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Chapter Text

PROLOGUE: THE TRAGEDY

*****

There are those who have no idea what the Tragedy was, and those who do know what occurred, they were either dead, driven mad, or were lucky to have survive in the first place, and they were now busy rebuilding the world by having Hope and Despair balance each other out, making it possible for the survivors of humanity have a chance to recover and heal.

But to really understand what the Tragedy is, one needs to understand the chain of events that lead up to the Tragedy in the first place, and which people were actually responsible for causing it to happen at all.

*****

The setting for the events leading up to the Tragedy started at an elite high school known as Hope’s Peak Academy, which had been founded several hundred years ago by a man named Izuru Kamukura, and had been responsible for producing elite students known as Ultimates, who all had different kinds of talents, and upon graduation, they would end up getting top positions in every field of the professional world.

This school was located in the center of Tokyo, Japan, and the students that graduated, all had particular talents that they were encouraged to develop to the point that, if they were successful, they would be able to pass the practical exams.

This was how it was at Hope’s Peak – until the board of trustees decided to embark on a costly project known as the Izuru Kamukura Project, which was meant to turn a student with no talent into a student with every single talent that’d been examined by the school, and have that student become the Ultimate Hope for the school and the students.

In order to fund this project, a second facility was built as an additional preparatory school known as the Reserve Course, where students took an entrance exam and, after paying a lot of money, joined the course with the hope that an exceptional student from this course would eventually be able to transfer to the Main Course at the main building, and yet, that never happened during the existence of the school.

The Izuru Kamukura Project was suppose to be a secret project with only the board of trustees and a few select members of the school staff knowing the truth, but somehow Kyosuke Munakata, who had been the Ultimate Student Council President, Chisa Yukizome, who had been the Ultimate Housekeeper, and Juzo Sakakura, who had been the Ultimate Boxer, figured out that there was something going on at their former school, and so they worked on getting positions at the school in order to figure out what was going on.

While Kyosuke was overseas with the responsibility of overseeing the construction of the new Hope’s Peak Academy, both Juzo and Chisa got positions on the main campus with him being head of security, while she became the new homeroom teacher for Class 77-B, which consisted of sixteen students that she gradually won over, and during this, she also tried to figure out what was going on since it was clear to her that things at the school weren’t the same anymore.

Unfortunately, discovering the truth about what was going on at the school turned out to be harder then Chisa and Juzo expected it to be, for there were several events that made finding the truth nearly impossible: the first incident was the death of Natsumi Kuzuryu, who was the sister of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu the Ultimate Gangster, and it turned out that she had been murdered by her fellow student, Sato, who was found dead four days later.

The board of trustees made sure that no one knew the truth about the reasons behind the two deaths by covering it up, and then the second incident occurred: when it was announced that the Main Course students would be doing a practical exam in order to demonstrate their talents before judges and would have major news coverage, Nagito Komaeda, who was known as the Ultimate Lucky Student, tried to convince Chisa to cancel the practical exam for the sake of his classmates, and when that failed, he placed bombs in the floor of the gym with the intention of exposing the judges to a powerful laxative.

Nagito’s plan did work, but it happened in a way that he hadn’t counted on, for he accidentally traded bags with the Ultimate Pharmacist, Seiko Kimura, and when one of the cups that he thought held the laxative spilled and a dog lapped it up, grew big, he realized that this wasn’t the right drug. He was alarmed when the dog went crashing through the wall of the gym, alarming everyone, and Seiko accidentally triggered the bomb, resulting in a lot of people getting hurt and, surprisingly, no one was killed.

Nagito couldn’t understand how what he did had been wrong, but he was suspended from the school while Seiko and two other students were expelled, and Chisa spent the next year and a half being one of the teachers for the Reserve Course. She used this time to see if she could find out more about what was going on, found some information about a secret project known as the Izuru Kamukura Project, and discovered that one of the Reserve Course students, Hajime Hinata, had apparently been expelled from the school.

Chisa did return to the Main Course, was reunited with her students, and also resumed trying to find out more about the Izuru Kamukura Project. It was around this time that the 78^thclass of sixteen students began attending the Academy, and among these students were Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba, who had somehow figured out about the secret project. Junko kidnapped one of the trustees members, who was tortured and later killed after taking one of his eyes, and with her sister, they managed to find Izuru Kamukura, who had once been Hajime Hinata.

While Chisa had used other means to learn the truth about the project, Junko discovered that while Izuru was supposed to be Ultimate Hope, which was why she’d wanted to kill him, his attitude was apathetic, and she realized that she would be able to use him with her own plan to spread despair throughout the world. She also took advantage of the skills of Ryota Mitarai, the Ultimate Animator, in order to create what she dubbed the Despair video, and forced the student council into killing each other in what would become known as the first mutual killing game, starting the Tragedy of Hope’s Peak Academy.

Junko used the footage in her Despair video, exposed the Reserve Course students to it, framing Izuru at the same time, and this lead the students to rebel to the point that they started trying to break into the Academy to get their revenge, with the board of trustees trying to downplay it by calling the situation “The Parade”. Refining the footage, Junko went to work on using it on Mikan Tsumiki, and also on Chisa as well, driving them both insane and turning them into what would be known as Remnants of Despair.

When Kyosuke arrived at the Academy to help, he suspected Junko of being the mastermind behind the chaos, and he had Juzo do a check on her, to make sure that he was right. What he didn’t know, was that when Juzo went head-to-head with Junko, she managed to beat him down physically, and then blackmailed him into lying about her by threatening to expose the fact that Juzo was in love with Kyosuke. Because of this, she was able to lure Class 77-B into an underground complex, using both Mikan and Chisa to separate Chiaki Nanami from her classmates, and they were forced to watch as she traveled through a deadly maze that lead to her death.

Because of this, Junko managed to brainwash the students into becoming her Remnants of Despair, had Chisa fake their deaths so that they would be able to head out and hide until she needed them to strike against humanity, and when the Reserve Course managed to overwhelm the defenses of Hope’s Peak Academy, they destroyed much of the campus, slaughtering nearly all of the students. They only stopped when Junko sent them a second brainwashing video that drove them all to commit mass suicide, by either leaping off the buildings or running into the burning fires.

This incident prompted widespread social unrest outside of the campus walls, fueled also by what was being posted on the internet, and while Junko and Mukuro joined their fourteen classmates, plus the principal, in the shelter that the main building had been turned into for emergencies, their former classmates, now known as the Remnants of Despair, joined forces as the Ultimate Despair, and proceeded to spread despair through coordinated attacks.

And because of all of this, the Tragedy came to pass, nearly wiping out all of humanity in the process.

However, there was also hope in the form of the Future Foundation, and the surviving members of the 78^thclass. For in the bunker, although Junko killed the principal and wiped the memories of her fellow classmates before sending them into a killing game that claimed the lives of most of the students, including Mukuro, she was defeated by the surviving six students, and she executed herself in order to enjoy the feeling of despair brought on by her defeat.

Five of the six surviving students, Makoto Naegi, Kirigiri Kyoko, Togami Byakuya, Asahina Aoi, and Hagakure Yasuhiro, had their memories restored and they joined the Future Foundation, while Fukawa Toko, whose memories were also restored, worked as an intern and field agent due to her murderous split personality. Working together, the Remnants of Despair were tracked down and gathered up when it became apparent that they had been left in disarray by the death of Junko, and Naegi, going against the orders of the higher ups, chose to have them placed in the Neo World Program in order to help them recover.

Of course there were complications due to Izuru Kamukura, who hacked the program to place, not just himself, but also an AI pattered on Junko that he’d been holding on to at the request of the late psychopath, and this lead to new trouble, forcing Naegi, Kirigiri, and Togami to enter the program as well in order to do a Forced Shutdown that managed to get rid of A.I. Junko, and the former Remnants of Despair, at least the ones who weren’t in comas due to the virtual killing game, along with Izuru, chose to remain with their comatose friends until they could recover.

Despite issues within in the Future Foundation, which lead to more deaths, in the end, the Tragedy came to an end, and the world slowly began to recover and rebuild, realizing that hope and despair were needed to balance each other out.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER ONE: CHAOTIC THOUGHTS

*****

Alex’s POV:

I sat on the floor, staring at the portrait of Delta, which had been removed from the wall by Morivin earlier. I’d been told that Morivin had been missing for a year and three months after going through the very mirror that he’d tossed the body of the Sugarplum fairy through after killing her for going back on her deal.

Right now, I was waiting for Morivin and Vero to finish conjuring up magical dust with the wand so that he and I can set about on our mission to rescue Delta from Junko’s clutches, and keep her from turning the writer into the next Izuru Kamukura.

‘And to redeem myself for treating Delta so poorly,’ I thought glumly. ‘I didn’t know I was doing it, but I had been, and the poor girl has been suffering as a result.’ I wasn’t the only one who’d been mistreating the writer, it’d been most of the group, and yet, if I could save her and apologize to her, it would be a step in the right direction.

Kirigiri had done research to locate writings by Delta in order to figure out who or what Junko would’ve taken to use in order to convince the writer to take part in the Izuru Kamukura Project, and thanks to her research, I knew that Morivin and I would need to find and rescue Delta’s two OCs: Dawn Hatcher and Benny Smith.

Kirigiri had also found something else that Delta had been writing and posting, her POV of what had been going on, starting with the parasite that’d been sent to her, being saved by the SAE, and everything that’d been going on since her arrival in the Victorian Christmas installment. And from what’s been posted so far, she’s been having a rough time, and it’s been getting steadily worst.

‘Delta’s been going through an emotional and mental hell since the temple incident,’ I thought, reaching out and ran a finger over the frame that held her portrait, ‘and no one in the group, except for Ines and Nanami, had made any effort to accept her offers to help, especially with first aid, and she nearly went back to the temple that fateful night, only to be stopped by Nanami. We all were hurting her, and we didn’t even notice or seem to care.’

I hated myself for how I’d been treating Delta, especially since I hadn’t even known I’d been hurting her, and now she was in danger because of how she’d been, or hadn’t been, treated. ‘I’m going to help save you, Delta,’ I thought, ‘and when I do, I’m going to make sure that you aren’t treated like this anymore.’

“It’s not entirely your fault, you know.”

I started and looked behind me, finding Kirigiri standing behind me with her usual unreadable expression on her face. “Huh? What’re you talking about?”

“You aren’t the only one at fault for how Delta had been treated,” Kirigiri pointed out. “It was the group as a whole, and you’re feeling guilty because you had a part in what was a serious oversight on everyone’s part. It’s not entirely your fault, and you are actually going to make an effort to make sure Delta knows that by rescuing her.”

I blinked, impressed. “Well, I can see why you’re the Ultimate Detective, you pretty much have me pegged.”

“I don’t have to be a detective to figure it out, Alex,” Kirigiri replied. “It was pretty obvious to be perfectly honest, and you do have every right to feel guilty, but you have to remember that you aren’t the only one at fault for how Delta has been treated.”

I sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I get it, I do.”

Just then, Vero and Morivin returned with the latter holding two bags that were filled with the fairy dust that he and I would need to travel and for anything else that we would probably go up against.

“Well, you both have dust and I advise that you both be careful with how much you use,” Vero suggested, pocketing the wand. “Use it up, and neither of you will be able to get back, not with all the new restrictions that’d been placed on the Land of Fiction due to everything that’s been going on,” he added.

I nodded and got up, accepting one of the bags from Morivin. “Right…you guys going to be ok while we’re gone?” I asked, noting that when Morivin and I left, that would just leave Vero, the still unconscious form of Sal, Kirigiri, and Nightcrawler, who was keeping tabs on Naegi and his clone, in the mindscape.

“We’ll be fine,” Vero assured me. “Just work on finding Delta’s OCs and getting Delta away from Junko before she becomes Izuru Kamukura 2.0.”

“Right.” I looked at Morivin, who nodded. “Ok, let’s go.”

Using a handful of the dust, Morivin tossed it against one of the walls, opening a purple/pink portal, and we both leapt through it, focusing on our destination so that we didn’t end up someplace random or even a worst place then before.

*****

Kirigiri’s POV:

I watched as the portal closed, leaving no trace that it’d ever been there, and I turned to look back at the portrait, which was leaning against the wall since there apparently was no way to put it back where it had been originally.

Vero had tried with the wand, but nothing worked, and he figured that Delta was desperate to get out of the world that she and the others were in, but I wasn’t so sure.

I suspected that there was some kind of external force that was preventing the writer’s portrait back on the wall, and I was also suspecting that this force had something to do with Junko. ‘That b* is going to pay,’ I thought, unconsciously rubbing my arm ,‘and her plan to create Izuru Kamukura 2.0 is going to to fail…I hope.’

I knew from personal experience of how dangerous Junko was, and that underestimating her was unwise, having gone through two killing games because of her, even though she was dead the second time around and it was someone else responsible.

‘Junko is willing to do anything to get what she wants,’ I thought, ‘and I strongly suspect that Alex and Morivin’s mission to rescue Delta probably won’t go as smoothly as they’re hoping it to be. Junko knows how to play on people’s emotions and weaknesses, and exploit them in order to get what she wants.’

I was rarely wrong about such things, but this was one of the few times when I hoped that I was wrong, and that Delta would be rescued without delay.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER TWO: ENTER THE SAE

*****

At one of the safe houses for the Society Against Evil, an agent was on duty in the security office, monitoring the various screens during the graveyard shift, and he was taking a sip of his tea when one of an alert went off on one of the monitors.

Quickly setting down the cup, the agent went to work on the keyboard, bringing up the area, and saw that the sensors in the front yard were picking up on unknown magical energy building up. ‘This is good,’ he thought, checking a few things and saw that it was a portal that was about to open, and he snatched up his radio.

“Security to Jonas, security to Jonas, there is a magical buildup out in the front yard.”

`“Security this is Jonas,”` a male voice responded. `“What is causing the buildup and where is it on the scale?”`

“The magic is unknown,” the agent responded, doing a check, “and the buildup is currently at 6.9 and building up to portal creating level. Should I alert Mr. McCoy?”

`“No, continue to monitor the situation and keep me updated,”` Jonas ordered. `“I will inform him of the situation.”`

“Roger.” The agent put the radio down and continued to monitoring the buildup, noting that it was already at 7.5, and he knew that if it reached 10, then the portal would open out on the front lawn. ‘How is this possible?’ he wondered, texting the status to Jonas’ phone. ‘Who could possibly open a portal near a safe house? It should be impossible.’

He knew that there hadn’t been much activity since the fourth incident, which had lead to those killed in the first three incidents being restored to life, and had also lead to Joey disappearing into Pandora’s box. He only knew this, because he had the security access to such information, and he was lucky since not many knew about Joey’s fate, not even with the Society itself since it was becoming likely that there was a spy among the agents, giving information to the Cursed God and his minions.

*****

In the study, James McCoy was sipping his tea and doing paperwork, even though it was pushing 1:00 am, but this was stuff that he’d been putting off since the last mission that Dawn had gone on with the currently missing Joey Graceffa, and he knew that if he didn’t get it done and turned in, the Council of Elders were going to have words with him.

‘And that’s the last thing I need right now,’ he thought, signing off on the last piece of paper in the folder, which he then closed, and rubbed his eyes tiredly before picking up his cup to finish off his tea - when there was a loud knock on the doors. ‘Who could that be?’ he wondered.

Setting the cup down, James stood and went to the doors, opening it a crack, and then fully when he saw that Jonas was there. “Jonas? What is it?” he asked.

“There’s an energy buildup out in the front yard, sir,” Jonas informed him. “The magic is unknown, and the last report from security is that it’s at 8.5. If it reaches ten, then that means-”

“Then that means a portal is going to open,” James finished, frowning. “Have security be on standby,” he ordered, going to his coat and pulled out his gun, slipping it into the back of his belt, and joined his bodyguard in the hallway. “Until we know what we’re dealing with, we proceed with caution.”

“Yes, sir.”

*****

Outside the safe house, the security team got into position on either side of the front door, where James and Jonas were waiting, and another text came on Jonas’ phone. “Sir, the magical buildup has reached ten, and the magic is apparently fairy magic.”

“Fairy magic?” James repeated when he sensed right before a small purple/pink orb appeared. “Agents get ready,” he ordered, pulling out his own gun and had it at the ready as the orb exploded with a flash of purple/pink light that briefly blinded him and the agents.

When he could see again, James saw that there was now a purple/pink portal shaped like a mirror, and the surface rippled and two figures leapt out, landing on the grass.

The portal closed, the agents watched as the new arrivals got up, and the SAE leader was surprised to see that one of them was Alex Wassabi, once again dressed as the Aviator. The other figure looked to be male, was taller then the YouTuber, had long yellow/green hair, green markings on his face, had green eyes, was elfish-looking, and wore an unusual green/black outfit with a long chain wrapped around his shoulders so it was dangling off of him.

‘A demon,’ James thought, sensing that this person that was with Alex was a demon, but for some reason, he didn’t seem like the sort of demons that were working for the Cursed God. ‘Why is Alex here, and why have a demon with him?’

Alex hadn’t expected to be facing guns, but then again, he and Morivin had arrived unannounced at a Society Against Evil safe house, and he hoped that he would get a chance to explain why they were there without getting shot. “Hi…uh – this is really awkward-” he began with a nervous smile, but he didn’t get to even finish his sentence when James cautiously approached him with Jonas by his side.

“Alex Wassabi,” said the SAE leader, his eyes flickering toward Morivin. “Why are you here and with a demon of all things?”

Alex blinked, not having expected this. “You…you know who I am?”

James nodded. “Yes, and somehow I don’t think you’re the same Alex that should be currently at home,” he guessed. “You’re from a different reality, am I right?”

‘Ok, wasn’t expecting this,’ Alex thought, and finally nodded. “In a way, Morivin and I are from a different reality,” he admitted. “It’s complicated, and we really don’t have that much time. So-”

“You will need to make time,” said Jonas, suddenly placing and locking handcuffs on Morivin, surprising the green demon.

“What the f*?” he asked, staring at the handcuffs with a dumbfounded expression on his face. “What gives?!”

“Standard procedure for demons,” said James firmly. “Jonas is right, I need to know why you are both here, and why. Jonas, take Mr. Morivin and Mr. Wassabi to the interrogation room, alert Dr. Green to do a full medical of them both, and see to it that they’re cared for, too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jonas and five of the agents escorted Morivin, who was looking annoyed and angry, and Alex into the safe house.

“Sir, is that wise?” one of the remaining agents asked as weapons were lowered.

James nodded gravely. “Until we know for sure why they’re here, yes it is.” He then went inside to get his coat from his study, and figure out what the heck was going on…along with how they managed to find the safe house, which should’ve been impossible.

*****

A short while later, James was in the security room, where he was being given a report, and it was a grim one concerning Benny and Dawn. “When did the security system at Benny’s house go down?”

“Between 10 am and 12 pm,” the agent answered. “And Dawn’s car was found in the parking lot of the post office, which has been sitting there for a while. Scans were made of each location, and this was what happened.” She inserted two data crystals into the console, and on the screens, one showed what happened to Benny, and the other was showing what happened to Dawn. “We’re still trying to identify the woman who was responsible for attacking and kidnapping them both.”

James was feeling uneasy, Dawn and Benny were missing, and now Alex and a demon named Morivin showed up, and all within hours of each other. ‘These are connected somehow,’ he thought as Jonas entered the room, ‘and I have a feeling that Alex and his friend have answers.’ “Yes, Jonas?”

“These were found on the new arrivals,” said Jonas, presenting James with two leather bags and a device that looked like a smart phone. “The demon was particularly reluctant to let me have the device, but Dr. Green convinced him to let it go…in her own way.”

James took the device and his eyebrows shot upward when the screen immediately lit up, information running across the screen. “Interesting,” he muttered. “Take the bags to R&D so that they can scan the contents to see wither they are dangerous or not. Apparently, the portal was opened using fairy dust, and I have a feeling that it’s connected to whoever is responsible for taking Dawn and Benny.”

“Yes sir.”

James looked back at the device while Jonas left with the bags. ‘They are connected,’ he thought, his forehead furrowed. ‘I’m not sure of how, but they are connected, and I’m going to figure this out to save my charges.’

He was going to figure this out, no matter what.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER THREE: EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION…SORTA

*****

Alex sat in the interrogation room, which didn’t really look like a room for interrogation, given that there were bookshelves along one wall, a window that showed the dark sky that was filled with stars and a back garden, and there were also comfortable chairs to sit on, along with a table that had a tea set on it.

Alex wasn’t big on tea, but he was being polite by having some, finding that it was strong, and there were also cookies, so he couldn’t complain too much.

Morivin, on the other hand, was pacing around the room, glowering at the hidden security cameras that he knew was in the room, and was certain that they were wasting time. “If they don’t let us out of here to get what we need to find Dawn and Benny, and then Delta, I’m going to f*ing kill someone!” And he slammed his fist against the nearest wall, leaving a dent in the hard wood.

Alex winced, recalling how the demon had killed the Sugarplum fairy so effortlessly, and he had a feeling that, given half a chance, he would tear apart every SAE agent in the safe house. “Careful, Dr. Green might come back to sedate you,” he warned, recalling how the lady doctor had conducted her examination of them, and had easily gotten Morivin to behave by going into stern mother mode.

Morivin glowered, but he didn’t do anymore damage to the room and plopped in one of the chairs instead, his chain rattling. He still couldn’t believe how easily that one agent, Jonas, had gotten those handcuffs on him, effectively binding his magic, and then gotten both the bags of fairy dust and his phone off of him, too.

‘If that doctor chick hadn’t gone all mother bear on me, I’d probably killed that agent,’ he thought, fuming. ‘We’re running out of time! Why can’t these Society twits see that?!’ He knew that with every minute that passed with Delta in Junko’s clutches, was one minute closer to the writer becoming Izuru Kamukura 2.0.

Alex was about to suggest to Morivin that he have some of the cookies, when there was the sound of the door unlocking, and it opened to reveal James and Jonas, who had the bags of fairy dust in hand. “Sir, I-” he began, standing up and Morivin jumped up as well.

“Please, be seated,” James requested, entering the room and seated himself across from the YouTuber and the demon, and when Jonas also entered, shutting and locking the door behind him, they also sat back down. “Now, I think you both have some explaining to do, and whether if it has anything to do with this woman.” He took out a picture and placed it on the table. “It seems like she’s responsible for kidnapping Dawn Hatcher and Benny Smith yesterday without alerting us.”

Morivin and Alex looked at the photo, and the demon recognized her instantly. “Dammit, that’s Mukuro Ikusaba! She already has them!”

Alex paled. “She was responsible for taking Delta at the tree, along with Junko.”

James took out the phone and tapped the screen, bringing up the image of a woman that resembled Dawn, but wasn’t her. “I take it, that this is Delta Hatcher?” he asked, and they both nodded. “Interesting that she resembles Dawn, but then again it makes sense, given that apparently I’m also one of her OCs as well as Dawn, Benny, and others.”

Alex was surprised to hear him say that. “Wait, how-?”

“This phone had a lot of useful information on it,” James explained, tossing it to Morivin, who caught it and was looking equally surprised. “You should really password protect it, Mr. Morivin. Anyway, this Junko Enoshima is clearly a threat, and not just because she’s allies with the Cursed God. Now, tell me about your mission.”

“Of course,” Alex agreed. “Well – uh, what’s your name?”

“James McCoy.”

“Of course, Mr. McCoy,” said the YouTuber, taking another sip of the strong tea to steady his nerves. “Ok, so here’s why we need your help…” And he went on to explain about the AU, what the Cursed God was wanting to do, about the writers, how he was rescued from the North Pole, and about Junko’s plan that involved Delta. “…and it’s vital that we find a way to track Dawn and Benny, for if we can find them, then we can also rescue Delta. I – I couldn’t stop her from being taken, and I need her to realize that she’s important to to the group.”

James, who’d been listening and sipping a cup of tea, nodded. ‘That fits with what I found on the phone,’ he thought, setting his cup down. “Thank you for sharing and confirming what was on the phone, Alex. And you are right, in fact, those of the Society who were created by Delta, we have known for some time that she’s been writing other stuff, and we have glimpsed her POV about what is going on in OET.”

Morivin was surprised to hear this. “Whoa, how did you do that? I mean, anyone not involved with the Land of Fiction has either remained sane through obliviousness, or has temporarily suspended all contact…two years with a threat of this scale.”

“Dawn alerted me to what was going on when a crack in reality opened up in Benny’s house,” James answered. “And even a few cracks have appeared at the safe houses as well. Because of this, we have been able to monitor what has been going on, and have been keeping tabs on Delta in real life, along with her postings of her POV. It’s concerning of how she’s been treated within OET.”

Alex flushed. “Yeah, it wasn’t on purpose…at least I wasn’t doing it to Delta on purpose,” he amended his sentence. “There’s just been a lot going on with keeping Mystic safe…” he sighed. “Oh who am I kidding? None of the writers have been getting much attention, except for Alice, Mystic, and, I guess, Ines.”

“Well, the fact that you both are here,” said James, “that probably means that on some level, Delta is wanting to be rescued from Junko. Yes, I’m aware that one can only get from one universe to another now with the creator’s express permission.”

“…you’re more aware of what’s going on then I first thought,” Morivin remarked. “Ok, so I know that you got some kind of council type thing that you answer to and would want to inform…but when it comes to Junko, the more people who know about this, the possibility of Despair just increases. And if Delta does get turned into Izuru Kamukura 2.0, then it’s going to be extremely difficult to revert her back to the way she was.”

James stared at the demon for several hour-long seconds before he finally sighed and nodded. “That is true,” he agreed. “Normally I would be updating the Council of Elders on what’s going on, but I believe that this is one of those times where it’s better to ask for forgiveness then ask permission. Jonas, give them back the bags, for they will need the fairy dust.”

Alex and Morivin, who was glad to have the fairy dust, accepted the bags. “Thanks.”

“Come with me,” said James, standing up, adjusting his coat. “Like you said, there isn’t much time, and finding Dawn and Benny will need to happen fast.” And he lead them out of the room.

*****

James lead the duo into a room filled with computers, other kinds of technology that were steampunk, and Morivin could sense that there was also magic in the room.

“What’s this?”

“This is where we keep track of movement on possible minions of the Cursed God,” the SAE leader explained, seating himself at one of the computers and started typing, “agents out in the field, and those who are to be protected by the Society, which includes those involved with Escape the Night, and Light-bearers as well.”

Alex was impressed. “Neat.”

Morivin was surprised. “Just how many Light-bearers are in this world that Delta created?”

“Given that all Light-bearers are descendants of the first twelve, it can vary from just a few or a dozen,” James responded. “Currently, Dawn is the active Light-bearer of her generation, but there are many potential Light-bearers as well…including her own sisters.” He focused on his typing while the YouTuber and the demon hovered behind him, and then the computer beeped. “Ok…according to this, the portal that Mukuro used to take Dawn and Benny away, it left enough magic behind for us to use it to pinpoint where they were most likely taken.”

“Is there any other way to narrow it down?” Morivin asked, noting that the screen was showing a number of places where the green magic used by the Despair sisters had been used throughout the multiverse. “I mean, if you guys are protectors of the Light-bearers, then you must have some way to track them down if they go missing, right?”

James hesitated for a long moment. “Yes…there is a way to do it…but it’s risky since it means tracking the Light itself, and that’s the power of God.”

“God won’t have his Ace for very long,” Morivin remarkED, and the SAE leader scowled, clearly offended. “This is an out-of-the-box circumstance,” he continued, “if you don’t keep up, you won’t survive.”

James frowned at the demon, but he knew that he was right, and he stood up, extracting a data crystal that had the information that they needed. “Come with me. Jonas, have Dr. Green meet us at the place.” And they left the room while Jonas went to get the lady doctor.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FOUR: LIGHT TRACKING

*****

Morivin and Alex followed James along several hallways and down a flight of stairs into the basement, where the SAE leader lead them through another hallway until they reached a set of double doors, and he opened a panel, where he put in several codes, making sure that they didn’t see the control pad.

There was a clicking noise and James went to the doors, pulling them open to reveal a large circular room that was made out of stones, there were torches along the walls to provide light, a circular stone table in the middle, and sealed alcoves along the walls.

“What’s this place?” Morivin asked as they entered, the doors shutting behind them and locking so that they were sealed inside, and he could sense that there was magic, but it wasn’t very obvious or strong, but he could sense it.

“This is where we send any and all artifacts and other magical items to be contained in the vaults,” the SAE leader answered, going to the center of the room and faced them. “Especially anything to do with the Cursed God and those who serve him. But we also store in the vaults everything pertaining to the Light-bearers in order to make sure that the enemy can’t use it against them and wipe out the twelve Light-bearer bloodlines.”

“So, that means you have something to track the Light inside Dawn?” Alex asked, taking this as a good sign.

James nodded gravely. “Yes, but you both need to understand that what you are about to see, what I am about to use, it’s only use in extreme emergencies,” he warned them both. “It calls upon ancient and powerful magic that comes at a cost, and it needs a sample of the Light itself.”

Just then, the doors unlocked and Dr. Green entered, along with Jonas, and the doors sealed again.

“You know, James,” Dr. Green said to the SAE leader, “the Council of Elders might not be so forgiving if this fails.”

“And they’ll be less forgiving if Dawn dies,” James countered, “and with her being the strongest Light-bearer of her generation, that isn’t an option.”

Dr. Green nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”

“Uh, hi, wasting time here,” said Morivin, earning three glares. “Seriously though, with Junko, there’s not a lot of time to waste on chatter. Now, what needs to be done in order to track Dawn’s Light so that we can find her, Benny, and, hopefully, Delta?” He was getting impatient to get the mission moving, and every second that passed, which meant that they were one second closer to Delta becoming Izuru Kamukura 2.0.

“A sample of Dawn’s Light,” Dr. Green answered, “along with items that she’d been in contact with.”

James nodded and went to the table. “Yes, and we have access to those very items.” He inserted the data crystal into the table, and a holographic map appeared above the table, showing where the green magic used by the Despair sisters had been used. “Now, you two remain where you are, and we’ll get what’s needed.”

Alex and Morivin watched as James, Jonas, and Dr. Green each went to a different alcove, and put in numerous security codes. The demon and the YouTuber watched and heard faint rumbling, the demon sensing an increase of magic, and then the three alcoves unsealed themselves, each revealing something that couldn’t really be seen.

The trio each pulled out the newly arrived items, carrying them to the table, where it could now been the items were a large chest, a medium box, and a small box.

Jonas opened the chest and took out the four artifacts from the 1920s house, setting them at four points on the table. James opened the box, lifted out a white fabric bag and placed it in the middle of the table, untying so that it opened to reveal the remains of the Crown of Oblivion and the ten gems, he also took out the Life Crystal, setting it in the middle next to the remains of the crown. Dr. Green opened the small box and removed a crystalline vial that was faintly glowing.

Morivin stared. “Is that…?”

Dr. Green nodded. “Yes, a sample of Dawn’s Light.”

“How do you have that?” Alex asked, surprised and impressed.

“Shortly after Dawn, Andrea R., and Tyler left the Victorian mansion,” James explained, “she collapsed from a toxin that was on the knife that the Sorceress used to kill Joey and had cut her on the arm with. Some of her Light was extracted while she was being treated with the antidote, on the off-chance that it would be needed in order to save her life, or if Dawn did die, then it would be proof for her successor.”

“Well, good thing she survived,” Morivin remarked, going over to the table and reached out to touch the broken crown pieces. “What happened to this thing?” he asked, tapping it and a piece sparked a little with purple magic. “Whoa…”

“Delta’s novelization for season 4 is still in progress,” said James, “but the Crown of Oblivion got destroyed when an ex-blogger named Jermaine Whitehouse jumped through a portal that Dawn, Joey, Bretman, and Captain Jack Harkness used to travel to Purgatory in order to rescue their fallen friends from The Collector.”

Alex made a face. “Oof…so why’d you keep the broken pieces if they’re useless?” he asked, nodding to the broken pieces.

“It still has magic in it,” the SAE leader replied. “Magic of the Cursed God andthe Sorceress, and there is always a chance that there will be need to return to Purgatory in order to rescue Joey from Pandora’s box.” He looked at Morivin. “Now we have these, in order for this to work, an outside source of magic will be needed to activate everything to pinpoint the location. You both have fairy dust in your bags, that will work.”

The demon hesitated. “Yeah, but we only have so much of it,” he admitted, glancing at Alex. “And we’ll need it for defense and to return to our friends.”

“You won’t need to use very much,” said Dr. Green, tapping on the table and a section opened, allowing a container to rise up, and she inserted the crystalline vial into it. “Just put a small amount in this bowl,” she instructed, pointing to a small bowl located under the crystalline vial.

Morivin was still looking hesitant, but he did remove a small amount of the fairy dust, putting it carefully into the bowl, and stepped back as the container sealed itself and sank back into the table. “Ok, now wha- whoa!”

A design engraved on the table began glowing pink and seemed to be flowing into the artifacts, which began glowing, and it then flowed into the remains of the crown and the Life Crystal. The light then shifted to purple, and then a blinding white that made them all shield their eyes, while the demon was also wincing, as the light grew brighter before shifting into an orb of white light.

A white line shot from the orb and began bouncing from point to point, eliminating them one by one until there was only one point left on the holographic map that still had a green spot on it.

“That’s it!” Alex exclaimed, excited. “That has to be it!”

The room started rumbling a little, making them stagger, and then a section of the floor opened up, enabling a stone archway to rise to the surface, locking into place as the rumbling stopped. A beam of light then shot from the orb and into the middle of the archway, creating a swirling white portal.

Morivin and Alex were floored, not having expected a portal to be available for them to use. “Whoa…”

“Dr. Green, have a medical team on standby,” James ordered, “just incase Benny and Dawn are in bad shape when we get them away from Junko. Jonas, keep tabs on the portal to make sure that only we three, Dawn, and Benny are the only ones to come back through.”

“Wait, you’re coming with us?” Alex asked, surprised.

The SAE leader nodded, taking off his coat and tossed it aside, revealing that he was wearing a holster with a gun in it. “Yes, they are my charges,” he confirmed, “and it’s my duty to make sure that Dawn and Benny get back alive, along with Delta if possible.”

“All right, enough wasting time,” said Morivin, “let’s go.” And with that, the trio ran through the portal, which did sizzle and made the demon yelp a little since it was the Light of God after all.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER FIVE: RESCUING DAWN AND BENNY

*****

Morivin was briefly blinded when he came out of the portal and nearly fell down, catching himself by putting his hand on the nearby wall, feeling cold smooth stone under his fingers. ‘Dammit, should’ve realized this would happen,’ he thought, blinking his eyes to get rid of the spots until his vision cleared enough that he could see that they were in a stone corridor.

“Morivin, you ok?” Alex asked the demon after almost face-planting on the stone floor when he came out of the portal.

“Will be,” Morivin responded, straightening up. “McCoy, you still with us?”

“Yes, and the area is clear,” said James, who was actually a few feet ahead of them, with his gun at the ready, and looked back at his two comrades, who were looking at him with surprised expressions. “Before I was a leader for the Society Against Evil, I did spend time in the field as an agent, and first rule of portal travel, is to scout out the area.”

The demon nodded, impressed. “Good rule. All right, let’s go.” And with the SAE leader in the lead, they moved down the corridor with caution, not wanting to be ambushed since they didn’t know what kind of security that the Cursed God had on his castle, or if they had set off any alarms with their arrival.

*****

The trio made their way through several corridors, checking each corner and opening they came across as they searched for the dungeons, certain that they had to been in the basement, and it was as they were turning a corner when there was a bright flash of white light ahead of them, followed by a loud scream of pain.

Morivin jumped backward with a small hiss of pain. “Yeah, that’s gotta be them.”

James moved around the corner, toward an iron door, and peered through a barred window. “I see them, they both in here…Dawn isn’t looking good.” He tried the door handle, finding that it was locked. “Know them to keep this locked.”

Alex moved over, taking out his bag of fairy dust, taking out a small amount, and blew it on the lock, which turned into chocolate ice cream, which melted into a puddle on the floor. “There.” And he pushed the door opened, enabling them enter the cell block, which had a number of cells, and only the two cells near the door had anyone inside them.

James hurried forward until he could see them, and he flinched when Dawn, who was glowing brightly, screamed in pain as the Light flared up briefly. “Oh my gosh,” he whispered when the Light faded, and he blinked his eyes until he could see that she was slumped, only the chains on her wrists were keeping her upright, and there was a machine humming nearby. “Dawn…”

Benny, who was chained in the first cell, reacted when he saw the SAE leader and Alex. “James! Alex!” he exclaimed, relieved to see them, but then froze when he saw Morivin, who’d been forced to retreat when the Light flared earlier. “Who’s that? One of Junko’s lackeys?”

“No, he’s with us,” Alex said quickly, a bit surprised that Benny recognized him, but figured it had to do with Delta’s writings. “We’re here to help get you both out of here.”

Dawn, who was panting and sweating, looked up, her blue eyes dull with pain. “…C…Camera…” she rasped.

Morivin noticed that there was a camera pointed directly at the cells. “Right. Alex?”

The YouTuber nodded, pulled off his jacket, and he threw it over the camera, covering it so that they wouldn’t be seen anymore then they already had been.

“Can you unlock these cells?” Benny asked while glancing at his girlfriend, who was looking on the verge of passing out, but he knew that it wouldn’t happen with that stupid device extracting the Light from her, and he had a nasty feeling that she was going to have another flareup when she moaned a bit, twitching a little.

“Coming right up.” Morivin willed his chains, which began moving and wrapped themselves around the door to the cell, pulling and straining – but the door refused to move. “Dammit – AGH!!” He staggered backwards, sizzling when he got hit by a flare of the Light, and the brunette screamed again, louder then before.

James muttered a soft curse and pulled Morivin back from the cells as the chains loosened, retreating back to the blinded demon. “There’s gotta be a way to get them out before Dawn goes nuclear. Are there any keys?”

“Yeah,” said Benny, pointing to the key ring that was hanging on a hook directly across from the cells and under the camera. “They’re in plain sight.”

“Be careful,” Morivin said warningly. “It’s more then likely a death trap.”

Alex looked at the demon. “Wait, really?”

“This is Enoshima,” Morivin reminded him.

The YouTuber nodded, knowing that he was right, and cautiously approached the keyring. “Ok, ok…” he muttered, reaching for the keyring and grabbed it – immediately jumping backwards right before a scythe came swinging from the wall, almost splitting him in half. “Whoa!” He was a bit shook of how close that’d been to hitting him, and was glad that Morivin had reminded him that Junko would be the type to rig up a death trap for anyone who would try for the keys.

Alex went to the cell that Dawn was in, not liking how pale she was looking, and tried the keys in the lock, but it wouldn’t fit.

“Alex…try…try Benny’s…” she gasped, the Light was fluctuating, and she moaned, which meant that there was probably going to be another flareup soon.

“Hang in there,” the YouTuber told her while going to the other cell, where he tried the key, and this time, the cell door opened. “Yes!” He pulled the door and ran inside the cell, where he checked the shackles, but he couldn’t find any keyholes for the key. “Not good…”

James looked at Morivin, who was still looking a bit fried from the Light flare earlier. “Can you pry off Benny’s chains?”

The demon shook his head. “I can’t do it. Not with that Light.”

“Crap.” Alex pulled out his bag and took out some of the dust, wafting it over the chains. “Try now,” he ordered as the chains turned into taffy.

Benny twisted and turned, managing to rip himself free. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” said the YouTuber, checking his bag of fairy dust, noting that half of it was gone. ‘Gotta be careful that we don’t run out, or else we won’t be able to get back to the mindscape.’

Benny hurried out of the cel and went to Dawn’s cell, peering through the bars at his girlfriend. “We’re going to free you, I promise.”

“I…know…” Dawn gasped, and she looked like she was about to explode, “help…c…can’t…h-hold-”

Morivin pushed away from the wall and James, staggering toward the cell, and he sent his chains forward, wrapping themselves around the bars of the door to try and pry it free – only to end up getting zapped. “OW– why does everything have to be soelectrified!??” And he retreated, cursing and took out his bag. “Ok…only way to get this open…” And the demon scooped out a small amount of the fairy dust, smoothing it over the hinges, and they transformed into gum.

Gripping the bars, Benny and James pulled and ripped the door away, with the SAE leader setting the door aside while Benny barreled inside and went to his girlfriend. “Dawn!”

“Benny…”

Benny tried to get the chains off, not liking how pale she was looking. “Dawn…” he whispered, clearly near tears.

James hurried into the cell, going to the device, which he examined for a moment before pulling out a pocketknife, using a tool to open a small hatch, and reached inside, where he gave a hard yank that caused the device to power down. He took his hand out, revealing that he was now holding a large crystalline vial that was glowing with the Light. “They were trying to drain the Light out of her…the monsters.”

Alex entered the cell, scooping out some of the fairy dust, and blew it on the chains, also getting the brunette in the face so that she sneezed and coughed a few times, and the chains transformed into cotton candy.

Benny freed her and James joined in supporting Dawn out of the cell, Alex followed them out, and assisted Morivin, who was still having troubles seeing from the Light flare earlier.

*****

They eventually got back to the portal, where they saw Jonas waiting for them, along with Dr. Green and her medical team. James made sure that Benny and Dawn went through first, where they were immediately surrounded by the medical team and placed on stretchers, and then he turned back to Alex and Morivin.

“Ok, we need to go,” he told them. “Come on.”

Alex shook his head. “Sorry, but we can’t leave just yet.”

Morivin nodded. “We still have someone to bring back.”

“Yeah,” Alex agreed, “we can’t leave Delta here.”

James looked like he was going to object, but he nodded instead. “You’re right,” he agreed. “Getting Delta out of here is your mission now.” He took something out of his pocket and pressed it into the YouTuber’s hand. “Keep this with you,” he instructed, revealing that he’d placed a crystal pendant in Alex’s hand. “Should you need a quick way out, whisper the command SOS into the pendant, and we’ll come to help.”

“Thanks.”

James looked at them both one last time, and then went through the portal, which closed behind him with a flash of white light that wasn’t as bright as the first one.

It was now up to Alex and Morivin to find Delta and get her away from there before it was too late.

Chapter Text

CHAPTER SIX: SAVING DAWN

*****

The moment that the portal was sealed, James turned his attention to Dawn, and was immediately concerned when he saw that she was still glowing. “Dawn…how is this possible?” he asked. “I deactivated the device that was extracting the Light.” He looked at the crystalline vial in his hand. “The Light shouldn’t be acting like this.”

Dr. Green was checking the brunette over, noting how sweaty and pale the girl was, and it was when she shined a penlight in her blue eyes, that she realized what was going on. “It’s trauma,” she realized, looking at the SAE leader. “Trauma from being exposed to micro particles of darkness for an extended period of time.”

“Is there any way to reverse this?” Jonas asked.

“I can think of only one way,” said Dr. Green and she looked directly at James, her eyes flickering to the crystalline vial he was holding. “The extraction room, where she can safely unleash the Light, and, hopefully, expelled the darkness particles at the same time.”

The SAE leader nodded gravely. “That’s the only way.”

Benny sat up, both confused and concerned. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

“No time to explain, Benny,” said James, giving the vial to Jonas with instructions to store it and the other items away. “Only that this may be the only way to save Dawn from death.”

*****

Dawn was barely aware of anything, drifting in and out of consciousness, and the pain was still there. ‘Can’t lose…can’t lose…’ she thought, struggling to keep the Light in check, and she was losing the fight, she could tell that much.

She’d been aware of James deactivating the device that’d been extracting the Light from her somehow, pulling something glowing out of the device, and Alex using some kind of magical dust to free her from the chains before being supported out of the cell by Benny and James. Unfortunately, the pain hadn’t faded, and it was getting worse instead.

“Dawn, if you can hear me,” said the slightly distant voice of Dr. Green, “blink your eyes twice.”

It was a big of a struggle, but the brunette blinked her eyes twice, and the doctor sighed with relief.

“Good,” said Dr. Green, “now we’re taking you to a special chamber so that you can safely unleash the Light, and by doing that, you’ll expel the micro particles of darkness that are still inside your body, which is causing you harm.”

‘Darkness…particles…? Makes sense…’ Dawn thought, becoming aware that the stretcher she was lying on was moving fast, and that they were going through hallway that was most likely in the basement of the safe house. ‘I hope…we can…get there-’ She then gasped in pain as the Light attempted to eject the darkness out of her body. “Agh!”

Her back arched in reaction to what was going on with her body, and she probably would’ve fallen off the stretcher if she wasn’t already strapped down. “It…it hurts! It hurts!”

“I know it does,” Dr. Green said gently, wishing that she could do something to relieve the actress’ pain, but she knew that if she gave her any kind of painkiller, it would do more harm then good. “Just hang in there, sweetie, we’re almost there.”

*****

A pair of double doors bust opened when they were shoved by James and Jonas, moving aside so that the two nurses were able to get the stretcher into the middle of the room, where they unstrapped Dawn, and then they ran back out.

“You can get off the stretcher,” said Dr. Green from the doorway.

Dawn slowly and painfully sat up, finding that she was in a brightly lit pale blue, circular room with crystals of various sizes attached to the walls and ceiling. “What – what is – what is-?” she panted, struggling to get the words out, but she wasn’t able to talk very well, not with the pain getting worse with every second that passed.

“This is the extraction room,” James informed the brunette. “If a Light-bearer is on the verge of losing control the Light for any reason, and could go nuclear, they are brought here. Those crystals will absorb the Light without doing any harm to you, Dawn. Just let go, let go now!” And both he and Jonas pulled the doors shut, sealing the room.

‘I gotta…I got…’ Dawn didn’t even try to finish the thought, and instead, she shut her eyes tightly as she glowed brighter. And after a few seconds, she opened her eyes, which were now glowing white, stood in the middle of the room, and threw her head back with a scream as the Light exploded out of her, filling the room with a blinding white brilliance.

*****

Outside of the room, those gathered jumped backwards as the windows in the doors were whited out by the Light, and it was more intense then any of them had ever expected it to be. And while it seemed like hours, it was only about a minute or so when the Light finally faded away, and both Jonas and James unlocked and opened the doors.

Dr. Green ran inside and over to the unconscious form of Dawn, who wasn’t glowing anymore, and just looked plain exhausted. “She’ll be fine,” she said after doing a quick examination, and let her team lift the sleeping girl onto the stretcher. “She’ll just have to rest up for a while after all of that,” she added, glancing at the now-glowing crystals around them. “That’s the most Light I have ever seen before.”

“Same,” James agreed. “And while Dawn and Benny are recovering from their ordeal, we can now only wait and see if Alex and Morivin will be able to rescue Delta.”

Just then, a phone started ringing, and Jonas took out a cellphone, answering it. “Yes? Yes.” He held it out to the SAE leader. “Sir, it’s the First Elder.”

James sighed and took the phone, having had a feeling that the Council of Elders would most likely find out about what was going on before he could let them know, and it was now time for him to face the music. “Sir,” he said into the phone. “I believed you’ve heard of what has been going on here?”

`“I have, McCoy,”` said the First Elder with a grim tone. `“And while there willbe questions for you to answer, just tell me this. Has the Light-bearer and her friend been rescued?”`

“Yes, sir,” the SAE answered as Dr. Green and the medical team left with Dawn. “Both Dawn and Benny have been rescued and will be receiving the best medical care possible. Sir, there is much going on that I will need to share with you and the Council as soon as possible, for things are more serious then before.”

`“The council and leaders will be gathering for an emergency meeting, McCoy,”` the First Elder told him after a few seconds of silence. `“Be prepared to share everythingabout the situation, and leave nothing out.”`

James had expected this. “Of course, sir, nothing will be held back.” And when he heard the ringtone, he clicked the phone off and returned it to Jonas. ‘Nothing at all,’ he thought as they left the extraction room just as an automatic system began removing the glowing crystals and replaced them with new ones. ‘And I can only hope that they will understand the reason for all of this.’

That was his hope.

To Be Continued…

*****

I have so many, so many regrets.

So many lies, so many broken ties.

I wish for my old life.

Wish I could fix my strike.

Cause no one truly escapes the night.

Oh, won't you help me escape the night.

Oh baby help me escape the night.

Escape the night.