Murder Game XV: Civil War

[Crow]

​

"My head hurts..." Zen said, rubbing his temples. "I don't know what I'm doing here either- And what am I wearing?" The actor looked down at his clothing, the costume that Unknown had provided for him. It looked like a clothes of someone in a very old fantasy book, but then again, he didn't read much. "God, this is so tacky." The actor suddenly smiled, turning to look at Kido and then pointing at himself. Did he just say what he think he said? Even Unknown standing off to the stage, stared at Zen, incredulous at how quickly the drugs were wearing off. His head became more and more clear the more he looked at the many faces of Madoka... and Kido as well. Yes, this wasn't real. He was just... reliving a memory. A bad memory, but still something of the past.
​

And the drugs? They weren't real. It was all in his head.​

But it didn't look like Unknown was about to give up anytime soon. Not when he had three people in his grasp. The savior, the wellbeing of Mint Eye. He was going to make them prosper, and maybe their leader would finally look at him with the emotions he deserved?
​

​

"... Pay? The only payment you get from Magenta is true happiness. The one thing men seek. Stop being surrounded by all the liars of the world, Producer Kido." He chuckled lightly, trying to look unaffected by the events happening before the white-haired man. "Doesn't it hurt knowing that all of them could betray you at any second? All of those little girls? They'll toss you aside once they become famous and well-known. Humans are so greedy and selfish~ People here in Magenta don't do that. We'll love you forever."
​

​

"Kido PD-ssi isn't stupid," Zen hissed. A few years back, he may not have said anything. This was something for someone like Jumin or Seven to handle. But at this point of his life, he had matured to take action for himself. He wasn't going to run away anymore, not from his past. Not from anything. "No one wants to join a creepy religious cult where they kidnap innocent ladies and threaten to blow up apartments."
​

"Actually, that makes you guys sound like terrorists. Leave the RFA and everyone else alone."

​

"This'll be a decision you'll regret, Zen! Nobody out there truly loves you for who you are. Humans out there were created to lie. This is a safe haven, a safe paradise!" The young man began ranting, clearly becoming more and more agitated and angered. "You're just an actor, people will only ever love you for your fame!"
​

"Well, not everyone is like that~ Right, Madoka PD-ssi?"

Now, he had to find the right one.
​

He sauntered off to one of them, her hands gripping tightly on the bar, trying to peer out to see who was approaching. "Yeoboseyo, mademoiselle~" he called out, trying to catch the attention of as many Madokas as possible. "Did you all miss me~?" he grinned up, all faces looking down at him. "I wanted to see you as well, thank goodness you're alright~"
​

"OPPAAAAAAA!"
​

Well, that one was definitely not the Madoka he knew. He ignored her, even as she seemed to disappear like smoke, wisps oozing out of the steel bars of her cage. Another one seemed to be shaking hers, so the actor walked up to this peculiar Madoka, only for her to throw a guitar out of the bars and at his head, the actor having to duck very quickly to dodge it. It smashed against the ground, the strings snapping and the wood splintering into thousands of pieces. Turning back to look at this Madoka, she began letting loose a long string of Japanese words. He wasn't very fluent with the Asian language, but he assumed it was filled with indecent language and phrases.​

"Sorry, but I'm kind of more into jobs that pay the money while the employees make the happiness, you know, a regular job," Kido smiles as he throws a final paper aeroplane into the sky.

"Well, the sound of that does break my heart, I can't deny it, but that's why I want to make the most out of our todays. I still have Halloween and Christmas, and the other Halloween and Christmas. And that Summer event... a lot to cover. I've kind of already accepted the fact that some of them want to quit idolhood when they grow older, become authors and stuff.

Besides, it's my responsibility as a Producer to prevent them from going that path. There was this one colleague of mine who said - there are no bad idols, only bad Producers. I can turn tough and rough to sweet and elegant, surely I can turn haughty, arrogant and snobbish to... whatever the opposite of that is. As someone who has faith in my abilities, I think I'll use them for that purpose, instead of... let's say, avoiding that side of humanity altogether."

He then stands up, and looks at the various Madokas in cages. They all seemed to be holding a piece of paper each, and with more careful observation, they seemed to have been... folded into paper aeroplanes before being opened? Also the backs of these pieces of paper seemed to be those... umm... posters Kido used against the Chimeras.

Kido smiles as he pulled a cane from behind a cage and starts to tap his shoes.

"I have this feeling that I've failed the interviews. On each of those pieces of paper is a question only my real sister can answer - I asked her to name every idol she has recruited into her department in the order from first to last. I'm not good at intepreting the subtle things, but like Mr Zen says, I'm not as stupid as I seem. I've learned to love Mr Zen as a friend over this big fiasco, just takes a little push, if you get what I mean."

And so it begins.

---

My Sister leads a Marching Band

By uh
By yeah

---

"My sister leads a marching band
Knows every member at the back of her hand
Bust-waist-hip, height and weight
Hook line sinker, bite the bait."

Kido starts to examine what each Madoka replica wrote on their sheets of paper as he hummed. With each line, they began to disappear into smoke.

"Five members only? There's seventeen.
You didn't include the lass who's mean.
You forgot the forgettable? But you're their Producer!
Well, I guess you'll be gone forever."

More tapping.

"Where's the loli voiced by Sato Amina?
What's with this doodle of TTGL's Kamina?
I'm starting to run out of rhythm and rhyme.
At this point I'm just stalling for time.

My sister leads a marching band
Knows every member at the back of her hand
Bust-waist-hip, height and weight
Hook line sinker, bite the bait.

That's not even CG, that's Million Live!
Guess I do have a little connive.
That's not your department, that's Project Krone!
It doesn't even exist in the realm we call home!

Those aren't idols, they're instrumentals!
That's a unit I produce, Individuals!
You know, you should just play Fate/Grand Order.
Um, screw this, I'm close to over.

My sister leads a marching band
Knows every member at the back of her hand
Bust-waist-hip, height and weight
Hook line sinker, bite the bait.

My sister leads a marching band
Knows every member at the back of her hand
Bust-waist-hip, height and weight
Hook line sinker, bite the bait.

Hook line sinker, bite the bait!"​

---

And so, Kido and Zen pranced upon the same cage. The last one. The Madoka in the cage handed Kido the piece of paper.

"Mmhmm... well, they're in the correct order... wait, why is Zen the 18th member? He's not little, he's not a girl, and he's not marching bandy. Maybe the real Madoka is actually hidden underground..."

"Because," Madoka says with the flair of sternness that Zen would recognise, "He is under my temporary supervision until the end of this fiasco, and this fiasco isn't over. That is my duty as a Producer. Brother, if you didn't know me well enough, we wouldn't have gotten through this."

"Aw," Kido scratches his head, "it was nothing."

"And Zen," Madoka blushes for a bit, "th- thanks... thank you for recognising what wasn't me."

Madoka phases through the iron bars like they were made from air. "I would like my two cents in this. I fear losing my girls, but I also fear them never moving on. The entire motif of my department revolves around moving on from me and improving, going lengths I cannot help them reach. Utopia isn't possible, and it isn't flawless either. Zen may be a celebrity, but he is not without friends, we are living proof of such."

@Sen​

 

[Nater Taters]

That's it. Shiki had broken the entire world. The illusion had been destroyed. All that was left around Mason was an inky blackness permeated by the thick mist from Silent Earth. The feeling of the void surrounding him as he drifted through nothingness was a familiar sensation. Mason had drifted between universes before, waiting to by happenstance land within some plane of reality. In a way, the darkness was peaceful. "Well, here I am. A Traveller once again, through an empty void between worlds."

However, here were lights to fill the void. Blazing spheres of aura which confirmed the last fragments of the world were clustered in a sea below him, as he "fell" towards them. Could it really be falling if all that was felt was weightlessness and there is no true floor to fall to? It felt like a dive to him. The one of aura around him each held one of his allies within the Coalition. He could see them as he passes by. Friends and allies were all captured within their own illusions, and here Mason was on the outside, ignored, forgotten and unable to help. A deep sigh escaped his lips. As he passed by them, Mason recognized the plights of his friends: Robin, captured within some mysterious facility; Artyom, being plagued within an apocalypse by dark-aura wielding giants; Bibi having to face his family; and Kido... being... Kido.

All these tortures for each friend and yet the greatest torture to Mason was a uselessness. Where was his challenge? Nowhere. His body fell lifelessly and effortlessly through the minefield of illusions and returned to the void on the other side.

...

Mason dove for what felt like hours, but his flight would come to an end as he gently touches down on what appears to be an endless pillar of stained glass. This was a place that Mason had visited once before: His heart.

Darkness, a fluid, shadowy substance, began clinging to and covering the tower as if Mason had spilled a jar of black ink or paint. He didn't care much. This seemed to be his end. His heart felt cold. He was ready to embrace the darkness, the illusion. He opened his arms wide, ready to be engulfed.

Except that didn't happen. The darkness chosen not to flood the entire tower. Instead it collected and congealed into a single form that stood in front of Mason. It began building up into something that looked almost human. Almost.

It looked something like Mason. It at least gave off that suggestion. However, it was thinner in some places, thicker in others, than Mason and held a certain bravado that Mason could never handle. Its body rippled and flowed as if it weren't solid. There were breaks in cracks in its form, showing droughts of energy and a clear incompletion. The dark form opened its eyes, revealing a burning, golden aura. Surrounding the body appeared an aura of electric blue flame.

Mason knew exactly what, or more accurately, who this was. Their presence reignighted Mason's heart with a fresh wave of fear. Desperate, he clung to the fear and attempted to channel it into his aura. He needed anything, any kind of weapon at all, immediately.

Aura Power: 0%

Nothing appears. Mason's powers are null and void. He tries again.

Aura Power: 0%

No! He can't give up yet! Anything! Any weapons or tools at all! His heart needs it!

Au6;$*_&### Err

You're wasting your time, Mason. You knew you'd have to face me at some point. We tried things your way. We tried joining the Coalition. You almost made friends. You almost found love, but it was always an illusion! How do you expect to actually open up to anybody if you can't be "You're not a part of me! Stop acting like you are!" Mason shouts at the dark figure.

You interrupted me, Mason. That's pretty rude. Don't you know how to treat a lady?

"You're not a lady. You're not even real! You're a blood-sucking leech that should have gone out of my heart years ago!"

You did throw me out of your heart. You're the reason I fell to darkness. You shouldn't be fighting me, you should be accepting me back in! I can help you grow stronger!

"I don't care about that anymore! This may be an illusion, but the friendships I have made are real!" What are their names, Mason? "Robin. Corrin. Ilona. Zidane. Bibi. Artyom. Train. Zen. Madoka. Kido. Toboe. ... Cheza!"

Alright. You've impressed me, Trav. I suppose if they're such good friends, then you deserve to save them.

I can write your story if I want. Let's have the hero win, and then realize in the end that the true strength was inside him all along if he would JUST TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW HE FEELS.

At the beautiful shadowy figure's command, a set of steps appeared. They looked as if they were the same stained glass as the Dive to the Heart's tower and spiraled outwards and upwards, towards Mason's friends trapped within the bubbles of illusion above. Each step glowed with an enticing blue aura.

Mason knew he had no other choice. He couldn't stay on the tower much longer with the creature of darkness still there. He quickly hurried up the glass steps as fast as his legs would carry him. He quickly shortened the distance between him and the illusions, arriving at a bubble where the steps ended.

Peering into the bubble, he found:

He quickly slipped inside.

Within the illusion, he finds Artyom crying. He walks up carefully beside Arty and contemplates what to do. He can tell Artyom about his own pain. Or, he could try to comfort him with a hug or words of support. Or he could put Artyom out of his misery. No, there's no time to waste on sappy emotional junk. These are illusions. They need to be shattered.

Mason tries a twofold attempt: partially humor, and partially support. "Hey, Artyom, wanna trade shitty backstories? I'll punch the lights out of your Dark Ones, and you can go deal with this bitch made of darkness (Hey! I'm not a bitch!) that keeps following me."
​

@Nater Taters

Artyom looked up and noticed Mason standing there, how was he here? At this point, did it really matter how Mason got here? It was clear the guy some sort of supernatural power, some power Artyom probably would never understand. He stood to his feet and brushed himself off, before glancing over at Mason

"W-what are you doing in Metro, Mason?"

 

[Mu]

"Sorry, but I'm kind of more into jobs that pay the money while the employees make the happiness, you know, a regular job," Kido smiles as he throws a final paper aeroplane into the sky.

"Well, the sound of that does break my heart, I can't deny it, but that's why I want to make the most out of our todays. I still have Halloween and Christmas, and the other Halloween and Christmas. And that Summer event... a lot to cover. I've kind of already accepted the fact that some of them want to quit idolhood when they grow older, become authors and stuff.

Besides, it's my responsibility as a Producer to prevent them from going that path. There was this one colleague of mine who said - there are no bad idols, only bad Producers. I can turn tough and rough to sweet and elegant, surely I can turn haughty, arrogant and snobbish to... whatever the opposite of that is. As someone who has faith in my abilities, I think I'll use them for that purpose, instead of... let's say, avoiding that side of humanity altogether."

He then stands up, and looks at the various Madokas in cages. They all seemed to be holding a piece of paper each, and with more careful observation, they seemed to have been... folded into paper aeroplanes before being opened? Also the backs of these pieces of paper seemed to be those... umm... posters Kido used against the Chimeras.

Kido smiles as he pulled a cane from behind a cage and starts to tap his shoes.

"I have this feeling that I've failed the interviews. On each of those pieces of paper is a question only my real sister can answer - I asked her to name every idol she has recruited into her department in the order from first to last. I'm not good at intepreting the subtle things, but like Mr Zen says, I'm not as stupid as I seem. I've learned to love Mr Zen as a friend over this big fiasco, just takes a little push, if you get what I mean."

And so it begins.

---

My Sister leads a Marching Band

By uh
By yeah

---

"My sister leads a marching band
Knows every member at the back of her hand
Bust-waist-hip, height and weight
Hook line sinker, bite the bait."

Kido starts to examine what each Madoka replica wrote on their sheets of paper as he hummed. With each line, they began to disappear into smoke.

"Five members only? There's seventeen.
You didn't include the lass who's mean.
You forgot the forgettable? But you're their Producer!
Well, I guess you'll be gone forever."

More tapping.

"Where's the loli voiced by Sato Amina?
What's with this doodle of TTGL's Kamina?
I'm starting to run out of rhythm and rhyme.
At this point I'm just stalling for time.

My sister leads a marching band
Knows every member at the back of her hand
Bust-waist-hip, height and weight
Hook line sinker, bite the bait.

That's not even CG, that's Million Live!
Guess I do have a little connive.
That's not your department, that's Project Krone!
It doesn't even exist in the realm we call home!

Those aren't idols, they're instrumentals!
That's a unit I produce, Individuals!
You know, you should just play Fate/Grand Order.
Um, screw this, I'm close to over.

My sister leads a marching band
Knows every member at the back of her hand
Bust-waist-hip, height and weight
Hook line sinker, bite the bait.

My sister leads a marching band
Knows every member at the back of her hand
Bust-waist-hip, height and weight
Hook line sinker, bite the bait.

Hook line sinker, bite the bait!"​

---

And so, Kido and Zen pranced upon the same cage. The last one. The Madoka in the cage handed Kido the piece of paper.

"Mmhmm... well, they're in the correct order... wait, why is Zen the 18th member? He's not little, he's not a girl, and he's not marching bandy. Maybe the real Madoka is actually hidden underground..."

"Because," Madoka says with the flair of sternness that Zen would recognise, "He is under my temporary supervision until the end of this fiasco, and this fiasco isn't over. That is my duty as a Producer. Brother, if you didn't know me well enough, we wouldn't have gotten through this."

"Aw," Kido scratches his head, "it was nothing."

"And Zen," Madoka blushes for a bit, "th- thanks... thank you for recognising what wasn't me."

Madoka phases through the iron bars like they were made from air. "I would like my two cents in this. I fear losing my girls, but I also fear them never moving on. The entire motif of my department revolves around moving on from me and improving, going lengths I cannot help them reach. Utopia isn't possible, and it isn't flawless either. Zen may be a celebrity, but he is not without friends, we are living proof of such."

@Sen​

"I don't understand your thinking. Why waste all your precious time and effort for girls like them, who will just abandon you? They show you no compassion. Ha ha ha, you're a strange guy. It's a waste of a talent, such a shame. Magenta would have benefited from someone like you... and your sister." The young man's mint eyes glowered at them with confusion and contempt, clearly he was not happy with the outcome. "This is just more proof that those idols of yours lie to you... lie to the person they pretended to reply on. How sad"

​

Zen, on the other hand, was more concerned over finding the real Madoka. After reaching out to poke one's cheek, the actor suddenly retreated his finger as she attempted to bite him. He only stared at her before she disappeared with a puff of smoke, leaving Zen to stare at the paper plane she had just caught fluttering down to the iron square that acted as the flooring.

He managed to tune in just in time to hear Kido's speech against Unknown, who had been rambling on about his religious beliefs ever since he had snapped out of his drugged daze. If Kido was here, then of course nothing here was real. Just a playback, he wasn't scared or anything.
​

But... "I hope you meant that platonically, Kido PD-ssi. I don't like guys that way."

The actor began following Kido, who was marching forward with Zen in tow. Checking each and every on of the caged Madokas, slowly their numbers began to dwindle. Some struggled to name even five, while others wrote random names. Although Zen himself didn't know the names of all the idols they managed, he recognized a few, even their songs - from the multiverse, of course, while he had been working. Other Madokas wrote down the right names, but were out of order. Each and every one of them disappeared, their papers softly landing on the floor. Until, eventually, one more was left.

​

Seeing his name, the silver-haired man blushed a little. "If I was a girl, PD-ssi. I would be very, very cute." He stated proudly. "I like being the honorary 18th member, ah~ This makes me feel good. To be under a producer who looks after so many little talented cutie pies~"
​

"I play the piano, though. Not very marchy bandy indeed."
​

"Welcome back, Madoka PD-ssi. Haha, I missed you~ Seeing you and Kido really saved me back there." He jabbed a finger towards Unknown's direction, at the seething young man who was being ignored during their beautiful reunion.
​

"I have a question though. Why are you two even in my illusion...?"



"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" a shrill voice cried out.
​

Unknown looked more like a madman now more than anything, pale eyes like lightbulbs, glazed over in the crazed state he was in. "Utopia isn't possible? It isn't flawless?" There seemed to be a dark liquid oozing out of his lips and eyes. Drugs? Or... another distortion in Zen's illusion? The young man didn't seem to take notice. "You know nothing! N O T H I N G! This is paradise, there is no suffering here! There was no compassion for me in this world, I shouldn't have been born! I was a pathetic human being before, but my savior saved me! Yes, they did! I am a human being now, I am loved. I will do anything and everything to prove to the world that I am alive - I am here! Here in a place where I can be h a p p y forever!"
​

"T̰̝̱͉̪͈͈͒̍͑͋̆ḩ̧̿͌̾̂̽͏̟̟̦̮̣ͅi̴̜̊ş̧̺̥̥̫͖͔ͦͅ ̗̜̘̬̹͇͔̆͌̓ͦ͆ͪ̾ͨ́ḭ̵̘̝̪͍̂ͦ͢s̨̨̨͓̲̖̥͖ͥ̿ ̉̈́̈̆̄ͮ͏҉̴̝̮̰̮̹y̡͈̜̟̠͓ͪ̄o̸͕͉̝̻ͥͮ̂̋͊̋͒̚̚͢͡u̶͇̠̹̱ͯͣ́ͭ̅ͤŗ̷̷̲̦̯̺͐̈́ͬ̈́͊ͥ̃̚ ̤̙̑̇ͭb̷̗͓̠̟̈́ͯ̌ͨ̿͂̚a̝̬̪̖̖̪̞̽̓͐́d̛͉̱̫̤͛̎̂ ̙̮͇̪͙̼͓ͫͭ̌͗̈́͋̀e͇̣ͦ̇ņ̡̳͉͓̯̙ͣ̐ͧ̇ͯ͒ḑ̖̲̟̥͂̋̿ͥ̇ͦͧ͞į̝̘̹̱̼̯͕͋ͩͅn̷̨͍̰̪͉̦ͫ͐̃̄ĝ̙̬ͩ.̨̹̓͘͡ͅ ͥ̿͒̓̓̋͌҉̟̰̦͢R̝̬̰̘̱͍̜͖̔̀̏ͫͥ̽̍͠͠e̛͍͖͇̜̲͙ͣ̓͟͡ͅp̴͈̩͍̊̂̃̎̓ͧ̀̚eͭͭ͊̈͏̨̬̩͇̪̝ń̵̶̵̠͖̱̔ͤ͋ͪt̡ͫ͒ͥ̓͌ͯ̇͏̰̙̦̰̝ ̪̟̘̜̗͉̫̻̼͌́́y͈̠͒̔̊͋͒̉͂͢ǫ̛ͭͬ̇̎̅ͣ̎ͩͧ҉̜̞̩̼̩̞ͅu̠͍̥̬͕̙̣̥͊ͫͨ̾r̥̟͈͙̟̯̺̗̹ͪ̍̾ͦ ̻͎̲̰͙́ͅs̷̛̳̫̓i̛͈͚͙͚̫̬͚͙̠ͧ̿͊̓͋n̨̢̧͈͈̠̦̤͌ͭ̅̇̔͗s͒̀͏̬̠̪ ̵̝͎ͬ͐ͪb̡͔̮̲̩̹͇̉͊ͫͨ̌̑ͥ͘͟y͑͏̡͉̝ ̤̫̘͉ͣ̈̌̉ͨͪ̀͜d̸͇̫̙͉͖͈̹̊ͯ͛͟ͅy͕̜̩ͣͩ̐͠i̽ͩͦͫ̔͏̝̯͙̱ņ̡̟͕͕̲̱̽͆̐ͪg̢̛̝̟̫ͬ̑.̯̦ͩ͆͂͒͂͋ͥ"

​

And with that said, Unknown pulled out a handgun from his jacket, pointing it directly at the trio.​

 

[Mason Moretti]

Artyom looked up and noticed Mason standing there, how was he here? At this point, did it really matter how Mason got here? It was clear the guy some sort of supernatural power, some power Artyom probably would never understand. He stood to his feet and brushed himself off, before glancing over at Mason

"W-what are you doing in Metro, Mason?"

"Short answer: this isn't real."

"Long answer: My illusion was being stuck outside everyone's illusions, watching them in pain, unable to do anything. I fought against it. There were things in my heart that the illusions couldn't plan for. I broke free, the used my powers to travel into this illusion."

Mason brought his hand to the World's Heart and it began sparking with a blue energy. My aura had entered his precious artifact. I can't very well have him run around and escape me without a bit of challenge, now can I?

"My illusion isn't over though. It won't shatter until I've helped free my friends from their illusions. It looks like I can't trust the World's Heart to take me out here the easy way. Portals are not working. So, I'm here to help shatter the illusion. Arty, do me a favor and hand me a gun. I'm gonna shoot the giant."

@Nater Taters​

 

[Crow]

"I don't understand your thinking. Why waste all your precious time and effort for girls like them, who will just abandon you? They show you no compassion. Ha ha ha, you're a strange guy. It's a waste of a talent, such a shame. Magenta would have benefited from someone like you... and your sister." The young man's mint eyes glowered at them with confusion and contempt, clearly he was not happy with the outcome. "This is just more proof that those idols of yours lie to you... lie to the person they pretended to reply on. How sad"

​

Zen, on the other hand, was more concerned over finding the real Madoka. After reaching out to poke one's cheek, the actor suddenly retreated his finger as she attempted to bite him. He only stared at her before she disappeared with a puff of smoke, leaving Zen to stare at the paper plane she had just caught fluttering down to the iron square that acted as the flooring.

He managed to tune in just in time to hear Kido's speech against Unknown, who had been rambling on about his religious beliefs ever since he had snapped out of his drugged daze. If Kido was here, then of course nothing here was real. Just a playback, he wasn't scared or anything.
​

But... "I hope you meant that platonically, Kido PD-ssi. I don't like guys that way."

The actor began following Kido, who was marching forward with Zen in tow. Checking each and every on of the caged Madokas, slowly their numbers began to dwindle. Some struggled to name even five, while others wrote random names. Although Zen himself didn't know the names of all the idols they managed, he recognized a few, even their songs - from the multiverse, of course, while he had been working. Other Madokas wrote down the right names, but were out of order. Each and every one of them disappeared, their papers softly landing on the floor. Until, eventually, one more was left.

​

Seeing his name, the silver-haired man blushed a little. "If I was a girl, PD-ssi. I would be very, very cute." He stated proudly. "I like being the honorary 18th member, ah~ This makes me feel good. To be under a producer who looks after so many little talented cutie pies~"
​

"I play the piano, though. Not very marchy bandy indeed."
​

"Welcome back, Madoka PD-ssi. Haha, I missed you~ Seeing you and Kido really saved me back there." He jabbed a finger towards Unknown's direction, at the seething young man who was being ignored during their beautiful reunion.
​

"I have a question though. Why are you two even in my illusion...?"



"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" a shrill voice cried out.
​

Unknown looked more like a madman now more than anything, pale eyes like lightbulbs, glazed over in the crazed state he was in. "Utopia isn't possible? It isn't flawless?" There seemed to be a dark liquid oozing out of his lips and eyes. Drugs? Or... another distortion in Zen's illusion? The young man didn't seem to take notice. "You know nothing! N O T H I N G! This is paradise, there is no suffering here! There was no compassion for me in this world, I shouldn't have been born! I was a pathetic human being before, but my savior saved me! Yes, they did! I am a human being now, I am loved. I will do anything and everything to prove to the world that I am alive - I am here! Here in a place where I can be h a p p y forever!"
​

"T̰̝̱͉̪͈͈͒̍͑͋̆ḩ̧̿͌̾̂̽͏̟̟̦̮̣ͅi̴̜̊ş̧̺̥̥̫͖͔ͦͅ ̗̜̘̬̹͇͔̆͌̓ͦ͆ͪ̾ͨ́ḭ̵̘̝̪͍̂ͦ͢s̨̨̨͓̲̖̥͖ͥ̿ ̉̈́̈̆̄ͮ͏҉̴̝̮̰̮̹y̡͈̜̟̠͓ͪ̄o̸͕͉̝̻ͥͮ̂̋͊̋͒̚̚͢͡u̶͇̠̹̱ͯͣ́ͭ̅ͤŗ̷̷̲̦̯̺͐̈́ͬ̈́͊ͥ̃̚ ̤̙̑̇ͭb̷̗͓̠̟̈́ͯ̌ͨ̿͂̚a̝̬̪̖̖̪̞̽̓͐́d̛͉̱̫̤͛̎̂ ̙̮͇̪͙̼͓ͫͭ̌͗̈́͋̀e͇̣ͦ̇ņ̡̳͉͓̯̙ͣ̐ͧ̇ͯ͒ḑ̖̲̟̥͂̋̿ͥ̇ͦͧ͞į̝̘̹̱̼̯͕͋ͩͅn̷̨͍̰̪͉̦ͫ͐̃̄ĝ̙̬ͩ.̨̹̓͘͡ͅ ͥ̿͒̓̓̋͌҉̟̰̦͢R̝̬̰̘̱͍̜͖̔̀̏ͫͥ̽̍͠͠e̛͍͖͇̜̲͙ͣ̓͟͡ͅp̴͈̩͍̊̂̃̎̓ͧ̀̚eͭͭ͊̈͏̨̬̩͇̪̝ń̵̶̵̠͖̱̔ͤ͋ͪt̡ͫ͒ͥ̓͌ͯ̇͏̰̙̦̰̝ ̪̟̘̜̗͉̫̻̼͌́́y͈̠͒̔̊͋͒̉͂͢ǫ̛ͭͬ̇̎̅ͣ̎ͩͧ҉̜̞̩̼̩̞ͅu̠͍̥̬͕̙̣̥͊ͫͨ̾r̥̟͈͙̟̯̺̗̹ͪ̍̾ͦ ̻͎̲̰͙́ͅs̷̛̳̫̓i̛͈͚͙͚̫̬͚͙̠ͧ̿͊̓͋n̨̢̧͈͈̠̦̤͌ͭ̅̇̔͗s͒̀͏̬̠̪ ̵̝͎ͬ͐ͪb̡͔̮̲̩̹͇̉͊ͫͨ̌̑ͥ͘͟y͑͏̡͉̝ ̤̫̘͉ͣ̈̌̉ͨͪ̀͜d̸͇̫̙͉͖͈̹̊ͯ͛͟ͅy͕̜̩ͣͩ̐͠i̽ͩͦͫ̔͏̝̯͙̱ņ̡̟͕͕̲̱̽͆̐ͪg̢̛̝̟̫ͬ̑.̯̦ͩ͆͂͒͂͋ͥ"

​

And with that said, Unknown pulled out a handgun from his jacket, pointing it directly at the trio.​

"I don't know, Shouko is pretty Com-Passion-ate to me. Get it. Because- wait, you won't. Nevermind, nevermind. Pfffftt... Passion... Compassion... that was kind of punny... OK, OK. Yup?"

He clears his throat.

"But yeah, why do you trust us that much then?"​

"I have a question though. Why are you two even in my illusion...?"

"Wait, this was an illusion?"

"That does explain a number of things," Madoka points out, looking at the mystery man gazing upon them with gun in hand.​

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" a shrill voice cried out.
​

Unknown looked more like a madman now more than anything, pale eyes like lightbulbs, glazed over in the crazed state he was in. "Utopia isn't possible? It isn't flawless?" There seemed to be a dark liquid oozing out of his lips and eyes. Drugs? Or... another distortion in Zen's illusion? The young man didn't seem to take notice. "You know nothing! N O T H I N G! This is paradise, there is no suffering here! There was no compassion for me in this world, I shouldn't have been born! I was a pathetic human being before, but my savior saved me! Yes, they did! I am a human being now, I am loved. I will do anything and everything to prove to the world that I am alive - I am here! Here in a place where I can be h a p p y forever!"
​

"T̰̝̱͉̪͈͈͒̍͑͋̆ḩ̧̿͌̾̂̽͏̟̟̦̮̣ͅi̴̜̊ş̧̺̥̥̫͖͔ͦͅ ̗̜̘̬̹͇͔̆͌̓ͦ͆ͪ̾ͨ́ḭ̵̘̝̪͍̂ͦ͢s̨̨̨͓̲̖̥͖ͥ̿ ̉̈́̈̆̄ͮ͏҉̴̝̮̰̮̹y̡͈̜̟̠͓ͪ̄o̸͕͉̝̻ͥͮ̂̋͊̋͒̚̚͢͡u̶͇̠̹̱ͯͣ́ͭ̅ͤŗ̷̷̲̦̯̺͐̈́ͬ̈́͊ͥ̃̚ ̤̙̑̇ͭb̷̗͓̠̟̈́ͯ̌ͨ̿͂̚a̝̬̪̖̖̪̞̽̓͐́d̛͉̱̫̤͛̎̂ ̙̮͇̪͙̼͓ͫͭ̌͗̈́͋̀e͇̣ͦ̇ņ̡̳͉͓̯̙ͣ̐ͧ̇ͯ͒ḑ̖̲̟̥͂̋̿ͥ̇ͦͧ͞į̝̘̹̱̼̯͕͋ͩͅn̷̨͍̰̪͉̦ͫ͐̃̄ĝ̙̬ͩ.̨̹̓͘͡ͅ ͥ̿͒̓̓̋͌҉̟̰̦͢R̝̬̰̘̱͍̜͖̔̀̏ͫͥ̽̍͠͠e̛͍͖͇̜̲͙ͣ̓͟͡ͅp̴͈̩͍̊̂̃̎̓ͧ̀̚eͭͭ͊̈͏̨̬̩͇̪̝ń̵̶̵̠͖̱̔ͤ͋ͪt̡ͫ͒ͥ̓͌ͯ̇͏̰̙̦̰̝ ̪̟̘̜̗͉̫̻̼͌́́y͈̠͒̔̊͋͒̉͂͢ǫ̛ͭͬ̇̎̅ͣ̎ͩͧ҉̜̞̩̼̩̞ͅu̠͍̥̬͕̙̣̥͊ͫͨ̾r̥̟͈͙̟̯̺̗̹ͪ̍̾ͦ ̻͎̲̰͙́ͅs̷̛̳̫̓i̛͈͚͙͚̫̬͚͙̠ͧ̿͊̓͋n̨̢̧͈͈̠̦̤͌ͭ̅̇̔͗s͒̀͏̬̠̪ ̵̝͎ͬ͐ͪb̡͔̮̲̩̹͇̉͊ͫͨ̌̑ͥ͘͟y͑͏̡͉̝ ̤̫̘͉ͣ̈̌̉ͨͪ̀͜d̸͇̫̙͉͖͈̹̊ͯ͛͟ͅy͕̜̩ͣͩ̐͠i̽ͩͦͫ̔͏̝̯͙̱ņ̡̟͕͕̲̱̽͆̐ͪg̢̛̝̟̫ͬ̑.̯̦ͩ͆͂͒͂͋ͥ"

​

And with that said, Unknown pulled out a handgun from his jacket, pointing it directly at the trio.​

"He seems glitchy. guess that's what happens when you play Browser-based mobile games," Kido says.

"He's going to shoot!"

"He sure is."

The bullet was launched, barely missing the trio and shattering an invisible barrier behind them. A crack in space-time was formed, sucking Zen and the Producer siblings into a black void.

"I'll do the honours. TRANSITION SCREEN!"

---

They soon found themselves in a white void. The trio would hear voices.

"Nice elevator music," Kido comments.

"Ssshhh..." Madoka says, "Be quiet..."

And so the voices sounded.... each of the two voices began to sound older as time passed.
​

"But I don't want a new baby brother or a new dad! Why can't it be just mommy and me?"

​

"Big sister, can we play?"​

​

"No, go away!"

​

"It isn't my fault..."​

​

"It's ALL your fault and it has always been!"

​

"I just don't get you."​

​

"I just don't get you."
​

"What do you have against me?"​

​

"You don't belong in the idol industry, leave immediately."

​

"Try me! Your Little Marching Band Girls against my Project BREAK! Versatility beats focus!"
​

"Not with your calibre."

"I'll show you! I'll be the top Producer!"​

Madoka coughs for a bit. "Let's... ummm... continue. Umm... moving on."

Kido asks, "that sounded VERY familiar."

"Let's drop it."

And so they proceeded.

---

Falling in, they find themselves in Kido's office.

"Look who decided to show their face again. What more do you want?"

"Mirei! Listen!"

"You are not allowed near them, Maki Kido!"

"Something is off about Ms Kirigiri..."

"I find the 'off' more obvious in my girls."

"Naturally."

"St- stay away from me..."

"Morikubo... doesn't like this person... he'll... he'll... do..."

"I see that you are working in cahoots with Kido over here, Madoka, Zen."

Next thing you knew, the entire room was surrounded by cops.

"Should we surrender?" Kido asks. "There's no way we can take out this armada of police people."

@Sen

(Will wait for)
@Mason Moretti @Nater Taters​

 

[Jeremi]

Continued from here.

Chapter Four
"Self-Realization"

"Right... Well, everyone, if you don't mind, everyone, I've got a lot to share," Shiki would say, clearing his throat as he'd take the initiative and stand in front of everyone. It felt odd for him being in the front. Usually, he was more used to being unnoticed in the back or so, whether back home, or in some other situation familiar to him... But he was in neither of those scenarios. This was a whole 'nother ball park that played by different rules.

And he was ready to bat.

"First and most pressing news, while investigating what seemed to be an Umbrella member's office, I discovered this notebook right here," he said, raising the object in his hand to show off, before continuing to speak, "In it, I discovered something strange. Turns out... While we thought otherwise all this time, we were never on Silent Earth to begin with. Rather, it's all just an illusion. A well-fabricated one at that. How or why Umbrella did this... I can't be sure, but even so, if this means that in reality, we're still in the headquarters..."

"... Then that means Umbrella got to us in our own territory. But... How did they find us?!" Ocelot questioned, looking grave at the relayed news.

This would stir quite the reaction from the others, except for perhaps Ritsuko and Kyoko, who remained practically stone-faced like they usually were, though it was easy to assume that even they were feeling something about this revelation, whatever those feelings might be.

"You know, that's actually relieving, in a way..."

Makoto kept his hands busy touching at the cuffs of his sleeves, his eyes looking away from everyone else. "It explains the weird circumstances. I had a feeling Umbrella didn't yet have technology capable of transporting a group as large as ours into another dimension. I doubt we've even left the headquarters, physically..."

"Likely, the location was given away by our mystery mole. The hidden traitor within the Coalition. The very same person who freed that Hisoka guy from the Holding Cells for whatever reason as I saw from the security feeds in the same room I found this notebook. That someone's been keeping tabs alright," Shiki revealed.

Suspicion of a possible mole within the headquarters had been softly, but surely, buzzing in HQ for quite some time, ever since the discovery that the (now-deceased) Umbrella Remnant soldier known as VECTOR happened to have a multiverse traveling device with clear coordinates of the Coalition HQ, though it seemed that it was only now that the worries and paranoia were rising to the surface. With info like this getting out, Shiki could only wonder what kind of panic it'd put the others into.

"That's all well and good, but... Then, first things first, how do we get out of this illusion?" Kyoko would question, cupping her chin and her brow deeply furrowed, as she attempted to wrack her brain for a way out of here.

Just because they knew the problem didn't automatically mean there was a solution.

"Maybe if we pinch ourselves hard enough, we can get out of here," Ritsuko said in a somewhat sardonic manner, letting out a breath as she'd rub her temple with one hand.

"Well, before we can worry about that... Well, that's the thing. The other piece of news I wanted to share with you was... There might be a really big, scary looking guy headed our way, possibly with the intent of killing us, located in the next room," Shiki spoke in an almost sheepish manner, as though he was a bit embarrassed that he neglected to say that detail immediately.

Then again, the illusion thing didn't really have time to settle the first time they found out about it.

"And you waited until now to tell us there's a potentially dangerous enemy headed our way?!" Ocelot exclaimed incredulously, a concerned expression on his face. However, without giving himself time to fully react to the sudden news, he'd quickly draw his weapons, as on cue, a loud sound would be heard in the distance.

"I thought we'd be able to take care of him just fine."

Leia began to let out a shrill laugh. Jude, who was holding her steady, gave her a perplexed look.

"He's kidding, right...?" She looked to her friend, who could only stare back at her blankly. "... Jude, tell me he's kidding!"

"I-I'm sorry, Leia, but it seems we're--"

BAM!

"W-What the--?!"

Following the sudden loud noise, a door at the other end of the hall would slide towards the direction of the group, and from beyond, heavy footsteps would be heard and felt, before a hulking figure of a man in a trenchcoat would approach the group, growling lowly like a feral animal.

"Rrrr..."

"I-Is that an... Umbrella Tyrant?!"

"He's dead is what he is if he proceeds any further. Certainly a friendly looking fellow though, isn't he," Ocelot grunted sarcastically, though before he would take aim at the hulking figure, he would be stopped by an unexpected sight, the young man taking a gaze as he'd look beyond and see something a little more distressing than one big guy, possibly stronger than he seemed, knowing Umbrella's work.

"What in...?!"

"Rrrghh..."

"Rrrrhh!"

From behind and around the so-called "Tyrant" individual, they would appear. First, only what looked like a handful. And then more. More and more, rising from the darkness further up ahead, a sizable army, big enough that it was a miracle that the hall could fit that many zombies like it did, a large horde of hostile enemies appeared, lumbering towards everyone.

But that wasn't it. From behind, an equally large swarm of zombies would sneak up on the group, lumbering towards everyone, moaning and groaning unintelligibly. They were truly surrounded, with no clear way out of here.

"Not good...! Though, if this is all an illusion, would they really hurt us?! What's not real can't do anything to us!"

"Do you want to test that theory out for yourself, doctor?"

"Makes you wonder why they would bother putting us to sleep at all," Shepard remarked coolly, aiming the assault rifle she'd stolen for the storage room at the approaching creature.

"'Tis easier to keep us busy than face us in a real fight." Lightning danced between Morrigan's hands and her eyes flashed blue. "Still, even considering the strongest of us here, a battle with this army won't be without consequence. Whether 'tis due to the illusion itself or the strange mist from before, none of us here are at our strongest."

"Tohno, the Tyrant may be tough, but you can instantly take him down, right?!" Kyoko exclaimed urgently, stepping back. They were right. As strong as everyone might be in their prime, even a number of enemies of this magnitude would surely have an effect on the condition of the group!

"There's too many targets present! If I end up processing all the lines and points of death on every enemy around, my eyes might overwork my brain and have it end up frying! And it's certainly not selective targeting! May as well tell me to completely get all of them out of my sight!"

"Well, geez, Shiki!"

"You better think of something fast!" Kieran yelled, tossing an axe so that it cut off the head of an approaching zombie.

Shiki looked around desperately, trying his hardest to come up with a plan. The crowds were too thick to bulldoze through, and the Tyrant certainly wasn't going to make things easier. There really was no way out. Unless...!

"...!"

Patting Shiki's side urgently, Len, a serious look poised on her face, would get the young man's attention, before silently pointing her finger towards the ground, and then spreading her arms out, making a motion that indicated the entire area.

Whatever she was trying to convey, it seemed that Shiki would instantly get it, whether through intuition or the spiritual bond they shared, before giving her a quick nod in response.

"Well... Might be just a little less painful than processing a lot of people, but hey... Not the first time I killed a singular target as big as a world," the bespectacled boy said in an exasperated manner, before taking off his glasses, instantly facing the floor as to avoid making eye contact with anyone around.

"Kid, whatever you're planning, I just hope you know what you're doing!"

"I hope so too!"

KRAKK!

With that, Shiki would plunge his knife right into the middle of the ground! One would think that such a knife would be unable to penetrate the stone cold floor, but it cut through as easily as butter. At first, it would take a while for anything to happen, but before long...

Rumble rumble...

KRSSSSSHHH!

The ground around everyone would rumble softly at first, like a weak earthquake, before large cracks would form all across, before those cracks in turn would turn into ripples and tears, debris flying out of the floor as though a grenade had violently erupted from inside the middle of the floor. But it hardly stopped there. It was only just the beginning. The effects of Shiki's action continued onto the walls, bits and pieces of the walls, and then the ceiling, falling off, only to reveal, not pipes and more wall, but empty blackness behind, as the very air itself began to shake from Shiki's power.

Because the blackness behind the walls wasn't an absence of visible matter. It was an absence of matter.

With a horrible sound, like nails on a chalkboard, what looked like lines would become visible out of thin air. It was only then as time passed that these seemingly intangible lines in the air... were rips and tears in space! These tears opened up crudely, at first like loose wallpaper being ripped off, and then spontaneously shattering like glass. And then from there, everything shattered like glass. The ceiling, the walls, the ground, and the very air around everyone.

Shiki Tohno had effectively "killed" the world.

BOOM!

Without a whimper, the world practically imploded in on itself, and everyone would suddenly get the sensation of being flung into nothingness, as though they had been launched from a catapult. Everyone flew endlessly and aimlessly in complete blackness, the Tyrant and the zombies nowhere to be found, as one could only assume that they were simply a part of the illusion as well.

However, they weren't out of the woods just yet, unfortunately.

As they floated in empty space, the illusion shattered, one thing somehow remained, even though one would think it had lost its "right" to continue existing after Shiki had killed it.

The mist of Silent Earth.

Somehow surviving the destruction of its own space, the mist resurfaced and overtook everyone, fogging up their lines of sight. It was as though the mist was trying to keep everyone from escaping the illusion, trying to drag you back into Silent Earth.

But you had to fight it. Separate from it. No matter how much it called and beckoned.

"Shiki-kun..."

No matter what illusions it would conjure up to lure them back.

"Kyoko..."

No matter what reality it would cast, it had to be rejected, no matter what.

---

OOC NOTE: So basically, the situation is that the mist is trying to trap you all within its illusions again, this time putting your character in a sort of trippy introspection that might tempt the character into staying in Silent Earth, whether by individually tricking them into thinking that their ideal personal reality is right there (by showcasing an illusion of what they've personally always wanted or so), showing traumatic illusions, like of deceased loved ones, to drive the character into madness and despair in an attempt to sap at their will to escape, whatever you can think of. This quick little section will be self-GMed in a way, and similar to the microphone section of Fusion and the illusions of The Ultimate Game, if any of you remember that. Feel free to use this time to come up with your own illusions and interact with your own character or the characters your character is close with.

---

Cast List
@Gummi Bunnies as Add and Elesis (Elsword)
@DBZ7 as Anna (Fire Emblem)
@Nater Taters as Artyom Chyornyj (Metro)
@Jeremi as Bekka and Red Tornado (DC Comics)
@Wren as Bradley Martin Holland (OC)
@Crimson Spartan as Erron Black (Mortal Kombat)
@dark as Jak (Jak and Daxter)
@Krieg as Jon Snow (Game of Thrones)
@Ringmaster as Lucifer Anghelscu and Saber Alter (Murder Series / Type-Moon AU)
@Crow as Maki Kido and Madoka Karasuma (Idolmaster OC)
@Atomyk as Makoto Naegi (Danganronpa)
@Mason Moretti as Mason Moretti (OC)
@darnerdemons as Miko Wanijima (Air Gear OC)
@Klutzy Ninja Kitty as Princess Ilona of Arendelle (Murder Series) and Train Heatnet (Black Cat)
@C.T. as Qrow Branwen (RWBY)
@BarrenThin as Reinhardt Wilhelm and Genji Shimada (Overwatch)
@Minerva as Robin Aquilus and Corrin (Fire Emblem)
@york as Ruby Rose and Zwei (RWBY)
@Kaykay as Sakuya Izayoi and Remilia Scarlet (Touhou Project)
@LuckycoolHawk9 as Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf)
@Yun Lee as Shi-Long Lang (Ace Attorney)
@Verite as Shiki Tohno and Len (Type-Moon)
@The Tactician as Shizuo Heiwajima (Durarara!!)
@Takumi as Toboe (Wolf's Rain)
@Yang Lee as Uncle Iroh (Avatar)
@Hospes as Weiss Schnee and Winter Schnee (RWBY)
@Josh M as Wynne (Dragon Age)
@Sen as Zen (Mystic Messenger)
@Bomb as Zidane Tribal and Bibi Ornitier (Final Fantasy IX)​

Neither women could do nothing as the mist swept over them.

Lois would find herself outside a quaint little house out in the countryside. She recognized it as the Kent family farm in Smallville. "Lois? Is that you?"

That voice...it couldn't be. The front door would open and a man with a chiseled cheek and glasses would step out unto the porch.

"...Clark?" Lois gasped out in enterprise. Wait...her voice. The robotic tinge wasn't there. Looking down she'd find her hands and the rest of her to be flesh and blood again.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Clark said in his usual charm.

"I...I think I have."

Bekka meanwhile would find herself laying in a large and luxurious looking bed. Despite looking comfy Bekka would shoot up like a rocket from the bed. "Who's doing this? Show yourself!"

"Who else could it be." The gruff face of her deceased husband Orion would enter the bed chamber. "You were sleeping so soundly that I didn't want to wake you."

Bekka would recoil in shock. She had watched her father and the rest of New Gods kill Orion and the residents of Apokalips. "What's the matter? I thought you said my face didn't bother you anymore." Orion replied.

Bekka would push herself past Orion and unto the nearby balcony from where she could see that she was once again back on New Genesis. There was something new however blotting the skyline. A monument, with Highfather and Darkseid in a handshake of friendship.

"What is this?" Bekka demanded.

"What? You don't remember our wedding and the peace it brought to both of our worlds."

"I remember it quite differently..." Bekka replied in a somber tone. As much as she wanted this to be true, Bekka knew that this was all too good to be true.

Lois meanwhile was having a struggle of her own. "You can't be here. I watched you die...twice!" Clark would give her a reassuring smile.

"Heh, you know that nothing can happen to me. I am Superman after all." He stepped towards to give Lois a hug but she pushed him back. "Lois...?"

"You're not real...none of this is real, even if I wanted it to be." Her eyes would look up at what was acting like her late husband. "I think it's time to wake up."

"Get out of my way..." Bekka growled at her husband.

"Wife what are you trying to do? Come on. Let's just go back to bed. Because it's quite clear you woke up on the wrong side of the be- urk!"

Bekka would grab him by the throat and slam him against the wall. "I. Watched. You. Die." She hissed out. "I saw our future burst into flames due to my fathers machinations. You're nothing more than ash." Bekka's sword would materialize into her hand. "Goodbye...my love."

In Smallville the wind would start to pick up. "It's a tornado! Lois get into the shelter."

"That wont be necessary." Lois' flesh would start peeling off her until she would be back in her Red Tornado body. "I think I am done here."

"Lois?" The Clark in front of her said in shock.

She walked up to Clark and caressed his cheek. "Farewell." Her wind powers would ramp up until finally everything around her would be shredded into nothingness and the illusion itself would vanish around her and her vision blurred.

Once Lois regained her senses she would find herself standing face to face with Bekka. The two women would give each other a knowing glance and a sad smile. When they would finally meet their enemy face to face there was going to be hell to pay.​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Dormant within a smoldering bolder, Deoxys flew through the vast emptiness of space. It cared not where it was going or where it would end up. In fact, it carried not a single thought of compassion for the planet filled with organisms it was rapidly approaching. It simply waited for its landing, remaining thoughtless while it slumbered. Only did it stir when the pokémon would feel its bolder start to enter the planet's atmosphere. It did not emerge, however, until it had come into direct contact with the ground.

When Deoxys' meteorite hit the planet, the rock split into bits and freed it from the confines. It then floated upward, in a small, triangular form before it slowly wriggled and stretched out its tentacles. Once it had fully awoken, the pokémon would morph into its normal forme and levitate in place as it assessed its surroundings.

It could see a large crater where the rock had come in contact with the ground, and hot flames surrounded the area. The higher it levitated, the more damage it would see. Towns appeared to be obliterated, the habitats of pokémon were incinerated, and devastation coated the planet. It knew that the meteorite it had been riding inside of had caused the damage, but the alien felt absolutely no remorse for this destruction.

While most of this pathetic world seemed quieted by the occurrence Deoxys had caused, it would sense a spark of life somewhere through the flames. The organism approached, stepping through the inferno with pools of hatred overshadowing her crimson eyes. Her hair was dark and her expression even darker. The woman's clothes were charged by flames, and her ragged cloak just barely clinging to her back by threads. She spoke a single words, tightly clenching her fists at her sides.

"You--"

When she began to approach after speaking, Deoxys wouldn't even flinch from her presence. As intelligent as it was, the pokémon knew immediately why she was upset, but in all honesty it didn't care. Its uncaring aura only seemed to further anger the woman.

"You beast! Look what you've done! You've destroyed my world! For centuries the Draconids have tried to prevent your meteorite from hitting this world, and yet here you are. You should be ashamed to have brought such horrors to this world. You're a monster."

The telepathic voice of Deoxys would fill the woman's head in the form of laughter.

"Feckless neophyte. To pin the blame on me for this situation is an error you have made solely based on your meager human emotions to guide you. As you have just stated, you have known of my arrival for centuries. Is it truly my fault you were not prepared for this to happen?"

The woman scowled, lashing out at Deoxys. "SHUT UP! How dare you try and turn the blame back around on me for this! You're at the center of this! All of this is your fault!" Arms shaking in her fury, the woman reached for a pokéball at her belt. "You don't deserve to exist..."

Deoxys tilted its head.

"Oh? Do you intend to end me then? Vengeance is a path that will not get you far, not with me. I shall inform you now that you won't be able to bring an end to me. Should you attack, it is you who will meet your demise. I suggest you walk away now. I have no intent to attack you, but once you attack me I will fight back..."

Her eyes shadowed by locks of her dark hair, the woman acted as if she hadn't heard a word the pokémon said.

"My name is Lorekeeper Zinnia," she began, "and I will be the one to destroy you."

"Go Goodra!" Zinnia cried, releasing a pokémon without even another thought. "Thunderbolt!"

Zinnia's dragon pokémon would let out a roar before sending a wave of thunder toward Deoxys where it levitated. Quickly, Deoxys teleported to dodge Goodra's attacks and reappeared behind it, going into Attack Forme before charging up to use its own attack.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

"Hyper Beam."

Charging up rather quickly, the alien would unleash an enormous amount of energy directly on Zinnia's Goodra. With a direct, powerful hit coming in contact with it, the pokémon was wiped out instantly. Exhausted from its attack, Deoxys remained in place while Zinnia called back her partner and began to select another one.

"Heh, you've made a grave mistake, buddy," Zinnia spat out, a dark smirk spreading over her lips. "You'll be mobilized after that attack. My next attack will hit you directly. Better brace yourself."

Deoxys would chuckle.

"Foolish organism, you're wrong."

Before Zinnia would move again, Deoxys would immediately begin charging for another hyper beam, causing the woman to gasp. "What the-- How?"

"This is my world, Zinnia. I'm no fool. I know this world is only an illusion. I can use as many attacks as I please for as long as I please. Because I am in entire control of this situation, I could've left at any time. But I find this whole ordeal to be... amusing. I decided I would enjoy myself here while awaiting the awakening of the others."

"Damn you," Zinnia grunted, pulling another pokéball from her belt. "I don't care how powerful you are. I will stop you!"

The alien waited, wriggling its tentacles as if to taunt her.

"End me."

"I dare you."​

 

[Kaykay]

Ah, where was this? Hadn't they just been on Silent Ea-, no, wherever that illusion of that world was?

"Hey, sis, wake up!"

That wasn't the voice of Remilia. A young girl's voice, for sure, but unmistakably not that vampire's. Then whose...? The maid opened her eyes and looked around. A house, not a mansion. It seemed to be of a Western design, but it was far too mundane to be the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Not to mention she knew that place like the back of her hand. Yet, despite having no memories of this place, somehow it felt just as much her home.

But more so than just the house, something about the people around her was far more important. The voice belonged to a girl who looked much like herself, only perhaps a few years younger. At least, compared to the age Sakuya looked. Off to her other side was a middle aged man with a short hair cut, arms crossed with a boyish looking grin on his face. Beside him a woman who could have looked anywhere between 20 and 40. She just had one of those kinds of faces.

"C'mon, how long were you planning to sleep there, huh? Your mom's almost finished dinner!" the man laughed, as if it were the funniest thing in the world that she'd fallen asleep.

Sakuya closed her eyes and sniffed the air, the scent of corn and fish filling her nostrils. Hm, dinner really was ready, even if it seemed a little simple. But she hadn't prepared anything? Wait, he'd said...mother?

A normal human family. A sister, a father, and a mother. In a normal house, with a normal meal. Everything about this screamed of its normality, its mundane quality. Exactly what a girl with the ability to manipulate time itself would never be able to experience, never be able to understand. How could a human live with someone who could bend one of the laws of the universe to their whim?

It was impossible. No matter how much one would deceive themselves, the fear of that power would only continue to fester, waiting for the slightest excuse to be acted upon. Like the scorpion that stung the frog, it was pointless to fight against it.

But then, why now? Why could someone like her experience this? With the effort one put into breathing, the silver-haired girl began to halt the flow of time...only for it to proceed as normal.

Ah, so that was why.

"Er, ___, you okay there?" The one who was her father asked her, his expression shifting to a somewhat concerned one.

Huh? Why couldn't she hear part of that?

"...Sorry, I must still be sleepy." Thinking of a quick response, Sakuya stood up and began to head towards the table, taking the seat that she always took in this household.

"You're always so tired, sis!" Her sister playfully slapped her on the back before taking her own seat and digging into her food.

"Hey, hey, what're you doing? I ain't even seated yet!"

"Now now, dear, it's good that she has an appetite, at least."

"When doesn't she?" Sakuya teased her sister, prompting the younger girl to pout as the family laughed.

...What was going on? She couldn't have really known these people, and her father and mother would have been far too old for this world. Had what she thought was her life been nothing but a fantasy, a work of her dreams? If she continued along like this, would all of that, everyone, Meiling, the bookworm, Erron, the shrine maiden, that little thief, Miss Remilia, would they all disappear and become nothing but a memory?

She almost couldn't believe it, but as she nibbled at her corn and cleanly sliced the fish with the normal kitchen knife, her "memories" became hazier and hazier. There was that one gatekeeper who slept on the job, and...something to replace...them. A, what was it, a demon? A werewolf? She felt like she'd served a strange creature such as that.

"Heh...heh heh..."

Her voice broke, and the knife clattered as it dropped to the table. The one who'd dreamed so foolishly covered her face with her hand, drowning out her tears with forced, muted laughter.

"It was...just a dream...after all..."

Faces faded, memories shattered into nothingness. Her life as some crazily powerful girl serving in a mansion of monsters fell apart, piece by piece. Sure, it had been lonely to be the only human there. It had definitely been agonizing to be rejected by those other humans, to have to face her own species as if she were a monster.

But that wasn't all that dream had been. She'd been able to get along with some of those humans, those who paid little attention to her dramatic power. That place in which she'd lived had been strange, but far from unpleasant. That extraordinary everyday life had been something she was more than glad to wake up to.

More than that, she'd been proud to call herself the maid of Miss Remilia, the creature whose species she could no longer recall. Only her name and face remained inside her head. That little girl's red eyes, light-blue hair, and far too childish appearance for such a being. Her dream continued to drift further and further away from her consciousness, but Remilia simply didn't disappear.

The proud, immature mistress of the mansion.

"What're you doing, Sakuya? Don't tell me you're still stuck here..."

Sakuya looked up with her tear-stained face at the voice coming from above.

The familiar vampire floated above, like a king looking down on his subjects. Only the room was filled only with four humans and the little girl. The other three looked up in disbelief, the sight of a girl with bat wings flying around being too much for them to comprehend.

"Sakuyaaa. I'm gonna get real mad if you don't hurry up! I'm going to leave without you, you know!"

How selfish and cruel of her. But that was who she was. How she was. Miss Remilia had always been like that, hadn't she? But she still wouldn't trade the one she served for anything in the world. Standing up from her seat, the maid drew a silver knife out of her pocket, holding it high into the sky.

"Sorry, I'll be right out, milady."

The two girls smirked at each other, the vampire forming a large spear out of red energy in her hand as she held it up in a similar manner to Sakuya.

"Divine Spear: Spear the Gungnir!"

"Illusion Image: Lunar Clock!"

They pierced through the illusion, destroying the false ties that tried to bind them to this place. To return together to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, they wouldn't take this pathetic excuse of a life in exchange. Even if their lives were strange, they wouldn't trade them for any other. Things were just fine as they were.

Sakuya took one final glance at her "family," their faces of shock and disbelief almost seeming to be aimed at her now that they were frozen in time. But that no longer mattered to her. She'd live the way she saw fit, "normal" or not.

Then it all faded to white.

...

Sakuya opened her eyes once more. Everything was back to normal, at least, what normal was for her. She remembered everyone, everything, and the circumstances they were currently in were just as strange as always. She was about to sit up when she felt a slight weight on her stomach.

It seemed the mistress had fallen asleep on her. She broke her out of her illusion while taking a nap herself? How silly, but, well, if it worked, it worked. Smiling contently, Sakuya decided it wouldn't hurt to rest for a little while after all of that. They could get moving soon enough, but Miss Remilia could probably use the sleep anyway.

Because she could hardly imagine the ones behind this incident would keep themselves hidden for long.​

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Train Heartnet's Illusion Part I
"The Past Rewritten"

Awaking from a deep sleep, Train's body felt weak and strained. He slowly opened his gold eyes and blinked a few times, sitting up to find himself in a bed, his head wrapped in bandages. The first thing he saw was a girl sitting in the corner, a girl with long blonde hair and striking crimson eyes. Her arms were tightly wrapped around a black stuffed cat, and her gaze appeared intent and sharp. He recognized her immediately.

What is this?

"You're the bio weapon," Train would point out, gaining no response from the female.

Instead, she would rise from a chair she had been sitting in and rush out of the room. Moments later, she returned with a man at her side. He wore an eyepatch over one eye and held a skillet in one hand, appearing as if he had been cooking. Train recognized him as well.

Why does this scene feel so familiar?

"No, Eve, he didn't come back to life," the patched man would comment to the girl, chuckling slightly at her suggestion. "He just woke up. There's lots of difference there." He would kindly smile at Train before speaking with him. "So, you ready for some breakfast?"

I've been here before.

"A sweeper. Where am I?" Train would ask, still a bit baffled as to what his present situation was.

I said that before.

"My house," the sweeper replied. "Well, more of a hideout, really. You gave us quite a scare. I had no idea why Eve wanted to go to the water until I saw that huge tanker burning. Basically, we dragged your hide out from under a blazing oil tanker that was about to explode. You can save the thanks for later."

This already happened.

"Explode?" Train questioned, feeling a sinking sensation in his gut. His friend Saya had been there. She had been in danger at the time. "Saya..."

"Huh?"

"The girl with me..."

"Saya? Let me think, Saya... uh... Young? Short hair? Flower kimono?"

Train perked up slightly. "That's the one. Did you see her?"

The man nodded slightly. "Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure that girl was taken to the hospital with the kids. The four of them should make a full recovery."

Wait.

"Good," Train mumbled, feeling a wave of relief wash over himself. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"A week."

Train heaved a heavy sigh. "A whole week..."

I don't remember it happening like this...

"You're something else, you know? Saving those three kids from the blast. Most people would've just saved themselves."

"Kids?" Train questioned, sounding surprised.

"Don't worry, they're fine. A little bruised up, but no permanent damage."

This is bizarre.

Pouting slightly, Train laid back down on his bed, turning away from the two. If word spread that he was doing things like rescuing children now, everyone would think he had gone soft. "I don't remember."

"Uh, well anyhow, how about that breakfast?" the man suggested, heading back into the kitchen to make up some plates of food.

Even when pouting, the ex-assassin couldn't deny he was hungry. And truthfully, he was in a fairly good mood after learning Saya had survived. He gobbled down the breakfast made for him by the man--who would introduce himself as Sven--and got up off his bed, heading for the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going?" Sven would ask, reaching out to grab Train by the back of his arm. "As a gentleman, I can't allow someone who is injured just to run off while they're still healing. C'mon, stay a while. You look like you could use a friend to help you get back on your feet."

Train tried to brush him off without a word, but when Sven persisted he relented. Why did the man have to be so damn friendly? "If you must know, I'm going to the hospital. Now let go." I have to make sure its true. I have to make sure Saya really made it out of that okay.

Pulling free of Sven's grip, Train would slam the door and head out--not even realizing he didn't have his gun with him. He was only focused on one thing.

Saya.

Are you really still here? ​

 

[Mu]

"I don't know, Shouko is pretty Com-Passion-ate to me. Get it. Because- wait, you won't. Nevermind, nevermind. Pfffftt... Passion... Compassion... that was kind of punny... OK, OK. Yup?"

He clears his throat.

"But yeah, why do you trust us that much then?"​

"Wait, this was an illusion?"

"That does explain a number of things," Madoka points out, looking at the mystery man gazing upon them with gun in hand.​

"He seems glitchy. guess that's what happens when you play Browser-based mobile games," Kido says.

"He's going to shoot!"

"He sure is."

The bullet was launched, barely missing the trio and shattering an invisible barrier behind them. A crack in space-time was formed, sucking Zen and the Producer siblings into a black void.

"I'll do the honours. TRANSITION SCREEN!"

---

They soon found themselves in a white void. The trio would hear voices.

"Nice elevator music," Kido comments.

"Ssshhh..." Madoka says, "Be quiet..."

And so the voices sounded.... each of the two voices began to sound older as time passed.
​

"But I don't want a new baby brother or a new dad! Why can't it be just mommy and me?"

​

"Big sister, can we play?"​

​

"No, go away!"

​

"It isn't my fault..."​

​

"It's ALL your fault and it has always been!"

​

"I just don't get you."​

​

"I just don't get you."
​

"What do you have against me?"​

​

"You don't belong in the idol industry, leave immediately."

​

"Try me! Your Little Marching Band Girls against my Project BREAK! Versatility beats focus!"
​

"Not with your calibre."

"I'll show you! I'll be the top Producer!"​

Madoka coughs for a bit. "Let's... ummm... continue. Umm... moving on."

Kido asks, "that sounded VERY familiar."

"Let's drop it."

And so they proceeded.

---

Falling in, they find themselves in Kido's office.

"Look who decided to show their face again. What more do you want?"

"Mirei! Listen!"

"You are not allowed near them, Maki Kido!"

"Something is off about Ms Kirigiri..."

"I find the 'off' more obvious in my girls."

"Naturally."

"St- stay away from me..."

"Morikubo... doesn't like this person... he'll... he'll... do..."

"I see that you are working in cahoots with Kido over here, Madoka, Zen."

Next thing you knew, the entire room was surrounded by cops.

"Should we surrender?" Kido asks. "There's no way we can take out this armada of police people."

@Sen

(Will wait for)
@Mason Moretti @Nater Taters​

Zen blinked at him. "You mean you actually thought there were 49 other Madokas and you were labeled as a sex offender?" He suppressed a laugh, knowing that this was all just in their heads made him somewhat more cheerful about what was happening around them. They still had to be careful, even though it was just an illusion... the barrel of that gun looked a bit too real. And the pain that might come from it was not going to be pretty. But how did this even happen? Was it the mist that had swamped them when Shiki had literally shattered the world? If Silent Earth was an illusion... "Then this must be-"

His body was beginning to warp, flickering in and out like a glitch in a computer game. He didn't notice what was happening to his own body, but then again it was all an illusion in Zen's head. The 'drugs' had worn off, Zen's head was clear. And he was going to get out.

"G o o d b y e."​

A single shot rang through the air, whizzing past the trio as they quickly stepped aside to dodge it. Zen could feel the little bullet shoot right past him, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Behind them, the world seemed to peel away. Chunks of the air itself, as well as the theater seats, broke away to reveal a dark void beyond. Like a portal, but not. Within moments, the actor found himself being pulled by a strong force, the darkness sucking him in.

"Wait, come back here-"​

Unlike his illusion... this place was rather plain. "Eh...? There's nothing here-" His sentence was broken off by Madoka, who had quietened the two men. They started off as whispers, but they steadily grew and grew until they were more audible. At first, they sounded like two bickering children. But by the end, they sounded like adults. It was a familiar voice, two familiar voices... The top Producer....? Zen subtly glanced at his companions. If this was one of their memories, one of their illusions... then perhaps...

And now, they were in an office. A nice, comfy office. Better than some of the directors he had gone to see for an interview. But it seemed like people had been expecting them.

Even though they may not have known him, the actor's eyes widened with surprise.

"Mirei Hayasaka?" He blinked at the girl with the hot pink hat. "Syoko Hoshi? Nono Morikubo?"​

"Seeing them in the flesh! Wow, they're even cuter than I thought- Ah, well, they're not the real thing, aren't they?" Now wasn't the time for Zen to get acquainted with fellow celebrities like him. For some odd reason, Kyoko was there. Not the normal Kyoko he knew and supported, who was strictly business and had that certain aura about her, but an imposter.

Seeing the group surrounded, he stepped closer to the Producers, frowning as one hand moved to grab the handgun. Even if he were to fire, they would just fire back. They'd get hurt easily, with this many policemen. "... We can't take all of them. Ahh~ I just came back from being drugged and this is what I get? Gyeongchalgwan-ssi*, why can't you let us be?"

@Mason Moretti @Nater Taters
*police officer

 

[Nater Taters]

"Short answer: this isn't real."

"Long answer: My illusion was being stuck outside everyone's illusions, watching them in pain, unable to do anything. I fought against it. There were things in my heart that the illusions couldn't plan for. I broke free, the used my powers to travel into this illusion."

Mason brought his hand to the World's Heart and it began sparking with a blue energy. My aura had entered his precious artifact. I can't very well have him run around and escape me without a bit of challenge, now can I?

"My illusion isn't over though. It won't shatter until I've helped free my friends from their illusions. It looks like I can't trust the World's Heart to take me out here the easy way. Portals are not working. So, I'm here to help shatter the illusion. Arty, do me a favor and hand me a gun. I'm gonna shoot the giant."

@Nater Taters​

Artyom listened to what Mason had said, a little confused. So this was all just a illusion, Artyom should've figured, but, it felt quite real. Regardless, Artyom was surprised that Mason asked him for a gun to kill a Dark One, surely there were other ways to break this illusion

"You don't have to kill a Dark One, perhaps there is another way to break the illusion."

 

[Mason Moretti]

Artyom listened to what Mason had said, a little confused. So this was all just a illusion, Artyom should've figured, but, it felt quite real. Regardless, Artyom was surprised that Mason asked him for a gun to kill a Dark One, surely there were other ways to break this illusion

"You don't have to kill a Dark One, perhaps there is another way to break the illusion."

"Hope. That's how we break the illusion. It's not about killing your Dark Ones literally. It's about breaking through the troubles and greeting a new day. A light of hope can break through any darkness... A light of love works just as well. Love and Hope... they're two of the strongest forces in the multiverse."

"Artyom, I know that you've had a lot of bad things happen in your life. This world is proof of that. However... that's no reason to get all pouty and sad and fall into darkness. Trust me, I've been there. The key is to focus on those lights. Those you love and the things that give you hope can guide the path out of here."

Mason holds his arm outstretched towards Artyom, ready for a high five, handshake, or other expression of companionship. He gives Artyom a smile even though he's a hypocrite, unable to face his own darkness alone.

"My friends are my light. Come on. We have friends to save. Let's break out of here. Let's show Metro and Outro."
​

@Nater Taters
We're coming: @Crow @Sen

 

[Atomyk]

Wynne eyes locked shut as the Illusion was cast over her and the others. When she next opened them, she was in the Ferelden Circle tower, where a familiar face stood in front of her. The normally calm Wynne froze.

"Maker's breath... Rhys? Rhys! It's you!"

However, Rhys' reaction was not what Wynne expected.

"How could you? You abandoned me! How could you abandon your newborn son?"

Wynne shook her head. Something didn't feel right about this. "It's more complicated than that..."

"How? Look at you? Look at the way you trying to justify the unjustifiable!"

"I was trying to protect you. I knew that they would take care of you... There was nothing I could do. I was weak from the birth--"

"Stop! Stop trying to make it okay, Mother. I know the truth. You never wanted me, did you? You let them take me. You were happy when they took me!"

Wynne's eyes started to tear up as she pointed her finger at her son, the truth was clicking in. "I love you, Rhys! I have never, not even once, stopped loving you. You just don't understand. I wish I was there for you, but that wasn't my choice. I have lived long enough to come to terms with that... I know you're not the Rhys that was taken from me, creature. Just leave me."

The illusion of her son lingered, despite her words. As Wynne slightly collapsed, her ears caught a noise. Turning her head, she saw a woman.

"... Morrigan!? Is that you?"

Morrigan was staring ahead impassively, arms crossed at her chest. She had witnessed Wynne's confrontation with her supposed son, if only because this seemed to be an illusion designed with both of them in mind. Beside Rhys was a boy Wynne couldn't yet see, but it was one Morrigan couldn't turn away from.

"'Tis I," she said, trying with effort to come off as unaffected by all this. "Your Maker has a funny way of going about things, wouldn't you say? This has to be a joke. A foolish one. Open your eyes, old woman, and see that 'tis not just Rhys who stands before you."

Morrigan stepped forward to stand beside Wynne, who would see a boy materialize next to Rhys. "This is Kieran," she said.

"You mean the Coalition commander?" Wynne asked, confused for a moment.

Morrigan rolled her eyes and made a vexed noise. "No! Not that oaf. Here, look--" Morrigan raised a hand, gesturing to the boy next to Rhys. A second passed, and realization hit Wynne. She smiled at the boy.

"Your son! Morrigan, he's so handsome! Look at him, he looks so much like his father." The elder mage paused. She knew Morrigan wouldn't want to hear his name, so she didn't say it. She may not have been Morrigan's biggest fan, but she would respect a fellow mother.

"I suppose," was all Morrigan could muster. She felt a certain level of disgust, and it was apparent on her face. Though Wynne might think it was for the boy's father, Morrigan was more feeling it toward herself. Kieran represented a weakness for the apostate mage. That he was standing here before her, being used in some sort of self-reflecting illusion, made it a weakness Morrigan couldn't deny.

But she loved the boy regardless.

Bending to Kieran, Wynne extended her hand, smiling kindly. "Hello, young man. I am Wynne. It's nice to meet you."

Kieran ignored Wynne and stared directly at Morrigan. "Mother, is it true what they say?" Kieran asked. "About you... they say you abandon others. Would you abandon me?"

"Like you abandoned me, mother," Rhys quipped beside him.

Morrigan let out a heavy sigh before giving Wynne a sidelong look. "You've noticed it as well, haven't you? Whatever realm we now reside, it seeks to use our own heavy burdens against us." She turned back to Kieran, eyeing his sorrowful face with a frown. "Little did it know we've been down this path before. Such guilt... I've learned long ago to put it aside, though I admit that Kieran is the most likely to shatter me, I will give it that."

"Mother... you didn't answer the question!"

"There's no real need, illusion." Morrigan felt a curious pain in her chest, one she didn't feel too often. It was a pain that reminded her of her mother, a gnawing dread that always accompanied thoughts of Flemeth. To call this young boy who looked so much like Kieran an illusion... Morrigan could not deny the pain it made her feel.

"'Twould seem the illusions have found us common ground. No doubt you wish to talk about it, or something as similarly mundane as that."

"No, Morrigan, I do not."

Wynne seemed tired as her eyes turned to Morrigan. "You and I have never seen eye to eye, but I will say this: Your son is lucky to have you. He'll never have a reason to doubt your love. Come."

Wynne's voice stopped as her head turned away. While Wynne didn't believe the words the illusion spoke to her, it hurt that truth could lie somewhere in there.

For just a moment, Morrigan looked surprised. She stared at Wynne as she walked away, hardening her expression before the older woman next looked at her. "Quite."

Perhaps they saw eye to eye more than either of them realized. Still, Morrigan was not about to offer Wynne the same courtesy and kept any sympathetic words she might have to herself. If Wynne was even half the woman she built herself up to be, Morrigan knew she didn't need it.

The two sons cried out in unison, but neither mother spared them another glance. Both Rhys and Kieran disappeared into the void, their voices lingering in the air.

---

With thanks to @Josh M for the collab​

 

[Nater Taters]

"Hope. That's how we break the illusion. It's not about killing your Dark Ones literally. It's about breaking through the troubles and greeting a new day. A light of hope can break through any darkness... A light of love works just as well. Love and Hope... they're two of the strongest forces in the multiverse."

"Artyom, I know that you've had a lot of bad things happen in your life. This world is proof of that. However... that's no reason to get all pouty and sad and fall into darkness. Trust me, I've been there. The key is to focus on those lights. Those you love and the things that give you hope can guide the path out of here."

Mason holds his arm outstretched towards Artyom, ready for a high five, handshake, or other expression of companionship. He gives Artyom a smile even though he's a hypocrite, unable to face his own darkness alone.

"My friends are my light. Come on. We have friends to save. Let's break out of here. Let's show Metro and Outro."
​

@Nater Taters
We're coming: @Crow @Sen

Artyom thought about what Mason had said, he was right, hope was the only thing that kept him going back home in the real Metro, It was what Andrew The Blacksmith had plenty of. Hope was strong enough to overcome the despair and gloominess of Metro. Artyom walked over to Mason, pausing when he noticed Mason seemed to be waiting for an expression of companionship. Against better judgement, Artyom pulled Mason into a hug, it was strange to do this, even for Artyom, but it felt nice to know he wasn't alone down here, in this cursed place.

Artyom pulled back and let go of Mason, breaking off the hug. Artyom looked awkwardly at the ground, kicking a random stone

"Um..sorry about that, I uh......let's get out of here." He said, slightly embarrassed.

 

[Minerva]

Robin shakily reached his hand out. Doctor Shields nodded. "Glad to see you're making a choice, Robin. Remember, I want to help you." He watched as Robin's hand hovered over the pistol for a second, and then he gripped it. He picked it up, and pointed it towards Doctor Shields.

"Can I refuse until it stops?" Robin asked. "Just refuse to play in their game?"

Doctor Shields crossed his arms. "It's a choice, Robin. I can't tell you if it's right or wrong. It's all in your head, remember?" His hand reached out towards a pitcher on the table. "Perhaps you should have a drink." He said, pouring some water into a glass. He pushed it towards Robin.

Robin's hand shook. He removed his hands from above the pistol and shut his eyes. "I refuse. I want out of here..." He said firmly forming his hand into a fist. He had stopped shaking. "Let me be free."

Robin woke up again. This time, he was outside. Or rather, in a tent. It was dark outside, and he heard the sound of crickets chirping. He woke up from being on the ground. He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and looked down to find he was wearing the inner jacket of his tactician robes rather than a suit. He looked to his right to see his robes draped over something. Robin reached over to grab it. A hand grabbed his chest as he sat up. "Come back to bed, Robin." A female voice said. Robin turned around, to see Cordelia lying there under a blanket. He wasn't expecting her, considering he wasn't even married.

This appeared to be some sort of illusion of a world where Gilgamesh had never weven occurred, allowing him to marry. A world where he was just the Shepherd's tactician, Robin Aquilus.

Robin started to stand up. "I'm sorry, Cordelia. There's... Something I have to do." He said in an apologetic tone.

"Robin, just another minute." She said, pulling him down. Robin sighed. He rubbed his eyes and then fell to the ground.

His head against the pillow. He stared up at the ceiling of the tent. "This is... It's very comfortable." He said. He pulled the blanket over himself. He would play along with the illusion until an ample chance provided itself. He sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around Cordelia, who proceeded to hold Robin as well. Robin listened to the crickets and the sound of his wife breathing, and promptly fell asleep.

Something felt off to Robin. His eyes fluttered open again, and he glanced around the room. He removed Cordelia's arms from around him, and silently stood up. This was definitely wrong. Robin had almost allowed himself to be dragged into Silent Hill's trap. He adjusted his inner jacket, and picked up his sword silently, so as not to wake the wife the illusion gave him. Robin then stood up, grabbed his cloak, flung it over his shoulders, and dashed to the door of the tent. He looked back with a sigh, and flung it open.

When he did, he found himself back in the office of Alan Shields. The young doctor pointed to the glass of water on the desk. "You need some water now?" He asked.

Robin shuffled his way over to the chair and sat back down. "Yes, please." He said.

@Oh God, what have I done? @Cordelia and Robin are actually sort of cute together @Forever Alone Robin

 

[Mason Moretti]

Artyom thought about what Mason had said, he was right, hope was the only thing that kept him going back home in the real Metro, It was what Andrew The Blacksmith had plenty of. Hope was strong enough to overcome the despair and gloominess of Metro. Artyom walked over to Mason, pausing when he noticed Mason seemed to be waiting for an expression of companionship. Against better judgement, Artyom pulled Mason into a hug, it was strange to do this, even for Artyom, but it felt nice to know he wasn't alone down here, in this cursed place.

Artyom pulled back and let go of Mason, breaking off the hug. Artyom looked awkwardly at the ground, kicking a random stone

"Um..sorry about that, I uh......let's get out of here." He said, slightly embarrassed.

The embrace between the two caused cracks to appear in the reality of the illusion-made Metro. Similar to when Shiki had destroyed the Silent Earth earlier, pieces of the world scattered, except this time the darkness of the void took hold of the illusion's fragments and swallowed them. They faded into nothingness, keeping Artyom free from the illusion.

Mason had succeed in freeing a single friend. Made me somewhat proud. This game would be fun. Another platform of blue stained glass appeared beneath their feet, courtesy of me, so that they wouldn't fall through the void. More platforms appeared, leading the pair towards another bubble of illusion.

"Alright. Let's see what's behind door number two." He places a hand on the outside of the bubble. The World's Heart sparks with a blue aura and a portal opens up in front of the pair. Mason takes a brace step into the next illusion.

Kido, Madoka, Zen, WTF

"I don't know, Shouko is pretty Com-Passion-ate to me. Get it. Because- wait, you won't. Nevermind, nevermind. Pfffftt... Passion... Compassion... that was kind of punny... OK, OK. Yup?"

He clears his throat.

"But yeah, why do you trust us that much then?"​

"Wait, this was an illusion?"

"That does explain a number of things," Madoka points out, looking at the mystery man gazing upon them with gun in hand.​

"He seems glitchy. guess that's what happens when you play Browser-based mobile games," Kido says.

"He's going to shoot!"

"He sure is."

The bullet was launched, barely missing the trio and shattering an invisible barrier behind them. A crack in space-time was formed, sucking Zen and the Producer siblings into a black void.

"I'll do the honours. TRANSITION SCREEN!"

---

They soon found themselves in a white void. The trio would hear voices.

"Nice elevator music," Kido comments.

"Ssshhh..." Madoka says, "Be quiet..."

And so the voices sounded.... each of the two voices began to sound older as time passed.
​

"But I don't want a new baby brother or a new dad! Why can't it be just mommy and me?"

​

"Big sister, can we play?"​

​

"No, go away!"

​

"It isn't my fault..."​

​

"It's ALL your fault and it has always been!"

​

"I just don't get you."​

​

"I just don't get you."
​

"What do you have against me?"​

​

"You don't belong in the idol industry, leave immediately."

​

"Try me! Your Little Marching Band Girls against my Project BREAK! Versatility beats focus!"
​

"Not with your calibre."

"I'll show you! I'll be the top Producer!"​

Madoka coughs for a bit. "Let's... ummm... continue. Umm... moving on."

Kido asks, "that sounded VERY familiar."

"Let's drop it."

And so they proceeded.

---

Falling in, they find themselves in Kido's office.

"Look who decided to show their face again. What more do you want?"

"Mirei! Listen!"

"You are not allowed near them, Maki Kido!"

"Something is off about Ms Kirigiri..."

"I find the 'off' more obvious in my girls."

"Naturally."

"St- stay away from me..."

"Morikubo... doesn't like this person... he'll... he'll... do..."

"I see that you are working in cahoots with Kido over here, Madoka, Zen."

Next thing you knew, the entire room was surrounded by cops.

"Should we surrender?" Kido asks. "There's no way we can take out this armada of police people."

@Sen

(Will wait for)
@Mason Moretti @Nater Taters​

Zen blinked at him. "You mean you actually thought there were 49 other Madokas and you were labeled as a sex offender?" He suppressed a laugh, knowing that this was all just in their heads made him somewhat more cheerful about what was happening around them. They still had to be careful, even though it was just an illusion... the barrel of that gun looked a bit too real. And the pain that might come from it was not going to be pretty. But how did this even happen? Was it the mist that had swamped them when Shiki had literally shattered the world? If Silent Earth was an illusion... "Then this must be-"

His body was beginning to warp, flickering in and out like a glitch in a computer game. He didn't notice what was happening to his own body, but then again it was all an illusion in Zen's head. The 'drugs' had worn off, Zen's head was clear. And he was going to get out.

"G o o d b y e."​

A single shot rang through the air, whizzing past the trio as they quickly stepped aside to dodge it. Zen could feel the little bullet shoot right past him, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Behind them, the world seemed to peel away. Chunks of the air itself, as well as the theater seats, broke away to reveal a dark void beyond. Like a portal, but not. Within moments, the actor found himself being pulled by a strong force, the darkness sucking him in.

"Wait, come back here-"​

Unlike his illusion... this place was rather plain. "Eh...? There's nothing here-" His sentence was broken off by Madoka, who had quietened the two men. They started off as whispers, but they steadily grew and grew until they were more audible. At first, they sounded like two bickering children. But by the end, they sounded like adults. It was a familiar voice, two familiar voices... The top Producer....? Zen subtly glanced at his companions. If this was one of their memories, one of their illusions... then perhaps...

And now, they were in an office. A nice, comfy office. Better than some of the directors he had gone to see for an interview. But it seemed like people had been expecting them.

Even though they may not have known him, the actor's eyes widened with surprise.

"Mirei Hayasaka?" He blinked at the girl with the hot pink hat. "Syoko Hoshi? Nono Morikubo?"​

"Seeing them in the flesh! Wow, they're even cuter than I thought- Ah, well, they're not the real thing, aren't they?" Now wasn't the time for Zen to get acquainted with fellow celebrities like him. For some odd reason, Kyoko was there. Not the normal Kyoko he knew and supported, who was strictly business and had that certain aura about her, but an imposter.

Seeing the group surrounded, he stepped closer to the Producers, frowning as one hand moved to grab the handgun. Even if he were to fire, they would just fire back. They'd get hurt easily, with this many policemen. "... We can't take all of them. Ahh~ I just came back from being drugged and this is what I get? Gyeongchalgwan-ssi*, why can't you let us be?"

@Mason Moretti @Nater Taters
*police officer

Kido, Madoka, Zen, WTF

Mason's portal led him right next to the Producers and Zen, which also meant that he was completely surrounded by police officers. "Kido, Madoka, what did you two do?" He glanced quickly around the room, determining just how outnumbered they were.

Unfortunately, Mason's abilities that keyed into the World's Heart were offline due to the effects of the mist and the illusions. He wouldn't be able to create a convenient shield, nor would he be able to go Berserker and kill all the officers at once. He was compl "Hey, Kido, got an inspirational song for us? Something upbeat and filled wothbhoe and love. Something literally empowering. You seem to understand best how to manipulate the illusion with your 'unique' abilities. Think a passionate song could kick-start my powers?"

Really, Mason? Couldn't wait for me to finish narrating? You're being really rude. Here I am, giving you a way out of your predicament, and all I ask is that you listen. You're the only one who can hear me!

...

Except maybe the Producers. They kinda break the rules on a lot of things. Can you two here me?

"Just ignore her if you can hear her. We'll deal with her once we've saved enough people."

#Team Mason #Free Masons
​

@Nater Taters @Crow @Sen

 

[Crow]

Zen blinked at him. "You mean you actually thought there were 49 other Madokas and you were labeled as a sex offender?" He suppressed a laugh, knowing that this was all just in their heads made him somewhat more cheerful about what was happening around them.

"Nah, the 49 other of my sister trick made it pretty obvious that illusions and fakes and such were involved. The sex offender thing... uh... I actually did fall for that. Say sister, how come none of your illusions involve your girls?"

"I presume it is due to how they are my greatest fear and my greatest desire - if my girls leave, it would leave a little emptiness within me, but at least I will know their future careers are promised. If my girls stay, I would be eternally happy that our relationship can last forever, but then again... I would worry that I am holding them back... so I theorize that whatever fear-inducer was involved picked the second best choice."
​

And now, they were in an office. A nice, comfy office. Better than some of the directors he had gone to see for an interview. But it seemed like people had been expecting them.

Even though they may not have known him, the actor's eyes widened with surprise.

"Mirei Hayasaka?" He blinked at the girl with the hot pink hat. "Syoko Hoshi? Nono Morikubo?"​

"It's good to see Individuals* have some recognition outside of Japan. Over here, every idol has some fans around, but when you go overseas, people only recall a few names when they think about this Production. Anastasia this, Rin that, etcetera. Kind of jealous really. There's their English-speaking cult following but... I think it's best to not tell those girls about it.

Something tells me that they're... well... I don't feel as if they're the very idols I've bonded with- wait... bond... that's it! Father Lucifer and Shizuo had the right idea!"​

"He's going to do it, isn't he?"
​

"Hope. That's how we break the illusion. It's not about killing your Dark Ones literally. It's about breaking through the troubles and greeting a new day. A light of hope can break through any darkness... A light of love works just as well. Love and Hope... they're two of the strongest forces in the multiverse."

"Artyom, I know that you've had a lot of bad things happen in your life. This world is proof of that. However... that's no reason to get all pouty and sad and fall into darkness. Trust me, I've been there. The key is to focus on those lights. Those you love and the things that give you hope can guide the path out of here."

Mason holds his arm outstretched towards Artyom, ready for a high five, handshake, or other expression of companionship. He gives Artyom a smile even though he's a hypocrite, unable to face his own darkness alone.

"My friends are my light. Come on. We have friends to save. Let's break out of here. Let's show Metro and Outro."
​

@Nater Taters
We're coming: @Crow @Sen

Artyom thought about what Mason had said, he was right, hope was the only thing that kept him going back home in the real Metro, It was what Andrew The Blacksmith had plenty of. Hope was strong enough to overcome the despair and gloominess of Metro. Artyom walked over to Mason, pausing when he noticed Mason seemed to be waiting for an expression of companionship. Against better judgement, Artyom pulled Mason into a hug, it was strange to do this, even for Artyom, but it felt nice to know he wasn't alone down here, in this cursed place.

Artyom pulled back and let go of Mason, breaking off the hug. Artyom looked awkwardly at the ground, kicking a random stone

"Um..sorry about that, I uh......let's get out of here." He said, slightly embarrassed.

Mason's portal led him right next to the Producers and Zen, which also meant that he was completely surrounded by police officers. "Kido, Madoka, what did you two do?" He glanced quickly around the room, determining just how outnumbered they were.

That was when Artyom and Mason would enter, breaking the glass window of the office in the process.

"Hey! Artyom! Mason! You're early! I'm going to have to put a tab on you guys, that window takes a fortune to repair...

Just kidding! Nihi~

Long story short - Kyoko called the cops on me and now they're everywhere! I'm being framed for... uh..."

The ones Kido referred to as his 'girls' started to spit comments of scorn, mostly directed at their supposed Producer.

"Why would they defend a criminal like you? I'm guessing they don't know you're a filthy scumbag who took this job just to have a peek at girls."

"You don't deserve friends... not me, not us... not my fellow shrooms, and not them..."

"For a bad man to have this many people standing by his side, Morikubo... finds it impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Um... girls..." Kido sheds a tear, then wipes it off. He cracks his knuckles. "That's getting a little old. I think it's time to bond. Let's amp it up to 300, OK?"

"He's going to do it."

"Sister! Zen! Subdue Ms Kirigiri! Mason, Artyom, I believe you have enough strength to take out an army of cops. I, on the other hand, have some personal issues to handle... I think it's best to let me handle them alone for once."

They wouldn't be able to escape until they've cleared the field.

And so the onslaught began. Kido starts off by lifting his workdesk, revealing a frightened Nono. He raised her by the collar.

"You don't have the guts to... hurt Morikubo... do you?"

"That's true," Kido says as he prepares to punch the doppel across the room, "but you're not Morikubo!"

"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"

"How could you!"

And so, Kido releases a punch, causing 'Nono' to fly across the room, resulting in her exploding into confetti of varying shades of blue and aquamarine. An aquamarine aura would be absorbed into Kido.

"Also, Nono says 'Muri**', not 'Iia'. Well, most of the time anyways. She prefers to say 'Muri' repeatedly."

"!!!"

And so, 'Kyoko' exploded into confetti as well, almost immediately after 'Nono' did. It could be inferred that 'Kyoko' was an extension of 'Nono'. Time froze, allowing Mason, Artyom, Zen and the Producer siblings to not only move about within the time-frozen space, but to see a glimpse into Kido's past. The cops, 'Mirei' and 'Shouko' were unable to move a single inch.

There was a transparent doppel of Kido, and a transparent doppel of Nono...

The scene

"Nono! Where are you? Yoohoo? Nono? Goddamnit, she's going to be late."

Kido walks into the room through the office doors.

"Eep..."

Kido appears to hear a little squeak coming from...

"Under the desk? Well, I guess that looks pretty cozy. What can I say? Really though, we have a little activity going on soon. Don't want to disappoint the fans!"

"Morikubo will be a disapointment... either way... Morikubo just knows it. Morikubo would rather..."

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... fails?"

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... gets laughed at due to her poor performance?"

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... runs away to hiding again?"

"I'll find you to the ends of the Earth."

"Really?"

"It's a promise I refuse to break."

The two smile and share a hug.

"Morikubo... is glad that you're nice to her, Producer..."

"I'm glad that I have someone to be nice to, Nono."

Madoka has a tinge of guilt as time started to flow again, due to that last sentence said by hologram Kido. "S- sorry for not being there... brother."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, let us proceed."

And so they did.
​

Unfortunately, Mason's abilities that keyed into the World's Heart were offline due to the effects of the mist and the illusions. He wouldn't be able to create a convenient shield, nor would he be able to go Berserker and kill all the officers at once. He was compl "Hey, Kido, got an inspirational song for us? Something upbeat and filled wothbhoe and love. Something literally empowering. You seem to understand best how to manipulate the illusion with your 'unique' abilities. Think a passionate song could kick-start my powers?"

"Passionate, you say, unfortunately, my powers are a little fa- hold on, one Passion Song, coming right up!"

Kido prepares to punch 'Shouko' on the stomach and she too explodes into blood red confetti.

"The pain sings in my SOOOOUUUUULLLL!!!!!"

A red aura would flow towards Kido's body and create an aura-based human-shaped figure behind Kido.

Just then, time freezes again... allowing our friends to peer into Kido's memories.

YET ANOTHER FLASHBACK

"... and so there was this couple over there..."

"Totally relatable. What happened?"

"They disgusted me. Their flirting... their putrid flirting... it's so... when I saw them... I just had to..."

And thus, Shouko began to vibrate.

"I told them..."

"You told them..."

"THAT THEY COULD JUST SCRAM! I'M SICK OF THESE FILTHY NORMIES JAMMING MY ROAD! I'M SICK OF THE AIR THEY BREATHE! IT FUSTRATES ME! YOU FOUR ARE THE ONLY FRIENDS I TRULY NEED! HYAAAHYAAHYAAA! NOW, LET YOUR TRUE EMOTIONS OUT, MY FRIEND!"

Kido's eyes became akin to those of Shouko.

"MY SISTER THINKS SHE CAN OUTDO ME WITH HER LITTLE MARCHING BAND GIRLS? I'LL SHOW HER WHAT A TRUE DEPARTMENT CAN DO!!! INDIVIDUALS, SCIENCE VS, HERO VS, ALL MY UNITS ARE A MATCH FOR HER FLAG-RAISERS! HYAAAHYAAAHYAA!!!!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT FRIEND! TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL WE GO! HYAAAHYAAHYAAA! OUR SOULS ARE LOST TO THE DEEEEVIL!!!!"

When time continued to flow, Kido's eyes began to glow a crimson red as background music began to play.

"IN. VADE! HYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAA!!!"

Madoka frantically unleashes a CD case titled 'The SiivaGunner Collection', and opens it, only to find it empty.

"I knew it. The music was a little different. This is no ordinary Dokukinoko Densetsu, it's Dokukinoko Densetsu boosted with the most lethal weapon possible..."

It was just a CD, how lethal could it be?

Meanwhile, everyone would feel a great, burning passion within their bodies, ready to fight as the music played! As an aesthetiv effect, they appeared to be on fire.

@Sen @Mason Moretti @Nater Taters @Crow
@FreeMasons @SUPERLONGPOST​

*the name of the unit formed by the aforementioned trio.
**this is usually replaced with 'no', as seen in Monokuma's Awakening.

 

[Mason Moretti]

"Nah, the 49 other of my sister trick made it pretty obvious that illusions and fakes and such were involved. The sex offender thing... uh... I actually did fall for that. Say sister, how come none of your illusions involve your girls?"

"I presume it is due to how they are my greatest fear and my greatest desire - if my girls leave, it would leave a little emptiness within me, but at least I will know their future careers are promised. If my girls stay, I would be eternally happy that our relationship can last forever, but then again... I would worry that I am holding them back... so I theorize that whatever fear-inducer was involved picked the second best choice."
​

"It's good to see Individuals* have some recognition outside of Japan. Over here, every idol has some fans around, but when you go overseas, people only recall a few names when they think about this Production. Anastasia this, Rin that, etcetera. Kind of jealous really. There's their English-speaking cult following but... I think it's best to not tell those girls about it.

Something tells me that they're... well... I don't feel as if they're the very idols I've bonded with- wait... bond... that's it! Father Lucifer and Shizuo had the right idea!"​

"He's going to do it, isn't he?"
​

That was when Artyom and Mason would enter, breaking the glass window of the office in the process.

"Hey! Artyom! Mason! You're early! I'm going to have to put a tab on you guys, that window takes a fortune to repair...

Just kidding! Nihi~

Long story short - Kyoko called the cops on me and now they're everywhere! I'm being framed for... uh..."

The ones Kido referred to as his 'girls' started to spit comments of scorn, mostly directed at their supposed Producer.

"Why would they defend a criminal like you? I'm guessing they don't know you're a filthy scumbag who took this job just to have a peek at girls."

"You don't deserve friends... not me, not us... not my fellow shrooms, and not them..."

"For a bad man to have this many people standing by his side, Morikubo... finds it impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Um... girls..." Kido sheds a tear, then wipes it off. He cracks his knuckles. "That's getting a little old. I think it's time to bond. Let's amp it up to 300, OK?"

"He's going to do it."

"Sister! Zen! Subdue Ms Kirigiri! Mason, Artyom, I believe you have enough strength to take out an army of cops. I, on the other hand, have some personal issues to handle... I think it's best to let me handle them alone for once."

They wouldn't be able to escape until they've cleared the field.

And so the onslaught began. Kido starts off by lifting his workdesk, revealing a frightened Nono. He raised her by the collar.

"You don't have the guts to... hurt Morikubo... do you?"

"That's true," Kido says as he prepares to punch the doppel across the room, "but you're not Morikubo!"

"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"

"How could you!"

And so, Kido releases a punch, causing 'Nono' to fly across the room, resulting in her exploding into confetti of varying shades of blue and aquamarine. An aquamarine aura would be absorbed into Kido.

"Also, Nono says 'Muri**', not 'Iia'. Well, most of the time anyways. She prefers to say 'Muri' repeatedly."

"!!!"

And so, 'Kyoko' exploded into confetti as well, almost immediately after 'Nono' did. It could be inferred that 'Kyoko' was an extension of 'Nono'. Time froze, allowing Mason, Artyom, Zen and the Producer siblings to not only move about within the time-frozen space, but to see a glimpse into Kido's past. The cops, 'Mirei' and 'Shouko' were unable to move a single inch.

There was a transparent doppel of Kido, and a transparent doppel of Nono...

The scene

"Nono! Where are you? Yoohoo? Nono? Goddamnit, she's going to be late."

Kido walks into the room through the office doors.

"Eep..."

Kido appears to hear a little squeak coming from...

"Under the desk? Well, I guess that looks pretty cozy. What can I say? Really though, we have a little activity going on soon. Don't want to disappoint the fans!"

"Morikubo will be a disapointment... either way... Morikubo just knows it. Morikubo would rather..."

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... fails?"

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... gets laughed at due to her poor performance?"

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... runs away to hiding again?"

"I'll find you to the ends of the Earth."

"Really?"

"It's a promise I refuse to break."

The two smile and share a hug.

"Morikubo... is glad that you're nice to her, Producer..."

"I'm glad that I have someone to be nice to, Nono."

Madoka has a tinge of guilt as time started to flow again, due to that last sentence said by hologram Kido. "S- sorry for not being there... brother."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, let us proceed."

And so they did.
​

"Passionate, you say, unfortunately, my powers are a little fa- hold on, one Passion Song, coming right up!"

Kido prepares to punch 'Shouko' on the stomach and she too explodes into blood red confetti.

"The pain sings in my SOOOOUUUUULLLL!!!!!"

A red aura would flow towards Kido's body and create an aura-based human-shaped figure behind Kido.

Just then, time freezes again... allowing our friends to peer into Kido's memories.

YET ANOTHER FLASHBACK

"... and so there was this couple over there..."

"Totally relatable. What happened?"

"They disgusted me. Their flirting... their putrid flirting... it's so... when I saw them... I just had to..."

And thus, Shouko began to vibrate.

"I told them..."

"You told them..."

"THAT THEY COULD JUST SCRAM! I'M SICK OF THESE FILTHY NORMIES JAMMING MY ROAD! I'M SICK OF THE AIR THEY BREATHE! IT FUSTRATES ME! YOU FOUR ARE THE ONLY FRIENDS I TRULY NEED! HYAAAHYAAHYAAA! NOW, LET YOUR TRUE EMOTIONS OUT, MY FRIEND!"

Kido's eyes became akin to those of Shouko.

"MY SISTER THINKS SHE CAN OUTDO ME WITH HER LITTLE MARCHING BAND GIRLS? I'LL SHOW HER WHAT A TRUE DEPARTMENT CAN DO!!! INDIVIDUALS, SCIENCE VS, HERO VS, ALL MY UNITS ARE A MATCH FOR HER FLAG-RAISERS! HYAAAHYAAAHYAA!!!!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT FRIEND! TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL WE GO! HYAAAHYAAHYAAA! OUR SOULS ARE LOST TO THE DEEEEVIL!!!!"

When time continued to flow, Kido's eyes began to glow a crimson red as background music began to play.

"IN. VADE! HYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAA!!!"

Madoka frantically unleashes a CD case titled 'The SiivaGunner Collection', and opens it, only to find it empty.

"I knew it. The music was a little different. This is no ordinary Dokukinoko Densetsu, it's Dokukinoko Densetsu boosted with the most lethal weapon possible..."

It was just a CD, how lethal could it be?

Meanwhile, everyone would feel a great, burning passion within their bodies, ready to fight as the music played! As an aesthetiv effect, they appeared to be on fire.

@Sen @Mason Moretti @Nater Taters @Crow
@FreeMasons @SUPERLONGPOST​

*the name of the unit formed by the aforementioned trio.
**this is usually replaced with 'no', as seen in Monokuma's Awakening.

... Alright, Mason. You can get your powers back.

Mason felt the fire of his soul ignite. The aura that had been sealed away was released through his necklace's power. He began burning brightly with his signature purple aura.

His powers restored, Mason forms a different weapon than what he would normally use, inspired by the power of the song. Around his hands, his aura formed gauntlets with sharp points at the ends of the fingers, giving the illusion of the claws of some sort of wild animal. He charged through the group of "officers" with his claws ready to tear them to shreds. With each fatal blow, an officer would burst into a rain of blue confetti. "Is this what a party with you is like, Kido? I should hang out more with you after this. Maybe I have a shot at becoming an idol?"

Mason delivered a joyful laugh. The fact that the downed illusions burst into confetti brightened up the dark mood of the illusion. He was having tons of fun. For a second, this was all a game. He forgot about the chaos others were going through and it brought a ray of hope and light into his heart.

@FreeMasons

@Crow @Mason Moretti @Nater Taters @Sen​

 

[Nater Taters]

"Nah, the 49 other of my sister trick made it pretty obvious that illusions and fakes and such were involved. The sex offender thing... uh... I actually did fall for that. Say sister, how come none of your illusions involve your girls?"

"I presume it is due to how they are my greatest fear and my greatest desire - if my girls leave, it would leave a little emptiness within me, but at least I will know their future careers are promised. If my girls stay, I would be eternally happy that our relationship can last forever, but then again... I would worry that I am holding them back... so I theorize that whatever fear-inducer was involved picked the second best choice."
​

"It's good to see Individuals* have some recognition outside of Japan. Over here, every idol has some fans around, but when you go overseas, people only recall a few names when they think about this Production. Anastasia this, Rin that, etcetera. Kind of jealous really. There's their English-speaking cult following but... I think it's best to not tell those girls about it.

Something tells me that they're... well... I don't feel as if they're the very idols I've bonded with- wait... bond... that's it! Father Lucifer and Shizuo had the right idea!"​

"He's going to do it, isn't he?"
​

That was when Artyom and Mason would enter, breaking the glass window of the office in the process.

"Hey! Artyom! Mason! You're early! I'm going to have to put a tab on you guys, that window takes a fortune to repair...

Just kidding! Nihi~

Long story short - Kyoko called the cops on me and now they're everywhere! I'm being framed for... uh..."

The ones Kido referred to as his 'girls' started to spit comments of scorn, mostly directed at their supposed Producer.

"Why would they defend a criminal like you? I'm guessing they don't know you're a filthy scumbag who took this job just to have a peek at girls."

"You don't deserve friends... not me, not us... not my fellow shrooms, and not them..."

"For a bad man to have this many people standing by his side, Morikubo... finds it impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Um... girls..." Kido sheds a tear, then wipes it off. He cracks his knuckles. "That's getting a little old. I think it's time to bond. Let's amp it up to 300, OK?"

"He's going to do it."

"Sister! Zen! Subdue Ms Kirigiri! Mason, Artyom, I believe you have enough strength to take out an army of cops. I, on the other hand, have some personal issues to handle... I think it's best to let me handle them alone for once."

They wouldn't be able to escape until they've cleared the field.

And so the onslaught began. Kido starts off by lifting his workdesk, revealing a frightened Nono. He raised her by the collar.

"You don't have the guts to... hurt Morikubo... do you?"

"That's true," Kido says as he prepares to punch the doppel across the room, "but you're not Morikubo!"

"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"

"How could you!"

And so, Kido releases a punch, causing 'Nono' to fly across the room, resulting in her exploding into confetti of varying shades of blue and aquamarine. An aquamarine aura would be absorbed into Kido.

"Also, Nono says 'Muri**', not 'Iia'. Well, most of the time anyways. She prefers to say 'Muri' repeatedly."

"!!!"

And so, 'Kyoko' exploded into confetti as well, almost immediately after 'Nono' did. It could be inferred that 'Kyoko' was an extension of 'Nono'. Time froze, allowing Mason, Artyom, Zen and the Producer siblings to not only move about within the time-frozen space, but to see a glimpse into Kido's past. The cops, 'Mirei' and 'Shouko' were unable to move a single inch.

There was a transparent doppel of Kido, and a transparent doppel of Nono...

The scene

"Nono! Where are you? Yoohoo? Nono? Goddamnit, she's going to be late."

Kido walks into the room through the office doors.

"Eep..."

Kido appears to hear a little squeak coming from...

"Under the desk? Well, I guess that looks pretty cozy. What can I say? Really though, we have a little activity going on soon. Don't want to disappoint the fans!"

"Morikubo will be a disapointment... either way... Morikubo just knows it. Morikubo would rather..."

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... fails?"

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... gets laughed at due to her poor performance?"

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... runs away to hiding again?"

"I'll find you to the ends of the Earth."

"Really?"

"It's a promise I refuse to break."

The two smile and share a hug.

"Morikubo... is glad that you're nice to her, Producer..."

"I'm glad that I have someone to be nice to, Nono."

Madoka has a tinge of guilt as time started to flow again, due to that last sentence said by hologram Kido. "S- sorry for not being there... brother."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, let us proceed."

And so they did.
​

"Passionate, you say, unfortunately, my powers are a little fa- hold on, one Passion Song, coming right up!"

Kido prepares to punch 'Shouko' on the stomach and she too explodes into blood red confetti.

"The pain sings in my SOOOOUUUUULLLL!!!!!"

A red aura would flow towards Kido's body and create an aura-based human-shaped figure behind Kido.

Just then, time freezes again... allowing our friends to peer into Kido's memories.

YET ANOTHER FLASHBACK

"... and so there was this couple over there..."

"Totally relatable. What happened?"

"They disgusted me. Their flirting... their putrid flirting... it's so... when I saw them... I just had to..."

And thus, Shouko began to vibrate.

"I told them..."

"You told them..."

"THAT THEY COULD JUST SCRAM! I'M SICK OF THESE FILTHY NORMIES JAMMING MY ROAD! I'M SICK OF THE AIR THEY BREATHE! IT FUSTRATES ME! YOU FOUR ARE THE ONLY FRIENDS I TRULY NEED! HYAAAHYAAHYAAA! NOW, LET YOUR TRUE EMOTIONS OUT, MY FRIEND!"

Kido's eyes became akin to those of Shouko.

"MY SISTER THINKS SHE CAN OUTDO ME WITH HER LITTLE MARCHING BAND GIRLS? I'LL SHOW HER WHAT A TRUE DEPARTMENT CAN DO!!! INDIVIDUALS, SCIENCE VS, HERO VS, ALL MY UNITS ARE A MATCH FOR HER FLAG-RAISERS! HYAAAHYAAAHYAA!!!!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT FRIEND! TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL WE GO! HYAAAHYAAHYAAA! OUR SOULS ARE LOST TO THE DEEEEVIL!!!!"

When time continued to flow, Kido's eyes began to glow a crimson red as background music began to play.

"IN. VADE! HYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAA!!!"

Madoka frantically unleashes a CD case titled 'The SiivaGunner Collection', and opens it, only to find it empty.

"I knew it. The music was a little different. This is no ordinary Dokukinoko Densetsu, it's Dokukinoko Densetsu boosted with the most lethal weapon possible..."

It was just a CD, how lethal could it be?

Meanwhile, everyone would feel a great, burning passion within their bodies, ready to fight as the music played! As an aesthetiv effect, they appeared to be on fire.

@Sen @Mason Moretti @Nater Taters @Crow
@FreeMasons @SUPERLONGPOST​

*the name of the unit formed by the aforementioned trio.
**this is usually replaced with 'no', as seen in Monokuma's Awakening.

... Alright, Mason. You can get your powers back.

Mason felt the fire of his soul ignite. The aura that had been sealed away was released through his necklace's power. He began burning brightly with his signature purple aura.

His powers restored, Mason forms a different weapon than what he would normally use, inspired by the power of the song. Around his hands, his aura formed gauntlets with sharp points at the ends of the fingers, giving the illusion of the claws of some sort of wild animal. He charged through the group of "officers" with his claws ready to tear them to shreds. With each fatal blow, an officer would burst into a rain of blue confetti. "Is this what a party with you is like, Kido? I should hang out more with you after this. Maybe I have a shot at becoming an idol?"

Mason delivered a joyful laugh. The fact that the downed illusions burst into confetti brightened up the dark mood of the illusion. He was having tons of fun. For a second, this was all a game. He forgot about the chaos others were going through and it brought a ray of hope and light into his heart.

@FreeMasons

@Crow @Mason Moretti @Nater Taters @Sen​

Artyom was really unsure what to think of this whole situation. It was certainly strange. Still, the fact that there were enemies that needed dispatching sent Artyom into action. He pulled his side loading machine gun off his back and loaded it. "The Bastard Gun" wasn't the best weapon, but in this case, he needed a rapid firing weapon. He took aim at the officers and fired into the crowd, the fact that they turned to blue confetti instead of blood and guts seemed to make him feel a little better.

 

[Mu]

"Nah, the 49 other of my sister trick made it pretty obvious that illusions and fakes and such were involved. The sex offender thing... uh... I actually did fall for that. Say sister, how come none of your illusions involve your girls?"

"I presume it is due to how they are my greatest fear and my greatest desire - if my girls leave, it would leave a little emptiness within me, but at least I will know their future careers are promised. If my girls stay, I would be eternally happy that our relationship can last forever, but then again... I would worry that I am holding them back... so I theorize that whatever fear-inducer was involved picked the second best choice."
​

"It's good to see Individuals* have some recognition outside of Japan. Over here, every idol has some fans around, but when you go overseas, people only recall a few names when they think about this Production. Anastasia this, Rin that, etcetera. Kind of jealous really. There's their English-speaking cult following but... I think it's best to not tell those girls about it.

Something tells me that they're... well... I don't feel as if they're the very idols I've bonded with- wait... bond... that's it! Father Lucifer and Shizuo had the right idea!"​

"He's going to do it, isn't he?"
​

That was when Artyom and Mason would enter, breaking the glass window of the office in the process.

"Hey! Artyom! Mason! You're early! I'm going to have to put a tab on you guys, that window takes a fortune to repair...

Just kidding! Nihi~

Long story short - Kyoko called the cops on me and now they're everywhere! I'm being framed for... uh..."

The ones Kido referred to as his 'girls' started to spit comments of scorn, mostly directed at their supposed Producer.

"Why would they defend a criminal like you? I'm guessing they don't know you're a filthy scumbag who took this job just to have a peek at girls."

"You don't deserve friends... not me, not us... not my fellow shrooms, and not them..."

"For a bad man to have this many people standing by his side, Morikubo... finds it impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Um... girls..." Kido sheds a tear, then wipes it off. He cracks his knuckles. "That's getting a little old. I think it's time to bond. Let's amp it up to 300, OK?"

"He's going to do it."

"Sister! Zen! Subdue Ms Kirigiri! Mason, Artyom, I believe you have enough strength to take out an army of cops. I, on the other hand, have some personal issues to handle... I think it's best to let me handle them alone for once."

They wouldn't be able to escape until they've cleared the field.

And so the onslaught began. Kido starts off by lifting his workdesk, revealing a frightened Nono. He raised her by the collar.

"You don't have the guts to... hurt Morikubo... do you?"

"That's true," Kido says as he prepares to punch the doppel across the room, "but you're not Morikubo!"

"YAYAYAYAYAYAYA!"

"How could you!"

And so, Kido releases a punch, causing 'Nono' to fly across the room, resulting in her exploding into confetti of varying shades of blue and aquamarine. An aquamarine aura would be absorbed into Kido.

"Also, Nono says 'Muri**', not 'Iia'. Well, most of the time anyways. She prefers to say 'Muri' repeatedly."

"!!!"

And so, 'Kyoko' exploded into confetti as well, almost immediately after 'Nono' did. It could be inferred that 'Kyoko' was an extension of 'Nono'. Time froze, allowing Mason, Artyom, Zen and the Producer siblings to not only move about within the time-frozen space, but to see a glimpse into Kido's past. The cops, 'Mirei' and 'Shouko' were unable to move a single inch.

There was a transparent doppel of Kido, and a transparent doppel of Nono...

The scene

"Nono! Where are you? Yoohoo? Nono? Goddamnit, she's going to be late."

Kido walks into the room through the office doors.

"Eep..."

Kido appears to hear a little squeak coming from...

"Under the desk? Well, I guess that looks pretty cozy. What can I say? Really though, we have a little activity going on soon. Don't want to disappoint the fans!"

"Morikubo will be a disapointment... either way... Morikubo just knows it. Morikubo would rather..."

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... fails?"

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... gets laughed at due to her poor performance?"

"You won't."

"What if Morikubo... runs away to hiding again?"

"I'll find you to the ends of the Earth."

"Really?"

"It's a promise I refuse to break."

The two smile and share a hug.

"Morikubo... is glad that you're nice to her, Producer..."

"I'm glad that I have someone to be nice to, Nono."

Madoka has a tinge of guilt as time started to flow again, due to that last sentence said by hologram Kido. "S- sorry for not being there... brother."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, let us proceed."

And so they did.
​

"Passionate, you say, unfortunately, my powers are a little fa- hold on, one Passion Song, coming right up!"

Kido prepares to punch 'Shouko' on the stomach and she too explodes into blood red confetti.

"The pain sings in my SOOOOUUUUULLLL!!!!!"

A red aura would flow towards Kido's body and create an aura-based human-shaped figure behind Kido.

Just then, time freezes again... allowing our friends to peer into Kido's memories.

YET ANOTHER FLASHBACK

"... and so there was this couple over there..."

"Totally relatable. What happened?"

"They disgusted me. Their flirting... their putrid flirting... it's so... when I saw them... I just had to..."

And thus, Shouko began to vibrate.

"I told them..."

"You told them..."

"THAT THEY COULD JUST SCRAM! I'M SICK OF THESE FILTHY NORMIES JAMMING MY ROAD! I'M SICK OF THE AIR THEY BREATHE! IT FUSTRATES ME! YOU FOUR ARE THE ONLY FRIENDS I TRULY NEED! HYAAAHYAAHYAAA! NOW, LET YOUR TRUE EMOTIONS OUT, MY FRIEND!"

Kido's eyes became akin to those of Shouko.

"MY SISTER THINKS SHE CAN OUTDO ME WITH HER LITTLE MARCHING BAND GIRLS? I'LL SHOW HER WHAT A TRUE DEPARTMENT CAN DO!!! INDIVIDUALS, SCIENCE VS, HERO VS, ALL MY UNITS ARE A MATCH FOR HER FLAG-RAISERS! HYAAAHYAAAHYAA!!!!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT FRIEND! TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL WE GO! HYAAAHYAAHYAAA! OUR SOULS ARE LOST TO THE DEEEEVIL!!!!"

When time continued to flow, Kido's eyes began to glow a crimson red as background music began to play.

"IN. VADE! HYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAHYAAA!!!"

Madoka frantically unleashes a CD case titled 'The SiivaGunner Collection', and opens it, only to find it empty.

"I knew it. The music was a little different. This is no ordinary Dokukinoko Densetsu, it's Dokukinoko Densetsu boosted with the most lethal weapon possible..."

It was just a CD, how lethal could it be?

Meanwhile, everyone would feel a great, burning passion within their bodies, ready to fight as the music played! As an aesthetiv effect, they appeared to be on fire.

@Sen @Mason Moretti @Nater Taters @Crow
@FreeMasons @SUPERLONGPOST​

*the name of the unit formed by the aforementioned trio.
**this is usually replaced with 'no', as seen in Monokuma's Awakening.

... Alright, Mason. You can get your powers back.

Mason felt the fire of his soul ignite. The aura that had been sealed away was released through his necklace's power. He began burning brightly with his signature purple aura.

His powers restored, Mason forms a different weapon than what he would normally use, inspired by the power of the song. Around his hands, his aura formed gauntlets with sharp points at the ends of the fingers, giving the illusion of the claws of some sort of wild animal. He charged through the group of "officers" with his claws ready to tear them to shreds. With each fatal blow, an officer would burst into a rain of blue confetti. "Is this what a party with you is like, Kido? I should hang out more with you after this. Maybe I have a shot at becoming an idol?"

Mason delivered a joyful laugh. The fact that the downed illusions burst into confetti brightened up the dark mood of the illusion. He was having tons of fun. For a second, this was all a game. He forgot about the chaos others were going through and it brought a ray of hope and light into his heart.

@FreeMasons

@Crow @Mason Moretti @Nater Taters @Sen​

"Mason-ssi! Rab- Artyom-ssi!" Zen was surprised seeing them jump in through the window, hurdling straight into the action. Now that they had backup, the actor was a bit more confident. They had the power they needed to push these cops out of the way. Now, it was his time to shine. Nodding to Kido and then Madoka, he rushed forward to quickly subdue Kyoko. Illusion, fake or not, she was easily restrained by the man. Knowing she wasn't the real deal made it easier for him to hold her arms back. All those years working out was being put to good use.

He watched with a surprised expression as Kido went grab Nono roughly by the collar, flipping over the desk she was hiding under with ease. Papers flew everywhere, like confetti on the battlefield. He easily exploited her for what she was, and soon she was nothing but fluttering, colorful pieces of paper. The actor grinned, releasing the 'detective' just in time as she too, disappeared in a 'poof'.

I didn't know much about Kido PD-ssi. Only rumors while working for the Coalition... and tending to the multiverse.

But, looking at these now...​

He looked at the small blonde girl's expression, she seemed to look so sad and disappointed. Was she nervous? Stage fright? Zen understood her very well, especially if she was facing a large crowd for the first time. If he could, he would have hugged her close. As a fellow actor, artists should support each other. Even though he wasn't close with this idol, he knew she could grow.

"It almost hurts my heart to see all these angels disappear," he sighed, backing away from the cops and dodging their baton swipes.

"Madoka PD-ssi. Your brother is a very interesting guy~"

@Sen @Mason Moretti @Nater Taters @Crow
@FreeMasons​