Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue: The Line Between Living and Loss (1)

Awake….awake….I’m…awake…

The words felt caught on my jaw. The stiffness wound its way deep into my skull, and even between the joints in my torso. I stretched a hand out to grasp what was in front of me-I slowly pushed open a glass door, the cold frigid air giving me an instant shock that sent my consciousness back into its place.

The question of where I was floated in mind for a moment, as I stepped out of a strange pod that I assumed had been harboring me. The room I was in was nothing but metal, the grey walls and floor enforcing a thoroughly medical idea into my mind. Behind me were lined up, about sixteen hatches, except from where I had awoken from. There lay a glass coffin that belched me out. Once I was safely out though, it retracted and the metal hatch shut tight in front of me. I heard the quick swish of air compressing before a gentle pop.

Celia Novak…my name was on the end of that pod. It was there because…because of course it was! This had to be the Kafka facility, just as promised. Once I realised where I was my body instantly relaxed. That’s right, I’m not in any danger. In fact, it’s the opposite. This is the only place where my safety is guaranteed. I turn my attention to the large door in front of me, taking up half the wall. There’s a digital kiosk that beeps to life when I approach.

“Good Morning,” The robotic voice recites to me. It blinks for a second, before turning to a pale brown. “Celia Novak, Ultimate Pantomath. Is this you?”

I pressed the ‘yes’ option on the digital interface. In exchange the small slit beneath the interface revealed a small handheld device. A phone, almost. Though it was flat, it beeped to life the second I touched it. It seemed to recognise me. It read my name back to me before showing me options. 

A map, a facility register, and two tabs that were completely blacked out. Whatever they were, it seemed I had not gained access to them yet. As I flipped through the device, the door began to open and the familiar sound of air compression hissed once more. The large vault doors slowly opened, revealing a wide room behind it, filled with faces who all stared at me.

“Ah! There she is!” A gentle tone sounded out.

“Ah, a girl.”

“Don’t say it like that. It’s weird when you say it!”

The conversation filtered past me. I was far too focused on my imagery. There were about fifteen, no, there were definitely fifteen people here. They all had their own unique expressions ranging from curiosity to disinterest. My heart sank as a couple of the eyes looked over me once and sighed.

“How are you doing? It takes a while for the memory to catch up, but it looks like you’re moving fine.”

Voices unknown called to me once more as I tried to rush the memory that seemed to be taking a minute. My name was clear to me, but…that’s right. Ultimate Pantomath.

Even as I remembered the title it brought an involuntary cringe to my spine and a slight pounding in my side. A title that I truly did not resonate with, though it wasn’t exactly my choice, was it? Applicants were gifted an Ultimate title if they were chosen, and the idea that mine was something so…cringeworthy made me panic.

I wondered what the other participants' talents were. Things more well suited to the repopulation and continuation of the human race. Sure, I knew facts and trivia but when it came to matters like agriculture and cooking I only knew things in theory. In practice it was another story. No matter how much I learn the exact right angle to throw a dart, someone like me could never hit bullseye.

I realised I had been standing there, blankly staring. I blinked to consciousness and arched up my neck to look around the room. It seemed to be a hangar, fit for landing massive ships in, though it likely would never see such use being put into action. Spacecrafts on facility sites were not provided, and other than the pods used to transport us, travel between Earth and Mars was nowhere near ready to allow frequent visits. Besides, it would defeat the point of the project anyways.

By now, a good portion of the individuals who stood in the hangar initially filtered out of the room. The rest, it seemed, were here to greet me. I waved my hand but instantly felt regret at the action. Do people even wave hands anymore?

“Uhm,” My voice cracked and my throat felt dry. I pushed on, despite the heat in my cheeks. “I’m Celia…Novak. Uhm, I guess I am the Ultimate Pantomath. I’m uh. Yeah. Is there anything else I should start with?”

Silence shook throughout the hangar. I felt the weight of awkwardness grasp my throat and throttle it with a vice grip. I had already made a fool of myself and it was unlikely we’d be getting along. Besides, the people here seemed the type to see someone like me and laugh. It wasn’t as if I was expecting to make friends here, but I hoped to fly under the radar. To disappear.

“...Dude,” A voice spoke, walking towards me. I was instantly hit with a fresh aroma, something unplaceable. Something close to beach waves and freshly budded roses. “You are so tense. Relax, we don’t bite. At least, some of us don’t.” 

“None of us do.” A tall man with long green hair let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Speak for yourself.” Someone near the back of the room called, chewing over whatever stick was in his mouth. 

I struggled to find the words to respond with so I just nodded. 

“...Pantomath,” A girl with a small smile said, the words rolling around in her mouth like hard candy. “How intriguing. You’d probably outclass many of us here in our own fields of expertise then.”

“No, no not at all,” I rushed the words out. “I’m not that-I mean I’m not even-”

“Oooh, she’s humble too. I like her.” A blonde girl gave me a wink and tilted her head to the side to get a closer look at me. 

“Oh, uh, well, thank you.” My voice felt small, but I didn’t dare repeat.

“You must still be confused. The memory is usually the last to truly return in full swing. You’ll be in a daze for a while, and walking will still feel new, but you’ll feel normal in no time.” The green haired man spoke again.

A girl in the very back with a white lab coat kept her eye affixed on me. Though the other eye had an eyepatch over it, one eye was enough to make me sweat. Our eyes met each other once or twice, causing me to look away but each time, she kept her gaze on one thing. Finally, she spoke.

“We must be overwhelming you. None of us had to wake up last, so I’m sure it’s even more chaotic for you. We’ll give you some space.” She gave me a thin smile, and her pupils glittered with knowing.

I nodded as a quiet thanks.

“Right, that’s a great idea. We were in the midst of exploring the facility ourselves when we heard that you were waking up. Please, don’t hesitate to contact me should you need anything.” The green haired man’s voice was pleasant as he slowly walked out the room.

One by one, all the people who had once filled the hangar with their presence filtered out. It left just me, standing alone. I felt a sigh escape me and relief came over me. They’re not the most lively and loud group, at least. I was afraid I’d be stuck dealing with a bunch of extraverts who’d constantly try to get me to leave my room. 

He was right though. Walking did feel a little odd, and so did memory too. I thought about what I knew, chewing on whatever info it gave me.

Us-all of us-were chosen individually to live. Our home doesn’t have long left to live, and is quickly lurching towards inhabitable. With countless extinct species, humans are on borrowed time. The Progenitor Project selects only the most excelling and healthy young people around the world and sends them to their bases on Mars, colonies for us to live in. There are countless of them, this being around their 17th base if I remembered correctly. 

Facts. That’s what gave me comfort. I can rattle off these truths and nothing will change about them. They don’t lie to me. They aren’t difficult to grasp. This knowledge, this knowing gives me armour. I may be useless to others but if I know everything I can, I’ll be fine. As long as I have facts. 

Fact: The title of Ultimate given to us is emblematic of our fields of expertise and the levels of knowledge we possess in those fields.

Even if it sounds a little ridiculous. Me as an ultimate anything sounded in itself far fetched but that was the role given to me. I was not about to refuse or ask for them to pick another one.

Fact: This facility will be my home for…well, forever.

I hope it’s nothing like the hangar. If so, the lack of idyllic scenery might drive me to boredom. I dislike large public spaces, but I do enjoy getting to be in large places, alone. As if I’m the only person left alive.

Fact: I’m standing here listing off facts in my head and looking like a weirdo. 

Though I doubt I’d get along with the other fifteen registered residents and participants of the facility, I’d better at least go meet them. I don’t want them to think I’m rude. 

Maybe they already do?

Agh, the thought caused an itch in my head I had to scratch, before opening my map. 

A digital map showing the floor plan clearly denoted where all my surroundings were. Words caught my eye. Sun Lounge. Moon Lounge. Garden. Smokehouse. All these seemed to have their own space in the large circular dome that would be our home. That was odd though. There are supposed to be six domes in total. I see five air locked doors around me, but the digital kiosk next to each of them was completely shut off, with a blank screen staring back at me.

Shoving the device into my pocket, I stepped towards the only door that had a digital kiosk awake at its side, and the door opened aut

omatically for me, as I stepped into what would be the first day of the rest of my life.

Chapter Text

Past the door, I suddenly stood in a beautiful atrium, filled with nature. At first, my eyes focused on the very center of the room. In the middle there was a large water fountain, with small benches laid into the marble. I couldn’t help but smile, as the large spherical room’s aroma brushed against my nostrils. Shrubs, flowers and bushes littered the room, peaking out in perfectly curated plotted areas, contrasting against the marble tiling beneath my feet. I turned my head up, to see a butterfly prance across my vision, when I caught sight of what was above.

A beautiful milky sky ebbed and flowed. Stars glittered above with reckless abandon. The stars didn’t need to act anyway other than as they were. They were just appreciated. The glass ceiling gave a full view of the space around us, allowing us to bask in it. Suddenly, the sky began to shift to a bright blue, like the skies from back home. White stars humidified into clouds and darkness was replaced with a sun that blared down at me.

I looked down to see the source of the change, two people standing over by a digital kiosk near the centre of the door. 

A girl with long blonde hair stood there, hands on hips. She loomed over the other stranger, an expectant brow quirked up. Although she held a scrutinizing gaze on him, her smile managed to ease all tension from her face and she seemed almost friendly. Her clothes were simple, yet effective. Pink and white, with a black accent to pop. I had no doubt that this was the type of person I’m best off avoiding.

The boy beside her kept a neutral smile, and through the folds of his hair I could see a slight glimmer of something else. Though I couldn’t place it. His oversized sweater hung on his wrists, and he reached a hand to the kiosk to mess with it. His hands were covered in silver rings, matching the silver piercing in his nose. 

Before I could sneak past them, the girl turned to me and bore a blinding smile.

“If it isn’t the woman of the hour,” her voice was sweet. She looked as if I was a celebrity in my own right, but I had this feeling, like standing against her I stood no chance. “Celia, right? That’s a pretty name!”

“Oh, thank you.”

The boy gave me a terse nod before looking back at the kiosk. The girl shot him a look that he either did not see or chose to ignore. She sighed and shrugged, holding out her hand.

“I’m sure you know this already, but introductions are important. I’m Erin Vermiere. Mhm, the very one.”

She looked at me with expecting eyes, but I drew a blank. 

“You may have seen me in movies…?”

“I…don’t really watch movies.”

“Oh, then tv!”

“Not much of that either.”

“What? Are you fifty or something?”

I hung my head low, and I saw her wave her hands suddenly.

“Look, it’s okay! I was just teasing. It’s alright if you don’t know me. It just means I get to make a new friend.”

“Oh.”

An air of awkwardness started to push itself between us, but before it could cement, the boy spoke up.

“Mhm, mhm. Just as I thought…” He looked at me, then smirked. “It looks like not everyone in the world knows your name. Spose you’re not as famous as you thought.”

“Ah, no, I’m sure you’re very famous!” I tried to correct.

“Well, duh. We all are. We’re…well, we’re the hope of humanity or whatever they called us in the news.” He nodded before returning to the kiosk.

“What an embarrassing title. We’re just trying to survive like everyone else.”

“We aren’t like everyone else. Isn’t that the point?”

“Uhm,” I cut through suddenly. “That reminds me. Why are you two here?”

“Ouch. Harsh.”

“She meant what our talents are, obviously.” Erin huffed.

“Right,” He responded with a knowing smirk. Erin rolled her eyes which caused the smirk to widen. “I’m not expecting it to be the most reliable talent, but I’m Orrin DuPont. Ultimate Mortician.”

Mortician? Did I hear that correctly?

“Yes, that’s right. Mortician.”

Could he read minds?! I must have given away my shock, because he looked at my face with amusement. 

“It’s certainly some talent,” Erin began. “Why they invited someone like that here I have no idea. I mean, how much can a mortician help us cultivate a new society?”

“Probably the same amount a socialite can.” He replied quickly.

The tension between them began to dawn on me, but despite this, they both held smiles and lax shoulders. Erin grabbed Orrin’s ear, but he did not protest. It seemed that they were both enjoying themselves. They enjoyed trading barbs, but I began to fear the longer I stood here the more likely it would be me their thorny humour turned to.

“What are you doing?” I changed the topic.

“Testing out the dome here. This is the only place in the facility that overlooks the outside. Or so we thought. It looks to be some illusion. The ceiling isn’t glass, it's just a projection.”
“That being said, this room is quite pleasant. It's nice to get some quiet around here. I’ll warn you now Celia, the others are a strange bunch. They’re all pretty quiet though.”

I nodded, looking around. I let a butterfly land on my finger and Erin approached me.

“They seem to have taken a liking to you. You seem to attract them!”

“I’m…good with animals.”

“Yeah? I’m helpless with them. They never really like me too much. I prefer people, obviously. They’re a lot more simple.”

“I couldn’t disagree more. Talking to people feels like a marathon of mistakes and miscommunication.”

“Sure, when you look at it as just a conversation.”

I tilted my head, confused as Erin sighed and crossed her arms.

“Every conversation is a trade. You trade your time for comfort, or you’re investing your time in someone so they'll defend you later. Social interaction is just a marketplace for intangible wealth. Everyone wants something when they’re in the social world.”

Her words rattled around in my brain. I had never been part of this ‘social world’. I had no memories that came to mind when thinking of such types of interactions.

“I sort of understand, but isn’t that a pretty sad way to think about talking?” 

Erin went silent for a moment before shrugging and proceeding on with investigating. I wasn’t sure if I was the type of company an ultimate socialite wanted to keep and I’m sure she’s regretting it a bit, but I am kind of glad to meet someone here who seems to be friendly, even if it doesn’t really seem to meet her heart.

I tried to continue on through the door before Orrin gave me a firm set of tuts and I stepped back.

“Sorry?”

“I forgive you.”

“No, I meant, uhm-”

“It’s okay. I’m just teasing you.”

“Oh.”

He turned away from the kiosk at last and gave me a dry smile.

“Just about everyone is still getting acquainted with our surroundings. We all woke up quite a bit before you, so we’ve all paired off for exploration. I don’t mind her in my pair but I’m willing to swap. What do you say?”

“Wouldn’t that leave Erin alone?”

“Ah, it would.” He said as if the idea had just dawned on him.

“Uhm, no. I don’t want her to be alone.”

“Ah, I see. That’s good. You’re nice. We need more of that around here.”

He moved closer, placing the device he had in his pocket.

“Well, I’ll save you the trouble of having a look around here. What you see is what you’re getting. The projection ceiling seems to be on an automatic timer. During the day it shows the sky, and during what would be night for us back home it does the same. All clocks in the facility are synced to the same time, so it’s like we have our own little timezone.”

I nodded along, unsure of what to say.

“Well,” His eyes went dull. “Do stay safe out there.” He finished the conversation with a casual shrug and walked over to Erin.

Those two seem to have good heads on their shoulders, but despite their smiles they have a slightly prickly interior. It’d be best to only mention them when I absolutely need to.

After meeting the two, I pressed on to a room that shone brightly. On the other side, my jaw dropped as I stepped into a huge, two story room that held three others inside. A girl with pink hair caught my eye when I entered and turned to the two boys with her, before they all began a lively discussion. Steeling my nerves, I stepped towards whatever conversation this would be.

Chapter Text

 The ambient lighting of the garden was replaced with the violently bright lights of…a mall? The space around me was large and airy. A pristine white floor led to an escalator that housed a second floor. There were a plethora of doors and passageways here. There was no doubt that this was the heart of our facility. My eyes suffocated with its abundance of locations. 

There was a passage to the very back of the first floor of the mall, with a bright sun symbol on it. In front of it was a massive general store that looked to sell all kinds of amenities. I glanced over to the other wall, where another passage led to a sign that said ‘cafeteria’. Just in front of the passage was a launderette. On the second floor, a passage led to something with a moon symbol in low neon lights. Not far from it was a fancy wooden door, which stood out in comparison to the clean and refined aesthetic of the rest of the mall and was complete with a digital kiosk placed next to it. Across from the door and passage was another door which looked to be made of iron or some other metal. A kiosk sat next to it as well.

I thought having something to eat or drink might help me grasp my bearings faster, so I elected to enter the general store. After a quick overview, the store was filled with all kinds of knick knacks I struggled to even find the use for. Climbing gear, voice recorders, even what looked to be burlap sacks. I struggled to even think why anyone would sell this.

As I was bent down, stopped by a sudden interest in the coffee section, a door in the back of the store creaked open. Two figures exited, both boys who wore opposing expressions. One with a smile, the other a grimace. They saw me, and both me and the grimacing boy pretended to not see one another, turning our heads down. I was just about to make a full turn, when the other boy called out my name and began bounding towards me.

Great.

I turned to face them and let out all anxieties I could in this moment while I was alone. It didn’t last long.

The smiling boy had shaggy blue hair, complete with sharp canine teeth that it seemed were always showing. He carried a bundle of fireworks under his arm and waved at me with the other.

“Ah, heyyyy! You’re the newbie, right? Awesome!!! I’m, like, Harris Diavolo! Ultimate Daredevil! Sick, right?” His sentence rushed on like he needed to expel it all before he forgot.

The boy behind him crossed his arms and his stony gaze met mine.

“Basque Kuzmin. Translator.” 

Short. Brief. I nodded in response, hoping they’d remembered my name from earlier.

“What’s your name again?”

Nevermind.

“Celia, you dolt.” Basque looked to me for confirmation and I nodded. I sent him a sympathetic glance and his brow softened a little.

“Dolts are…?”

“A dolt is someone who is stupid and its etymology comes from Early Modern English dold.” I rattled off.

“What the heck is an entomology?”

“That is the specific study of insects.”

He tilted his head in confusion, but before he could ask more, Basque placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Juniper is waiting. Go, show her what you found.” He hissed the order and Harris jumped to attention instantly, rushing out of the store without a question. Basque regarded me once he left.

His gaze wasn’t piercing or intimidating. He simply stared with neutrality.

“He’s an idiot.” He finally said.

“I, er…”

“There goes any sign of an actual worthwhile conversation.” His gaze returned to judgement. “I don’t really care for the helpless timid type, so-”

“I’m not good with people, but I’m not helpless. Don’t underestimate me.” I said, with a little more heat than I intended. Was that too far? I should have kept my emotions in check.

“Hmph.” He placed a hand on his shoulder. “So, what are you looking for? Me and Harris have been searching the mall. I know where everything is.”

“You must have a good memory-with your talent too. I enjoy translation. It’s interesting.”

He finally turned his body to fully face me at this moment.

“Translation is no hobby. People think all languages are simply one to one, like words can be swapped freely between them. Language influences our thinking, our reactions, our realm of feeling. Languages are like living breathing people. In order to understand someone you must first understand their history-” He paused. His pale cheeks began to flush a pink, and I couldn’t help but smile.

I chose to ignore it and pursue his original question.

“I’m not looking for anything. I was just hoping to grab some water and a snack. I’m still a little out of it. What are you two looking for?”

“Party supplies,” Basque shook his head. “That irritating tall freak has it in his mind that we should hold a party to celebrate our first day as a colony together. Tch.”

“Oh god.” I sighed out.

“Hm. I’m glad someone agrees with me.”

At that moment we heard two voices approach. One was Harris, but the other was a girl, who appeared when she passed through the shelves and pointed at the door in the back. It must have been a storage room, as I saw a few iron shelves housing other things like paint cans and trolleys. Harris sulked, carrying the fireworks inside. The girl slowly turned her head to me, and like a cat with a mouse, moved in slowly to examine me closer.

She stood in front of me for a beat too long, her eyes running over me. She had soft pink hair with a comfy looking yellow coat that kept her warm. Her footsteps were light and she spoke in a calm tone.

“Celia,” She said my name and I wasn’t sure if I was expected to respond. So I didn’t. “Pantomath. You and Basque would get along, wouldn’t you?”

“Don’t talk like you know me.”

“You’re right, I don’t. I just had a hunch. It’d be a shame if you didn’t get along with anyone here, Basque.”

“Tch. I’d rather keep to myself, thanks.” 

Basque skulked off into the storage room in the back of the general store, leaving me and the girl. She held out a hand to me and I shook it reluctantly.

“Juniper Cho. I excel at strategic thinking, but that’s mostly in crises. If you ever need a quick plan, I’m your friend.” 

“Strategy…? Like, in wars?”

“Well, not particularly. I’ve lended myself to some warmongers, sure but I prefer to solve past battles. Hindsight makes it easier, but it’s better than playing with human lives, hm?”

She waited for my reply, though I’m not sure how I could reply to something like that.

“I’m sure you’re still a little confused about some things here. The others likely won’t take time to explain it to you. I don’t mind answering any questions you may have.”

I wasn’t sure whether her smile was genuine, but as we spoke, I began to ease little by little.

“What, uhm…what did I miss?”

“Right, you were the last to wake up. Well, we all woke up and decided to have a look around our surroundings. We’re yet to find our colony coordinator and those doors in the hangers seem to be locked, so they may still be setting up. Anyway, we all agreed to have a small welcoming party in the smokehouse upstairs for the time being. We had some of us wait by you and when we heard you were waking up, we all couldn’t help ourselves but to rush to meet you. We had high expectations.”

“Were…they met?”

“That is up to you. Anyway, we’ve not done too much. Me and the two boys were asked to find some fun things to liven up the party. That being said…”

As she said it, Harris came barreling out.

“OhmigoshohmigoshOHMIGOSH!” He sprinted straight towards Juniper, stopping just short of running her over. “Guess what I found!”

“No.” Juniper spoke gently and with a smile, but her tone was a little tired. “I keep telling you to just show me. If it’s another firework, walk all the way back again.”

Juniper can be…a little scary when she’s being firm.

“Nononono! Oh, baby this is so much better than that!”

“Don’t call me that.”

“So, I was putting back the fireworks like you said-”

“I was putting them back while you ruffled around the boxes in the corner, you mean.” Basque muttered, appearing at the door.

“When I found this!” He threw out a strange board game. It had a massive claw on the cover, with a child’s finger stuck in the claw's mouth.

“What the hell…?” This is the first time Juniper’s smile faded.

“Is…that Beartrap Super Clap…?” I said. All three pairs of eyes turned to me suddenly. “I-It’s not like I know much about it…” I said, lowering my head.

“Yup it totally is! Get this, this game is friggin’ limited edition! Only like, a few copies were made! It was discontinued and the factory that made it got sued to hell and back!” 

“Perfect for a party then.” Basque huffed.

“Harris, no.” Juniper's smile returned.

“Oh come on! You said no to the fireworks-”

“We’re indoors.”

“And the water balloons-”

“I think you’re the only one who’d want to do that.”

“And even the pellet guns!”

“I don’t care how non lethal the ammo is, it’s just asking for someone to get hurt.”

“If I can’t have anything fun at the party, what will I do?!”

“Hm,” Juniper inched closer, inspecting the box. “Well, I suppose you can have your little game. If you manage to find us something to actually bring to the party. Besides, I’m sure some of the more…unsavory individuals would love to play a game like this.” Her sadistic grin sent shivers down my spine.

“Oh, absolutely. In fact, do me a favour and ask Iker. I think this is right up his alley. He’ll probably say no at first, but you know, he can be a bit shy.” Basque said, growing a smile of his own.

I’d…better leave before I get roped into this anymore. I slowly and silently slipped away. Those two are going to rope poor Harris into all kinds of trouble and I don’t want to be witness to it. They’re the type of people you want to keep happy.

I left the sounds behind me, and stepped closer to the cafeteria in hopes of getting something to snack on.

Chapter Text

The cafeteria was quite big. It housed about four tables with four seats, ready to house any groups coming to eat. There was a big glass window, similar to the garden. I checked the kiosk on the inside of the cafeteria and examined it closely.

It looked like it was on automatic mode, which set the walls to nighttime in accordance with the clock. If I scanned my device, it looked like I’d be able to login and manually change it. Before I did, I heard a cart rolling behind me.

Coming out of a door in the back, was a tall man with gloved hands. He held a clipboard in his hands and hummed to himself. His coat looked expensive and hung on his shoulders, letting his sleeves flap behind him. Behind him was a girl pushing a cart filled with dishes, all prepared and ready for consumption. She slouched as she pushed, and seemed to be struggling with the whole ordeal.

“Ah,” He said, as he took two steps forward. “You’re out and about. How is the introduction process going?”

I chose to ignore the previous conversation I had, and opted for the garden.

“It’s going well…I think…I hope…” 

“I see,” He tucked his clipboard away.

“I’ll do all I can to improve your process. I make business off of selling likeability, you know. I’m Takehito Kato. People management is like breathing for me.”

“Oh, are you the one who came up with the idea of the party?”

“Guilty as charged. I thought it was a suitable way to bring everyone together. We’ve got some individualistic people in our group, so I wanted us all to start off on the right foot. Although it’s been a bit more work than I hoped.” He chuckled weakly.

“Oh, right.”

I wanted to kick myself for my inability to respond with more words, but he seemed to either not mind or was good at not showing his thoughts.

“Right, well, I’ll have someone fetch you when the time comes. I’ve got to prepare a few more things.”

He began hurriedly walking towards the exit, but stuck on his heel at the edge of the passage. He spun on his heel and walked back, his polished soles leaving click clacks on the floor tiling. He looked at the slouching girl and waved to me.

She slowly turned her head towards me and yawned. She stood up slightly, and in a rehearsed tone spoke.

“I’m Karmen Soot. I’m an Ornithologist. Er, Ultimate Ornithologist I guess.” 

“Karmen here has won numerous prizes for her work on preserving animal wildlife. In fact, though most species have died off or are dying, Karmen has managed to keep population numbers for most birds at a stable high.”

Karmen shrugged the praise off, and sighed. 

“It’s nothing.”

“No, that’s definitely impressive. I didn’t know there were such impactful people here.”

“Yeah,” Karmen nodded at Takehito. “He takes on a number of clients-and anything he’s ever touched has skyrocketed to fame. Takehito is single handedly one of the top 1% richest people in all of the world-and absolutely the richest person here.”

Takehito simply shook his head. “Please, Karmen. You shouldn’t bring up things like that.”

“You did it first though…” She burrowed her hands into her pockets. 

“It’s true I own a sizable fortune, but we’re here now. Money isn’t relevant here. We all must do our best to run this colony on equal footing. I left that money behind.” He fidgeted 

slightly and Karmen let out a yawn.

“Can I nap now?”

“Almost, Karmen. Come on. Let’s get these to the smokehouse, then you can take a nap. I’ll wake you when the festivities start.”

“You really don’t have to.” Her voice seemed almost pleading.

“Nonsense. I insist. Everyone is attending. It’s our welcome party afterall!”

Karmen grumbled beneath her breath as Takehito led her out the room. He exchanged a small wave at me as he read the clipboard in his hands, not turning his head away from the itinerary.

Ultimates. Sure, I had felt that title was dramatic for me but I had forgotten what kind of people are invited here. They’re not people with some niche bank of knowledge. They’re people who’ve made an impact on the world. People with sway. People who hold control. I felt a burning pit in my stomach and a fist ball up and clench it. I was probably just hungry.

I rushed into the kitchen, which was much smaller. It was fully stocked with all kinds of ingredients, including alternatives for allergens. I rifled through the fridge and managed to make a sandwich. I took a second to eat alone in the kitchen, but even after I had finished, that feeling didn’t dissipate.

Chapter Text

After eating, I headed to the last place on the first floor I was yet to investigate. The passage with the sun symbol. It led me down through to a lounge area that seemed quite comfy. The soft yellow carpeted floor sunk beneath my weight. Inside there were a number of comfy cushions, bean bags and sofas. In addition, at the very end of the room was a large speaker. To its left was a bookshelf filled with various CDs and some magazines. I had a flip through the CDs, examining the genres. It had everything, ranging from classical to pop to rock. Whilst I examined the CDs, I heard a shuffling behind the couches. Cautiously, I approached and peered over the edge of the seat that gave the sound to find a boy crouched behind a sofa. 

“Uhm-”

“EEEEK!”

His ear splitting shriek caused me to falter back, before we both stared at each other for a beat.

Finally, 

“Sorry if I, uhm, scared you.” I offered.

“...Can you keep a secret?”

“What?”

“There’s something deeply wrong here…wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!”

“Are you alright? Did you…hit your head?”

He grabbed me by the shoulders. I got a good look at his tie, which had all kinds of bright and startling colours. His grasp was firm but he was shaking.

“No, I just see the truth! And the truth is, we’re doomed!”

“What are you talking about?” I sighed as I spoke and looked down at his hands on my shoulders. “Could you let me go, maybe?”

“Oh, sure. I bet you don’t really understand the weight of my words yet, do you?”

“I…guess not?”

“Let me explain a harrowing tale. I am Rohan Dara, The Ultimate Occultist. I see things beneath the naked human eye.”

Occultist? I know I wasn’t in much of a position to think this, but what kind of talent even is that?

“You’ve likely noticed by now how weird some of the people here are, right?”

I bit my tongue, but gave him a raised brow. The subtlety seemed to be lost.

“We’ve got talents like mortician, dream guide and even psychopomp. These talents aren’t even a little normal!”

“But…yours is…?”

“Of course! They sent me up here for a reason, you know. I believe among us, there are aliens, taking the form of those three, coming to steal our skin!”

Before I could even ponder on how I was expected to respond, a gentle voice called out as they entered the passage. A girl with a calm smile and even tone appeared, walking slowly towards Rohan.

“Ah, there you are. Rohan, please, I’d appreciate a little bit of help in carrying some of the things-”

“Back! Get back!”

Rohan placed a hand in front of me, guarding me from the girl ahead. She simply sighed and shook her head.

“Right. Aliens…I understand you take your talent seriously, but wouldn’t it be better to put more faith in us? We’ve just met and you’re already casting doubt based on introductions.” She stepped closer with each word, her steps light and almost unnoticeable.

“Tch. Likely story. You’re lucky I don’t have any equipment with me right now.”

Wait, that was true. I checked my pockets rapidly and dug around a number of times. All I could find was my device that I woke up with.

“Where did our belongings go? I swear, I had some of my stuff with me before I went under.” I played with the ends of my hair tentatively.

“We all woke up without any of our stuff. We figured The Progenitor Project took them when we were put under cryosleep to ensure they would be safely sent with the pods we left in.” She said this calmly, now right by Rohan. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and his limbs grew tense, as he looked for the exit. Before she could say anything, he was sprinting out the room, leaving us both behind.

“Uhm.” I could only manage, uselessly.

“Don’t worry about him. Takehito figured I’d be best at calming him down. He’s been like this since he woke up,” She waved a hand dismissively. “That’s besides the point though. You’re Celia, yes? I like your clothes!”

I looked down at myself. My clothes were nothing interesting. The hoodie I wore on my back had been with me for years. I dismissed the compliment but nodded anyway. These were the clothes I was wearing when I went under, at least. Despite the projection that our cryosleeps would take about nine months, I looked hardly different than before. My hair had maybe gotten a bit longer, but was about the same length as before. 

“Why did, uh, Takehito, right? Why did he choose you?”

“Oh, I guess because of my talent. I heard Rohan screaming about it earlier, but I’m Arden Phi, the Ultimate Psychopomp. I hope you can trust me.”

“A psychopomp? Isn’t that usually the role of deities in ancient religious texts? You’re not Anubis or something like Rohan was screaming about, are you?” 

“Wow, you’re just about the only person who knows what a psychopomp is! While psychopomps in many texts take the role of guiding spirits into the afterlife, in my context I have a similar role. It makes more sense if I say this-I used to be a priest.”

“Wh-what? You were ordained and everything?!”

“Mhm,” She nodded peacefully and reminisced fondly.

“For a long time, I grew up around the church. I knew I needed to become a priest as soon as possible, but…for reasons, I ended up leaving the church. Though, while I was a priest a lot of my duties involved going to people’s death beds in hospitals or emergencies and blessing them before they passed. I ended up getting good at it I suppose because people called me just for that. After I left the church, people still asked me to guide people into death and…well, it just became my daily life. I essentially make sure both the family and the deceased get their peaceful ends and make sure that no matter what, the dead’s wishes are fulfilled.”

I nodded eagerly, absorbing this into my mind.

“That’s so interesting! I’d love to see you at work one day!” I said, a little too excited.

“Well, let’s hope I won’t have to do anything like that while we’re here.” She gave me a smile that eased my doubt of excitement. 

I quickly darted my gaze down, but she kept her smile. She waved me off, before turning around and walking briskly after Rohan, I suspect. Now alone, I continued my survey of the room.

The Sun Lounge also had eight doors, each with a name on them. I looked between the names, and thought about who I’ve met and who I haven’t. The layout formed the shape of a semi circle facing the exit, with the speakers and CD shelves in the middle, breaking them further into four halves. I examined the rooms, left to right.

Ritsuka, Karmen, Myself and Arden.

I didn’t mind sharing a living quarters with Karmen and Arden if the names on the doors meant what I thought they did. I had a good feeling come over me about this Ritsuka person as another calm peaceful presence like the four of us. On the other side of the speaker, I scanned in the same direction.

Iker, Harris, Orrin and Rohan.

So much for a peaceful space. I lamented briefly, hoping that Iker might balance out Harris and Rohan, and quell Orrin’s strange energy.

I tried to open the door to my room, but as I pushed at the handle, it seemed locked. I stepped back, looking for anywhere to scan my device, but with no luck. I turned around, an

d looked to see if anyone else had managed to crack the doors, leaving the Sun Lounge.

Chapter Text

I had explored every room on the mall’s first floor, leaving just the second floor. I got atop the escalator, craning my head at a passage with a moon symbol. There were sixteen of us, right? I guess this must be where the other eight rooms would be. I’d better check out the area and see if they’re somewhat similar to the doors in the Sun Lounge.

When I entered, I was hit by cool air. The Moon Lounge was chic and sleek with chic black furniture and a thin grey carpet. The room looked like a first class lounge, with a large piano sitting in the middle, breaking the lining of the dorms. Just like the sun lounge, they formed a semi circle with four doors on either side of the piano. Where the sun lounge had couches and bean bags, this room had coffee tables and chairs. I felt a bit reminded of the parties and events I’d attend, and felt a slight sting of irritation. Those parties, stuffy events, the swaths of people gladhanding me…I had finally escaped it, even if it was in favour of a place so remote.

As I played with the idea, there was the unmistakable tapping of boots behind me. Two individuals, one girl wearing a shiny black leather boot and the other a boy wearing sturdy climbing boots approached. They both had placid smiles on their faces, exchanging ideas. 

They both stopped to turn to me. The boy approached, while the girl hung back, her eyes on me. Now that I think about it…she was the one who was staring at me back at the hanger. The one who had an eyepatch.

The boy held out his hand to shake mine. His grip was firm, but not too strong. 

“Looks like you’ve been making the rounds. We had a feeling you’d be walking around, so we’re fulfilling our duties. Oh, by the way, I’m Rye Althaus. The official title they gave me is Ultimate Survivalist but…I’d honestly not pay that much attention to that.”

Rye was much taller than most everyone I had met. Though his clothes concealed his shape, he still looked lean and fit, ready to pounce at any moment. Survivalist made sense-if we ran into any issues, the first person to turn to would be someone who knew how to survive in any environment. I felt myself sigh, as I looked up at him.

“Fulfilling your duties? What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing major. Do you have any dietary requirements?”

“Oh, no. None. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“A bother? It’s just food, you know? You can find it anywhere. Pretty much anything is edible, at least once.”

I gave him a concerned look. Maybe I spoke too soon on his reliability.

“So,” I played with the ends of my hair and looked down. “Are you, uh, able to enter any of these rooms?” 

“Ah, the dorms? Nope, they’ve been locked since I woke up. I’m sure they’re just running behind schedule on orientation though, right?” He shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Is there…usually an orientation?”

“You didn’t read the pamphlet they sent out?” He knitted his eyebrows and I slowly shook my head.

I didn’t really divulge why. I had to escape, as soon as possible. I honestly didn’t believe they’d even have a place for me, but it seemed that someone dropped out at the last minute. I thought back to the hurried packing that night…wait. My luggage wasn’t here either!

“My luggage-”

“Don’t bother. It’s prolly being held in a safe place for now.”

“...prolly…?” 

“What’s with the tone? Look, I don’t know where our stuff is but it doesn’t exactly matter right now, does it? We’re throwing a party and the director is probably busy setting stuff up elsewhere. They’ll show up and our ‘educational crusade’ will start any moment now.”

“Educational…crusade?”

He looked shocked for a moment, before turning back to Jiayi, who had her back turned to us as she inspected the doors. Seeing he had no backup, he sighed as if burdened with a task.

“You really didn’t read the pamphlets, huh? Yep, while we’re here the director is going to keep teaching us all kinds of stuff relating to our talents. We’ll be honing our talents during our time at the facility, with uniforms and everything. It’s kind of like college, but instead of a major, your lessons are focused on your talent the Progenitor Foundation gave you. It also said something about providing unique facilities based on every class, but I’m yet to see anything even closely related to survival.”

What would that even look like? Despite his attitude, it seemed Rye had actually done some prior research and was well-informed. Not totally unreliable, then. I nodded along, feeling a flush of embarrassment at my lack of knowledge. I was hardly much of a pantomath if I didn’t even know about our situation. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder…

“What sort of facilities do you think they, uhm, are planning on providing?” 

Rye shrugged and began walking casually. “Beats me.”

I bit my tongue and followed, shaking my head at his lackadaisy. 

As I got closer, I saw the names on each door better. Going from left to right, the order for the Moon Dorms seemed to be:

Erin, Juniper, Esther and Jiayi

The piano sat in the middle breaking the line before it continued.

Takehito, Basque, Vassal and Rye.

I looked them over, noting the names I had not met before. As I took mental note, I felt a hot stinging sensation at the back of my neck. I turned on my heel to see the girl from before, standing close to me. Her hands were in her lab coat casually but her eye made me feel anything but. 

“Pantomath,” She mumbled before smiling. “A veritable talent. You should be proud.”

“Oh, uhm, I…” Why was I nervous? I was beginning to adjust to the others, but somehow in front of her, I felt like I had regressed to when I had just woken up. 

“Jiayi Shu. I am The Ultimate Diagnostician. It’s a mouthful, but shouldn’t be trouble for someone like you, hm?”

Jiayi…so that dorm room was hers. She finally shut her eye and looked away from me, giving me a moment to breathe. Her right eye was wine red and kept scanning the room.

“Tell me, Pantomath, what is it you’re here to do?”

“Oh, well, I just wanted to look at the dorms.”

She paused, turning over my words as if I had said something deeply profound before she finally replied with a satisfied grunt.

“I see. Well, I’ll just let you know now, if you intend on acting like this during our entire stay…what a waste.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh?” She seemed to perk up with the tone of my voice. She narrowed in on me. “You’re not going to be very useful around her, I imagine.”

I bit the inside of my mouth and clenched up my fists. She watched me with pleasure, before I unfurled, and the second I did, her smile dropped once more. Beside me, Rye waved his hand apologetically.

“Excuse her. Even amongst us, Jiayi is pretty famous. I think she’s used to being around all kinds of super academics and stuff, so she can be a bit…” Rye excused, but trailed off trying to find a word. Jiayi raised an eyebrow, and Rye met her look with an apologetic smile.

“Oh.”

Jiayi caused a pit to grow in my stomach, just by looking at her. We met eyes once again, and this time, I refused to look away. Even if I wanted to, very much. I wouldn’t fall over. Not again. This time…this time I would stand my ground.

“Anyway…” Rye interrupted our staring contest, and I looked away but Jiayi didn’t. Dammit. I lost. “If you have no dietary requirements I think we should be good to go. We gotta collect the others, right Jiayi?”

She nodded, and began walking, not sparing another glance. Rye mouthed a sorry before trailing off behind her. I’d have to make a mental note to steer clear from her as much as possible. That probably started with standing outside of her dorm door.

The Moon Lounge attendants seemed to be on the more calm side, and with this lounge, I feel most of them would feel very satisfied. Maybe that’s why they split us? If so, why was I pla

ced with the troublesome crowd? I lamented this idea, leaving the lounge with a huff.

Chapter Text

As I left the moon lounge, I spotted the strong metal doors that stood directly across from the smokehouse. I began curiously walking over, wondering what lay behind them, but the door to my side caught my attention when it flung open. Karmen and Takehito walked out of the door, both looking thoroughly exhausted while chattering behind them took up whatever room they left. They both traded me a terse nod before heading into the cafeteria once more down the escalators. 

I walked into the room, coming upon an interesting space. The room was spacious with a dark wood paneling on the floor. Each step felt sturdy against the reinforced wood. Around me, there were various couches made of plush materials that seemed all too comfy to just sit on. There sat a bar, fully stocked with a selection of beverages, alcoholic and otherwise. Besides the bar were a number of buffet tables, and a few dining tables and seats. In the corner sat a pool table and across from it was a dart board. The ambience in this place felt like the type old businessmen frequent, but I couldn't deny the food looked especially good. I thought about grabbing a bite but my attention caught onto the source of earlier.

What was I…seeing? What the hell was going on here?!

“Let me go!” A screeching voice whined, smacking her hands and legs on the wood floor. On top of her, a burly strong guy sat, putting his full weight on top of her while she struggled. He looked entirely uninterested in my presence as our eyes met. 

The girl finally looked over to me, and her face lightened. She had frantic pupils that skated around the room. Her clothes were a bit scuffed and seemed to have faded black stains on them. 

“You! Help! Now!” She commanded. The boy shot me a look, and I felt myself step back.

“I-I would…but…uhm…” I glanced at him and she squealed.

“Is it money you want!? I’ll totally give you money or something, just let me go! How much do you want?” 

“Uh, well, money is a little…” I trailed off, not wanting to bear any worse news.

“I told ya,” The boy finally spoke, though his voice was still low and mumbled. “If ya want out, just stop squealing and shit.”

“Squealing? I was NOT squealing!”

“Squirming, then?” He shrugged and rifled in his pocket and pulled out a toothpick. He stuck it in his mouth and grumbled. “Would it kill this place to bring along some smokes, dammit.”

“Hey, uhm…” I turned to look down at the girl, whose face was getting an uncomfortably blue-ish shade. 

“Huh? Speak up!” 

“Oh! Uh, h-hi!”

“....Hi? Whaddya want?”

“Well, nothing really, but-”

“Cool. You want nothing, so we’re good here. Got it?”

I had never come across guys like this, but in the shows I watched, the delinquent characters always respected when someone showed guts. So, steadying myself I spoke firmly.

“Hey, dude, you better get off that girl before she passes out!” The words felt clunky and awkward coming out. 

“You making fun of me?” 

“N-no! I mean-well, I just thought usually guys like you-”

“Like me?”

“Well, uh!”

“Look, I don’t care either way. I’m just doing my task. Keeping this one in check.”

We both finally turned our attention back to her, and she was on the floor, completely unconscious. I gasped, reaching out to check her pulse. The guy stood up and placed his hands in his pockets and watched me from behind, removed from the situation as if he wasn’t responsible.

The second I got close, the girl jumped up and lurched for the man. She ran at him with a flurry of fists, but was stopped by a casual finger to the forehead, stopping her from getting any closer.

“Were you…faking passing out?” I heaved a sigh at her sudden burst of energy.

“Kyaaaah!”

“She’s not answering you anytime soon like this.”

Fed up, the guy removed his finger, letting her run towards him again. He casually and quickly moved to grab her, his movements difficult to track. In moments, he had her slung under his armpit as she moved vigorously.

“You here for names, yeah? If I give you mine, you’ll piss off right?” He adjusted his grip and used his free hand to give me a short salute.

“Name’s simple. Vassal Cain. Call me Vas though, alright? Don’t bother calling me anything else. I won’t reply.”

“Nice to meet you, Vassal. Oh, er, Vas, I mean.” He watched me intently before shaking his head.

“I’m not gonna kick your ass so you can chill. I’m a street fighter, not some violent punk.” He shrugged off my gaze.

“Oh, uh…” I struggled to find what to say, but he spoke before me.

“Introduce yourself already. God.” He grumbled to the girl in his hold who stopped her shouts and screaming to look at me.

“Ohh, right. I’m Ritsuka Kimura. I dunno why I’m here but everyone here calls me the Ultimate Demolitionist, so I guess that’s me.”

“You don’t know why you’re here?”

“No! I woke up and I just want to go home! Why won’t you let me leave!”

“I explained it to you, god. Someone else must have signed you up for the project, simple. Now stop screaming, you're gonna scare the others.”

I didn’t realise it was even possible for someone else to sign you up. Just as I had that thought, Takehito and Karmen returned, resulting in more screeches and complaints from Ritsuka. I took this as a chance to slip away,

lamenting the fact I’d be sharing space with her in the coming days.

Chapter Text

Ignoring the sounds behind me, I went into the final room I had not explored yet, that sat behind an ominous metal door. The kiosk at the front seemed to be off and the door opened automatically when I approached. 

Inside was what I could easily surmise as a laboratory. The walls and floor were all white, and a coat hanger held lab coats. Beside it was a cabinet filled with goggles and gloves. There was a table in the middle, large and fit for holding many things. All the walls were filled with cabinets holding various things. I glanced over them briefly. Things like flasks, pipette, microscopes and anything else of the like sat in them, polished and clean. There was a sink basin, and underneath was a drawer filled with other equipment you’d more likely see at a hospital, all kept in sanitary compartments. Scalpels, stethoscopes and the like.

On the far end, there was a large cabinet filled with rows of bottles. As I got closer I spotted some medicines I recognized. Things I had taken a lot when I was younger. Uneasy, I flicked my attention away from the cabinet, not wanting to give them a proper look. I must have shown it on my face, because one of the two other people who were looking around themselves, walked towards me.

He had hair that looked bed swept but somehow intentional, with a bright smile and a pair of sunglasses sitting atop his head. He flashed a grin, showing off his dimples as he walked over to me.

“Tell me, what’s the difference between a hangover and a trip across Europe?”

I tilted my head in confusion, stunned out of my nerves. His tone was joking, so I just shrugged.

“Uhm, what?” I asked, waiting for the punchline. He shrugged back.

“No clue. I was hoping you’d tell me.”

Caught off guard, I let a bit of a laugh through in the form of an exhale from my nose. He beamed and held out his hand. I gave mine to shake and he did a small courtesy before kissing the palm of my hands.

“Great to meet you, ma’am. I’m Iker Elias, here to ease all your tensions away. Physical or mental, I’m here for you so don’t hesitate to come to me.”

“Oh, uh, thank…you.” I ignored the feeling of my skin bumping as I retracted my hand. He gave me a friendly smile and leaned over the table. Not knowing where to look, my eyes fell on the medicine cabinet once again. As soon as they did, he mumbled.

“I wonder…what use do we have for a place like this? I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Well, it’s probably an assigned space, right? I heard we all got places to practice and utilise our talents so this feels like that kind of room.”

“Ah, you must be right!” The surprise in his voice felt a little thick, but I ignored it. “Looks like it. Veeeery professional. D’you think they’d mind if I nipped in here once in a while to test out what kind of combinations I can mix with this stuff?”

“That’s a bit dangerous, don’t you think? I mean, most of this is high quality. It’s not my room though, so I’d suggest asking them.”

He sighed and adjusted his sunglasses.

“Unfortunate. I was hoping to see if I could make a whole new element.”

“Well, that’s a bit unlikely. We don’t create elements, we discover them.”

“Ah, so we do. That’s a distinction I never paid too much attention to. You’re pretty smart for noticing something like that!”

“Not really…” I muttered and he shook his head.

“Just take the compliment, okay? You got nothing to lose by saying thanks for the kind words.”

I nodded absently before he lifted his head to check on the digital clock in the room.

“Ah, looks like it’s almost time for the welcome party. I promised I’d go round up the others, I just got a little distracted. When you’re done, mind reminding her to head over to the bar. We’re gathering there. Make sure not to show up late-when the party starts, it’s hard to enter in the middle, you know?” He gave me one last smile before heading out and whistling to himself.

Iker Elias…he seemed nice. He was the last resident of the sun dorms and I was happy about it. Even if he seemed to be the more social type, he’d do a good job of quelling the louder ones and keeping them happy. For that, I felt thankful.

Over in the corner, the last person I had to meet stood, staring at the periodic table of elements with focus. I approached cautiously, but with a directive in mind, it felt a lot easier to talk to new people.

“Uh, hey! Sorry to interrupt but the party is starting soon, so…”

“Wrong.”

“Wrong…?”

“Bacchanals such as this never have a start date,” She turned to face me and gave me a look that let me know she was looking down on me. It might have been the fact that she was literally looking down to speak to me. “Time is but an illusion and for beings who’ve seen the breaking of it all, there is no true ‘starting time’.”

I blinked.

“Right. Well, I just-”

“Hah! You seem astounded by such a revelation! Fie! The bane of mine existence is to educate and that extends even to the Ultimate Pantomath! Truly, I must be a divinely chosen presence.”

“No, I know what you mean by time is an illusion, but, like, objectively the party is starting.”

“Blast! You knoweth of mine lexicon! Only those blessed by the world tree can understand mine speech!”

“I don't think Yggdrasil is even able to bless things, mythologically. It’s not like some god or something.” I corrected.

Her jaw fell open, and she rushed to grasp my shoulders.

“Thy existence is a symphony on mine ears! Finally a fellow here who derives understanding from mine lexicon!”

“It’s…pretty easy to follow.”

“Perhaps for ones enlightened by the truth! Hark, hear mine name and recognize greatness! Thy has just met Esther Mercurial, The Ultimate Dream Guide!” 

“There’s a talent like that…?” My words came out before I could temper them into something kinder but no recognition seemed to meet her face.

“Not just a talent, but a skill! One honed in many years, in hiding from the strife of modern society. Please, a poem:

For those who strike the sea,

There are pirates

For those who battle the unknown,

There are scholars.

For those who defeat the dreaming

There is me.

For only when we beat the sleeping,

We may meet the leaping.”

She struck a pose, waiting for something from me. When nothing came she broke pose and huffed.

“Hold thy applause if thou must. I hath no need for it.”

“I’m gonna go.”

As I walked out the room, a headache forming, I heard her run after me. 

“Ah, wait! I have more

poems to share!”

I began speeding up, heading to the bar far faster than before.

Chapter Text

Inside, it seemed everyone had already gathered. Me and Esther were the last to arrive, and Esther found herself a seat on one of the couches. I hung near the door and leaned against the wall. As I did, Erin moved around to give everyone a glass of champagne. As she handed it to me, she giggled.

“No need to drink if you don’t want to-it’s more for the ambience.” She nodded and I felt thankful for the out.

She made her way to the rest in the room, and took her place, standing beside Takehito near the back of the room. All eyes were on the pair, who was joined by Iker.

“Good afternoon everyone. I’m glad you could all make it. I know, we don't have anywhere else to be, but I still appreciate your presence. Each and every one of you. I wanted to usher in a new era-we are the world’s hope. The sixteen of us were sent here to represent the continuation of mankind. We had to lose a lot to come here, to choose to live, we had to abandon all we left behind,”

His words reminded me of why I left. Leaving everything behind was easy for someone with nothing they wanted to keep. Wealth and family meant little when you had to exchange it for the sun and anything outside of expensive tutors and lessons. I smiled, gripping my champagne flute. Around me, everyone else had managed to smile too, even people like Basque. 

Of course, the Progenitor Promise smoothed out a lot of the pains most people had of leaving. A promise that the incredibly powerful organisation would carry out would relax anyone into agreement. I kept my promise simple. It was selfish, sure, but I had nothing I wanted back home. My promise was that in this new life, in this new world, with these new people that I would be given a use. Not just to learn-I asked to be alongside the group, to help run things here. I wanted to be useful. I would join the organisation, and that was their promise. I would help everyone here learn, and using my abilities, be their teacher towards their goals.

“So, in the spirit of our new lives let’s all agree to get along and help each other flourish!” He raised his glass to an uproar of cheers.

“And, let’s promise to have a little fun too. We can’t always be expected to be good. These years are for making mistakes.” Iker added, grinning at the room.

“Did you really have to add that?!” Erin’s perfect smile was replaced with a more natural eye roll.

“Erm, well…let’s drink!” Takehito struggled to pull back his speech, but as he sent the drink down his throat, Vas was already pouring himself his third.

The party began and we had all devolved into various groups and sections. At first, it was a bit awkward, but quickly things became lively. I still wasn’t quite ready to join in, so I swept across the room and watched as everyone relaxed and enjoyed the environment from my position by the door.

Situated by the bar was Vas, Iker, Takehito, Jiayi and Erin. Erin moved up and down the bar, pouring drinks as she gave all three careful glances, keeping watch of their drinks.

“What would you guys like…for, what, the fifth time already?” She said, an edge of judgement in her tone.

“Tch, fives nothing. I can drink you all under the table, easy.” Vas twirled his beer around, placing the bottle on the counter.

“Careful, Fighter. You don’t know when you’re beat.” Jiayi sipped politely on the cocktail in her hands, before sending a dangerous look to Vas.

“Yeah? Wanna make it a challenge?”

“Now,” Takehito swirled his whiskey, clinking the ice in it. “Let’s all calm down. We still have to wait for our director to show up. We shouldn’t get carried away.”

“Are you always on the clock like that? Relaaax!” Iker shrugged, placing his glass at the end of the bar. “Another one, would you?” He gave Erin a wink, which caused her smile to drop.

“Another what? Spit it out.” Erin grumbled and rolled her eyes. 

“I only drink the best of the best-and the only thing that fits here is that lovely red wine.”

“Sure, sure. God, why am I doing this for you?”

“Because you loooove me!” Iker said in a sing-song tone and was met with an over the top fake belch. Erin grabbed the fancy wine off the very highest shelf of the bar and poured it, as Jiayi and Vas began to chug theirs rapidly. Takehito grumbled and placed his head in his hands.

Over by the buffet, I caught from the corner of my eye Juniper, Orrin and Basque who picked away at small food and watched with amusement at Esther and Harris.

“By the by, what saucy game is it you wished to play?” 

“Er…huh?” Harris said in between mouthfuls.

“Hey! Cut it out! You’re gonna eat all the food!” Basque shouted, moving from his place on the wall.

“Halt! I cannot allow that! Relinquish yourself from the dining buffet at once!”

“I can’t understand you, sorry!”

“She said stop pigging out, idiot!” Basque moved to hold Harris back as he frantically began stuffing food in his mouth.

“I had not uttered such foul knavery! I requested with great accordance with polite society! Hey, wait, that dish is mine preferred sustenance! Unfurl your grasp on it at once so that I may imbibe!” Esther rushed forward and grabbed Harris, helping Basque pull him away.

“No! Way! I’m eating, alright?!”

“We can see that you lard!”

“Quite right, lard!”

Orrin and Juniper exchange furtive glances with one another before giggling to themselves. They began whispering to each other, making themselves laugh. I would hate to know what they were saying, so I changed focus before they included me in their jokes.

Over by the pool table, Rye, Karmen and Arden stood around the pool table, while Ritsuka and Rohan watched. They all spoke as the game went on.

“Fine,” Ritsuka said with her voice wavering. “Fine! I guess I wasn’t kidnapped necessarily, but I’m still here against my will!”

“Wrong.” Karmen replied without looking up.

“Wh-what do you mean?!”

“They couldn’t have taken you without your consent. There was a whole series of forms and everything you had to physically and personally sign.” Rye explained, aiming his shot.

“That’s what those forms were!?”

As he nodded, he fired the pool cue, and missed, somehow causing the cue to shoot from his hand and fly directly into Rohan’s stomach.

“Ah, Rohan!” Rye and Arden left the game to run to his side. Karmen sighed and continued playing alone.

“You alright?!” Rye helped him up, and Rohan held a shaky finger up to Rye.

“What the hell was that, man!” He complained and rubbed his stomach.

“Oh, I probably forgot to mention but I’m kind of unlucky. Things like this tend to happen when I play games, so-”

“Cursed. You’re cursed-what witch did you piss off? Get away from me, I don’t want your satanic aura rubbing off!” Rohan jumped away to hide behind Arden, but thought better of it and jumped away from her.

“Are you still scared of me…?” Arden said with a small chuckle.

“N-no! I’m not scared! You two are just bad news alright, bad news!”

“You’re kind of a coward.” Ritsuka teased with her first smile.

“Hey! Says you!”

“What the heck, why are they allowed to tease you but I can’t!”

“Aaaargh! I’m sorry, don’t blow me up!” Rohan retreated and got near Karmen, but she shot him a tired look and gave him a slow shake of the head. “Somebody…please…save me…”

“I’m not gonna-I would never!” Ritsuka huffed and crossed her arms.

“And here I thought we’d be playing a simple game of pool…” Arden sighed.

The festivities carried on like that for a while. Nobody seemed to pay me much mind, and I liked it. I enjoyed watching them, it let me know who I was here with. They didn’t care about me socialising or how I acted. It’d be hard to, considering so many of them didn’t really care how they themselves acted at any given moment it seemed. I liked it that way. This group was strange, and filled with the types of people you’d probably try to cross the street to avoid, but I think that’s why I felt more comfortable here. These guys were used to being avoided, to being scrutinized and judged. In a way, I was too. I dropped my shoulders and let out a breath of air. I finally willed myself to approach, walking towards the pool table, wanting to join in.

Just then, a sound cut my walk short. The sound of a loud click, followed by a microphone crackle. It came from the roof, and all chatter stopped immediately when we heard it. We looked around for the source, but when it spoke, it spoke from the heavens, as if to remind us all that even now, there was someone above us. We weren’t free. I was still under someone’s control.

“Hellllooooo friends! Students? Colonists? Huh, what should I call you guys…how about…participants! Yeah, that sounds good. Usually this thing is sorted out before, huh?” The voice was cheerful and light, like the voice of a young boy on the playground. Even still, something about it felt off. Oppressive. “Looks like you’re all here and comfy. Good, good. I love that! Yep, yep this is all going amazing! I would let the party continue buuut I think I’d better get started. Everyone is waiting for an explanation, so I think the time has come. Please report to the hangar for a quick talk from your…director? Co-ordinator? Teacher? Hm….call me…an enforcer. Okay! Bye bye buddies!” The voice became silent, leaving as soon as it entered. We all hesitated, unsure of when to move and what to do. Finally, it was Ritsuka who spoke.

“Finally…I can ask for a ride home!” She ran out the door, leaving no impression of caution.

“I’d better go after her.” Arden quickly moved to follow, running to catch up.

The rest of us weren’t so eager.

“Is it just me or…did that voice sound kind of…” Harris started

“Wrong?” Orrin finished, shrugging. “I mean, what kind of kid is put in charge of a project like this?”

“Maybe it’s not a kid, and their voice is just…really high.” I said with hope only to be met by a shake of the head from Erin.

“That’s not it. There’s something else in that voice. Like, excitement or…enjoyment…or…something.”

“Jeez, you guys worry too much. I’m going.” Vas stood up and wiped his lips.

“Big lug has a point. We’re safe here, and it’s about time we get an orientation going. We should only worry about showing up too drunk.” He said, following Vas out.

“Suppose they have a point. Not much we can do now, anyway.” Rye followed after, dropping our number down significantly.

Instinctively, the rest of us looked to Takehito who was now drinking a glass of water.

“Hm? Is something the matter?” He said when he finished.

“What should we do?” Karmen put down the pool cue.

Jiayi chuckled and stood up. She placed her hands in her lab coat pockets and sighed. “What you should do is decide for yourselves, lemmings.” As she walked out the room, she stopped close to the door and stared at me. “Pantomath.” She said once, before leaving herself.

“Sounds about right,” Orrin sighed. “Well I don’t fancy taking that insult. I’m gonna go.” 

“We don’t have a choice in this matter.” Juniper shrugged and the two walked out in tandem.

“Well? Come on Takehito, what should we do?” Erin crossed her arms at a mildly confused Takehito.

“Well, I, uhm…let’s see…” He went to think, but I could tell the drink had gotten to him a little by now.

“Well, I’ll go ahead and tell you what’s up! It’ll be no sweat!” Harris rushed out and Basque groaned.

“Idiots gonna get himself killed.” He walked briskly after him.

The rest of us stood in silence, unsure of what to do. Erin groaned, all pretense of perfect posture gone.

“Fine, god. If it falls down to me-let’s go. We’re better off sticking with everyone. I don’t have a great feeling about this but safety in numbers, yeah?”

There were murmurs of agreement, and we all began to file out the door. I waited until everyone was out and before Erin could leave she shot me a wary look.

ook, one that withered me a little. I sighed, pretending I didn’t notice it and followed them towards the hangar.

Chapter Text

The hangar had transformed itself in our absence. What was once completely empty, now held a massive spacecraft, looking fit enough to carry all of us in it. It stood in front of the massive doors that were likely the entrance and exit and blocked the way to the room of cryopods we had all woken up in. Below it, Vas and Rye were investigating the doors and trying to pull it open with no avail. We all shared equally transfixed expressions on the spacecraft and were unsure of what to make of it. It spanned from the whole floor to the ceiling but left just enough room for the five doors to have a comfortable entry and exit. How had we missed this before? No, I would have definitely remembered something like this. This was new-but how? When? It made no sense how something of its size managed to appear quietly without anything so much as alerting one of us. 

“It’s not budging.” Rye stepped away from the door and grumbled. Vas cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulder.

“Alright then. Stand back.” He readied a fist, but before he could make purchase the mic cracked once more, and we heard that voice again, above us, speaking from somewhere we couldn’t even physically place.

“WOAHHH! Calm down, calm down! Let’s all calm down! Damage to facility property is a huge misconduct and will be punished accordingly! Please don’t make me have to punish you already!” The voice pleaded, and Vas stepped back. 

We had all formed a strong pack around each other, facing the spacecraft from a distance. The mic cracked again as we heard something in the spacecraft hiss. Suddenly, with all of us facing the spacecraft, something jumped out of the hatch. It leaped into the air and shut the hatch with its body, closing it. It stood on top of the spacecraft and angled itself to the nose so it was at a lower position. It now stood above us, letting us see it clearly.

It was…

“AAAAAAAAAGH!” Rohan screech pierced ears.

It was small, sure, but…

“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!” Ritsuka shouted, now trembling.

It was almost like a child’s toy. Like some playground drawing that would be discarded at the end of the day.

“It’s…ugly.” Erin said with disgust.

“U-ugly?!” The…thing…jumped back.

It was in an astronaut suit, but not any professional one. The basic all white suits you see on television. Its helmet was made of clear glass but it popped it off quite quickly to allow us an unfortunate look at the face it had.

Its head was perfectly circular. Most of its face was made up of a sun, a big bright smile on it, with perfectly beady button eyes. About one quarter of its face however was taken up by a crescent moon, where another, more demure and depressive expression lay. His left side had small triangles attached to it, as if to symbolize the sun's rays but the right side had no such thing. It was tiny, just reaching to about my knee.

“Heeeeellllooooo! I’m gonna choose to ignore all the mean mean comments about how I look! You’re shocked, I get it!” It spoke, waving its small hand like a human would.

“I’m not too shocked. You’re ugly dude.” Vas shrugged out the words with an eager nod from Orrin.

“Hey, that's not very nice to your enforcer! I could have you punished for that, you know!”

“Did you just call yourself an enforcer?” Arden asked.

“Mmmmyup! That’s me! Oh, wait, introductions! I got so caught up watching you all meet I forgot I need to do it too. I believe you’ve all been waiting for some official to give you an orientation and explain what you’re gonna be doing here for the next few years. That’s me! I’m assigned to Progenitor Colony Facility number twelve, the Kafka Facility, so erm…you can call me…Twelve!”

“Did you just make that up?!” Basque rolled his eyes.

“N-no! Anyways, shaddup! You guys are mean!”

“Hey, weird thing!” Ritsuka shouted from below. “I didn’t sign up for this! I want to go home! I don’t want to do any weird learning and honing my talent! All I want is my bed!” 

“Huh? Didn’t sign up?” Twelve dug around his suit and pulled out a clipboard and flipped through. “Nope, you’re definitely on here. Ritsuka, yeah? Who am I kidding? I know you! I know you all! It’s my job! I know everything there is to know, like the fact that Karmen still can’t sleep without her nightlight on!”

“Wh-hey, I-” Karmen struggled to find something to say.

“I don’t know what this is, but I’d like to speak to the director. This isn’t a funny joke.” Takehito said, cutting through the noise. I saw Erin visibly drop her shoulders and her smile returned, pinching the corners of her face.

“Uhhh, hello. You’re speaking to me. That wasn’t a joke, that was-”

“Cut the shit, dude. Can’t you see you’re stressing some of us out? Look, just let us talk to the director and stop with this game. We’re too old for puppets and dolls anyways.” Iker backed Takehito up and shook his head.

“I’m getting really tired of you guys. I was excited before, but they say never meet your heroes.” Twelve tapped his boots on the spacecraft.

“Shut up! Can you just fuck off you weird freak, we want to talk to the director of this facility!” Basque shouted, as more of us became braver.

I watched Twelve’s expression turn slowly into a frown on both sides of his face. Quickly Juniper spoke.

“I wouldn’t keep antagonising him. Doesn’t seem wise.” 

“Why not? The ugly thing is starting to piss me off!”

“He seems like the sensitive type,” Jiayi chimed in. “But by all means, continue.”

Juniper shot Jiayi a look, who just shrugged in reply.

“Hell yeah I will. Your stupid name, voice and face are pissing me off. If you fuck off and get the director maybe then we’ll-”

We all cut silent when the crescent moon had now moved over, taking up more than half of Twelve’s face, leaving only a quarter of sun left. Twelve’s eyes were pure red, and the smile was replaced with a cold, unmoving line, one that showed no emotion, no humanity. He spoke slowly and simply.

“If you want to see the old director so badly, I don’t mind showing you.” 

My stomach dropped to the soles of my feet. The door Vas had been trying to open before shot open, and out from it, what tumbled through shut us all up. Nobody spoke, nobody even screamed. We didn’t know what to do-I had no idea if there was a right thing to do. All the knowledge in the world couldn’t prepare you to see your first body. 

He fell with a splat. His body was covered in cuts and stabs. He wore a black suit that had become stained with the blood that had been gushing from his body. His legs and hands were tied and his mouth gagged. His eyes were open, tears dried and his pupils shot. A long, massive gash across his neck told us all we needed to know. It told us far easier than words could.

“Does that suffice?” Twelve’s methodical voice broke the silence.

Screams erupted around me, but I had no idea who-it wasn’t something I could focus on right now. This man was dead, and he had suffered through it. At the hands of someone else. No, not someone. Twelve had done this. The sun side of his face still smiled, a sickly one, a grin of pure malice and hatred. Of evil intent, of satisfaction of emotions I couldn’t even place.

“Why…” My voice croaked, as I stepped back with shaky legs.

“Why?” The moon slowly began shifting, and the sun returned, taking up most of Twelve’s face. “Silly, the why isn’t important! Not for you-cause if you don’t shut up and listen, I’ll have to do the exact same thing to you!”

At that, there were more cries. I covered my mouth with my hand and found myself a stable holding against the wall. 

“Well, now that I have your attention, I better start explaining this stuff, huh? The Progenitor Project has…shifted gears for management. From now on, I’m in charge. You all came here and became one thing-whether or not you meant to. You are all mankind’s hope. The best and brightest of tomorrow’s generation. You will create a life here so that one day, when the earth is nothing but crumpled dust, they can all move here and leech off of your hard work! You’re supposed to be the ones to revolutionize the galaxy. To make this planet safe, to advance your research, to carry on the torch of humanity should it fall. What a bunch of self aggrandizing bull, am I right? Well, I had a better idea. You all have a task to fill, and must exist here for the rest of your lives. That part of the agreement hasn’t changed. The rules have, however. I hate to break it to you, but I didn’t do this. I can’t kill the director! I simply don't have the thumbs!” He did a pair of jazz hands and showed his four fingers cartoonishly.

“Get to the point…” Takehito said through gritted teeth.

“Jeez, so impatient! Okay, okay fine. It’s simple. You’re gonna kill each other!” 

“...What?!” My voice shot out and I felt my knees get weaker.

“Well, it’s not like you have to.” He shrugged. “Buuuut I’d say you’d better. After all, you all made promises with the project when you came here right?” He waved his clipboard. “I got it all right here! Not just that-your medical records, friends and family, secrets, history, crimes-I know everything there is to know about you all!” He giggled like this was some joke. Some sick joke that we all were supposed to find funny.

“What are you trying to say!?” Harris yelled, stepping in front of the group.

“Oh, right. I got carried away. The Progenitor Project no longer has a say in what happens to you here. You are not under their protection. You all are under my command. Hence my role-enforcer. You are all going to stay in this little facility for the rest of your lives, toiling away. You’re actually one of the last facilities to wake up. Most others have cleared out by now and are safe-which brings me to my next bit. The Killing Game! I get bored easily, so I wanted to make sure the rest of our lives won’t just be drab. In this game, anyone who kills another player will be granted their promise to be realised and will be taken out of the facility and sent either home or to another facility-I don’t care either way. Those are the rules!”

“Why the hell would any of us do that?!” Erin shouted.

“Huh? Well…I guess you wouldn’t, would you? Promises are hard to keep so I guess you guys aren’t all too concerned with that kind of thing. That being said, I get to break these promises however I’d like then! For example…Vas, I wonder if your sister can make it without the charity of the project. Well, you won’t have to worry about that anyway. We’ll probably have her killed before that becomes something she needs to worry about.”

“Wh-FUCK YOU!” Vas lunged forward but Rye grasped onto him, holding him back.

“Well, that’s…all. You get the rules. I gotta clean up, so could you all skadoodle? The body is gonna start smelling. I implore you all to read the rules before any killing though. Make sure to rethink hard about those promises the project made. The worst thing isn’t them not getting fulfilled. Sometimes, the worst thing is what we can do using them.”

Twelve jumped down, causing us all to flinch. He skipped his way to the dead body of the director and pushed him inside. The spacecraft door shut behind him, leaving a small puddle of blood where the body once lay. It became quiet, as we all processed what we had heard.

How could we speak? How could anyone?

My promise…was to help join the project to assist in teaching ultimates. That was harmless, right? That can’t be a reason to kill someone. Leaving here would be ideal, so I can finally live the life I always wanted, but I wouldn’t kill for that. Nobody would. Just as I had that thought, Jiayi sighed.

“Stop it.” She cut the silence and we all turned to her. “I can see it on all of your faces. Nobody would do this. Nobody would kill for a reason like that,” She sighed and shook her head. The rest of us shifted uneasily, but she stood fast. “I’ve known you all for just about a day and the only thing I'm more certain of than us not knowing each other is that we are all selfish. We all chose to save our own lives, to come to space to escape death, condemning everyone we left behind. I’m in no delusion about it. You shouldn’t be either.”

“Hey, Jiayi…” Arden started, but Jiayi raised a hand to stop her.

“I don’t feel like hearing it. I already know. Nobody here is a killer. Nobody is so cruel, vain and selfish. If you truly believe that, you’re already good as dead.” 

I looked around the room to find someone to disagree, but was stunned by what I saw instead. Clenched fists, pensive looks, frustrated expressions, but none of them reassured me. Everyone was thinking about their promises. What they left behind for this. What they were promised. Jiayi’s words weren’t true.

They weren’t we didn’t leave to be selfish we left to be humanity's hope, we left so we could have a better life we left-

“She’s right. The worst strategy in a game like this is helpless denial. Let’s face it. Many of us right now are considering whether or not we have the capability of murder.” Juniper echoed Jiayi’s statement. I went to argue but I saw a few agreeing nods. Orrin, Vas, Basque…even Arden mumbled a thoughtful sound. “The best thing we can do for ourselves is review our situations. We should all head to our rooms-I imagine they’ve been unlocked now. To Jiayi’s point, we need to think less about if we are capable of murder,” At that moment, she turned to face the entire room.

Everyone had their backs to each other, facing one another in mutual distrust, in mutual fear, in mutual suspicion. Me included.

“We need to consider if the people around us are capable of murder.”

Her words caused the quiet part to ripple throughout the group. All our minds were undoubtedly on the same thing while we exchanged glances. Exchanged looks. Pleas. Exchanged promises.

I stood there, wanting to tell myself they were wrong. That this was all wrong. That nobody would hurt anyone. But a feeling in my chest grasped me tight. My breathing was short and I felt the beating of my heart in a terrible way.

We all were capable of killing. We all wanted to live and we didn’t care about the cost.

Remaining Participants: 16

Chapter Text

Chapter 1-Bitter Roads For The Deceased

(Daily Life)

Killing….game. Those words stuck with me, staining my insides with a feverous shake. Kill another, to survive. To keep your promise. My promise was nothing special and absolutely wasn't worth killing over-but could I say the same for the others? What was said yesterday reverberated in my mind. 

We need to consider if the people around us are capable of murder.

That question, that thought echoed itself in a chamber without any response. It continued after Juniper said it. It continued after I felt sick. It continued after I excused myself and went to my room. It continued as I tossed and turned the whole night. It continued after I fell asleep.

It was my first thought this morning. Who of us would be okay with killing? Who of us had a promise worth killing? Who-

Ding dong, bing bong 

“Goooooooood morning participants! It is now 8 a.m. Are you feeling well rested after yesterday? Good! Welcome to your first full day in the rest of your lives! Erm, you're not mad at me for yesterday, right? I was a little hangry, so I'm sorry if I scared you! We're still friends, right? Right? Right? Ri-”

I switched off my e-handbook immediately, cutting off the irritating din of Twelve’s voice. I resisted the urge to toss my e-handbook, only because of the rules which were uploaded to all our handbooks yesterday.

Rules and Regulations:

1. All participants must reside within their Facility under the rule of The Enforcer.

2. Nighttime begins at 10pm and ends at 8am. Please keep this in mind, as some locations will be off limits during this period.

3.Violence against The Enforcer is prohibited.

4.Intentional destruction of public property is prohibited, unless sanctioned by the enforcer.

5. Any Participant who kills another participant is allowed to either return to earth or be transferred to another facility. This can only be completed if the participant is not discovered as the victim’s killer.

6. If the killer is exposed, they and they alone will be executed. If the killer is not successfully exposed, they alone will survive and all other participants will be executed.

7. A body discovery announcement will alert all participants when three or more people discover a body.

8.Additional rules may be added as The Enforcer sees fit.

Did this useless thing count as public property? I buried the thought, before forcing myself through the motions. Breakfast at the cafeteria was my first thought as I opened the door, only to see a lax figure flipping through a magazine at my door.

Iker gave me a wave before carefully placing the magazine back where it came from. 

“Ah, you're finally awake. Great to see you again,”

“Is it?” I shut the door behind me and gave him a cautious glare.

“Yep, yep, just as I thought. You've got your guard up, don't you?”

“Who wouldn't, after yesterday?”

“That's true, but…” He paused to examine me. “I think it's a little different with you. You've had your guard up from the moment we met, I think. Not that I mind of course,”

I…had no reason why, but that caused me a bit of irritation and another layer of awkwardness. I just shrugged.

“Why are you in front of my door?”

“Oh, right. I told the others I’d go get you, but I didn't want to disturb your sleep. I would say you need your beauty sleep, but you don't need a wink!” He chuckled lamely.

“So, you came to get me? For what?”

He looked a little disappointed at me ignoring his weird comment, but he continued anyway.

“You left the second you could, so that explains why you don't know. After everything, we all decided to meet for breakfast everyday right after 8am. It's around 8:30 am now, so everyone got a bit worried about you.”

I doubted his statement, though it was kind. 

“Why did we agree to that? What's the point?”

“Well, Takehito said it'd be a good chance to bond. He also said he had some ideas to talk about so we’re better off just hearing it from him, yeah? Don't worry, if anyone gives you flack for being late, I've got your back.”

“...okay.”

I began walking with Iker, trading casual conversation. Though I wasn't sure what I really thought about him, part of me was glad he was looking out for me. He led the way, and when I entered the cafeteria everyone had already gathered.

“Tch. About time.” Basque muttered from his table.

Basque sat with Karmen and Takehito. Karmen’s coffee was half sipped, while Takehito greeted me with a smile, nodding to the empty seat at his table.

“You must have slept like a baby! Aw, that's so cute!” Orrin said, his voice dripping with ill humour.

“Oh shut it. She can sleep as long as she wants to.” Erin scolded.

“I…don't need you to defend me. I slept fine, thanks. I just didn't know about all of this, that's all,” The words flew out before I knew what to say. I wouldn't be the type of person to be picked on, and not the person people thought needed defending.

Erin made an odd face, before turning to her own table. Iker came to join her, sitting with her and across from Arden and Ritsuka. A chatty table, no doubt. I grimaced at the thought of sitting there.

“Yo, if she gets to come late, I should be too.” Vas called from his table, seated with Rye, Harris and Rohan.

“I’d like to sleep in too, actually. 8am is a bit…” Karmen started

“Let's all slow down. It's best if we meet as early as possible, all things considered.” Takehito mumbled.

“The morrow is the spring tide of thy rebirth!” Esther raised her voice.

She sat with Orrin, Juniper and Jiayi.

“What’s she saying?” Harris said 

“Morning is the best time for your energy,” Basque replied.

“Wow, you know that, huh? You really are an amazing translator!” Arden chimed in.

“You seriously couldn't get what she was saying?!” Basque sighed.

I took my seat at last, letting the chatter filter to the back of my mind. Like this, we all seemed like a bunch of strangers getting to know each other. It felt almost normal, as if this was a new and exciting venture. 

It felt like what we wanted. What we signed up for.

What did we sign up for…?

“I was thinking…they can't just kidnap us like this, right? It's illegal.” I said after I had eaten a bit of my breakfast.

“To be fair, so is murder.” Karmen mumbled.

“Right. I wanted to sit with you three because you all left before the rest of us had agreed on a few rules, so I thought it best to catch you up.” Takehito smiled.

“Rules…?”

“Nothing so hard and fast as the ones in our handbook. More just…house rules we all agreed would make things around here run smoother. I'll also catch you up on our investigation last night,”

“What do you mean?” Basque huffed.

“After the three of you left, we split up to look into some things about the facility. I asked everyone to sit with those who they were with yesterday so they can discuss their findings while they eat and when we're all done we can discuss as a group. We were waiting for you to start.”

My face flushed, and I hid it by ducking my head low into my bowl. As I ate, Takehito began.

“Yesterday, we were concerned about a few things. Where were we? It's unlikely we sit in the Kafka Facility, as it seems Twelve has control of the entire facility. Secondly, who is Twelve? Is it an organization, or one person? What do they want? Why do they want it? Questions such as that plagued our minds. I suggested moving around to investigate but Juniper and Jiayi said that wouldn't be the safest, so we decided to travel in larger groups in an attempt to answer these questions.”

“I see. Sorry I didn't join,” Karmen mumbled. “I just…didn't feel like standing up for much longer.”

“That's it? That's your excuse?!” Basque said.

“That's my answer and I'm sticking to it.” 

“I can't tell if you're too honest or too lazy.” 

“Maybe both.” I added.

“I was in charge of managing tasks. With such a large group and a large area, I made sure we all kept on track. In addition, I wrote up a few things. Nothing so binding as a contract but a list of things important to our little community.” 

Takehito slid over a ledger to our side of the table, and the three of us peered over the contents. 

The Societal Living Committee’s Proposal:

1. Every morning, we will have a roll call after 8am. Iker will ensure the sun dorm arrives on time and Erin will ensure the moon dorm arrives on time. Takehito will do the roll-call.

2. In order to ensure trust and build a strong community, we encourage you to get along with your peers.

3. All members who sign the proposal will be ensured safety by the committee. We must all work together for the best goal.

4. Everyday a mandatory investigation of our surroundings will be conducted starting at 12pm. We will end at 2pm, with a group report in the cafeteria before lunch.

5. A rota will be made of all agreed parties. The rota will put two people in charge of breakfast in the morning to ensure that we have consistent sources of food.

I scanned the bottom of the proposal. It had thirteen empty spots. At the very top, Iker, Erin and Takehito’s names sat in clear bold ink. The three of them must have created this ledger. The thought should have soothed me, an active effort to make us a community. 

Something in the bottom of my stomach churned as I read it over. I turned my eyes up to see Takehito’s right smile as we read it.

“No worries. You don't have to sign now. We’ll be taking signatures at the end of breakfast. Allow me to explain a bit of what we found yesterday, in the meantime.

The first group, Erin, Iker, Arden and Ritsuka. I…would like to say they did much of anything but from what I hear it was largely them trying to calm Ritsuka. Originally Erin was here for the job but it sounded like she proved…difficult.”

I looked behind me to see their table.

“Thank you, you two. You really helped me yesterday. How can I repay you?” Ritsuka asked, not meeting their eyes.

“Aw, don't worry! Friends help friends out, right?” Erin waved a hand.

“I was talking to the other two! You didn't help at all!” Suddenly, Ritsuka looked up, her soft expression completely fading.

“It's not my fault you couldn't stop crying…” Erin mumbled, in an attempt to whisper but it held no actual effort.

“You're probably the type of girl who doesn't check if her soda has bugs in it before she drinks…hehehehe…I know exactly what type of person you are…” She cackled to herself.

“Is that, like, supposed to insult me?”

“Do you…often get bugs in your sodas?” Arden attempted to break the tension.

“Not after the last time…I always make triple sure to check, so I don't end up eating a cockroach again!” Ritsuka said proudly.

“Ew, gross!” Erin gasped.

“You're gross! You probably still cry when you watch horror movies and, and, get nervous when talking to pretty women! And you probably cry and beg for your dad when you get scared!”

“Okay, now you're just talking about yourself. I literally watched you do that.” Erin replied.

“They say projection is a clear sign of guilt, you know. I forgive you, if that's what you need to hear…” Ritsuka mumbled.

“Oh my. Come now, we shouldn't fight. We have two lovely people right here who should be getting along-” Iker began.

“Ew! You're totally a creep, aren't you! You're the type of person who thinks about how many butts have sat on a chair before you sit on it, aren't you?!” Ritsuka shouted.

“I've never considered that! Is that something I should be worrying about…?” Arden said with worry.

I wish I didn't look over. I turned back to Takehito’s explanation.

“The next group was Vas, Rye, Harris and Rohan. Those three looked for an exit, and possibly ways to escape. They lifted some furniture around and turned the whole place upside down, but to no avail. It seems escape isn't possible at present. They did find some things out though. It seems that there are cameras, tiny, but there watching our movements. They're all around us constantly, in the walls, in the floor, in the ceiling. For whatever reason, it looks like we're being monitored. Twelve is keeping a strict eye on us.

Not only that, but Twelve is quite responsive. Whenever you have a question for him he appears if you ask to see him. He's eager for conversation but I must warn you he is difficult to shake off. Once he starts it's hard to stop him.”

I looked over to their table.

“I'm still running with the theory that we're alien experiments, being watched to study humans.” Rohan said with certainty.

“Haha. That sounds like it could be fun!” Rye mused.

“Are you crazy?! Do you *want* to be probed?!”

“Dude, I'm eating.” Vas grumbled 

“I think if we met aliens they'd be nicer than this.” Harris said.

“Wrong. Aliens want one thing. To conquer. I've run into aliens before, y'know.”

“What are you even talking about?” Vas grumbled.

“When I was younger, I got lost one night. Then, suddenly, the trees started shaking and a huge blue light hit me from the sky. Before I knew what was happening, crazy things started to happen!”

“Oh hell yeah, that sounds rad! What kinda crazy things! Falling buildings?! Sucked up cows?!” Harris inched closer.

“Worse! My phone battery died, instantly!” 

“...what?”

“I was stranded without a phone! It was horrific! Aliens are no good, battery stealing jerks.” Rohan crossed his arms.

“Oh, that happened to me too. I was lost in a forest after my car crashed. I made a campfire for the night, but my phone had started leaking battery acid. Somehow the acid got into the flames and it blew up. I was knocked out for like…four days! Haha, good times.”

“That sounds fun! I wanna try it!” Harris shook with excitement.

“Yeah? I'll make sure to help you with the car crash part.” Vas said.

I sighed, not wanting to know more.

“Finally, Jiayi, Orrin, Esther and Juniper discussed and investigated the questions posed. They came with a litany of theories, but here's what they seemed to conclude.

The facility seems to be under complete alteration and control by Twelve. We hadn't spent long in the cryosleeps, which means our course must have either differed just slightly or this truly is the Kafka Facility. I've opted to believe we're in some similar facility, but everyone has their preference. 

Kidnapping all sixteen of us is a feat that is nigh impossible for just one person. They also investigated the director’s corpse. They found that it looked like he had been dead for quite some time. His wounds were all old. He was tortured, it seemed. Which means the director had something Twelve wanted. Whether or not he got it before killing the director we don't know. They also checked his belongings and he had none-not one. We believe those were taken too. They managed to get Twelve to dispose of the body. He also said the ship is off limits for now, and guarded it until we left the hangar.”

I nodded in understanding of this, looking over to their table. The four of them quietly sat enjoying their breakfast. None of them seemed to be bothered by each other, and made no attempts to talk to each other, but in a shared silence, it almost seemed like they were the closest group in the cafeteria.

“With all that being said,” Takehito stood up. “Shall we all start with the signatures?”

A silence hung over my table. Takehito’s eyes pranced between us all, before finally, Basque spoke.

“Is that all you wanted? In that case, I'm going back to my room.” Basque stood up, but Takehito held out a steadying hand.

“Ah, wait just a moment. You haven't signed-”

“I know. I don't want to.”

“Why not?” His voice was tense, and I felt my body begin to shift uncomfortably. If Basque had noticed, he did not show it.

“First of all, all this teamwork stuff isn't my thing. Second of all, did you forget-we’re in a situation where we have to kill one another. I'll pass.”

“That's why an agreement like this is so important. It fosters trust. Besides, you don't truly believe that any of us would kill, do you? We have no reason to. We came here to live a new life and that's what we shall be doing. Just a bit differently is all.”

Basque stood up loudly with a scoff.

“Yeah? So what's the promise you're so ready to give up?” Basque challenged loudly, causing everyone to turn to our table.

Takehito did not reply. They just met in a stare.

“Basque, I think you should calm down…he's just trying to help…” Karmen said.

“Tch. If you idiots think playing at being friends will keep you safe, you're wrong.” Basque said with finality as he exited the cafeteria.

“Was that…a threat…?” Ritsuka said.

“If that was a threat, I can fight him for you guys. I don't mind!”” Harris sounded almost excited.

“Honestly, we’re better off without people like him,” Erin said.

“Someone should try to keep an eye on him, he might be dangerous,” Rohan suggested.

“No, he's just scared,” Arden murmured. We all turned to her expectantly, and she squirmed under our gazes but continued anyway. “We all react differently to death, but everyone is scared of it deep down. We've just been forced to face our own mortality so, it makes sense he's scared. He might not trust us very much, since we all just met, but he's not a bad guy…I don't think.” 

“I see. Well, that's only one. Could the rest of you form a line so you can a-” 

Before Takehito finished, Jiayi stood up.

“The body of the former director sustained many injuries, but we had Twelve confirm something for us. He said in no uncertain terms that he would never harm anyone unless they break a rule-participants and non-participants. The director's wounds were recent, fresh. He had died not long before we saw him. Meaning…one of us likely killed him. That's what you wanted from the results of our investigation, right? Now that I've done that, I'm leaving.” 

She left in moments, not turning back once. 

“Yeah, that's me gone too. No offense, but this isn't exactly my idea of a good plan.” Orrin stood up and followed.

“Uhm…me too! Yeah, me too.” Ritsuka leaped up and ran out the door, robbing the cafe

teria of four potential members.

“Anyone else?” Takehito asked.

When silence followed, he finally let out a deep breath of air. We began signing one by one, but as I signed my name, I tried to ignore the part of me that agreed with those who left.

Chapter Text

After breakfast, it didn't take long for people to pair off. I watched them leave the cafeteria as it became painfully obvious that even now, I struggled to fit in. Just as well-this isn't the type of place you want to just..’belong’ in. 

I spent the afternoon in my room, doing crosswords and puzzles. I hummed to myself, tapping my feet along the ground and ended up enjoying my free time. I was unsure what everyone else was doing, but after some time I heard a ringing on my doorbell. I got up, and opened the door to see the residents of the sun dorm all gathered, except Orrin and Ritsuka. Standing by the entrance, Iker brandished a sheet.

“Good afternoon my lovely friends! We have been working hard to bring you a roster to ensure fairness in tasks. We tried to balance it so that one person in the sun dorm would pair with a person in the moon dorm for daily tasks like breakfast. Of course, we hope you can all help out besides.” He stepped aside, allowing us to clamor over our rosters.

“I'm rostered with Esther tomorrow?! H-hey does anyone wanna swap?” Rohan groaned.

“You paired yourself with Takehito…?” I looked at Iker. He gave me a shrug of a response before walking off.

“Awww yeah! I'm with Rye!” Harris chuckled.

“I don't think I'll be hungry that day.” Karmen said prematurely.

They all scattered, allowing me to finally catch sight of my roster. In two days, I’d be with Erin. I lamented this fact, scanning to see if I could swap.

Tomorrow, Rohan and Esther will cook together.

The next day, it was me and Erin.

After that, Arden and Vas.

Next, Harris and Rye.

Then, Iker and Takehito 

Lastly, Karmen and Juniper.

Ideally I wouldn't mind sharing my roster with Takehito or Juniper. Which meant talking to their partners and requesting a swap….I took a deep breath and looked around. Most of everyone has already split up, but I saw Karmen head towards the exit. I rushed to follow her, almost tripping on myself. I caught her, just barely, at the top of the escalator.

“Karmen! Ah, sorry, hey.” 

“Hm? How can I help?”

“It's about the roster. Are you…uhm, well…happy with who you got?”

“Sure, I guess. I don't really care all that much.” 

“Right…well, it's just…”

Before I could finish, the door to the Lab opened. Jiayi stood at the door, holding her handbook. 

“I didn't know you were bringing a friend, Ornithologist.”

“Hm? Oh, Celia.”

“No, no no! I’m just here to-”

“I'm not interested in your life story. Come in.”

Karmen walked forward, suddenly taken in interest. She paid my presence no mind, as I followed in after her.

When I got inside, Jiayi was messing with the digital kiosk. I peered over, and saw that there was a list of people allowed entry. She added my name, alongside Karmen’s and her own. 

“Is this your room…? Provided to you by the Project?” 

In a moment, Twelve appeared on the lab counter, from an unknown location. He did a small dance as he nodded furiously.

“Bingo! I wanted to make sure all you guys had some control around here! The specialized rooms have digital kiosks that allow the room’s owner to set restrictions on entry! The door won't open unless you scan the correct keycard! Aren't I just the sweetest?”

When none of us answered, his smile turned to a frown.

“Awww. Not even a small compliment? Can I at least have a treat? A Scooby snack?”

“I don't recall allowing you entry into my room.”

“Well-you didn't but I figured-”

“You figured wrong. Unless, of course, what you said was a lie? Or that the rules don't apply to you, as well?” 

“No, no! The rules apply to me too! Oh boy, I better scram before I get in trouble!” Twelve hopped down the counter and disappeared into the flooring.

“Wow, Jiayi, that was…impressive.” I said. I hated how childish it sounded in my mouth.

“I've deduced that Twelve, for whatever reason, is very tied to the rules of this place and cannot break them no matter what. I imagine there is some higher power that will punish him if he does so-but I suppose that's not why you're here.”

“Why are you here, Karmen?”

“I asked Jiayi to show me the lab. I wanted to see what was here. I'm not too good with medicine and chemistry, but I had to learn some things for biology. Though I specialize in birds, I do know quite a good bit about all of biology. I wanted to see if anything here could pique my interest.”

Karmen spoke with a new rush of air, emboldened by possibility. However the longer she looked, the more resolutely defeated she became. By the end, she sighed.

“Nope…this place is all medicines and diagnostic tests.” Karmen paused at the door to look at me. “What did you want to ask again?”

“Oh, yes. Is it alright if we swap, maybe? I can do my roster with Juniper and you can do it with Erin!” 

Karmen shrugged, as if this change meant nothing to her. “Sure. You’re asking Juniper though. I’m heading to my room.”

As she left, I watched Jiayi remove Karmen from her list of allowed entrants. She hovered over my name, but slowly turned to me.

“Pantomath.”

“Jiayi.”

She began walking towards the back of the lab, hovering over the medicine cabinet. She watched the reflection of the glass closely, and when our eyes met, she raised an eyebrow.

“You get extremely nervous whenever someone approaches the medicine cabinet. You dislike it, very much so. Why?” Her words held no concern. More of an interest one might show a new and exciting puzzle.

“It's…nothing.”

“I can diagnose anyone in mere minutes. That isn't just physical, you know. I've diagnosed many mental disorders and provided the precise intervention needed to help. Your lies are wasted on me.”

“They're not lies! I just don't think you need to know that.”

“You don't trust me?”

I considered lying, but I recognized her knowing gaze.

“Of course not.” I said with a bitter aftertaste. 

“I'm glad. The only ones not willing to eagerly trust one another are not the sorts I'd willingly associate myself with. You'll do, Celia.”

“Huh?”

“I need help with some small tasks. Nothing big. I intend to use this lab to test new medications and drugs. The process would go faster if I had an assistant. I didn't see many fit for the role, but you'll do fine.” 

“Why would I want to be your assistant?” I crossed my arms.

“You'd be useful to me. That's why.”

I chewed the inside of my lip. I didn't know what she betted on. Her confidence or my insecurity. I'm not sure which one won out, but we both nodded at the same time. Just then, a sound came from our handbooks.

Bing bong, bong bing!

“Hey guys! Miss me? I know I miss you! Don't worry, I'll see you in your dreams. It is now 10 p.m. and as such, nighttime has begun. Please head to your rooms, lock your doors and pray for your survival! Eep! The doors to the cafeteria will be locked, so please make sure you're scarce. Sweet dreams, best friends!”

Both me and Jiayi let out a simultaneous groan of disgust before parting ways for the night.

Chapter Text

“Goooood morning everyone! I hope you're all having another great day- I know I am! It's bright and early at 8 a.m. so please wake up, get up, and get started!”

I took a shower, got myself ready and headed for the cafeteria. When I got there, almost everyone had gathered. We were missing Jiayi, Orrin, Basque and Ritsuka of course, but as I walked in Takehito ticked the last person off of his list.

I looked to the buffet table, which was now filled with strange foods. Oatmeal, bread and some boiled eggs.

“Are you serious…?” I muttered.

“H-hey! We worked really hard on those, you know!” Rohan appeared beside me.

“Really? Was it harder boiling the eggs or toasting the bread?”

“We had to re toast the bread a few times but-”

“Seriously?”

“Don't blame me! Blame her!” He threw an accusatory finger to Esther who hummed to herself and enjoyed her meal.

She sat with Juniper, so I prepared to bite the bullet and sat beside her. “So…why is the food all so…bland?”

“Hm? Bland? I did mine best to procure various herbs for the feast. The kitchen doesn't have mine usual stock, though.”

“It seems pretty well-equipped to me.”

“Sure, for those that gorge themselves on the most manufactured of creations. My feasts are accentuated by herbs gathered in the morning in the mountains by my village. All the youngest kin venture into the dawn, and the elder children cook meals for the entire village. I had no such herbs, and the equipment provided was not to mine liking.”

“I've never even heard of a place like that.”

“That's intentional. We at the village only reveal ourselves to those with true spiritual energy-those destined fo-”

“Hey, Juniper, could I ask you something?”

“I was talking…”

“Hm? Oh, sure.” She gave me her usual smile.

“It's about the roster- is it possible I could swap with Karmen? She already said yes, but-”

“I'm afraid not, no.” 

“O-oh. I'm sorry, yeah, I don't know why I figured you'd want to swap.”

“That's not it. I have nothing against you- but I have no intention to muck things up for anyone. In situations like this, someone is always upset. I'd rather stay as far away from that as possible.” Juniper shrugged. 

“I see. That's understandable.” I cursed Juniper's logic as we finished up breakfast.

I stood up afterwards to head to my room for a bit. I wonder what everyone else did in their free time….

Free Time 1

Rohan found Arden sitting in the garden. A butterfly sat on her finger while he fed her. He approached, with caution, his hands shaking. 

“Erm,” His voice cracked and the butterfly took off. “Aw, dangit. I’m sorry for that-well, I’m sorry about a lot of things, actually.”

“What do you mean?” Arden looked undisturbed as she made space for Rohan. He took a seat next to her and twiddled with his thumbs. 

“When we first met, I sort of assumed you were…scary, I guess? I had no reason to do that, so I wanted to say sorry. I shouldn’t have judged on just your talent.”

“Rohan, it’s okay. We’re in an impossible situation. Emotions are high, and you’re allowed to be a little scared of people.”

“How come you’re not, though? You always seem pretty calm despite everything.”

Arden looked down at her lap and smiled. She gave Rohan a shrug after a while, moving in closer.

“Want to know my secret?”

“Well…if I have to,”

Secrets meant obligation and obligation meant there was a definite chance of screwing it up, which caused Rohan a tinge of anguish. Arden didn’t seem to mind.

“I actually don’t think this is so bad. O-of course, it’s awful for what we’re being forced to do, but…I do like the freedom,”

“Really?”

“Well I never got a chance to be around this many people my age before. I grew up in a monastery. It was always quiet there, and people here are very lively.”

“A monastery?! Ah, I visited a monastery once. I was asked to investigate some possible ghost activity, but I never completed the request. I…don’t like religious kinds of places,”

“No? I hope this doesn’t make you hate me, but I’m actually a priest!”

“Wh-what? Really?!”

“Not anymore. I’m not particularly fond of religion anymore either, but I still like to pray and I do believe. Of course, I don’t expect you to want to pray or anything. I just enjoy it personally.”

“Right…” 

There was a silence that Arden found pleasant. Rohan struggled with it, before finally standing up awkwardly. 

“I should…go.” He excused himself hurriedly before scurrying out of the room. Arden sighed, twisted the dirt underneath her palms.

“Why can I never make friends…” She asked as a butterfly landed on her lap once more.

Free Time 2

Takehito perused the store, making a checklist of its inventory. As he hovered over the coffee aisle, his eye caught a figure in the distance. Celia was crouched by an expensive coffee brand, checking the label.

“Find anything you like?” He suddenly appeared, causing Celia to lurch back.

“W-woah!”

“I didn’t mean to startle, please forgive me. I just wanted to say hello,”

Celia nodded and ducked her head. She did not say anything before grabbing a random coffee brand and turning to leave.

“Really? That one?”

“What’s wrong with it?!”

Takehito still became surprised when met with Celia’s sudden bursts of defensiveness. He tapped his feet before shaking his head.

“Nothing is necessarily *wrong* with it, but the brand you were looking at earlier is high quality stuff. It’s steeply priced I’ve heard, but this is your chance to try it for free. Why not give it a go? It’s the stuff I drink, anyway,”

“I’ve already had it,” Celia’s tone lost its edge. “I just wanted to try something new. I never get the chance to.”

“You’ve had it? Really?”

“Do you just assume everyone is poor?”

“Ah, no that’s not what I-” Takehito adjusted his hair to recalibrate.

“I just mean, I haven’t heard of any families stocking this particular brand. It’s more of a thing in the higher circles that I run in.”

Celia bit back her words and tried to ignore the vague condensation from Takehito.

“I’m sure. If you need to know, I’ll tell you. My family is…well off.”

“That can’t be-there’s no way you’re part of *those* Novaks, are you?”

“You’ve heard of my family, then.”

“Of course! In the realm of space travel and technology they're at the forefront! The Novak name is synonymous with advanc-”

Celia had started walking. Takehito followed after and pressed down any wrinkles on his clothes.

“I don’t want to keep talking about this.”

“That’s alright. I was just reciting what I’ve heard about them, that’s all. Publicists have their ear to the ground at all times.”

“I’m sure.”

Takehito sighed and stood still.

“Fine, I’ll let you go. I won’t ask any further. I won’t mention it to anyone else, either.”

Celia stopped walking and turned to face him. Her face had now bore a smile, one due to Takehito. He glowed at his accomplishment. Another peer who was now a fan of his. She gave him a nod, and he decided to hold back his questions. If the rumours he

had heard about her were true, then he didn’t blame her reaction. Thus, he returned to work.

Free Time End

Chapter Text

I left my room at last, heading to the cafeteria for a snack. I didn’t make it far though, because when I stood in the sun lounge, Erin and Iker were in conversation. Erin swiveled around to turn to me and approached with heavy footsteps. Iker winced and slipped away, making sure to escape quickly.

“Uh, hi is-”

“Hiiiii,” Erin’s sickly sweet tone put me on edge. “Is there a reason you’ve been asking to swap your roster with mine?”

“Huh? Oh, you heard about that?” I cringed internally but kept a stoic face.

“Mhm, totally! I think you forgot, but I am the ultimate socialite. If something is being said it’s only a matter of time until I hear it.”

“Well, uh, yes…I have been trying to swap, uh, is that okay?”

Erin’s face did something weird. She smiled, but I saw her eyes gloss, as if something changed internally but she had no way to express it. Instead, she just shrugged.

“Sure, whatever. Is there some sort of reason why you dislike me?” 

“I-I never said I disliked you!”

“Oh, so you do like me?”

“Well, I don’t really know you-”

“Got it.” 

Erin’s smile dropped and she crossed her arms. 

“If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine with me.” Her voice dropped from a high pitched melody to a more sandy, coarse ring. It oddly made me doubt my original opinion of her.

“I didn’t mean to upset you-”

“I’m not upset. I just don’t get why you’d try avoiding me when I hardly know you. That’s fine, though, not like you have any friends anyways. You’ve got no worth to me.”

Those words burned in my ears. No worth. My fists balled up, and I thought of punching her. I had no strength and it would likely result in a fight I didn’t think I could win. I didn’t have any rebuttal. I saw her smile return when my shoulders dropped. She had won and she knew it.

I was weak, just as I always had been. No matter how hard I tried, I could never become someone else. No matter how much he wants to, a penguin will never fly. I could never be the type of person with friends, the type of person people wanted to be around…I could never be anything more than who I was. 

I don’t know how long I spent in my room after that. I know the nighttime announcement played, but I tuned it out. I stared at the wall and covered myself in blankets, just to make sure I was warm. It must have been past midnight. I was tired, but couldn’t sleep, because everytime, the words would repeat themselves to me. Useless. I had no way to prove them wrong-there were no tests here. No exams to ace. No knowledge to understand. I had read all the books provided to me. I truly *was* useless. In a place like this, what good would I be? I thought if I was an ultimate I’d always be wanted, but I forgot where I was. This wasn’t a fantasy, it was my reality.

Ding dong!

My doorbell rang once, and I tried to ignore it.

Ding dong!

It rang again, this time louder.

DING DONG

I flew up from my bed, and threw my door open.

“What?!”

“Is that how you want to greet me? I’m hurt.” Jiayi stood at my door. Her sarcasm was punctuated by the slight smirk on her face. “I’d like for you to come with me, please.”

“What are you talking about? Jiayi it’s the middle of the night!”

She wasn’t listening. She just kept walking. I’m ashamed to admit it, but watching her walk away pushed a button inside of me. I ran after, crying for her to wait.

As we went upstairs, Jiayi paused by the bar. She glanced over the shut wooden door and raised an eyebrow, before continuing into the lab. Inside she shut the door behind us and moved quickly to the medicine cabinet shelf.

“Please, do me a favour and pull this.” Jiayi pointed to a bottle of pills. The name was long and my eyes were still a tad puffy.

“Jiayi, what’s going on-”

“Celia. I need your help. Please, pull it.” 

I did not ask her any more questions after that.

I pulled on the pill bottle, and felt the medicine cabinet shake. I watched the entire cabinet fling open, exposing a smaller room inside. Jiayi put her hands in her pocket and entered.

“That was the only thing in my entire lab I’d never seen before. The name was long and idiotic, so I glanced over it. I began to think, why would this room be fitted with everything I’ve ever needed or wanted, but this one bottle be an outlier? That’s what led me to this.”

Jiayi led me into the room behind the medicine cabinet. She looked to be enjoying herself, and I wish I could share her enthusiasm. A secret room in a lab like this did not bode well.

It turned out I was correct. Inside the smaller room were shelves of what I had no doubt was poisons. Arsenic, Strychnine, even poisons I had no clue of. There was a small desk in the middle of the small tiled room. It was illuminated by a dim overhead light that flickers every once in a while.

Jiayi pulled out a pile of folders from the inside of the desk and clutched them in her hands. 

“As a pantomath, you have an excellent memory, yes?”

“Uh, Jiayi-”

“Answer the question, please.”

“Yes, I guess. It’s not photographic or anything but it’s really not difficult for me to recall anything I’ve read over once or twice.”

“Perfect. I want you to help me read these and memorize them all.”  

She split up half the files and pulled in two stools from the lab. 

“What are these?” I flicked open one of them to see a page detailing various things about Vassal. His file was quite empty, except for some notes written by emergency care units. At the bottom was a note that highlighted how much money he seemed to owe for these medical treatments. My jaw clenched at the number and I set the file down.

“Jiayi, are these our medical records?”

“Yes.” She had already sat down and was reading the first one.

“You can’t be looking at this without permission. This is private stuff-is my one there?!”

“It is. Before you start, I’ve already read it.” She didn’t look up from the record she was reading.

“What the hell?”

Jiayi sighed and put the record down.

“This room has poisons and medical records of all the other participants here. It’s attached to my lab, which I control. Do you remember where we are?”

“...Ah. The killing game.”

“Exactly. These are weapons given to me by Twelve in order to help facilitate a killing. I have no intention of using them, so I’d like to get rid of them so nobody else can find them. I can’t do much about the poisons. There’s no safe way to dispose of them here, but I can at least ensure these records aren’t viewed by anyone else.”

“Right,” I nodded and picked one up. “You want my help, so even if we lose the medical records, we still can refer back to them should we need to.”

Jiayi nodded.

“But-I-”

“You don’t seriously believe nobody will kill anytime soon, do you?”

“I don’t. I’m not an idiot.”

“Would you rather be equipped or be surprised?”

I thought for a second about this, but it didn’t take long before I sat with Jiayi. I turned over each file, memorizing all the things listed. Allergies, illnesses, injuries, it was all listed here. Any visit we’ve had to a healthcare professional can be traced back with these folders. As I read though, it dawned on me the scope of reach Twelve had. I had assumed that kidnapping us and throwing off the progenitor project was a feat that took a lot of planning and help, with some luck. 

These were thorough, however. There was no mistake that these weren’t the result of hard work or even that much help. This is the kind of information that only someone with power could obtain. Whoever we were up against was more powerful than I had realised.

“Good morning everyone! I hope you’ve had a splendid night of rest and relaxation! It is now 8 a.m. which means, the sun is up! No killing yet, it seems. Why not? Did you guys forget the promises that were made? Are you just okay with being trapped here? Well, I guess you’d always be trapped. I couldn’t imagine signing up for something like this! Your lives must suck!”

The sound of the morning announcement startled me out of my sleep. I had passed out, a puddle of drool on the desk that me and Jiayi peered over just the night before. The folders were still scattered around the desk. Jiayi’s head hung low on her desk and she seemed to be snoring softly. I considered going back to bed, but it was my turn on the roster, so I chose to bite the bullet. Lucky Jiayi…

When I entered the kitchen Erin was already there.

“Oh, it’s you. You look like a mess, did you even do your hair this morning?” Erin raised an eyebrow.

“Did you have time to?”

“I woke up early. Of course. Oh my god, you’re wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Did you even change?”

“Let’s just hurry this up.” I mumbled and pushed past her.

“Hey, watch it! Are you seriously going to be this annoying all morning? First you change partners, then you start pushing me?!”

I tried to ignore her as I walked into the kitchen. I tried to think, to conjure an idea of a breakfast. It only made me think of home. Of the prepared meals I’d eat. Of the forceful portions I’d have to finish. Of the times I went hungry because I had missed a question. It might have been my lack of sleep or those memories that caused Erin’s voice to irritate me more.

“Oh, and you’re ignoring me now. Great. Whatever, it’s not like you’d be much help here anyway-”

I don’t know why I did it, or when it happened but I picked up one of the kitchen knives. I didn’t move closer, I just picked it up. I just wanted her to stop talking. I just wanted the noise to stop. She stared at me, stepping back slowly. I was going to say something when I turned, but the words died in me. 

“Don’t, please, I’m sorry, just don’t kill me-”

“I’m not-I would never!” I dropped the knife quickly. 

We stood there, staring at one another.

“I didn’t sleep, and you kept saying stuff and you-I’m not useless! I can help! Here, let me help with breakfast, I can-” My voice felt desperate. Pleading.

“No,” Erin said it quietly at first. Quiet enough that I could ignore it. “No, just go! Just fucking go! Get out! Now!”

I hesitated for a moment. I stood there, unsure of what to do. 

“Go!”

At her final insistence, I sprinted out of the kitchen. Out of the cafeteria. I pushed past the group of people beginning to gather in the sun dorm. I shut my door, and hid under the covers. I spent the rest of my day like that, hiding. From myself, from my thoughts and from anyone else.

Free Time 3

Karmen knocked on Esther’s door. She waited for an answer before suddenly remembering she likely didn’t hear the knocking. Instead she rang the doorbell and waited until Esther came out.

“Hm? What hast thou come for? My time is no cheap bauble, you know.” 

Karmen let out a groan before carrying on.

“It’s about sleep. You’re the Ultimate Dream Guide, right?” 

“Aha! So you know of mine title! Of course, your visage does not deceive you-you stand before the omnipotent chariot of the unconscious!”

“...Right. Well, I’m here to ask you to help me sleep.”

“I see, I see…come in my dear.” Esther disappeared behind her door and left it open just a crack.

Karmen pulled the door open and was instantly hit by a wave of smell. Lavender scent filled the room. It was warm and balmy. The air felt heavy, but breathing felt light. Inside, was a large double bed with purple curtains hanging over it. A soft soothing white noise player emulated the rain, and Karmen suddenly thought about how much she missed it. 

“Come, come.” Esther motioned for Karmen to stand inside. Karmen stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do. She watched Esther pull out a large blanket from her wardrobe and pat the bed gently. “Sit!”

Karmen sighed, suddenly unsure of her decision. She sat next to Esther.

“Now, we shall only take a nap. I desire for you to taste true R.E.M. before submitting fully. I must be careful. I don’t want you to become addicted to my sleeping habits.”

“I’m sure that won’t be a problem. I haven’t slept since we got here.”

“How queer!” 

“Yes, well, it’s nothing new. I get a few naps in but when I try to close my eyes it’s kind of hard to relax. I’m usually stuck thinking about something bad, so I can’t ever get myself to sleep.”

“Hmmm,”

Esther jumped up.

“I have just the thing!”

She ran over to her white noise machine and began to play with the controls. Karmen shifted uneasily and tried to lay down on the bed. The second her eyes closed, Karmen began to remember things best forgotten. Her heart beat faster, her body began to shake and-

Bird sounds.

The rain had transformed into the sounds of calls. Karmen began identifying them on call alone. Finches. Swallows. Loons. Her mind focused on each of the sounds, and before she knew it, she fell asleep. Esther smiled, making sure to tuck her in tighter.

Free Time 4

Rye sat with Erin after the cafeteria emptied. He sighed and she gave him an incredulous look, before he looked at the plates.

“Ah, you still have to clean these up, don’t you?” He twirled a fork around.

“Oh! Yes, I do, but it’s no issue. It’ll be nice!” Her smile appeared, and Rye shook his head.

“You’ve got the look in your eye, y’know? I heard what happened this morning. Didn’t know she even had it in her.”

Erin stood up abruptly and pushed strands of her hair out of her face.

“It’s alright. It’s really nothing.”

“Well, yeah. I know it’s really nothing. I mean she pulled a knife on you, big deal.” Rye shrugged. Erin’s smile dropped and she slammed her hands on the table.

“Big deal?! I could’ve died!”

“Hmmm….nah, you’d be fine.” Rye shrugged. 

“Yeah? And why is that?!”

“I dunno. You seem like the type of gal who’s not gonna die easy. You know?”

“Is that supposed to be some sort of compliment?”

“Who knows,” Rye had reclined now and watched as Erin moved around the cafeteria to collect plates. “What I do know is that I’ve had guns and knives pulled on me more times than you can count. Let me tell you, if someone is pulling it on you, more times than not they wouldn’t use it. If they were planning on using it, it’d already be used, y’know?”

“Why the hell have you had guns and knives pulled on you?”

“Eh, this and that.”

“Oh, yeah, totally. This and that. Explains it all.” 

Rye stood up and followed Erin to the kitchen, hands still in pockets. She rolled her eyes as she dumped the plates and utensils into the sink. She turned to face him and sighed.

“Your attitude is seriously weird.”

“So is yours. I thought you were supposed to be all bubbly, right?”

Erin paused and examined Rye’s face. Rye’s mix of smile and heavy eyelids let her know she could drop her guard, so she did.

“You’re right. I’m not the type who dies easy. I’ve worked really hard not to. I’ve done things to survive, things I’d…rather not talk about. I worked hard to become who I am. To become the Ultimate Socialite.”

“Damn,” Rye mumbled. “That sounds tough.”

“Yeah, working hard is tough but rewarding. Don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Perfect! Then you can work hard on my dishes, ‘kay?” Erin’s smile returned as she patted Rye on the back. Before he could protest, she was already out of the room.

Free Time End

Chapter Text

I managed to avoid running into anyone in the afternoon. I waited until I was sure breakfast would be done to head over to the lab. I scanned my handbook to enter, but when I entered, my heart stopped. The last person I’d want to see…Erin. She stood next to Takehito and Iker.

“Ah,” Takehito turned to face me. “There you are. I’m glad you’ve shown up. We were just talking to Jiayi-would you mind talking sense into her?”

“Uhm, about what?”

Jiayi stood as far as she could from the trio, and I went to stand beside her. She gave me a small reassured smile. That smile gave me a sense of relief too.

“Well, it’s not anything too crazy-” Iker began

“We’re taking it upon ourselves to make the facility safer. Which means taking anything dangerous and keeping them under our protection.” Erin stared at me as she spoke. “To ensure that something like this morning doesn’t happen again.”

I bit my cheek, suddenly afraid-not of any of them, but of what Jiayi heard. If Jiayi heard.

“Like I said, all things in here are simply medical. Nothing harmful. There are things that can be used for harm but that’s only if you don’t follow the correct prescriptions.” Jiayi’s voice did not waver.

“I see. There isn’t anything else in here, maybe?”

“I don’t know what you mean, Publicist.”

Takehito paused for a while. Erin stared furiously and Iker’s eyes darted between both pairs, analyzing the tension.

“Do you know that the bar is my room, Jiayi?” Takehito adjusted his tie.

“I surmised.”

“I had a little talk with Twelve after uncovering a startling secret about my room. According to Twelve, all room’s dedicated to a student have ‘equipment’ that might help them in the killing game. I don’t know why you haven’t mentioned this before, but-”

“I don’t know why you haven’t either.” 

“We just found out today.” Erin said.

“The timing is awfully convenient. You three spend all day in there and you just *now* find something?” I replied.

“Hey, hey! Let’s all calm down! Look, we know what you know and you know what we know. We just want to keep everyone safe, that’s all. We don’t think carrying any dangerous material is a good thing.” Iker held his hands out in front of me and Jiayi.

Jiayi was silent for a while, her face hard. Then something changed in her expression and she suddenly stepped aside.

“Go ahead. Do what you want. Let me be clear, however. If you take anything from my lab I will make you regret it.”

“Is that a threat?” Takehito matched her tone with a chillingly firm change to his own.

Jiayi simply shrugged and placed her hands in her pockets. She sighed and walked to the medicine cabinet, pulling the bottle and unveiling the door. She turned to me as the door opened.

“You can leave, Celia. Find yourself somewhere where you’re needed.” Her words were icy and cold, but as she turned her back to me her eye lingered on mine for a second. A second of expectation. Of reliance. 

“O-okay.” I could only say as I left the lab. The metal door shut behind me as I paused. 

Where I’m needed? Where could I possibly be needed? What did Jiayi need from me? Then, my eyes caught suddenly on the door to the bar, left open a little. I took a deep breath and ran in.

It looked the same as when we had the party. I didn’t have time to look, however. No time to linger. I panicked, and called out the only person I knew could help me.

“Twelve, where are you?”

In seconds, the irritating astronaut appeared before me. 

“Hello! Do you wanna play tag with me?”

“Of course not!”

I ignored his dejection and turned to the room. I scanned it furiously.

“There’s a secret room here, isn’t there? Like in Jiayi’s room, right?!”

“Hmmm, well, I guess there may be!” Twelve giggled. 

“I’m not playing with you! Just tell me where it is or…or…”

“Or…? You may have forgotten Celia, but I haven’t. You’re in no position to argue with me. I am the enforcer.” As he spoke, the moon in his face grew. The sick smile he bore sent ripples through my stomach.

“Fine,” I took a deep breath and shut my eyes. “I’ll find it myself.”

I began by lifting the cushions of the couch.

“Colder!” His mocking tone needled into my mind.

I rushed over to the empty tables, where just a few days ago a buffet laid.

“Brr! Is it chilly here?!”

I flew to the bar, searching the bar shelf.

“Woah! Warmer! Warmer! Warmer than a good homemade pie baked by grandma!”

I turned my back. I shut my eyes and tried to remember. What was it…what did he drink? Whiskey!

I grabbed the cheapest looking bottle of whiskey behind the bar. Then, in moments, I heard a loud sound.

The bar’s wall opened up, revealing a space behind it. Inside was a small office. It was made of dark wood with a cozy looking green carpet on it. There sat a fancy looking desk with a set of calligraphy tools. Behind the beautiful table, was a small cart with a decanter on it. Behind the decanter was an ashtray with a couple of snuffed out cigarettes. 

I had no time for that. I opened the drawers of the desk instantly. I saw about thirteen or so folders in one drawer, and the other drawer had a much smaller amount, two folders sitting neatly in another shelf. I grabbed the two folders, and holding my breath, I sped out of the secret room. I shut the wall behind me and exited the bar before I was spotted. Before I knew it, I was back in my room. 

…

…

I’m alone. I’m safe. It’s okay.

It should all be okay, right? I should have a look at these files now. I’ll show them to Jiayi in the morning. I can’t help but smile, thinking about the revenge we’ll get on those three…but why were there only two folders? I push aside that thought, and begin reading the first. At first, all the information was stuff you could find in anyone’s profile from the handbook. Reading on, however, my stomach churned.

Erin Padilla-Fuentes

Age: 19

Ultimate: Socialite

Erin Padilla-Fuentes, only known now as Erin Vermiere is known for being where every party is. All events must have her as an attendee if they wish to be high-class. She is friends with politicians, artists, actors, lawyers, anyone who can raise her social standing. That hasn’t always been her case, though. 

Below the text was an attached photo. A girl with dark black curly hair, in a middle school uniform that looked like it sagged on her little body. Behind her was a pregnant woman, and a man with a long beard. They both looked unhappy, and worse for wear. 

How exactly did she rise from the commonfolk to the upper echelon? Well, that’s simple. Being blessed with natural beauty is a talent in itself. It wasn’t easy but dating anyone who could help raise her status was a hard battle. She constantly traded up, recycling, from the class president of her middle school homeroom all the way to the prime minister’s son! Did she like any? Who knows! She certainly doesn’t! The second she finds a shinier, newer model, she’s already gone.

What the hell was this? I had no clue how to feel reading this. I felt a sudden flush of guilt, but placed it down and opened the next folder.

Iker Elias

Age: 19

Ultimate: Masseuse

Iker Elias has been a masseuse for as long as he can remember. Of course, he had to be. With a family like that, he was always trying to ease the tension. It all started with mediating between his alcoholic parents when things got heated-then, things got worse when they became violent. Iker Elias only took on his talent to help his fractured family that was once happy-to soothe their injuries, both physical and mental.

A photo was attached, depicting a police van. Iker stood at the doorstep of a beautiful home, watching as two figures were pulled into the police van.

When the house was empty and his parents were either on a drinking binge or in jail, the stress of it all got too much. That’s why Iker did the only thing he could. He picked up a bottle. Now, Iker can’t sleep without a drink and the first thing he does in the morning is grab his favourite wine. 

I shut the folder instantly. My hands shook and I placed it on the edge of my desk, not wanting to touch it. This was blackmail, without a doubt? It makes sense that this would be Takehito’s weapon. A publicist’s greatest power-secrets. If these belong to those two, then those other thirteen…how much does Takehito know about us all? 

That thought plagued my mind well into the night.

“Ahem, ahem! Dear participants! Please head to bed as it is now 10 p.m. Make sure to get your eight hours! I’ve got a special gift waiting for you! Please report to the garden ASAP after the morning announcement. Ah, also, reminder. The cafeteria will now be locked, so please, don’t try wandering in! Okay! Sweet dreams, everyone!”

The nighttime announcement echoed but my thoughts were elsewhere. How dangerous was Takehito? I thought of him as our leader, but he sat on this information, and for how long? I tried to ignore the thoughts and forced myself to shut my eyes. I didn’t know how long I slept for but I opened my eyes again to the sound of the morning announcement.

“Good morning everyone! It is now 8 a.m. so please do me a favour and take your butts to The Garden! I’ve got a present for you all, so I hope none of you forgot~” The screen shut off, and I got up.

Better head out.

When I got there everyone had already gathered. I looked around. My eyes met Takehito’s. He gave me a polite smile and I tried to return it. Next to him, Erin gave me a scowl and Iker gave a placating wave. I wonder if this morning he…nevermind that. 

I made my way to Jiayi. 

“Morning,” I muttered while we stood in the corner.

“Hm.” She replied. She looked at my demeanor and raised an eyebrow. “Is there something you want to say?”

“No, not really, it’s just…are you okay? After yesterday?” 

“Oh, that? I’m fine. After all, we’re getting our revenge soon, yes?”

“Yeah…about that…”

I tried to muster up the confidence to refute it. To say that we shouldn’t. I didn’t want this. I know I didn’t.

I couldn’t, though. So I just lied.

“I, uhm…couldn’t find anything.” I looked to the ground.

“You’re an awful liar.” Jiayi sighed. “I understand sentimentality, but in the real world you need to throw that away. In this kind of place, you need to rely on logic. Logically, we’re weaker. We have enemies, and our biggest enemies now have a monopoly on all the weapons in the facility. We’ll be targets soon, you know.”

“You’re right. Yeah, no, you’re totally right. I’ll…bring you what I found later.”

Jiayi nodded appreciatively. For a while nobody spoke, until it was broken.

“So, uh…” Vas began “Who exactly thought it was cool to take all the knives from the kitchen?”

“What do you mean?” Juniper replied.

“Well me and Arden woke early today. It was our turn-we knew we’d have to meet here after the announcement, so we thought we’d at least try to start something in the oven and finish it after this. When we were though, there weren’t any knives.”

“I bet someone took them to kill!” Ritsuka said.

She’s looking straight at me.

“It wasn’t me!” I said.

“Kyah! I-I wasn’t implying it was! I-I’d never imply something like that! P-please don’t hurt me!”

“When you’re guilty, sometimes the best idea is to stay quiet instead of pointing fingers.” Juniper muttered.

“Are you saying I took them? I-I wouldn’t! I’d never! In fact, I’m allergic to knives!”

“How can you be allergic to knives!” Basque said.

“Everyone, calm down. We took them.” Takehito cut through the noise. “We thought after yesterday we should keep things like that under strict surveillance.”

“There was some other stuff missing from the cabinets in the kitchen, though. I’m not sure what, but I think there were some spreads and oils missing?” Arden chimed in.

“Oh? I’m sure we didn’t take anything like that. Someone might have misplaced it yesterday. I assure you, this was all done to make the facility safer.” Takehito gave a pleasant smile to everyone.

That smile sent shivers down my back.

“Thanks, dude! I know you had our back!” Harris shouted.

“Ah, not so loud. I’m standing right next to you…” Karmen sighed.

“Anytime. We want to make sure that we can do everything we can to keep you all saf-”

“Lots of good that’ll do with me around!” Twelve’s voice erupted from the bushes. He popped out and landed in front of us all, facing us with his regular smile.

“KYAAAAAH!” Ritsuka screamed.

“I don’t know why I chose to stand so close to you two…” Karmen said.

“Hmmm….it’s been 5 days and still, no dead bodies, eh?” Twelve kicked the ground. “I’m starting to think you guys don’t wanna play the killing game!”

“Of course we don’t play this crazy game!” Rohan said.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure. It’s scary, isn’t it?” Twelve practically sang the words.

“Not really,” Orin shrugged. “You gave us this ultimatum, right? Leave or stay here forever. We were gonna stay here forever anyways, so it’s not really that hard of a choice. I mean, it sucks about the promises, but that’s hardly a reason to kill.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to claim that,” Juniper countered. “Those promises are our reasons to live. We chose them because they were as important as living. I do agree though, Twelve’s plan lacks a sufficient extra boost to encourage anyone to kill.”

“I see, I see, you all make a great point! In that case, I should give you all one! So, here you are-your first motive!”

Our *first* motive? 

“Introducing the Target Motive! In a moment your handbooks will all receive an update! Check the motive tab on your handbooks and it will tell you who your target is. I thought I’d be nice, so to get the killing started, if you kill your target, we won’t hold any trial! You don’t need to be sneaky about it, or crafty or even clever! All you’ve got to do is kill your target! To help with that, you now have live locations of your target on your map! Stalking has never been so easy!”

Silence followed. We all stared in disbelief, unsure how to react. There was no reaction-no sane thing you can reply with. No rebuttal. Not until we all heard the chorus of beeping. Our handbooks all updated at once. 

“Hm? Not gonna check em? That’s perfectly okay with me! Just make sure you don’t forget-someone can see where you are at all times! You’re not just the hunter, you’re the prey!” Twelve giggled, as he walked off into the distance. He left us in shock, unsure of what to do.

“The best course of action is for nobody to check,” Takehito began. “If we all abstain from checking our targets the motive will be null and void-”

Next to me, I heard the sound of a handbook open. Jiayi scanned her notebook without so much as a care.

“What the hell are you doing?” Erin shouted.

“What does it look like? I’m checking.”

Another beep. Basque opened his, shamelessly reading it. Iker approached him with hands held high.

“Woah, woah! Everyone I think it’s best if we-” 

Another two beeps.

“Sorry, Takehito, but I’d rather know than not, y’know?” Orrin shrugged.

“I’m not ch-checking! I’m just…reading the rules again!” Ritsuka tried.

“You’re totally checking.” Karmen said.

“If anyone else checks their motive tab, I consider it breaking our contract. As such, it means you are no longer part of the group and must act alone. We will gather in the cafeteria and discuss this further-”

A beep.

Heads swiveled to the source, to see Iker reading his.

“Iker, what the hell?” Erin shouted.

“Come on. You don’t seriously believe anybody will just say they won’t check, and then check later when they’re alone? At least I’m being honest with you.”

“Iker, if you intend to-”

“Yeah, yeah I know. I’m kicked out of the breakfast club. Sorry Arden, looks like breakfast is on you.”

“It’s alright. Please, take care of yourself.” Arden replied.

“Anyone else? Good. Let’s all go to the-”

Beep. Another sound, met with heads turning.

“Celia, what are you doing?” Arden frowned.

“I…I just…” I shut my eyes. “Jiayi, let’s go. I’d…like to show you something.”

As the two of us left, we heard the chatter behind us. Confusion, betrayal, fear-it could be found in spades. We just kept walking-walking away from the group.

Chapter Text

I sat in my room, checking my target again and again. I needed to confirm it.

“Your target isn’t me, is it?” Jiayi asked me when we got inside my room.

“No. It’s Orrin. Who’s yours?”

“You’re far too trusting.” Jiayi sighed and moved over to pick up the folders on the table. “This is it, then?”

I nodded.

“I’ll take these to my room and read through them.” Jiayi moved to the door and twisted the handle. She paused for a moment. “Good work, Celia.” And she left.

I didn’t want to admit how much that made me smile. Though, a feeling burdened itself inside of me. A feeling I could not ignore. I covered myself in sheets, and began to tackle a new crossword puzzle while in the background, the faint image of Orrin’s movements played on the map of my handbook. I began to wonder how everyone else was taking the motive.

Free Time 5

Basque kept walking, stopping every few seconds to check behind him. He felt something on the back of his neck, an overwhelming presence that did not seem to want to leave. He walked through the aisles of the store, until finally he flew around.

“Okay, if you’re going to follow me, at least be less obvious!” He shouted, eye twitching.

From out the corner, a figure appeared. It drew closer and closer, until Basque realised who it was. He let out a groan the second he understood who was coming to bother him.

“D-did you just groan?!” Ritsuka exclaimed.

“Yes.”

“If you do things like that, I might get the wrong impression and think you don’t like me, hehehe!” Her voice wavered awkwardly.

“I don’t.”

“Ahahahaha! You’re funny!”

“I’m not joking.”

“Well, anyway, since we’re here talking, I was wondering if you could answer something.”

“No.”

“How do you do it? How are you so okay with people disliking you? I’m always so worried in conversations and get nervous and scared but you just go for it. If you’re mad or annoyed or bored you just say it! You don’t care if you’re being a jerk or unlikeable or boring.”

“Is this supposed to be a compliment?”

“I-it is! I swear!” Ritsuka wiped the sweat off her brow. “I just want advice on how to care less when talking to people!”

Basque set down his shopping cart filled with various vegetables and fruits. 

“You don’t seem to have much trouble with being disliked as is.”

“Wh-wh-what?! Seriously! I-you’re kidding, right? People don’t like me?!”

“You can’t seriously not know that.”

“Y-you’re just lying, aren’t you! You’re totally a liar! Jerk! You probably wanna lie to lower my self confidence, then date me when I hate myself!”

Basque stared at her silently.

“Nothing to say, huh? W-well, g-good!”

“I dislike you. I dislike you very much.”

Basque began to leave, but Ritsuka followed him, pelting half-question half-insults at him for a few hours.

Free Time End

Free Time 6

Vassal stared at the medications in the laboratory, unsure of which one to grab. Jiayi stood behind him, and he attempted to ignore her, but failed. Finally, he sighed and turned to her.

“You’re a standup pal for letting me borrow one of these, but do you gotta be staring at me like that all the time?” Vassal groaned.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Jiayi replied.

“Uh, sure buddy. Whatever.” Iker shrugged. “You never got told you got the glare of a hawk?”

“Well, of course. It helps with my diagnoses. I can easily identify any issues with someone in moments thanks to my eye.”

“Yeesh. What about that other one?”

Vassal pointed to her eyepatch and she slapped his hand away from her face.

“Irrelevant.”

“Woah, okay, okay! Calm down, alright? Was just asking. Look, you don’t have to be so sensitive about scars. I got a bunch all over. Each one is a story. See this one?” He pointed to a scar on his cheek. “I got it from my first fight. I learned a good lesson that day-always protect the face. It’s the money maker, y’know?”

Jiayi didn’t laugh. Iker shuffled awkwardly.

“If you need a recommendation, this should work fine. It seems like you injured yourself while training, am I right?” Jiayi reached into the shelf and pushed a bottle of pills into Iker’s hands.

“Yeah. I don’t have any of my equipment here. I’m used to working without any equipment, of course, but I don’t even have free space to go for a run or anything.” He complained.

“I didn’t ask for more information. Just a yes or no.” Jiayi sighed. “Take them two times a day, one in the morning after breakfast and one in the evening after dinner.”

“Alright doc, thanks for the help.” Iker patted her roughly on the shoulder.

Jiayi made a struggling noise under the weight of his arm before she regained her composure. She watched the street fighter leave with a satisfied smirk.

Free Time End

Free Time 7

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Harris asked as he tried to balance the tower of boxes on his head. From a ladder, Orrin placed a seventh box of random stuff on top of the one below. The boxes began to give way, causing Harris to fall over. The boxes all fell on top of him, some with a crash. 

“Not anymore, no.” Orrin said, before sliding down the ladder. When he reached the ground, he helped remove the boxes from on top of Harris.

“You alright? Any head injuries? Well, any more head injuries?” He said with a smirk as he helped Harris up.

“That. Was. Awesome!!!”

“Huh?”

“Yeah! I mean, it wasn’t really exciting, but the pain for sure helped add some excitement to it.” Harris said matter-of-factly. Orrin squinted at him.

“What do you mean helped? Did you hit your head harder than I thought? Do you need to lay down?”

“No, no, this was nothing. I’ve taken bowling balls to the head before, this was light as a feather.” Harris said triumphantly.

“Ah, right. The classic bowling ball to the head.” Orrin murmured sarcastically. 

“Yeah! It wasn’t too fun, but for a second I thought I was gonna die-that’s what made it hilarious. You get what I mean, right?”

“I’ve never had a bowling ball drop on my head before, so no.”

“No, no, you get what I mean about the rush! That rush when things get dire-when you might seriously die! That’s what I live for! If I’m not in a super scary situation, I at least wanna experience as much pain as possible so I get scared I might die! It’s the best! That’s why this killing game is so fun!”

“Hey, Harris…” 

“Yeah?”

“You should shut up now. In fact, do me a favour and never tell anyone but me that ever again. Okay?”

“Uh…sure.”

Orrin’s regularly playful expression was dark, something breaking there. He didn’t carry his usual smirk or inquisitive image. Instead now he was just…blank. 

“Do you…want to die?”

“Huh? Hell no! I have no intention of dying, not here or anytime soon! I gotta get as close to death without actually seeing the other side! That’s the most exciting thing ever!”

“I see.” 

A smile appeared on Orrin, this one not carrying the mischief or curiosity that he often displayed.

“I’m glad. You’re supposed to live life doing only the things you enjoy, the things you like doing, until you die. I’m glad to know that’s what you’re doing. Not everyone will understand that, but…I think that’s amazing, Harris.”

“Hehehe! I know right! Though nothing really scary has happened in the killing game…”

Orrin’s face returned to normal.

“Do you want to try again? Maybe this time we can beat seven boxes.”

“Of course I do!”

Free Time End

Free Time 8

Iker watched Juniper play the piano, her poise and confidence on the keys giving her a regal air. When she finished, she stood up and Iker gave a standing ovation from a nearby chair. She bowed and walked over to him, holding her hands behind her back.

“Bravo! Bravo! Juniper, my god, that was dazzling! You looked beautiful playing up there!”

“Thank you, Iker.” She sat down in front of him and crossed her arms. “Is that your plan, then? To charm all the girls so none of them will want to harm you?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“We all have our survival tactics. I’ve noticed whenever there’s a woman present, you try to compliment them, wait on them. You dote on the women here. I assumed you were some chauvinist, but it doesn’t seem like you have any motivation to actually be with any of us.”

“Ohhh, that! No, no, no. I have no desire to be with any of the women. Or the man, actually. I’m not interested in either. I don’t feel that kind of attraction to people.”

“I see,” Juniper smiled. “Neither do I. I’ve…never felt the desire to be with anyone in a sexual context. I’ve only wanted to be with someone romantically once, but that was after years of friendship.”

“I’m glad we have something in common! You’ve got your life together, so any commonalities with you must mean something good for me!” Iker smiled brightly.

“So, then, why do you treat women like that? Your behaviour is in line with the types of guys who call the women they’re with their ‘conquests’.”

“Blergh, hell no. I was just raised to believe that women deserve that kind of treatment, that’s all. My mom never really got compliments and worked really hard around the house. She told me that most women worked hard with no rewards and no appreciation. So, I try to be as accommodating to women as possible.”

Juniper smirked and leaned in.

“I see. You seem to be doing that well, then.” She nodded sagely.

“What about you? What’s up with this person you used to have a crush on?” Iker teased.

“Not telling.” Juniper stood up and gave him a knowing smile. 

“Oh, come on, just a bit-I’m dying to know!”

“I’m sure you are. You’ll just have to lay in bed, tossing and turning, wondering what happened.” She said with a pleasant tone before waving off.

Iker waved her away with a smile of his own.

Free Time End

“Hello participants! It is now 10 p.m. and the cafeteria is now locked! Enjoy nighttime in your beds-unless some of you would rather be out and about during the night! Don’t forget, someone knows where you are at all times. Try not to slip up, okay? You never want to be the first one out!”

The nighttime announcement played and I tried to muffle it with my pillows. I checked Orrin’s position, and watched his icon hang around in the moon lounge. I bit my nails, unsure of what he was doing there.

I waited for him to return to bed. It was about two hours later when he finally left, and headed into his room in the sun lounge. 

Questions plagued me as I drifted to sleep.

What would Jiayi do with those files?

Who had me as their target?

What was Orrin doing?

Was I safe? Would I

wake up the next morning?

These questions circled around my head until they made me dizzy. In searching for the answer, I found myself asleep instead.

Chapter Text

I ignored the morning announcement as it played, muffled through the mound of pillows I tried to use to snuff it out.

“It is now 8 a.m.! If anyone is unsure of what to do at the moment, check in your target! They may be lonely, they may be-”

The sound was interrupted by the ringing of my doorbell. I went to open my door but hesitated, hovering over the handle. For a few moments I wasn't sure what to do-but ultimately I pushed the door open just a crack. In the doorway, I saw a figure behind it, twirling her thumbs.

“Arden? What do you want?”

I opened the door wider, to reveal Arden standing alone.

“I’m here on a request-Jiayi. She wanted to summon everyone to the cafeteria.” 

Why would Jiayi pick her for this task? Why not me?

“Oh, alright. I'll come.”

“Uhm,” She hesitated when I closed the door. “Please don't take this the wrong way but do you happen to be a bit of a people pleaser?”

“Huh?”

“It's just…I never thought of you as the type to go against the group like yesterday. Checking your target and everything. I'm not saying this as something negative, but are you truly against us?”

I sigh, and shut my door.

“There aren't teams. This isn't some black and white war. I’m just acting in line with what's best.”

“What's best for who?” She questioned.

I remained silent, before walking to the cafeteria with Arden walking behind me.

When we arrived, a sizable group had gathered.

Takehito, Erin, Iker, Harris, Rye, Rohan, Juniper, Esther, Karmen and Jiayi were already there. 

Arden walked to the end of the room, to sit at a table but I hung close, with Jiayi near the entrance. She had her hands behind, and was completely still. 

“Is everything okay?” I whispered.

“Alright,” she began, walking past me. “This is about everyone I expected. The others don't need to hear this, I suppose.”

“Is this about the motive…?” Rohan asked.

Jiayi scoffed 

“Of course not. I have nothing to discuss with you all regarding that. No, this is about something far more important. Takehito.” At this, all the heads flew to him, but she remained calm.

“Hey now,” Iker began. “This isn't something we should involve others in.”

“What are they talking about?” Karmen asked Juniper who leaned in to get a closer view.

“I'd say the same, but stakes have risen. I'm sure with Takehito’s extra advantage and the motive he's already got an idea on how to kill his target, am I right?” Jiayi took a step further.

“He wouldn't! Takehito hasn't done anything but help us out and keep us organized!” Arden stood up.

“Are you sure that hasn't been a lie?”

“A…lie?”

“You can't be that foolish, Psychopomp. I had no idea with your group playing pretend and holding hands, but when you begin disturbing me, I must be clear. You are not fit to compete with me. And you certainly cannot rule me. The strong are the only ones in this world who can control others. The weak can do nothing but be controlled. I am far from weak.” Jiayi tossed a folder onto the ground and with a soft flutter, it fell in front of the rest of the cafeteria.

Takehito stared for a moment, before realizing. His sudden calm aloofness became frantic as he stood up.

“Don't!” He called out to Harris, who hovered over the folder. “D-don’t. That's not-” He struggled, unsure of how to speak. He coughed and readjusted his tie. “That's not something you should be reading. I'm sure whatever it is, its intention, just like the motive, is to stir discontent within our group. We must all agree not to read it.”

He went out and reached for it, but a pair of nimble hands quickly swiped it away first. Erin stepped closer to grab it, but Juniper gave her a warning smile. Something in that warning look made Erin stop in her tracks.

The cafeteria fell silent as Juniper read the folder. As she did, Jiayi smiled and began to walk away.

“Wait, Jiayi-”

“What do you want, Pantomath?”

The sting in my throat was strange. 

“Did I…do something wrong?”

“No. You were useful. Now you're not.”

 “Right. I…you're right. Sorry.” 

I watched her walk away, and tightened my fists. Suddenly, I heard a laugh from behind me.

“Hahahaha! So this is what you've been hiding in that room of yours, hm?” Juniper turned to Takehito, who had begun to look a bit undignified. “No wonder you three spent all day there.”

“You shouldn't read that! Takehito said-”

“You shouldn't be so trusting. You don't seriously believe Takehito will bring you more social status, do you Erin?”

Erin was silent, holding her breath. Juniper passed around the folder to Karmen, who began passing it around to Esther. Soon, everyone in the cafeteria had read the folder until it ended up in Erin’s hands.

“Wh-what the hell is this?!” Erin shouted, shaking the folder. “What does this mean?”

“It's your blackmail.” I explained, and crossed my arms. “We found it in the bar, which is Takehito’s assigned room. There was a drawer with 13 files, for all of us. And a drawer with 2 files. Iker and Erin.”

“When did you-” Takehito began

“What kind of blackmail?” Iker stepped forward.

“Photos. Pictures. Explanations. Stuff like what's on Erin’s.” I mumbled.

Harris ran forward and snatched Takehito by his collar. Though Harris was one of the shorter guys here and Takehito the tallest, him pulling Takehito down to his level did nothing to combat the burning anger in his eyes.

“What the hell?! Give me my blackmail now!” Harris shouted 

“Ahem,” Takehito tried to push himself off, but Harris kept holding on. He looked to Erin and Iker, who both looked off distantly.

“Harris, let him go!” Arden tried, but Esther shook his head.

“A villainous knave who holds mine secrets is better off in the hands of that brute than free.” Her scowl burned into Takehito.

“Listen to what you're saying! This isn't funny!” 

“I…I don't know…I'm not saying Harris should hurt him but he can't just get off scot free. He's had our blackmail for who knows how long and he's been keeping it to himself. We deserve an explanation, y'know?” Rohan added.

“He can't explain if you're choking him.” Though Karmen’s voice didn't raise, it still was enough to get Harris to release if only for a moment. 

“I…” He coughed. “I thank you, Karmen and Arden.”

“I don't want your thanks. Explain.” Karmen spoke coldly.

“I…found your blackmail just recently. I was still unsure of what to do about it, so I chose not to mention it. I thought bringing it up would only stir tensions. I sincerely apologize. I haven't read any of them-”

“That's a lie.” My voice grew louder. “You would have had to read them to sort them. You sorted them-I saw it. You separated us and you and your friends. In fact, I couldn't find yours. You probably made sure to put it in another location so nobody could ever access it, right?” 

“So it was you who-”

“You covered your own ass and left me and Iker out to dry?!” Erin shouted.

“I didn't leave you to dry. I simply didn't receive blackmail about myself. It's made to give me an advantage in the killing game, so it defeats the purpose of me having my own blackmail.” Takehito explained.

“So that's your strategy,” Juniper cooed.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, don't mind me. I'm just lamenting. I thought your initial plan of tricking everyone to trust each other was just fine. It was amusing to watch, in fact. Everyone had their guards down and I had the feeling you wanted it that way. Your strategy went off when you angered someone you shouldn't have, though. I'm not sure what you did to Jiayi, but it's pretty clear she's the type of person to let these things go. You're best off going on the defensive.” 

“I don't know what you mean.”

“When you're caught the best thing to do is be honest. The more you lie, the worse it gets.” Juniper shook her head.

“I'm not lying. I truly didn't-”

“Yes, you are.” Erin spoke up, gripping her table. “You lied the second you opened your mouth-you said you found it recently, but that's not true. You found it on the second day.”

“Makes sense,” I agreed. “You would've had to draft up that contract, right? You probably used the paper and calligraphy set inside of that secret room of yours. Did you find it that first night we woke up, even?”

In seconds, an argument broke out between the people in the cafeteria. Juniper watched the chaos divulge, and took her cue to leave. Karmen, equally silent, walked off too, shaking her head. I took that as my cue to leave as well.

I went back to my room and relaxed for a bit. I thought I would enjoy seeing the smile ripped off their faces, or enjoy Takehito losing control-instead I could only think of the faces they all had when the blackmail was revealed.

People like Rye and Juniper didn't seem to care. Esther, Harris and Erin seemed truly mad. Rohan seemed afraid, but Arden seemed to ignore the possibility altogether. 

And Jiayi…why had she so easily discarded me, as if I was nothing? Although, nothing really changed from what it's always been like. I work hard and if I keep working, keep succeeding, people will want to be around me, but when I fail, I've lost my use. 

Why? Why am I like this? Why do I always get discarded? I spent the rest of my day recounting the past, trying my best to remember what I did wrong. Drifting between my thoughts, I end up checking the handbook once again. Last I checked, Orrin was in the moon lounge dorms and-hm? It seems he was there again. No, it looked like he hadn't moved at all. I hadn't checked since last night but he hadn't moved an inch. My heart begins racing, as I shut my door in a hurry.

I run out of my door, but before I do, I search for a door-for someone to help. I rush to ring Arden’s doorbell and she opens it groggily.

“Is there a way I can-huh? Celia? You're actually talking to me?” 

I put away that comment for later, before grabbing her arm.

“I think Orrin is in trouble, can you come with me?” I try to add as much urgency as possible into my voice.

“Trouble? Are you sure?” Arden shut the door behind her and stepped closer.

“Yes! Please, just…I need someone to come with me in case…in case…”

I feel her hold my shoulder. “I understand. I want to be there, if something happens. Not just for him, but for you too.” 

Her words allow me to breathe easier, but not for long. We begin running, as I pull out my notebook to follow directions. I don't look up, and Arden doesn't question me at all as she follows. 

When we get to the moon lounge, I bang on the door corresponding to the location in my handbook. No response. I keep banging, before Arden pushes the button beside me.

“Soundproof…remember?” 

“Right. Right, I shouldn't have forgotten.”

“Celia, it’s okay. Breathe. Remember, you're here, I'm here and we're both okay. Right now, we are both okay.”

“Right, you're right, we're okay.”

“Do you want me to get Jiayi? Her lab isn't far away.” 

“No.” The words hurried out of my mouth. “No, I…”

I lean back, unsure of what to say. Without anyone

answering the door, my anxieties began to triple. I turn around, realizing there's a possibility we had not tried. 

I grab the handle, and push open Vassal’s door.

Chapter Text

When we open the door, there is Vas’ room. It's surprisingly neat. His bed is perfectly made, and the floor is spotless. There is a used lint roller on his desk alongside a vacuum. On his desk placed in perfect positions are multiple bandages and chalk. There is a punching bag in the corner and a yoga mat next to it. His bathroom door is open and he has nothing but a toothbrush and toothpaste in there, aside from the annoying towels provided to us by Twelve with his face on the corner of them.

The last thing I notice is the handbook sitting atop the table. I pick it up hesitantly, and turn it on. With a beep, it turns on and it instantly shows me the name it belongs to. Orrin. My hands hover over the motive section, while Arden peers over my shoulder.

“We shouldn't be spying on stuff like this! It already feels awfully invasive, being in Vassal’s room when he's not here.” 

“I’m just making sure he's alright. His target may tell us something that can help.”

“I…suppose.”

I resist the urge to pump a fist as I open the motive section. Orrin’s target was…Juniper? I checked this map for her, and it looked like she was in her own room. 

“Enjoying the snooping?” Orrin’s voice caused me to drop the handbook suddenly, as he and Vas appeared at the front of the door. 

“I-I wasnt-”

“Next time you snoop around Vas’ room, invite me! Oh, but make sure to put everything back to where you find it or he'll throw a fit.”

“You're alright!” Arden exclaimed, throwing Orrin into a hug.

Vas just stood at the door, crossed arms.

“I'm gonna give you a few seconds to explain before I get pissed off. This better be good, ‘cause I've been with this dude all day so I'm already pretty pissed.” Vas said.

“Aw, come on. I'm not such bad company, am I?” 

“We thought you were in trouble.” I explained, placing Orrin’s handbook back on the desk. 

“Why the hell would you think that? And if he was, why the hell would you come to my room?”

“I’m touched! Really, I am! Twelve gave you me as his target, didn't he?” Orrin smirked.

“I-well…” For some reason it felt like I'd been caught doing something embarrassing.

“I almost wish he was in trouble. Unfortunately he's been pestering me all day.” Vas groaned. “I was in the garden trying to workout but he's been like a bee buzzing in my ear.”

“Relax, it was only for a day. Besides, my experiment went a lot better than I thought.” Orrin smirked and skipped past me and Arden and plucked his handbook off the table.

“Why was your handbook in Vassal’s room anyway?”

“Oh, Arden. A lady never kisses and tells.” Orrin smirked.

Arden’s face flushed and she covered it with her hands. “I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked, that was very improper of me-I-”

“Shut the hell up! It's nothing like that-he just had an idea and I agreed to it, that's all.” 

“What was your idea?” I asked.

“Oh, simple. I wanted to test where the target trackers were connected-to our bodies or to our handbooks. My hope was that if I laid low, someone would slip up somehow and reveal that I haven't been spotted in a while-so I've mostly been hiding with Vassal. I picked him because he's tall and wide so I can hide behind him anytime I need to!” Orrin grinned.

“Alright, do you want me to punch you on your left side or right side?” Vas cracked his knuckles.

Suddenly, Arden giggled. All three of us turned to her in shock. 

“Are you laughing about me getting punched?” Orrin whined.

“No, no it's just…I've never been around this type of environment before. I was honestly hoping for something like this when I first signed up. The kind of regular school experience I missed while growing up.”

“There's nothing regular about this now.” Vas huffed.

“That's true-but…even now, I still feel a bit happy. We may fight sometimes, but I like everyone here. I was hoping I’d finally be able to make my first friend.”

“Your *first* friend? Seriously?” Orrin said. Vas nudged him and he waved off his comment. “Of course, that's nothing to be ashamed of! Friendship is weird, y'know?”

I remained silent. A moment like this didn't need me. I didn't belong-

“Can we be friends? I know things have been tense lately, but…I-”

“Most people don't ask to be friends, dude.” Vas chuckled. “Just happens.”

“Mhm! If you want to call someone your pal, you can just do it. It doesn't have to be formal! Heck, it doesn't have to be mutual! Just look at us!”

“If this is what friendship is to you, then Arden is miles ahead of being my friend.” 

“In that case, Celia is mine!” Orrin wrapped an arm around mine and pulled me closer.

He gave me a knowing look, one that was soft yet firm. I wasn't going anywhere. That brought me a smile.

“I guess we're even then.” I said, feeling my face break into a smile. “Friends.”

“That's not fair! I want to be friends with Celia too!”

“God, if we get any more sappy I'm gonna be the one punching myself. Hey, Orrin. Mind holding up your end of the deal? I'm hungry.” Vas began walking out of his dorm.

“Fine, fine. We're coming. Come on you two, you're gonna help me prepare dinner for Vas! He eats like a pig, so we'll need all hands on deck!” Orrin giggled while pulling me along.

“I’d love to lend a hand.” Arden smiled at me.

As the four of us walked to the cafeteria, I couldn't resist smiling. I didn't know why-this wasn't the scenario for that. This wasn't the type of place you could make friends. Even still, seeing Orrin be so adamant about my company gave me hope. 

And that hope lasted only a few seconds. When the four of us entered the cafeteria, we all paused at what we saw. Blood.

Unmistakably blood. It spattered just in front of the door to the kitchen, a perilous invitation. We all froze, and Orrin let go of my arm at last.

“Is…that…” I found myself saying.

“Looks like it.” Orrin spoke calmly.

“Stay back.” Vas commanded, before walking forward with his fists raised.

“I'm…coming too.” Arden followed, leaving me and Orrin alone.

“I suppose this is the part where we follow-come on. We'd better go.” Orrin sounded weird without his usual humorous way of speaking. I nodded, following along, until Vas pushed open the kitchen door.

I avoided stepping on the blood spot as I stepped inside, only to find two figures. A trail of blood lined itself from the door to the back of the kitchen, making a clear trail to follow. At the end, there was a startling realization of where we were.

Takehito lay on the ground, a knife plunged into the side of his stomach. He was on the floor with his hands weakly raised up. Above him, laying atop him and with their hands wrapped firmly around his throat, was Harris. His eyes were frantic, and when he saw us, for a second, a split second he loosened his grip. Takehito made a struggling noise, which seemed to activate Harris once more and his eyes returned rabid. 

We watched, stunned. Unsure of what to do. Move. I should move. I should move and do something. I should stop him. Why am I not moving? Why-

Before I could continue thinking there was a flash of purple hair beside me. In seconds, Harris was pinned to the wall, with Vassal holding him up firmly. Arden was the next to move. She hurried to Takehito’s side and tried to lift him up. Blood spread onto her clothes but she did not blink. Orrin went up to his other side and tried to lift him up. 

“Go,” Vas commanded while holding Harris.

“Don't! Don't let him get away! That asshole! He can't! He ca-”

I have no idea what Harris said next, because we were carrying an unconscious Takehito out of the kitchen by then. The three of us carried him out, unsure of where to go, but the lab. We hovered at the door, but I used my handbook to open the door. Inside, Jiayi was measuring some powder on a scale. We pulled Takehito in and panted.

“Help him!” Orrin shouted.

Jiayi got up calmly and walked over, examining his body. “What exactly am I looking at right now?” 

“I get you're missing an eye, but there's no way you're that blind.” Orrin spoke quickly.

“Orrin! Shut up!” I shouted.

“Sorry, I'm stressed out!”

Jiayi sighed and went to check Takehito’s pulse. She paused, and sighed.

“He's alive.” 

“Please,” Arden’s voice was raw. “I know you don't get along but please-”

“Save your tears, Psychopomp, I'll help. I'm merely a diagnostician so don't expect miracles, but I do have some medical knowledge.” Jiayi cleared up the centre table. She laid a lab coat down and patted it. “Place him on this.”

We did as instructed, laying Takehito down. “Good. Now next I need you all to leave.”

“What?!” Arden shouted.

“Oh, sure we'll just leave you alone with the guy you hate during the killing game. That'll be great.” Orrin rolled his eyes.

“No,” I replied. “We should listen to her. She knows we saw him last. Killing him now wouldn't be smart at all.”

“And what if he's her target?” Orrin replied. “It doesn't matter if we see. She just gets to leave.”

Jiayi sighed and pushed her gloves on. 

“Fine. If you must know, my target is you Mortician. Satisfied? Now go.” She spoke in a commanding tone.

My heart sank, and I hesitated. I felt the words on my tongue. To speak. To say something. Instead, I just left.

When the three of us were outside, covered in blood, we stood at the door, staring at our hands. Vas ran over to us, uninjured.

“Jesus, you guys look awful. You'd think you're the ones who got into a fight.” He huffed. 

“Is Harris-”

“He's knocked out cold. Should be for a while. He's in my room, I'm not sure what to do with him. The nighttime announcement is soon and I don't want that sketchy dude walking around so I'll keep him there.”

“That's a terrible idea.” Orrin grumbled.

“Sure, but it's better than letting him walk around. You saw the dude. He looked like he had rabies.”

Orrin snorted.

“I don't understand. Why would someone-Harris do something like this?” She mumbled.

“Who cares? I'm covered in blood now thanks to him. Ugh. I need to go do my laundry.” I complained.

“Vas, I'll help you guard Harris. As fun as staying the night with a psychotic man sounds, I'm not letting you do it alone. Recipe for murder. I'll ask Rye too.” Orrin spoke in a weirdly forceful way that even Vas seemed taken aback by.

“Ah, uh…sure, whatever dude.” Vas nodded, unsure.

“Rye? What's he gonna do?” I ask, the adrenaline slowly coming down.

“Keep me company so I can laugh sometimes while we're guarding Harris. Besides, sleeping in three shifts is easier than sleeping in two.” Orrin nodded to us both and walked with Vas towards the moon lounge.

After they left, me and Arden heard a familiar beeping.

“Good evening all my lovely participants! It is now 10 p.m. and I will be locking the cafeteria post-haste! Please get some shut eye and think about some delicious murder plans! I'm getting bored and when I get bored I get cranky! And when I get cranky…well let's just hope we don't get to that.” 

The announcement shut off and I suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion hit. 

“I…need to rest.” I said, already walking.

“Me too.” Arden replied, absently. 

We walked together to the sun lounge and luckily didn't bump into anyone. We paused at the door, staring at our blood. 

“So much for friendship, huh?” I said, trying to lift the mood.

“Y-yeah…” Arden replied absently.

“Goodnight, Arden.” 

“Goodnight.”

We parked ways and after taking a long shower, I fell straight to bed.

“Good morning!! It is now 8 a.m. and as such, I'd appreciate it if you'd all wake up! Of course, if you wanna go back to sleep that's all up to you but isn't it so much more fun playing outside of your room?” 

I almost chuck my handbook at the wall, but resist it. I checked Orrin’s location…still in Vassal’s room, which gave me a shred of hope. I got up, and headed for a shower to make sure I got everything from last night off. I was still processing it, and had many questions for Harris that couldn't wait. After getting dressed, I rushed out of my room before shutting the door behind me. Inside the lobby, Karmen stood, awkwardly in the lobby.

“Is…everything okay?” I asked, approaching her slowly.

“Sure, yeah…I was…uh…I guess I was kind of waiting for someone to show up. I got up pretty early, and I didn't wanna go to breakfast alone.” She yawned.

“Did you even sleep?”

Karmen shrugged and answered and I sighed.

“Well, I don't mind going to eat with you, I just have to check on something in the moon lounge first.” 

“I'll come with you. I'll give Takehito and Iker a few more minutes to make something good. He better work extra hard after yesterday.” Karmen said, and I didn't speak up. Instead, I just thought about his injuries. Where did that small knife in his stomach come from? And what about the blood? Would it still be in the cafeteria this morning?

Karmen and I left the sun lounge and entered the mall. We went up the escalators, completely silent and I had a feeling we were both glad for it. When we got to the top, we made the turn to go to the moon lounge, but Karmen hovered for a second.

“The bar door. It's open.” She pointed to it and I looked at it as well.

“You're right. It's usually closed.” I replied, moving closer to the door instead.

“Hm. Someone must have forgotten to close it yesterday. It's always locked though, so I guess Takehito must have unlocked it after Jaiyi exposed his secret.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, maybe…” I replied, my head elsewhere.

I felt my body moving towards the door as if it couldn't stop. I wanted it to stop, I wanted to just close the door and keep walking. I didn't want to see what was on the other side. I'd only been in that room twice. Once, for the welcoming party. The second to search for the secret of Takehito’s personal room. Neither time brought a good omen. What do they say? Third time's the charm?

I pushed the door open, and with a creak, I saw a startling scene. A scene I wouldn't forget anytime soon. Something that caused me to freeze at the door and stare in disbelief.

Laying on the wooden floor, hands grasping for his throat, eyes wide and mouth open, was the dead body of Iker Elias.

Before I could truly grasp what I was looking at, a sound rang out through

out the entire facility. 

A bell. A musical, childish bell.

“A body has been discovered! Can all participants head to the bar on the second floor immediately!” 

Daily Life End

Chapter Text

Deadly Life 

I couldn’t grasp it. I couldn’t begin to grasp it. I had always told myself that I would be able to stomach anything. I told myself that I could be met with gruesome sights and not flinch. I always believed I was strong enough.

What an idiotic thing to think. 

Someone like me, who had never seen a dead body in person, had no clue what to expect. I kept looking at Iker and waiting for him to get up. Maybe he would start coughing and suddenly stand up. He might even joke, and wave his hands to keep us calm. Instead, his stillness crashed into me. It wasn’t a calm serenity but a disturbing stasis that left me paralyzed. It didn’t take long before the room began to fill up. The first to arrive were the residents of the moon dorm, with Orrin.

“AAAAAAHHHH!” Esther’s high pitched did nothing to move me.

“Iker, no!” Erin yelled and ran towards him. No, towards his corpse.

“Stop,” Juniper commanded and Erin froze. “Don’t touch him. We don’t want to disturb the crime scene.”

“The crime scene?! He might still be alive!”

“No. One look can tell you he’s passed. No doubt.” Jiayi added.

“It was you, wasn’t it? You did this to him!” Erin said through gritted teeth.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s dead. Like, really dead.” Rye mumbled.

I couldn’t care. I couldn’t care about their tension, or the tears in her eyes. I didn’t care when the members of the sun dorm arrived, standing amongst each other before suddenly screaming as well. 

“WHAT THE F-” Rohan’s voice climbed.

“Agh!” Arden covered her mouth, holding in her sickness.

“Th-this isn’t funny…g-get up, Iker! Get up!” Ritsuka shouted.

“Calm down.” Juniper urged.

“C-c-calm down! This is a whole dead body! How am I supposed to be calm?!”

“Is everyone here?” Karmen asked, looking around the room. It was full, with all of us making a circle around the corpse.

“Almost,” Jiayi spoke. “Takehito is missing.”

“Isn’t he still on bed rest?” Orrin asked.

“Maybe. I gave him treatment and sent him on his way. Whatever he did after that is up to him.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Erin shouted.

Suddenly, behind the bar, Twelve appeared. He jumped down and in front of Iker’s dead body. We all tried to look away, but when Twelve stood in front of the body, I was forced to see it. Properly.

Iker was laid on the floor with red marks all around his face and neck. His eyes were still open, but puffy. His hands were on his neck, with hand marks on it. This pained expression contrasted greatly against the always lax Iker we knew. 

“Well, this is about as good of a turnout I was hoping for!” Twelve spoke cheerily.

“Get away from him!” Erin lurched forward.

“Don’t.” Karmen grasped Erin’s wrist and tried to pull her back. 

“Let me go!”

“If you hurt him…he’ll probably kill you too.”

At this, Erin slowed and finally stood still. Though she was still crying, her noises were muffled.

“Mhm! Bingo from Karmen! Remember the rules? Please abide by them, I don’t wanna get my hands bloody! There’s something off about what you said though. ‘He’ll kill you too.’ As if! I haven’t touched any of you!” Twelve bent his wrist and blew a raspberry

“Surely you jest? This hath to be the work of a foul heart such as yours.” Esther said

“Huh? Do you think so? Really? I do appreciate the compliment, but nope! This is one of you! I’m absolutely sure of it! I watched it on the cameras!”

The cameras? I looked around the room for any cameras, but I couldn’t find any visible ones. Small, imperceptible cameras had been watching us-which meant Twelve saw this happen. 

“Who did this?” I asked Twelve, hands clenched.

“Huh? You want me to spoil the fun? No fair! I hate cheaters!”

“So this is your game?” Juniper raised a brow.

“Of course! This is the heart of the killing game!” As Twelve spoke with excitement, the sun in his face slowly shifted away, the majority of his visage becoming the dark moon, the side of his face with red eyes and a callous smile. “The class trial! Where the killer-one of you remaining fifteen, will have to blend in. One of you is a bad guy, and the rest of you gotta put your detective hats on to figure out who it was! After a certain amount of time, we will hold the class trial and then vote on who you think the killer is! Majority vote wins, this is a democracy, afterall!”

“Some fucking democracy you’re running.” Basque practically spat.

Twelve’s face shifted back to normal. He snapped his fingers as if remembering something.

“To make this fair for both killer and super sleuths, you will all receive a gift from me! The Kafka File! Check it out, it’s got details of the crime so you’re not all stumbling around! Well, that’s all from me. The next I see you, it’ll be for the exciting trial! Oooh I can’t wait!” Twelve giggled giddily and disappeared once again, travelling beyond our sights.

We were all silent for a moment, unsure of what to do, until we heard a beep. Our handbook had a new function-at the top of them, a new tab with a flashing K symbol appeared. 

“Oh god, I think I’m gonna be sick,” Rohan said at last and ran out of the room.

“I-I’ll go check on him.” She gave Iker one last look, before walking out and following Rohan.

“I-I-I can’t be here! This is…no!” Ritsuka ran out after them.

“I suggest no one else leave.” Juniper’s assertive tone planted all our feet into the ground. “It’s pretty clear what’s at stake here. Our lives. If we all want to keep them I suggest we all work together to investigate to our best capabilities.”

“How do you exactly suggest we do that?” Basque said with disbelief.

“Well, we should split up. Have people covering more ground. That way, we can ensure we have all areas covered.”

“To hell with that. One of us is the killer! I’m not going to be in a group with someone who did this!” Basque shouted.

“Let’s all contribute in our own way, then.” Rye shrugged.

“Sure.” Harris replied emptily.

“Won’t we need someone to guard the crime scene? So nobody messes with it?” Karmen pondered.

“In that case, I’ll do it. I’ve got no clue what else I could even do.” Vas walked forward and stood beside Iker.

“And what if you’re the killer?” Basque narrowed his eyes.

“I’ll help, then. All I have to do is stand around and keep an eye out, yeah?” Rye walked beside Vassal.

“I’ll perform an autopsy. We’ll need one for the trial.” Jiayi spoke clearly.

“Uh, love that idea, but if anyone was going to do the autopsy wouldn’t it be me? I work with a lot of corpses, you know.” Orrin said.

“You don’t know your place, do you? I am far more capable than you. Don’t try to interrupt my work again.” Jiayi spoke with a sudden dominance and edge that I hadn’t heard from her before. 

“Fine, you can touch the dead body all you want then.” Orrin sighed. “I’ll be doing my own investigation, then. There’s something I wanted to check out.” Orrin smiled and left the room.

“If that’s settled, I believe we have our essential roles. We should all try our best, okay?” Juniper spoke.

After that, everyone dispersed. Some stayed in the room, some left. I finally got a good look at the room now that I was calm and it was more empty. There was a smashed bottle on the ground, and the secret door behind the bar was wide open. Iker’s body was sprawled out in front of a couch near the back. I took a deep breath. This was no time to panic. It was a time to think. Vas and Rye stood by the body, while Basque walked around the room. Karmen looked around the front of the room, and Juniper had disappeared into the secret room. Jiayi knelt down by the body to perform an autopsy.

Investigation Start

I’d better start off with the Kafka file. I opened it up, scrolling through. It showed a picture of Iker’s body, and a map of his body, highlighting any relevant areas. Aside from the area around his throat, there were no further highlighted areas.

Victim: Iker Elias, The Ultimate Masseuse

Height, Weight: 5’10, 72kg

Cause of Death: Asphyxiation

Time of Death: 8:15 a.m.

The victim was Iker Elias. He was found at 8:45 by Celia Novak and Karmen Soot in the bar. The cause of death is asphyxiation due to unknown causes. He died at 8:15

Truth Bullet Added: Kafka File

The first thing that caught my eye was the time of death. If we had been quicker, could we have saved Iker? If we spent less time waiting? I pushed those thoughts from my mind and continued my investigation. 

The closest thing beside Iker was shards of a smashed bottle. I began picking them up, careful not to prick my fingers. I took a sniff at the liquid that had fallen from the bottle. It was dark, and smelled like wine, however something beneath that smell hit me. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but it made me feel ill.

Truth Bullet Added: Smashed Wine Bottle

I looked to the bar to see the other drinks. None of them looked like they had been touched, and there were no scuff marks around the room. Next, I spoke to Karmen.

“Have you found anything yet?” 

“Mm, no. Not yet.”

“Did you see the Kafka File? If we were earlier…”

“We could have saved him. Yeah, I know. I can’t stop thinking about it. I wish I could have done more. I wish I was able to get there in time-I wish I was more…more…” Karmen’s sudden frustration ‘exploded’ in a soft grunt. If that’s the length she goes to when she’s upset, that’s concerning.

“That must mean the killer killed Iker early in the morning. They had to have woken up early. How long were you standing in the sun lounge?”

“I don’t exactly sleep, so I was outside at about…8:05. I had a quick shower then waited for Iker to go to breakfast.”

“You were still doing that?”

“Not explicitly, but Iker would usually try to grab the people on that list for breakfast first thing in the morning. He didn’t show up today, though.” She shrugged. 

“I see. This will be helpful for alibis. Thanks, Karmen!” 

“Hm? Oh, yeah. No problem, I suppose.” 

Truth Bullet Added: Karmen’s Account

I checked in on Basque next.

“Can I help you?” He raised a brow.

“Uhm, yes, If that’s okay.” I hadn’t spoken to Basque in days. While I had gotten used to most everyone here, I still felt a little awkward with him. “Have you found anything?”

“Tch. No, not yet. This place is bone dry for clues. I’d check Iker’s body-I have no problem with stuff like that-but the second I got close Jiayi shooed me away. She wants to be completely left alone. How annoying…”

“Oh, that’s…yeah.”

A silent moment.

“Oh, uhm, do you have any alibi for the time of the murder?”

“Uh, I was in my room. I was trying to head back to sleep after the morning announcement.”

I nodded as thanks, and parted ways with Basque hurriedly, grateful for the end to the conversation. I approached the two ‘guards’. I spoke to Vas first.

“Yo. Whaddya want?” Vas asked.

“I’m trying to collect alibis for now. Could I know where you were around the time of the murder?”

“Yeah, still waking up. I told the others to let me sleep in and that I’d skip breakfast today. We were supposed to do shifts, but Rye over here slept in.” 

“Sorry, sorry! Your bed was just too comfy!”

“Me, Orrin, Rye and Harris were in my room from last night until just now. None of us could have done it.”

“You’re right. Thank you. Also, did you get a chance to talk to Harris yesterday?”

“Tch, yeah. Dude has been silent, saying nothing about the whole thing. He just said he won’t do it again all night, and sulked in the corner.” Vas complained.

“I was so surprised to hear he attacked Takehito-I mean, sure, the dude was shady but a full scale attack! Besides-where’d he get that weapon. I thought the Societal Living Committee took all the weapons from the facility…?” Rye pondered.

That was a good point. Where did he get the weapon, and why attack Takehito? I pushed the questions from my mind. I had to focus on this case and this case alone.

Truth Bullet Added: Boys’ Sleepover

Truth Bullet Added: Harris’ Attack

I pivoted to Jiayi, and leaned down next to her. 

“Hi, Jiayi.”

“Celia.”

My mood suddenly brightened, before I realised the environment I was in. I forced the smile down and hardened my expression.

“Can I have a look at the body?”

“I’m still conducting my autopsy. I don’t want any interruptions.” Jiayi said.

“I…see.”

“However,” She leaned in closer, our voices becoming low. “I need someone to do a proper job of investigating while I do my autopsy. I am entrusting you once more to be my assistant. Come back later and I’ll provide you with the autopsy. Are we clear?”

“Yes, of course.” I nodded eagerly.

“Good. You’re the only one I can rely on.”

Those words added fuel to me that I didn’t know I needed. I was prepared to give this case a once over and try to come up with a conclusion, but with this second wind I suddenly felt the energy to solve the entire case. I would leave no stone unturned. I gave her one last look before standing up.

I looked around the bar once more, content that I had seen all I needed to see. I moved into the private room behind the bar that I had only been in once, in a hurry. Not much had changed from before, except for one striking difference. Lined up on the desk were various sharp objects. Kitchen knives, mostly. Aside from those, there were a few bottles lined up in the back of the room. I recognized them as things from Jiayi’s lab. This must be where they had kept all the confiscated items. 

“Ah,” Juniper’s eyes glinted with recognition. “Hello there. You seem eager.”

“I’m just making sure we give everything a proper look.” I mumbled, walking into the room.

“Quite the room, isn’t it? I hadn’t known it existed. It’s a perfect place to hide things. How does one even open the secret door?”

“I’m not sure, actually.”

Juniper raised an excellent question. Most of the others didn’t know our assigned rooms had secret doors in them. They didn’t know about the weapons either, just Takehito’s blackmail. However, when entering the door was wide open. Who could have opened this?

Truth Bullet Added: Secret Room

“Aside from that, I don’t have an alibi for the time of murder. Most of us won’t. We were mostly sleeping or still getting ready. Usually Erin stands in the moon lounge and waits for a majority of us before heading to the cafeteria, per that contract.”

“How did you know I wanted your alibi?”

“It’s the first thing you should ask in a situation like this, no? I would ask for yours, but…well, I’ll just save it for the trial.” She gave me a thin smile that only made me feel queasy. What was she planning?

“Was Erin outside the moon lounge this morning?”

“I’m not entirely sure, to be honest. I left at the sound of the announcement. The only people I’m absolutely sure were awake at the time of the murder were the two on breakfast duty from the roster. I can’t exactly recall who, though.”

“Me neither. I’ll have to go check that in a bit. Thanks, Juniper.”

“Don’t mention it.” She returned to looking through the sharp objects on the desk.

I filtered through the objects in the room. The entire set of kitchen knives were here, leaving the kitchen only with butter knives. Aside from that, there were some other sharp objects like corkscrews and iron skewers.

Truth Bullet Added: Confiscated Weapons

I checked the items in the back. These were from Jiayi’s lab. Most of them were the poisons from her room, but one bottle in particular stood out to me. It was the only empty bottle, so I picked it up to examine it. The label was in a foreign language. I held it and squinted to read before a hand reached out to grab it.

“Just hand it over.” Basque scoffed, reading the label. He appeared from behind me, and I flushed to think of him watching me struggle to understand it. 

“It’s a poison. The name roughly translates to a peaceful death in Spanish. It’s extremely deadly and must be handled with care. It’s very strong and even just a drop can paralyze you. Any amount more than that can kill you. If ingested you have about 30 minutes to live before you die. It stops your respiratory system from working, and you’re unable to breathe. Your eyes get bloodshot and your skin turns a purplish shade.” Basque set the poison down, then rubbed his hands on the desk.

“What the hell is something like that doing here?!”

“Thanks, Basque. That helped a lot. I think I have a better idea of how Iker died, now.”

“Pft. It’s whatever.” He crossed his arms, but the smallest smile appeared on his face.

Truth Bullet Added: Empty Poison Bottle

I did a cautionary search in Takehito’s drawer, but they were empty. None of the blackmail was present. I shut the desk drawer and left the bar. I had searched it plenty, and there were other places to go. I had to go to the lab, to see where the poison came from. I had to check the moon lounge to check the roster for today’s breakfast duty. Then, I had to check the kitchen for any sharp objects, then come back to see if the autopsy was ready. I had my work cut out for me.

Before I could take even two steps outside of the bar, an angry face stared at me. Erin, whose eyes were still red and puffy. She rubbed them and crossed her arms angrily.

“You…!”

“Erin, I’m really not in the mood right now.”

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve got a lot to look into and I don’t know how much time. I need to-”

“The file says you found him, right?” I nod, unsure where this is going. “You didn’t see anyone? Anyone at all?”

“No. I didn’t. I’m looking for clues, though.”

“...why? Iker was part of the Societal Living Committee. I thought you and Jiayi hated us.”

“I don’t-I just want to find Iker’s killer. If not for my life, for the life of everyone else.” 

“Don’t forget him. He had a life too. He deserves justice.” Erin said. Her voice was trying to be strong but through the cracks and wavers, it gave way to the truth.

“Iker, as well.” I nodded.

“I’m only showing you this, cause…I know you didn’t kill him.” She huffed, pushing past me towards the digital monitor beside the bar door.

“How do you know that?” I followed, confused.

“Everyone looked at me with pity. They looked at me like I was weak, after we found the body. You didn’t. You hardly looked at me at all. You were focused on one thing-Iker. I…want you to focus on him, even throughout this investigation. Okay?”

“That’s not evidence I didn’t kill him, though.”

“I don’t care. It’s evidence to me.” She shrugged and scanned her handbook at the kiosk. She stepped aside, showing a list of names and times.

“What is this?”

“It’s a list of who enters and scans their handbook in the last 24 hours. Takehito showed us how to access it when he locked the bar. All the rooms seem to have one. Didn’t Jiayi show you?”

“Yes,” I lied. “Just…move. Let me see.”

11 a.m. Takehito Kato

4 p.m. Takehito Kato

8 p.m. Harris Diavolo (DENIED)

11p.m. Takehito Kato

8 a.m. Iker Elias

It didn’t provide specific times, but rather showed what happened during the hour. I turned to Erin and gave her a slight smile.

“This helped a lot. Thank you.”

“I…I’m trusting you to find who killed Iker. Please. I…I’m not entirely the smartest, and I’m not sure many of us are. The smart people here are kind of…assholes. I want to help but I can’t. I feel so-”

“Useless?” I smirked slightly.

“I’m sorry for calling you that. I…I just…”

“You’re a lot more tolerable when you’re not constantly trying to put on an act,” I smile now, because she frowns. “I’ll find Iker’s killer. Promise.”

She nodded, the frown disappearing a little. 

Truth Bullet Added: Entry Times (Bar)

I walked over to the lab and scanned the entry times, doing it the way Erin showed me. Flicking through, one entry caught my eye.

9 a.m. Jiayi Shu

8 p.m. Jiayi Shu

9 p.m. Celia Novak

12 a.m. Jiayi Shu

8 a.m. Iker Elias (DENIED)

What was Iker doing trying to get into Jiayi’s lab? Was this before or after he went to the bar? 

Truth Bullet Added: Entry Times (Lab)

I entered quickly, searching. Everything was as I remembered, except Jiayi’s secret room had been picked dry. As I searched it, I thought of the files of medical records we had memorized. I thought back to Iker’s, and tried to remember any details. I shut my eyes, and recalled small bits of relevant information. He had gone to the hospital a few times for alcohol poisoning. Other than that, he had no other notable aspects. He had an allergy to pollen and peanuts. I felt good, recalling information. It gave me a comfort I had longed for. Tests. Way too prove that all the things that remained in my mind were there for a reason. This trial would just be another test. Thinking that eased the weight of it off my shoulders.

Truth Bullet Added: Iker’s Medical Record

I left the lab and headed to the moon lounge. Inside, Orrin stood outside a door, repeatedly pressing a button. I ignored it, and focused on the roster. I read back through it. This morning, Iker and Takehito were slated to cook breakfast. With one dead, and the other injured, the roster suddenly carried an ominous aura.

Truth Bullet Added: Breakfast Roster

I sighed and walked up to Orrin, eyebrows raised. Before I could question, he pointed to the nameplate of the door he kept buzzing. Takehito. 

“What if…what if he’s…” I started

“He’s not. At least, I doubt it. Oh, Twelve!” Orrin sang out, finally releasing the button. 

In seconds, Twelve appeared, causing me to yelp.

“Orrin!” Twelve threw up his hands in joy.

“Twelve!” Orrin threw his hands up in joy too.

“What the fuck?” I reeled.

“Are you calling to play tag again? Oh, oh, or hide and seek?”

“Aw man, I wish. Unfortunately I got this trial thing I have to worry about-no chance of you cancelling it so we can play?”

“No way! The trial is my favourite part of this game!” Twelve pouted like a little child. More like a little shit.

“Awwww, okay, okay. In that case, could you do me a favour and open this door for me?” Orrin gave a small pleading smile to Twelve.

“Now, why would I do something like that?”

“Hmmm, well, Takehito was so rude to not show up to the body discovery announcement. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind for you!”

“You’d do that…for me!”

“Of course! That’s what friends do for each other, afterall.”

Twelve giggled and wiggled his finger. We heard the door click and come unlocked.

“Just this once, okay! Hehehe!” Twelve smiled before he departed.

“Why are you two so friendly?!” I shouted at him.

“He’s kinda cute. He’s like a lil kid once you get to know him.” Orrin grinned.

“What is wrong with you?”

“Depends on who you’re asking.” Orrin smiled before pushing open the door. I sighed and followed him in.

Inside, Takehito’s room was starkly different from mine. His was made of old wood, covered in resin and preserved to look ancient yet refined. The room was filled with different sets of paper and different sets of pens ordered neatly. His bed was massive, with a curtain hanging over it. Takehito himself stood in front of the door, gripping a sharp object.

“Woah, woah, woah! Put the scalpel down, man! We’re just here to ask you a few questions!” Orrin smiled.

“H-how…did you get in?” Takehito was holding his stomach. It looked like it still hurt. His hair was messy and his clothes had wrinkles on them, which felt very out of place on him.

“Don’t ask.” I gave him a look, and he nodded, both of us glancing at Orrin.

“Fine. I don’t want to answer any questions. Leave me alone.”

“You know, everyone thinks you killed Iker.” 

Takehito scoffed at that, and sat down at his desk.

“You don’t seem surprised.” I said.

“I’m not. I’m sure Jiayi is spinning some story as we speak to pin this on me.” He mumbled.

“Hey, she helped you last night after Harris attacked you!” I jumped, but Orrin held out a hand.

“You didn’t show up to the body discovery, but when we mentioned Iker was dead, you didn’t even blink.” Orrin narrowed his eyes.

“I found him. I read that stupid file. I found him early in the morning. I woke up, just like the note told me to. When I went in, he was lying there, dead. I knew what it looked like. In my room, with all the weapons. I…didn’t want anyone to catch me in there. I ran here, and haven’t left since. That’s what you wanted to know, right? You can leave now.” He ran a hand through his hair feebly.

“What…note?”

“You can keep it. The thing is cursed.” He rifled around his desk and produced a small note written with fancy bleeding ink and in cursive. The note read:

You’ll want to read this when you wake up. It’s time to choose: Iker’s life or yours. If you want to save him, head to the bar at 8:17. You have three minutes to decide when you get there. You know what to do.

“Stupid thing came with this. Harris is probably taunting me.” Takehito placed the scalpel on the desk. I instantly recognized the handle. It was the very same that had been lodged in his stomach last night. “If you’re satisfied, can you get out? I would really like to be alone right now.” He said, with a scratchy voice.

“Got it, captain.” Orrin gave him a smile, before walking out holding both note and scalpel. I stared for a moment longer. Takehito was bent over the table, holding his stomach and breathing heavily. Worry creased my brows, but I had things to do. I bit down my concern and shut the door behind me.

Truth Bullet Added: Scalpel

Truth Bullet Added: Mysterious Note

I began walking towards the bar once more, when Orrin started following me. 

“Is something wrong?” I asked

“Hm? No, I just thought I’d check something in the bar. Don’t mind me.” He gave me a placid smile and walked past me into the bar. Putting aside his weird behaviour, I entered the bar once more.

I walked over to Jiayi, who stood up when she saw me.

“There you are. I’m done with the autopsy. It’s a clear case-poisoning. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fingertips were deathly pale. He had some marks on his throat, but those were self-inflicted, likely due to the poison. Most victims of poisoning reach for their mouths or throats. He suffered no external injuries otherwise.”

Truth Bullet Added: Jiayi’s Autopsy

“I see. That’s a great help, Jiayi. I found a bunch of evidence. There’s just one more thing I’d like to check. Do you want to come with me?” I asked, hopeful.

“No. I’m going to check my autopsy again. See if I made any mistakes.” 

“That’s okay.” I said, trying to mask my disappointment. I waved her off before heading down to the cafeteria.

Inside, Arden was attempting to comfort Esther and Rohan. Rohan was bent over a bin, puking in it repeatedly. Arden gave me a sympathetic nod before I continued into the kitchen.

I entered, and saw Harris looking around at the shelves.

“Oh, Harris.”

“H-hey!” He tried to smile, but it felt weird. “I…er…”

“What have you found?” I didn’t want to have whatever conversation Harris wanted. I just needed information. I was looking for something specific, but Harris’ help would be appreciated.

“Uh, nothing really. I’m not sure how to start. So I’ve just been kinda walking around…”

“I see.” 

The awkward silence that followed must have signaled the end of conversation, because Harris scooted off to the side, allowing me to look through the cabinets and shelves. I searched frantically for any of it, but couldn’t find it. I had a feeling it’d be missing. I note that down in my mind, but just as I do I hear the electronic beep ring out from my pockets.

“Hi hi hi! Okay, so I’m really bored now, I wanna get started! It’s time for the class trial! Everyone, please head to the spaceship in the hangar! Stand in front of the big door, and I’ll let you all in! I won’t let anyone miss this! If you don’t show up, you’ll be punished!” He said it like it was some game. For Twelve, it was. Our lives were nothing but a game to him. Nothing but a plaything. 

I shut off my handbook and began walking to the hangar. I tried to tell myself I was prepared, that I was ready, but in the back of my mind I thought back to that one possibility. The chance that…if we got this wrong, our lives would be forfeit. We would all die.

By the time I had gotten there, everyone had gathered but one. Orrin was late, but that didn’t stop everyone from discussing.

“Whoever the k-killer is…just…give up now! I know who it is! I’ll have mercy on you if you confess!” Ritsuka said, her confidence betrayed by the amount of sweat coming out of her.

“You wouldn’t know the culprit if they hit you over the head.” Basque grunted.

“Wh-what! Don’t hit me!” Ritsuka covered her head defensively.

“Hey, hey…why are we even having a trial? I thought if the killer killed their target, then they get to go, no strings attached. What’s up with that?”

Twelve popped out from the top of the spacecraft like on our first day here. He pointed to Rye from the top of the vessel.

“Great question! Unfortunately that rule only applies when the person who killed their target killed their target!”

“What does that even mean…?” Rye questioned.

“It means the killer isn’t the one whose target was Iker.” Juniper explained. “Let’s save it for the trial, shall we? What’s hold up, Twelve?”

“I’m not holding anyone up! It’s that guy who's holding you up!”

We all turned to where Twelve’s finger pointed. The hangar door flew open, and Orrin ran in panting.

“Sorry, everyone. Got turned around.”

“How the hell do you get turned around in here?!” Basque spat

“Now that you’ve all gathered, please, enter and you will be taken to the trial grounds! See you there, friends!” Twelve jumped back into the hatch he came out of, and on clue the massive silver spacecraft stirred to life. The massive door opened, beckoning us inside.

Just a few days ago, we watched the director, the man who was supposed to guide us and lead us, fall out of this very spacecraft. Would we be the next bodies tumbling out of here? 

“Celia,” Jiayi’s voice broke me out of my trance. Everyone had already begun boarding. “I expect the best from you. Not out of spite, or pressure. I expect this, because I know you’re capable. Logic and information will guide you to the right answer. Follow that, and you’ll reach an answer you’re truly satisfied with. Don’t fail me and more importantly, don’t fail yourself.” Jiayi nodded in what I tried to guess was encouragement. I nodded back, as the two of us entered the spacecraft last. The massive door shut behind us.

For a moment, we all stood in a simple white elevator. The walls glowed slightly, with lines and hexagons providing us some brightness in this otherwise dim space. Suddenly, the elevator lurched, and we began to ascend. We all stood spread out from one another, all of us with our own thoughts. Our own concerns. Our own hopes. Our own dreams. Our own promises. Not all of us would be able to fulfill those, though.

Because one of us was a killer.

One of us had decided to end the life of another.

One of us was walking in here ready to condemn us all to death for their life alone.

And whoever it was…I had a duty to find them. And to expose them.

Investigation End

When the elevator stopped, we entered a room with sixteen podiums, all facing each other in a circle. Twelve sat above the podiums, staring down on us from a throne made of gold. The rest of the room was made of glass, aside from the walkway up to our podiums. The glass showcased the stars, with constellations floating in and out of view. 

“Please, kindly find the podium with your name on it and take your place! This is where we will hold court, where your lives will either end or flourish. Where you suspect your neighbour. This is the class trial!” Twelve spoke, his legs kicking over the end of the throne.

We all found our respective podiums fairly quickly. We all stood in a circle prepared to face off. I lifted my head to see in Iker’s space, a photo of him sitting with his winking face. 

remembered what Erin had asked of me. This wasn’t just our class trial. It was Iker’s.

Iker will have justice. I swear on it.

Chapter Text

Twelve: Welcome, welcome! I'll provide a quick explanation of the rules before we begin our discussion. While all participants are here, you'll be discussing who killed the victim. After a certain period of time, we will begin voting, and the person with the majority vote is ruled the killer! If you get the killer wrong, all participants but the killer will be executed and vice versa. Okay? Good! 

Twelve: Hehe! Okay, okay, boring stuff out of the way. Let’s start with talking about-

Jiayi: We can begin with clearing up facts of the case.

Twelve: Hey! That's no fair, you stole my thunder!

Basque: As if we'd let our captor moderate our discussion. Just shut up and let us be serious.

Twelve: …

Celia: [He looks genuinely sad…I almost feel bad for him. Almost.]

Rohan: Uhh…sorry if I'm wrong but…is there much of a point clearing things up?

Ritsuka: Y-yeah! The Kafka file told us everything we needed to know! 

Jiayi: I don't want to hear a word from the people who didn't investigate. 

Ritsuka: Y-yes ma’am…

Basque: You didn't even try to fight back!

Jiayi: We need to ensure we all start on the same page. We can't stop and start during the whole trial to explain information.

Celia: [Clearing up some things about the case might help. I can tell some of these guys probably aren't too sure about certain aspects.]

|| NON-STOP DEBATE ||

•Kafka File

•Scalpel

•Jiayi’s Autopsy

Juniper: Let’s go over the details of the case, shall we?

Vas: The victim was Iker Elias…

Rye: Karmen and Celia found him in the bar in the morning just after the announcement.

Karmen: When we found him, he was already dead.

Juniper: He died 15 minutes after the morning announcement.

Ritsuka: A-and he died cause someone ch-choked him!

>Jiayi’s Autopsy

Celia: I don't think that's right!

|| BREAK! ||

Celia: No, there's something wrong with that. Jiayi performed an autopsy, and the cause of death wasn't choking at all.

Ritsuka: What? Yeah! I knew that! Pfft, amateur.

Jiayi: Shut up.

Celia: I…guess I'll explain it anyway, just so we all know. Jiayi’s autopsy revealed some important things. He had marks on his neck, sure but those were self-inflicted.

Orrin: …

Arden: Why would Iker do something like that to himself…?

Juniper: Who knows…? But, if you're saying his death wasn't by choking, what are you proposing? He clearly died from being unable to breathe. The Kafka file said as much.

Esther: By and by, I hath a query. How can we know the file holds the truth and not fabrications?

Harris: That's true, there's no way Twelve was there during the murder.

Twelve: Huh? Why would I need to be there? 

Harris: How else would you be able to know some of the information in the file, like the time of death!

Twelve: Hm….I wonder. I'll never tell!

Karmen: You're spying on us, aren't you?

Twelve: Spying? That sounds rude! I'm not doing that! I don't watch you in bathrooms, that's icky!

Juniper: So, you watch us everywhere but the bathroom? 

Twelve: Well…maybe! I'm always watching, in one way or another!

Vas: Don't forget what that scary chick said on the second day. Twelve couldn't have killed the director himself. He probably has ears on the inside.

Esther: Art thou saying, there is one among our ranks who shares allegiance with Twelve?!

Karmen: More likely than not.

Ritsuka: Nose goes!

Arden: Uhm, Ritsuka, I don't think nose goes works for this kind of situation.

Basque: So one of us killed the director, and another killed Iker, huh? They're probably the same person then.

Juniper: Why do you say so?

Basque: A killer will kill again once they know they can get away with it! I mean-we never had a trial for *him* so for all we know his killer could still be running around.

Twelve: While I can't speak on the director's killer, in the interest of keeping everyone on track, this killer and the director's killer aren't the same. The director's death is meaningless, as this killing game is only between participants.

Juniper: Does that mean the rules don't apply to the director?

Twelve: Gah! Forget that stupid guy! The Kafka file I provided has no lies in it whatsoever! The worst I'll do is omit things here and there but that's only to make the game more fair for all the participants! 

Esther: If the file hath no lies, pray tell, how come it says he passed of asphyxiation?

Jiayi: There are other ways to die via asphyxiation. Besides, choking would result in a much more obvious struggle. The room didn't show any signs of anything like that.

Rye: Uh, wasn't there a smashed bottle? That's pretty suspicious, right?

Karmen: I was wondering what the deal with that was.

Jiayi: Focus on one thing at a time. We were discussing the particulars of this case. The file merely stated asphyxiation, but due to the collaborative works of me and Celia, we deduced the likely cause of death. Celia, tell them.

Celia: [Wh-why is she making me do it?!]

Celia: Well, I, er…we believe the cause of death is poisoning.

Rohan: What?!? Where the heck did poison even come from?

Ritsuka: It wasn't me!

Orrin: You just sound even more suspicious now.

Celia: [I have evidence to point to. Something that proves the poison was used.]

>Empty Poison Bottle

Celia: Take a look at this. It's a deadly poison that kills in 30 minutes. The poison came from the lab, and somehow the killer managed to get it into Iker’s system. It shuts down your ability to breathe, and your skin can turn purple. 

Arden: Something that deadly was there the whole time?

Karmen: If the poison came from Jiayi’s lab…

Ritsuka: Eep! She's totally the killer!

Jiayi: No, I'm not.

Ritsuka: I knew that already…

Vas: Shut up.

Celia: [Everyone thinks Jiayi did it…all eyes are on her, but she should be able to defend herself.]

Jiayi: …

Juniper: You're being oddly silent.

Jiayi: What do you want me to say? 

Karmen: Present evidence. Show us you're not the killer, although…the poison came from the lab only you and few others could access. 

Harris: …

Orrin: She *is* totally suspicious.

Jiayi: Hm. 

Celia: [Jiayi, why aren't you saying anything! I guess I should speak up, then. If I need to…I’ll make sure to prove them wrong.]

|| Non-Stop Debate START ||

•Confiscated Weapons

•Empty Poison Bottle

•Jiayi’s Autopsy

Orrin: So Iker died from poison, eh?

Rohan: What a sad way to go…

Karmen: The killer poisoned Iker…

Karmen: And waited until he died.

Rye: Sounds like the case!

Rye: Well, that's that. We can all go home!

Vas: Not yet, dumbass.

Vas: We gotta figure out who killed that dude.

Rye: Oh, yeah. Well it's obviously Jiayi, right?

Rye: She had all the things a killer needs. Motive, a scary eye patch and most importantly, she was the only one who could have used the poison.

>Confiscated Weapons

Celia: I don't think that's right!

|| BREAK ||

Celia: No, it's actually the other way around. Jiayi is one of the people who couldn't use the poison.

Rye: Didn't you say the poison came from her lab?

Celia: Yes, but there's something else we're forgetting. The Societal Living Committee confiscated all dangerous items, including the poisons in her lab.

Karmen: Well, couldn't she have just poisoned him and waited a few days?

Basque: No. The poison was very clear. It would take 30 minutes to kill someone.

Harris: She wouldn't be able to get any of the poisons in time, huh.

Celia: That's right. If there's anyone we should believe it's he-

Takehito: You're not thinking straight!

Takehito: Give it a rest, will you? You're just covering her ass.

Celia: H-huh? Takehito?

Takehito: Your logic has a gaping hole in it, so let me explain…

|| REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN ||

•Entry Times/Lab

•Entry Times/Bar

•Kafka File

Takehito: So you're saying that because The Societal Living Committee…

Takehito: Took all of the dangerous items in the facility,

Takehito: That absolves her of guilt?!

Celia: It doesn't absolve her, but it makes her a lot less likely to be the killer.

Celia: We all know you three didn't get along with her! You wouldn't just allow her inside the bar!

ADVANCE!

Takehito: Of course we wouldn't have allowed her,

Takehito: But she didn't care about that.

Takehito: She could have just snuck in.

>Entry Times/Bar

Celia: You're not sharp enough!

|| BREAK ||

Celia: I have evidence that disproves that. You yourself, Takehito, controls who can enter and cannot. Isn't that right?

Takehito: So what?

Celia: I'm 100% sure Jiayi isn't on that list. She’d have no way of entering. We can also see that if she tried to enter, and failed, the log entry would show that she failed. She couldn't have entered your bar and had any access to the poison.

Takehito: Tch. 

Celia: D-did you just scoff at me?!

Arden: Takehito, what's the matter? You're being a lot…rougher than usual.

Takehito: It's nothing you need to worry about. 

Arden: Nothing…? I'm hardly sure it's nothing. If you're feeling shaken up by your friend's death, talking about it helps.

Takehito: Hmph. What can you do to help?

Arden: Pardon?

Takehito: You can't help me. None of you can. 

Arden: I'm not sure I follow, is something the matter?

Takehito: It doesn't matter. 

Arden: I know this is a difficult time, but a lot of us look up to you. If you're able to pull through and put a smile on your face, I'm sure it might mean a lot.

Takehito: …

Takehito: Fine, if you want a smile then I'll smile.

Celia: [Takehito is…scarier than usual? I preferred him when he was condescending, now he's just disheveled.]

Takehito: Ah, Celia. As you had pointed out, only a limited amount of people could have access to the poison. I retract my statement.

Celia: [Now he's back to normal, talking like he did before?! What the hell is his deal?]

Celia: Uh…no…problem? 

Rohan: Hey, uhm…I have a question.

Karmen: Is it relevant to this case?

Rohan: Hey! I'm not gonna derail, I swear! I'm not Ritsuka!

Ritsuka: H-how dare you throw me in with you! I'm not an idiot!

Rohan: I’m not an idiot either!

Basque: I beg to differ.

Rohan: Anyways, uh…if only the people allowed in the bar could access the poison, wouldn't that mean it'd have to be one of the Societal Living Committee who poisoned Iker?

Basque: Wow! You actually said something worthwhile!

Rohan: I did? 

Arden: Mhm! Good job, Rohan!

Rohan: Uh, uhm…hehe, thanks guys…

Vas: Dude, you're red as a cherry.

Karmen: So, it had to be one of the Societal Living Committee then, huh? Well, Erin? Takehito? Any defences?

Takehito: I can't speak for my friend, but I can assure you. I didn't do anything and would never do something like this, I would never harm a friend.

Erin: …

Erin: You can't be serious, can you? Are you accusing me right now?

Karmen: We’re better off-

Erin: Shut up! Just leave me alone! You can't seriously believe I'd do something like that to Iker!

Basque: Well *someone* did it.

Erin: What?! Takehito, say something!

Takehito: I cannot confirm your innocence in this matter.

Erin: What the hell?! So now you're suddenly back to playing the cool and collected leader? I thought you were my friend!

Takehito: I am. However, for the good of everyone it seems I must still suspect you all the same.

Jiayi: Don't you understand, Socialite? You put your lot in with someone who doesn't care about you. That's the extent of your talent. You ingratiate yourself with those above your station, yet will always be doomed to be chained to the true, empirical fact that the second they must, those people you call friends will abandon you for their own gain. Such is the way of The Ultimate Socialite. What a useless talent.

Erin: I'm not going to let you stand there and talk to me like that! My friends don't abandon me! Right?

Rye: …

Orrin: …

Takehito: …

Erin: Guys? You know I didn't do this, right? I can't be the killer! 

Takehito: If the option is simply me or Erin, it unfortunately falls upon me to cast the first stone. Erin, I'm sorry but-

Celia: Wait. 

Takehito: Hm?

Celia: [I don't want to do this. I don't want to defend her. So, why does it hurt to watch that face on her? She's alone, and she deserves it. Why should I care?]

Jiayi: Celia. Don't fall weak to emotion. This is a scenario where logic must prevail. Don't back down now because of some crocodile tears.

Takehito: I have to agree. Erin is known to be a…faker. She plays on emotions and friendship, while only intending to advance her own status. Her waterworks are likely just another tactic.

Erin: Why…why am I always…alone?

Celia: [...!]

Celia: No. No, Erin didn't do it. I'm certain.

Jiayi: Pantomath-

Celia: She's been the most distraught out of all of us. She's clearly in mourning. She wouldn't have done this-

Vas: That's not really evidence, is it?

Rye: Yeah, like Takehito said. She's a liar, right?

Arden: …

Celia: I…I think-

Takehito: I think you're misguided, Celia. Please, refrain from acting so irrationally.

Celia: [The moods shifted. I felt like I was on a roll, like everything I said could sway the room. Like they all needed my deductions. Like they needed me. Now that Takehito is back, it looks like that's gone. Everybody looks convinced. Dammit! Why can't I do anything! I want to be brave, I want to be smart and strong and-]

Arden: I think we should listen to what Celia says. 

Celia: What?

Takehito: What?

Arden: She's helped us out so far, right? Besides, isn't it best to believe in each other? We shouldn't be looking for the easiest way to condemn someone but looking for the easiest way to prove their innocence, right?

Jiayi: That's a sentiment based purely in idiotic optimism. Quiet, Psychopomp.

Arden: I…don't think I will

be. Sorry, Jiayi but I want to listen to what my friend has to say. Celia is smart, so we should trust in her deduction, even just a little, right?

Rohan: I mean, if Arden says it's okay…

Karmen: Couldn't hurt, I suppose.

Juniper: I'm all for it.

Celia: [Arden…thank you. This isn't a time to be swept up in emotion, though. I need to prove why Erin couldn't have done this!]

Chapter Text

Celia: [I have the evidence to prove her innocence. I used it before, I just have to re-examine it.]

> Entry Times/Bar

Celia: Let’s go over these again. We made clear that the poison Iker drank would have to be given to him at least 30 minutes before, right? In that case, the entry times to the bar would reflect that. It should show that someone entered the bar early this morning, but the only person who scanned their handbook that early on was Iker.

Karmen: Iker? What was he doing there this early?

Erin: It doesn’t matter. 

Basque: Uh, hell no it doesn’t! If you know, tell us!

Erin: …I…refuse.

Takehito: He was drinking.

Erin: Takehito!

Takehito: Iker began to drink every morning as of late. A full bottle of wine first thing in the morning to take the edge off. 

Arden: I had no idea he was under that much stress…

Takehito: It’s not new. It said as much in his blackmail.

Juniper: The blackmail that Jiayi chose to throw around without any remorse.

Jiayi: …

Celia: If Erin entered The Bar, it doesn’t show it on the record. She wasn’t even inside it in the last 24 hours! She had no chance to take the poison, and an even smaller chance to use it. 

Rohan: Woah! You’re right!

Rye: Congrats, Erin! You’re free!

Erin: Don’t look so happy. The killer is still in this room. In fact, doesn’t it seem suspicious that Takehito was the only one who entered the bar in the last 24 hours?

Takehito: I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re implying.

Erin: Look at the records. The last person who went into the bar was you, wasn’t it?

Takehito: That was at 11 p.m. which was hours before the murder! 

Takehito: Wait…

Jiayi: We should clear up something. How, exactly, was the poison even delivered?

Rohan: Yeah, I’ve been wondering about that for a while. We keep saying he ingested it, but how would that even happen? 

Celia: [How Iker ingested the poison? That’s a good question. I have a pretty good idea.]

|| NON-STOP DEBATE ||

• Mysterious Note
• Iker’s Medical Record
• Smashed Wine Bottle

Rohan: What if the killer used a rag and put the poison on it!

Basque: Is that seriously all you can think of?

Arden: Maybe the killer injected him with the poison…

Basque: We’d obviously know if that happened from the autopsy !

Basque: Does anyone have anything worthwhile to say?!

Juniper: What if Iker drank it?

> Smashed Wine Bottle

Celia: You make a good point!

|| BREAK ||

Celia: I think you’re right, Juniper. There’s a chance that Iker drank the poison. Afterall, the label says for it to work, it has to be ingested, right?

Basque: Yeah. In fact, it stated you’d only need a drop to do the trick.

Rohan: Why would he willingly drink the poison, though?

Celia: He didn’t. Not knowingly, at least. At the crime scene there was a smashed wine bottle. It smelled a little off, but it was near his body.

Juniper: Just as I thought. The bottle had a strong scent, something harsher than wine.

Basque: That makes sense. The poison is incredibly potent, I’m not sure how much was in it, but if it was enough to make such a strong smell, it’d definitely be enough to kill Iker.

Celia: What’s more, is that we know that Iker drank every morning. We didn’t find any misplaced bottles or anything. I have a feeling that someone poisoned that drink, and when Iker woke up, he drank it.

Erin: What…! That’s awful! He needed help, and someone used a weakness like that to kill him?! I’ll never be able to look past this…whoever you are, I hope you rot in hell!

Ritsuka: Wait, didn’t only you know about that, though! 

Erin: Excuse me?

Ritsuka: Iker…told you that in confidence, and then using that as information you poisoned him!

Esther: By the by, I’m curious-how exactly did the killer know which one to poison? 

Ritsuka: No way! All the drinks are poisoned, aren’t they?!

Basque: No, there was only one empty bottle at the crime scene. They could have poisoned all of the bottles, but that would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?

Celia: Huh? What purpose?

Basque: The killer knew Iker drank every morning, right? It’s pretty clear they were targeting him specifically. They must have gotten him as their target for the motive.

Takehito: Not quite. Think back to our very first day-Iker made a show at the welcome party of being very clear. He only drank one, and only one, brand of alcohol. 

Erin: That’s why those glass shards looked familiar! I wasn’t sure, but that was absolutely the wine he drank!

Basque: Exactly. They targeted Iker by picking the wine he drank, and knowing he’d drink that morning. The killer has to be whoever has Iker as their target.

Erin: …

Karmen: No, I’m not sure that’s true. Iker is dead but we’re having a trial anyways.

Orrin: I was thinking the same thing. The person who had Iker as their target is basically confirmed innocent. 

Juniper: That depends, would Twelve lie about the motive? Maybe after the killing, he pulled the rug under the killer’s feet and held the trial anyway.

Twelve: Uh-uh, no way! I’d never do something like that! I never, ever, lie! 

Juniper: And if that’s a lie?

Arden: We have no choice but to believe it…we can’t really confirm or deny it, but he hasn’t lied to us so far.

Jiayi: If the killer had to be someone who had known both about Iker’s morning routine, as well as the specific drink he’d drink from, doesn’t that illuminate who the killer was?

Ritsuka: You already know? That’s incredible!

Jiayi: Be quiet. I’m talking.

Ritsuka: …

Celia: [Who knew about both Iker’s drink preference and his morning routine? There’s only one person I can think of.]

> Takehito Kato

Celia: It’s you!

Celia: Takehito…it could only be you.

Arden: What? Takehito wouldn’t!

Harris: What…? For real?

Takehito: I was waiting for this. You’re right. The people who knew Iker liked that wine were myself, Erin, Jiayi and Vas. From that list, the only ones who knew about his morning habit were myself, Erin and Jiayi. 

Erin: Jiayi knew?

Takehito: It was in his blackmail, one I imagine both Jiayi and Celia had a chance to read. Nevertheless, if we look back at the entry records, I was the only one able to enter the bar. I am the most logical answer.

Juniper: You’re being awfully compliant.

Takehito: Yes, well, I know I didn’t kill him. Aside from the speculation of the wine, I am assured in my reasoning.

Erin: Yeah…Takehito couldn’t have killed him.

Jiayi: Don’t be stupid, Socialite. The Publicist was all too happy to condemn you. Why would you want to defend him?

Erin: I don’t! I don’t want to…but…it was the day of the motive reveal.

Erin: We…the three of us, shared our targets. That’s how I know Takehito is absolutely innocent. 

Celia: Wait, you don’t mean…?

Takehito: My target was Iker. Had I killed him we wouldn’t be having this trial.

Arden: What?! But…but…what?

Rohan: I’m so confused!

Takehito: You can levy whatever evidence you’d like on me, but no matter what the facts won’t change. Sorry to disappoint you, Jiayi, but here’s the truth. The empirical evidence you admire so much. 

Erin: He couldn’t have killed her…but he still…I don’t get it? He’s the only one who could’ve poisoned Iker. What’s going on?

Jiayi: Hm. Pantomath. Perhaps your reasoning was off.

Celia: I…I swear it was right! Takehito has to be the only one!

Ritsuka: I-I’m convinced. So what if his target was Iker! Twelve could still be lying about the motive rule!

Basque: True. Besides, all the other evidence points to him being the culprit.

Harris: I agree. Takehito is definitely the culprit. 

Celia: [Is he? That’s where my logic is pointing, but something feels off. Something I can’t shake.]

Jiayi: If that is what we all agree, I don’t mind holding a vote.

Rohan: The logic might not be airtight, but it’s not like we have any other leads. 

Erin: Oh foul key keeper! Please, start the vot-

Celia: Wait a minute. I…want to keep discussing this. 

Takehito: Hm?

Jiayi: Why? Do you have any reason to? Do you have any evidence to show that he couldn’t have killed The Masseuse?

Celia: I…uhm…I…

Jiayi: If not, I don’t want to hear it. You’ve disappointed me time and time again today. I don’t want to hear more.

Celia: I…I…

Arden: It’s without a reasonable doubt. That’s what they say in court, right?

Jiayi: Hm?

Arden: Well, I think I have a doubt. So we can’t vote him off, not yet.

Jiayi: And why, pray tell, should we listen to you. You didn’t even investigate.

Esther: That is mine lingo and mine alone! You are not allowed to say things such as ‘pray tell’!

Arden: Well…could Takehito have done it? I mean, sure, there’s a chance, but uhm…wasn’t he injured?

Rohan: Injured?

Karmen: What do you mean?

Takehito: I can take it from here. Thank you, Arden. Last night, I was attacked. I was stabbed and choked, and nearly died. I couldn’t have done it. Right, Harris?

Harris: …

Juniper: Hm? What’s this?

Rye: Harris was the one that attacked him. 

Vas: Yeah. Me, Orrin, Arden and Celia found ‘em rumbling in the kitchen last night.

Karmen: Can you go over what happened last night?

Harris: Do we have to talk about this? It’s not about Iker, so why does it matter!

Celia: It…uh, may not be about Iker but I don’t think it’s unrelated. Somehow…

Harris: What?! I mean-I just-

Orrin: Look, you’re not on trial right now. It’s Takehito. Let him speak, and you can talk after, okay?

Harris: Fine. Whatever.

Takehito: In that case, allow me to see the entry times to the bar once more. That should help paint a clear picture. Yesterday morning, I was in the bar from 11 a.m. until around 2 p.m. I left to get lunch with Erin and Iker.

Erin: It’s true. We had lunch for 2 hours, and then split ways.

Takehito: I headed back to the bar, to run an extensive inventory on all the dangerous items we had. I wanted to know what we had so I could trace anything if it was missing or lost. At around 8 p.m. I was interrupted by furious banging on the door. I went up to the door and spoke through it, making sure not to open it.

|| FLASHBACK ||

Takehito: Who’s there?

Harris: Open up, asshole!

Takehito: Harris? Is that you?

Harris: Just open the door! I just wanna talk!

Takehito: I’m…not sure that’s wise. You seem pretty irrational at the moment.

Harris: Irrational? Irrational?! Fuck you!

Takehito: What is this? Why are you outside my door?

Harris: You read it, didn’t you? You read it! 

Takehito: Your blackmail, you mean? No, of course I didn’t. I haven’t read any. After I realised what it was, I put them in a safe hiding spot.

Harris: Safe my ass! Hand it over now! Open! The! Door!

Takehito: [I had begun to lose my patience. I wanted him to leave, so…I resorted to something I’m not proud of.]

Takehito: I suggest you go back to your room now. If not, I’ll make sure everybody knows what’s written in yours.

Harris: Kh! You bastard! You did read them!

Takehito: I had no intention of using yours, but now I’m unsure if I should just post it all around the facility. I might even make copies and give it to everyone. 

Harris: FUCK YOU!

Takehito: Are you in a position to act like that? If you curse me out one more time, I’ll make the copies immediately. From now on, I want your total obedience. Understood? I don’t want to hear anything less than yes sir and no sir.

Harris: …

Takehito: I’m not hearing anything. Do you understand?

Harris: Y..yes.

Takehito: Yes…who?

Harris: Yes…sir.

|| FLASHBACK END ||

Takehito: After that, he left. I went to the kitchen an hour later to grab something to eat, but the second I was inside, Harris attacked me. He stabbed me with something sharp, and tried to choke me to death. Luckily, I was rescued. I was brought to Jiayi’s lab, where I was treated and sent on my way. I don’t know the exact time I went to bed, but I didn’t have the time to go into my bar. I went straight to my own bed after Jiayi sent me on my way. 

Harris: Tch.

Arden: So that’s what happened…

Vas: You’re a fucking bastard, Takehito!

Takehito: Excuse me?

Vas: Using his private shit like that? Demeaning him? No wonder he tried to off you!

Arden: I…don’t agree with Harris’ actions at all, but yours aren’t forgivable either. Why would you be so cruel?

Takehito: Cruel? Are you serious right now?

Arden: Huh?

Takehito: You all expect me to always have an answer! You look to me like lost little lambs, and expect nothing but perfection on my part! The second I’m not, you all throw a hissy fit! I mean, seriously, cruel? He was going to kill me! I used whatever weapon I could to fight back. I almost died, yet you all want me to smile, and be calm and provide a comforting presence! You even accused me! 

Arden: Takehito, you’re scaring me!

Takehito: Good! I hope you feel an ounce of the same fear I felt last night! Then, I can tell you to grin and bear it. To choose to smile and be a role model. Then, maybe you can get a grip!

Celia: Leave her alone! She was just trying to help!

Takehito: If that was her attempt at help, I don’t want it. Ever.

Arden: I..I…

Harris: That’s it! Let’s vote for this asshole!

Vas: Fine by me. Let’s get this started!

Celia: No, wait! Even if Takehito is being cruel, we can’t vote him on that alone. We might want him to be the culprit, but we can’t vote him as the culprit.

Karmen: Then who? All the evidence pointing to his innocence comes from him alone. We don’t have any other leads.

Ritsuka: I’m good to vote for him! I knew from the start he was the killer, anyways!

Celia: [If I don’t prove he couldn’t have done it, everyone will vote for him. I know he isn’t the killer, but I have no way to prove it. Think, Celia, think!]

Juniper: The body announcement. 

Celia: H-huh?

Juniper: The rules state the announcement plays when three or more people find the body. Twelve, answer me this. Is the culprit counted as one of those three people?

Twelve: …

Juniper: You don’t want to answer, do you? That’s okay. I just wanted confirmation. There’s a third person who saw the body, someone who saw it before Karmen and Celia. Someone who hasn’t stepped up to say it yet. We can’t just ignore that, can we?

Celia: You’re right! When me and Karmen found the body, the announcement played instantly. It was only the two of us, though. That means a third party saw the body.

Juniper: The presence of a third party can’t be overlooked. I don’t care if you want to vote for Takehito, but we can’t vote unless we’re absolutely sure about this case.

Celia: That’s right. A third party, independent of the killer who hasn’t said a word yet. That’s suspicious, and something we have to examine.

Jiayi: Must we-

Erin: Hey! Whoever it is, speak up now! It’s better to just admit these things than have Celia out you!

Celia: Huh? Me?

Erin: Totally. I asked you to help me, and you have been. I can’t have you bowing out now. You’re a responsible person, right? You’re not about to flake on me!

Celia: [I’m glad Erin’s smiling again. She must really trust me to find Iker’s killer then. I can’t let her down!]

Celia: Right…you’re absolutely right. I’ll show you who this third party is…and with it, I’ll prove Takehito is without a doubt innocent!

Chapter Text

|| NON-STOP DEBATE ||

Juniper: We have to consider the presence of a third party.

Orrin: Who could it be, though?

Rye: Maybe it was the killer , and we’re being silly?

Juniper: If it was the killer, the rule would hardly matter.

Ritsuka: It’s an accomplice ! It has to be!

Juniper: An accomplice doesn’t make sense either. There’s no other evidence suggesting that.

Juniper: It’s hard to pinpoint anyone else even knowing about the murder before the body discovery announcement.

> Mysterious Note

Celia: I don’t think that’s right!

|| NON-STOP DEBATE ||

Celia: I’ve got a feeling that the third party was Takehito.

Ritsuka: How convenient! The guy you’re trying to prove innocent just so happens to be this third party!

Celia: [She’s right, it does seem awfully convenient. It feels…planned.]

Orrin: No, she’s right. I saw the note too. It told Takehito to come to the bar at 8:17. It threatened him, using a scalpel to further add to the effect, but Iker died at 8:15, so I’m guessing Takehito must have seen it just after his death, right?

Erin: What’s more, why would Takehito write a full letter for himself? I don’t really see the point. 

Jiayi: He likely wrote it for that very purpose. To prove his innocence. 

Celia: No, that can’t be the case.

Jiayi: Huh?

Celia: I-I mean…it’s probably not the case. There’s something that shows that Takehito couldn’t have written the note. Something I should’ve thought about before.

> Scalpel

Celia: The scalpel. This was likely the weapon Harris used last night, right, Harris?

Harris: …

Erin: You don’t get to clam up now! If you’re gonna do something like make an attempt on someone’s life, you can’t just hide behind silence. 

Harris: F-fine. Yeah, it was that. 

Celia: Just as I thought. The scalpel came attached with the note, but Takehito couldn’t have gotten it himself. He was stabbed with the thing, and Jiayi took it out.

Celia: [Wait…]

Takehito: I didn’t want to draw more suspicion onto me by mentioning these, but it seems they’re proving my innocence instead. Yes, they’re correct. I went to the bar, and found Iker’s corpse. I ran out instantly after, heading to my room. It was sore, running back but I didn’t want anyone to find me with the body.

Karmen: So that’s why the door was open when me and Celia found him. You were in such a rush, you forgot to close it behind yourself.

Erin: Is it clear now? We’ve used all the evidence available, Takehito isn’t the killer. He may have been the only one able to poison him, but…he can’t be the killer. We went wrong somewhere.

Basque: Ugh, doesn’t that just mean we’re back at square one? We have no clue who the killer could be and with no actual leads, we wasted all this time. 

Arden: I’m sure we’ll find the answer, if we work together and try hard enough!

Takehito: Ugh.

Arden: Oh, uhm…sorry.

Erin: Don’t say sorry. Ignore him, Arden. 

Rohan: Do we have any clues? Any way of figuring out anything?

Basque: Nope. We’re so screwed!

Celia: [It couldn’t be…it…it has to be, but why?]

Karmen: What should we do?

Juniper: I’m unsure. What’s the best plan from here, I wonder…

Rye: Maybe we all just trust our gut and vote?

Vas: Don’t listen to this dumbass.

Celia: …

Celia: Hey, Harris…

Harris: Huh?

Celia: That scalpel, where did you get it? All dangerous items were confiscated, right? So where would you get something like that?

Harris: I…found it?

Rohan: Okay, even I could tell that was a lie.

Celia: Someone gave it to you, didn’t they? 

Harris: I…I…

Celia: It’s okay. I know who.

Harris: …

Celia: [This is it. I need to say it-clearly, and concisely. It won’t work unless I have evidence, though.]

Celia: Jiayi, you gave Harris the scalpel, didn’t you?

Jiayi: I’m sorry?

Celia: It’s a small item, small enough to keep in your pocket. That’s probably how you managed to sneak it by Takehito and keep it, even after the search and confiscation.

Jiayi: You forget yourself, Pantomath.

Celia: There’s another thing that’s been bothering me for a while. We’ve gone over the entry times for the bar, but there’s one entry time in particular that’s been confusing me. The bar. 

Jiayi: You’re more disappointing than I thought.

Celia: [I…I have to keep pushing. I can’t fall for her words.]

Jiayi: I placed my hopes in you, and you failed. It’s not the first time you failed, either. I thought you were good enough to stand beside me, but I was wrong.

Celia: [Failed? When did I fail? Argh, she’s just trying to get in my head, but…what if I’m wrong? What if I’ve thrown this whole trial in the wrong direction? What if she’s right? What if I really am useless? What if-]

Erin: Jiayi is the killer. I’m sure of it.

Celia: Huh?!

Jiayi: What?

Erin: That’s what you were trying to say, right? Let me help. 

Rohan: What?! Jiayi? Wait, no that actually makes sense…

Basque: In what way does it make sense?

Rohan: She has an eyepatch! That’s classic supervillain stuff!

Jiayi: ‘Supervillain stuff’ is not admissible in court. You have no reason to believe I am the killer.

Erin: Well, you gave Harris your scalpel, didn’t you? Hey, Celia. This is not the time to back away. You’re not the kind of person to abandon a promise, are you?

Celia: I…well…

Erin: Fine, fine. Let me help. Isn’t there something that proves she gave him the knife? What is it?

Celia: [Erin, why are you doing this? What do you have to gain from this? You don’t need me anymore, I can’t help you. I can’t help anyone.]

Erin: Hey! Come on, I’m waiting! We don’t have all day, you know!

Celia: [Argh, fine. I’ll just show her something so she’ll leave me alone.]

> Entry Times/Lab

Erin: Uh…here! Take this!

Jiayi: What exactly does this prove?

Erin: Uhm, well…it…it proves…

Karmen: Doesn’t it prove you re entered your lab around 8 p.m.? If we look at the logs for the bar, that’s the same time Harris was yelling at Takehito through the door. In the same hour, you entered your lab, and didn’t mention bumping into Harris or hearing any of their arguing. It’s kinda weird.

Erin: Oh, you’re totally right! It’s not just weird, it’s evidence! Great job, Celia.

Celia: Oh, uh…thanks.

Erin: You must have heard the commotion from inside, right? You left your lab to see Harris, mad and upset. After that, you must have given him the weapon, and helped him murder Takehito!

Jiayi: Nothing like that ever happened.

Harris: No, it…it did. I didn’t want to drag you down with me, but…if there’s a chance you killed Iker, I have to say something. She asked me what happened after Takehito told me to leave. We…talked for a while in her lab. Then…she did something weird. She took out a scalpel, and just left it there. She said she was just emptying her pockets. Then, she turned her back to me. I…I just…I took it then, and I wanted to use it. To…

Erin: You’re both idiots. You’re an idiot for falling for her trap, and you’re an even bigger idiot for trying to get Harris to murder Takehito for you. That was your plan, right? You didn’t care about targets, you only cared about revenge. 

Takehito: If she was hoping to kill me, why would she poison Iker? 

Erin: Simple-she thought you’d be as idiotic as Harris. She gave you that scalpel, knowing full well you’d use it to kill Iker. 

Jiayi: Why do you suddenly sound like you’re confident, Socialite? You aren’t even a fraction of intelligent. 

Erin: Whatever. There’s one thing I do know, and that’s how to get people to do what you want. That letter, the scalpel, the room, even the victim! You chose it all to make Takehito seem like the culprit! 

Jiayi: So that’s your theory?

Erin: Uh, duh! I just said so!

Jiayi: Then let’s revisit the poison conversation. We made it clear that I couldn’t have entered the bar, so how would I even poison the drink?

Erin: Uh…well…

Celia: [How…how would she have…wait! Ah, but maybe I’m wrong. I’m not entirely sure if that even proves it.]

Vas: Wasn’t Takehito out cold? I mean, while we’re looking at both entry times, Celia got to you at around 9. We all went to bed shortly after the nighttime announcement at 10. You’re saying just an hour after he was being taken care of, Takehito waltzed out, did the whole murder thing and just…went to sleep?

Juniper: There’s a possibility we’ve all been neglecting. Jiayi is The Ultimate Diagnostician. She’d know exactly what the poisons do. Only Basque could read the poison, as it was in spanish. Unless, Jiayi knew exactly what the poison was. In fact, she had an easy way to get inside. It’s simple. If she’s trying to heal Takehito, she can just…take his handbook. She likely gave you some pills for the pain, right?

Takehito: That’s correct. I fell asleep shortly after, but she gave me medication to help with the procedure.

Juniper: I’m sure someone of her self-proclaimed calibre knew how much to give Takehito so he’d pass out cold for long enough for her to take his handbook without him noticing a thing. That’s why I believe the 11 pm entry into the bar was Jiayi, using Takehito’s handbook.

Erin: Wait, that’s totally it! She also knew about Iker’s morning drinking *and* which drink he preferred. Plus, there’s that one entry. At 12 am, she returns back into the lab. That’s probably when she finished setting everything up.

Takehito: The note…was written using pen and paper. There’s only one place that has that. My secret room. She had to have written the note there, as well. 

Erin: So, how about it? We got you right where we want you! Jiayi Shu, you’re the culprit! You poisoned Iker, and tried to pass the blame onto Takehito!

Celia: Jiayi? Is this…true? 

Jiayi: …

Celia: You did this…all to get revenge? Revenge on Takehito? I get why you hated him, but-

Jiayi: You’re wrong. 

Celia: Huh?

Jiayi: You’re wrong. I didn’t do any of this for something as stupid as revenge. I did it for what I needed. What I require to survive this killing game. I wanted data.

Erin: Data…?

Jiayi: You’re right. I poisoned Iker. I killed him, and I wrote the note, but I was expecting one of two outcomes. First, Takehito kills Iker. This would illuminate some key aspects of our game. Would Twelve truly let Takehito leave? Or lie? Is this a game made fair, or does the enforcer lie? 

Takehito: You knew who my target was?!

Jiayi: Of course I did. I figured out almost all of yours by the end of the day we got them. This means little to you all, due to your insignificant and failing talents, but I am a true Ultimate. I am The Ultimate Diagnostician. I am able to see beyond lies, beyond emotions, beyond the body into what matters. You all may claim to hold ultimate titles, but as I’ve learnt you all hardly deserve them. You truly are floundering around, hoping for a semblance of recognition. You don’t hope for recognition. You earn it. Only the truly talented can earn that, and the rest, the rest must stay in their place.

Erin: You’re…unbelievable!

Jiayi: Observing your faces, the way you acted around your targets, your behaviour it took little time to figure out who had who. It’s why it was so easy for me to get Harris to attack Takehito. Though, I was hoping he’d actually kill him. That would prove my theory without requiring me to get my hands dirty.

Harris: You…you asshole!

Jiayi: I poisoned The Masseuse, yes. I thought if I failed and somehow Takehito didn’t kill him, I could at least test something myself. To see, if possible, would anyone be able to unravel the case? If so, who? That is the important data I’ve learned.

Celia: S..so…you killed Iker for…data?!

Jiayi: An experiment, I suppose. A necessary sacrifice.

Erin: Necessary!? Oh I hope you enjoy your data, because I’m gonna enjoy your execution! Twelve! Start the voting!

Jiayi: That’s right. I’m The Masseuse’s killer. Shall we vote?

Celia: [Jiayi killed Iker? For data? Why?]

Celia: [Why couldn’t I have stopped her? Why didn’t I know earlier? Why do I have this feeling in my chest? I just…I just want to go home…I want to go home!]

Takehito: Knowing you has truly been a stain on my life.

Juniper: I commend the strategy. The only issue is once you have your data, your survival chances are pretty low. So, in the end, it’s quite flawed.

Rohan: I-I’m scared! Can we get her out of here already?

Celia: Yeah…I’m ready to go.

Orrin: Uhh, just a second everyone!

Basque: What the hell do you want now?

Vas: Can it wait? Her smirk is pissing me off.

Orrin: I just have one question for Jiayi. That’s all.

Jiayi: What could you possibly have to ask me, Mortician?

Orrin: Are you going to mention lying about the autopsy, or should I?

Jiayi: Hm?

Celia: What?

Orrin: That’s why I was late, y’know, to the trial. I figured it was kind of weird Jiayi didn’t want anyone else getting a look at the body. I wasn’t able to do a full autopsy, but I can tell you right now, with 100% certainty, Jiayi lied in her autopsy.

Karmen: Why would she do that?

Orrin: Uh, not entirely sure, to be honest. I was hoping that’d become clearer the more the trial went on, but now I’m just confused. 

Erin: Does it matter? Jiayi is still obviously the killer!

Juniper: All evidence matters in a trial. Orrin, what does your autopsy say?

Orrin: It’s mostly about certain details. That poison bottle said you’d get bloodshot eyes, and your skin turns purple. I guess nobody got too close to the body cause the dude was most certainly red, not purple. Not just that, but his eyes were decidedly not bloodshot. 

Celia: What does that mean?

Orrin: It means the poison wasn’t his cause of death. In fact, I’ve seen deaths similar to this before. It’s a lot closer to an allergic response. His body was swelling and red, his eyes were puffy, he even had a pretty tight throat, hence why he reached for it. 

Basque: So what? The cause of death is different. She just picked a different poison, called it a day. Can we vote now?

Celia: W…wait. I just need a second to think.

Twelve: Wait, so no voting time? Aw, man. I got out my shiny red button, too!

Erin: Oh hell no, we’re voting. Jiayi is the killer, that’s basically confirmed.

Rye: I dunno, I feel like the cause of death is a pretty huge change we gotta look at.

Arden: I…think we should just vote, so we can all go have some rest. I’m getting a little tired.

Juniper: I don’t think that’s the best idea. This changes a lot, no?

Twelve: Huh…you guys seem pretty split…wait! Oooh! Oooh! I forgot about this! Everyone, hold onto your butts! In a situation like this, we need to make a decision! In that case, I’m proud to present our very own morphenomenal trial grounds!

|| DEBATE SCRUM||

We Should Vote Now!

For

Basque, Arden, Takehito, Erin, Rohan, Harris, Esther, Vas

Against

Celia, Jiayi, Orrin, Juniper, Karmen, Rye, Ritsuka

BEGIN!

Basque: Why are we even talking about this? Jiayi already confessed !

Jiayi: In that case, I will retract my confession .

Arden: We’ve discussed this for long enough. We should rest now.

Juniper: The discussion isn’t over until we’ve exhausted all the possibilities.

Takehito: Jiayi is the only one who could have poisoned Iker, we decided!

Orrin: My autopsy proves he wasn’t even poisoned , keep up!

Erin: We already know she stole the handbook !

Karmen: She wasn’t the only one who could’ve stolen a handbook .

Rohan: Uh, she just went on a super scary tangent! 

Rye: Scary ain’t enough to convict someone, sorry man!

Harris: She’s been planning this entire murder!

Celia: Why would her plan involve us catching her, though?

Esther: We must vote for someone, lest we all be executed !

Ritsuka: W-we’ll be executed if we get it wrong!

Vas: We got no evidence to find anyone else guilty!

Celia: There’s always evidence ! We just have to keep talking!

|| BREAK ||

Vas: Ugh, fine. Let’s keep talking then.

Erin: It doesn’t matter. I’m still voting for her, but we can talk for a little bit longer.

Jiayi: In truth, I didn’t think you’d get this far. I’m…shocked. Yes, I lied about the autopsy. I figured it’d be too simple to pen the killer with a correct one. 

Erin: I swear to god, I’m gonna leap over this podium and kill you myself!

Celia: Er, well…before that…there is something I want to mention. You said the autopsy is similar to an allergic reaction right?

Orrin: Uh-huh. It’s rare for someone to actually die from an allergic reaction, because if you have any deadly allergies you carry around an epi-pen everywhere you go.

Rohan: of course, *someone* took all of our stuff.

Twelve: Tehe! Guilty as charged! Aren’t I the cutest little klepto?

Orrin: Aww, who can stay mad at you!

Basque: I can.

Celia: If that’s the case, I think I know Iker’s true cause of death. Here, take a look at this.

> Iker’s Medical Record

Celia: I managed to memorize Iker’s medical record, and I wrote it down for you all to see. The important part is, look at his allergies. He had two allergies. Peanuts and pollen.

Rohan: A guy that suave had an allergy to peanuts? Seriously?

Celia: I’m sure of it now. I think I have an idea of what happened…even if Jiayi didn’t kill him, she still poisoned him. He drank the poison in the wine bottle, for sure. He must have drank it early in the morning, but like the bottle says, it takes around 30 minutes to work. He would’ve died much later, wouldn’t he?

Takehito: How exactly are we meant to know when he drank the poison?

Celia: There’s evidence clearing when Iker had to have entered.  And evidence showing when Iker couldn’t have left.

> Karmen’s Account

> Entry Times/Bar

Celia: Iker’s handbook was scanned at 8 am. Karmen was out just five minutes after the morning announcement and didn’t spot Iker once. That means he was out before 8. 

Basque: Why the hell did he get up so early…? 

Celia: Oh, I have a feeling about that too. 

> Breakfast Roster

Celia: Iker and Takehito were slated to make breakfast this morning. I’m sure he woke up before the announcement, and headed to the cafeteria before it opened. In fact, he was probably awake and left around 7 am but only went in for a drink at the morning announcement. If I remember correctly, doesn’t an allergic reaction take about…15 minutes to become deadly?

Orrin: Just about. Under or over, but 15 minutes on average.

Celia: He died at 8:15, so he must have had the peanuts at 8:00, or just after it. I imagine he tasted the poison, and soon after, he would have had the peanuts.

Erin: But…how would the killer even know about his peanut allergy? He didn’t even tell me that!

Celia: There is someone who knew. Jiayi!

Jiayi: I knew about the allergy, but I didn’t feed him peanuts. I searched the kitchen, considering that plan but when I did, I couldn’t find any peanuts, not even any peanut oil.

Harris: That’s it! I had the feeling something was missing in the kitchen-it was the peanut oil, wasn’t it! I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it felt…emptier.

Takehito: I see now. I had noticed the day we confiscated the knives, but chose to say nothing. I thought he was using the oil as some sort of…massage oil substitute. Iker grabbed the peanut oil in the kitchen.

Erin: I didn’t even notice. I was too focused on the knives…

Celia: …

Orrin: He probably took them so nobody could use it against him. He didn’t even tell his closest pals about his allergy. He probably felt pretty vulnerable about it.

Jiayi: What’s more, why would I go with the peanuts when I had already poisoned him? If you think I’m performing some sort of double bluff, you truly are idiotic. 

Arden: Wouldn’t that mean the only other person who knew about the peanut allergy was you, Celia?

Celia: I…I suppose, yeah.

Erin: She’s not the killer. She has been helping us this entire time, it’d be pretty stupid to help us all the way to just pointing to herself.

Arden: Right, you’re right…sorry.

Juniper: We can’t ignore the possibility. If no one else turns up, she’s the likeliest suspect.

Jiayi: Agreed.

Erin: Hey, she’s been-

Celia: It’s okay. I’m close, I know it. I just need a second to pin them. To figure out how the killer used the peanut oil…how they got into the room…how they were able to…to…

Celia: [How *would* the killer be able to do all that in such a short timeframe? They’d have to know information only Iker would know. How would they…?]

Celia: Hey, remember what we said about the possible existence of a third party?

Basque: Ugh, not this again.

Celia: I think I know how the killer managed to enter the bar, how Iker ingested the peanut oil, and how they knew he was allergic to peanuts. 

Erin: What? Seriously?

Celia: All of this is information only Iker could know. So, what if Iker was the one who told them? 

Erin: You can’t be serious right now.

Celia: No, listen. I assumed someone took Iker’s handbook, but what if he let them in himself? What if he told the killer about his allergy, and what if he willingly ingested the peanut oil?

Erin: Why the hell would he do that?

Orrin: Okay, you officially lost me.

Rye: Uh, yeah. Why would he help the killer orchestrate his own murder…?

Celia: I’m not sure, but…it’s the only thing that makes sense, right? Even if I knew about the peanut oil, I didn’t have the chance to kill him. He died at 8:15, and Karmen saw me leave my room. Plus, we triggered the body discovery announcement. Jiayi could, but she had no reason to. She wouldn’t endanger herself recklessly. Her whole plan hinged on someone else killing Iker! No, I’m sure! Iker helped his killer!

Takehito: Fine. Let’s say you’re correct. Iker helped his own killer. What then? How does that help us?

Celia: [If Iker helped his killer, that means his killer was up early…]

Celia: Why would someone wake up in time for Iker and Takehito’s breakfast day…

> Harris’ Attack

Celia: I know! I know it! The killer must have known Takehito wouldn’t show up for breakfast. They knew he was attacked, and if I had to guess, they were probably planning on going to cook with Iker. They went together, to the bar, before heading to the cafeteria. 

Juniper: The people who knew about his attack were limited though. Harris himself, but I don’t believe even he’s dumb enough to try and kill someone twice in 24 hours.

Harris: Hey! Thank you…maybe?

Orrin: It was me, Arden, Celia and Vas who found them. We told Rye about it later.

Celia: [If that’s the case, then…then that only leaves one person. One person who I can’t account for this morning. One person without an alibi, one person who would be kind enough to wake up and cook in place of someone else. I…I don’t want to believe it. Please, prove me wrong. Please, say my deduction is off. Please, prove I’m useless.]

Celia: Arden. Did…did you really kill Iker?

Rohan: Huh? Arden?! She’d never!

Esther: Rethink! Quickly!

Takehito: Not even I agree with that assessment. 

Arden: Celia, why? Why are you blaming me?

Celia: I don’t want to do this. I don’t. I don’t want to blame you. So please, just, prove I’m wrong!

Arden: P-prove you’re wrong? How am I supposed to do that?! I have no clue!

Celia: Use evidence! Show me something, some way that proves you couldn’t have done it!

Arden: I don’t know what I’ve done to make you hate me, but…but you’ve defended other people today. People who were cruel to you. Takehito, Jiayi, Erin. So why? Why can’t you defend me?

Celia: I want to, I do…I just…I can’t. 

Arden: So I’m supposed to just defend myself? Why! Everyone else had someone to help them, why do I have to defend myself!

Rohan: Don’t worry…I…I’ll defend you!

Arden: Rohan!

Rohan: I-It’s not her, because, uhm…er…

Ritsuka: What a great defense…

Rohan: Let me think! Gagh!

Arden: I…I’m alone aren’t I…fine then. I refuse to accept this. I’ll…I’ll fight back…!

|| HEARTFELT CLASH ||

Arden: Why do you hate me?

Arden: What did I do to you?

Arden: I…I just wanted to be friends…

> ”We are friends…”

Arden: I wouldn’t hurt anyone!

Celia: Please, Arden! Just…give me a defense! A real defense!

Arden: I can’t defend myself!

Arden: I’m on my own again…

> “ I won’t let you end this alone!”

Arden: We should believe in each other!

Arden: What makes you so sure it’s me!?

Celia: Arden, I know it’s scary, but…I need you to tell me the truth.

Arden: I! Didn’t! Kill! Iker!

Arden: You’re cold, Celia!

Arden: I didn’t leave my room at all!

Arden: I’m so tired of lying…

> “Believe in the truth!”

Arden: Why…why me? Why me and nobody else?

> Boys’ Sleepover

|| CONNECT ||

Celia: Orrin and Vas have an airtight alibi. I discovered the body. Arden, it can only be you. Please, if it’s you…just…

Arden: You did amazing, Celia!

Celia: Huh?

Arden: I…I still can’t quite believe everything that happened, but we should all be on the same page, shouldn’t we? If it's alright with you, I want you to tell me…tell me what happened. I can’t keep running anymore, can I?

Celia: Alright. I’ll end this. As your friend.

|| CLIMACTIC RE-ENACTMENT ||

“This case started yesterday night. After Jiayi revealed that Takehito held our blackmail, she waited until someone whose target would attack. She didn’t have to wait long, because around 8pm last night, Harris tried to get into Takehito’s lab. After failing, she provided him with a weapon and incentivized him to attack Takehito. That’s when a group of us found Harris, mid murder plot. Little did we know, the culprit of this case was among our small group.

After we took Takehito to the lab, Jiayi used it as a chance to steal his handbook. She made her way to the bar, and got to work. She poisoned Iker’s favourite bottle of wine, then wrote a note that urged Takehito to kill Iker. She then placed the note and scalpel in his pocket and sent him on his way to bed, drugged up and unable to remember things clearly.

This morning, the culprit must have woken up early, wanting to make sure to help the victim, Iker, cook breakfast. As it was Takehito and Iker’s turn, they wanted to ensure that Iker wouldn’t do all the work alone. Before that, though, they went into the bar, and Iker had a sip of his favourite wine. He must have tasted the difference instantly, because he dropped the bottle of wine onto the floor. I imagine after that, the pair must have discovered the empty bottle of poison and figured out that Iker had very little time to live.

Iker must have then told the killer to use the peanut oil he had stashed away. This had to have been just after the morning announcement. The victim then willingly drank the oil, triggering a deadly allergic reaction. The killer must have ran away and hidden somewhere far away and waited for the body discovery announcement. 

When we all gathered, the killer rejoined the group and acted just as shocked as any of us. There’s only one person who fits all these criteria.

I wish it wasn’t true, but…the killer is The Ultimate Psychopomp, Arden Phi!

|| BREAK ||

Celia: Is…any of that…wrong?

Arden: I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry! At first I just wanted to hold the trial long enough to figure out who poisoned him, but…the longer it went the more hope I had…I started to think I might actually be able to get away with it. I know, I know it’s awful but…I couldn’t get the thought out of my head! I’m sorry!

Rohan: Arden…wh…why?!

Arden: I didn’t want to…not at first, but…

|| FLASHBACK START ||

Iker: You’re back. Nobody spotted you, did they?

Arden: No, but that doesn’t matter! Why did you ask me to get you peanut oil? Were you able to find out-

Iker: Yep, it’s poison. According to the bottle I have at least 30 minutes left, hehe.

Arden: 30 minutes? That’s all?

Iker: I’m pretty glad my Spanish is still up to snuff. My mom would kill me if I couldn’t even read that bottle.

Arden: Let’s go find Jiayi! Maybe she has an antidote, or-

Iker: She’s not gonna do that.

Arden: Huh?

Iker: I’m sure of it. She probably poisoned me, after all. Hehe, can’t say I made her my friend, huh?

Arden: Stop it! I’ve seen people die before, Iker! You don’t have to do that! You don’t have to smile for me. It’s scary, I know. 

Iker: I’m not smiling for you. I’m smiling for me. I’m not scared…I’m…I’m…pissed. I’m really fucking angry. I tried my best to keep everyone calm, to keep everybody relaxed but this…this is how it ends? The coward can’t even look me in the eye? They have to poison me?! I’m…I’m angry! I’m dying and I’m fucking angry!

Arden: I understand. It’s unfair, but they’ll get their karma soon enough. I swear it, I’ll do my best to find who did this-

Iker: When you…watch people die, do you grant them one last request?

Arden: What?

Iker: I have one last request. I can’t trust that the killer will be caught. I have to get back at them myself. If I’m their target, they get to just leave without any trial, no punishment, no nothing? Fuck that! Arden…I want you to feed me the peanut oil.

Arden: What are you even saying?

Iker: I’m allergic. If you give me the peanut oil, it’ll kill me faster than the poison. That way, you’ll be the killer. Nobody will know it’s you. Please, just…one last request. For me. If I’m going to die…I’m not letting that fucking asshole get away with it! If I’m dying I’ll drag them down to hell with me!

|| FLASHBACK END ||

Arden: I don’t think he was fully aware of what he was asking me to do. He was just…so angry. So angry at the person who was slowly killing him. He wanted nothing more than to make them suffer. He wasn’t thinking about the rest of us, or even what it meant for me to become his killer. He just wanted…he wanted revenge.

Jiayi: So that’s it? If he had the decency to wait, The Publicist would show up and likely do it for him. You just had the unfortunate happenstance of finding him first.

Celia: Arden, I…I can’t believe he’d ask you to do something like that!

Erin: And I can’t believe you’d agree. 

Arden: I…don’t intend to defend myself. Not anymore.

Celia: …

Rohan: …

Erin: …

Twelve: Huh? You guys seem kinda quiet. Are we finally ready to vote? 

Jiayi: …

Harris: …

Twelve: Sounds like it to me! Oookay! Let’s finally start the vote! Are you gonna be able to pick the right one! Or will you pick the dreadfully wrong one! It’s voting time!

|| VOTES ||

Arden Phi: 15 Votes

CONGRATS! YOU FOUND THE CULPRIT! 

|| CLASS TRIAL END ||

Chapter Text

It was cold. I couldn’t tell if that was from the inside, or the outside, but the room was cold. It was clear. We were right. Joyous music filled the trial room, and Twelve stood up, jumping up and down in a victory dance. We would survive. We were going to keep living. I should be happy. I was useful. I found the killer, I showed everyone I was capable, but why? Why am I not happy?

“You guys did it! You passed! I was so scared for a while, I thought you’d seriously mess up!” Twelve giggled from his throne. Its ostentatious atrocity held my gaze, despite the moving figures around me. Everyone had gathered around Arden now, but I hung back.

“What the hell, Arden! Why’d you do something so stupid!” Vassal grabbed her shoulders. He stepped back the second he shook them and furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re shaking?”

“I…I’m happy! I’m shaking cause I can’t believe you guys got it! You all get to live!” She traded smiles with everyone, but each one made me sick. She didn’t even try to look at me.

“You really killed Iker? Why? Why couldn’t you have just said…said no!” Rohan cried, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m no good at much else. I’m there for when people die, to see them off. To give them comfort. I don’t want anyone to die with regrets. That carries on with you, into the next life. If you die, you should be as open and honest as possible before it.”

“That’s…ugh, whatever.” Orrin’s voice was toneless as she stared anywhere but at her.

“Still, your morals weren’t the only factor in play, were they? I’m sure as you saw us deteriorate, as you saw us flounder for an answer, you became hopeful of your own survival. You said as much earlier.” Juniper said, with a calm smile.

“I…I did, yes…But that’s okay! I’m ready now! I’ve seen so many people off, so if you could see me off, I’d appreciate that, everyone!” Arden smiled softly, and my stomach fell into a pit.

“Stop it. Just…stop, please. Don’t do that. Don’t smile. I don’t want to remember you like that.” I spoke from behind the group. They all turned to me, but Arden hung her head.

“I don’t know what you mean, Celia. I’m proud of you especially.”

“No, you’re not. You’re mad at me, aren’t you? I…I basically condemned you to death! You can’t possibly be happy for me, so stop treating me like that! I’m not weak, or fragile, not anymore! I can do it! I can be strong, sociable and smart and independent! So stop doing that!”

Arden was silent, and the only sound I could hear was the sniff of my nose. I hated it. I stood there, alone. Crying. Crying, and sniffling and sobbing like some child. Some immature kid, who was unfit to stand amongst the grownups, but wanted to nonetheless. I wanted to stop crying. I tried to will my eyes to dry, but it wouldn’t stop.

“I don’t know if I can say I’m mad at you. I’m not happy, though. I should be. I’ve seen so many people off, and each time, they do it peacefully. Even Iker, before I left, looked happy about his death. I just…want someone to make me happy…please, make me happy before I die! Please!” 

A dam broke, and Arden began to sob as well. I heard the sound of her tears, and we stood across from each other. Crying.

“You…you were my first friend…” I said, not caring how sad that sounded.

“You were mine, too.” Arden said, and her knees began to buckle.

I ran forward, pushing past the crowd to grab her. She fell, hugging my knees. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. I could only stare at her. 

“Why? I want to have my first friend! I want to hang out with you, I want to play games with you, and stay up late and-” Arden’s sounds rang in my chest, they echoed and hit each ribcage with a powerful volley.

“Arden, please…get up…please…”

“Please, say something! Do something! Make me happy! I don’t want to die like this!”

“Hm, well it’d be pretty nice to have you die smiling, but that’s not your job. I’m the only one who smiles when you die! It’s about time I get to the best part!”

“Please! Someone! Say something!”

“Without further ado, I’ve prepared a very special punishment for The Ultimate Psychopomp, Arden Phi!”

“Anything, please!” 

“It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for!”

“I want to die happy! I don’t want to die like this!”

“Iiiiiit’s punishment time!” As the words left his mouth, Twelve’s face became a full moon, dark, bold and devilish. His eyes were bright red as he giggled and took out a small hammer. He smacked it on the button in front of his throne.

  Orpheus’ Final Descent

A metal chain flew out from an exposed panel in the ceiling. I watched it fly through, around and between the other participants, until finally, it clamped tightly onto Arden’s neck. It yanked her up, pulling her away from my legs. I reached a hand to grab her, but it was too late. She disappeared. Soon after, a screen in the room blared to life.

Arden sat in a boat, in a dimly lit cave. Her body shook, and she looked down into the water. Circling underneath the boat were piranhas, snapping away the edges of the boat. Ahead of her, was darkness. Behind her, a sudden bright light appeared. A wall of flame emitted from the cave ceiling and slowly began to approach her. Arden took quick hold of the boat’s oars, and began paddling.

As she continued, the speed of the flames picked up. She paddled faster, while the wall of flames remained behind her, nipping the tail of her boat. She began to pant and sweat, when suddenly the boat lurched upwards. A wave pushed her up, and she flew off the boat. For a while, she was under the water, when suddenly, she emerged. She began swimming forward, the boat burning behind her. Piranhas began to bite at her, nipping at her arms and legs, but she kept swimming. 

Her pace slowed, bit by bit, as she struggled staying up. Her head emerged to grasp air, but she didn’t hold it up for long. Everytime, I was sure it’d be my last time seeing her breathe air. 

She kept swimming, in the darkness, with the fire behind her. She just kept swimming. Until, she went under. The wall passed over where she submerged, and my heart stopped. When I saw bubbles underneath, I sighed in relief and waited for her to emerge. I waited, and waited and waited. Until, finally, she did.

Her corpse bobbed in the water, floating lazily.

EXECUTION: SUCCESS

Even after the screen shut off, I kept staring. I hoped that maybe, just maybe she might start moving again. I waited, waited for the screen to turn on, but then he spoke. His voice made my ears want to bleed, and his tone ran nails against a chalkboard.

“Oopsies! Looks like she got a lil’ tired. Oh well, can’t win them all. Hehe, wasn’t that fun, Orrin! This is my favourite part of the game!”

Orrin didn’t respond. He just stared at Twelve, searching for something.

“What’s wrong? You didn’t seriously think you could get out of this alive by becoming my friend, did you? Like I said, I’m the enforcer.” His face slowly reverted back to a sun, and his voice followed into a lighter tone.

“Shut up! Shut! Up! You’re sick!” Erin shouted at Twelve, who began to pick at his teeth.

Ritsuka was now running around the room, shouting. The sounds of crying, complaining, screams drowned out the thoughts that kept trying to return to my mind. The thoughts of Arden’s final moments. 

“Hm. You’re the enforcer, that’s a role you’re very clear about. We are the participants. If this trial is anything to go by, I’d say that distinction is very important. Your rules, your manner of speaking…it’s not a suggestion for you. It’s as if you can’t lie at all. The best you can do is confuse us, but if you answer, you answer honestly. Am I right?” Juniper mused, her smile remaining.

“Uh, sure thing! I guess you could say I just hate liars!”

“And you don’t hate murderers?!” Basque shouted, clenched fists.

“Of course I do! Why do you think I punish them?”

“Your logic is incomprehensible.” Juniper sighed.

“Wuzzat mean? Anyway, I’m getting a bit tired, so I’m gonna head to bed. When you’re ready, just head up the elevator, okay?” Twelve gave us a wave, before leaping out of his throne and disappearing into the floor.

Everyone began to move, some running to the elevator to leave. They passed me, as I stood completely still, my eyes still flicking back to the monitor. I paid no attention to who passed, until she finally stopped in her tracks.

Jiayi stood in front of me, blank stare and hands in pockets.

“I’m disappointed in you, Pantomath. You reached the right answer but in all the wrong ways. You were swayed by feelings, unable to sort through how to present a logical argument and your own emotions. If you are going to be my apprentice, you’d best shape up soon.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Why the hell would I be your assistant?”

“You must not understand our relationship yet. You need me. You need someone to tell you what to do. You are born and raised to be a worker bee. It’s in the way you act. The way you copy my actions, the way you gleam at my praise. You need someone to guide you. I require another intellectual brain. You’re hardly fit for it, but of all of them, you’re best suited. Come now, unless you want to continue being useless.”

There it was. That word, again. 

“Useless…? Fuck you, Jiayi! I’m not your assistant, or your worker bee or anything!”

“I see.” Jiayi stopped walking just before she passed me. She spoke so softly, I could feel her breath on my shoulder. 

“If you’re not my assistant, then you are my enemy in this game. A game I will win, using only empirical evidence and data. Just as well. You might be the only one here capable enough to actually oppose me. So be it, Celia. If you want to prove your worth, you better make sure you have what it takes.”

I shook, and I considered apologising, but only for a moment. I steeled my face, and stared ahead, not looking at her.

“Fine. I’ll make sure you regret looking down on me. I’m not weak. I’m not stupid. I’m not useless! I will show you. I will show everyone. I…am my own person!”

I heard her shoes as she walked past me, but I did not look until they faded. Only then, did I turn around and face the elevator. I clenched my fists, walking towards it, holding back my emotions. Holding back my thoughts, my feelings, my tears, my hurt. Until I could prove to Jiayi, to my parents, to myself, that I wasn’t the person they all thought of me as, I will hold them all behind.

That’s the only way. The only way to fulfill my promise.

Chapter 1: Bitter Roads For The Deceased 

END

Participants Remaining: 14

Chapter Text

A pair of bright eyes met an equally dull pair in a silent battle. For some time, neither Arden or Director Shinji spoke. Instead they stared at each other. Arden gripped her knees, while the director took a lax position. Alive, he had streaks of gray in both his hair and beard. He leaned on the table in front of him to speak and he seemed to move the words around in his mouth before he spoke. They sat in a room, with a red carpet. Glass windows formed the wall behind the mahogany desk the director sat, with a backdrop of a large concrete field-something akin to a spacecraft being built behind him.

“Candidate #37,”

“Arden, sir.”

“We prefer not to remember the names.”

He lifted up a folder, and stared at her uniform. She wore a black sweater underneath a navy blazer, the emblem of a certain academy embedded on her chest. The emblem looked strikingly like an insect. 

“We believe your work as The Ultimate Psychopomp is intriguing, but are you sure you want to partake in this project? There are…other routes.”

“I’m sure…” Arden’s glimmering eyes fell, the dullness now fitting the cold air of the room.

“I see. Then, your promise? What can we grant you?”

“I…” Arden pauses, before nodding to herself, a confirmation without the confidence. “I want…I want to ensure one thing. For my promise, I want to save someone’s life. Someone…important to me.”

“We respect all deat-”

“I know you can’t ensure his safety, but please…for my promise I want him to be given a chance. An advantage, anything. Please…anything. When we met, he wanted to die, so badly. He wants to live, though. He really does. So, please. Keep him alive.”

The director’s face soured and his nose scrunched. He finally let out a sigh, took out a stamp and pounded it onto the papers in front of him. 

It’s unclear when Iker entered. It could be before or after. Days. Hours. Seconds. Months. But here he stands, in front of Director Shinji.

“Why the long face?” His uniform was messy, with a loose tie and his sleeves rolled up. Still, the logo of the academy sat on his pocket square. 

“You came highly recommended by all the staff, despite my apprehensions of your attitude. I’m not sure you’re the right fit for something like this.”

“I see, I see. Let me ease your doubts. You’re right. I’m not exactly thrilled about this, but I’ve seen what you’ve done for others. I…I want that. I want a promise, fulfilled. No matter what. I have something important to me.”

“And that is?”

“You’ll do anything, won’t you? I…I won’t bore you with the details, but there’s some people who have stopped at nothing to torment me…to torment my family. I…I…”

“Say no more. Simply write down their names and we will take care of it.”

As the director watched Iker condemn a list of names to a quick end, a smile appeared on his face. His smile fell, when Iker crumpled up the paper in a hurry and heaved out a quick breath.

“I…I..change my mind. I’m changing my promise.”

The Director’s expression was poorly hidden by a tucked head. He gave a quick nod to appear natural.

“I…don’t really have a lot to live for. I don’t really care if I live or not, so…I guess, I could at least do something good, right? Then…I want…” He paused. “I want my life to be comfortable. I want to have a peaceful start to finish. For the rest of my life, I don’t wanna have to fight or work hard for anything anymore.”

The director lowered the stamp once more on the pages before him. He watched Iker leave, and the second the door closed he sighed of disappointment. He raised sixteen folders to his desk, flicking through them all. He hovered over them, eyes flicking over to the bin. Despite the urges, he shook his head and tossed all the folders into a basket, labeled ‘Participants.’ He stared at the basket, a mixture of uncertainty, anger and somber tones playing across his face. Ultimately it resulted in one phrase leaving his lips.

“Just as expected.”

Chapter 2: Inside The Epicenter of Justice

I was the last to get to my room. I dragged my body around as if the weight of Arden’s words chained me to that trial ground, to that damn room. To her grave. Despite it all, I kept thinking about her. Even when I tried not to. I wish I could think of her fondly, but even now, all I can think of is how she killed another. How she almost killed us all, if we didn’t solve the case.

A case Jiayi orchestrated. A case she took pride in for ‘research’. I was complicit in her actions, I helped her. I was friends with Arden. I couldn’t get the words out of my mind, the ones my parents tried so hard to drill into me. I was useful in academics, but when it came to social situations I was hopeless. The two people I was closest to…used me and the other left me. She almost killed me too. I can’t even pick friends right.

Those thoughts gripped me while I lay in bed, tossing and turning all night. No matter how hard I shut my eyes, the words still echoed. Arden’s pleas. Jiayi’s taunts. My own ineptitude. It all swirled together into a cocktail of karmic ignominy that worked to keep me awake all night. I don’t know when I passed out, but I was woken up by the sound of my handbook dinging loudly before it switched on.

“Good morning! It’s now 8 am! How are my lovely little participants feeling after yesterday’s game? Wasn’t it the best! I can’t wait to keep playing the killing game with everyone!” The voice was so…petulant. It enraged me, but the rage that billowed in me did nothing against my paralysis. So, I stayed. 

I don’t want to speak to anyone. I don’t want to leave my room. I was always safe here. Why did I think I could leave? I hug my knees, curling deeper into my bed but before I can get comfy the sound of my doorbell startles me out of my stasis.

With a groan, I fling open the door to see, in front of me…

“Morning.” Karmen spoke with a distant look. “You’re late.” The flatness in her tone shocked me for a second.

“Late for what?” 

“Breakfast.” She said simply.

“I’m not hungry. Besides, we’re not seriously still doing that stupid communal living thing, are we?”

“No clue. Still, I have to get you. Everyone else is already eating.” Karmen yawned and rubbed sleep from her eyes.

She seemed just as nonplussed as always. What kind of person sees everything we saw yesterday and just…wakes up the next day like everything is normal?

“You seem…fine. Aren’t you upset?”

“Of course I am,” Karmen replied. “But at the end of the day I’m still alive. That’s the important part, isn’t it?” Her question seemed genuine.

So genuine that it made me even more annoyed. I huffed out a sigh and shut the door behind me.

“I’ll come-but only to eat.”

“Okay.” Karmen led the way, the two of us walking in complete silence.

When I reached the dining hall the tables were a lot more split up. I glanced over to see the conversations happening around me.

“Hm. This toast is burnt.” Jiayi picked up the edges of her toast and tossed it onto Ritsuka’s plate.  “Fetch me some.”

“Wh-hey, you can’t bully me! I’m not some l-loser you can push around!”

“That wasn’t a request. Or would you like to upset me?” Her tone was laced in farcical threat. Ritsuka clearly didn’t pick up on it, because she stood up and bolted into the kitchen.

Mine and Jiayi’s eyes met for a second. Just one, because I was already trying to look elsewhere.

“You sure it’s okay if I sit here…?” Harris mumbled.

“Oh, sure! Just stay away from the knives and forks, m’kay?” Orrin said.

“I...look, I’m sorry-”

“You don’t need to explain yourself.” Juniper said and crossed her legs.

“Tch. The way I see it you were irresponsible and an idiot. If I had it my way, you’d get chained up.” Basque said.

“Ooh, could you suspend me in the air? Upside down, too?”

“What is wrong with you?!” 

“This breakfast isn’t…the best. Who even made this?” Rohan said, forcing it down his mouth.

“You’re complaining, but you didn’t even try to help make food this morning. I’d shut it if I were you.” Erin said, crossing her arms.

“I swear y-you used to be nice…” Rohan muttered under his breath.

“Eh, food is food. As long as it’s edible, it doesn’t matter.” Vas shoveled more food into his mouth.

“Would it kill you to close your mouth when you’re eating?” Erin rubbed her temples.

“What, are you my mom now?”

“Haha! You’re totally the mom archetype now! Oh, could you actually do my laundry?” Rye smiled.

“Why did I sit with you guys…?” Erin sighed.

Finally, Karmen and I took a seat at Takehito’s table. Esther sat with us, rattling on.

“There you are.” Takehito said.

“I’d like to be removed from the-”

“I know. Everyone has mentioned the same in some manner or the other. I don’t even care about that, not anymore. It clearly did nothing to save my life.”

“Hark! The woman of the hour approaches! Surely praise is required for thy excellent performance at the trial!” Esther beamed at me, which felt…odd.

“It’s really not…I didn’t do much.” 

“Nonsense! Thou were resplendent!” 

“You were pretty good, Celia.” Karmen agreed from her breakfast.

I ducked my head low, but felt the gaze of someone else. I looked up to see Takehito staring at me intently, a strange look on his face. He said nothing more, and began eating. Luckily, Esther did most of the talking which meant I could eat my breakfast in peace.

“That is when mine master imparted wisdom on me- a true ferrier of the unconscious must first battle their own. That is when I undertook various perilous shifts into mine own dreaming world.”

“Okay.” Karmen replied, which somehow encouraged Esther further.

“I conquered the hegemony of mine sleeping and mine waking. Then and only then could I venture to bringeth thy people true respite!”

“Okay.”

“With a heavy heart I must say, this facility lacks the appropriate space for mine talent to truly shine. If I hath mine own space, it shall shock and amaze-”

“I HAAATE nap time!” Twelve dropped from the sky, landing straight onto Rohan’s plate of eggs. “I don’t wanna sleep! I wanna stay up! I wanna have fun!”
“AAAAAAARGH!” Rituska screamed from across the room.

“There goes my appetite.” Karmen pushed aside her plate.

“And my ears.” Basque shot Ritsuka a look.

“My…my breakfast…” Rohan pouted, but Twelve did not move.

“Nap time is an imperative rite for the youthful. I implore thee to reconsider!” Esther stood up, suddenly emboldened.

“I don’t think things like him even take naps.” I say.

“Aw man. Do I really have to take a nap?” Twelve crossed his arms.

“Hey, c-can you…erm…move off my plate…? Maybe?” Rohan muttered.

“I guess I’ll take a nap here!” 

“I’d rather you didn’t.” Erin scowled.

“Am I supposed to nap or not? I can’t tell!”

“A dirt nap, maybe.” Basque said with venomous intent.

“You’re all so confusing! Why would I nap in the dirt! Besides there is no dirt here…riiiiight?” 

“Is this some kind of setup for a joke?” Juniper spoke with her smile, but it didn’t mask the exhaustion in her voice.

“What? No! No jokes here, nuh-uh!”

The way he smiled and joked around made me sick. After yesterday, after watching what he did to Arden I can’t stand it. 

“I’m going back to my room.” I stand up, and push my plate aside.

“Not so faaast!” Twelve wiggles his index finger at me.

“You have some sort of announcement, correct? Get to the point. What is it?” Jiayi leaned forward.

Twelve giggled excitedly before jumping up in the air. He tossed his arms open and the sound of a pop was heard. We all looked up, and the ceiling had opened up to rain a shower of petals down. Pink petals covered us all, which was closely followed by sneezing.

“I-is that pollen? I’m allergic!” Rohan squealed. “Oh, god! Twelve probably put some virus into the pollen that’s gonna make us all go crazy and kill each other!”

“Oooh, that’s a good idea for a motive. Thanks pal!” 

“Wh-what?! Y-you’re not serious, are you?”

“Nice going…” Basque sighed.

“What’s the celebration…? Oooh, have you finally decided to croak and die! Yaaay!” Orrin said with a smirk.

“Aw…even Orrin hates me now…well, I guess I won’t tell you all what the surprise is…” Twelve pushed his two index fingers together in what I can only guess was supposed to be a cute gesture. 

“Speak. I’m getting impatient. If you don’t, I’ll kill the demolitionist.” Jiayi said plainly.

“Y-yeah! W-w-wait, what?!” Ritsuka’s sweat doubled in volume in mere seconds.

“As fun as that would be, I want everyone to see my surprise first! After every trial, as a reward for passing, the surviving participants are treated to a whole new dome! I invite you all to enjoy the fresh air and cool breezes of The Spring Dome!” Twelve hopped up and down again and awaited some sort of applause that never came. Instead, we all were silent.

He didn’t think any of us would actually care about something like this? Something so superficial could never hold weight to the two lives we lost due to his interference.

“Oh, also some of your dedicated spaces are in the spring dome, so keep an eye out for that! That’s about it. Bye!” Twelve giggled before hopping off Rohan’s plate and walking out, leaving a trail of scrambled eggs behind him. 

How ridiculous. (I've never heard more obvious bait in my life. Twelve wants us to explore this new space, and whatever reason it is, I have no interest. I should just go to my room and lock it. Everyone should. That’s the best chance we have of surviv-

“Oooh! Spring! That sounds fun!” Harris leaped up excitedly.

“Hehe, I needed some outdoorsy fun. Sounds like a good time!” Rye smiled.

“I miss my little babies…I hope my space is in the spring dome…!” Ritsuka cackled.

“Shall the dome hold mine own space, I shall be overjoyed!” Esther chirped up.

I forgot the people I’m with. The kind of people who willingly sign up to spend the rest of their lives in space with a bunch of other strangers are also the type of people who run first into danger. Who never stops to consider their safety and the safer option. I forgot that to be an ultimate, there is a significant neglect to your sense of danger. Maybe that’s why Twelve chose us? The perfect candidates. The exact people who would thrive in a sick game like this.

I must have dazed off for a while, because by the time I blinked back into focus, the cafeteria was mostly empty. Everyone had already left, off to explore the new dome. Everyone except her.

“Can I help you?”

“Everyone agreed to explore in pairs.” Erin said, matter-of-factly.

“What, you got picked last? What kind of socialite are you?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Shut it! It’s not like that-it’s more like…you’re the better person to investigate with.” She nodded, as if she was convincing herself that it made sense.

“Oh, I get it. You just hate everyone else more.” I sighed.

“Stop putting words into my mouth!”

“No words needed. You ooze a superiority complex.”

“And you ooze an inferiority complex. So we should balance out. Besides, I still owe you from the trial. I don’t like owing people and I don’t want to have to worry about making it even with you all the time.” Erin rolled her eyes.

Although she was a lot more…brutish, now, I might be able to tolerate her like this. I didn’t think someone like Erin was anything more than a vapid bully. Turns out she’s just annoying.

“Are you smiling at your own joke right now?” Erin crosses her arms.

Turns out she might be sharper than I thought.

Chapter Text

When me and Erin arrive at the hangar, one of the five doors that form a semicircle around the massive spacecraft is now open.

The two doors to the right remain closed but the leftmost door is now open. Leaving the central dome, me and Erin make our way through the newly opened door. The corridor is much the same, long and metallic. As we get closer to the gate on the other side, a pleasant light fills my eyes.

When we arrive, we're standing on a dirt path. Above us, the sun is shining, even though it's only a projection of the sun. The air is refreshing here, and the ceiling of the dome stretches out into a bright blue sky. I hadn't realized how much I missed the familiar loft overhead. The Central Dome had nothing this open. The Spring Dome is an open field, with crops lining the sides of the dirt path. 

In the middle of the dome, there is a water well, with benches and cherry blossom trees. There were a couple of iron wrought dining tables and chairs, making it the perfect outdoor leisure spot. The fields were filled with crops like corn, wheat, carrots and more. On average at first glance I could tell the crops took up the majority of space in the dome.

“At least we're sure we won't starve.” Erin says.

“Oh. I forgot you were here.” 

“I know you're just kidding, but that’s not exactly funny.”

“...right.”

I stared at her for a moment, before sighing and examining the surrounding area. The crops looked ready to harvest, but we’d need the proper tools for them. 

“We’ll have to plant seeds again.”

“Ugh, I’d rather not. Leave that kind of manual labour to the others I say.”

“What? Scared you might get dirty?” 

“It's just not the type of thing that'd be good for my reputation, okay?!” Erin’s voice raising brought an unexpected chuckle to rise.

“Relax. I'm not the type to get my hands dirty either. Although, I read quite a bit about the best ways to yield a perfect harvest…crop rotation is important, and so is letting the fields have rest periods to renew their minerals. Plus, it'd be bad for any bugs to start milling down any crops, so we'll need to add some safe pesticides. I know some of the things in Jiayi’s lab would likely have some similar uses, only I fear that it would alter the safety of the crops.”

Erin sighed. “We don't even have bugs in here, Celia.”

“Oh.” I tried to push down my face flushing in embarrassment, but Erin’s pleased grin revealed she saw exactly what I tried to hide. Whatever.

When we got to the well, we looked all the way down into the inky black abyss. The well was made of stone, with a rope winding down to the bottom of the well. 

“Hm…hand me a stone, okay?” I turn to Erin. Despite her eye roll, she kneels down and starts searching. When she's found one, she brings it over to me. I drop it in, and wait intently. When the sound rises from the bottom, I’m sure my idea was a good one.

“That drop is pretty far. It's about…80 feet, I’d say.”

“How the hell can you know that?!”

“Well, it took just above two full seconds to fall. That should tell me, especially with the weight of the pebble, that it's around an 80 foot fall, which is pretty dangerous.” 

“You really know a bunch of random junk, huh?” 

“Er…well…”

“You're actually pretty reliable. Would it kill the others to take a leaf from your book?” Erin sighed and continued walking. Luckily, her back was turned to me so she couldn't see the smile on my face.

There were four paths, leading to different areas of the dome. There was a large barn, with a side attachment of a large metal looking tower beside it. Over in the distance was a circus tent. Another path led to a church, with a small graveyard in front of it. Finally, there was a massive hedge maze, twisting and winding. I paused for a second, examining my options. Before I could decide though, Erin had already begun walking towards the Barn.

The barn was pretty typical. There were pens for groups of animals, and the smell hit me square in the face. A smell I haven't been acquainted with, the smell of hay and fur and sweat. It made me make an involuntary gagging noise. There were pens for cows, sheep, chickens, goats and pigs. There were four of each, all with filled troughs of food and water. Their pens were…startlingly clean. 

As we moved closer, me and Erin stopped in our tracks, as we saw a familiar face near the very end of the barn. He faced the wall, and when I turned to see what he was looking at me and Erin’s mouths dropped in unison. In the corner of the barn, tucked away with the various tools for animal care, was something in deep dark Scarlet. It etched into the red wood walls of the barn, yet somehow it stuck out and seated itself into our minds. Me, Takehito and Erin stood side by side and stared at the sentence written in dried blood.

‘You are not the first. You will not be the last.’

The writing was messy, likely traced with a finger. It was tucked away but it still would require a sizable amount of blood to even write this kind of message. Where…did the blood come from?

“Curious, isn't it?” Takehito mused. His smirk that once gave off a guiding essence now seeped with an unplaceable expression. My mood soured, not just because of the message.

“Did you-” Erin began but Takehito groaned.

“No. It was here when I arrived. This is undoubtedly human blood-what’s more is that it has dried and stained the walls. It’s something to…observe.”

“What does it mean? Is it a threat or a warning?” I asked.

“Either way, it seems to have been done in a rush. The end of the letters drags off to the side, as if the writer had no time to sit still.”

“Maybe Twelve did it?” Erin said.

“Nuh-uh!” A cheery voice only brought my mood back down.

“Ah. It’s you.” Takehito spat with venom that I had only glimpsed at during the trial.

“I didn’t write that! In fact, I didn’t even touch it!” 

“If that’s the case, why haven’t you cleaned it up? The bar was cleaned up after the trial, and this seems to have been here for some time. Is that not part of your work as an enforcer?” Takehito stepped closer.

“I can only clean areas related to murders between participants! Otherwise, I can’t interfere with your surroundings! So unless one of you cleans it, I can’t help you!”

With that, Twelve disappeared into a pile of hay, whistling as he did. It was as if this message did not disturb him in the least. Could this be his trap? Some way to get in our heads?

“...Hm. Interesting. I’ll endeavour to keep this in mind in the future.” Takehito finally turned his full attention to us both and looked at me with a sour expression. I traded one right back at him. “If it isn’t Jiayi’s lapdog. What are you doing?”

“Investigating-same as you.” 

“Shouldn’t you be following your leader? Oh, wait. I forgot, she disowned you, didn’t she?”

“...She didn’t disown me. It’s just,”

“You don’t really object to her actions, do you? Here’s what I think. I think you were far more hurt that Jiayi blindsided you than the fact she tried to kill someone and frame me. I think you’re just as callous as she is, yet you’re used to putting on a somber face and getting away with it.”

He spoke with certainty and calmness that began infiltrating my own mind. Was that true? I had been upset at Jiayi, but if she had told me, if she asked for my help, would I still be working alongside her? Argh! I can’t keep thinking about these things. Takehito was wrong. IS wrong. 

“You’re not off the hook yourself, you know. I knew you seemed a little off, but I didn’t think you’d turn out to be that much of a cold-hearted person.” Erin’s words snapped me out of my stupor.

“You can’t seriously be mad at me for how I treated Harris, can you?” 

“No, I’m mad at the way you’ve treated all of us. Like…we’re some pawns, or something. We believed in you because we thought you were someone we could trust. You hid blackmail, threatened others with it and I bet you never even had any intention of even helping out the group! You were probably trying to save your own ass.”

“Well, yes. Obviously. However, if you think you’re any different than me you’re sorely mistaken. Your entire ‘talent’ is built on a lie you sell to others. You’re a fake who hides opinions behind teasing and smiles. Why? To save your own ass. That’s why we’re all here, really. The world is ending, and we were given a ticket out of it. We can claim selflessness as much as we want but we are all here now precisely because of our choice to run away and save ourselves,” Takehito adjusted his cuff links before pushing past us both. “Next time you decide to hitch yourself onto someone, be smarter. That goes for the two of you.” Takehito walked out the room, his footsteps hitting a chord in the side of my mind.

I balled up my fists and raised them, punching into the wood and…ouch! Okay, splinter’s weren’t my intention but I had to get my anger out somehow. Beside me, Erin’s face was turning red with rage, but when I lowered my hand to check it, she sighed and with that release of air, her demeanor mellowed instantly.

“You need to get a hold on your emotions. If you keep reacting so huge when you’re provoked you’ll just do something stupid.” She said as she grabbed my wrist and began pulling out splinters.

“Stupid like pulling a knife on someone…?”

“Stupid like stabbing someone with a scalpel.” I let out a laugh in the form of air from my nostrils.

“Aren’t you mad at him? You of all people should be. You thought he was your friend. You thought he needed you!”

“Hm…not really, no. I told you when I met you people are sort of like currency to me, right? That’s part of the facade too. If people are just currency, it’s easier to use them to get what I want. Takehito is right. He does the same thing. We see what others want and become it. The truth is, I hate people like that. Those are the people who got my family into the situation we were in. I figured if I could become one, I could be successful like them. I was right, but…” Erin trailed off and stared at the splinters in her hand. She dropped them with a limp hand and stared off, distant. She ultimately shook her head, considering something. “It doesn’t matter. There’s a sliding door there, right? We should check it out.”

I let the topic drop, but the thought of what Erin was going to say needled in me. Her determination to become someone else…it made me feel both hope and an envy I couldn’t quite place. Just who was she, really? And who was I?

I followed her anyway, into the sliding door. Inside was a large tower made of iron that opened up to the outside. At the side of the sliding door was a kiosk, like the lab and bar. Inside, were various birds flying around and perching on various positions. It was filled with an assortment of different types, and the sounds filled my ears. It was almost beautiful, seeing so many species in one place. Beautiful, until I heard a screech next to me.

“Wh-what is *that*!?” Erin shouted, pointing to a figure in the distance.

It was vaguely human in shape, but the birds all flocked onto it like a standing post. It made the figure look like it was made purely of multicoloured feathers and it became difficult to know when the beaks and feathers started and ended. 

“Ah, you’ve arrived!” A cheery voice greeted us. The sound was right, and it would make sense for Karmen to be here, but the inflection was all wrong. A high pitched giggly sound escaped the vaguely human mound that felt dystopian coming from possibly Karmen.

“Karmen, is that…you?” I tried.

“Mhm! Celia! It’s you! Is Takehito with you? I heard Erin too, but I can’t really tell!” Her voice was muffled between all the flapping.

“Erm…are you, like, okay?” 

“Am I okay? I’ve got a Kingfisher in my mouth, a macaw on my head and about ten crows inside of my jacket!”

“I’ll go get help! Do I bring, like, a flamethrower or a massive swatter?!” Erin shouted.

“What! No! I’m in heaven right now!”

“You’re joking.” Erin stares in disbelief.

“I can’t hear you, speak up!”

“Couldn’t you just…make the birds go away?” I question

“Why would I do something like that?”

I sigh and turn to Erin. 

“This looks to be an aviary. I’m guessing this is Karmen’s space.” I sigh, plucking a stray feather out of my hair. 

“I don’t think she’ll need to lock it. I have no desire to be here.”

I nod, as my eyes trace over the room. To the left of us are two smaller cages, with a tight lock on them. Inside of each is a cassowary. It takes me no time to understand. Takehito gets blackmail, Jiayi gets poison and Karmen gets the deadliest bird to exist. Great. Reminder, steer very clear

from here. With a groan, I take my leave of the aviary, heading out of the barn and to our next location.

Chapter Text

It wasn't my first choice, but walking to the circus tent gave me a small sense of excitement that no matter how hard I repressed wouldn't go away. I'd never been to anything like a circus, really. The entire spring dome was a little new to me, and its bright and bold colours drew me in. The tent was streaks of red and yellow, with a flag waving in the wind. When we peaked through…

Inside the circus, a tightrope hung above the ceiling. The drop was far, leading to the hard dirt floor beneath. The stands were empty, but there were around thirty seats. Off to the side of the circus arena was a large cannon, a guillotine, an iron maiden, a blue mat and a few other things like a unicycle, flamethrower and bowling pins. 

Who the hell would want to be in a place like this, especially during a killing game?

“Woohoo!” Harris shouted from the stands juggling a few swords while balancing a fourth sword on his head. 

I sigh, and turn my head. Though the circus is held off by a flimsy flap, there is an iron fence in front of it with a digital kiosk. This must be Harris's dedicated space.

“The Ultimate Daredevil…gets a circus tent?” I say, letting the judgement fall out.

“Oh yeah I do! This place rocks!” Harris twirled around a few more swords before tossing them to the ground. “It’s got everything! I'm pretty sure I saw some oil in the back I can use to set the tight ropes on fire! Plus, check this out!” Harris took out his handbook and opened a new tab. 

Instantly, a list of different settings pulled up. The lights, props, and door could all be controlled centrally from the handbook.

“Since when did our handbooks have that…?” I ask while Erin is still walking around and observing the area.

“Hmmm, no clue! Twelve called it a reward. Well, for, uhm…”

“For trying to kill!” Twelve hopped out of a cannon like a cannonball, causing Erin to screech.

“Yep, yep! I want to encourage any participant who tries but fails! You'll get 'em next time champ! That's why this time I gave you a nifty advantage so that you can easily murder! This time, aim for the vital organs, okay?” Twelve nodded happily, hands crossed behind his back.

“Your advice isn't wanted.” Erin responded.

“I-I wasn't trying to *kill* him, it was more like…”

“Oh, sure, yeah. You were trying to give Takehito a hug!” Twelve teased.

Harris' smile dropped, once again forming into a frown. 

“Pretty rich, judging me when you’re making us kill each other! Why the hell do you even want us to kill each other, anyway?! What’d we do to you?” 

“Huh? Do to me? Well, nothing!”

“We’re the hopes of humanity, right? Is that your game? To crush the world’s hope?” Erin added.

“Hope…? Really? You guys sure are cocky! Well, that’s why we’re in this scenario, isn’t it? If you’re looking for someone to blame, blame yourselves!”

What the hell was that supposed to mean? More importantly, why were these two even entertaining him by questioning? So far Twelve has dodged questions, and sitting here listening to him gleefully divulging information…he’s luring us in. It always starts with the honey, then comes the trap.

“Whatever,” I sigh. “It’s not like you’ll tell us anyway, will you?”

“Hmmmm…maybe I will, maybe I won’t! That depends on your actions!”

What did he mean by that? Before I could even try to guess, he sped away, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. 

“Argh! That thing pisses me off! I need to get a good punch in!” Harris huffed.

“You could, I don’t know, just talk about your feelings instead?” Erin shot Harris a sideways glance.

“Eh, I prefer punching. It gets rid of all the bad feelings and the pain helps me focus on something other than my thoughts!”

Harris…his smile felt familiar but I couldn’t forget that look, when he was trying to kill Takehito. How could this idiot be the same guy who held such a murderous intent? What blackmail did Takehito have on him that was so bad? Whatever it was, I was better off not poking the bear. 

“So, what have you found here?” I asked.

“Er, well…not much. It’s mostly traps and dangerous stuff. There’s a small changing room in the back with a few things like helmets and safety mats.” 

“Of course your tent is full of dangerous stuff. It’s also the easiest designated space to get into. If you tried you could just hop the fence and get in.” I sighed.

“Oh, that’s totally true! I didn’t even think of that! You think someone might use this room for a murder!”

“Obviously,” I looked around at the dangerous equipment. “All the designated spaces have weapons best suited for the owner-I guess they couldn’t pick just one weapon for you, huh?”

Harris smiled and shrugged like it was a compliment. I began to wonder just how many times he’s been hit on the head.

“Hey, actually…before you two leave I just wanted to say thanks. Everyone has been avoiding talking to me since yesterday, so I, er, appreciate it!” Harris beamed.

“You’re not off the hook yet, you know. You’ve got a lot of work to do. You were stupid, selfish and cruel. You almost ended a life, Harris. An entire life. Don’t expect everyone to forgive you, ever.” Erin spoke firmly.

“You forgive me though, right? It was…the heat of the moment, honest. I just got super angry and I was given an idea and…”

“Your promise. You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?” I asked.

Harris nodded and his brightness dimmed.

“Well, yeah. It’s not just a promise, it’s a serious life changer. I..I need it to come true. That’s about the only way I can ever forgive myself for the past. I figured if I take out a bad guy like Takehito and fulfill my promise, it’d be a net positive, yeah? People like him piss me off. They have everything from the jump. Money, attention…smarts. They don’t have to do uncomfortable stuff to get ahead, but they still want more. They have so much, but want it all. I’ve had to deal with all kinds of rich assholes who wanna see a guy like me embarrass myself for money. They’re all sick bastards.” 

Harris’ words hit something uncomfortable in me. I could see from Erin’s slow nod there was an agreement there. I wish I could nod along, to see their side, but…was Takehito really like that? Not everyone who has money wants to embarrass others. I think. 

“Whatever your reason, a life is still a life. I know you toss yours around recklessly but it’s important to the rest of us. Don’t ever do something so stupid, got it?” Erin scolded.

“Y-yeah. You’re right, I’m sorry. Gargh, I really fucked up, didn’t I?” 

“Duh. It’s not too late, though. So you better start working your butt off to be better from now on. Got it!”

“Got it!” He saluted back to her.

What were they doing? Did Erin seriously believe that little talk could change him? She waved him off, and I followed, not giving him my own send off. 

“The hell was that?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re treating him like he made some small mistake. He’s a liability. Head to toe. We can’t be friendly with someone like that.”

“Well, wouldn’t a liability be better on your side than against you? Besides, if he’s a liability, what are you?” She said with a smirk.

I shut my lips, my cheeks flushing.

“Tch. Fair point, I guess.” I murmured before we headed to our next location.

As we approached our next location, a sinking feeling developed in the pit of my stomach. A large stone building with gothic architecture stood in front of us. We passed a few unmarked graves on our way in, each with blank tombstones. The large iron wrought doors were open, and if Erin was afraid she did not show it. When we entered, we entered a dark room, lit only by candles. A carpet was unfurled from the entrance to the pulpit with rows of empty pews lining the inside. This was undoubtedly a church. By the door, was a small basin of water and a digital kiosk. 

“H-hello…? Is anyone…there?” I called.

“Why do you sound so scared? It’s just a church.” Erin chided.

“Sh-shut up. I’m not scared.”

“Right. If you’re so brave, why don’t you open up that door behind the pulpit?” I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Argh, fine!” I huffed before stomping towards the door. 

It was an old door. The hinges were rusted and the door handle was ostentatiously designed with needless embellishments. I put my hand on the cold steel, slowly pushing it down to open it. No movement. I tried again, with no luck. The door must have been locked. I turned around to tell Erin as much, when my heart dropped.

In front of me, was the deathly pale face of a man. A walking van gogh creation, his eyes bulging out of his stomach. In the dim late I could only make out his noticeable features-the whites of his teeth and eyes. 

He was the first to scream. I followed soon after, and we both fell onto the ground screeching at each other. My heart was racing as I reached for something to defend myself with. Instead, I was accosted by the warmth of a candle far closer to my face then comfort would allow. I traced its origin, and holding a lit candle was Esther, with Erin laughing her heart out behind her. With new light, I saw that the man (who was still screaming with an ear-splitting pitch) was Rohan.

“G-g-g-g-ghooooost!” Rohan whimpered.

“Rohan, it’s just me-”

“Argh! I can hear it! Where’s my salt?! My ouija board?! My vacuum!?”

“Aren’t you usually dealing with ghosts? You’re the ultimate occultist, this should be a walk in the park for you!” Erin sighed.

“It’s not like I want to! I h-h-hate my talent! I don’t even mean to b-but I keep bumping into ghosts and cryptids and monsters and argh! I wish th-they’d leave me alone!” Rohan cried.

“By the by, I hath not known Celia hath died!” Esther said with a raised brow.

“I’m standing right in front you.” I groaned. 

“Ah! Truly, the veils of our world and others hold little weight. Thy transcendence through death is merely another way to reach the unconscious!” 

“AAAARGH! SHADDUP! You’re freaking me out! You totally brought this evil spirit to us, didn’t you! I said we should stay away from this place!”

I pinched my nose, before walking up to Rohan. He let out a yelp, backing away before grabbing him by the wrist.

“If I died, there’d be a trial, wouldn’t there? Like…like Arden.”

He froze, seemingly only taking this into account just then.

“You’re right! You really are alive!” He snapped his fingers and let out a relieved sigh. “I, er…sorry, hehehe…”

“Whatever. It’s fine, I guess.”

The mention of her name depleted all energy I once had. Now, I wanted to leave this place as quickly as I could.

“This must be a dedicated space, right? Have you two been able to figure out whose?” Erin inquired.

“I shan't cast skepticism and theory on matters such as this. Turn thy gaze to mine fellow voyager in mysticism!”

“Pl-please don’t take me on any voyages. I get sea sick pretty quickly.” Rohan already looked like he was turning pale.

“Could one of you just answer my question?!” Erin started to look about as fed up as I felt.

“Oh right! Well, as for owners I’m not exactly sure, but I did have a look around. It sorta seems like…it might belong to Arden.”

Now, I really wanted to get the hell out of here.

“Quite! Such a space holds not only various holy items but me and mine fellow voyagers asked others, no handbooks owned by our merry band worked on the kiosk. Perchance, would either of you try?” She turned her head with piqued intrigue.

“Oh! That’s right!” Rohan snapped his fingers. We all turned to him, perplexed. “I should have thrown the holy water on you! Can’t believe I forgot!”

I groaned and pushed past him. Even though I was nowhere near strong, he nearly fell over. I placed my handbook on the kiosk, but it made no reaction. Erin did the same, with the same result.

So…this really was Arden’s space? Why was it so creepy? Why was it so dimly lit? What was with the locked door in the back? Arden always wore a comforting smile. She managed to make everyone, even me, feel more comfortable. Why would her space be so opposite to that? 

“Ding ding ding! Yooouuu got it!” The cheery voice of Twelve brought a chill to my spine. In seconds, Rohan was screeching and ducking behind the three girls in the room. 

“Oh, god! It’s a demon! It’s gonna curse us! God, why?!” Rohan whimpered, shaking behind Esther.

“A demon?! Where! Eep!”

“What do you mean, you got it?” I asked, fists clenched.

“Oh, right! Well, you guessed it right! This is Arden’s dedicated space! Ah, but we lost our unlucky participant before she could access the space. So, by protocol, we shut off the power in the room. We’re using candles instead, ain’t it nifty! We also put away their personalized stuff! They’re designed specifically for the space’s owner to use, it’d be no fun if someone else used a weapon designed for someone else! Beats the purpose, y’know?” Twelve shrugged.

We. He kept saying ‘we’. I had determined there were more people involved, but this was pretty clear confirmation. If there was more than one person involved, what were we dealing with here? An entire organisation? A small group? It’d be best if I kept that to myself. Like Jiayi said, whoever killed the director was one of us. If I was going to beat her and whoever killed the director and put us in the scenario, I’d better keep my cards close to my chest.

“I’ll add it to the rules now, just so we’re all on the same page! Toodles!”

Twelve skipped away, happily.

“Ar-arden’s room? So…this is probably….no it’s totally haunted!” Rohan screamed and ran out.

“Ah!” Esther shouted, before running behind him.

“Those two are going to get themselves in trouble if they’re not more careful. Right, Celia? Celia…?”

That’s right. A step closer to unravelling this mystery. I’m going to make sure everyone knows not to underestimate me again. I’m going to solve it, solve it before anyone else does. 

“Are you okay?” Erin questioned.

“H-huh? Oh, right. Yeah. Let’s go.” I rushed out, checking my notebook when it made a small dinging noise.

Rules and Regulations:

1. All participants must reside within their Facility under the rule of The Enforcer.
2. Nighttime begins at 10pm and ends at 8am. Please keep this in mind, as some locations will be off limits during this period.
3. Violence against The Enforcer is prohibited.
4. Intentional destruction of public property is prohibited, unless sanctioned by the enforcer.
5. Anyone who kills another participant is allowed to either return to earth or be transferred to another facility. This can only be completed if the participant is not discovered as the victim’s killer.
6. If the killer is exposed, they and they alone will be executed. If the killer is not exposed, they alone will survive and all other participants will be executed.
7. A body discovery announcement will alert all participants when three or more people discover a body.
8. When a participant dies, their dedicated space will be converted, removing all their personal items and turning off any power being used. Access will still be allowed, but only to those granted access at the time of death. The list of allowed entrants will not be able to be changed postmortem.
9. Additional rules may be added as The Enforcer sees fit.

Chapter Text

As we approached the final path by the well, standing beside it was Orrin, Juniper and Basque. As we got closer, their voices got louder.

“That’s….actually a great idea, Basque! Did you like, hit your head, or something?” Orrin said gleefully.

“I’m surprised nobody has punched you, yet.” Basque said with extra emphasis on the final word.

“If that’s what you want, I’m not opposed,” Juniper had her hands in her warm jacket. “That said we have to get the other on board. I’m not intending to stand out too much. Laying low in a situation like this is for the best.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked when I got close enough.

“N-nothing!” Basque hurried to speak. Juniper rolled her eyes.

“It’s certainly something.” She said,

“Something big!” Orrin added,

“Something exciting.”

“Something life-changing!”

“That being…?” Erin raised an incredulous brow. 

Juniper and Orrin shared a look of amusement.

“Would you two stop that! Y-you’ll see tomorrow! God!” 

“Oh, it’s just some light teasing. It’s common between friends. You would know, wouldn’t you, Basque?” Juniper kept her friendly tone but her words dripped acidity.

“I hate you…”

“What about me! Do you hate me too! Exclusion isn’t nice y’know!” Orrin whined.

“Crawl in a hole and die.” Basque hissed.

“So, I’m guessing you’re not telling us?” I said.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Patience is a virtue, they say.” Juniper’s look let me know this line of conversation was over.

Me and Erin kept moving, choosing to ignore whatever weird things were going on by the well. We approached a large hedge maze, which didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in me. The hedges had flowers poking out of them, but the walls were high and it looked like there had been no map. As we approached, we saw a familiar figure crouching in front of the maze, on the grass. 

“Ritsuka, what the hell are you doing…?” Erin asked.

“Wh-what does it look like I’m doing!”

“It…looks like you’re trying to crawl on the ground like a worm.” I responded bluntly.

“Y-you! You totally look like every bully rolled up into one, but you too Celia? Am I so lame th-that even Celia gets to bully me now! Gragh!” Ritsuka shouted.

“What is that supposed to mean?!” 

“Ritsuka, nobody is bullying you. You’re not lame, so stop acting like we’re about to throw dirt on you.” Erin commanded.

“Dirt on me…! That’s what you were gonna do, isn’t it?! Gagh! You’re awful! You suck! You’re a jerk!”

Usually Ritsuka was…hard to talk to, but after the trial she seemed even more scared of others.

“Say, when we first got here you mentioned you didn’t sign up for the Progenitor Project. How is that possible? It requires our signature and our personal handovers?” I asked, suddenly curious.

“Huh? Well, my grandpa came h-home one day and told me to sign it, so I did…a-and told me to hand it over, so I did. I had no idea it was for something like…like this!” She screeched, but oddly it felt calming to hear her more regular screech compared to her frantic one.

“What the…? Do you just sign anything people tell you?” Erin shouted.

“No, of course not! I just trust my grandpa with my life! He always knows what’s best for me! He signed me up to protect me from the world ending! H-he saved me, just like he always does!” Ritsuka was now standing, her demeanor regaining its regular flavour of annoyance.

“You both must really love each other, huh.” I hoped I hid the somberness that threatened to unearth itself inside of me.

“Y-yeah…he’s a pretty bossy guy…he used to work in the army, so he’s really strict, especially with me, but he always knows what I should and should be doing…without him, I don’t even know how to function…”Ritsuka groaned, but she had a bit of a smile talking about him.

“Woah! Your grandpa was in the army? What did he do?” Erin asked.

“Oh! He was the head of nuclear weaponry! He invented all kinds of cool and neat bombs!” She said with a suddenly proud grin.

“Nuclear…weaponry…you mean the same weaponry that accelerated our world’s deterioration tenfold?!”

“Huh…? Oh…I guess I never connected those two things, heh.” She shrugged it off.

“You’re kidding, right?” Erin was wide eyed.

“Wh-what? Jealous of my impressive roots? That’s right, the title of ultimate demolitionist isn’t something I take lightly! I learn from some of the best people in history!”

I began to feel a murderous aura oozing beside me, I sighed and pointed to the hedge maze.

“Just tell us if you found anything in the maze.” 

“I tried walking it, but even I couldn’t find my way! So I gave up…urgh! It’s so annoying! I hate puzzles! Orrin, Juniper, Basque and Jiayi all tried it too…none of them could find the other side. We chose to split up for now.”

“I see.” I began to wish our conversation had only contained this line of questioning. “Why were you on the ground, though?”

“I saw it! I swear, I did! They don’t believe me but I really saw the ground open up around here!” Ritsuka shouted.

“Right. I think we should get go-”

Before I could make my exit, plain as day, the ground beside us made a loud metallic sound. Slowly, a layer of earth raised from below, revealing stairs. Coming out of it was Jiayi. She stopped, scanning between the three of us.

“You were correct, demolitionist. Good eye.” She stated simply before leaving, not meeting my eyes.

“Wh-what? Really? Do you think so? Wait, is there anything else good about me!” Ritsuka ran after Jiayi, pestering with questions.

I was suddenly exhausted. Erin seemed just about tired, too. Despite our exhaustion from dealing with…her, we walked down the steps and into the bunker. 

A digital kiosk greeted us by the metal hatch of the bunker floor, the metal hatch was open however. What we found when we walked in was a small bunker made of metal. Shelves were lined with cans of food. A filtration system was labelled bathroom, and a mattress sat on the bed. It was…

“This place is fucking disgusting.” Erin said the quiet part out loud.

“Aw, man. Does everyone hate my space? I think it’s pretty neat. It’s got everything you need. Infinite water, food, a bed, what else could you need?” Rye stood in the bunker, gleefully looking at the shelves of food.

“Don’t listen to ‘em. These guys have some impossible standards.” Vas said.

“I don’t care how low your standards are, this is gross!” Erin replied.

“Eh, I’ve slept in worse.” Vas countered.

“Much worse! In fact, this is definitely a great place to hide out! I could never leave here! There isn’t a lot of entertainment though…” Rye frowned.

“Hey, if you ever choose to shack up here, let me know. I kinda like this place. Reminds me of back home!” Vas grinned.

“Aw, totally man! You’re welcome anytime!”

Erin looked at me, eyes twitching.

“I’m not crazy, right? This is, like, gross?”

“It’s revolting. I’m pretty sure the mattress has a wet spot on it.” I respond, eyeing it with begrudging acceptance.

“Ooh, we can totally start doing our workouts here! It’s a lot more space than the central dome, and we can even go for a run around the spring dome!” Rye said with the same excitement level one would have of finding a pot of gold.

“You’re right! It’s perfect! Dude, you’re a genius!” Vas smiled.

“Aw, shucks. I’m just me, man!” Rye responded.

“I think I’m gonna be sick.” I murmured

“Me too.” Erin groaned.

It didn’t take long before we rushed out of there, refusing to sit amongst the testosterone for a second longer. We made it to the well, where everyone else had gathered. The expressions around the well were serious, as everyone spoke in hushed whispers. Not long after we came, so did Rye and Vas.

“So, we’ve all seen the message now, correct?” Takehito looked around.

Murmurs of agreement rang out.

“Curious, hm? What Twelve said when you questioned him is equally interesting. The distinction between a case, enforcer and participant is something that seems worth noting.” Juniper spoke in a satisfied hum.

“Wh-what if there really are aliens? Or ghosts? Alien ghosts?! They’re trying to communicate with us…” Rohan bit his thumb.

“That’s…not possible.” Karmen replied flatly.

“It doesn’t matter who it’s written by,” Jiayi cut through the noise. “It matters who it’s written for. Us? Or the one who killed the director?”

“This again? What makes you so sure it was even one of us?!” Basque raised.

“My autopsy. I’m never wrong.”

“Except when you lie.” I reply and ignore how petulant I sound.

“Now, now. You can all rip each other's throats out later. For now, I have a simple piece of advice-ignore the message.” Juniper spoke. When we all looked at her shocked, she shrugged. “Or don’t. That’s fine too. Those are your only two options, though. Agonizing over it will do nothing. We’re messing with something we clearly haven’t the equipment to handle. A cryptic message means nothing when our lives are on the line. Although, judging from yesterday, some of you don’t really value the lives of others, do you?”

Jiayi, Harris and Takehito shifted uncomfortably. None of them raised their eyes to meet Juniper.

“I’m not saying forget the message entirely, but allow me to float an idea by you. What’s the scariest thing you can imagine?” 

“Being yelled at…” Ritsuka mumbled.

“Erm…bees…no, sharks! Agh, wait I messed up its zombies.” Rohan replied.

“Conflict.” Karmen said simply.

“Prooobably Erin in the morning without her makeup!” Orrin jeered.

“Are you a child?!” She replied.

“All good answers, but…the scariest thing is the unknown. The dread that follows with lack of information, but knowing that something is wrong. All those fears are temporary. Dread of the unknown is everlasting. If you let this message to affect you, you’re just inviting that exact feeling in.” She crossed her arms. “So, I’ll be heading to bed now. I suggest you all do the same-and as for the possibility of a traitor among us, one who killed the director…it’s certainly a theory. A theory backed by the workings of an attempted murderer who sees us all as test subjects. Fighting over an imagined traitor would provide plenty of intriguing data, wouldn’t it, Jiayi?” Juniper sent Jiayi a tense smile.

“Watch yourself, Juniper.” Jiayi replied.

“Oh, I’ve been upgraded to name status now, have I? Does that mean I’m close to the truth?” Juniper gladly poked the bear.

“It doesn’t matter.” I spoke up. “We’re arguing about hypotheticals and intentions. Two of us are dead. We have to start thinking about what matters. Our lives. It’s clear we’re surrounded by dangerous people. We don’t need a traitor or a message to make us distrust each other. We’re already there. This little meeting was a waste of time, anyway. Why bother discussing with each other? None of us even have the same goal, do we?” I didn’t wait for replies. I ignored the stares, as I swiftly turned and walked away from the spring dome.

Discussions…theories…traitors…messages? Why should I care? Arden is dead. I can’t care about imagined problems when one real problem is lying in front of me. Why couldn’t I have smiled? Why couldn’t I have been useful in her final moments? Why, why did I fail her when she died? Those were the thoughts that mattered, and they were what I was asking myself on my way back to my dorm.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, my lovely little participants! With the new spaces provided, please feel free to go kill, kill, kill! Who needs coffee when you have corpses, right?” The morning announcement was as insufferable as ever. Why do we have to deal with someone like Twelve? 

I woke up feeling way worse than yesterday, with my body feeling heavy to carry. I quickly got myself dressed and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. I was expecting an awkward atmosphere, but when I got there it was only Esther, Rohan and Rye.

“Is this really everyone?” I said, grabbing some cereal.

“Quite. All other souls hath elected to avoid others, deeply woven into suspicion.” Esther lamented.

“Vas and I went for a run this morning before the announcement, but after he said he’d pass on breakfast…said with all this traitor business going around, he’d rather keep to himself.” 

“Is it really okay for you to be sharing Vas’ thoughts like that…?” Rohan chirped.

“Hm? Oh, sure. He wouldn’t mind me telling you this stuff. He wouldn’t even care if I told you Vas has to sleep with a night light on!”

“Seriously?” Rohan chuckled.

“Yeah, totally. I don’t think he’d care if I told you guys he’s useless at math, too. Oh, and he’s got a scar on his ankle he says was from a fight, but actually, the guy tried to pet a stray cat and it scratched him real hard! Oh, and-”

I have a feeling that I shouldn’t be listening to this. I tried to finish my breakfast as fast as I could, and stood up to leave. I barely made it out before bumping into a tall figure, entering the dining hall.

“Oh. Takehito. Sorry.” I mumbled.

“Right.” 

He wasn’t going to say sorry, was he? Whatever. I have no business with this guy. I’m better off avoiding him.

“I was looking for you. I’d like to…extend an invite.”

“I’m not interested.” 

“You will be. I’m considering holding something of a funeral, in the new church we unlocked. I’ll be holding one for both Iker and Arden. Come, if you like. Or not. I don’t really care.” Takehito pressed on into the dining hall, not sparing me a backwards glance.

His arrogance pissed me off, but for some reason, something about it still drew me in. Just what exactly is Takehito? A funeral in a killing game sounds stupid, anyway. Though the idea seemed like a waste of time, a feeling stirred in me. One I tried to stave off. Instead of worrying about whatever the feeling is, I’d be better off studying some of the functions around the new spring dome. I need to properly acquaint myself with it, so when the next murder happens I can lead everyone to the right answer. I’m going to make sure I prove Jiayi wrong. 

Free Time 1

Harris found himself in the aviary, in search of a dangerous bird. With his nose upturned, he sniffed ineffectually and stood beside Karmen who flitted around the cage excitedly.

“Maaaan, I wish I could get some sorta help with these birds!” Harris shouted, staring up at the sky. Karmen continued kneeling down, her face broken into a wide grin. She cooed at pigeons, as she helped redistribute the fluff of their feathers. 

“Gosh, I really don’t know how these guys work. I hope I don’t mess this up!” Harris shouted again, now staring at Karmen. Karmen spread out a parrot’s wings and after measuring the wingspan, she wrote it down on a little clipboard. She hummed softly to herself and pet the parrot gently on its head. 

“Hey, Karmen…”

Karmen took out a little bell and began ringing it. Birds flocked to hear and she tossed it in the air, the birds grabbing for it.

“KARMEN!” Harris’ loud shout causes a tornado of feathers and frightened calls. In moments, the birds had scattered away from the pair. Karmen slowly turned to Harris, her smile and bright eyes replaced by her indifferent expression and hooded eyelids.

“Huh? Were you always here?”

“Uh, yeah! Look, I can only throw out so many hints man!”

“Oh. I don’t like hints. They’re useless and roundabout. If you need something from me, just tell me.”

“Ah, okay. In that case, I want you to point me to the most dangerous bird!” 

“No.”

Karmen turned to walk away, but Harris followed. 

“Oh, come on! Why not?”

“Why do you want one?”

“To fight ‘em!” 

“No.”
“Hey, at least hear me out!”

Harris continued following Karmen through the aviary. She went to work, refilling the feeders and cleaning the cages. Harris did not flinch and pursued Karmen.

“I’ve fought kangaroos, crocodiles, sharks and lions! I’ve never fought a bird before, though. It’s got to be exciting, right? There are those really scary birds, the cassandras, right?”

“That’s not their name, it’s the cassowaries. They really are nice, they can just be a bit territorial. That’s all.” 

“See! You know all about them! You can even referee the match!” 

“I’m getting bored of this conversation.”

“Gragh! At least tell me why you can’t!”

“I’m not letting you hurt my friends.” Karmen’s face suddenly became firm, and her arms crossed.

“Your…friends?”

“I didn’t care that much when you attacked Takehito. It’s natural in this setting for humans to crumble. They fail at adaptation and most have cruel self-preservation in mind. Now, though, I have people I care about. The animals here, not just the birds, are under my protection. Don’t mess with them, got it? You already made enemies, you don’t need anymore.”

Harris was silent for a moment, before letting out a long held breath.

“That’s the most I’ve heard you talk, like, ever! Look, I…I am sorry about the Takehito thing-”

“I don’t care about that. Humans are always and have always been like that. I wasn’t surprised. It’s why I prefer animals. They’re more…simple to understand. I gave up on trying to understand people long ago.”

“Gave up…? Look, I don’t really get my brain either but even I can tell I’m a special case. I don’t care if you gave up on me, but there are some good people here. People who you could understand, I bet.”

“I’d rather stick with my friends, thank you. I hold no ill-will towards you, though.”

Harris shrugged and shuffled out of the aviary with a muffled groan. Would he be reminded of his past, even here?

Free Time 2

When Celia finds herself in front of Arden’s door, it’s not voluntary. She knows there will be no answer. She knows she doesn’t have any business being here. She knocks on the door anyway. She knows again, and again. She just keeps trying.

“You already lost your mind, eh?” A cheery voice comes from an open door in the sun lounge. Orrin slinks out from his room with a grin.

“Leave me alone.” Celia spits out, with a little too much venom. She doesn’t care, though. She can’t care. Not right now.

“You know,” Orrin shuts the door behind him. “I once attended a funeral for a newborn baby. I was young, at this stage and still an apprentice under my father’s work. I was so confused why people were crying about some random baby, a baby nobody even really knew. They had only known the child for two months.”

“...You were kind of a shitty kid.”

Orrin giggled. “I totally was, right? But, here’s what my father said. Sometimes people don’t just mourn others. Sometimes they’re mourning the loss of potential.”

“I don’t need a lesson right now, Orrin.”

“Just thought I’d tell a story. Wanna know what I said in reply?”

“Something shitty, probably.”

“Mhm! Why mourn potential when you can just become that potential.”

Celia went silent, grasping onto the words for a beat. They were silent, both of them staring at Arden’s door.

“It’s going to be hard holding everyone together. I never got to know Iker, but he made sure we were all included.” Orrin hummed.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he made sure people like you and Karmen still went to breakfast. He always asked about Basque and Ritsuka, too. He tried his hardest to include you guys. That’s pretty funny, right?”

“Why are you laughing? People are dead, Orrin.”

“Sure, they are. People are dead all the time. I mourn them too, you know. I think Arden would want to see us happy, and Iker would like to see us get along. So, I just do that. No sense crying.”

Celia kept silent. They remained still, side by side. Staring at the door.

Free Time End

I didn’t know why I went to the funeral. I had no place going to Iker’s funeral. I hardly knew him. And Arden…I still wasn’t sure if I was mad at her, or sad or what I was feeling. Despite my reservations, I headed to the church anyway. As I got closer, I saw that Orrin and Juniper had gathered together near the entrance. 

“Ah, you showed up. I wasn’t sure you’d make an appearance.” Juniper mused.

“I wasn’t sure either. Are you two involved in this?”

“Well, not exactly. It was Basque’s idea…he floated the idea by us when we were exploring this dome.”

Basque came up with this? That seemed…odd. The surprise must have shown on my face, because Juniper nodded in reply.

“Yes, I know. Quite strange, right? Typical, though. He’s not in attendance. He simply passed the idea off to us as our responsibility.” Juniper sighed.

“Which is why we passed it off to Takehito!” Orrin grinned with pride.

“How did you two manage something like that?”

“Simple. I mentioned getting back in everyone’s good graces by holding a funeral. I’d rather not host something like this. I’m much more suited to work in the background rather than a leader.” Juniper smiled.

I had the feeling she could get any of us to do what she wanted anytime. Her smile unsettled me deeply, but I didn’t say anything. I sighed, ignoring Juniper and Orrin’s smirks. When I entered the church, the room was lit by candles dotted around the room. On the altar table there were two items: a small bottle of aromatic oil. Beside it was a small hairpin of a butterfly. Before I could ask why…

“KYAAAAH! I-I-IT’S AN ANGRY SPIRIT!” Rohan screeched. He grabbed onto a cross and aimed it at me.

“Must thy bemoan and wail so each time someone enters…?” Esther rubbed her ears, sitting in a pew beside him. Across from that pair…

Erin sat alone, near the back of the church. She had her arms crossed and did not react to Rohan’s screech.

“Is this everyone?” I asked, looking around the room.

“If I answer, will you leave, foul spirit?” Rohan murmured.

“I can’t believe nobody else showed up. How insensitive do they all have to be?!” Erin huffed.

“Oh, they probably didn’t want to see Takehito’s face, you know!” Orrin said, walking in.

“Thank you…” Takehito sighed from the pulpit.

“I don’t blame them. Although he’s a jerk, it’s important to pay respect, especially to friends. I swear, some of the people here were raised in a barn.” Erin sighed.

“I’m right here, you know.” Takehito mumbled.

“Thy hath come at a most benefiting hour. Takehito was about to regale us with a eulogy.” Esther patted the seat beside her, and I moved to take a seat. On the other side, Juniper and Orrin sat in the row in front of Erin. Once we were all seated, Takehito cleared his throat.

“May I begin?” He asked. 

“Aren’t you gonna sing first?” Rohan asked.

“What kind of funerals are you going to?!” Erin shouted.

“In mine village, when someone passed over we would all honour thy soul by dancing in the next full moon draped in our mourning gowns!” Esther delighted us with her details.

“I’m telling you guys, she’s a witch!”
“I wonder…if you all keep talking, what might happen to the spirits of the deceased? Oh, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind disruptions to their funeral.” Juniper said.

“Argh! Sh-shutting up now!” Rohan announced.

“Verily.” Esther nodded.

Takehito adjusted his tie once more, then stared straight on at us all.

“Today we have gathered to commemorate the life and death of Iker Elias and Arden Phi. Both esteemed members of our community, they…well…” At first, Takehito spoke in a rehearsed tone. Something removed. Suddenly, his face deepened.

“They were victims. Both. I know some of us may hold them in contempt, not only for concocting a plan to fool us, but almost getting away with it too, but…I truly believe that neither of them were those sort of people. I know I have not much of a place to speak for the good of others. I have no genuine care about morality and values. I assumed we all were hiding behind smiles and platitudes in order to belong. To survive. They were victims of the killing game, and more importantly of cruelty at the hands of those they wanted to belong with. We may not have gotten to know them very well, but I can say this much-they wanted to be our friends. They wanted to know us. Now, they’re gone. Without them…is there even much of a point in putting in effort? We’ve begun distrusting one another. Suspecting. We move in groups of who we can trust. Despite all that, I believe there is a way we survive. We just…” Takehito paused and looked between our faces. He stared, and I could swear I saw his body shaking. 

“Excuse me,” He mumbled, before rushing out of the church. 

“Oh dear.” Juniper sighed and stood up. She walked at a leisurely pace after him. 

“So much for a funeral.” Orrin shrugged, and walked out after.

“I-if it’s all the same, I wanna get the hell out of this creepy place. Uhm…I’m sorry, Arden. I’m really sorry.” Rohan bowed a little before heading out.

Erin, me and Esther sat in silence. We had nothing to say. Nothing about Takehito’s words, nothing about Arden, nothing about Iker. We hardly knew them, afterall. I stood up to leave, but as I did, I heard a sniffle next to me. Esther was…crying.

“Esther, are you alright?!” Erin ran up to her, grabbing onto her arm.

“Quite, quite. Thy should not bring thyself malady in my name. I just…miss my home.”

Missing home…I wish I could relate. I wish I could say the world I left behind is better than this one. I’m just as alone as ever. The atmosphere in the church was oppressive. Esther’s tears showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. Erin held her hand and kept reassuring her while I sat there. I just…sat there.

I watched. I had no idea what to do. What would I even do? What would I say? I can’t help this. I can’t help her. I can’t help anyone.

Say something.

Arden’s voice echoed in my mind. I grabbed onto it, even though it felt faint in my grasp.

“Well…why don’t we dance in the next full moon?” I said, my voice hoarse.

“What moon? The moon in the dome is artificial, we don’t even know when it’s a full moon.” Erin countered.

“I know. That’s why we’ll dance in the full moon when we get home.” I said, a strange strength in my voice. Or was it desperation? 

Finally, Esther’s tears stopped flowing. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

“Whatever dost thou mean?”

“We’re going to get out of here. All of us. We’re going to see the real moon, then wear whatever gowns you want, and dance in the moon.” I couldn’t believe I was making such stupid promises. “We’ll do it together, okay?”

Only an idiot would hear something like that and actually-

“I can’t wait!” Esther chirped, a smile appearing. “Shall we partake in the traditions of your abodes?”

“Tradition…? If you mean shitty parties and creepy business partners, sure.” Erin sighed.

“Huh…sounds just like home.” I agreed. Both me and Erin broke into a smile and nodded in recognition.

“How horrendous! Thine abodes are plagued with malaise. This shall not do!” Esther cried in outrage.

“I appreciate the anger, but it’s all sorted. Why do you think I earned my title? I charmed those creeps my parents brought around and convinced them to do business with me instead of them.” Erin flipped her hair confidently.

“I just ran away, like a coward.” I added.

“Fie! Fie to claims of cowardice! Fleeing when necessary does not make thy anything but wise!”

I smiled involuntarily at that.

“I’m holding you to your promise Celia. You better not forget it. I hate people who break promises.” Erin warned.

“Okay, okay I won’t. Do you always have to nag people?” I asked.

“What did you just say!” Erin shot up.

“Nothing important.” 

“Oh, you little-!”
“Hey! Let go of me!”

“Argh!”

Esther’s laughs drowned out our bickering, and before we knew it, it had become nighttime. The three of us agreed to meet tomorrow early morning for breakfast so we could plan out what we’d do together once we left the facility. Before heading out the church, I turned back to the altar, staring at the butterfly hair clip. 

I shot the clip a grateful nod, before leaving it behind.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, my lovely little participants! Today is perfect for another fun day! Oh, I’ve got a present for you guys, too! Prepare yourselves for some surprising gifts later today! Buh-bye!” Twelve’s morning announcement woke me up again, once again giving me a headache.

Presents? What does that even mean? If it was Twelve, there’s no way this would be good. In fact, I’m banking on it being some sort of stressor. Before I could follow that thought more however, I needed to head to the cafeteria. However, as soon as I opened the door…

“Hark! At last, the fair maiden rises!”

“You’re particularly happy today,” I mumbled.

“My jovial spirit is not without cause! I hath conjured up a plan!” Esther huffed, proud.

“A…plan? For what?” 

“Our escape, fair maiden!” Esther skipped merrily on the way, humming the whole time. She was eager, that’s for sure. When we got to the cafeteria, I suddenly caught wind of the ‘jovial spirit’. Sitting there, was a deliciously scented chicken pot pie, the aroma wafting into my nose. Beside me, Esther rushed over to grab a cup filled with milk tea. Its aroma was inviting.

“You’re finally here,” Erin was the only one in the cafeteria. She gestured to the spread and gave a twirl of her wrist.

“You made this?!” I gawked.

“Would it kill you to act a little less surprised? I’d been working until late last night and I finished up the second the announcement played. You could be a little more appreciative,” Erin huffed.

“I…thank you, I guess. How’d you know-”

“I saw you eyeing the recipe book not too long back. You also made sure to always set aside the ingredients, like you were about to make it until someone came in. Then you’d grab something quick and scurry away. I simply asked Esther what her favourite food was, and she said coffee. I didn’t manage to perfect the brew the way you like, but I hope it’s good enough,” Erin gave Esther a smile that didn’t irritate me. Was she always this nice, just not to me? I didn’t exactly blame her, but…seeing her work so hard and pay so close attention to little things, I began to understand why she was the ultimate socialite. It wasn’t her personality-it was what she did to get people to like her. Maybe I should start noticing things.

“Will thou still be eating their pie? If not I shall endeavour to finish it!”

“Hey! You already took a slice!”

“Remember to share, Celia.” Erin mediated.

“Exactly. Thou shall not be possessed by gluttony!”

“Your coffee is getting cold!” Erin reminded me.

Soon, we all dug into our meals while Erin helped herself to a simple meal of her own. We ate in silence, but one that felt nice. 

“It’s weird, seeing the cafeteria empty,” I said after finishing my food. “There’s usually a few full tables.”

“Ha! Mine time to revel in your admiration has dawned! Behold! Mine plan!” Esther jumped up and slammed her hands on the desk. “Erin, could thou gather everyone to the spring dome right before the nighttime announcement? Thy skills of parlay are required!” 

“You want me to talk to people? Sure, but there's no way I'm talking to the weirdos and jerks around us.” 

“Nay, you shall not! Celia shall!”

“I'm sorry, what?”

“Discussing with the unsavoury collective amongst our ranks shall illuminate thou path! Erin hath charm, however her saucy tricks mean little betwixt the darkened sorts!” 

“Her ‘saucy’ charm?”

“Thanks! I think…?”

“Why should I, anyway? What are you planning?”

“Never you mind, thy gentle bee! Erin shall convince, whilst you aim to bring Basque, Ritsuka, Takehito and Jiayi!”

“Whatever you're planning, are you sure you want Jiayi involved?” I offered.

“Quite! I desire all our numbers to gather!” 

Despite my reservations, I ended up agreeing after Esther begged me a couple of times. My work would be cut out for me…

Free Time 3

Juniper walked into the barn, only to step back when she saw who was inside. Leaning over the cows, Basque hunched over. Juniper froze and watched as he ran a gentle hand through their thin fur until the cows made a satisfied mooing noise.  

“You almost look like a sweet person,” Juniper’s voice crept up behind Basque. “Just the person I was looking for. Why didn’t you show up at the funeral? It was your idea,”

“It was not my idea, and don’t tell people that!”

“Why? Scared people might think you have a heart in there?” Juniper leaned against a fence post as Basque walked deeper into the room. 

“No,” He started. “Yes, god, does it matter? I didn’t show up because I couldn’t. I…I can’t.” Basque trailed off, and shut his eyes.

“Hm,” Juniper hummed. 

Juniper’s smile fell for a long time as she turned around an idea in her head. It rolled around for a while before finally, she nodded self satisfied. Unknown to Basque, the smile on her face fell and returned all without his noticing. 

“Would you say that I’m strange?”

“Uh, yes. Absolutely.”

“I get that a lot. I can be off putting, abrasive or uncomfortable to be around. I’ve been called all those and many more, but I don’t care. Do you want to know why?”

“Because you don’t care what other people think, yeah, yeah. Thanks for the pep talk Juniper but I have absolutely no desire to-”

“I don’t care because those people are right. I am off putting, abrasive and uncomfortable, because I do not want to be comfortable because that doesn’t get me what I want. There is something in this world I always desire. The truth. I hate lies, and faking and pretending. I will always get the truth and I get that by staring and observing when I should look away, by hanging back and not speaking in rooms full of people, by noticing what is being said and what isn’t. All this to say,” Juniper’s smile drops and she walks closer to Basque. “I’m no fool.”

The two stare at one another, the air still. For some time nobody says a word. Until Basque finally swallows a thick lump in his throat.

“I didn’t think you were,”

“Oh,” Juniper’s smile reappeared. “Amazing news. I’ll be off, then. Oh and some advice on your strategy, try a little harder. Maybe then they won’t discover your secret.”

Basque grumbled, running a hand through his hair. He stared at Juniper’s back, a pit in his stomach growing. Just who was this girl?

Free Time End

When I got to the laboratory and began counting my inhales and exhales. If I did it right, my body would forcefully be tricked into believing that I was calm, and I was anything but calm. I ruffled through my pockets, and pulled out my handbook. The chances of it still being allowed were low, but…

Huh? It beeped? Confused, I headed inside Jiayi’s laboratory bracing myself for the worst. Instead I found Ritsuka and Jiayi in the middle of a meal. They sat in the secret room, sharing a tray of sandwiches. A burning pit began kindling inside my head but I pushed it aside.

“I still have access,”

“I must have forgotten to change that,” Jiayi replied without looking up.

“Wh-what are you doing here? You’re not allowed to steal this from me! I’m Jiayi’s assistant, got it!” Ritsuka shouted and I…didn’t have the time to deal with that right now. 

I ignored her, and faced only Jiayi.

“Are you proud of what you did? To Iker, to me, to all of us? Two people are dead, because of you, Jiayi. Don’t you care?” I hoped she’d meet me halfway, show me a sign there was a human buried deep inside.

“Proud? No. My methods were crude and I could have improved the conditions and removed more variables to properly get more clear and conducive data but that isn’t what happened, so now I make do.” 

“You can’t be serious…?”

“H-hey! Watch it! J-jiayi is a genius, through and through!” Ritsuka yelled ineffectually.

“When we first were explained the rules to this game I understood it perfectly. It’s a high stakes game, involving psychology, creativity, and intuition. I have zero interest in most of that, so I relied on my strengths. Observation. This is the type of game where only one person wins, no matter what.”

“What about we just, I don’t know, not kill each other? We were always going to stay here, anyways! That was the original plan!”

“Are you sure about that?” Jiayi leaned in.

“What does that mean…?”

“Nothing I expect you to be able to understand.”

It took everything I had in me not to jump at her and strangle her right here and now. I clenched my fists and tried to withhold my anger.

“And you, Ritsuka? You seriously believe in her shit? If she’s looking out for herself, that just leaves you in the lurch.”

“Well, sure but…Jiayi is smart, and I’d rather have an enemy I know than get stabbed in the back by you guys. Harris, Takehito, they’re all looking out for themselves! I’m gonna do that too, and my best bet is with Jiayi! P-plus, she really appreciates my help!”

“No, I don’t. I told you that you were free to leave after dropping off the snacks.” Jiayi grumbled.

“A-and walk out there to get murdered! No way! If I’m dying I can’t do it alone, that’d just be sad!”

At least Jiayi has to deal with Ritsuka now. I hate to admit it, but Jiayi made me think, what did she mean? We were always supposed to stay at this facility, weren’t we? If not here, then where? Twelve hijacked the facility, killed the director and whatever organisation is behind this is pulling the strings. Could some of that not be true? Even if so, the last person I wanted to discuss this with was Ritsuka and Jiayi.

I huffed and headed straight out of the laboratory, only to see Basque walking out of the launderette himself. Basque looked a little disoriented, out of breath almost.

“Hey, Basque. Are you okay? Don’t forget to breathe.”

“I know how to breathe, Celia.” Basque said before stopping and taking a few deep breaths.

“Your breathing technique was a little off, but nevermind that. Are you busy?”

“Busy minding my own business, yeah.” He crossed his arms.

I had no place to judge. When I first arrived, I felt much the same way. Part of me still wanted to hide away, but…things changed.

“Well, when you’re not busy, Esther is gathering people in the spring dome later. You should come, it seems like she’s got a fun idea in mind.” I really tried to sell the fun part, but I clearly wasn’t a good actor, considering Basque wasn’t budging.

“What are you all doing? You should be in your rooms, where you’re safe. You’re just walking around, exposing yourself to all kinds of dangers!” 

“Is that why you spend all day in your room?” I had the feeling that was a habit that didn’t come with this killing game.

“It’s safer there.” He muttered.

“I see…Arden was right, you really are just a scaredy-cat, huh?” I thought aloud, and instantly regretted what I said. “Well, I just meant that-”

“Arden said a lot of things. Tch. She didn’t know me, not really.” Basque paused, and turned to me with an expression I had never seen him have before. It was…strange. “She said you were friends…right?”

“I…” Could I say yes? Was she truly my friend? Was she just lying, until the end, just like Jiayi, or my parents, keeping me around because I was useful, but she just wanted to secure a vote? I wish I could say. I didn’t really get a chance to know Arden Phi. Now, I never would.

Still, I wanted to believe. I needed to believe in her, in our friendship, in what could have been. Of the sleepovers and the brunches and the fights and the making up, all of it.

“Yes, she…she was my friend. She still is. She shouldn’t have done something so stupid. She should have run away and gotten us all to find the body, then at least she’d be alive right now.”

“She spoke to me. The day I refused to join the communal living committee.”

Flashback START

“Excuse me, Basque? I’m sorry for interrupting.” Arden smiled.

“What do you want?” 

“I just, well…I wanted to check on you I suppose.”

“Why would you do that? I don’t need to be checked.”

“I understand that, but…I think you deserve to have someone look out for you. I’m not too good at speaking up when everyone is talking but whenever I can I want to try. It's part of my talent. I can spot people scared to die from a mile away.”

“I’m not scared. I have no reason to be. Nobody is going to die, anyways. We all just need to lay low until help gets here.” Basque nodded.

“That’s a great idea! You should tell the others, they’d be pretty happy to know someone has that outlook. Confidence is contagious, you know!” Arden smiled cheerily, before giving Basque a comforting pat on the shoulder.

Flashback END

“I don’t understand?”

“Her guard was down. I did that. We did that. We keep opening ourselves up, trying to make things work, but they won’t. We’ve already lost two of us. The best course of action is to steer clear of everyone. If we all stay inside we’ll be safe. Something like Arden won’t…wouldn’t happen again.” 

I wasn’t sure what to say. I’m sure Erin or Arden or even Takehito could find a way, but I was stuck here without the proper words. I didn’t say anything at all.

“I should…go.” Basque finally spoke, his face returning to its naturally angry state. I watched him leave, wishing I could do more. I was only emulating Iker and Arden, so I could never be them. Why, why did I have to be me?

Before I could pursue that train of thought, I heard the door to the bar crack open as Takehito exited. I took a long suffering breath, before walking towards him.

Chapter Text

Takehito met my eyes and instantly turned to walk back into the bar he just emerged from. I ran forward, sticking my foot in the door seconds before he slammed it. He moved the door, as if he was going to shut it on my foot, but I stood still. He gave up, giving me a long groan.

“I much preferred it when you were timid,”

“I wasn’t timid. I just didn’t have a handle on our situation yet,”

“You do now?”

His question shook the confidence I had. He grinned at that, and I remembered all over again why I dreaded talking to him.

“Esther wants you-all of us to come to the spring dome. Do you mind coming?” 

“You want me to attend another event? Was the funeral not enough? I spoke, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but you also ran out before it ended, and stop acting like we were forcing you to do that. You were our leader, you know,”

“I remember. I also remember a certain someone being opposed to it,” He looked down at me and pursed his lips. “I had no interest in being a leader, anyway. There was simply a demand and I supplied. It’s what I do. We needed someone with direction, control. Now, I couldn’t care less what you all need-I’m going to do what I need to survive.”

“...So I guess that’s a no on the spring dome?”

“Mayhaps.”

Mayhaps? Seriously, what the hell was wrong with this guy? Not only was he a jerk, he was confusing too. I rolled my eyes just about done with him. I still had some free time before meeting in the spring dome, so I decided to spend my time napping in my room. 

Free Time 4

Esther sang to herself pleasantly, while digging through the shelves of the Sun Lounge. Magazines on little things like fashion and gossip did nothing to excite her, but she would need some entertainment, and she had a feeling gossip columns were exactly Erin’s type of tea. 

Suddenly, a loud cry startled her.

“Argh! O-oh…it’s just you, Esther. How are you?”

Esther turned with glee, bouncing on her feet. Rohan already agreed to attend, in fact he’d been one of the first Esther had gone to. However, she needed some help and this was the perfect chance.

“Oh, stars above! I hath been granted an eternal repose, in the form of a young man whom can help mine efforts! Make haste! Select a ‘chic’ leaflet for mine gathering!”

“I hate that I’m starting to understand you,” Rohan mumbled. “I hate to break it to you though, but I don’t exactly know what’s chic or not. I don’t really like things like that. I prefer things that are underground and indie!”

“...Indie?”

“Indie, you know. Like video games made by small companies would draw my attention way more than a triple A title, or even short films posted online. The more popular stuff is, the less interesting it is. I mean, how can I even form an opinion if I’ve heard a bunch of people’s opinions before mine, you know?”

“Video games? Ah! I hath heard of this! Strange contraptions meant to entice young hapless virginal men, then keep them trapped in their caves! Oh, Rohan! I should have noticed! It all makes sense now…you must be one of those men!”

“Th-that’s not…I m-mean…” Rohan gave up, and sighed. “Wait a second, you’ve never played a video game?”

“Quite. Mine village is only for women, and ‘video games’ are traps made for men, no?”

“Well, no, not at all! Women can play video games! They’re not traps, either! I-I think…although, there are some creepy things in ‘em I’ve had to look into. Usually they’re debunked pretty quick. Be careful, though the real trap comes when dealing with actual evil creatures. One time I stayed up all night playing games and when I turned off my screen, I saw it-a man in the corner of my room wearing a hat, made of shadows. I chased him off, luckily…well, more like ran away, but,”

Esther listened eagerly as Rohan began regailing her with many stories of his adventures. She knew life outside the village was dangerous, but she didn’t know there were creatures like chupacabras and goblins running around. Esther smiled, even more thankful for the protection her village provided.

Free Time End

After my nap, I head for the spring dome, just like instructed. When I got there, I headed straight for the outside of the barn, where I saw a strange arrangement of a pile of sticks. The closer I got, the sooner I realized this was an unlit bonfire. I looked around to see who showed up.

“That should be all we need to keep it going. I made sure to get some extra twigs for kindling, too!” Rye said with a smile.

“If only you put this much effort into everything you do…” Erin huffed.

“Hey, lay off. The dude’s got some serious muscles. He’s quick, too. Beats me in races all the time,” Vas said in what could almost be heard as praise.

“I really wish you’d keep your workouts to a lower level of volume. It startles my friends when you both scream about pain or gain or whatever in the morning,” Karmen added.

“Woah! Do my eyes deceive or has the bird girl finally emerged from her evil lair of crows?” Orrin teased.

“Crows are highly intelligent. I wouldn’t mess with them. They’ll remember your face and make your life a living hell.” I interrupted.

“Excellent fact, Celia. Orrin, the crows might outsmart you, so I’d recommend going against them.” Juniper said, grinning.

“Karmen, please, don’t send your birds after us!” Rohan pleaded.

Karmen remained silent, but the look in her eyes made Rohan rush to hide behind Vas.

“Are you seriously hidin’ from a bunch of birds? Get a grip, dude.” Vas huffed.

I turned my attention to the grouping of people in the dome who were silent, both of them outside of our conversation but far away from one another. Takehito and Harris stood off to the side, Takehito staring anywhere else than at Harris.

“At last! We hath all arrived- I received word from Ritsuka telling me that Jiayi and herself won’t be showing!”

Was she just Jiayi’s errand girl now? Typical. Nobody seemed to look for Basque, which made sense. He was probably holed up in his room again.

“I hath gathered our numbers for one reason-on the morrow, we shall all gather here once more, for a night beneath the stars! We shall see in the barn, all together!”

“Wait, what? Uhm, no! I need to sleep in my bed, with my cushions and pillows!”Erin shouted.

“Pass.” Karmen simply replied.

“Stay your doubts! I hath good reason to offer such a suggestion! We all are suffering under the pressures of this barbaric game. It is of mine belief that a night of surveillance shall ensure all our survival. I hath noticed interrupted sleep from the creases of thine eyes and the way thou walk. I will ensure we all enjoy this night of relaxation to its extremity,” Esther produced.

I couldn’t lie, the idea did sound convincing. I had a feeling it had less to do with security, though. Thinking of what Esther wanted…this was probably her way of trying to make us all work together. For everyone to trust each other again. I heard a few dissenting whispers from the crowd. In the end, I raised my hand with a sigh.

“I haven’t been getting the recommended eight hours myself. If we continue this way, it will impact our judgement and alertness. Staying awake at night to be safe is smart, but not sustainable. If we have these nights every once in a while for us all to get some sleep, we should be able to successfully recharge consistently. In the long run, it will improve our senses and if we are well rested, it will reduce the stressors we have to endure,” My face felt hot when I realised everyone had turned to me. “I guess,”

“It’s an excellent strategy. We’ll be attending. All of us,” Juniper added. “Unless, of course, one of us has no desire to cooperate? Someone may already be planning on betraying us.”

“W-well it can’t be me! I’m going!” Rohan said quickly.

“I have plans to betray all of you, but it’s more of a long term, slow burn kind of plan. So, I guess for now I’ll have to stick with attending.” Orrin shrugged.

“Yeah, sure,” Rye said with no hesitation in his voice at all.

“You have to actually think about stuff before you agree to it, pal. But, sure, I’ll go.” Vas huffed.

“Fine, I’ll come, but seriously, I refuse to sleep on a haybale and with no less than four pillows! Ugh, what about my beauty mask…? How am I going to wash my face?” Erin complained.

“You can’t seriously be worrying about stuff like that in this situation,” Vas shook his head.

“Oh, no, I assure you she is,” Orrin giggled

“Beauty is important,” Juniper started

“Thank you!” Erin shouted.

“Especially when it’s so central to your being. Without it, Erin is left in the less than metaphoric lurch. Let her have it,” 

“Exactly! Wait, hey-”

The conversation divulged into a bunch of overlapping chatter, and I couldn’t help but giggle. I had missed these chaotic conversations, more than I thought. It felt like the days when we first got here. Except for one thing. I looked over, and Takehito had a furrowed brow and a clenched jaw.

“Takehito, are you alright?”

“I’ll attend,” Takehito murmured. “If you all agree to one clause. From now on, we are not to interact with Harris. At all.”

Harris was taken aback, but before he could speak, Juniper did.

“You truly hate him, don’t you? I’m sure you’ve been scheming up ways to get revenge. Why would we agree to your clause?” 

“He is an attempted murderer. Or did you all forget? I’m sure it was easy for some of you, considering the blackmail I’ve seen.”

The faces that were once thrown into anger by Takehito’s suggestion fell into concern. A stark reminder of what Takehito held over us. A reminder of why Harris tried to kill him in the first place.

“The fuck are you implying?” Vas replied, suddenly walking towards Takehito.

“Nothing much. Unless, of course, I should check once more. Would you like me to go and check, Vassal?” 

“It’s Vas.”

“Right,” Takehito sighed. “I agree to a surveillance night. I think it’s actually a great idea. I just have no desire to stay with him. He’ll stab me in the night, consequences be damned,”

“With the way you’re acting, he may not be the only one,” Juniper warned.

“What is the matter with you all? You would so easily allow an attempted murderer back into your good graces, why? He adds nothing to your lives other than an indestructible test dummy. We may be in a lawless game, but there still needs to be justice. We saw Arden punished for killing Iker-what about Jiayi? Harris? Why should they walk free?” Takehito adjusted his tie. “They are dangers to our wellbeing. They tried to kill to save themselves. Tried to destroy us all simply to keep a secret,”

“What would you have us do, then. Kill them? Is that what you want?” Juniper asked.

“No. No more bloodshed. I believe we should outcast them. Watch them, make sure they can only be in their rooms. Put them under dorm arrest. That way we can ensure nothing further happens while preserving justice,”

“Justice for who…?” I mumbled. “You held our blackmail and you were probably planning to use it for something else before you were attacked.” 

“My crime does not absolve the fact that he tried to murder me,” 

Harris clenched his fists and at last, spoke.

“I…I’m sorry. I just get heated and…I get carried away. I didn’t mean to, really!” Harris huffed.

“Who cares what you didn't mean? You still did it. You want me to forgive you, to overlook that I could have died? No chance.”

The dome was silent, as we all looked between each other. I couldn’t say I trusted Harris, and I definitely agree that what he did was wrong, but I get why he did it and that makes it much harder to try to find where the answer was. If this was a simple math problem or a test of recalling previous I would be amazing. Instead, I was stuck trying to decide who I should agree with.

In the end, Harris sighed and gave a smile.

“Ah, it’s chill. You guys have fun! I’ll stay in my room from now on, if you’d like.” Harris shrugged.

Some faces were grateful, and some were shocked. In the end, it was Karmen who spoke out.

“I’ll pass too. I have to take care of my friends tonight.” She said, with a whispering voice.

After some murmurs, we heard a chilling chuckle, one that made us all flip towards the entrance.

“How effective, Takehito. You really know how to sway the public. Your talent doesn’t seem ultimately worthless.” Jiayi stood there, with Basque and Ritsuka behind her.

“Oh, perfect. Just what we needed.” I groaned.

“Hath you change thou minds? Willst you be joining us on the morrow?” Esther tried with a smile.

“No,” I said before Jiayi. “She’s here because she had to be. She wouldn’t come otherwise.”

“Correct. Good job, Celia.”

“W-well it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? She hardly even had to use that stupidly large brain of hers!” Ritsuka…insulted?

“We were told we had to come here.” Basque said, pushing past Jiayi to stand on his own.

“By who?” Rye questioned.

“I have a feeling…” I whispered, right before we heard the cheery arrival of a familiar figure.

“Hi, hello, howdy! Is this a bad time? I can go and come back, things seem kinda awkward right now!” Twelve appeared from seemingly nowhere. All tension that bounced between our bodies turned instead to him. “Aw, shucks! Look away! Look away! You’re gonna make me blush!” 

“What do you want, Twelve. Hurry this up, I want to go back to my room,” Basque groaned.

“Oh, is there something cool in your room? Maybe a little doll version of me that says ‘I wuv you!’ when you pull the string on its back?”

“Oh my! Does such a thing exist?” Esther said.

“You shouldn’t look so excited…” Karmen mumbled.

“Well, it doesn’t exist as of right now, but if I get someone to do it, I could totally make some! What do you say, Vas! You know how to sew, wanna stitch me up some marketable plushies!” Twelve bounced up and down.

“Sh-shut up!” Vas said, his cheeks turning redder.

“Agh! Don’t hit me! Or do! Then I get to punish you, so maybe you should. Hit me! Come on, you know you wanna! Come on, hit me! Right over the face! Come ooooon!”

“Twelve,” Juniper coaxed with a smile. “Why have you summoned these three here? What are you planning?”

“Oh! Oh oh oh! I forgot! Yep, I came here for something! Aaaand that’s your new motive!” 

The single word motive offset the balance of the room, and a quiet fell over us. After some shifting figures, we all heard a collective beep from our e-handbooks.

On the motive tab, was a photo. One my mind couldn’t comprehend. It was…me, but not just me, it was everyone. We all sat in a classroom, smiling at the camera. The chalkboard behind us had some writing on it, but I couldn’t make out anything aside from the letters ‘Gr’ on the left hand side of us all and ‘-ay’ on the right hand side. In between the letters, we all wore uniforms, navy blazers, or some just wore the shirt or a black sweater. Despite all of that, we all had one thing on our uniforms. Emblems etched into the chest, one that looked odd and almost like a beetle. In the middle, I stared back at myself, and beside me a hand on my shoulder was Arden.

If I had been shown this photo, I would say we were friends. Not just us, either. All of us. Takehito and Jiayi smiled, standing beside each other. Even Basque was smiling.

What was this? I had no memory of taking a photo like this, nor did I remember meeting anyone from the facility before, but this photo clearly made it seem like I did.

“I-is this…edited?!” Rohan whimpered.

“What the fuck is this supposed to mean?” Vas shouted.

“Interesting…” Juniper said.

“What is this? Some stupid edited photos as evidence?” I said, clutching my fists.

“Oh, I assure you they’re not edited. They’re all real, and what’s better, they’re all photos of the memories the Progenitor Project stole from you. That’s right! You’ve all got memories that were stolen from you, things you can’t remember! They were covered up by fake memories. Aren’t there gaps in your memory? Things you can’t explain or are fuzzy when you try to think of them? You may think that’s a side effect of cryogenic sleep, but, nope! It’s all the messy memory work that was done!”

None of us spoke. We all stared at our handbooks, constantly checking them again and again to see if we could deny any claims. To see if there was some sort of tell that showed Twelve was lying. There was none, however.

“If you want those memories back, it’s pretty simple. Kill, kill, kill! If you kill another participant, you’ll receive the memories from the photo on your motive tab!”

I had questions. Questions that needed answers. What had been done to me? What did this photo mean? Who…was I? What was the Progenitor Project? This had only been my photo. What did everyone else get?

The questions plaguing my mind didn’t go away, even after we all agreed to part ways for the night. And they carried on well into the next day.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, my lovely little participants! I hope you remembered our chat yesterday! It'd be awful if you guys forgot anything else! Tehe!” 

Twelve’s voice pierced my ears. I gave up on trying to question him anymore. Instead, I began to question myself. Last night I came up with a few theories.

One, everyone but me is in on the killing game. That would explain why everyone is acting like none of us have met, but the photo proves otherwise. The problem with theory one, however, is the blaring issue. They're all in danger of dying too.

Two, the photo is fake. This is my favorite theory but I know it's improbable. I have an excellent memory, yet I can't remember once where Twelve lied to us, not yet. He twists his words, but at the root they're always true. 

Three, none of us remember. The most likely theory. The thought of us all knowing each other, being classmates, spending our days together made me sick. Besides, it doesn't really work. We're all different ages, ranging from 17 to 21. There's no way all of us could qualify for the same classes. Nevertheless, it's the most likely theory.

After recounting my theories, I made my way to the dining hall where I saw an interesting scene. Esther and Rohan carried huge boxes of items out of the kitchen, with Rohan struggling to carry them. He shouted and nearly fell, when Vas caught them just in time. 

“G-good instincts…” Rohan mumbled.

“Don't take off more than you can chew. Pass the boxes, I'll carry ‘em.” Vas demanded. 

Rohan hesitated, but ultimately passed the boxes over so he and Esther could leave. Once they were gone, Rohan deflated.

“Th-that wasn't that embarrassing, was it?” 

“...no.” I lied.

“Oh, good! Phew! I just don't want to be the kind of guy people see as a joke,”

“You're…definitely not. I take you seriously.” I mumbled through gritted teeth.

“Seriously! Th-that’s great! I knew I could reinvent myself!” Rohan said cheerily before skipping out of the cafeteria. Whatever floats his boat, I suppose.

I grabbed some cereal and sat down at the only table with people left. When I sat down, Harris and Rye were perfectly quiet. Could it be about what they saw on their motives?

“Is, erm, everything okay?” 

“No, it's not okay. Dammit, Takehito is making my life a living hell. He still has my blackmail, and he avoids me everywhere.” Harris said, pulling his hair.

“Well, you did, like, try kill him dude,” Rye added

“That was an accident…!” Harris put up his arms.

“Was it…?” He mumbled

“The hell is that supposed to mean?!” Harris shouted.

Rye quickly got up and waved his hand. “Don't worry about it, dude. I'm gonna skedaddle, er, see you!” Rye took no time to head out, breaking into a run.

“Was Rye acting weird to you?” 

“Hm. Weirder than usual? Not really.” I shrugged and shovelled down my cereal. “Hey, so uhm…about the motive…”

“Huh? That thing? It's such a stupid photo, who even cares?” Harris shrugged.

“Y-yeah, but…erm…yeah. You're right.” I nodded, throwing my hand back. “Stupid motive, right? I mean, come on. Although, it's something you don't remember, right?”

“Uh, sure. It's pretty weird but I don't really care. I've got bigger fish to fry right now. Why worry about the past, when I have shit going on in the present?!”

“Sure, but it's a past you don't remember. Doesn't that bother you? Don't you want answers?” 

“Answers? Hell nah, I don't care at all. You're not…”

“No, no I’d never! I won't kill anyone, I was just curious.” I mumbled.

Harris nodded, giving me a shifty eye. He stood up, still thinking to himself and heading off. I suppose I shouldn't have asked Harris of all people what his thoughts on the motive were. I'd better go look for someone else who might be able to provide some insight into this.

Free Time 5

The second Takehito opened the door, he was shocked. He had just woken up and after spending a near hour getting his hair perfect, there was Erin. Her hair was a little more unkempt, she cheeks a little too red, her gaze a little too frantic. Did she get any sleep at all last night?

“You missed a spot,” Takehito reached out to brush the side of her hair but she slapped his hand away.

“Don’t,” She reeled her hand back, surprised, before staring at Takehito

That answered Takebito's question: no. He sighed and crossed his arms.

“If you're here to try to kill me, don't. It doesn't pan out,”

“That's funny,” She said, and riffled through her pockets. “Answer me, do you know who Javi is?” 

“I'm sorry?”

“Javi. Javi Padilla-Fuentes,” She hurriedly spoke.

“Who is this, your brother?”

“Do you know him or not?” Erin was becoming louder, stepping forward. Takehito sighed and raised his arms in defeat.

“No, no I don't. I've never even heard of the name, which as a publicist means a lot. I'm not sure what relation he has to you, but why should I know him?”

Erin pulled out her handbook from her pockets at last. She shoved it in Takebito's face, and he had to step back to properly see what she was showing. It was him, in a hospital. He had a smile, one he had not recognized before. He gripped the wheelchair of a young boy, who carried a small stuffed animal. A rabbit. Besides him, Erin looked at Takehito, smiling graciously. It seemed like a sweet photo, albeit one he can't remember.

“My brother,” Erin finally said. “How? I don't remember you meeting him, ever, nobody has…nobody I know has met him,”

“Who knows? Probably another of Twelve’s tricks,” Takehito mumbled. The photo has alarmed him too, not for the lack of memory but rather for the feeling it gave him inside his chest. A feeling unfamiliar to him. A warmth. “I don't remember meeting this Javi. He did say they were lost memories.”

“I thought it would just be my lost memories, but why? Why are you there too? I'd never let you near him. He was too-”

“Was?”

“I don't know. Was, is, I don't know. He had a disease. It's pretty incurable, and it got terminal right before I left, and I have no clue if he's still alive, or…”

“Am I to believe you'd abandon your dying brother? What fool do you take me for? You see there's a vital difference between you and I. We both want the same things, we both want to be talked about and be the center of attention, no matter what. Our vital difference is in our care. You care for too much. You care about other people. You care whether the attention is good or bad. You care, and I'm sure you care about your brother,” Takehito smiled challengingly

“Shut up. I don't want to hear you talk about him, ever,” Erin put her handbook away and headed towards her dorm. “You’re right. I care,” she turned back at last to face Takehito. “It’s not a bad thing to care,”

“Hm. You've changed. When I first met you, I believe you'd say the exact opposite,” Takehito raised a brow

“Yeah, I changed. When will you?” Erin stormed into her room and shut the door.

Takehito watched the door for longer than he should have. He expected her to come back and give him more of a bashing. Some more attention, at least just to look at him. When nothing came, he groaned. At least he had a good idea what her promise to the Progenitor Project would've been. Her brother…he wondered how he was? Was he still alive? Why did he even care? 

Free Time 6

Vas walked into the lab and instantly groaned. He had hoped Jiayi would be here, but of course, why would he be so lucky? Instead he was stuck with….

“Wh-what are you doing here? Are you here to kill Mistress Jiayi! I w-won’t allow it!”

“Mistress…? Wait, I don’t even want to kn-”

“D-don’t tell her that! She told me if I call her that, I’d be the test subject for some of her new medication! A-again! Last time, I couldn’t stop peeing and I would sweat all day!”

“You already sweat, like, all day,” Vas grumbled

“Wh-what? You freak! You pervert! You want me to sweat, huh! You probably have some freakish thing where you like collecting sweat in jars, keeping them on your windowsill and drinking them when they’re nice and warm on a cold night! Don’t you!?”

“You know, sometimes you make it really hard not to punch you,” Vas tried pushing past Ritsuka, but she jumped in the way. He grimaced, stepping back.

“Move. I’m here for some of the muscle relaxants. Jiayi said I could have ‘em whenever, it helps with my workouts,” His workouts with Rye often got intense. Sometimes they’d spend a whole day sparring trying to get the hit on the other. By the next day, he would barely be able to move his muscles.

“Muscle relaxant! As if! If Jiayi said something so important, she would have told me. I am her best friend after all!” 

“Dude, I really don’t give a fuck,”

“She might not say it, but I know it’s true. It’s in the way she looks at me, hehehe. She has this look like she’s proud of me, and I see with the sparkle in her eye I’m the person she trusts the most! I miss seeing that sparkle…that sparkle that I’ve impressed someone! I don’t get it a lot, and since I became used to making bombs, my grandpa stopped caring when I made a new exciting bomb!”

“Shut the fuck up, I don’t care,” Vas hauled Ritsuka off the ground and threw her over his shoulder.

“That’s why Jiayi sees me for who I am- we’re fellow chemists, girlfriends in STEM! Not girlfriends, though, more like girls who are friends! You don’t think she likes me, do you? I-I mean why would I be even on her radar, I’m ugly, stupid, weird, gross, smelly,” She turned to Vas, awaiting his response. 

After Vas was done rifling through the drawers, he picked out what he came for. He stuffed it in his pocket.

“You get it don’t you? You’re ugly, stupid, smelly and gross too! Rye is better than you in every way, yet you’re still best friends-”

“I don’t have best friends,”

“So we get each other. We could put in a good word for our besties, I’m sure Jiayi would listen to you! Plus,”

“Ritsuka,” Vas shouted and finally, Ritsuka stopped talking. “You. Are. Insufferable. I’ve been chased my whole life for debts my parents stacked and I still would rather hang out with those debtors, my shitty parents and every fucker who stabbed him before and after fights than talk to you.” Vas explained clearly before exiting. When the door shut, Ritsuka chuckled.

“Wow. I can’t believe he’s jealous of Jiayi…there’s enough of me to go around!” 

Free Time 7

“Yo, yo, yo! What’s up, Ji?”

“Do not refer to me as Ji, or I will incinerate you.”

Jiayi and Rye walked side by side from the spring dome towards the central dome. Both of them carried a few strange herbs in their hands. As they strolled together, the unusual pair traded conversation.

“You really hate us all, don’t you Ji?”

“I don’t hate any of you. You are simply inferior and will make a lesser impact on the world. That’s all.” 

“Haaaarsh!” Rye said while laughing.

“Most of the time, when I speak plainly, others take grave offence. You don’t seem to mind. How refreshing. Are you stupid, or something?”

“Hm. Good question! I get that a lot. I guess I don’t really care at the end of the day! If it doesn’t harm my survival, I don’t really pay attention to it.” Rye shrugged.

“How…Darwinian.”

“Like, the fish?”

“No.”

“Relax, I’m kidding! You ever laugh? Joke? Kid?”

“No.”

“Right,”

Rye whistled awkwardly, glancing over at Jiayi’s hand. He nodded, before pointing to one of her herbs. 

“You might wanna drop that. It’s poisonous.”

“I assure you, Survivalist, I know what I’m doing.”

“Okie-dokie! Just don’t say I didn’t warn you! I get you think we’re all stupid, or whatever, but we all have our strengths. We got stuff we’re good at! Things you may see as small, but are useful! Like, in a few seconds, you’re gonna try to make that into a salve or something and it’s gonna kill someone!” Rye added cheerfully.

The morbidity of the words struck something within Jiayi. She looked into the herb closer, before tossing it to the ground.

“Good work, Survivalist. Your niche skills may not be completely useless. As a reward I’ll offer you insight. I came here hoping to meet like minded individuals for once. I struggled to find worthy peers my entire life. Instead, I found oddities, freaks and fools. In totality it left me disappointed. Then I’m put in a game, where my life must be prioritised over the lives of others. So, I played by the rules.”

Jiayi finished, walking forward and away towards the lab. Rye stood there, blinked and put his thumbs up, completely unsure of what that even meant.

Free Time End

After walking around, most people were helping set up for the sleepover tonight. The only people I could find not helping were Juniper, Rye and Orrin. I wish I could be surprised about these three shirking responsibilities, but I wasn’t one to judge either. 

“Ah, Celia! You weren’t asked to help out too, huh?” Rye grinned easily.

“Of course she wasn’t, she’s not any help when it comes to lifting stuff,” Orrin said cheerily. 

“N-no. Esther asked me, I just…said no,”

“Good girl,” Juniper nodded. “Me too. I said I had other things to take care of,”

“Like, what?” I asked

“Having tea and a nap,” Juniper said simply.

“Right…” 

They were all seated in the cafeteria, talking while eating snacks. I took a seat, and grabbed some snacks of my own.

“Hey, did you guys know that deja vu is something that our brain has subconsciously processed and we’re just consciously acknowledging it? It can also be things or places our brain has chosen to forget.”

“What a great segue, Celia. Are you perhaps thinking about our past memories?” Juniper said with a smirk.

“No, not at all! But, now that you mention it-”

“I don’t remember it at all, but it definitely happened. I was wondering why I had that scar on my stomach, I just figured like all my other scars, it came from another accident, but my photo had me being operated on. Wacky!” Rye said easily.

“Operated? No fair, I want a bunch of people moving around my guts!” Orrin whined.

“Orrin, we’re eating,” Juniper warned. “As for the motive, I wouldn’t pay it mind. I had this feeling during the target motive, but I’m sure of it now. Our motives are hand picked to play at ourselves. Our targets were people we’d either want to protect or go after. As for this one, all our lost memories seem to be related to areas that we have a vested interest in. Our captors seem to know us well,”

I coughed involuntarily, and Juniper turned to me.

“Unless you know something?”

“Well, maybe…I-”

“Hi hi!” Twelve jumped up, landing on the table, waving his hands wildly. “What’s this about a sleepover? Can I come?”

Orrin groaned, but Juniper’s smile grew wider.

“Aw, dude, bummer but I don't know if, like, you’d be able to join. You know, it might make things a little…tense,”

“Tense? Whaaaat! Don’t you guys have some sorta masseuse to help with that?” Twelve craned his neck.

“He’s dead,” Orrin spoke plainly, leaning on his cheek.

“Aw, that sucks! You all must be having trouble with the loss! We have a psychopomp who could help-”

“You killed her,” I spat

“Ooooh, I did, didn’t I? She was lovely-”

“Why are you trying to provoke Celia?” Juniper’s words had both me and Twelve turning to her. “You show up conveniently when she’s about to explain something, antagonize her by upsetting her about her friend, and then, what, run off? Your flailing, Twelve. This motive gave me the feeling but now I’m sure-you’re struggling,” Juniper leaned in, hand placed on her chin.

“Awww, you think so? Am I that obvious?” Twelve pouted. 

“Extremely,” Orrin groaned.

“You’re being obvious yourself! You have some pretty clear plans! How long are you planning to keep digging your nose into the nature of the game before you realise there’s no out? You’re a strategist! You’d be great at making the perfect murder plan!” Twelve cheered.

“She’s not a murderer,” Orrin spoke, his voice angry for the first time I’d heard it.

Twelve shot Orrin a look, as his face shifted halfway to the moon.

“Oh. You. The suck-up,”

“This is starting to feel awkward,” Rye mumbled. 

At that moment, Vas came in through the cafeteria door.

“What the-”

Instantly, Orrin leaped up and skipped towards Vas.

“Hey, you kind of smell. Did you shower?” Orrin still had a small frown, a hint of teasing in his voice.

“Shaddup. I’m not falling for that again,”

“I got him to shower five times in a row,” Orrin giggled.

“Not to interrupt…whatever this is, but we’re starting. You guys better head over.”

I stood up, turning to Twelve one last time. I waited until everyone filtered out to speak.

“How long have we known each other?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know. The director’s death, the motives, the behaviour. You’re one of us. I know it from the photo. How long? How long have we all been friends? Why would you do this to us? To yourself?”

Twelve grinned, and skipped cheerily.

“It’s not like I remember-I’m one of you, after all!” Twelve said cheerily before turning the corner. I groaned and rushed after my friends…yes, I felt confident calling them that now. My friends. We were all friends once…they might not know, but I do. I know the smile I had in that photo was the biggest I’ve ever smiled. I want that smile. I want us all to be friends again and this sleepover would be the first step.

Chapter Text

Upon entering the spring dome, I was surprised to see the state it was in. The dome had turned to nighttime, with it being darkened, however the barn was lit with fairy lights hung around the outside. Near the lights was the bonfire from yesterday as well as a cooler box. Inside the barn were sleeping bags laid out. All fourteen. Esther was still hoping we’d all show. Despite my newfound desire to become friends again, I still had no desire to see Takehito, Jiayi or Ritsuka here right now. It looked like my prayers were answered. Me, Erin, Esther, Juniper, Orrin, Rye and Vas were in attendance. Rohan and Karmen were nowhere to be seen, while I’m sure the others were making sure not to come.

“Wow, Esther, did you really set all this up? It looks amazing…” The smell of the grill caught my attention.

“I merely assembled talents! Nay, the onus for the gratitude falls on all my helpers! In fact, it even falls upon you Celia, for inviting the others! Though, the turnout is less than I hath hoped…” 

“This is still an amazing turnout, I think. You really kept going, huh? Didn’t the motive deter you?”

“Hm? That? Balderdash! I refuse to even give the fiendish Twelve my time of day! His cruel intentions are little when brought against my wise touch,” Esther giggled.

She was a lot more cheerful than I thought. Or perhaps, like all of us, she was trying to seem stronger than she actually was. Either way, Esther really pulled through. I headed over to the barbecue to see what was happening.

Orrin reached for a slice of meat off of the grill, but Vas groaned. 

“Would you quit that? I’m not letting you get any bites early,”

“Aw, come on. Not even for me?”

“Why would I give it to you?”

“I’m your best friend, duh!” 

“You’re absolutely not my best friend,” Vas shook his head.

“I’m not? Oh…” Orrin’s face dropped.

“H-hey! Don’t be…ugh, don’t pout! Okay, fine you can be my best friend-”

“Yay! You’re awesome, bestie!” Orrin grabbed a piece of the steak and popped it into his mouth.

“You better start saying your prayers, pretty boy, or I’ll make you regret messing with my grill,” Vas grumbled.

“Ugh, fine. Here, let me help. You’ve been at it all day,” Orrin pushed Vas aside and began helping out. Though Vas continued to grumble, he seemed happier to be able to sit back a little. 

“Are you two making us dinner? Wouldn’t someone like Erin be better suited?” I asked

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, uh, it means…er…I mean, your cooking is good, I’m sure, it’s just-”

“Erin can cook and bake, sure, but I’ll have you know Vas is a pretty good chef!”

“You think? I just do my best, I guess…” Seeing Vas embarrassed felt somehow dystopian, so I moved to quickly change topics.

“You two were with me and Arden that night. Do you ever think about if we could do something, anything, and maybe she’d still live? Maybe Iker would too?” I asked. Orrin opened his mouth to talk, but Vas answered first.

“Regrets are useless, especially at this stage. You regret something? We all do. It comes with the territory of life. I had to fight hard to be able to live this far. I don’t have time to worry about everyone else, all I can do is what I think is best,”

“Best for who?”

“Whoever you care about most,”

Did Vas have someone he cared about? I didn’t, but the way he spoke certainly felt that way. I didn’t want to pry, though.

“You know me. I don’t spend my life with the dead. That’s what being dead is for. I don’t really think about it, to be honest,” Orrin said casually.

I thought about their stances, thinking about how they both felt. I played with both of their ideas in my mind, but I ultimately gave up trying to adopt them. I don’t think I can focus on someone else like Vas or feel calm about death like Orrin. Just as the meat was starting to burn, I made my way into the inside of the barn.

Sitting on a haybale, Erin had her hand on Juniper’s chin and was moving a makeup brush quickly.

“Oh! Celia, perfect. Do you want me to do your makeup?” Erin asked gleefully.

“Aren’t we about to have a sleepover? Why would we do our makeup?”

“I’m not sure, but I heard it’s what friends do at sleepovers. Makeup, gossip, tell stories. Stay up. Normal kid things,” Juniper said with her eyes shut. “I never really use makeup. Growing up I never saw the point of it,”

“I think makeup is nice,” I mumbled

“Seriously?” Erin shouted

“You don’t have to be shocked,” 

“No, it’s just you and I having something in common is weird,”

“Is it?” Juniper said with a smirk. “You two get along far more than you believe. It seems all the girls do, even Jiayi and Ritsuka. I was the only girl in the school I grew up in, so I do sometimes struggle with talking to you all. I don’t mean to be stand-offish,” 

“Are you serious? We do NOT get along,” Erin shouted

“Absolutely not.”

“Lest we forget the knife,”

“I wish we would,”