[As you wander, the trees almost seem to reshape themselves into something malformed, something twisted. Branches overhead become tangled almost akin to a gateway, bark blackening as if stained with ink, moon shining overhead. The further you walk, the more the transforming scene threatens to pull you in. Whence there was forest, now there is a garden, sprawling and mazelike, a fountain dead-centre. It's nighttime all of a sudden, two moons hanging overhead in the sky, one darkly-coloured and one a comforting silver.

Should you venture around the garden, you will find nothing of import other than a massive mansion, the double-doors emblazoned with a filigree crescent moon wrapped around a diamond shape. As if inviting you within its halls, the doors slide open upon approach. Voices carry out even this far from the doorway, their origin difficult to pinpoint, clear as day as if coming from all directions. The first voice, soft, serene, and the other, that of a child.

"Noah, are you really going to stay? We haven't seen Auntie for a while. I bet she misses you."

"...No. Nobody likes me. Even if I go, they'll all be frowning at me."

"That's not true. They all love you."

"Harque... I know. I know everyone hates me because I stole what's rightfully yours."

Eventually, the dialogue becomes somewhat-muddled, especially if you decide to venture past the threshold and into the house proper. You're faced with a gorgeous, albeit dark foyer, and in the middle of the room stands a child, sobbing into his hands, alone.]

[House Ebalon is unfairly gorgeous, with tall windows perfect for gazing out at the moon at night. This is Noah's family, after all, mages who dedicate themselves wholly to moon magic — though if he's ever told you how his house looked in the past, he might have been being modest.

Perhaps, though, architecture isn't important right now. What is important is that you swear you just heard a shout coming from somewhere down the wide hallways, and should you take off running toward the sound of it, you'll be faced with a scene — a cloaked figure with their back to you, a man who looks much like Noah does, and a barely-five years old Noah emerging from a doorway nearby, equally as confused as you are.

It all happens so fast that you don't have a second to move; the cloaked figure lurches forward, attacking with something unseen, and Harque Ebalon falls with a dull thud and a splatter of blood, lifelessly staring ahead. Noah shrieks, cries — "No, no, no! Wake up, wake up, Harque!" — but it's far, far too late for pleading. As the cloaked figure strides over, you catch the briefest glance of his face from under his cowl — the exact same as the man he just murdered seconds earlier — and before you know it, the scene lurches and twists.

You're standing now in Noah's room, about as messy as a little kid's room would be, books strewn at the foot of his bed that he's clearly in the middle of reading. He's sitting up in said bed gazing out his window, and he looks deathly ill, like he might keel over at any moment if he so much as tries to get up. On the bedside table next to him is a suspicious vial and a syringe.

Weakly, he turns to you and asks,]

Are you here to give me my medicine?

[When the forest gives way to a brightly-lit academy, you probably aren't sure what to expect. It's quite different from Yogen, with towering, spiraling staircases and many more students, somehow. The loud chattering gets lost in the background as you explore further. Whether you're fascinated, confused, or just wanting to poke your head into things, though, you're soon accosted by some floating weaponry dead-set on getting you out of here.

Before the sword in particular swings down on your head, though, a familiar figure, albeit younger and a bit more scruffly than what you're used to, dashes out in front of you and disables the thing in one shot.]

We need to go. Now. It's bad news if the guards catch you.

[Without waiting, he spins on his heels and darts off down a branching hallway, not waiting for you to follow him. It's your fault if you die in here, after all.]

[Hit me with whatever or -> wolfchan <- go there for Crime Plotting

Also free free to just straight up interfere with certain memories, you don't have to follow the set path I wrote out!]