Varren Yinyues's Story

The day had started just like any other day. You woke at your regular time and went about your normal morning routine with just enough time to get to school. Lectures remained an utter bore, lunch was completely uneventful, and what would seem like another peaceful day seemingly drifts by as if nonexistent. When the final bell rings, the students and faculty prepare to go home to enjoy the upcoming Golden Week. That is to say, all except for you. For those who are members of the Homurahara Occult & Horror Club, the day has yet to come to an end.

As the sun ventures beyond the horizon and the dim red light fades from the hallways, you and the other members gather in a "special" classroom on the third year floor. The room itself contains an atmosphere akin to hollowed ground. The air is unusually heavy considering how easy it is to take it. With each breath you take, it's as if a heavy stone rests within your lungs and dissipates as you exhale. All of the desks have been pushed to the side in haphazard arrangements and simple formations to accommodate whomever has chosen to use them as a seat. The lights which buzz endlessly during the day have been neglected in favor of candlelight and the faint glow of the moon illuminates what the ghostly flames can not.

"Hmm...I thought I marked that page..."

Amongst the blending of static rain and idle chatter, you hear the president's voice above all else. This is likely due to the nature of the meeting; "a special late-night event that all shall remember". Bearing this in mind, your eyes once again drift to the center of the room where what appears to be a ceremonial circle has been drawn. You've always known Haruka to have an eerie aura about her, but this has long since surpassed anything she has done in the past. Furthermore, the peculiar tattered tome which she has been attentively flipping through for the past ten minutes is continuing to draw your suspicion.

"Hey, Haruka," the vice president who has been standing next her the whole time finally speaks up, "Don't you think we should just get on with this? I'm sure it'll be fine if you can't find one little ghost story."

"Just wait a minute, will ya!? I know I can find it!"

With that being said, you begin to feel an unnatural sense of unease. It was as if something terribly unavoidable was about to happen...

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Prelude to the Nightmare
Welcome to this little game we like to call Onigokko. I am the "Director". If you are reading this, then you are either a very brave soul or a fool to be punished. But for now, I suppose we can allow you a brief moment of peace. After all, the festival of carnage doesn't have to begin just yet. We'll have the rest of eternity to spend together either way~

If you care to enjoy this last precious moment of peace, perhaps you'd like to briefly introduce your character? It doesn't matter to me...

When you're ready to begin the game, just walk up to Haruka at the front of the class and ask "did you find it yet". I'll be eagerly awaiting those words. So try not to keep me waiting for too long~

The student was sitting in the aisle next to the panes of windows, staring longingly into the horizon. He fumbled with a strands of hair as the burning orb of gas began to descend behind the horizon, the point beyond the trees and cityscape next to the school. The monotonous words of his teacher were drowned out by the incessant ticking of the clock. The young man had been counting down time, by the second, without break in pace and tally. ”Four-hundred fifty-three… four-hundred fifty-four…” Reaching the conclusion of today’s class, Varren leaned over the side of his desk and grabbed his messenger’s bag. He glanced up at his fellow classmates, half of them being faces he spoke with on a daily basis. The extents of the bonds formed between each individual and himself varied, but for the most part, they were beyond the acquaintance level. There were some who simply acknowledged his existence, and he did the same in return. Then there were those which he conversed with in a casual manner, the young man was able to count them on one hand. Troph, Koizumi, Yuujuri, and Yotsuki. The rest Varren mentally labled as fellow classmates and club members, who simply resided within the same domain as him. The young man stood up a second too early, and the bell finally rang throughout the school, bringing an end to classes for the day.

A small portion of the class made their way to separate activities, but the remaining percentage converged into a single clump. ”And, the militia is formed.” Varren thought to himself, nodding to his fellow clubmates as they proceeded to their classroom. Since a majority of class 3-G consisted of members of the occult club, they were recognized as a unit to leave as a whole. The club itself was like a communistic dominion. Although the club president was by no means Stalin, she still had her way of swaying people’s decisions in her favor. Definitely got her scott free from a few tussles with the student council when her antics got out of hand. Because of this lenience, and her light iron fist, the club has been given free reign to do events within their boundaries. Through this open window, the club has hosted many get togethers, made a name for itself, and scared the crap out of first years from time to time. And for some odd reason, Keiza-sensei always let it slide, no matter how daunting of an idea the president conjured up. Perhaps the man is naturally evil, and sympathizes with her ways?

But today, he was holding his bag closer to his person than usual. Yes, he definitely trusted the president. Varren has had to put up with her antics and radical ploys for nearly three years. Although, tonight seemed to be different from the hundreds of meetings. The president described it as a special late-night event that all shall remember. The ambience outside the glass windows, which suddenly came to fruition within a few minutes’ time, was by no means helping Varren’s anxiety. He could usually keep a cool head and wrap his mind around a scenario in the blink of an eye. But it was always Haruka who stumped him, and came up with the unfeasible. The aura which flew at him the second he opened the door do him any better. It was as if he was stepping into a separate plane of existence. But what was a horror and occult club without a spooky atmosphere? The student let out a sigh and stepped into the classroom, taking a seat next to a few of his morally closer classmates. With a glance up at the president’s seat, Varren’s eyes focused on Haruka. The girl was nose-deep into a piece of literature, sifting through page after page. As if she was a hair away from obtaining the object of her desire. But then a sudden screaming to his left alerted his attention, drawing it away from the bookwork of a president to his snazzy looking friend. His taste in apparel did not mix well with his personality, the boy Troph was in the midst of cursing out a gaming device.

Then the student proceeded to comment about the pair of overseers, ”Now now, Troph-san. We shouldn’t tease them about their emotional intercour- interactions. I’m sure Kaichou has something interesting in store for us.” Yes, now he was back in his comfort zone. Playful passiveness, protected by a blank facade. A quick clear of his throat, writing off the correction he made mid-sentence as a slip of the tongue. Varren still had his arms crossed around the bag, now fastened comfortably on his lap. ”Aside from the strifes going on between you two, I do agree with Troph-san. Let’s see what you have at your disposal. And it better not be like the time we ventured in search of the Ghost of Class 1-E. You know how well that turned out.” The last sentence ended off with a tint of a hiss. Varren disliked wasting time doing unproductive things. But, the president wasn’t ever one to displease, or leave you not entertained. ”Jeeze. Going to be hell cleaning up the firing range later today.”

“From even the greatest of horrors irony is seldom absent.” Maya whispered, flipping the page of "Tales of Love craft." a novel on.. Lovecraft, who is noting on horror- Maya's favorite subject. Looking up from the book, she peered up at the sign of the club, "hm." Snapping the novel shut, she slipped it under her arm and went in. "Hello you guys!" She smiled kindly at the arrived students- her demeanor completely different from the one who was previously reading the books of lovecraft- calm and seemingly cold.
Dropping her own bag, she looked around the room, taking everything in which was a little habit of hers. She pushed her glasses up, before giggling. "This is going to fun." Maya chirped, watching Troph break out, "A pox upon thy house, Square-Enix. A pox! Damn you and your money grubbing ways!"
She giggled, before she jumped slightly at the sound of books falling.

"Are you okay?" She asked, kneeling near the red head who appeared... annoyed. It was safe to assume that she didnt want to be here, but Maya saw no problem in trying to help and be her friend. "What a shame, the fort seemed magnificent." She commented with a soft grin, as she picked up the books. She looked at one of the covers, she blinked while pulling it out of recognition. "Ah "The Mist." She showed the book to her, "This was one of my favorite horrors.. if I remember its about a group of teenagers who are stuck in a blood ridden mist." Maya's eyes shined in remembrance, before laughing subtly, "Im quiet the book worm, I apologize." She rambled on sheepishly toward the girl, before snapping to attention, "Oh yes, how rude, my name is Maya Kisayuki!" She smiled gently, "hopefully we can be friends."

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"Wonder what fun will appear tonight~!" A boy cackled, twirling a white mask upon his slender fingers. A Cheshire grin pulled at his lips, seemingly plastered on there permanently. "Maybe a little scares here and there, with help by me of course!" He rambled on to himself. Now usually people will give him odd looks, but today he decided to take the faster routes- by the roofs.
Slipping down the slope, he hopped down onto the ground, before the school. "Do you think Im late?" He grew silent, before smiling happily, "Nah, I dont think so." He replied to himself.
Quickly he trotted inside, and down the hallways to the familiar club room of horror. "Yo Yo!" He cheered, spinning on his heels- hands in his pockets. Looking upon the room, he saw Troph fumbling around, and it only attracted him with hopes of mischief and trouble. But then again, he looked at the girls picking up the remnants of a fallen fort, 'That seems fun too.' he frowned, stuck in conflict... "innie.. minnie mo, catch a t.." He continued on, before his finger settled down onto Troph's fun group. "There it is!" He chirped, skipping towards the men, catching the interesting word 'Ghost'
His eyes widened curiously, "Eh what are we talking about here?" The same grin grew on his lips, his eyes now filled with excitement. "eh eh? Come on tell me? Did you find it?"

[didnt know how to slip that in there]

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It was the beginning of another typical day for the young woman known as Shizuka Kimura. Waking upon a fresh new day at roughly noon like she did most every other day. Normally she'd just get up, grab a sucker, and hop on the computer but not so today. Today she was actually going to go to school, well, for a little bit at least. And so she went through the morning rituals befitting any normal member of society, a light breakfast and quick shower. She always hated getting dressed for school though, the uniforms were so boring and she had so many other things to wear that were far cuter. With a sigh however she resigned herself to donning the school ordained outfit and jacket before grabbing her bag and heading out. The sky was cloudy, that much Shizu was thankful for, reports said there was a good chance of rain but it hadn't started yet. Erring on the side of caution Shizu quickly ducked back inside to retrieve a plain looking umbrella before officially setting off once more.

Shizu arrived just before lunch break ended and wandered into her next class for the day. The students and teachers gave her some odd looks but none of them said a word, this had become something to be expected, Shizu showed up when she pleased and disappeared just as quickly with the always convenient excuse of her health. Few people made their polite or obligatory hellos to the girl, but all in all it was a quiet afternoon and quite boring. All the expended energy of walking to school and attending class had begun to catch up the anemic girl, and so she decided to skip her final class for the evening and retreat to the club room early. She knew Tanaka had her ever reliable nap-corner set up and she figured she wouldn't mind sharing. The room was, as expected, empty and suitably dark. Slipping out of the outer and less comfortable layers of her school uniform she buried herself in the blanketed corner of the club room and swiftly fell asleep.

Her peaceful little rest however was rather rudely interrupted by the enraged shouts of one nerd better known as Troph. As consciousness was forced upon the girl she sat up and rubbed her eyes looking and feeling rather groggy. Warm and snuggled up at her side laid the still sleeping Tanaka, Shizu could only sigh and shake her head, envious of the girl's ability to sleep through anything. But alas, she was awake now and so she began to scan around the room, taking in all the faces of the people who had assembled thus far. What caught her attention was the redhead whose fort seemed to have collapsed atop her head. Shizu smiled at that, it had been quite some time since she made a pillow fort of her own. A matter requiring her immediate attention however quickly arose as she detected the presence of their supervisor, Keiza-sensei. With a swift pull at the blanket over her head she began to dig around for her uniform to get dressed. It wasn't a matter of being embarrassed, no no, she just didn't want to get in trouble again, she couldn't stand the looks and lectures from her parents.

After a few moments of struggle she was dressed, though quite disheveled. As she tossed away the blanket she gladly took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air that greeted her. With a quick dip into her jacket pocket she retrieved a brightly wrapped sucker and popped it into her mouth, the bad tastes were always the worst after she woke. Gracefully she popped up to her feet and made an effort to straighten out her uniform and her hair before waltzing over to the tragic site where Fort Homurahara laid fallen. She wasn't the only one to take interest however, Maya had come to investigate as well. Shizu only smiled as Maya talked deciding to take it upon herself to help the poor redhead uncover herself and pick up some of the mess that had been made. With that done she finally spoke up softly as she knelt down. "Well, it's been a while but I was quite the little blanket engineer back in my day." She gave a firm nod, looking as if this was something to be proud of. "If you want I'd be happy to help you put it back together, or even just give some tips. Or I could do nothing, I'm pretty good at that too."

She didn't bother with any introductions or words of casual conversation. She wasn't very familiar with the red head but she had heard some stories and got the feeling this more casual approach to interaction was the way to go. With a quick a yawn she began to stretch her arms and sat back to give the girl some more space, scaring her off was the one thing she was looking to avoid at this point, her curiosities about the meeting could wait for now.

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"Kaicho?"

Haruka tilts her head not only in response to the sudden outburst but also to the foreign student's odd expression. It's not that it didn't make complete sense...just fairly broken sense. And, sadly, that says a quite a bit. Still, something that odd is fairly character for the person who hadn't figured out the Bloody Mary event was a penalty for losing in a penalty game.

"Haicho," reading the confused expression on her face, Justin calls out to her with a sigh, "He meant to say Haicho."

Flustered at how easily she was thrown off at her own language, Haruka pouts and leers at Justin over her shoulder. Basically, this was there unspoken language...

Justin visibly stiffened at Troph's blatant intrusion of his and Haruka's personal affairs. Haruka on the other hand, paid his comment little to no attention, as her attention was fixated at another matter at hand.

”Aside from the strifes going on between you two, I do agree with Troph-san. Let’s see what you have at your disposal. And it better not be like the time we ventured in search of the Ghost of Class 1-E. You know how well that turned out.”

"Don't worry. I promise it'll be something amazing this time." Ignoring the initial portion of Varren's statement, Haruka absentmindedly replied, her vision never leaving the confines of the tome.

Almost as if trying to block the curious newcomer out, Haruka turned to face the group that had herded around her, now holding the tome between them, hiding her face. "Gensou-kun, right? I'm in the middle of that. Just wait a sec. Jeez, you guys are all so impatient."

"I do hope this goes off without a hitch, though I do love the fun you kids can get into. Its just that the headmaster is still breathing down my neck after last year."

"Don't worry, Keiza-sensei. If by chance something does go wrong, I got Issei-san to bring me special spiritual charms straight from the Ryuudou Temple. But I wouldn't worry too much about it. After talking to one of my father's colleagues, I've determined that with the little amount of 'mana' we will produce, we'd achieve a partial haunting at best. Just enough to prove if this is the real deal." Haruka explained, saying a little more than was necessary in order to pacify any further questions Keiza might have regarding the ritual or safety measures.

Without any kind of warning, the look of pure concentration plastered on Haruka's face is blown away by sheer delight.

"Found it!" Her sudden outburst fills the small room and calls attention to herself.

Ignoring those gathered around her, she practically skips towards the center of the room. As she enters the circle, she slows her steps and spins to check that everything is in order. Satisfied with her work, Haruka nods and positions herself at the focus of her creation. She'd lost time due to her carelessness, but that didn't matter to her anymore. It was the last day before Golden Week and Haruka had yet to truly entertain all of her club members. She absolutely had to go all out tonight.

As the remaining members sneak in, the main event starts to get under way. A single cry of thunder sounds in the background. The wind howls through the rain soon after. Iddle chatter of personal exploits, investigations, and ghost stories end and the room is given up to silence. As Haruka happily reads over the material in her hands, the shadows teetering on the edge of candlelight become noticeably darker.

"So, as I'm sure you're all aware, I've called this meeting for a very special reason. As residents of Fuyuki, I'm sure you're all aware of the many legends this city has to offer, such as the dragon under the Ryuudou Temple and the Castle in the Forest. But what I'd like to talk to you all about today is the one about the 'Fuyuki Phantoms'. You see, in preparation for this event, I've been conducting a lot of research and I think you'll all be pleased with what your beautiful president has discovered."

As Haruka introduces the subject of the evening, you notice a few of the members snap to full attention. Normally the teen would only avidly discuss mysteries that were based in reality. The story of the Phantoms has been one which has widely been speculated to exist in fantasy. After all, it is a tale of ghostly spirits who've risen from the dead and caused countless disasters over the years. While some have argued the truth behind the story, the legend remains nothing more than a series of events linked together by skepticism. The fact that Haruka would take such an interest in something like that can only be seen as out of character.

"It's a story which dates back over 200 years in Fuyuki's history...and it's one which even seems to be continuing today. Countless people with unknown origins of death, unexplained phenomena during the night, and entire neighborhoods which look like they'd been scorched by hellfire. It's all seems to be part of a ritual situated in this city," Haruka flips a page in her book and looks up with an excited smile on her face, "The Phantom Battles, if you would. Epic battles which leave there mark on our world and then fade away as if they never happened."

"Wait a minute, Haruka," The vice-president who had quietly been listening from the front of the class suddenly speaks up, "I know you tend to get ahead of yourself with these kinds of things, but just take a moment to listen to yourself. This is real life we're talking about here, not some kid's manga. For the stuff you're talking about to happen... it would take nothing short of..."

Justin's words are cut off by the sound of Haruka's foot tapping slowly against the floor. Once again, attention is drawn towards the large formation inscribed in the center of the room. Slowly putting two and two together, a look of disbelief fills the American's face as he looks up into Haruka's eyes. Even in the dim light, even though she was glancing over her shoulder, the confidence in her eyes was as clear as day.

"Ten years ago, a fire engulfed this city and claimed several lives, but no one knew how the fire started nor how it spread so quickly. Around the same time, a large number of children also went missing and later reports would reveal that they'd all been murdered. But what wasn't revealed was the manner in which they were killed," Haruka returns her attention to the book in her hands, her eyes appearing to go over a note in the margins, "'They all looked as if they'd been sacrificed for some kind of ritual' is what was said."

Haruka pauses for a moment as if taking in her own words. The enthusiasm which was flowing from her just seconds ago is practically flushed from her being. This is only momentary though as a light smile soon reappears on her face.

"Furthermore, if you recall, one of our fellow peers was attacked earlier this year, Mitsuzuri Ayako-san. During my investigation, I approached Mitsuzuri-san and asked her to tell me all that she could about the event. Naturally, I didn't get much from her, but what little I did get was pretty interesting... She told me she was attacked by a 'shadow' and felt 'completely drained afterwards'."

For the few who are already knowledgeable on the subject, the cause of Haruka's inquiry is already apparent as the Holy Grail War. It would certainly explain all of the events the president has described and seems to be the most likely answer. The real question however is where the young girl is going with this.

"Geez," Justin lets out a sigh, "People have pretty much been over this already. Bad stuff happens everywhere. Not to mention typically happening in bursts. Unless you're bringing something new to the table, there really isn't a point in talking about this sort of thing."

Justin criticizes his partner once again; however, this time she smiles in response. She turns to face fully and beams at him with a cheeriness unfit for the setting.

"So have you heard about it? ...The Legend of the Seven Warriors from Hell?"

Haruka smiles drives Justin further back into the wall. As Haruka joyful rubs the binding of her book with her fingers, Justin's eyes become fixated on it as if threatened. You notice this sudden change in the American, but it becomes a minor point of interest.

"Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Acedia, Wrath, Envy, Pride, and Vanity... Seven embodiments of sin resurrected as phantoms into our modern world to wage unholy battle for the sake of one wish. It's something that I discovered while going through my great grandfather's books...and something that sounds an awful lot like a certain legend we all know. Apparently, it's a ritual which was formed by using the lives of the living to reach what is known as Akasha. After all, ghosts need energy and there has to be some kind of payoff at the end of it all. So, going off of that, I theorize that all the murders and the incident with Mitsuzuri-san was all a part of the ritual. It was all a way to feed energy to these phantoms."

The room falls silent yet again. The air becomes so dense with tension that it practically becomes a palpable form. But it doesn't seem to affect Haruka at all. Right now, one could pretty much say she's running on confidence alone.

"...Hey, Haruka..." Justin breaks the pause, sounding unsure of if he wants to speak, "I get that you wanted to do something big... and I get that you wanted to tell some kind of ghost story or whatever...But..." The American teen glaces back at the floor, "...what's with the circle?"

The smile on the girl's face broadens. Despite the serious tone with which her partner was now speaking, she remained excited about what was happening.

"Elementary, my dear Watson. You guys are all going to line up around this circle and we're going to figure out whether or not this urban legend is real."

And just like that, Haruka seemed to say the words Justin was fearing the most. But realizing there was nothing he could do to talk his friend out of this, all he could do was remain silent.

"Don't worry, will ya. It's just for fun. It's not like magic is real or anything. But if it makes you feel better, does anyone have any remaining questions before we start?"

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#E068F2

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One shouldn't expect this day, following many days that have repeated themselves many times, to be any different from yesterday or tomorrow. It was a boring way to look at things, but even the afternoons spent in the classroom where the Homurahara Occult & Horror Club's activities took place had started to feel the same. Some days Maina would be entertained more than others, though. The club was full of numerous people with varying personalities. When she first decided to participate in the club, it was an exciting new experience. Of course, she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy spending her evenings there, but there wasn't much to be learned there, and learning new things was one of the reasons she wanted to join a club in the first place.

Maina had showed up a little later than usual. When the bell rang to signify that school was over, she always waited until the classroom was empty before taking her leave so that the hallways wouldn't be as crowded, however an underclassmen in a hurry to get home had run into her, the flustered girls books and school work decorating the hallway floor in the process. Maina felt slightly annoyed, mostly from the unexpected collision that had just taken place, but assisted the younger girl with cleaning up her schoolwork anyway, resulting in her reaching the Horror Club's room after most of the members had already arrived. She wasn't really the type to converse unless spoken to first, unless she felt she needed to share her input in something, so she took a seat near the door by herself and quietly began reading through her history text book and taking down notes. She'd taken on an extra assignment for extra credit, not that she really needed it. She mostly just wanted to read more about human history, not really feeling like her classes went over the subject as thoroughly as they could've.

Though she looked to be engulfed in her own activities, she continued to listen carefully to the antics of the other members in the room. Troph's frustration with his video game caused her to lift her head for a brief moment to watch him shake his fist at the ceiling as if someone was actually listening to him to from above. Varren's comment wasn't hard to miss, either. Whether her purposefully mixed up his words or not, Maina couldn't really be sure. She meant to continue reading through her textbook, but the trays Yuzuki carried with her when she entered the room caught her attention. She wasn't a massive fan of sweets, herself, but she hadn't eaten much for lunch and peanut butter cookies were an exception.

Rising from her seat, she made her way over to the tables where the baked good had been set and helped herself to one of the star-shaped cookies. "Marking pages that interest you make it much easier to find things, Haruka-san," she said, turning to face Haruka, her last few words being somewhat muffled as she bit down on the cookie. As expected, Yuzuki's culinary skills never did disappoint. The sweets she baked were probably the only ones Maina actually liked. Just as Maina swallowed the bite she'd taken, Haruka jumped to attention, announcing that she'd found the page she was looking for.

As she began to read off from the page, Maina glanced over at the desk where she had made her place. She'd have to get back to her assignment later. She was almost finished with the book, and the notes she had gathered were plenty for the essay she needed to write. Spending her afternoons in the clubroom had taken up some of her time, but she would still manage to finish it within a couple of days.

Taking the last bite of her cookie, their club president finished her story and gave directions for everyone to stand around the magic circle. Looking at her herself, it seemed to be perfectly correct. She wasn't a magus herself, but she'd done plenty of research in the past. Haruka stating that magic wasn't real was indeed the definition of irony. If she ever became aware of the different creatures that shared the world with her, the girl would probably go crazy with excitement.

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#FF6F00

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A number of students rushed to escape the smoke-filled science room, coughing and letting out annoyed moans. Once again, Milo had mixed the wrong ingredients at the wrong time and ended up with a face full of smoke, his cherry-red hair barely visible under the layer of black matter that covered him from head to toe. He'd been told multiple times to make sure he was constantly reading over the directions provided to him, but he'd just assumed the red liquid should go in with the purple liquid because those colors looked best together. At least it didn't smell of rotten eggs this time, but most of the desks and floor was covered in black soot. Luckily this was Milo's last class of the day, though. After cleaning up his mess, he washed himself using the gym showers and, being familiar enough with his uniform somehow becoming a disaster, put on the spare uniform he always brought with him for these exact emergencies.

His hair was still wet when he made it to the Horror Club's classroom just in time to hear Yuzuki announcing the good she had brought for the day. "Ah, Yuzuki-senpai! You're amazing!" he said cheerfully, an enthusiastic smile plasters on his face as he hurried over to the desks where his upperclassmen had left the beautifully-decorated goodies. He didn't have to think twice about plopping down into one of the chairs of the desk that held the brownies and cupcakes. The one thing the boisterous boy couldn't resist was food, especially sweets. He'd always been quite the big eater, yet no matter the amount of food he ate, it didn't seem to do much for his height.

Three cupcakes and a brownie had already vanished from the trays of sweets, and a chocolate chip cookie was on it's way to Milo's mouth when the president suddenly interrupted it's trip. Come to think of it, Milo had no idea what was planned for today. He'd forgotten that they were supposed to be doing some special event, but forgetting things wasn't really new for him. He listened to her as she began reading from an old-looking book, something that looked like a prop for a movie, before he stood up and grouped in with the others, bringing his cookie along with him. His eyes moved to the floor in front of him, only just now realizing that an interesting whatchamacallit had been drawn on the floor. Was it supposed to be a magic circle? This was a bit different from the usual afternoon activities that the club performed, but they had gotten into plenty of shenanigans in the past, so Milo was ready to go on with whatever Haruka had planned for tonight. They got in trouble now and then, but they always had fun doing it.

"Does anyone have any remaining questions before we start?"

His eyes darted up from the drawing on the floor and his free hand shot up, the other hand still holding a half-eaten cookie. "Yes, I hereby claim any sweets that are leftover!" he said quickly, having an unusually serious look in his eyes, though his smile had not left his lips. Yuzuki's baked goods were a serious matter, after all.

(Double post. Ignore!~^^)

"Hai-...chou..." Troph continued to stare at the pair, pondering what the difference between kaichou and haichou is. Ultimately losing interest in the subject, his attention was now focused towards a new arrival.

"Ah! If it isn't the marksmen of my party!" Troph exclaimed. Already knowing about Varren's background with a gun, Troph was more than aware of the fact that he carried a real one around. However, Troph not exactly being the most alert in terms of danger simply went with Varren's excuse that it was just an airsoft model. He could always use a deadeye around when enemies show up, after all.

"Mister Takeda.. The fact this is a school club, does not give you the option to turn it into a WiFi hotspot. Put it away and join the others."

Troph's ear perked at the mention of his surname. Having a well-known distaste for his real name, Troph clicked his tongue in minor annoyance, but quickly masked it with a whiney façade. While never being particularly fond of his real name, Troph has gotten somewhat used to Keiza-sensei referring to him by his surname.

"Come on, Keiza-sensei. A healthy, young adult like me needs some kind of filter to get him through the day. For me, video games are just the solace I need. Surely you can understand my plight, yes?" Troph asked, pointing towards the object of interest, residing in his left pocket. While not exactly visible, there was a slight sag in Keiza's pocket that Troph could only assume was a pack of cancer sticks.

It was then that the heavenly aroma of fresh baked goods had entered the room. Troph subconsciously carried himself to the location of the desired goods, completely forgetting that Keiza had just gotten onto him.

"Ah! Mama~♥ Don't tell me you brought us some delicious goodies again?" Troph began wafting the scent of her treats deeply into his nasal cavities, clearly not wanting to forget it.

While most would find Troph's nickname towards Yuzuki disturbing, it is one he has mentally labeled her by. Therefore, him referring to her as such has become common throughout their club meetings. Although, Troph himself had to admit the atmosphere felt kind of awkward whenever he first began calling her that.

"Ah. Kai-chou is abogrrrth mmmn rrrgh so-ffinsssh-..."

Grabbing a couple of ghost cookies, Troph made an attempt to explain the situation. The effort however had seemed somewhat futile, as he had been simultaneously stuffing his face with sweets.

After taking a second to clear the contents of his mouth, Troph makes a second attempt at retelling his previous statement, with less food involved.

However, Haruka had already begun explaining the reason for tonight rendezvous before Troph could manage the beginning of his sentence. Listening to her ramblings, Troph gave Haruka the best attention he could offer. While missing bits and pieces here and there, Troph managed to comprehend the majority of what she said.

One part in particular held Troph's interest. The part about the fire that claimed several lives. Upon hearing this, Troph began spacing out, thinking back to what happened to him as a child. Despite his delusions, Troph was all too aware of what had actually happened at that time.

"So have you heard about it? ...The Legend of the Seven Warriors from Hell?"

Troph quickly snapped back to attention, Haruka's loud outburst returning him to his senses.

'Hmmm. Seven warriors? Like Asmodeus, Leviathan, and those kinda guys?' Troph thought to himself. While not being the most experienced magus with demonology, he did know a thing or two from old books and tomes he had read himself, that involved such things. Of course, he did also ramble on about how he couldn't just absorb abilities from books, rather than having to actually read and practice them.

Upon hearing Haruka ask if anyone had any questions, Troph took note of something Haruka said that didn't quite fit.

"Hey, Kai-chou. You named off nine sins but said there are only seven embodiments. What's up with that?" Troph asked, surprised that he was one of the few who saw that the numbers didn't exactly add up.

Varren never really noticed the transition from a horror club into a sleepover and get scared once in a while club. A good portion of the room was devoted to the construction and establishment of fortifications, built out of blankets and pillows. How people could sleep so nonchalantly in the presence of others, the young man would never know. Though, like many castles from times of chivalry, the makeshift fortifications fell. Whether it was by the abrupt awakening of those residing within them, by an accidental shove or slip, or by a random teacher dismembering them. Varren had only dared to sleep in the clubroom once, but what followed was so traumatizing, he vowed to never take a rest in the classroom ever again.

Sometime last year, he had passed out due to sleep deprivation. When he awoke, the student had found crude works of art drawn on his face. But what was even more horrifying was the first thing he saw when he woke up. After his eyes finally focused, standing before him was Maina with a sliver of a smile on her face and a sharpie in hand. Literally nothing in this world was more mortifying than seeing that girl with even a glimpse of a grin. It easily ranked highly in his list of ’Horror-esque Experiences’, only beaten by the Spectre of the Literary Club and Troph's infatuation with tommy guns. Varren had nearly poured steaming water down Troph’s throat when he found out that the fedora wearing classmate was the one who edged her on. It was only the girls who fell asleep during club gatherings, since they were lucky enough to have male club members who were entirely pure at heart. They also feared Haruka’s iron fist and Yotsuki’s stainless ladle. The cookware was a perfect weapon for bludgeoning, since blood never left a mark on it.

Speaking of the the fellow senior, she had arrived at the room bearing a voyage of sweets. She was only preceded by Kirio, who easily could pass for the devil’s child. With a grin that only screamed mischief and passive-aggressive playfulness, he skipped over to Troph and Varren. Varren glanced up from Troph while he was being chewed out by Keiza, then shrugged in response to the newcomer’s question, ”Well, Troph-san is in the middle of trying to regather the fragments of his broken heart. I just arrived, just waiting for Kaichou to show us something exhilarating. The young man motioned for his classmate to take a seat, then averted his eyes to the door, when Yotsuki strolled in with her cuisines. Varren was never too fond of sweet goods, but if they were made by this certain individual, they were by far too enthralling to pass up. ”Cookies and cupcakes, eh? The green frosting is definitely quite spooky. And brownies? It’s like you cooked these in preemptiveness, as if we’d all be cut off from any source of food. But, thanks.” After making the comment, the young man treated himself to peanut-filled cookie. The second he took a bite out of the pastry, his undiverse palette tingled with approval. The young woman took a seat and gave a friendly reprimanding to Varren, slapping his shoulder with an innocent smile stretched on her face. She made a similar query as Kirio, to which Varren gave a more interesting answer. ”Well, Troph-san is currently recripracating the effects of the ploy put on by most gaming industries. I call it the Three R’s. Renaming, Repackaging, and Reshipping. I feel truly sorry for our friend’s loss. May his wallet rest in peace.” He took another bite out of the cookie, letting out a sigh of relief. Her magnificent culinary masterpieces were almost as captivating as her massive rack.

Of cooking utensils, obviously. Varren had only been to her house once, when she requested the help of a few classmates for a club celebration party. She had enough silverware to equip an armada of chefs and cooks. The pastries she crafted for this gathering quickly gathered for her the admiration of her clubmates. Soon enough, a reserved Maina, a Milo who appeared to have waltzed through a monsoon, and a lethargic Ayame entered the classroom. After a few more minutes, all of the members had congregated for the special event. Once the students gained some cholesterol from the delivered sweets, Haruka quickly shouted out, finally acquiring the page she had been sifting for. The president ran through with her introduction of the ‘Fuyuki Phantoms’, a phenomena which Varren was somewhat informed about.

The name had already piqued his interest, since over the past three years, the club had only chased urban legends and mysteries. But this was considered to be affiliated with past disasters and murders. Most of all, it was something tangible. His eyes slowly trailed towards the president, but then shifted over to his American friend, whose expression was slowly unfolding into unease. As their president continued on, Varren shared his reaction. Internally, that is. He kept a straight face, even when she mentioned their hospitalized classmate. The young man had visited her a few times throughout the school year. She was doing well overall, but she was still frightened by what she believed was an assault. Haruka then delved into demonology, which Varren wasn’t too versed with, so he left it to Troph to pick up where he faltered. Both Justin and Yinyues glared at the floor, their gazes focused on the scriptive circle below their feet. And, much to their avail, they would be the ones used in the summoning. Varren wasn’t sure whether to be happy that they were doing something real for once, or doubtful due to how it will affect the students. The young man had no questions, but was caught off guard when Milo shot to his feet, with an upright figure. After his proclamation of sweets, Varren let out a sigh, given the fact that the student was completely unphased by the president’s findings. ”That’s not a statement, my dear boy. But, I believe this saying does apply to his claim.” He cleared his throat, then pointed at the redhead, ”Give this man a cookie!” And with that, he reclined in his seat, finished with his announcement. ”Oh, and Kaichou? Do we need to offer blood? I’d rather not. Perhaps we can sacrifice pillows instead? The young man asked in all seriousness. He did not want a repeat of the event, concerning those deceased children.

---

---

---

---

"Hey, Kai-chou. You named off nine sins but said there are only seven embodiments. What's up with that?"

"Troph-kun, I'm glad you noticed that. You see, to be honest, I found that weird myself when reviewing the text; however, upon inspection I found that it's no mistake. Nine sins, but only seven warriors. I looked quite a bit for a further explanation to this, but I couldn't find anything. So... I came up with my own theories. The most concrete being that only seven warriors can be chosen from a pool of nine. After all, it makes sense because in order for a single spirit to fully manifest, it would take a lot of energy. Then you're talking about giving them physical form and making them strong enough to cause wide-scale damage on top of that. Now I'm no expert on the subject, but going off the scarcity of phantom tales and the number of deaths which accompany those events, I'd say we're talking about a quantity of energy which would take some decades to accumulate, and even that seems to be pushing it. At the very least, this theory coincides with how there are nine deadly sins, but only seven are really recognized."

The club president has clearly switched back into full investigation mode. The fact that she has conducted so much research into something she normally wouldn't give the time of day shows that she has just about convinced herself. But what is truly terrifying is just how close to the truth she has come.

"But then I came up with another theory: the 'Extra Player' Theory," Haruka's voice lowers as she brings one hand to her chin, "You see, after looking at the information again, I realized that this folio doesn't describe the warriors as being chosen, but resurrected. So, in a way, what starts off as nine phantoms of sin becomes two plus seven warriors. So, through the use of this ritual, we'd end up with seven beings which can interact with the physical would and two which can interact with the spiritual world... Kind of like unborn persons or wandering ghosts. Of course, this theory is still sketchy, but I do believe there is some significance in the wording and the ratio of sins to warriors."

By this time, the club president has fully immersed herself in the text resting in her hand. It was as if she was trying to break down the text in real time, unaware that she was already in the middle of something.

"Either that... or we have the 'Sacrifice' Theory, in which the life energy of the living isn't enough. With this third theory, I believe that in order to make up for the lack of energy, the unchosen two are used in order to make up for the difference. This one is still fairly new, but certain things in this writing hint towards the possibility. Such as never mentioning the participation of nine in the ritual, but always listing all nine sins..."

The inquisitive young woman finally lifts her eye from the text and scans the room with a smile. Realizing that she's gone on somewhat of a tangent, she sticks out her tongue jokingly and gives off a light shrug. With that, she closes her great grandfather's folio and tucks it neatly under her arm.

"Anyways, what we'll be doing tonight is just a little exercise of our city's urban legend. Since we've yet to look at anything local in this club, I thought it would be kind of fun to try out before Golden Week. Even more so because there is so much information out there on it," with a look of confidence on her face, Haruka takes the mysterious book from under her arm and waves it through the air, "If it's bunk, we can proudly say we squashed one of Fuyuki's great mysteries. And if it's real... well... I guess we'll talk to a ghost."

"And no, Varren-kun. No blood sacrifice is needed whatsoever." Haruka replied, brimming with confidence that would almost be reassuring, had she actually known what she was getting into.

"As far as summoning spirits goes, I surely hope it works. It'd be pretty interesting, wouldn't it?" A mischievous grin crept upon Haruka's face as she finished these words.

Watching silently as everyone finds a spot on the circle, Haruka can't help but smile in excitement. It was true that she might not have thought the whole thing out, but she figured she didn't have to. After all, the text was a mystery to her. If she'd known all the answers to it already, she wouldn't be able to enjoy it with her friends. And while the mystery delved into something she didn't particularly care for, the extensive notes left by her mentor were an oddity. For as far back as she could remember, Haruka was always told to only investigate the mysteries of reality as they'd provide far more entertainment than those of fiction. So for her great grandfather to have chronicled so much on something generally accepted as fiction before his death... it was as if she was holding the old man's life work in the palm of her hands. To share something like that with her extended family, however nonsensical it seemed, it was the ultimate mystery for her.

"Alright," Haruka snaps back to reality as she reopens the book, "Let's get started!"

Just as Haruka gets ready to read off the chant for the ritual, she notices that one spot on the circle has yet to be filled. Turning a full 180 degrees, she sees none other than Justin still standing by the chalkboard. Naturally, she wanted to yell at him playfully as she always does, but she soon finds that she can't. It was just for an instant, but there was a fierce, almost scary, intensity in her friend's eyes as he gazed at the circle. It was as if his eyes had become a never-melting ice holding back and intense blaze, if only for a second.

"Just-"

"Geez."

Before the president can even mutter the boy's name, he seemingly returns to normal and steps towards the circle, grabbing the chalk off of the teacher's podium as he does. He walks past the boundary and steps into the circle alongside Haruka, kneeling down upon stopping. The action causes Haruka to step back, as she opted to wear a skirt, but it allows for her to notice what Justin was doing.

"If you're going to draw something with chalk, at least try not to mess it up when you walk all over it." The young man speaks with a sigh as he redraws a portion of the area Haruka was just standing on. His voice still portrays a certain reluctantness to go about the ordeal, but his swift reconstruction of the ruined area seems to argue the opposite. In just a matter of seconds, he's done and he stands back up to assume his position on the circle. "Honestly, you were about to get us blown to bits or something." With his trademark sarcasm, Justin takes yet another shot at his dear friend with a smile on his face.

Feeling somewhat reassured, Haruka mindfully gets back into position and opens the book to the page tabbed 'chant'. The storm brewing outside grows in intensity and roars, but Haruka becomes calm as breathes deeply and begins to read.

Blood and iron to the flames. Mind and body cast into Hell.
The heart falls upon thy sword and forsaken life is woven into thy vessel.
The inferno is birthed from collective sin spilling out and thrown to the four directions.
Death and rebirth. Constructed five times over, the defiled body paves the way to unholy ruin.
Even still, a hollowed being is a simple price to pay.
Therefore, I announce---
You whoms fate shall be chained to my own as mine chained to yours,
in accordance with price to claim the Holy Grail, if your avarice extends beyond emotion, reason, pain, and torment, then answer!
I am the one who will become all the good of the world of the dead.
You are the one who will become all the evil of the world of the living.
So, great keeper of balance clad in chaos, step through this magic ring and release me from these chains which bind reality!
Allow me the chance to grasp that which is seeped in blood and sorrow!

As the last word is spoken, silence once again fills the room. Sheets of rain continue to buffet the classroom windows and the wind continues to wail in the darkness. Everything remains unchanged and the elaborate ritual dies off into the night.

"..."

"...Haruka!"

The nightly doldrum is broken by none other than Justin as he instantly dives towards his friend. At the same moment, the young woman instinctively turns to look behind herself and is shocked at what she finds. There, as if impersonating her own shadow, a black figure looms over her person. It possesses no features, nor any kind of presence, but the human-shaped body resonates despair, paralyzing Haruka instantly.





Finally noticing the figure in the darkness, you move to react but find that your body doesn't respond. Unparalleled pain soon races through your body as the circle you stand on fills the room with a crimson hue. Soon after, your body as well as everyone else's begins to deconstruct. Everything is happening in an instant, but what you're now experiencing seems to go on for an eternity. As your body vanishes into the air, you feel as though every cell in your body is being carefully burned and the compounding pain assails your brain. And just before your mind succumbs to the immense torture, you witness as the black shadow's arm scythes through the air and cuts Justin in two. The young man is silenced before he even knew what happened and his best friend is forced to watch it as she slowly fades away.

"Thank you... Master..."

The mouthless creature speaks with an inhuman gurgle which rings clear in your ears. As the scene before you returns to real time, your mind slips into blissful darkness.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let the Game Begin~
Welcome all to my little playground. Here is where all the fun will begin. Now that you're all seperated, I can play with you all a little bit~ But I wonder what I should do first? Pluck one of you off!? Send in a horde!? The possibilities are endless now. And I've got the rest of eternity to play with my new toys~

Oh? What's that? You want to know what to do? HAHAHAHAHA! You're on your own! I'm just here to watch you rot in despair as I slowly kill each and every last one of you~ How you survive up until the end is none of my concern... However, I suppose if I'd want to make this more interesting for myself... I could say to learn from those who have already lost.

School BuildingPark

Hospital Building

Troph chuckled at Haruka and Justin's little display before the ritual began. It was a light-heartening scene to say the least. The calm before the storm. The storm itself came crashing down harder than the strongest of waves.

Troph's momentary amusement was quickly dispelled as the dark tension from earlier returned to the room. Although Troph had managed to avoid it earlier by keeping his mind focused on his game and the arrival of his fellow club mates, he now found it somewhat difficult to ignore.

'H-holy shit, Kaichou... You've really stepped up the difficulty level...' Troph thought as Haruka finished the incantation. Up until then, he had failed to accumulate an individual thought, completely entranced by Haruka's sermon. He hated to admit it, but the atmosphere slightly unnerved him.

As he paused to take a calming breath, his moment of tranquility was interrupted by the panicked exclamation of his vice president.

...Haruka!

Troph's eye shot open, as he found himself unable to move, speak, or even breath. As if all control had left his body. Hopelessly, Troph stared in utter horror as an entity loomed over Haruka, threatening to strike at any moment.

'Fuck... Don't tell me this is one of those boss fights, where you're supposed to lo-' Before Troph could even process the rest of his thought, unimaginable pain shot through every crevice in his being.

He wanted to die; he wanted to cry out. Both options were denied to him at this point. All he could do was hopelessly wait as every cell in his body was dismantled and burned away into nothingness. For what seemed like an eternity, Troph felt that he knew what true agony felt like. But it was only a taste, as within a few seconds the pain subsided, along with Troph's vision.

But not before a shade of scarlet flew through the damp air, along with half of his vice president's body. And then... Black.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing but the sound of incoherent mumbling could be heard, as the darkness threatened to dissipate, leaving Troph in the middle of a horrific reality. Troph was not only conscious, but alert.

The memory of Justin's death still fresh in his mind. One might think something of even that nature would subside after experiencing the excruciating pain Troph and no doubt his fellow classmates had endured. But Troph refused to let it go. As if that scene was the one thing currently holding him to reality.

Cautiously opening a single eye, Troph scanned the area above him. To his surprise, he was met not with a ceiling or even the shadowy face of their attacker. What he saw puzzled him to no end.

-----

[Ability Activated: Gamer's Mind] A passive ability that allows Troph to stay completely calm in any situation and think things clearly, like that of a video game character. This allows him to mentally adapt to almost any situation.

-----

'Sky?' Deciding now wasn't the time to be taking a nap, Troph rose up with a jerk, taking in his surroundings as quickly as he could. Realizing that he was no longer in the classroom, he didn't feel like he was in any immediate danger.

Nothing but a thin sheet of white mist. Upon further inspection, he noticed a small building within a short walking distance away. Beyond it, the fog was much too deep for Troph to make anything out. Other than a bridge and load of trees, there wasn't much else to see.

Although, he was already aware of the other's presence, Troph figured it was better to see if their current position was safe before checking on the wellbeing of his comrades.

With a calm face, Troph moves over to Varren and shakes his shoulder. "Oi, Hawkeye. Don't shoot me in the face or anything. You seem more like the type to wake up shooting rather than swinging... I won't accept any friendly fire." Before checking on the others, he wanted to make sure the guy with the gun was keeping watch.

---

#E068F2

---

"If a sacrifice is necessary, Ayame would do," Maina thought to herself as she watched the blonde girl down more cookies than one could count. It was somewhat amazing how someone with such a slim figure could possibly eat so much, but the little red-head, Milo, was capable of eating just as much, only not in such a timely fashion. Ayame's gluttonous behavior quickly triggered a reaction from the baker of the Horror Club, and within moments the two were leaping out a window. This was the sort of activity that gave the club it's unique reputation, but it also made it more entertaining.

It wasn't long before their just leader was ready to begin, the shenanigans caused by Ayame barely making a dent in Haruka's plans. As they gathered around in a circle, the two club members who'd leaped form the window returning and looking rather soaked from the rain, there was an odd feeling slowly building up in Main's chest. She couldn't quite figure out what the feeling was, and chose to ignore it as best she could. If she'd been aware of the events that would take place as soon as the passage was finished being read, perhaps she would've changed her mind about participating in this activity, but how could any of them know that a tragedy was soon to take place? Every other activity that Haruka would throw at them only ended in mischievous fun, but it seemed their president had dug a little too deep this time.

Maina's eyes may have been the first to lay upon the shadow that Haruka had likely summoned before Justin pointed it out. Normally, Maina would instantly shift into a fighting stance and ready herself for danger, but as the circle drawn on the floor began to glow a fierce red, she found she'd lost all control of her body. The feeling that had been itching at her only seconds ago made sense to her now as she struggled to move even an inch, but it only took a second for her to forget about the restraint put on her muscles as Justin was sliced in two. The only thought running through her head now was whether the shadow would kill them all now, or if Justin was a mere sacrifice for the start of something more sinister.

She clenched her teeth, the only movement she was capable of preforming at this point, as pain shot through her entire body. It seemed like it would last for hours, but as darkness engulfed her, she suddenly felt like her body no longer existed. The sounds of her classmates blurred and vanished until there was nothing left.


"Oi, Hawke....wake up shooting rather than swinging..."

Dark lashes quivered gently as Maina's consciousness began to restore itself. She could hear a familiar voice, albeit faint, and her skin felt somewhat damp as if the air around her was heavy with liquid. Her eyes opened and she stared at the dark sky for a moment, moving her fingers and toes to make sure the numbness she had felt before had left her. Thankfully, she could move again, and the forced herself to move into a sitting position.

"I won't accept any friendly fire."

That was Troph's voice. She turned her head in the direction the sound came from, making out two shapes that looked to be Varren, still unconscious, and the fedora wearing gamer that was trying to shake Varren awake. Maina picked herself up off the ground and brushed off her skirt, strands of grass falling around her feet as she did so. Taking another moment to examine her surroundings, she could see the body of Shizuka laying on the ground only a few feet from where Maina was. The older girl seemed unharmed, which gave Maina a sense of relief, and would likely wake up soon as well. Maina decided she would make her way over to Troph first, since they were the only two conscious at the moment, to let him know that she had come to.

"It's apparent that we're outside, but this place isn't familiar to me." She stopped beside Troph, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. She could barely make out the shapes in the distance, but felt no need to activate her hawk eyes. Not at this moment, at least. They'd be exploring the area soon enough, anyway.

"Troph-san, do you have a marker on you by chance? Preferably a permanent one," she said as she knelt down beside him, resting her eyes on Varren's face as she spoke.

Well. That happened.

Varren had to gulp down the urge to break into laughter when Troph’s unrelated mother chased another club member, Ayame, out of the window. They both had the ability to defy the laws of gravity, and gracefully landed on the ground three floors below them. After things settled down, and the crook and her corresponding cop returned to the clubroom, Haruka got the show on the road. The young man hadn’t expected to bear spectacle to what he saw. The display the president put on was definitely breath-taking. But by no means was it in a good way. Throughout the duration of the experience, Yinyues was attempting to piece together the order of events.

First, a rhythmic chanting narrated flawlessly. It was like many which had been performed by the club in past years, but they never turned up with any results. Once the reciting had ceased, only the ordinary ambience filled the classroom. It was no other than Justin who broke the silence, Varren swiftly traced his line of sight to the shrouded figure creeping behind their president. Next, the friend who he was just teasing a few minutes prior was hastily killed off, words still attempting to leave his throat as he was sliced in half. The young man could barely keep his eyes open under the immense pain and pressure. His gaze shot to his closer friend mates, seeing them in the same state of unrest. Before he knew it, the student had succumb to the overbearing feeling. His body was completely frozen in place and was unable to move even a centimeter. It felt like he was being constricted, strangled by the effects of the cantation. And then, the student’s ability to retain consciousness faltered. Varren’s eyes were forced shut, and his mind fell into a void of darkness.

---

”Come on, open damn it. What, did you forget to work out your eyelids? ...Actually, I really need to get into working out. I think I’ve gained a few pounds rece- No. Varren, keep your head on a swivel. First, assess what you have at your disposal. Four out of five senses are operational. Use them.” The young man gritted his teeth as he began to regain his sense of touch and smell. Whatever surface his back was resting on, it was damp. He didn’t wet himself, right? It’d be even worse if somebody else took a leak on him. But given the heat and lack of smell, such a claim was crossed out. So it was just ordinary dew, accompanied by a chilly climate and heavy atmosphere. His fingers began to tingle and slowly wrapped themselves around blades of grass. [i]”Forest. Outdoors. Troph-san’s worst nightmare. If he’s here right now, I’m sure his heart will break if there isn’t any WiFi nearby.” The hairs on the back of his neck brushed up again the cool terrain. The feeling helped to spur his mind, but only by a little. Soon enough, his ability to hear returned.

”Hawkeye…”

”He knows I fairly disliked that movie. Hawkeye would never kneel before a deity. He’d shoot an arrow at his knee.” Varren began to regulate his own breathing, then felt himself suddenly thrashed around by Troph’s incessant shaking. [i]”I swear, if this guy was an EMS. He would shake the patient to death, and accidently bash their brains in. Something along those lines. Alright, back to gaining control of feeling. Joints are a little… stiff. Kinda sore, actually. Not even sure if I really want to wake up now. I mean, the ground is pretty comfortable. But I do have to find out what happened to Justin, Pres, and everybody else in the club. Although, that could wait until lat-” His ears picked up the sounds of approaching footsteps, another individual leaned over Varren.

”..."Troph-san, do you have a marker on you by chance? Preferably a permanent one.”

And with that uttered, Varren’s self-defense system enacted protocol. It quickly switched into gear, prioritizing adrenaline supplementation over other bodily processes. His eyes flung open and were instantly fixated on the white-haired student, Maina. He furrowed his brow and jutted a finger at the girl, ”I swear on whatever deity that cold heart of yours puts faith into, if you attempt to even draw on par with Leonardo, it’s gonna hit the fan. And by it, I mean Yotsuki-san’s cooking. Wouldn’t want to throw away gifted creations, now would we?” He sat forward and let out a sigh, taking in the surrounding setting. His presumptions were correct; they were indeed inside of a forest of sorts. Clouds of mist floated around them, obstructing any farsighted vision. He was barely able to make out the structure of a building to their six o’ clock, but its decals were blurred out by the fog.

Varren fixed his jacket and tie, then looked up at his fellow classmates. ”I guess your adoptive mother is still asleep, Troph-san? I thought I would’ve been the first to wake up. Could’ve teased you all about your sleeping faces. You’ve seen mine one time too many. He stretched out then helped himself onto his feet. ”Well, let’s wake up Yotsuki-san, then proceed to that house over there. Might be some resources, and some clues as to where we are. I would like to find out how we got here, but establishing means of prolonging our survival is more important.”

Just as you all begin to head make your way to safety, a fleshy harmony resonates through the air. Slowly turning back towards the river, you spot several figures emerging from the mist towards the group. The things that emerge, while baring a resemblance to humans, reside far from the domain of man. Each of them is practically featureless, with dull, grey, scaly skin similar to that of a reptile. All of their digits go down to a razor-sharp point to complement the shark-like teeth jetting from their gaping maws while each one of their dragging steps creates a noises similar to meat slapping against a board.








Their attention doesn't appear to be that focused; however, you get the feeling that they are all aware of your presence. And while their advance is slow, you figure it's only a matter of time before they make it to where you are.


[Encountered Cadaver x10]

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Monster Stats and Abilities Revealed:
AGI (5)

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Encountering Monsters
Oh~? It seems like you've finally met one of the many lovely beast which occupy this glorious garden. Well, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but... I wouldn't count on them being friendly~ So, naturally, as prey standing before it's predator, you have two choices: fight or run. However, bear in mind since you've never encountered a creature such as this, you have no idea what it's capabilities are. Of course this can be remedied by simply engaging the threat, but whether or not you can stand to do that... I'm not telling~

Live or die. Kill or be killed. The choice is yours, my precious rats~

Running Away
Mice are so good are running, don't you think~? But you know, it is basic instinct to run away from that which oppresses you. Fear, trauma, the past, love, responsibility, it makes no difference. All that matters is that you get by, right~?

To run away from enemies, you simply have to have higher Agility than them.

Kill to Live
A macabre buffet~ A banquet of carnage~ A waltz of savagery~ Fighting... it's such a simplistically beautiful thing. It just goes to show you how the world's most trivial of delicacies and bear such profound complexities. Though I suppose you truly have to experience it...

To fight, first insure that your Agility is higher than your target's Evasion. If it is, you hit and the difference between your attacking stat and their defensive stat is taken off of the opponent's HP. Of course, there are several ways to overcome this system; however, we will leave those for a later time.

As you are unaware of an enemy's stats at first, you will have to rely on the GM to perform calculations. However, as stats become readily available, feel free to do them yourselves.

Troph began to get agitated as his attempt to rouse the hibernating Varren seemed fruitless.

It wasn't until a voice spoke out, that Troph gave up. With a startled jump, Troph turned back to see Maina making her way over to him and Troph.

'Well that saves me the trouble of waking every one of these lazy bums up.' Troph thought, as he stood up to meet her.

"Yeah. This place is pretty weird. Its almost as if we were sucked to another world." Troph stated nonchalantly, once again taking another glance at the building atop the hill. If there were answers to be found, that was definitely a good place to start.

'Jeez. If we got sucked into a manga, it should have been a Shonen one. With those beautiful girls and manly men screaming about friendship and all. But no. Survival Horror it is.'

To Troph's annoyance, his childish thoughts were interrupted by a question from the newly awakened Maina.

"Troph-san, do you have a marker on you by chance? Preferably a permanent one."

Troph stared at Maina with a blank expression for several seconds, before finally acknowledging what she was getting at. The mischievous glare in her eye diminished any mystery there was to be found in her question.

"What do you know? It just so happens that-... Ara?" Troph began to reach into his pocket confidently, only to pull it out in surprise. Upon opening his concealed fist, Troph's palm withheld a single portable charger.

"Huh. That's strange. I must have grabbed my charger instead of the sharpie..." Troph explained, while rubbing the back of his head, sheepishly.

Troph hadn't been the least bit surprised when Varren awoke, no doubt on high alert.

'It seems that he still remembers...' Troph's face paled at the memory of Varren's rage-infused torture, once he found out that Troph had been the one egging Maina on with their little prank.

"Adopted mother? You mean Yotsuki-chan, right?" Troph looked over to the unconscious baker with a tinge of worry. While Troph had forced the embarrassing nickname on her, he usually only referred to Yuzuki as "Mama" when he was speaking to her directly.

Kneeling next to her, he gave Yuzuki a couple of light slaps on the cheek.

"Mama. Varren is bullying me again. Wake up and nail him with your ladle." Troph stated in an almost monotonous voice.

It was then that a sudden tension inhabited the air. It felt similar to the way the shadow from earlier did. Oppressing and deadly. Taking a look back, Troph tilted his head to the side in disbelief.

"What are those things? Fishmen? Murlocs? These must be the basic mob creatures for this area." Troph speculated, while reaching for a switchblade that was strapped to his belt. Flicking it out and holding in the general direction of the sickening creatures, Troph readied himself for whatever action the group chose to take. Whether it be fight or flight, Troph was ready.

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Then everyone got pregnant and died. The end~
*slow clap*