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MARCH EVENT LOG
At midnight on March 1st, a rolling lightning storm hits Yogen. Thunder crackles, and strikes of Anvil Crawler lighting can be seen lighting up the sky; anyone paying attention to the courtyard may see the explosive strike of lightning hitting the wisteria tree. Petals scatter throughout the air and are carried off in every direction by the wind...
As the month goes on the school will start to look even more barren. As the month goes on, several students start to disappear, with rumors spreading here and there about students disappearing after entering the forest. Those rumors twist and warp, and within just a few days there are rumors of a witch in the forest. But it's not a witch, nor a ghost, or anything else, but a dream, and those who enter will find themselves reminded of such by a soothing voice, the voice of a person they're familiar with, speaking gently in their ears:
"You are dreaming... They have always led and will always lead you here... Remind yourself, this is a dream..."
The world shifts subtly. There are gravestones marking the pathway now, and before long the forest is replaced by a completely new scene. A voice reminds you once more that this is a dream, and that you have always been here. You have always been led to this place. But where is this place? It's the world of a player character. It's nothing more than a snapshot in time. It might be one that they wish to escape, or perhaps a warm memory of a time that they wish to return to, but it is always an important memory to the character.
Whichever it is, the only way is to move forward. As characters move through the memory, characters will soon notice a snake and holly tattoo that spreads over their body will be. It starts small, a clump on one's back, but will spread across all parts of a character's body. It will reach the neck and face last, killing them upon reaching the eyes. As the curse spreads, they will notice changes in the dream including hallucinations, hearing lullabies, and shades that pursue them. They will also notice increased exhaustion and lethargy.
Upon reaching the end of the memory, they will find a glowing ball of light representative of a lost student's soul. Finding the soul will lead to both characters awakening at the edge of the forest, and the character who had been dreaming will be covered with the tattoo for a brief moment before it disappears.
Those who entered the dream may hear that same voice from before that tugs at their mind as the dream fades away:
"Remind yourself, this is a dream, and soon you will awaken. But you are here, as you always have been, and as you always will be... Soon, you will wonder where you were, and each moment after, will bring you here..."
The world shifts subtly. There are gravestones marking the pathway now, and before long the forest is replaced by a completely new scene. A voice reminds you once more that this is a dream, and that you have always been here. You have always been led to this place. But where is this place? It's the world of a player character. It's nothing more than a snapshot in time. It might be one that they wish to escape, or perhaps a warm memory of a time that they wish to return to, but it is always an important memory to the character.
Whichever it is, the only way is to move forward. As characters move through the memory, characters will soon notice a snake and holly tattoo that spreads over their body will be. It starts small, a clump on one's back, but will spread across all parts of a character's body. It will reach the neck and face last, killing them upon reaching the eyes. As the curse spreads, they will notice changes in the dream including hallucinations, hearing lullabies, and shades that pursue them. They will also notice increased exhaustion and lethargy.
Upon reaching the end of the memory, they will find a glowing ball of light representative of a lost student's soul. Finding the soul will lead to both characters awakening at the edge of the forest, and the character who had been dreaming will be covered with the tattoo for a brief moment before it disappears.
Those who entered the dream may hear that same voice from before that tugs at their mind as the dream fades away:
✽ Dreams may be whoelsale memories, or they may be more akin to dreamscapes based on a person's memories or mental state.
✽ The holly pattern represents the pain of love and aches of the heart, while the snake represents the yearning for the dead that consume a person.
✽ The tattoos will be blue or red.
✽ Characters may be drawn into the forest more than once, or require multiple memories to be gone through before reappearing. In those cases, the character who had gone through the initial memory will simply wake up in the forest alone.
✽ Characters who hear the voice upon leaving the dream will be more susceptible to entering and being lost in the forest.
✽ Anyone who is not rescued by the end of the month will be found at the edge of the forest. The tattoo will cover their body and stop just short of their eyes. It will disappear within an hour, but they will be exhausted for the rest of the day.
✽ The holly pattern represents the pain of love and aches of the heart, while the snake represents the yearning for the dead that consume a person.
✽ The tattoos will be blue or red.
✽ Characters may be drawn into the forest more than once, or require multiple memories to be gone through before reappearing. In those cases, the character who had gone through the initial memory will simply wake up in the forest alone.
✽ Characters who hear the voice upon leaving the dream will be more susceptible to entering and being lost in the forest.
✽ Anyone who is not rescued by the end of the month will be found at the edge of the forest. The tattoo will cover their body and stop just short of their eyes. It will disappear within an hour, but they will be exhausted for the rest of the day.
:eyes:
For now, he supposes he has no choice. The ominous elevator is the way forward, isn't it? He's had enough of them, to tell the truth, but perhaps there are several floors to choose from...
One step is all he manages before he's rudely pushed the rest of the way, upsetting his balance as he stumbles with a yelp, arms flung out to catch himself in an attempt to remain on his feet instead of falling. He doesn't quite succeed. The impact makes him wince; he lands hard on his hands and knees. From the floor, he throws a look over his shoulder. How unnecessary, giving him a shove! He was already about to enter the elevator! ]
Who— [ Since when was someone else there? ] What in the world was thaaaat?!
no subject
Sorry, Alice. But now it's your turn.
[ It's a long, quiet ride to the bottom of the shaft, before the elevator comes to a halt and the doors finally open again. Whatever dark room lies beyond the elevator is only lit by a single monitor, which glitches white-- blue-- gray-- RED-- finally resolving into a few short words. ]
TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!
no subject
[ This can't possibly be real, Alice reminds himself even as the unexpected sight of a familiar face indeed keeps him frozen in place on the floor, peering through the latticework bars of his elevator cage in disbelief. It only feels all too convincing, from the shove to the elevator's agonizingly slow descent. It gives him far too much time to dwell on that odd remark — his turn? — and on other questions, too.
Why would looking for Chiaki Nanami lead him here...?
The end of the ride answers nothing, sparking fresh unease. Guilty of what, this time? It's not as if this is the doorway to a courtroom, let alone a proper trial!
Though he'd meant to continue onward, he's reluctant to venture further. ]
I-Is someone else there now?! Your sense of humor leaves a lot to be desired!!
no subject
Don't you dare-- let GO of me-- FUCK YOU!!
[ Perhaps the familiar voice of his sister will be enough to motivate him to continue on? ]
no subject
Even if this tangible nightmare is somehow responding to his presence, looking into his heart, it's physically impossible to ignore what he hears and stay where he was. His body moves before he thinks about it; his footsteps thump against the floor, rapid despite the poor light and the need for caution.
Whatever awaits once the hallway is behind him, he doesn't want Reko's voice to sound like this. ]
ENOUGH! STOP IT!!
no subject
[ At the end of the hallway is a small room. Two people are there to greet Alice: his sister, bound and gagged to a chair on the left side of the room. And a man with light green hair and a rat-tail, standing on the other side of the room and watching curiously. ]
I'm so glad you could make it! Welcome back to the Arbitration Room. You remember how this works, don't you...?
[ There's a pit full of spikes in the middle of the room. A digital readouts in the center of the wall that says Left: 35.5. ]
All you have to do is make the right choice, and you can go free. I'm sure I don't need to remind you what the right choice is.
no subject
Alice's focus stays fixed on his sister, as if she were really there, one more chance to get it right. The right choice, going by what he recalls of the Final Attraction, implies that he's expected to drop something that weighs at least as much as Gin Ibushi into that waiting pit, which would release Reko. Or that there's another solution, something to stumble upon unintentionally?
Now he glances at the numbers, and finally at that loathsome face, those unnerving eyes. ]
...Unless you agree to jump down, or I do it, there's nothing to use!
no subject
[ Midori stares at Alice with wide, unblinking eyes, and then he moves around to stand behind Reko's chair. ]
There's another thing you could use, isn't there? [ He pats Reko's head kindly, and even ruffles her hair a bit - she jerks away and glares daggers at him. ]
What are you going to do, Alice? [ He stares at Alice curiously, one delicate hand on Reko's shoulder. ]