.

Of course, there was perhaps the sun that could have been observed in Gensokyo, but as nice as it was to spend time with Sakuya and enjoy some tea with her, the sun in her world just wasn't the same as one in his, as was the moon. After he'd concluded his business there, he exchanged farewells with the fair maiden, before taking his leave with Len.

All that time cooped up in the headquarters of the Coalition had made him a little stir-crazy, admittedly. Then again, one, he wasn't any stranger to being cooped up in one place for an extended period of time, and two, that place was so grand and big, he could have (and had, on multiple occasions) gotten lost many times over, so whenever he'd felt like exploring during his stay there, there was rarely a place he hadn't looked at that had went unexplored. But of course, the time for exploration was over, as was his business there. Admittedly, he'd miss that place, but it simply wasn't home. Besides, he could do without the weird looks he'd get every so often from others, given that he never did become a "true" Coalition member, so he could imagine people often wondered just who the hell this guy was, and what he was doing there.

Or maybe he was giving himself too much credit.

In any case, it was good to be home. At least, back in his world. He wasn't truly home just yet. Not until he was done moving. So he kept on moving. After adjusting to the sensations of the world that he had not been in for some time, Shiki Tohno kept moving, just as he often used to, except this time would be the last time he would be wandering aimlessly with no cause.

The sun ceased to bother him just as suddenly as it started to once Shiki walked back the way he had once come from, waltzing into the forest once again, with trees that protected him from the heat of the sun. It put him at ease to an extent; he had almost been spoiled by the almost constantly modest temperature set by the Coalition HQ, but Shiki could imagine that if anyone was relieved to get out of the sun, it was little Len walking beside him. Little thing was never meant to be up and out during the day, though she did it more often than was healthy for a familiar of the night. Sometimes, it was difficult to remember that she wasn't technically a vampire, given that she generally was more active during the night (though then again, the headquarters hardly seemed to have a strict sense of night and day to begin with), and she depended on him for magical energy.

Hmph.

Shiki smiled to himself wryly. He hadn't done that in quite a while. Ramble in his own mind, that is. He once had been a carefree kind of young man. The kind who almost seemed like he didn't have a care in the world. But to be fair, that was precisely what he was back in the day. Before the days of vampires, multiversal arch demons, and diabolical institutions wishing to carry out their agendas, he didn't care about anything. Not even living. But now, he had changed. Through all the trials and tribulations that he had been put through over the span of two very interesting years, Shiki Tohno had come out a different, changed person. A better person than he once was.

These days, he expected that he'd be doing that sort of ramble more often like he'd used to. At least, now that he didn't have any evil overlords to actively worry about, or any self-discovering journey to stress over. He was just a young man heading towards his destination; home. However, despite the dastardly return of his habit of getting lost in his own thoughts because of no pressing matter occupying his thoughts, Shiki would certainly remain the changed man he had become. He had learned many things throughout his misadventures due in no small part to the people he had met and the challenges that he had overcome. He had learned the true value of his own life, he had learned to forgive himself for his sins of the past, and he had learned to live with himself, most of all.

These lessons, these people, he would never forget for as long as he lived.

…

Shiki continued walking and walking and walking. He was certainly a tireless traveler, perhaps due in part to his constitution that had been engraved into his body because of his Nanaya blood. It was funny. Just two short years ago, he was considered something of a sickly young man, suffering from chronic anemia. He couldn't even sit still without suffering some sort of mild attack back then, but once he'd tapped into who he truly was, used the power of the Mystic Eyes and the Nanaya Arts, suddenly he was able to fight beings that would make any man shiver to death. He hardly need describe them all again. The Dead Apostles, the Arch Demons, and the miscellaneous monsters... and yet, the hardest to confront was his own inner demons.

Still... Maybe it'd be okay if he let the part about him being a "tireless traveler" just be a metaphor, because he was getting a little tired now. His feet were getting sore, and in the shoes he walked in, he was surprised he didn't get blisters long ago. Abruptly stopping in his feet, Len hardly reacting as she stopped with him robotically, he'd take a breath, lumbering over to a nearby tree and leaning against it, not minding the ants and ladybugs near the area, using it practically to support himself. He didn't exactly want to sit down on the dirt. Who knew what insect was just waiting to bite him in the ass harder than his past?

Crossing his arms with a breath, he'd look over at Len, simply standing idly by like a doll. Fitting that she looked like one as it was; the bells on her and the empty expression in her eyes (that was somehow, in a disturbing way, more cute than actually... well, disturbing) certainly gave her that kind of appeal... What was it called again? "Moe?"

"Well, Len... I still can't believe it, y'know. We're finally going home. I can imagine when people catch wind, Arcueid and Ciel-senpai will probably try to kill me, but... Heheh, I think Akiha and the maids will at least be happier, 'cause they'll be the first to know, like before."

"..."

"What, you really think so? I don't think it'll turn out like that... I think you have too vivid an imagination."

"..."

"Listen, if this is because I didn't let you have any shortcake while we stayed at the HQ, I'm telling you, you can't just make requests in my position. Whoever's in charge of the cafeteria would probably have just looked at me and asked who I was. I couldn't tell him I wasn't even a real Coalition member!"

"...!"

"Well, I didn't become a member because it didn't interest me! I just wanted to go home as soon as I thought I could, and be done with all this multiversal business. I'm not gonna stick my neck out for the whole rest of the multiverse when I have a family waiting for me back home, so I'm very sorry that I decided to stay true to Akiha and the others at the expense of you having some shortcake!"

"..."

"God, times like these I feel like I'm walking to a wall."

Shuffle shuffle.

"!"

Shiki's eyes went wide and alert in an instant. A foreign sound made itself known to his keen ears, as well as Len's, with her cat-like hearing. The both of them knew instantly that there was another presence in their vicinity, and it certainly wasn't some insect or other mysterious animal that might be lurking within Japanese forests. No, this presence... was beyond human. Beyond animal. It was certainly monstrous.

But at least, it was a monster that didn't seem to mean any real harm. At least, not for the immediate moment. Still, it didn't stop Shiki from placing his hand on his knife warily, ready for when the mysterious presence would make itself visible to him and Len. He already knew who it was and where it was, but he needed to see it with his own eyes.

Just to judge if it was truly alive.

"I would have preferred to meet under the light of the full moon, just as it was when we had first met, but I suppose this will have to do... Nanaya."

Upon hearing the individual's voice, Shiki's grip on his knife tightened, his expression tightening as he was on full alert. Len also held up her guard, standing next to Shiki and ready to attack should the need arise.

He was certain now. This was certainly him. This was certainly Kouma Kishima.

The real Kouma Kishima.

"The blue, blue glass moon, under the crimson air. Can you remember it as vividly as I can? The fateful night that your father had made sure my eye never opened again, forever etching his image, and yours, into it. You were but a child back then, and now, you are nearly a man. A man who has seen and learned much indeed."

"Kishima... So even after your spirit, conjured up by the TATARI phenomena, disappeared, you still continue to haunt me like this. You've finally shown yourself to me. The real you."

Kouma Kishima, otherwise known as Crimson Red Vermilion in his old nightmares. The man who had slaughtered the Nanaya village that Shiki had once lived in as a child, personally murdered his father, and sent him living with his new family, the Tohno. The man who had disappeared into obscurity after that fateful day with no outside contact whatsoever. The man who had emerged from the unknown to confront the greatest sin of his past for the first and final time.

Kishima gave Shiki an unwavering look, a hard glare that seemed to permeate through his soul. It didn't really matter if he knew what Shiki was talking about. His attention was too fixated on the need to get his attention. The need to confront him. To "observe" him. To that end, though he waited for an uncomfortable while, Kishima would eventually speak, letting his deep, almost booming and rather imposing yet also gentle and humble voice be heard.

"To think... that it has been over ten years since I've last seen you, and you ended up just as I had expected. Truly, you are the spitting image of your father."

Shiki's brow twitched upon the mention of his biological father. Not the man who had adopted him after Kishima's slaughtering, but rather, the man who had conceived him. Kiri Nanaya. It was a name that Shiki hoped Kishima wouldn't say, but he found that even just mentioning him by other means proved difficult to not react to. There was just... something in Kishima's voice that almost seemed to trigger something in Shiki's blood to make it boil like it did at this moment.

Trying his best to remain a constant mood, Shiki adjusted his glasses slightly, debating with himself whether or not to do something about it. Swallowing down any semblance of fear that he had within him, a part of him wishing it was as easy as killing it with his Mystic Eyes, he spoke.

"Kishima... Why are you here, if not to gloat of your victory over my father?" Shiki spoke with a caustic tone, continuing to keep on guard, "Don't tell me you went into hiding for over ten years, and then came back just to say hi..."

"..."

Kishima remained silent for a moment, as per his trademark characteristic, before eventually responding. "I came back... to close this chapter in my story."

"What...?"

"If a life's contents can be compared to that of pages in a book, a book that closes when it comes to an end, then... I believe it is time for my story to end, for many pages have been flipped with no words being written into them. In essence, I was not living. Merely existing. It was almost as though... The fateful battle with your father was the climax, but even to this day, there is not a satisfactory resolution. Only empty space," Kishima spoke, remaining as still as a statue while he'd speak, his gaze upon Shiki suddenly becoming a tad more intense, "When I let you live, I didn't know it then, but I had given you the pen that could potentially determine how my life would proceed from there. You see, Nanaya, while I had spared you on the order from Makihisa Tohno, a stroke of luck that you shared the same first name as the master's very own son, that wasn't the only reason I spared you all those years ago. In truth, it was because... I could feel something from you. An aura, a premonition. A feeling that... If I let you live, you would make something great of your life. So I took that chance. I spared you, and then disappeared into these woods, never to be seen or heard from anyone again..."

"Until now, huh? Now that I'm all grown, you've finally crawled out from your hole to see if I've truly made anything of this life you've granted me? This mercy that I ought to be grateful for?" Shiki almost spat, finding it difficult to keep composed at a time like this. It was one thing to find himself in the presence of a copy (even if one who possessed the memories of the original) of Kishima, but to find himself standing before the original was an entirely different story.

"... Well, have you? Have you made good on this life you've managed to live?"

Shiki paused, taken aback by the response that had been given to him. He had to think about that. With this life, what had he managed to do? Killed a hundred lifeforms? Saved thousands more? Fell in love like all people did? Shiki couldn't even feel particularly proud over taking down the Arch Demon; it was a thankless mission. Not that he asked for thanks. He was perfectly fine being an unsung hero savior of the multiverse. In fact, he preferred it that way, as he'd rather not see his name on some plaque and have a whole bunch of attention be brought to him for killing something. His mission may have potentially saved countless lives, but perhaps... What he felt more proud of, if anything, was meeting Ilona.

There were many loose ends in Shiki's past, and though he actively worked to tie them all up, there were some that he didn't think he'd be able to resolve. However, he really ought to stop saying never, as he never did expect to meet someone like Ilona, the child of two figures from his past. And... Wouldn't you know it, he had managed to "save" her, in a sense. It was amusing to a degree. Many more people would be more openly proud to hang the head of undeniable evil on their walls, but of course, Shiki wasn't like most people. He found the most satisfaction in protecting the smile of a girl instead. It was... illogical, yet human, he found.

For someone who excelled at killing, perhaps it was only natural that Shiki found the most satisfaction in protecting those before him for a change.

If for nothing else, if not for everything else that he'd accomplished, to put it loosely, in this existence that he called "life," then he believed that at least protecting a girl's smile was worth it all.

"..."

Shiki pursed his lips, before letting out an audible breath, turning his back on Kishima as he'd find his words.

"Yes. I have. What of it?"

"Then I have made the right choice. Many a human believe that they are not in control of their lives, but the fact of the matter is, life is what one makes of it, is it not? Everyone is able to dictate their lives as they see fit, and you are the prime example of that. Aren't you, Nanaya?" Kishima asked, continuing to stand as still as a statue in place, "The spitting image of a youth who has written himself into a man who has decided to shape his destiny into what he wishes it to be, what he is able to envision. A man can fight, a man can kill, a man can work, but how many of them can live?"

Indeed, Kishima's words rang true to Shiki's beliefs. He wondered how much the man truly knew about him, and how much was pure speculation and lucky guesses. Though he had once held some absolute belief on what should have been done with Ilona, the skewed beliefs of both sides, the Machiavellian creed of Ms. Akagi, the forced higher ground delusions of those who attempted to oppose her, the foolhardy "Door Number 3" option, and so on, had caused the young man to re-evaluate. If something was to be done of Ilona and the potential danger her power presented, then it was up to her, a sentient and intelligent being, to decide what to make of it. And so she did. She made her choice, and that was what he'd supported. Her own choice.

"You still haven't answered my question though, Kishima. Why have you appeared before me? You give me words, but nothing substantially relevant, so spit it out."

Kishima paused for a brief moment, before giving Shiki the answer he'd been waiting for.

"I want you to kill me. Put an end to the woeful tale that has been told for far too long."

"..."

Now, it was Shiki's turn to pause. With his face turned away from Kishima, Len holding onto Shiki's shirt, as though worried for him, it was difficult to tell what was going on in his mind at that moment, until...

"If that's it, then I have no more business with you. Don't show your face to me again," Shiki said coldly, almost as though he had ignored Kishima's words. He began to walk away, getting on with the trip back home, but he'd only take one step before he'd be rendered halted in his tracks by a demanding voice.

"Nanaya."

Calling out to him, Kishima glared intensely at Shiki, who would look over his shoulder and back at the man. The two of them glared at each other intently, like looking into a mirror. A young man who carved his destiny, and a man whose destiny led him nowhere.

"After I had killed your father and destroyed your clan, I went into exile for these ten over years. I had felt great shame for what I had done, and wished every day that I could undo that. Undo the murder of the man who had shown me what it was like to feel. Undo the slaughter of women and children. But alas, when something is written, it is written in stone, and cannot be erased. However, just as death cannot be erased, it can be overwritten. It is only when you, the last survivor of the Nanaya, slay me, that your clan will be able to be put at rest."

"What's done is done. You said it yourself, Kishima; man has the ability to choose his own path in life. That is what distinguishes him from beast. If you are unable to forge your way, then consider what that would suggest of you. But then, I suppose calling the legendary Crimson Red Vermilion a mere man would be nothing more than an insult, since you've certainly transcended humanity," Shiki spoke coldly, his eyes narrowed, "If you believe that the Nanaya clan haunts you in this continued, anguished life, then live like that. Live with the sins weighing down on your shoulders. Especially for someone like me, killing you would be too easy if you would allow it. It's much more difficult for man to let one keep living, even if that's the more cruel outcome. If you didn't want to go down as the man who destroyed the Nanaya, you shouldn't have written it in your book. All that you can do now is keep writing, since you can't erase. Rewriting those days is an impossibility, so there's no use in regretting it. If you can keep moving forward, then that's what you do. But what will happen, whether if you keep running or if you confront your sins, is up to you. It no longer has anything to do with me. You're ten years too late for that."

"We will not meet again, Kouma Kishima. Do not seek me out again."

With that speech done and Shiki wishing to be done with this exchange as quickly as possible, he began to walk away from the scene, gesturing for Len to follow, but not before being stopped just one more time when the man would say something quite peculiar.

"Do take note, Nanaya... You don't have many pages left in your book. This is not a threat, but rather, merely stating the facts. With those Mystic Eyes you possess, eyes that no human was ever meant to have, you aren't long for this world. I suggest that you spend the rest of your limited time wisely, whatever your definition of wise is."

"?!"

Shiki blinked in surprise, but by the time he'd look back, Kouma Kishima was gone. His form had disappeared, but nature remained undisturbed, as though he were never there. Indeed, the man was like a ghost. And so, that was how he'd likely continue to live his life. But as long as that was how he intended to live, there was no reason to disturb him.

Likewise, Shiki had found the way he intended to live, and thus, the path he intended to travel down was set in stone. Things rarely were set in stone, but they were only as often as man was completely certain of himself. Shiki was once unlike that, always so noncommittal and unsure of his life, but now, things were different.

He had been reborn.

With that, patting Len's head silently, he would continue walking, with the intention of cutting through the forest, and returning home to those who waited eagerly for his return.

 

[Verite]

Shiki Tohno: Epilogue 3/4 - The Home of Shiki Tohno

Home was such a strange place to be for Shiki Tohno.

In all the unfamiliarity he had encountered in his life, the unknown of the monsters he'd fought, the places he'd been, the people he'd met, it was the place that was perhaps most familiar to him that he felt the most uncomfortable. He had become so accustomed to the unknown, the unfamiliar, that it became his own version of familiar. And he took comfort in that. You either had a totally comfortable, or uncomfortable life, or so he used to believe when he was younger.

Now, by all accounts, he was technically a "man." He had outgrown high school... technically. Knowing the things he knew, it would be pointless to go back and try to fix everything he'd missed in his absence, much less feel inclined to repeat the entire grade all for nothing. He was nineteen now. He had a birthday in the time he was gone. And yet... It was strange. He still felt like a little boy deep down. And yet, it felt like he was the one who changed in his absence, while everything seemed to be just as he left it.

He took a deep breath. Shiki let out a nervous chuckle to himself, like a person about to perform in front of an audience or so. Then again, perhaps he could compare his situation to that. He almost felt the need to rehearse what to say, what to do when he'd face Akiha and the maids again, but alas, nothing ever came to mind, so he stopped trying rather quickly and could only hope that it'd all come to him naturally. The bespectacled young man let out a breath, attempting to calm down his beating heart. It was quite repetitive how he kept finding himself thinking about how among all the wild things he'd encountered in his life that most other people wouldn't ever dream of, that it was the more mundane aspects of life that gave him pause, but it was quite true. He was... almost scared to return to this ordinary life with no clear aim. It was almost as though he were not ready to live a quiet life, but... This, he needed.

"Okay... Come on. Let's go," Shiki mumbled to himself, trying to motivate himself to move forward. No time like the present. Better to stumble upon everyone inside rather than be seen standing outside like an ass.

And so, he began to walk. He walked past the open gates of the estate, past the fountain, and towards the front door with all the conviction he could muster up.

Len had left him once they'd reached Misaki Town so that she'd be able to contact Arcueid and let her know of Shiki's return. The young man was surely expecting an earful from her when he'd reunite with her, and / or a crushing hug that was sure to break his spine. He only wondered if his spine breaking would be an accident or not, knowing Arcueid. In any case, here and now, he was by himself. Perhaps it was better this way. This was something he owed to himself.

Creeeeeaaaak.

The chilly air of the mansion interior and the steady ticking of the grandfather clock hit him like a brick wall, so much so that he had to pause for a good moment upon opening the front doors. He sure was glad he brought along his house key during his multiversal trip.

As he closed the door behind him, resounding in a loud "thud," it was almost as though he canceled out every bit of sound, leaving himself in complete silence, aside from of course the aforementioned grandfather clock. The warm air of the outdoors, the birds chirping, the rustling leaves being blown in the air. It felt like he was in another world. And he'd certainly know what it'd be like to be in a different world.

Shiki could feel his heart beat to the rhythm of the clock ticking. He could feel it pounding against his chest, practically begging to be let out. Just to think, two years ago, he would have classified that as an impending anemia attack, but now... It was something else. Something that he could only describe as... anticipation, perhaps, if not anxiety. For a good moment, he simply stood there, unsure of what to do. He was certainly home now, but how should he proceed from here? Should he try to seek out Akiha or the maids? Unpack his things in his room first? No, no, no, that wouldn't do. Perhaps it would have been like him to simply carry on and return to his ordinary life while pretending nothing had happened, but alas, he was a different man today.

He simply stood where he was for what felt like minutes, though only one had passed before the decision would be made for him. A soft, feminine gasp was heard, and as Shiki turned to face the source of the gasp, he was greeted with a comfortingly familiar sight.

"S-Shiki-sama...?"

Shiki blinked, having to take a moment to register the girl standing before him. His own beloved maid, Hisui. As ever, she was the same. Reliable and diligent on the outside, but gentle and fragile on the inside. Exactly as he'd remembered her. That was certainly an example of how reliable she could be if nothing else.

"Yo. Hisui... It's been a while, hasn't it?" He inquired, speaking with a gentle smile, with an unfitting nonchalance in his voice, as though he had been gone on some leisure trip all this time. Meeting Hisui again like this... Shiki couldn't help but laugh awkwardly a bit, sheepishly scratching the back of his head as he waited for her response. God, he knew he was going to get it now that he saw how he left the girls all to themselves.

Of course, Shiki let the maid take her time to gather her bearings. Surely, seeing him finally come back must be tough for her. The young woman clasped her hands together and let tears flow down her cheeks, letting herself wallow in an emotion that she didn't often feel.

Happiness.

Taking several shaky steps forward, her entire body wobbling with every move like her legs threatened to give way any moment, she eventually managed to reach Shiki's position, the young man himself only taking a few steps to reach her in turn. Her arms unfolded themselves and she gingerly reached out to him with her right hand.

Shiki braced himself for what he'd expected to be a harsh slap, only to find himself surprised that what he instead got was a gentle caress. Despite Hisui's usually cold exterior, she truly was a warm person deep down, and he could feel that warmth from her hand reach his cheek. If he had to guess, not that Shiki knew that much about women to be honest (despite all of them that he'd met during his journeys and misadventures), the young man had to assume that she felt the need to touch him in order to verify that he was really there, that he wasn't some hallucination. Hisui didn't let herself touch others lightly, nor did she let herself be touched easily, but... Then again, this was different.

"..."

The two of them remained silent for a while, letting the soft moment between them sink in. And once it did, Hisui would lower her hand and wrap her arms around Shiki's body, pulling him into a tight hug, that is, tighter than one would expect from a girl with a rather small frame like her. It even surprised Shiki, almost getting a surprised gasp from him, though he'd managed to stand his ground, maintaining his gentle smile as he returned the hug. Hisui practically sobbed into his shirt, wetting it with her tears as she let out the emotions she'd worked so hard over years and years to keep inside.

"Shiki-sama... Shiki-sama... Y-You... You finally came back! You're finally back...!"

"Yeah... I'm home, I'm home. No need to say it twice," Shiki said half-jokingly, softly patting the redheaded maid on the back.

"Ara, ara, is that who I think it is?"

"Eh? That voice..."

Whoosh!

"Guess whoooooo, Shiki-saaaaan!~"

Out of nowhere, another young maid who looked strikingly similar to Hisui, yet acted in a manner unlike her, appeared out of nowhere, hugging Shiki's side with enough momentum that she practically knocked off Hisui unintentionally.

"K-Kohaku-saaan, what...?! I-It's good to see you too, Kohaku-san!"

"Nee-san...?!"

In contrast to the more gentle and heartfelt reunion between himself and Hisui, Shiki found that the reaction he got from the maid's very own twin sister, Kohaku, was just about the exact opposite; abrupt and boisterous. Far more openly cheery over Shiki's return than Hisui was, Kohaku let out a gleeful laugh as she hugged Shiki, her body not feeling unlike her sister's. It really did feel like he was back home again.

Of course, there was only one person to reunite with however. The one person who missed Shiki the most out of everyone in the mansion.

"Nii-san...?"

A meek voice rang out above Kohaku's rather loud laugh. The voice wasn't as soft and gentle as Hisui's, but it also wasn't as energetic and spry as Kohaku's. The middle point between the two, more like. Standing atop the stairs in the center, Shiki looked up, sustaining his bright smile as the final person in the mansion made herself known to him.

"Nii-san, is that... really you?"

Akiha Tohno. The younger sister of Shiki who loved him dearly, just as the maids did, if not even more so. Staring at disbelief, the girl held her hand to her chest, as though holding her heart in hopes that it would be still, though to no avail.

"Are you... really...?"

As Kohaku simmered down, able to read the mood and let Shiki go, allowing him to speak, Shiki adjusted his glasses, looking from afar at Akiha. Giving a nod, he'd take a breath, attempting to compose himself again.

"Yeah... I'm home, Akiha."

The two of them looked at each other for quite a while, as though registering finally meeting one another after such a long time. However, the silence was not uncomfortable, as most silences tended to be. Rather, it was actually quite the contrary. It was a comforting silence, if there was ever such a thing to exist.

With a gentle smile to match Shiki's, Akiha was close to tearing up, like how Hisui had cried before, though she would expend some effort into wiping her impending tears with her sleeve, taking a brief moment to calm herself, before gazing down at Shiki again, holding her hand on the stair railing as she spoke from the heart.

"Welcome home, Nii-san."

Shiki Tohno was home again.

He was back where he belonged.​

 

[York]

Ilona only held a small, sad smile on her lips at first when she heard Ruby speak. Of course, like the others, Ruby really did intend to return home. While she promised herself she wouldn't dwell on the idea of missing them, the young time traveler couldn't help but feel just a bit gloomy. "Ah, there is no need to call me ma'am. From this day forward I only hope to be treated as a commoner, not a princess. Anyhow, I shall miss you, dear Miss Ruby. Thank you for assisting me and being a kind friend," Ilona said, offering the girl a bow.

Any gloomy traces on her face vanished, however, when Ilona would hear Ruby mention Sophie. The blonde would gasp and reach forward to grab Ruby's hands, her eyes sparkling.

"A-A FRIEND OF MY MOTHER'S!? ANOTHER ONE OF MY HEROS LIKE SIR SHIKI!? WHY YES, I WOULD LOVE TO MEET HER! PLEASE DO BRING HER!" Ilona exclaimed, her voice mistakenly growing loud again. Any bit of formal posture between the two had likely vanished in the face of Ilona's excitement. But the girl couldn't really help herself. She was a bit of a fangirl when it came to the people from her mother's stories.

@york @Atomyk​

Ruby Rose & Zwei
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Atomyk @Verite (sorta)

While Len was no longer in Zwei's line of sight, the little dog seemed to pick up on the fact that she had left, indicated by his ears drooping just a little as he sorta... Flopped down on one side of his body, looking a bit deflated.

Ruby on the other hand, appeared to have perked up quite considerably seeing Ilona as excited as she was.

"Ooooh! I'll HAVE to bring her now! She can't miss a chance to see you smile like that!" She said excitedly, clasping her hands together.

Then, all of a sudden, she had an idea... And one could swear they heard a faint dinging sound when that happened

"Wait! I know!" She exclaimed suddenly, raising her hands up to her face as she leaned forwards a little.

"We'll have a sleep over!" She said, barely able to contain her excitement.

Lost in her own fantasies again as she envisioned the fun times they might have with Sophie onboard, it appeared that she had practically forgotten about the hardships they had to go through for the moment. A fleeting moment, where her youthfull innocence returned, and she seemed like... Her old cheerfull self again.

​

 

[Josh M]

Epilogue part 1

It had been a few weeks since the "Coalition Civil War" had ended. To say it took a toll on Wanda was an understatement. Genji was still in his coma, and Wanda felt weak from the events. It all seemed too much. The Coalition was moving its headquarters, and so Wanda had taken some time away for herself. Cosmo assured her they were taking care of Genji and she'd be alerted if he woke up.

It had been weeks. Wanda's faith was draining and she began to doubt he would wake.

"You're barely human."

That was her last words to him, shouted in anger and weakness. She couldn't reconcile with herself. Since she and Genji had met, the two had become close friends. However, that one event, the Murder Game, that had been their only real time together.

***

Winter in Japan.

It was a beautiful scene in Wanda's eyes. Japan was always fascinating. The old with the new. She could feel the spirits as she walked on of the street. A mental note the witch made was that spirits seemed to be everywhere in this country. The snow lightly covered her jacket, its color matching her moniker. Wanda stood out in the white snowfall and in the slightly crowed street.

"Hopefully he got my letter."

Small mutterings to herself aside, Wanda was, for the first time in awhile, excited about something. Besides spending time with her children (Mostly Billy and his fiancé, Teddy), Wanda had closed herself off from most off the Coalition and others. However, she was happy to see her friend in the first time in a while.

Making her way to the building where they were to meet, Wanda sighed as it seem to be closed. Taking a closer look, she knocked at the door.

"Edmond, are you there? Edmond?"

The second he heard Wanda's voice, Edmond Honda was taken back-- unfortunately, to a rather bittersweet time in his life. Surrounded by the death and darkness of Bright Falls, it was something that lingered even now in his dreams, even moreso after Wanda's letter.

But for now, the old gloom was hidden by the joy of seeing an old friend. Finishing the closing of the bathhouse, Honda ran outside.

"Wanda! So good to see you again!!" He extended his large hand to her, beaming merrily.

Ignoring the man's hand, Wanda gently hugged him, smiling. "I'm glad to see you got my letter. It's good to see you, E." Pleasantly surprised by the hug, Honda returned it, careful not to get too excited. Not a good idea to hurt her back or anything.

The witch let go as she adjusted her posture. Wanda was happy, and it was something she had to admit was few and far between recently.

Honda and Wanda weren't much of a match it would seem at first glance. But after their time in Bright Falls, the dream, the death of Bolin, the pain and joy they felt... It connected people. Bonds got built in short order.

"So, what do you have planned? We have much to catch up on, my friend."

"Plans? Well, I was thinking we could catch up over dinner-- if you'd like, of course. You eaten yet?" He tried not to think back to the last time they'd eaten together. Hopefully this one would end with less death.

Wanda followed Honda, moving by his side as the two walked. Chuckling softly, Wanda gave the sumo a smirk as she said, "Dinner? I'd love to. You know, last time we ate together, I almost died. I have nothing to worry about, right?" The witch giggled as she lightly tapped Honda's hand. "Dark humor aside, how have you been, E? I read your letter. Your dreams, are they subsiding?"

"Yeah, heh... heh heh... hm." It was a good sign, that Wanda could joke about that, but for Honda it was one of the worst parts of their time together. Bolin dying, Wanda dying, Honda a suspect in her death, then screwing things up in the trial and swearing the true culprit was innocent...

Yeah. Not fun.

At least the subject changed for now, but thinking of those dreams, Honda frowned and shook his head. "Afraid not! If anything, they've gotten worse-- well, more frequent, I mean. It's to the point where I gotta brace myself for 'em each time I go to bed... er, but other than that, things are going well! I've been working my rear off trying to get into the Olympic Committee by 2020-- just imagine, the Tokyo Olympics, the perfect place for sumo to make its debut as an official Olympic Sport!" Why couldn't he dream about THAT? He missed his dreams about sumo.

"How about you, Wanda? You doing well? How's that son of yours?" With a mischievous grin he added, "And how are things with Genji? You two finally go out?"

The witch couldn't help but feel guilty. The darkness of the event where the two met lingered on the sumo still. Wanda could feel it on Honda. The snow gently fell across Wanda's face as she listened close, a look of sadness mixed with compassion.

However, pure sadness showed as Genji's name was mentioned. The witch took a deep breath, trying to appear calm. Keyword being trying. Honda, if he was paying attention, would tell it wasn't a "normal" sadness. It was grief. If depression was a seducer, grief was a mugger. However, it was only for a brief moment.

Ignoring the comment about Genji for now, Wanda looked into Honda's eyes.

"You're having those bad dreams because of me, my friend. My connection to darkness, to chaos, has seemed to bounce some of my darkness towards you, dear. Due to the event and the formation of our friendship, along with the presence of KILLER BOB and the fact that the man in the red room had some sort of interest in you, you're marked. One day, you and I will have to travel to the white lodge, so you can clear the trial."

Honda wasn't the most perceptive man out there, but even he could see the misery Genji's name brought his companion. Oh... It went without saying, but something had happened to that young man. Honda didn't want to assume the worst-- maybe Genji had some special long term mission he had to do. No matter what it was that had transpired however, Honda wouldn't bring it up anymore.

Instead, he listened as Wanda explained why he was still haunted by dreams. So he was... Marked by spirits? Sheesh! "Well, that's not really something you wanna hear... but hey! Getting to meet you makes it all worth it, if you ask me!" He laughed, meaning every word he said. He'd have gone through Bright Falls over again if it meant meeting Wanda and everyone else there.

Wanda nodded and looked up toward the falling snow. "... In the meantime, do you have any salt on you? I can purify you with it. Should last for awhile. Just remember you might need make a circle around where you sleep with it. Should keep the spirits away. It's basic spirit protection 101." A slight smile appeared on Wanda's face, it seemed she enjoyed her job.

Honda smiled and patted the small satchel tied to his waist. "Thanks! I'll be sure to do that." Warding off spirits... now, hopefully, he'd have better dreams at night. "... What's this white lodge, now?"​

Wanda's smile brightened slightly before she regained herself, stopping her movement completely. She motioned for Honda to stay with her.

"Well my dear Honda, the Black Lodge and White Lodge are home to many spirits and people alike, including KILLER BOB and the man from the other place, the little man you met? They're from there. However, you have never been there. Remember your dreams? The red room. The statues of the Venus De Medici, and Venus de Milo. The carpet patterns that zig-zagged around the room... It's a waiting room of sorts. Many spirits and people go there before their journey begins."

So that red room back then was a gateway, was that it? White black, red... all the colors of that damned bear. Hearing her description of the red room, however, brought back memories of his first dream, the one that started it all. "So that's it, huh..." It was amazing, really, how much she knew about all this.

Wanda continued walking before speaking once again. "Tell me Honda, as it seems we're almost there... before we go in, I must ask as a friend for the honest truth. Do I and my magic scare you?"

Wanda's question lingered in the air. It caught Honda off guard, and he stopped walking as he processed it. Did she scare him?

Well... did she?

"..."

He stared straight ahead a moment, before turning to Wanda. "... Yeah. Well, at first. I didn't understand much about anything when we first met, just what my world was all about. After that first trial, I was pretty freaked out, I'll admit. I didn't know if you were good or evil. But... I got to know you." He smiled. "You know what you're doing, passionate. That magic of yours is powerful stuff, but I can tell it's good magic, not like that Mother stuff back in Bright Falls." The memory of Bolin came back, and Honda felt a quick jolt of pain from the grief. That dark magic Mother had... that was true evil. "You're nothing like Mother," he continued, tone more serious. "That kind of magic, spirits like BOB... that's the stuff I'm afraid of."

A moment of silence, then he sniffed the air. A smile returned to his face. "I'd know the smell of that ramen anywhere. It's just up ahead."

Wanda eyes lightly watered as she went to Honda's side. Walking with him towards dinner, Wanda eventually responded, "E, I won't lie to you.I know I have red in my ledger. I've done bad things, horrible, awful things. Things if you knew, you would run away. It doesn't matter the fact I was being controlled, it was still me. Magic is like a gun. Even if you're an expert with it, it can still hurt you or someone else if misused. You always need to be in control, you always need control, and you always need that fear in your head. I am just trying to make up for my mistakes, one piece at a time."

Taking a long breath, Wanda smiled.

"Anyway, we can keep talking like this at dinner. I still have many things to tell you."​

 

[Verite]

Epilogue Addendum
"The Rise of ODMA"

It wasn't long before UN troops would arrive to assist with evacuation. Doctors aided by peacekeepers were the first to arrive. The doctors and several Logistics Crew Peacekeepers would aid Coalition Medical crew in evacuating and tending to the wounded. A small group surrounded Robin and Corrin, analyzing wounds and other injuries before Robin directed them to other people.

- - -

One week later...

The Security Council had concluded reading the Coalition Report, which was a collected record of several UN Member's accounts from the Civil War Incident.

Robin sat at the front of the General Assembly chambers. His fingers drummed on the arm of his chair. To his right sat Ritsuko Akagi, the Deputy Secretary-General. A few seats down, next to Doctors White and Maera, sat Akane Tsunemori, UNCED's Director. Everyone in the room would be called on their actions by the Security Council, and then a vote would be run through the General Assembly on how to move forward.

The people in the room discussed lowly on what exactly was the best course of action, how to vote, and so on. Certainly, even for those who were not directly involved with the Coalition Civil War, the recent happenings had been a source of heated discussion among the United Nations, not only concerning the situation with Ilona, but also the revelations that came out with Ritsuko's findings and leaks. There were a number of bad things that had happened because the Coalition Civil War. However, it was arguable that there was some good that came of it, hence the mild division in the room.

Clearing his throat, Nobuchika Ginoza of the Security Council would begin to speak after a number of the other members in the room had cast their vote.

"A shame that the vote will likely go where I presume it to. Though the outcome that Ms. Akagi wanted to fulfill wasn't achieved with pitch-perfect results, I'd like to formally state that her methods have gotten the United Nations further in the span of a few months than it ever did under, say, Kenjiro Yamadera, unsavory comparisons aside," Ginoza spoke, crossing his arms at the table, before glancing at Akane, "What's your stance on that matter, Miss Tsunemori?"

Letting out a seemingly almost absent-minded sigh, despite the fact that Akane was, in reality, more focused than she let on, the young woman pursed her lips, before replying. "Mmm... Well, that's certainly an arguable claim, Mr. Ginoza, but regardless of what the results of Ms. Akagi's methods were, I still believe that it was morally wrong of her to do some of the things she did, such as inserting a spy into the Coalition's ranks, and more than that, keeping the entire operation a secret completely to herself, especially when it resulted in a data leak when he'd turned out to be a triple agent," she sighed, leaning back in her seat.

Surely, this Revolver Ocelot fellow was going to be the talk of the town for months to come. The Revanchist had everyone's full attention now, but even if the Coalition, UN, and other organizations from around would band together to fight them, Akane wasn't put at ease personally, considering that if they were confident enough to reveal themselves, what did that say about the strength they'd amassed in the shadows?

"What do you think, Mr. Aquilus?"

"..."

All the while, Ritsuko remained silent, deciding to let Robin get in a word before making her statement.

Though it was Robin who was addressed, another man in attendance decided this was his opportunity to speak. Gaius, king of Rieze Maxia, cleared his throat loudly, though no vote had been made yet on his part.

"It is through Ritsuko Akage's actions that we have snuffed out the troublesome members of the Coalition's leadership," he said gruffly, his voice carrying easily throughout the room. "Those who saw our intervention as heavy-handed were ultimately better off in different positions. All here know the necessity this organization represents." He paused for a moment, looking about the room. "Though, do not think I am speaking in favor of her decision to keep this matter a secret. I simply want us to to remember that certain actions that those may be in contempt of can produce the correct results. Where Ms. Akagi has failed us was her inability to inform others of her actions, especially when one considers the betrayal she did not see coming."

A long pause followed, as Gaius seemed to consider something.

"... Many of us have known contacts within the Coalition, and I would not be surprised if a few have done exactly what Ms. Akage has done already by keeping a few of those contacts a secret. We should not chastise these individuals, but instead encourage them to work within the UN's proper channels. Otherwise, the civil dispute we face will not be resolved."

Akane pursed her lips lightly at Gaius when he'd speak, as though he'd interrupted Robin, though she didn't really know for sure if the Secretary-General himself had much to say on his own behalf.

"That... may be so, Sir Gaius, but despite the results that were achieved, we also need to consider the moral ethics of what had happened here. A number of members in branches such as the Peacekeepers have already resigned due to what they perceived to be corruption within the UN because of the recent happenings; surely, there must have been another way to attain the desired results, even if the fundamental motives to attain them were... dubious to begin with. People want to be trusted, just as they want to be able to trust others."

Before Akane would be able to say any more, however, Ginoza would clear his throat, interrupting the younger woman.

"Let's not get too carried away here. The time is a bit past to continue debating the finer details of the matter, since we've been sitting here for as long as it is," he uttered, crossing his arms.

"Talking will only end up getting us in circles since we haven't made much progress since the beginning. I understand that some might be a bit stubborn to let themselves be swayed by the opposite argument, but... Make the right choice," Ginoza spoke, and with that, the people within the room cast their votes to decide the fate of Ritsuko Akagi.

...

Beep beep.

The small panel in front of Akane's spot on the table would flash briefly, before displaying the results. Looking over what the panel revealed, the brown haired woman remained silent for a tad, an unintentional gesture of building up suspense, and then...

"The majority formally rules in favor of Deputy Secretary-General Ritsuko Akagi resigning from the United Nations. No repercussions will befell those on the Security Council who had supported her previously," Akane announced to the room, eliciting hushed discussion from around, "Ms. Akagi, what is your formal response?"

"..."

Ritsuko remained silent for a small while, almost as though she needed to register the result, though her eventual words would almost seem to contradict that notion when she'd finally speak, looking up unflinchingly at everyone.

"While it is regrettable that there were factors in my plan that even I failed to think of a contingency for, what I do not regret is the steps I took for the betterment of the multiverse. While the process was hardly less than painful, I rooted out the wolves among the sheep, and those wolves are certainly out there. What you do with this info, I suppose is out of my hands now," the woman said calmly, taking a soft breath, before continuing.

"Very well. I formally resign from my post as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Universes at the request of the majority. However, I have a revelation to make," Ritsuko stated, "I expected as much that this would be what would happen. In light of this conclusion, I am announcing the formation of a new organization to operate and preside over the Coalition's activities, albeit in a more... open manner this time, codenamed the Office for Defense of Multiversal Assets, or ODMA, if you would."

"A... A new organization? But... With what resources?" Ginoza questioned, mystified, "Surely, you don't mean to do this all by yourself?"

"She isn't. She has my backing, which is more than enough."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice was heard, coming from the doorway leading into the room. A middle-aged woman, holding a cup of some sort of alcohol in her hand, stood with a stone-cold expression on her face, even moreso than Ritsuko's default expression.

"I didn't... crash any party here, did I?"

"Y-You... Who are you? This is a confidential discussion room! What is your clearance level? How did you even get he--?" Akane questioned, practically alarmed by the unfamiliar woman's appearance. She nearly stood up, but oddly felt compelled to stay in her seat when the woman would hold up her other hand in a "stop" motion.

"One question at a time, girl. My name is Amanda Waller. The answer to the following question is irrelevant. And let's just say... I have connections within the United Nations, in a similar vein to how some of you in here might have connections within the Coalition."

"In any case, as I said, Ms. Akagi will be my associate in the organizing of ODMA. From here on out, the two of us, along with one Ms. Mom Lalonde and others, will be presiding over the activities of the Coalition. Simply put... You all won't be needed anymore. I'll take it from here as far as the monitoring goes."

Gaius looked on with what appeared to be mild interest. He leaned forward in his seat, some of his dark hair obscuring his red eyes as they stared intently at Ritsuko. Despite his glare, he gave the slightest of nods, accepting this development as quickly as it came. Gaius was known to be stoic, though in this moment he seemed somewhat impressed.

"Interesting," he said, crossing his arms at his chest and leaning back. "For any of that to be true, you must have a large number of UN members in your pocket. I certainly underestimated you, Miss Akagi. We are clearly more divisive than I thought." Whether or not this Amanda Waller was the true mastermind of this gambit, Ritsuko had deftly maintained her level of power within the multiverse. For Gaius, this made the woman dangerous.

"... However, what does this mean for the Ragnarok project? It was to be a joint effort between the United Nations and the Coalition. If this... ODMA is now overseeing the Coalition, is the project shifting to you as well?"

There was silence for a moment, leaving Gaius to wonder if anyone would challenge him. If all he said was true, it was going to be a hard pill for the remaining UN members to swallow. However, someone did stand to speak eventually. Gaius looked to him, not recalling his name, but recognizing him as a background member to many of the UN's meetings. What was his involvement in all this?

"Far be it from ODMA to disturb a project as delicate as Ragnarok," said the man evenly, almost delicately, as he looked toward Gaius. The king stared back at him, trying to read his expression. "Ser Gaius, you are still the commanding officer of this mission, regardless of your affiliations from this point forward. I hope that is satisfactory for you?"

Gaius wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that, so he turned from the man and looked toward Waller. "I have one final question. What is to be done with our SCP Foundation and GOC subsidiaries? Frankly, I will state my opinion that the UN needs neither group's affiliation, but that is not my decision to make. Will ODMA be dividing these groups as well? If not, I believe it was to be voted on what to do with the Foundation in light of learning about their methods?"

Waller seemed to regard Gaius with a look of contradictingly strong apathy, as though, assuming she even knew what it was, she didn't seem to care much for where it was to go, let alone answering his query, hence the silence, though it seemed that the conversation would quickly be picked up by a certain man with a mustache who bore a rather confident, almost too relaxed, mien to him.

As expected.

"Indeed, we'll leave that project be for now, though of course, not without close supervision, which is why I already have an operative intending to oversee that. One... Colonel Rick Flag. But I suppose that's more for Gaius to know the details of, if you don't mind... Littlefinger," Waller spoke, referring to the man by what seemed to be a nickname of his, though it was a mystery how she even knew who he was.

When Gaius began to speak once more, apparently for the last time, the woman crossed her arms behind her back, coolly speaking without missing a beat. "The SCP Foundation will be absorbed into ODMA, if you must know. They don't need to be working with an organization who have criteria against methods based on factors other than effectiveness," the woman said, almost seeming to give the reticent Secretary-General a passing glance, before diverting her attention back to Gaius, "As for the GOC, that's for your Secretary-General to decide, as they'll stay with the United Nations. That's the definite of how things will roll out, and I trust that there are no objections to that matter?"

As Waller spoke, Ritsuko stood up and made her way over to her side, as though preparing to make her leave with her new superior. Akane pursed her lips with an intense look, evidently still unsatisfied as she never did receive an answer as to just what exactly kind of power this Amanda Waller held, though before she could stand up and object, Ginoza cleared his throat, as though he were able to predict Akane's intentions.

"When you say all that as confidently as you did, your tone in of itself seems to undermine any potential objections. By that, I mean... Would it really matter if anyone objected?"

"No, I suppose not. Now then, I'll presume that I don't need to repeat myself? I would assure you all that the multiverse will be in better hands with the Coalition working with ODMA from now on, rather than the United Nations, considering for one, we'll be handling the Ilona situation in a far more civil manner than... the Coalition Civil War, but I won't, because frankly, I don't care what anyone believes will become of this. The results will speak for themselves, so I won't waste any more of my breath. Are we all clear then?"

"..."

With Akane, perhaps the would-have-been biggest opposition, silenced by Ginoza, persuaded by futility, there were indeed no objections to the rise of this new organization known as ODMA. As yet another silence rang out, Waller let out a breath, finishing her drink, before placing it on the edge of the meeting table.

"Good. That's what I like to hear; the sound of silence. Now then, if that's that, I'll be taking my leave, and I'll be taking my new second-in-command with me. Now that she's officially no longer one of you, she's one of me, and that means that questioning her means questioning me, which I can see none of you here are feeling up to doing," Waller spoke, turning around and beginning to walk out, "But who knows? Perhaps you'll get a chance to if we ever meet again, any of you. For now, however, this is goodbye. From me, and from Ms. Akagi."

With that, the two women left the meeting room, leaving the UN members silent, as though Waller had taken their will to continue speaking with her, though of course, that technically wasn't inaccurate, considering Ritsuko had walked out, the matter being cleaned up in a rather different way than expected for most.

"..."

Akane, frowning deeply, felt a heavy weight on her shoulders, as though fearing that the rise of a new organization like this, with Machiavellian people like Akagi and Waller, would spell eventual trouble. Indeed, one day, they may end up clashing, depending on just what kind of effect they'll have on the Coalition's affairs, but for now, there was nothing that could be done. The young woman was almost frustrated with how powerless she felt, but alas, if it couldn't be helped, then there was little point in getting angry over it. The only thing she could do now was prepare.

After all, because of the Coalition Civil War, the multiverse was bound to never be the same again.​

 

[Verite]

Shiki Tohno: Epilogue 4/4 - The Life of Shiki Tohno

In the backyard of the Tohno Mansion, there were a number of gardens that extended to the length of the mansion, or at least, most of it. Frankly, Shiki never could figure out how Hisui tended to all the plants they had as well as having time to clean up around the mansion, but then again, she did have quite the work ethic.

Adjusting to normal, day-to-day life again, with no expectation of something grand happening in the future, was as difficult as expected for Shiki. He felt somewhat restless, not unlike how he was before, though it was much lighter this time around, and far from unmanageable.

Now, he was more comparable to a student who kept trying to remember if he had any homework to do, only to continuously find that he didn't have any that he had to do. In that sense, indeed, there was nothing left on a major scale that Shiki Tohno absolutely had to do, and it had been this way for a long time. The only thing he needed to do was whatever he wanted to do the most, and that was protecting those that he could see. In some ways, that objective fulfilled him more than he had ever felt when on some quixotic adventure to "save the multiverse" or what have you.

... Agh, jeez. Getting the shivers in my legs. Come on, keep going, you two!

On an afternoon like any other, Shiki made his way through the gardens, finding that his legs were surprisingly hard to move. Perhaps it was a sense of looming anxiety, like meeting an old friend you hadn't seen in years. But at the same time, he was excited. He was excited to finally reunite, to reconnect. But with whom, one might ask?

Beyond the gardens, in the deeper back of the mansion, was an open field, surrounded by forest. In the middle of this open field, where Shiki and the other children used to play at as a child, stood a lone tree. And in front of that lone tree sat an unmarked grave. Shiki knew for a fact that that grave wasn't there when he was a child, so he'd always speculated to himself who dug that grave, and who it was even for, as well as if there was even any body buried underneath. The young man assumed for some time that it was of his adoptive father, Makihisa Tohno, as he had passed away just before Shiki had come back to live with Akiha and the others. If Kohaku dug this grave, however, he wondered... Could it perhaps be for his adoptive brother, "SHIKI Tohno?" The possibility was there, but it was unlikely, as he had become the host of Michael Roa Valdamjong, an evil ghoul who had been vanquished by Shiki a good two years ago.

Of course, for a while, Shiki ceased to care about who the grave was "supposed" to be for. If there wasn't a name to it, then he'd use it as he liked. There was one reason why he hadn't come to visit this grave in a long time. It had been a long time since Shiki had visited the grave. Not that he generally had much of a reason to, but for the longest time, it had felt like he'd been avoiding it. And now that everything had been sorted out in his life, he knew why. And now, it was time to pay his respects. To the two women that he'd loved and lost in his past.

If the grave was not for Makihisa Tohno or SHIKI Tohno, at least, in Shiki's mind, then perhaps it'd be more fitting to associate it with Satsuki Yumizuka, his first love who died with any initial hope of Shiki leading a normal, innocent life, and Mikasa Ackerman, who sacrificed herself to protect those around her, and set Shiki back on the long, grueling path to redemption and self-realization, to the reconstruction of the hope of a normal life. One grave for two souls. How quaint.

Upon reaching the unmarked grave, hidden somewhat deep within the forest, and easily identified by the sword stabbed into the ground in front of the grave, that is, Mikasa's sword that she'd given to him before she died, Shiki took a sigh, his hands tucked into his pockets as he gazed down at the grave with a rather gentle expression, akin to someone gazing lovingly at the sleeping form of their loved one.

"Yo... It's been a while, hasn't it?" Shiki spoke softly, almost as though he were taking care not to awaken or disturb the site, despite knowing well enough that no body lay beneath, "Sorry I haven't stopped by in a while. Things have been... pretty hectic, like you'd never believe," he laughed gently, scratching the back of his head as he got down to one knee.

"... Well, actually, I suppose that's a lie; I'm sure you would believe it all, wouldn't you? We've seen so much together that perhaps nothing should be able to surprise us anymore, huh?" He inquired. When Shiki thought about it, he didn't truly know who he was supposed to be talking to in his mind; Yumizuka or Mikasa, but perhaps it didn't matter. He just wanted to talk. Talk to something that he could find comfort in. Perhaps that was it. Perhaps the grave, in Shiki's mind, had become its own entity. It sounded outrageous, but then, he wasn't a normal fellow, was he?

The bespectacled young man pursed his lips, staying silent for a good moment, as though wondering what to say next. Silence filled the air, occasionally interrupted by the sound of leaves flowing in the wind or birds chirping, before Shiki eventually figured out where to go next.

"Y'know... I probably sound like a broken record as I keep saying this to people I meet, but... It's funny. Now that everything that I definitely have to do is all well and done, saving the multiverse from the wrath of the Arch Demon, protecting those in front of me like Miss Ilona... I'm just left with this strange, though admittedly not entirely unpleasant, feeling. I can't really immediately say that this feels liberating or anything, considering... Every now and then, I still do get a bit restless, like I'm waiting for something else to happen, but when I realize that there's nothing that I should be anticipating in the future, it's difficult. I guess, from here on out, I'm... free to live as I intend? Can I just easily go back to being a normal guy, not a care in the world? After all, once you have a taste of something different, you can't let it go so easily. Not to say normal's bad, but..."

Shiki had to wonder. He trailed off after a small while of rambling, instead looking up at the beautifully blue sky. A few clouds were visible, just barely enough to obscure the sun to a degree. Such a normal sky. A normal sky for such an unnatural world that he lived in, full of vampires, other-worldly travelers, mages, and more. But for every bit of evil that was in this world, there was also a shred of good to complement it. Shiki, maintaining his gentle smile, took a breath, doing his best to remain composed as he was, despite feeling a small ache in his heart for some inexplicable reason.

"... Well, with things as unnatural as can be found here, who needs normal? To find beauty in the grotesque... That's all I need. I don't think I could ever forget all that's happened to me. Since being adopted into the Tohno, getting these Mystic Eyes, being dragged into the world of the night, loving and losing, fighting beyond space and time... Things just aren't the same as they used to be. The world is still beautiful, but... To fully appreciate the beauty of things, sometimes you have to also embrace the ugly side of it as well. The grotesque indeed, even. I came a long way from the naive, unknowingly discontent kid I used to be to where I am now. Far more has happened in these past two years than the rest of my years combined. I've changed, and so have my views, my tastes."

Shiki paused for a moment.

"But I suppose that's a natural thing, growing up. Becoming a more refined, developed person than the one I was yesterday. I may never be the perfect person that everyone wants me to be. I may never be able to see eye to eye with some people, just as some people will always intend to hurt me or take something away... But as long as I possess the will and the power, I'll do everything I can to protect this life that I've decided I'll build for myself for once, in this world that I see now in a different light."

He took a breath again, subtly regretting that he neglected to bring along some water or so. All this talking to himself made his throat dryer than expected. Still, he had a lot to say. As always, Shiki had a lot on his mind, and now was the time to finally let it all out in the open in order to free himself of this burdensome mind that knew no bliss.

"!"

With a sudden gasp, so sharp that it had nearly startled the nearby birds, a marked headache suddenly afflicted Shiki, his vision flashing for a split-second as he could hear his heart beat. All the while, in his line of sight, peculiar lines and dots began to appear all over, covering up the grave, the ground, the trees, everything. A phenomena that Shiki was not unfamiliar with. These lines and points, they symbolized the "death" of everything he could see. They were his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception at work. However, there was only one problem.

His glasses, the fabled Mystic Eye Killers that suppressed his power, were still on.

The Mystic Eyes were not a power Shiki could fully control. To begin with, humans were not made to "process" death with the eyes that Shiki had. Death was, quite simply, too much to be able to witness for a human. Thus, someone cursed with these eyes would oft not be long for this world. Shiki was no different, as his Sensei had warned long before. His time here was limited because of these Mystic Eyes, so if he wanted to get what he wanted out of life, he needed to act quickly. Shiki, back then, never could understand what Sensei had been talking about, but now... Now that he was older, wiser, he could see what she was getting at now.

Shiki twitched ever so slightly, as though suffering a small attack. Quickly acting, he took his glasses off, letting the Mystic Eyes freely live. No longer held back by the glasses, the lines and points shone vibrantly. However, just as quickly, the young man put them back on, shaking his head briefly, and with that, the lines in his vision had subsided. Taking a breath, he rubbed his temple.

"Of course, I suppose I nearly realized it too late, but not quite. I'm still alive, I'm still here. And while my time is limited, just as it's always been, I'm content. I've resolved to live peacefully, and I've resolved to die just as peacefully."

Fleeting time, fleeting life... How tragic. How poetic. Which reminded Shiki of one last thing he'd liked to tell the grave.

"You know... While I was gone, I sorta took to poetry a little. Stuff like that used to not really be my thing, especially the English ones, but... There was one that had always struck me. One I felt I could relate to, one that I could agree with, and yet, one that I could challenge. Because life itself is history and art in the making. It went a little something like..."

"There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight, to me... did seem appareled in celestial light.
The glory and the freshness of a dream. It is not now as it hath been of yore.
Turn whereso'er I may, by night or day, the things which I have seen I now can see no more.
But there's a tree, of many, one.
A single field which I have looked upon.
Both of them speak of something that is gone.
The pansy at my feet doth the same tale repeat.
Whither is fled the visionary gleam?
Where is it now, the glory and the dream?"

"... "Well, that was an abridged version anyway. William Wordsworth, I believe his name was."

Beat.

"But still, you know what it's getting at, right? It talks of disillusionment with the world, with oneself, and to wonder where the light truly is, and if it is simply to deceive and distract us from the darkness beyond. But... The darkness beyond is as necessary as the good. But the good has to be from oneself. That glory and the dream that seems to be nowhere in sight... It is nowhere in sight because it lies within oneself. The world is what we make of it. And I make... that even though the world can be plenty scary, it's the beauty beyond it all that makes it worth the while. A lot of things have changed, but none more than myself, and for the better. I'll hold on to this dream, and make it a reality. And I couldn't have realized it without you. I couldn't have realized the dream, my dream."

"But like all things, I don't have a lot of time, so I'll use up all that I have left to realize this dream. And then... Once my time's up, I suppose... I'll be meeting you again soon, beloved."

"I look forward to the day I get to see you again, on the other side, but for now... Let me spend time with the others whom I love. I think I should be granted that much, after everything that's happened, y'know?"

Emerging to his feet, Shiki looked down at the unmarked grave, pocketing his hands once again. The wind blew in the air as he did so, going up his jacket and allowing him to feel a slight chill, as though whatever spirit or spirits lingered in this area intended to give him a response, to which Shiki let out a sharp breath, akin to a stifled laugh.

"And when my time comes, I imagine I'll go quietly, just as I lived, just as I would like to intend. I eagerly await the day I can see your smile again, dearest one. Until then... I'll be joining you soon."

And with that, Shiki Tohno, the boy who was just as fragile as he saw the world, the boy who was just as strong as he willed himself, turned around and left the dead scene to return to the place of the living. Leaving behind what he had to in order to prioritize what he wanted to keep for as long as he drew breath, Shiki Tohno was finally ready to get on with his life.

He had spent so much time running, fighting, suffering, that now, he was ready to live again. He was ready to live, not as a hero, not as a killer, but as himself.

And so, concluded the trials and tribulations of just a young man who wanted to change himself, and unexpectedly changed everything. So concluded the journey of a boy who realized what it meant to be a man, a human, even.

So concluded the tale, the story, the chronicle of Shiki Tohno.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Ruby Rose & Zwei
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Atomyk @Verite (sorta)

While Len was no longer in Zwei's line of sight, the little dog seemed to pick up on the fact that she had left, indicated by his ears drooping just a little as he sorta... Flopped down on one side of his body, looking a bit deflated.

Ruby on the other hand, appeared to have perked up quite considerably seeing Ilona as excited as she was.

"Ooooh! I'll HAVE to bring her now! She can't miss a chance to see you smile like that!" She said excitedly, clasping her hands together.

Then, all of a sudden, she had an idea... And one could swear they heard a faint dinging sound when that happened

"Wait! I know!" She exclaimed suddenly, raising her hands up to her face as she leaned forwards a little.

"We'll have a sleep over!" She said, barely able to contain her excitement.

Lost in her own fantasies again as she envisioned the fun times they might have with Sophie onboard, it appeared that she had practically forgotten about the hardships they had to go through for the moment. A fleeting moment, where her youthfull innocence returned, and she seemed like... Her old cheerfull self again.

​

"THAT SOUNDS WONDERFUL!" Ilona exclaimed, her cheeks flushing from how excited she was. Just as Ruby had, the blonde lost sight of all the hardships they had gone through, if only for a moment. No matter how she tried, however, the reality of things couldn't entirely escape her. She knew the likelihood of ever meeting Sophie or spending time with her or Ruby was slim. It was rare if she ever even saw the same friend more than once.

Breaking down another barrier, Ilona reached forward and hugged Ruby. She stayed in the hug for quite some time, as if it were a final goodbye. "Have a good life, Miss Ruby. I'll never forget you. I always remember my friends, even the ones I never see again." Ilona then released Ruby, quieting when the UN troops would arrive to evacuate everyone. "You'd better go home. Farewell, friend."

@york​

 

[Minerva]

Our Producer siblings carry the corpse of Elesis as they walked away.

"I need to talk to Boss for a bit, you guys feel free to come along if you need to see him too," Kido chuckles in the presence of Toboe and Shizuo in an attempt to brighten the grim mood set by Add's activities.

"Mr Aquilus," Madoka says as she sees Robin himself.

"Morning Boss," Kido continues.

"We have evidence that could lead to Add's removal from the UN."

"However, he removed himself before we could. Dude's got priorities or something, buzzed away before the cuffs could catch his itchy little kiddy touchers."

"Additionally, Elesis was a warrior of our organization. All I ask is that she has a... slightly-more-than-proper burial. She was the reason why we found out about Add's secret. The secret didn't perish with her, for it ended up with us. In her honour, I believe that her soul needs rest," Madoka says as a tear fell from her eyes, "may she rest in peace."

"I don't know, she did mention messing with devil rocks, so wouldn't she probably be in h- OW!" Kido was about to say something, before his sister kicked him in the shin. He coughed for a bit, evidence of blood dripping from his mouth in a manner akin to drool. Kido just wipes it off like nothing.

"Oh yeah, Boss, I need to talk about something to you," Kido says to Robin, "is it OK if I take a moment of your time?"

@Minerva @The Tactician @Takumi @Crow​

Smiling, Ilona nodded in reply to Lalonde. "Very well, ma'am, I appreciate your willingness to assist me. Whenever you are ready to speak with Miss Ritsuko let me know and I shall accompany you. I've said farewell to most of my friends and will be ready to negotiate my accommodations fairly soon." While she stood confident, Ilona was actually rather nervous. She knew Lalonde would try her best to make sure she was brought somewhere decent, but the blonde still couldn't help but be concerned about the unknown. Nevertheless, she needed to learn how to control her powers.

When Lalonde would speak to Ruby, Ilona noticed the girl, turning her head over her shoulder to look back at scythe wielder. "Hello, Miss Ruby. If there is something you wish to talk about I'd be more than happy to listen," she said, gesturing for Ruby to walk forward. "Do you have any plans now that this is over?" she questioned. Like Shiki and Sakuya, she almost wanted to invite Ruby to come along with her. However, Ilona knew that Ruby had a world and many other friends who probably needed her. It almost made her sad that a majority of the others seemed busy, but she wasn't going to dwell on it.

@Atomyk @york

---

After speaking with Artyom, Train headed off, walking along to try and find who he needed to speak with about joining the UN. While he wasn't really looking forward to getting involved in yet another organization--which would possible put yet another collar around his neck--the ex-assassin felt obligated to do so. He didn't care about serving them, no, he only hoped they would have resources that would help him locate his friend. In other words, if he scratched their backs Train hoped they would scratch his.

Once he had scouted the group for the while, Train eventually spotted Robin--figuring he was the individual he should speak with. He approached Robin casually, walking in front of him without warning. "Yo, are you the one I need to speak with about joining the UN? If so, cool, because I'm interested. I need help with something, and I figure I can help you guys out along the way," he explained, waiting for a response afterwards.

@Minerva​

Robin had been dealing with some other matters. Mainly trying to get into contact with UN resources to come and assist in evacuation, and talking about something privately with Corrin.

He smiled and turned around at Kido when he finally had time. "Ah, Kido, what did you want to talk about? I'll see what I can do."

And then Train approached. "We're always grateful for more help, and I'll see what we can do to help you." He smiled softly.
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Crow

 

[Crow]

Robin had been dealing with some other matters. Mainly trying to get into contact with UN resources to come and assist in evacuation, and talking about something privately with Corrin.

He smiled and turned around at Kido when he finally had time. "Ah, Kido, what did you want to talk about? I'll see what I can do."

And then Train approached. "We're always grateful for more help, and I'll see what we can do to help you." He smiled softly.
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Crow

"Boss, I can't help but notice that I've been misplaced in the wrong department. I'm placed as a member of the Auxillary Forces, when I'm supposed to be a member of the Secretariat," Kido says with his hands behind his back, "every action I've taken on this day was that of a member of the Secretariat... well, mostly anyways."

"Mostly?"

"Hey, don't ask me. I don't even know what today even remotely was. As much as I'm glad it's over, I kind of want to relive it. Nihi~"

"As opposed to returning to the girls and having a nice cup of coffee?" Madoka smiles as she looks at her brother.

"That's the better choice, obviously. Except the coffee part."

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Crow @Minerva

 

[Minerva]

"Boss, I can't help but notice that I've been misplaced in the wrong department. I'm placed as a member of the Auxillary Forces, when I'm supposed to be a member of the Secretariat," Kido says with his hands behind his back, "every action I've taken on this day was that of a member of the Secretariat... well, mostly anyways."

"Mostly?"

"Hey, don't ask me. I don't even know what today even remotely was. As much as I'm glad it's over, I kind of want to relive it. Nihi~"

"As opposed to returning to the girls and having a nice cup of coffee?" Madoka smiles as she looks at her brother.

"That's the better choice, obviously. Except the coffee part."

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty @Crow @Minerva

Robin nodded. "It will take some paperwork, but, I think I can get you placed into the Secretariat." He turned to Train. "Any particular department for you?"

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty

 

[Yang Lee]

A Late Reunion for the Epilogue of Iroh​

Large gusts of wind were howling with anger. The spirits weren't doing any better. Three people were perched at a table. Around the small house, they noticed that nothing malicious had come their way. Everything seemed to stay put as if some sort of spell blocked them from coming near.

"Where is he. He should have been here two hours ago," the tallest one and only man, Mako, looked at the sky for the time as he complained under his breath once again in hopes that all he hoped to happen would transpire quicker. As his two female companions noted with annoyance, it did not.

"Calm down, Iroh is a very busy man. I'm sure something happened to him," Asami, clad in a stunning steampunk attire said without much thought. As expected for a mere human to enter the Spirit World during times of unrest, her mind was far from at ease.

More tense silence continued until a jaded voice cut it like butter, "Oh ho ho. Please excuse me. My old age has made it hard for me to move around large distances, but do not worry, I come with good news."

"You found Bolin?" The Avatar Korra perked with excitement from her crouched position on the table's surface. It was true that the fourth member of Team Avatar 2.0 was missing. Because of his death in a previous Murder Game, his spirit was trapped in another universe, making him unable to return to his own. Thanks to this imbalance, the Spirit World was thrown into disarray. Because of this, Iroh used his channeling skills to transport his spirit to be a part of the Coalition to not only find Bolin's missing spirit, but to aid the troubled universes as well.

Currently, however, he gave another chuckle to help lighten the mood. "I am please to tell you that Bolin has been found and shall return to you shortly."

"Then where is he?"

To Mako's outburst, Iroh asked for a moment of time as he reached inside of his sleeve, soon producing a tiny teapot.

"Is um...he in there?"

"I am afraid retrieving him is not that simple." Looking at the forlorn looks on the other three faces, he added, "But he will come back to you very shortly, I promise."

"Is...it...time…?" a woman's voice -- tiny and frail -- called from within the pot. After speaking, the pot was set down on the table, forcing Mako to move towards the girls.

"Who's that?"

"Is that…" Korra whispered.

"Everyone...please meet Raava."

"That's...Raava," the Avatar repeated in awe. Silently, she touched her body in general areas. Raava still felt there inside of Korra but the voice was unmistakeable out of her body.

"She has traveled for a very long time with me to another universe," Iroh explained. "While I had matters of my own to attend to, my friend here made a very important discovery."

"Bolin...soul....here…"

"There is not much time. Bolin's spirit has been fragmented as well. She had to go to great lengths to find all of them. Only she can put them back together and restore balance to the Spirit World and your own."

"But...how is she there? How is she not with me?"

"But Korra, she is. Raava is the embodiment of goodness and light. Where there is light -- where there is faith and hope -- she is there. I pleaded to Raava to aid me and she was kind enough to lend part of her in order to join me. As a result, she has grown weak, especially after holding all of the fragmented pieces of Bolin's spirit at once. She will need to convert his spirit into a physical body very soon or else he will meld together into something unrecognizable in both body and mind."

"I hear you. Let's do it."

"In time, I promise," Iroh chuckled. "There is still one more thing that I must cover before it happens. In the very near future, there will be people from the Coalition -- where I came from. They will be friendly and will ask for your help. Please, if you do not mind, help them in any way possible, and I promise good things will come your way."

"...Alright."

"Now, there's no point in keeping you waiting." With a solemn face, he opened the top of the teapot and blinding light shot to the sky. Raava had released herself from the bondage of carrying a broken soul and she soon took a form that was likeher normal self albeit much smaller. The sky that was touched by said light seemed to cause a rippling effect in the atmosphere, making dark clouds disappear.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Iroh?" She asked as she swished around the beacon of light shooting out.

"I am."

"Go through with what?"

"Tell Zuko I love him...and I'm sorry I was not able to give a proper goodbye!" Once he yelled those last words, Raava took this as a cue to start, and by using her rotations as momentum, she moved at the speed of an arrow into Iroh's torso. With a cry of pain, he forced his body down to one knee.

"Iroh!"

"No!"

"Shit."

The three of them ran to the old man, but a sudden explosion from where he was knocked them all back.

No...it was not an explosion. It was light. That was all it was. The blinding white soon subsided and Iroh was visible once again. As if he was taking a nap, his body was positioned so that his face could see the sky and his arms rested perfectly on his large stomach. His entire body was surrounded by a yellow orb of light. The light from the teapot bent towards the old man and small chunks of what could only be described as energy flowed from the pot and into the orb. The trio of spectators could only watch at what was happening.

Like all things, it ended. The form of Iroh soon become intertwined with the light itself, and the orb was lowered to the ground, creating a dome.

"Wh-what happened to him?" Her body was as shaky as her voice.

"Similar to you as the Avatar, I needed to possess Iroh in order to give Bolin life again. There had to be a sacrifice to hold the spirit of Bolin. I needed to be the one to converge the two together. Iroh asked specifically that he would be the host for Bolin's resurrection once he heard what needed to be done."

"What...happened to him?"

"He no longer has a spirit nor a body. Simply put: He gave up his existence for Bolin's, but because Iroh's essence is still in this universe, his sacrifice has caused balance to the world once again. He did not want to tell you because he know you would try to talk him out of it."

"But...but…"

"Korra. It's over. Even if we wanted to, we cannot bring him back. I'm sorry that he's gone. I wish there was another way. ...I really do."

"For now, I suggest you be there to comfort your friend. He is still alive and needs to be your top priority. He came from a very painful experience and will need time to heal. It's been over three years, after all."

"Yeah."

"Remember, although tragic things like this happen, do not forget you are not alone. You have your friends with you, and even then, I am always with you." Saying those final words, Raava flew into the sky, soon out of sight. Although that Raava was gone, the one inside of Korra was still there.

And so were her friends.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Robin nodded. "It will take some paperwork, but, I think I can get you placed into the Secretariat." He turned to Train. "Any particular department for you?"

@Klutzy Ninja Kitty

After Robin replied to him, Train stretched an arm behind his head and shrugged his shoulders. He wore a pretty relaxed expression on his face, seeming as if he didn't really care where they would put him. "I don't know much about your organization, so I can't say I have any departments in mind. How about you choose for me? I'm a gunner, a trained bounty hunter. I'm be better at fieldwork than paperwork," he explained.

@Minerva​

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

Scott And Stiles's epilogue- The End of The World ( As We Know It)

Scott looked over at Stiles. " So, we are just going to take a portal directly to Victoria's world? We aren't going to make any pit stops right. I mean, we did leave a lot of people in the lurch. I hope Liam and Lydia and Malia and my mom didn't make any friends here," he said.

Stiles looked around the area and the ruins one last time. He felt the keys to the Jeep, and paused. It felt weird to leave the car back on the desolate world. It felt just as weird leaving the Coalition behind and still not knowing where his father, Malia, Lydia ( had vanished too), Parrish, Scott's mom and Liam were. " Scott, we have to go back to our world, one last time. I want to take the Jeep with me. I also want to make sure that no one is waiting for us there. Maybe the others- came home after their whole mess. It isn't so easy to abandon the world without a second thought."

Scott looked over at him and nodded. " One last trip we should take. One last time. I don't think it has changed- but a lot has happened in the past few days to just give up on the world. There has to be a soul somewhere there. I mean, you found me. I am sure that we can find everyone. Maybe that will make me feel better, to fill the void in my heart," he said.

The duo departed and walked back through a portal to their world. The streets were empty. The cars were all sleeping. There was no one here in this word. There wasn't a single soul left. After what felt like a few hours, the duo found his jeep. It was by the high school, the high school that was in ruins. Scott had to wonder if this was their fault. Had Beacon Hills truly fallen apart with them gone or was there something going on here? Was there a piece he was missing? He went into the school and hospital and placed a note there. ' Meet us in Arcadia Bay.' He watched as Stiles put the key in the ignition and reved the engine. The duo drove through a portal and into Arcadia Bay. Hopefully, the others would find it- hopefully, this wouldn't be the end of the world as he knew it.

" Scott, everything is going to be fine. I am sure that the others will find the note and will come back here. I know that it will work, well, you were putting up the notes, I got our records and some cash, we can make it work here, Stiles replied. He sighed and they went into the new place they would be staying. He had to believe it would work

To Be Continued in a future Murder Game

The chill was dead- the air was dead. " I am surprised that they gave up on this place so easily. They saw what have happened to abandoned worlds in the past- they are both a bunch of idiots to abandon Beacon Hills, but I can certainly keep his pack." The other Scott McCall chuckled and watched the Void Stiles be silent. This was just too perfect for once- just oh so perfect. Nothing could go wrong- not for him.

To also be continued in the future.

 

[Atomyk]

Epilogue Addendum
"The Coalition's Future"

To say things had become "stable" for the Coalition seemed a gross understatement considering the extent of the turmoil the group had recently faced, but Makoto Naegi was content to say that the Coalition was at a relatively stable point.

Sure, there were still threats to the group and the multiverse as a whole, but they had survived their worst attack yet. Somehow, even after an event others were calling the Coalition Civil War, the Coalition still stood, undivided. A lot of that had to do with his and Kieran's decisions to step down. For Makoto, it was sad, but he knew it was for the best.

Makoto thought on this as he stepped into his old office, now in use by Kyoko Kirigiri, who he supposed rightfully deserved the office, considering it had been hers when the Coalition had first been formed. Perhaps this was how things were meant to go all along and they'd only finally just rectified an anomaly within their lives.

Makoto had to admit, as he stood in the office and stared at his dear friend, that she just looked like she belonged.

"... Is that the statement from ODMA?" Makoto asked, gesturing to the paper Kyoko was reading. "Did they agree to Cosmo's suggestion?"

"..."

Indeed, things had become as stable as they possibly could be at this point in time, after everything that had transpired. Of course, there was much work to do when it came to rebuilding the Coalition, but Kyoko Kirigiri could sense that in no time, a lot of real progress could be made. A small part of her wanted to call herself naive for thinking this at times, but alas, this was what it meant to hope. And to hope was to believe that things would turn out just fine, because she couldn't afford to think any other way.

When Makoto came into the office and inquired about the paper she'd been reading, the young woman looked up, a stern expression on her face that was previously directed at the report now focused on Makoto, hardly changing at all.

"... Yeah. We now officially have the affirmative from ODMA to set up our new base of operations in the Knowhere space station," Kyoko replied, continuing to sit in her chair. That is, the chair that belonged to the commander of the Coalition. Despite everything the Coalition had been through in its relatively brief (for most), yet undeniably perilous adventures, perhaps the most amazing thing was how this one chair proved to be more durable and lasting than some of the beliefs and bonds that were so easily shattered during the Coalition Civil War. It was a simultaneously amusing and bemusing thought; these materialistic things lasted longer than things like the concept of fellowship around here.

Though Kyoko tried her best to remain impartial and cool-headed like always, it was hard even for her to deny that there was a change in attitude she'd displayed towards Makoto, not that she could really help it. In fact, it was probably most reminiscent to how she was around him when they'd first met. Before the Coalition Civil War, way back to the earliest days of the Coalition, Kyoko may have been reading the most mundane or macabre (somehow) of reports, though when Makoto would appear before her to talk, her eyes almost seemed to flutter as she'd shift her attention to him, and her expression became ever so gentler, as though to her, being near him was like...

...

But of course, things were different now. Anyone who fancied themselves observant could sense that there was a small bit of tension between Makoto and Kyoko, though it seemed to be one-sided, and at times, mild, and other times severe. In that regard, it was almost as though the leader had become a bipolar schoolgirl harboring shifting attitudes towards Makoto, depending on her mood.

Fortunately (relatively, at least) for Makoto, Kyoko was in a fair mood at the moment, if only because of the aforementioned hope of progress being on her mind, considering the reforms that the Coalition had gone through, or was preparing to go through.

"Did you need something?"

... Though there was a hint that was still sorta there.

"Uh..." Makoto found himself in a bit of a stupor, honestly surprised by the cold expression he was being given. He had kept his interactions with his friend professional for a bit now, so Makoto had fallen into thinking things weren't so bad between himself and Kyoko. They were alone now, and to feel almost like a stranger in such a situation sent a pang of hurt through Makoto. He knew Kyoko had good reason, but he couldn't deny the feeling of anger that resulted from such a treatment.

"..."

He had come in for a reason, but now that felt a distant concern. It concerned a sore spot between Kyoko and Makoto, something that had been the source of his reason to step down in the first place. He stared at Kyoko for a moment, almost defiantly, ready to speak. He was about to open his mouth when something inside him wavered, and he couldn't help but break eye contact.

"The efforts in finding Mary's family have turned up nothing. We knew nothing about her before the... accident. She's just a ghost, now." The poor girl had been wrongly accused of a crime Kieran had failed to solve. Makoto didn't blame his former partner, for it seemed Jade Curtiss was a master of deceit. They knew he had something to do with the Multiverse Hotel Incident but no evidence to lay a claim. Mary and Rita would get no justice, at least not for now.

Makoto cleared his throat. "But we've arrested those two serial killers that Kieran had reported. They're being dealt with. We also reached out to Rita Mordio's friends to tell them the whole truth... they were... not happy."

Rowen had described it as devastation. The Coalition had fewer fans every day.

"But, uh... I think that's all, Kyoko." He turned his head now to look Kyoko in the eyes once again, just to see how she was looking at him.

"... I see," Kyoko initially said in response to the report concerning Mary. A twinge of disappointment could barely be detected in her voice, try as she might to remain flat as possible. One could almost think that she was more disappointed in the news itself rather than the tragedy of not being able to find someone to mourn Mary, but Kyoko wasn't that far gone.

"And the serial killers... You mean the mute and his obnoxious second-string? Well, at least they won't be chasing around schoolgirls and thinking they're a greater threat to the multiverse than they really are," Kyoko sighed, setting the piece of paper down, "It's a shame about the girl, but... What's done is done. You did what you thought was best, at least. Rebuilding won't come easy, but as long as we don't give up, there's always hope. You of all should know that, shouldn't you?"

The more she spoke, the more it almost became difficult to ascertain if she was still mad at Makoto, or if she was feeling more forgiving, seeming to waver between the two feelings. Makoto may have luck on his side, but not the extraordinary ability to understand women. Looking into Kyoko's eyes didn't help much either as far as deciphering her feelings, as the Ultimate Detective proved adept at concealing how she felt most of the time.

"In any case... Thank you for the update then," she spoke, seeming quick to avert her gaze upon noticing Makoto's action, "Hopefully, we'll be able to catch a break soon. With ODMA's help, we should be able to get back on track soon enough. Wouldn't you agree?"

Makoto couldn't find his voice. Looking at Kyoko only brought with it an unreadable expression, one that made Makoto waver on his feet. Worst of all, she was then the one to look away, and Makoto had never felt so distant from her in so long.

It was just a bit hard to be so hopeful, after everything.

"... Y-Yeah, Kyoko. I agree. Uh..."

He would have said more, but the intrusion of another guest caused him to pause. He turned to her, finding Miss Lalonde standing int he doorway with a martini glass in hand.

"Hello, dears," she said casually, not seeming to care that she hadn't even knocked. "I wanted to drop by before I left for ODMA. I can't be long, so what I must impart will be brief." She stepped over toward Kyoko and placed a small thumb drive on her desk.

"This contains every single piece of data I was able to recover from Umbrella. I know from working with them that their base on Silent Earth was likely destroyed when their assault on the Coalition was a failure. Hopefully, with this, you can clean the last remains of this scum."

"...?"

Kyoko looked at the thumb drive somewhat quizzically for a brief moment, before picking it up to examine the object as Lalonde finished speaking. Umbrella intel? After their attempt to destroy the Coalition, Kyoko had figured that they, or at least whatever was left of them at this point, would spend all their time attempting to cover their tracks, but if the information Lalonde had gathered was as good as she'd implied, then this would grant the Coalition an opportunity to further cripple whatever other operations the Umbrella Remnant had been attempting to spring. The lavender-haired young woman almost wanted to believe it was too good to be true to get data like this so quickly, but then, at this stage of the game, any good news at all could be seen as too good to be true.

Looking up at the older woman, the new leader of the Coalition gave her a nod.

"Thank you. I'll take a look at this right away," Kyoko said graciously, proceeding to insert the drive into the computer to let it download the contents, "If ODMA is to be working with us in place of the United Nations from now on, then let's hope to meet again, and that our partnership will be a fruitful one, Lalonde."

The woman nodded graciously. "So be it, Miss Kirigiri. I must say, it's wonderful to see a woman such as yourself in this position." She turned then to Makoto, who had fallen silent since she had arrived. "And you are a lovely boy, Makoto. Do look after your friend, dear, so that she can be the best she can be."

With a smile, the woman sauntered out of the room as quickly as she had entered. Makoto looked at the empty doorway for a moment, a bit surprised.

"W-Well..." He turned back to Kyoko and bowed slightly. "I guess that's all, Kyoko. I'll... see you."

Makoto waited a brief moment for Kyoko to speak but found himself leaving in silence a moment later.​

 

[Mason Moretti]

Mason's Epilogue
Shifting Duties:
The Tire of a Warrior's Heart

In the chaos of the final battle a hero slipped away.

In a time of power changing hands and political upheaval a hero was absent.

In the moment where choices and decisions were made about the path that lay before many people a hero was nowhere to be seen.

"Some hero I am," Mason said to himself. He sat, as he watched clouds roll past a bright blue canvas, in an open field (far away from the Coalition) with with wishes that all of his worries and responsibilities would blow away in the wind.

In response to his negativity, the necklace that clung to his chest burst to life in a small wave of aura. From the necklace sprouted a small sphere made purely from energy. The ball of energy twisted and turned, the shape of a small, winged fairy. The fairy hovered in front of Mason's face, delivering a message with empassioned speech, "You are a great hero, Mason. You've proven that time and time again in the past. What's the deal now? Why did you run away and hide? Why are you not back there to help the Coalition rebuild and support your new friends?"

Mason closed his eyes with a sigh and responded, "Oracle, you have spent years adventuring with me. You should know my modus operandi. Go into a new world, make friends, fight evil, then slip away before you can break your friends' hearts, then find a new world. Repeat, ad infinitum." Mason turned onto his right side. His eyes stared into the distance, searching for anything besides the current topic of conversation.

The necklace's guardian, designated as Oracle, flew towards Mason's field of vision. She replied to his harsh generalization with a softness in her voice, "You know that's not what you want to do, Mace. You care about and love all of the friends you made in that incident, and you want to return to them. Ilona..."

"Ilona is fine and being taken care of! There's not much I could teach her anyway," Mason said, interrupting. He added a cursory sorry for his harsh tone and closed his eyes with no other way to avoid the Oracle's gaze.

Pleadingly, Oracle asked, "Mason, why are you being so distant? It's okay for you to stop hopping around the multiverse constantly! You're allowed to enjoy and support your friends! Go return to the Coalition!"

"This was supposed to be my last hurrah. You should have noticed. I used a lot of power in those fights; the amount of aura I used should have killed me. I'm surprised it didn't. I really should have held back. Either way, the point is there. I wanted an end to my adventures, so I tried to go out with a bang; the bang didn't fire as strong as I wanted."

"Heroes never die!"

"Like I said: Some hero I am. A real hero would be back there with his friends. Instead, I'm here slacking off."

Mason paused a moment to recollect his thoughts before continuing, "I didn't feel like I really fit in well with the Coalition, and I'm not really happy with the sudden change in management. I don't think I was ever actually on the payroll, either. If you want me to stop moping, give me something besides the Coalition to do."

A giggle escaped from Oracle's lips that drew Mason into sitting upright. He fired a glare at the fairy that demanded an explanation of the outburst. The fairy replied, "Half the friends you made in that last adventure aren't in the Coalition anyway. The Producers, Robin, Corrin, and I believe even Train are all part of the UN. So, if you really want to stop avoiding your friends, head there."

Mason sighed with the breath of the wind. He made several attempts to restart the conversation, however he came up empty with each attempt. Instead, he made his way to his feet.

With a grand wave of his hand, Mason summoned a portal of aura, connecting the world he had fled to with the home of the multiverse UN. Mason swiftly makes his way through the portal, closing it behind himself.

With as much haste as his situation allowed, Mason traveled through the United Nations building towards the office of a friend: Secretary-General Robin Aquilus. After a quick knock to make sure Robin was available and within his office, Mason entered.

He began speaking with great haste. He said, "Hey, Robin. Listen, I wanna thank you for showing me the Coalition, but I would like to leave my position there. I want to know, though, do you still have that position open in the Secretariat? If so, I would gladly apply. If not, then could you be a friend and find me some place to be within the UN? I want to keep on helping people, and I think the UN is the best way for me to do that. Please, Robin. And thank you in advance for whatever you can do..."
​

@Minerva

 

[Takumi]

Toboe and Cheza Epilogue: Things to do, and changes made

Toboe decided to head back to the UN HQ, tired and wanting a nap at some point. Cheza tagging along with him without being able to find Mason, decided to go and speak with Robin. Shortly before this whole ordeal, she was necessarily just tagging along with Toboe with no real connection to the Coalition or UN-though she was a new member she would rather be a member of the UN so she could stay close to her wolf friend.

The two would go seperate ways for now, Toboe to find Kofuku and Cheza to find Robin's office.

Knocking softly on the door to Robin's office, she would enter.

"This one is sorry to interrupt...but This one would like to ask something of you, Robin." she said, hoping that she wasn't being rude at all or that Robin wasn't extremely busy.

She noticed Mason there and gave him a friendly and curious smile.

@Minerva @Mason Moretti

 

[Verite]

Epilogue Addendum
"Link to the Past"

Using the data Lalonde had secured from Umbrella, the Coalition were able to ascertain the locations of their remaining supply depots. Though the organization's efforts were focused on rebuilding, they were able to dedicate a few agents to the cause.

Umbrella's main facilities had been systematically destroyed as a result of the Crossed Incident, the Aether Incident, and the Coalition Civil War, leaving them with next to nothing. They had kept the majority of their biological threats in their main facilities, leaving with no more weaponry to make us of. Going into the final location, the Coalition agents didn't expect to find much despite the protests of one in their party.

The coordinates had transported them to a nondescript concrete building, located in a forest that no one present could identify. They entered with some caution, Alvin taking the lead.

"Hey, Alter Ego... mind giving us some light here?"

A drone floating next to Alvin's head lit up, extending a beam of light to illuminate the hall in front of them. "Thanks, buddy."

"No problem, Alvin!"

"Woooow, so this is the true power of a drone!!"

Accompanying the Alter Ego drone and Alvin were two other figures. One of which was a young Coalition member named Kenji Miyazawa. An acquaintance of fellow members Akiko Yosano and Doppo Kunikida, while the boy on the surface looked little more than simply the average farm boy (though in some regards, he still was a sort of country bumpkin), like most people within the organization, there was more to him than met the eye. In this case, despite his diminutive stature, he acted as the muscle of the investigation, possessing far greater strength than one might expect, and thus, ensuring that should there be some sort of trap in the building, Kenji's strength would hopefully be enough to protect everyone around.

Even though, by technical standards, he was leagues weaker than the other individual who had accompanied the party.

"I would have figured you'd be more impressed by the ability to traverse between worlds, but... Perhaps I shouldn't talk either," Riesbyfe Stridberg commented, following Alvin and the others into the building without much worry of any trap.

The woman found herself surprisingly relaxed, despite the place that they'd found themselves in. She came to this unfamiliar place hoping to find familiar things, if not clear up the small gaps in her memory, and in her experience, such times called for anxiety, though all she could feel was a calm anticipation, as though she could feel... By the end of this ordeal, whatever happened, she'd be able to get at least some closure out of it all.

"I can do a lot more than this," Alter Ego said in a chipper manner, bobbing his light up and down to capture the long dark hallway in full. "It's the power of technology!"

Alvin had been mostly silent for this trip, which was uncharacteristic of him to anyone who knew him. The events of the civil war still weighed heavily on his mind, and an operation such as this felt like just a minor step toward recovering their previous stability. In the end, Umbrella had failed, though their actions caused two young girls to become responsible for far too much destruction.

Alvin just wanted this over with.

"I have a question," he said, looking back toward his companions.

"Oh! Go ahead, shoot!"

"Not you, buddy. Her..." Alvin looked pointedly at Riesbyfe. "It's unusual I get a tag along and don't know anything about them. You got some beef or connection with Umbrella we should be aware of?"

The silver-haired woman raised an eyebrow upon being spoken to. She hadn't expected to be approached, even despite the very simple fact that she, one who was not a Coalition member, took it upon herself to accompany Coalition members on this... Coalition operation. Perhaps she shouldn't have even been surprised. It was entirely natural to ask questions. But even so... It was troubling. During her stay with the M.E.U., the organization that had practically housed her after recovering her comatose form, Riesbyfe had gathered quite a bit of info considering her situation, mostly that of the Murder Games phenomenon, and how she had been involved with one.

And yet, she was alarmed at the lack of info of herself, or the others that she had been with back then. How close was she to being drowned out, forgotten in the sands of time and space?

Riesbyfe pursed her lips, attempting to return her train of thought to the man before her.

"Perhaps... You could describe it like that. Though my memory is clouded to a small degree, I do remember the name of Umbrella somewhere. But more than that, the name that compelled me to join... Engraved into my memory like a devil's brand, it was... Diablo."

That was one name she remembered vividly in her past. A demon, hiding in shadow from the eyes of God, who had grown stronger and stronger until his very shadow made up the very essence of darkness, a darkness that initially stood a few feet away from him, but evidently had eventually grown to have farther reaching influences than anyone could have possibly imagined.

"Y'know, it's pretty weird though," Kenji had piped in, "From the descriptions that coulda been gathered by what the file said, the only being that matched Diablo's description was the old Arch Demon, but he's loooong gone now. I wonder what all that could mean..." He said airheadedly.

"I know not of this Arch Demon that you Coalition seem to be fond of referring to, but I know for sure, without any doubt, that there was something out there... from the depths of Hell, the monster, Diablo. Speaking of which, if I may pose a question," Riesbyfe spoke, facing the blonde bumpkin, "If your ranking within the Coalition is little more than grunt, how did you come to access the file that contained such confidential information that it held the location of perhaps the final Umbrella outpost left standing? If it weren't for whatever you did, I wouldn't even be here."

"Ahhh? Oh, that's easy!" Kenji exclaimed cheerfully, switching between moods quickly, "I was just sent to deliver some reports to Kirigiri-san, so I stopped by her office, but she wasn't there! I waited around for her to come back, and while I did, I just looked at her computer and saw the info regarding Umbrella and all that!"

"..."

"So you pried into her business?"

"Ehhh? I don't get what you mean," the boy pouted, seemingly genuinely confused, "If she didn't want me or anyone else to see it, she wouldn't have left it like that. I didn't do anything wrong. But anyway, it was then that Miss Carissa from the M.E.U. attempted to contact Miss Kirigiri on the communicator she'd left behind in her office as well. I didn't want to keep her waiting, so I answered in Miss Kirigiri's place! I think she wanted to verify some given report or so, but truthfully, I was more interested in talking about the file on the screen. If all the organizations are supposed to be working together as allies, then we're as good as friends, right? And friends don't keep anything from each other, so that's why I idly told them about what I saw on there. I thought that if more people knew about Umbrella and this Diablo, then it could be the first step in fixing up whatever damaged relationships were present!"

"..."

Riesbyfe gave Kenji a deadpan look after his explanation, as the young woman seemed to slowly connect the dots in her own head, before formulating her own reply.

"So that's why everything happened as suddenly and conveniently as they did. Because of... What do the laymen say? Loose lips?" Riesbyfe inquired, frankly not even sure why she felt as annoyed as she did.

"So basically, you waltzed into your leader's office unannounced, caught wind of information, and relayed it to the first possible person. I suppose I should consider myself lucky that it happened to be Carissa of the M.E.U., as the princess was kind enough to, in turn, relay that intelligence to myself, suspecting that it'd be best if I saw for myself this possible link to the past. I imagine by that definition, I am here as a representative of the M.E.U., though I wouldn't suppose anyone there is under any illusion that this isn't more for myself than anything."

Alvin had grown quiet as the other two talked, looking pensive ever since the mention of the name Diablo. The physical description had been passed around, and while a few were familiar with the name, no one could ascertain how this entity was supposed to be a relevant threat to the multiverse. Or if he ever was, even.

Alter Ego piped up, perhaps feeling a need to add clarification. "The name Diablo is common across many known universes, as well as variations on their name, nature, and character. They are commonly perceived as a source of great evil or even the source of all evil. This is not always the case, and a few entities known as Diablo have been confirmed to exist. While this matter is still being investigated, it is theorized that like the Arch Demon, the Diablo spoken of as a source of evil is an entity that exists as one sole being across the multiverse. This would explain the consistent legends surrounding them present across so many universes."

Alvin sighed, nodding. The idea that another being like the Arch Demon could be out there was more than unsettling. Mother was no different, though at least she was still trapped for now.

"... We'll need to have a talk about leaking sensitive files, but since there's going to be an effort of more transparency with the M.E.U. it's not a big deal for now. If you're here for answers, I hope you get them."

Alvin said no more as they approached the end of the hall, where they encountered a closed door. Alvin was prepared to ask Alter Ego to pry it open, but he was surprised to find the palm reader next to the door working. He stepped inside with some trepidation, finding another long hallway.

Like the last hallway, no overhead lights were on, but Alvin found his drawn to some glowing surfaces lining the one side of the hallway. He stepped toward them to take a closer look, only to find himself unsettled.

"Jeez, these have people in them. They're in pods of some kind." His eyes looked down further, seeing that the pods went on for quite a while.

"They're alive, Alvin," Alter Ego said after a quick bio scan.

"Ehhhh? But they don't seem to be moving," Kenji spoke up, looking curiously at the unknown people inside the pods, "If they're not dead, then... Are they sleeping?"

Riesbyfe, meanwhile, seemed to have a stronger reaction than even everyone around. She was put on guard upon seeing the pods, all looking similar if not identical to the one she had been found in by the M.E.U. back then. However, her reaction was only made stronger when the woman took a good look at the individuals inside.

"These... I-I know these people..." Riesbyfe gasped in alarm, hurriedly walking through the room without a second thought. As it turned out indeed, she'd recognized the faces of every single person residing within the pods. Their names continued to remain a mystery in her mind, at least for the time being, but there was no doubting it. These faces... They were definitely familiar.

"But... How did they get here? Why was I the only one who was separated from them? Who...?" The young woman began to question to nobody in particular, as though thinking aloud. However, the one holding all the answers to those questions was closer than expected.

Cough cough.

From behind Riesbyfe, an unfamiliar, elderly man bound to a wheelchair made himself known, wheeling out from the shadows and into the light. His expression was tired, yet also mildly relieved, as though now, he finally had audience to relate the tale to.

"..."

Little could anyone suspect at the time what secrets this man held concerning the multiverse held, for what he knew would surely bring everything to a new light...​

 

[Verite]

Epilogue Addendum
"Heroes and Villains"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you quite enjoyed being in... disguise, considering you just had to take on the form of a young girl," Revolver Ocelot, triple agent, loyal member of the Revanchist, jabbed at his fellow operative, Thor. The two of them walked down a dark, yet otherwise nondescript hallway, likely in some sort of building that acted as a base of operations for their organization. With the soldier's arms formally folded behind his back, it almost seemed like he cared very little for Thor overall, remaining as collected and straight-faced as he used to be while undercover as ever. Not that Thor really minded. They were allies, but that didn't really mean they had to be friends. The blonde magician's allegiances leaned more towards Othinus than Revan himself anyway, and the only thing that their working relationship depended on was the stability of the relationship between the two head honchos, so as long as their performance together wasn't affected by behavior that could otherwise become disruptive, then it was of very little consequence, both of them could imagine.

Thor wasn't prone to petty emotions like "dislike" and whatnot. Frankly, humans fascinated him. Rather than wasting his time deciding to give Ocelot any sort of dirty look or the sort, he was more focused on what prompted him to say that. Not that... He was wrong, exactly, but it still made him wonder.

"Well, it's part of the myth. The almighty Thor, once upon a time, had to disguise himself as pure Freyja while on the hunt for his dear hammer, Mjolnir," Thor replied, his hair flowing in a pristine manner behind him as he walked, "Thus, I can only disguise myself as a female. It truly cannot be helped, you know."

"So I see..." Ocelot replied flatly, either uninterested in the exchange or skeptical of his cohort's explanation, "In any case, I trust that you still have the data?"

"Hah, what kind of buffoon do you think I am, human?" Thor said with a prideful laugh, producing the flash drive from his pocket and waving it mildly, "The fruits of our hard work over the course of months within the Coalition and United Nations. We'll be sure to be able to read their every move from here on for quite a while. At least, that's... what I'm assuming."

"Man is easy to read. I imagine you think we ought to take chance to be bolder than ever, but conversely, I think that we need to be more careful from now on. Now that the Coalition and others are quite aware of our resurgence, they'll be onto us far more keenly than ever," the soldier spoke warily, adjusting his beret briefly.

The magician paused for a moment to ponder Ocelot's words, before letting out an amused breath. "... Man may be easy to read, but I mean, aren't women the ones in charge of our rival organizations? With the ahoge boy and the scarlet knight stepping down as Coalition leaders, we've got quite a fearsome lavender maiden on our hands. And more than that, there's that new organization on the rise... ODMA, was it called? They seem like fun adversaries to have. And I trust you know how I enjoy the throes of heated battle," Thor winked.

"So then, what of the United Nations then?" Ocelot asked without missing a beat, seeming to ignore Thor's oddly-placed wink.

"Them? Why, shouldn't you know more than I, mister triple agent? With perhaps their greatest asset gone over to ODMA, I have very little concern for them. More likely than not, they are no longer able to pose any sort of threat to us now that they've been pushed aside. As far as I'm concerned, we don't need to concern ourselves with them anymore. They've outlived their usefulness after all."

"..." The so-called triple agent simply nodded, content with the answer given to him. From there, the two walked in silence together, before reaching a sort of crossroads. Just straight ahead was a large door, grand in scale and presence. The left stretched on for quite a while, while the right led to what appeared to be a portal used to traverse between worlds. Stopping at the edge, Thor, who had worked his way in front of Ocelot, turned around to face him.

"Of course, I suppose if you had to inquire who was and was not a current threat, then I assume that that means you're really going to do it? Perhaps warriors and soldiers are more different than I realized if we can't understand each other to that degree, but then, you are indeed an interesting human."

The "it" that Thor, in question, had been referring to, of course, was something Ocelot had had on his mind for some time now. Plans of... Not exactly an exile, but a self-imposed extradition, if there even was much notable difference between the two terms for it to really matter. The end result was the same anyway, at least in Thor's eyes. But for what reason Ocelot intended to carry this course of action out, he still could not tell.

"..."

Turning to face Thor as he had already begun to move towards the portal, Ocelot took a breath.

"While the United Nations has outlived their usefulness, I, who was once a part of them, mind you, do not wish to become like that. I am a soldier, after all, and without war, a soldier is useless. Surely, as an esteemed general during his time, Revan believes the same. Exile seems too strong a word... It isn't as though I'll be leaving the organization itself. I'm sure our binds are written in blood after all... No, I prefer to do the work, rather than the scheming. You go on and deliver the intelligence to Revan. There is no need for me to accompany you," the young man spoke, crossing his arms.

"And on the front lines, as a soldier, I think I ought to be spending my time swaying over the many worlds of the multiverse to our cause. If we are to compete with our enemy, broken up as they may be from the inside, they still hold on to a quixotic hope that they can reunite once again, and if that hope is to be fulfilled like idealistic ones tend to, then we must be ready. We must gather our own fair share of allies. Starting with... perhaps Rapture, and then... I suppose we'll see from there."

Without so much as even a goodbye, Ocelot began to walk off again. Raising an eyebrow, as though still unable to fully understand the human, Thor sighed and put a hand on his hip, deciding that either way, it was of little consequence. Clever little humans were, at the end of the day, still just human, no?

"Well... If I can't stop you, then I suppose I'll simply wish you the best of luck... comrade," Thor said, almost with a mocking tone in the last word, "Here's to hoping then, that you are still of use."

Hope.

Such an amusing human concept indeed.

Events to happen were set in stone, so what good was it to hope or despair in light of them? Humans were so impractical, Thor had always thought to himself. The children who once ran the Coalition were indeed foolhardy, and look where it had gotten them. Same goes for those in the United Nations, who had crumpled out of despair, as one could look at it. Good thing he, the almighty Thor, was above such concepts.

"..."

As though it were his own sort of farewell, Ocelot made for the portal without another word, and Thor continued to saunter forward with the intention of delivering the gathered intel to Revan.

Surely, soon, the Revanchist would rise to power. And nobody would be able to stop them when they'd become the ultimate power in the multiverse.​

 

[Crow]

And so, the Producer siblings enter the infirmary in search of Genji and Reindhart.

"Hello, Hello, I'm looking for a... uh... cyborg ninja guy... and... uh... hammer man..."

"Be a little polite and refer to them by their actual names."

"But we never did catch their names, did we- oh look! They're over there!"

Our Producer siblings approached the two who lied down on their infirmary beds.

"Are you both feeling alright?"

"And you told me to be polite. I think they're still sleeping... might not be the best idea to wake them up..."

@BarrenThin​