[IC] Expedition to Isekai

[AThousandCurses]

Shun relaxed as Sasuke convulsions started to cease. Letting go of Sasuke, Shun got back up and stretched her arms and legs. "Not even close," She said. One problem had came and one problem had been solved. The energy, the thrill of the situation permeated her body. Asahi had started healing Yuki as well, so that meant he was going to wake up soon. All they needed to do was watch out for monsters and-

"Eh?" Ayana's voice reached Shun's ears. What was she saying? Confusion came in to replace the enthusiasm inside her as she looked at her blank faced friend. "Ayana?" Was all Shun could whisper. The girl's rambling continued and her words intensifying at every syllable. Shun didn't know what to do about this. Everything seemed to slowly click into her as she fully turned to face Ayana.

She kept on going on something a rock and how they were all blind to the things that she saw? Concern started to grow, but as much as Shun wanted to stop Ayana from spilling out those words, she couldn't. What should she do? It was clear even to Shun that this was an abnormal event. Watching as Ayana balled herself, Shun moved up.

She had to do something. Even though she couldn't offer much, Shun would at least try to offer the same comfort Ayana had before. Though she even unsure herself if her words can reach through whatever Ayana was going through. "Ayana," Shun said as she headed towards Ayana. Gulping down the hesitation that she didn't know she had, Shun tried to comfort Ayana.

"I don't know, what's going on with you, but please tell us, Ayana." Shun didn't know if she was doing the right thing. Shun had half considered knocking out Ayana, but would that even be the correct move. Unknowingly even to herself, Shun too grabbed a rock from the ground. Maybe an a subconscious attempt to calm herself down, but it didn't change the fact that Shun was now armed.

[Yankee]

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The student council president did not linger around the injured for long. He was neither nurse, doctor, nor supernatural abilities expert. Once Sasuke seemed to be doing better, there wasn't any more that he could do. Stewart and Asahi worked together (sort of), eventually moving on to Endo while Kanamori fretted over the both of them. Todokawa had moved off to the side to give them room at some point, and Masato followed suite - only much farther.

He walked past the onlookers and the cooking station to somewhere between those still constructing shelters and the rest of the class. He took up a post as sentinel while he collected himself, supporting himself against a random tree. Today had been a lot. And it wasn't even over!

For now Masato was glad to have the other students play hero for saving two lives (while unbeknownst to him another played a budding villain). Once that was over with they could all just rest and prepare for the coming night. Now that everyone was gathered, for better or worse, maybe he should go and talk to Sato...? Make sure she was alright. Or maybe it was too soon after the reveal of her childhood friend's death?

Masato rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. Speaking of people he needed to hash things out with, there was also Kogen... who didn't actually seem to be around. Masato narrowed his eyes, scanning the lakeside again.

"Are you kidding me?" he said under his breath, annoyed. Was Kogen that pissed that he decided to leave? Maybe he was just hiding somewhere nearby? Masato pushed himself off of the tree with intent to find the other boy - but if he really didn't want to be found, then... well, they'd deal with that.

[Cu Chulainn]

The Wilds, ???

---

_Mentions:

Kogen made his way to the edge of the encampment, taking one look back at the rest. He considered for only a moment whether or not he should let someone know what he was about to do before he did it. Of course, Kogen had already reached the conclusion to that train of thought long ago, before he resolved himself to this quest to begin with. If he were to die, he’d be forgotten just as quickly as he was the night before, just as he was those countless times he was bullied and beaten by his tormentors long past.

So instead, he simply tightened the ripped piece of fabric that held his makeshift weapon together, a piece of his sleeve torn off to fasten the rudimentary spearhead onto its shaft. Rather than simply using the fish bones as some sort of easily-destroyed weapon, Kogen instead decided to attempt to test something else out instead. He had did his very best to imbed some of the sharpened bits of the fishbone into the piece of flint he was using to carve his weapon moments prior, believing that perhaps possessing some remnants of the beings of this world would properly pierce the flesh of these creatures.

It wasn’t a hypothesis Kogen was confident in, but it was still something that was worth testing. After all, as he knew from moments prior, if the weapon did not end up working, the boy could just as easily rely on the tried and true method of stabbing whatever he runs into hard enough to pierce their shield anyway. That aside, Kogen’s stomach growled. While he knew that his hunger would make him weaker in some respects, he would only think back to his ancestors: the hunters and gatherers who lived off of kill after kill, their hunger driving them to press forward. Nodding at this, he would step deeper into the wilds to begin his hunt.

The forest greeted him with caustic silence as Kogen slipped into the wilds. His hunger gnawed at his organs, a reminder that though he may have picked up a few hours of sleep last night, he had practically eaten nothing since. The consumption of energy must be higher for Awakened than Unawakened, judging by how quickly they had consumed the monsters’ flesh last night, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He had made his choice, and as a man, he would stick to it.

Around him was the unfamiliar greenery of a deep forest. Thick grass and weeds were tread underfoot, while the canopy provided a deep shade. He could spy a few animal trails crisscrossing through the undergrowth, but there was nothing he could chase immediately. Birds from high above flew from one treetop to the other, their squeals catching his attention from time to time. Could he throw his spear well enough to strike them though? It would be a difficult proposition, and if it broke on the way down…

There were yet other options, less hunter and more gatherer options for Kogen though. Shockingly enough, yellow flowers spotted the base of one tree. Dandelions, strangely enough. He could make tea with them. He could perhaps even eat them, if he truly trusted that they were dandelions. Mushrooms could be found growing on the sides of moss-subsumed logs as well, large white caps promising umami or death. And where fallen logs were, there were insects too, high in protein if he could swallow up his own sick.

Yet all those, from birds to plants to ants, were small game at best. They would not sustain him and they certainly weren’t worth bringing back to the encampment to rub into the faces of those who had abandoned him. The sun was still high up in the sky. He could afford to travel even deeper, even further away.

He would risk getting lost too.

No matter what he chose to do, Kogen knew that he needed some fuel for the road regardless. Because of this, weighing his options, the most “reliable” way of getting those nutrients would regretfully be the bugs under the logs. The idea made his stomach turn, but its low growling was also an indicator that it shouldn’t be a choosing beggar. Still, something to wash those creepy crawlies down would be good to have.

Inspecting the dandelions, Kogen kneeled down and sniffed at them for any funny smells. If he got a good enough vibe out of them from smell alone, he’d go so far as to pick one of them, rubbing the petals on his bottom lip, as well as crushing a bit of it in his hand. He saw this trick on the D*scovery Channel once. Something about any sort of burning, redness, or tingling is an indication that this plant was not to be trusted. Good to get this out of the way now, while he’s relatively close to the lake so he could wash off the residue.

His inspections didn’t seem to yield anything particularly harmful, but on the other hand, his body had changed to be capable of withstanding the claws of a beast. Would toxic plants even be considered toxic to him? There was only one way to find out, really. Kogen placed the petals in his mouth and swished them around, getting a sense of their taste and general mouthfeel. He didn’t swallow yet, however, juuuuust in case.

The taste was like salad without dressing, except if the salad was limp. Despite the dampness of residual dew that clung on the underside of the petals, the flavor was very much non-existent. The pollen tickled the roof of his mouth, a faint floral aroma could be smelled. No immediate reaction laid him low, however. He was still alive.

Well, no need to tempt fate for now. Kogen would spit the petals out and collect some of what he could. Now, for those bugs…

Steeling himself for the ordeal he was going to go through, Kogen lifted up the nearest damp log to see what he could find.

Things were squirming away immediately as he lifted up the first log. Some were brightly colored and exeskeletoned, clambering deeper into the holes of the rotted log, while others were more well-hidden, their camouflaged flesh undulating as they sought refuge away from the titan that tore up their home. Yet there were those wholly unbothered by the intrusion as well, eggs or larvae that were simply embedded in the underside of the log, shaped like kernels of popcorn before they popped.

It was nothing so appetizing as the massive, juicy worms that the Lion King showcased, and they were all very much still alive, liable to move around in his mouth, but, well…they were small enough. He could swallow them whole and not taste it at all.

After the thought of having any sort of meal quickly passed Kogen’s mind, an idea came to his head. Larvae are much smaller and less developed than a human, and Kogen was pretty sure at least some of them ate leaves and flowers. Pests and all that. With this in mind, Kogen grabs a grub as well as the crushed “dandelion” on the ground with the idea of feeding it the flower and seeing its reaction to it all. Surely whatever toxins are held in the flowers would be more quickly determined when going through such a small body!

The reaction was immediate…if one ignored the seven grubs that Kogen had to pluck out of the rotted log before he reached one that actually looked like it was in the mood to eat. The seventh wriggled slightly as it appeared to bite on a minuscule portion of the crushed weed, before it curled up into a ball.

With this new discovery, Kogen would grab his bottle of water, swishing a bit of it in his mouth before spitting it out. After washing his mouth of the petaly residue, Kogen will then seek out a less-inebriated bug to pop in his mouth. He wondered if crushing their little heads will make them going down the pipe a lot easier, but decided to just try and yeet it in their anyway and see what’ll happen. Bottom’s up!

Bitter. That’s what it tasted like. Like a shrimp gone wrong, except so much smaller than it. Rather than any texture of meat, it tasted like paste instead, whatever muscles the larva may have had been too flimsy and ill-formed to offer a proper bite or bounce. The micro-organs that Kogen’s molars had crushed were what caused the flavor, and considering the size of the larva itself? It would be a drop of rain in a bucket. Who knew how many of these he’d have to chomp down before he felt even a slight satisfaction? Well, one way to find out. Kogen drank some more water before holding his breath and scarfing down more of these little things, hoping that bitter taste will just fade with time.

With his stomach full of bugs, Kogen would let out a small burp as he drank a bit more water to wash it down. While it wasn’t a particularly filling meal, it probably was enough for Kogen to press on with his hunt. With that in mind, though, Kogen made the conscious decision of pocketing a couple more grubs. Maybe with their miniscule nutritional value, they could serve as potent enough ways for Kogen to trigger his newfound abilities, namely a bit of minor healing.

Seeing that there was no other direction to go but forward, Kogen would press on into the wilds, to find mightier prey.

The further away he went from the lake, the quieter and more insular his surroundings became. The canopy thickened, thick roots growing out from the dark earth, the soil fed by countless cycles of wither and rebirth. A dampness was collecting upon his skin, the dappled shafts of sunlight that had once given the forest a natural beauty becoming more and more sparse.

The lake had been an oasis, perhaps. A spot of tranquility, compared to the depths of true wilderness just a short hike away. And the first signs of that broken tranquility soon faced him head-on, as Kogen almost stepped into an indent on the ground, one of many that crossed his current path at a diagonal.

Footprints, pawprints.

Just the right size for the pads of those hulk-phants from last night.

Looking at the trail on the ground, Kogen swallowed almost nervously. Even with his armor, he wasn’t quite sure if he could take on even one of those things on his own. Dealing with a whole pack of them was a different story altogether. Stepping back a bit, Kogen shifted course, tracing his steps back to where he was.

The boy still intended to hunt, but taking a detour without knowing where he was would prove more troublesome than it was really worth it to be.

Diverging in the opposite direction that those hulk-phants had gone, Kogen sketched in his notebook as he walked, gradually creating a rudimentary sketch of his understanding of the path he took. Though he had no particular experience in cartography to begin with, that mountain in the distance, the one that he had seen when he first reached the lake with the others, served as enough of a landmark to navigate with.

And worst comes to worst? He could climb a tree and take a look from there.

As he got further away, however, an aroma began to drift in the air. It was a sweet smell, like fruit, drawing him to a patch of the woods where the sunlight broke through to reveal a large, bulbous fruit that sat upon a mound of green leaves. Shaped like peach but with a vividly-red skin that gradated into green the way that dragonfruit may have, it was perhaps the size of a watermelon. A lucky find, certainly, in a forest like this. Or perhaps it was a common fruit, and the students simply haven’t foraged through the woods enough to encounter it until now?

A windfall! Kogen’s keen sense of smell has led him to a place filled with food! Still, though, the boy could not help but feel as if even this was suspicious. They are, after all, in another world where panthers shoot lasers out of their eyes… or something like that. He wasn’t quite paying attention to that. What he did pay attention to, however, was that certain plants use their sweet smell to draw in prey. Perhaps this could also be the case here?

Either way, it was a useful find to begin with, but for a different reason. Being sure to make a few notable landmarks to this place, namely marking some trees or making some rock mounds on the path leading to it, Kogen would make his return to the camp. Perhaps if he could get someone else to step into this glade, to partake in the fruit before he did, he could then see if this truly was something he could call his own find…

… or perhaps a weapon he could use against his traitorous kin.

[ERode]

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//Day 1 | Location: Nameless Forest - Lakeside
_{@AThousandCurses@baraquiel@Nakushita@Yankee@Vertigo@Cu Chulainn}
There it was. The first to go loopy.

And there was no way Hiroshi was going to leave, no way he was going to miss out on this. Was it a side effect from consuming the golden blood? Was this another manifestation of the stranger powers that the Awakened possessed? Was it literally just owing to the rock that Ayana had picked up, some sort of light-novel-esque curse? Or did that perpetual klutz always have some sort of underlying mental condition? Regardless of what it really was, Yukiko was looking increasingly nervous, Masato had decided to leave the whole situation without even a backwards glance, Duncan was about as wide-eyed and empty-brained as the basketball ace could be expected, and only Shun was willing to step up.

Good girl. He should find an opportunity to chat with her some time. Pick at her brain too. But for now?

“Daisuke, help Yukiko get the three of them to the shelter. They can rest up better there.” Exacting words, the sort of words to inspire action.

Daisuke’s expression was a bit complex though, casting a glance towards his best friend. “You comin’ with?”

A shake of his head. Of course Hiroshi wasn’t going to.

The vibes of this whole situation, of the nonsense that Ayana suddenly spouted off, wasn’t anything that Daisuke really got. He generally just avoided Kogen for the same reason; it was hard for him to parse just how serious people were being about that sort of stuff. And while the klutz’s crazy laughter had set him on edge…he wasn’t going to try anything if all she was doing was laughing. A sigh escaped between his teeth. “Yukiko, go hoist up Asahi, yeah?” A slap upon his broad chest. “I can carry out the other two.”

And so, the group gradually dispersed.

And so, there were soon just three, to witness the continuation of Ayana’s spiral: Shun, Duncan, and Hiroshi.

---

After an admittedly half-hearted effort to locate Kogen (the dude was Awakened; he could take care of himself), Masato headed back to where the others were. Most of them had transitioned to eating the fish that Kumi had cooked up by now, happy to have something hot and tasty to bite upon. The Ito twins were squatted over the fireplace in their gym shorts, both of them soaked to the skin from the fishing they’ve done, while Rin and her crew at the shelter were continuing to make things bigger and better, the inventor-in-making apparently having hit her stride. She looked a bit shaky, perhaps owing to the constant usage of her own Facsimile, but she looked about as energetic as she had been for weeks.

Elsewhere, Ayano was side-eyeing Fujita and Haruko as the two of them had a conversation that seemed uncharacteristically animated, while Tsubaki spoke with Maki over the matters of their own injuries. Neither of them were dead, which meant that once Asahi recovered, he could probably help Maki fix up her own broken bones too. It was good news, better news once Yukiko and Daisuke hauled the three unconscious (but healthy-ish) boys to where Tsubasa and Ayane, the twin talents of the Arts and Crafts Club, were weaving together what looked to be blankets out of the surrounding reeds, plants, and branches.

“Over here, Masato,” Tsubasa called, when their gazes met. “You have to tell us: what happened over there? They look so much healthier now!”

There was no reason for him to refuse her summons, was there?

…

And that, of course, was what Kogen saw when he stomped back through the woods, his own stomach growling. Everyone else getting along, eating fish and warming themselves up by the fire. The injured all healed up, the shelter built to grand heights, and even Ayana and Shun making up with Duncan in the distance, if his eyes didn’t deceive him.

They forgave betrayal easily, didn’t they?

But he?

He saw Masato there with Tsubasa, enjoying a merry fucking time, despite having done absolutely jack shit. Asahi was the one that knocked himself out and Masato had the fucking gall to just sit there, soaking in all the praise for those achievements?

Kogen never forgave. And it was too early to forget.

[Nakushita]

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@AThousandCurses@Yankee@Erode@baraquiel@Vertigo

Sapphire eyes shifting watching as some of the group dispersed, she paid them no mind. Her gaze slowly but surely found hold on Shun as she approached her. A wordless smile on her face as Shun’s words of concern didn’t bring forth any consideration. Ayana came to a sudden stop a short distance away from her approaching classmate.

Having not uttered a word or made a single sound since her last one, when she had just been so free with her words moments before. Her loose hair dangling down in a messy scraggly mess covering portions of her face. Partially hiding bits of her bright blue eyes from view as she stared dead ahead. Her eyes finally moved down and towards the rock that Shun had armed herself with. Her attention focused solely on Shun and none of the others that had decided to stay behind.

"Hey Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” finally breaking the silence as she let out a small humored laugh. “You have nothing more than a rock in your hands Shun, what do you plan to do with that? Don’t you see the difference between them Shun…?” Lifting up the blackened rock in the palm of her right hand and in view of Shun. “You see…this is far greater than just a rock, don’t you understand? Doesn’t anyone understand or see what I can see? It's all right here in the palm of my hand Shun!” Standing her ground as her smile remained in place. Not having a single doubt in her mind that what she held was what she believed it to be, a tool of great power and destiny. Confidence brimming from her every pore as she showed no signs of relenting.

“As for Ayana…..that name is not fitting any more, it is not the full truth of who I really am, you see Shun, none of you know this, but I’m so much more then just Ayana, none of you can see what I can see, or understand what I can understand, you are all blind to it, you all do not have the gift, I promised myself long ago never to allow my true self to resurface, but that has been broken and I couldn’t feel any better! It's like I have been reborn once again!” Bringing the rock to her chest as she thudded it in pride. Tilting her head aside as she placed her other hand on her hip. Feeling a renewed energy coursing through her entire body. She felt incredible, like everything made sense to her finally, like she had a never-ending wellspring of energy bursting out of her very being.

“It looks like you need a lesson, to become enlightened ... .as to the error of your ways…” slowly shuffling her feet forward as she inched her way ever closer towards Shun. Her right hand shifted into the side waistband of her skirt and past her hip. Her left hand holding the blackened glistening rock by her other side as she got within reach of Shun. Leaning forward as she brought both of her hands behind her back clasping them together as she leaned her head to the other side.

Bright blue eyes locking onto Shun’s rock, “You have already lost, I have what you do not, I have the tool that will overcome any little mere rock Shun…..” without warning bringing her right hand around from behind her back, something white within the palm of her hand as she slapped it against the rock in Shun’s hands. Before taking a step back and away from Shun with a big confident grin across her smug looking face.

When Shun finally realized what she had done, it would be too late, a piece of paper having been slapped atop of her rock. When Shun came to this realization, Ayana began to laugh once more. “You see, I told you that you already lost, paper beats rock Shun, you should have known better!” Laughing hard enough to cause herself to have to rest her hands on her knees when she ran out of breath. Wiping a tear from her cheek as she let herself fall backwards and onto the ground on her bum.

Crossing her legs, before crossing her arms across her chest she looked up at Shun quietly. Her right hand moving to her chin and giving it a rub, the black rock still visible in her left hand. After some consideration and thought she broke her silence again. “Do you truly wish to know what I can see? To take on the burden of the knowledge that I possess? This……” Holding up the rock in front of herself once more and before Shun. “This is a part of something so much bigger than you understand, it is difficult….but if you really want to know…..then you must come closer….” Blue eyes ablaze with passion and energy as she finished her last request, the smile having never left her face. Testing Shun’s resolve, to see if she was worthy of knowing what Ayana had to share.

Shun winced as the rock in her hand was disarmed from her. A piece of paper had covered it up. What was happening? Everything that Not Ayana said went through from one ear and out the other. Any sympathy Shun had for the person in front of her quickly faded away. It was a headache trying to listen to her.

After Not Ayana finished speaking, Shun considered her offer. If she accepted her offer, then she’d be able to understand Ayana on a better level than before. Social queues and rooms were really never her thing, but if she accepted that hand, that’d change. Still something felt wrong about this. Something that Shun needed to address before accepting that hand.

“Only on one condition. You solve a problem for me.” Yes, if Not Ayana knew everything about everything, then she’d be able to solve this certain conundrum. Clearing up her throat, Shun began to speak.

“You see, it started on this one shiny sunny day when I woke up in my bed to the smell of breakfast. I was naturally surprised since it was a Monday and dad was usually drunk off his ass the night before. When I came downstairs I saw my mom instead of dad and I was like so confused, because mom never cooks. You see mom always makes my dad do all the cooking since she’s busy with work and stuff and she knows how to twist my dad around her finger. Anyways it must have been a special occasion since she never cooks. As I was saying so she was saying that we were going to have a new neighbor and I was like ‘wow really?” and she was like, ‘yes, Shun now please eat breakfast before I burn the house down,’ so I decided to eat breakfast. It tasted kind of burnt though. Anyways as I was saying, you see, it was Monday and everybody hates mondays you know? One time Higasa recited a poem to me about Mondays and how they were a doomsday day that for every Monday the world was going to end. May he rest in peace. As I was saying, so I as I was walking to school I saw this foreign looking girl walking across the street. Oh yeah I forgot to mention that the reason why my mom was making breakfast was because we were going to have a new neighbor. Though whenever she cooks it usually means that she wants to murder someone. Anyways just to remind you that there was a new foreign girl walking down this street. It was a new face you know, so I just had to talk to her. Though when I tried to walk up to her, I almost got ran over the car. I was so entranced about her appearance that I completely forgot that she was on the other side of the road. Though it was almost exciting dodging a car at the last second, you know? Well that’s not what the driver said and he was pretty upset. Don’t know why, he should have kept his eyes on the road. Anyways, as I was saying, when I looked back up, she was gone. It shocked me. She was just there and then she wasn’t there. Maybe, she could teleport. Can foreigners teleport? I’d have to ask Duncan later, but anyways I was now late to school. With a piece of toast in my mouth, I accidentally shoved Tsutsumi into a trash bin, woops sorry about that eyepatch-kun, and in my haste to get to school. Though thanks to his sacrifice I got the speed boost I needed to pass through the school gate. I saw the Class President through the window and he didn’t seem impressed. He had his arms crossed like this, you know? Anyways I was making my way to the classroom and then I had a revelation. Maybe Duncan knew who the foreigner was. Maybe she was some sort of distant relative twice removed. I saw that kind of plot in a manga once you know? Anyways, tripping over Rin, who was minding her own business, I needed to find where Duncan was. So I asked Asahi who was trying to talk to Sasuke and my fellow peer seemed frustrated over it. Don’t know why. Anyways he said he didn’t know, so I asked Sasuke. Sasuke said I’d have better luck talking to Endo, so I went to Endo. Turns out Endo was the one who was harassing Satoshi-Chan, so I did a majestic backflip and kicked him in the face. Everybody was impressed, but that didn’t matter right now. I needed to find out where Duncan was. So I asked the hit second place in command Nakagawa and asked where Duncan was. Apparently Duncan was outside smoking and doing some yankee stuff or something like that. With my new destination at hand, I dashed out of the gym. Oh yeah I went to the gym because Sasuke suggested it by the way. I accidentally bumped into Hana along the way and asked what she was doing because she was standing oddly in the hallway. She said that she saw some sort of rodent along the way and was planning to deal with. I don’t know why she would, she could have asked the janitor, and maybe it was fun trying to catch a rat. Maybe I should try that one day, oh wait I have yesterday. Well anyways, I finally managed to find Duncan who was currently squaring up against Akito. It seemed like they were having an argument over something. But whatever they were arguing about wasn’t important. I needed to find out who that foreign girl was. So I tried to grab Duncan’s attention by screaming at him. It worked but it only seemed to make him a lot angrier. Though it grabbed the attention of the adults and we had to disperse. Akito ran off somewhere in between, I don’t know when, but now I finally had Duncan to myself. But he was still mad at me, so I needed to find a way to calm him down. Oh yeah, you were also there. Apparently you were there too. You were like holding a pair of scissors and then sudden you slipped on the floor. The scissors almost clipped my ear off, but thankfully it missed me by a hair. As you were slipping by the floor, it seemed like Duncan was so surprised that he lost his mean face for a bit. Thanks by the way for that. It was time for me to finally ask my question. So I ask, “Hey Duncan did your cousin transfer and over?” and he looked very confused. I told him that about my mom and stuff and that we were getting a neighbor thought that seemed to confuse him. He was like, “What does this have to do with me?” And then I told him that I saw a foreigner and wondered if he could use his telepathic powers to call her so we can meet. Apparently he didn’t really like that and walked off. Now I was left with no leads and nothing else to do. That’s when it hit me. Mom was talking about Cathy! Do you know who Cathy is?”

Shun had an uncharacteristic serious look on her face as she finished her sentence. It had bothered her ever since that day. Who was that foreign girl, why was she there? Shun needed these answers from Not Ayana before accepting her terms.

Remaining silent as her blue eyes did not move from Shun the entire time she spoke. Listening to everything she had to say word for word as Shun after a long winded explanation finally got to her actual question.

______________________________________________________________________

Ayana lowered her head for a moment tucking her chin into her chest as she let her hair dangle down. Her face shaded and hidden briefly from view as she hid her expression and reaction. “Cathy?.....Cathy you say?....” slowly lifting her head back up to look Shun in the eyes. A smile still on her smug mug. “I don’t have a clue of what you speak, I’m not telepathic, nor do I know everything about everyone to have ever existed, no no no, you have misunderstood my power…” Glancing down at the blackened source of power within the palm of her hand as she started to laugh.

Bringing it up nice and close to her own face as she turned it over in the palm of her hand. “You see, the great power bestowed upon me is much greater than being able to read someone's mind, or use some magical power to learn what someone’s motive is…staring into this void….I can get glimpses of the future….this item holds great power within it Shun, and it holds it within me as the one that is blessed and bestowed this mighty gift” Nodding her head in confirmation and reassurance in what she believed to be the truth. Her gaze shifting from the rock as she lowered it and made eye contact with Shun once more.

Remaining seated with her legs crossed she tilted her head side bringing her free hand to her chin and holding it in place. “Though you seem quite serious about this Shun, quite serious indeed, so I do not mind lending you a hand in your grand quest, of course if you allow the truth to settle within your heart….” Slowly she started to uncross her legs and rise from the ground. Once standing she dusted herself off and looked down at her ruffled and torn clothing giving a small shrug.

Without warning and without waiting, she darted forward until she was within inches of Shun, coming to a little skid before her. Tucking her hands behind the small of her own back as she leaned her head forward, beside Shun’s ear, a quiet whisper leaving her lips. “Shun Babyyyyyyy, why don’t you let me in……the truth is, I can even glimpse parts of your future if I focus hard enough…now won’t you accept the truth into your heart and soullllllll……” drawing out her last word before slowly pulling her head back. Without warning taking a few hops backwards to get some distance between them once again.

Rocking back and forth on the heels of her feet, her smug face lit up with great interest. “Isn’t this a fun little game? Won’t you agree? You get to know the true me at long last, what a true blessing this has been for me, to finally be able to emerge once again and take the role I was born and destined to hold, you are the first one to finally show signs of shaking off your blindness and your lack of vision, the truth must be accepted by all…..otherwise they will be doomed…..” foreboding within her tone, whatever thought process going through her head seemed jumbled and unclear. She was wild and unpredictable, even though she did not know what this little game of hers would lead to. But she was thoroughly enjoying every little moment of it while it lasted.

Shun was still. The sickly honey words that Not Ayana whispered down into her ears watered down her brain. “So you don’t know why Cathy is…” A defeated tone place of the once serious girl. Not even Not Ayana knew what she was talking about. All of what she was were lies. Understanding? It was a two way road not a one way. It was a shame, because what happened next would shock everyone around.

“CATHYESES FISTS IN YOUR MOUTH!” Fire burned in her body as Shun landed an intense uppercut into Not Ayana’s face. From the very beginning Shun wasn’t believing in what Not Ayana was saying. After all, she wasn’t Ayana. The second was stranger danger, like how you don’t trust strangers who offer you candy. Not Ayana gave off bad vibes and Shun was willing to experience all out.

Sailing up into the air, Shun twisted her body to head straight down at Not Ayana. “YOU’RE WRONG, AYANA! ROCKET BEATS PAPER!” And in the instant her body glowed with the second activation of her facsimile. All it did was increase speed! It didn’t matter if she matter, or not, as long as she was moving, she could activate it.

“Blindness? I want to experience that! Truth? What’s the point of being told when I can find it out myself!” Shun shouted hysterically. What was the point of everything if you knew about it before even trying it? In fact, it seemed like Not Ayana was trying to scam her as if she was a telemarketer.

“It’s okay to make mistakes! After all! They’re always a new experience!” Sailing straight at Ayana, Shun had a ferocious look on her as she descended down at mach speed.

______________________________________________________________________

Nodding her head in agreement with what Shun had begun to say. The smugness not leaving her face as she knew she had much work to do. Even though Shun came off as defeated, Ayana knew she had no answers for the questions that she wanted answered. After all, that had nothing to do with the gift she had been blessed with. Her gift was so much more than a tool to find out gossip around town. Shun just needed her eyes opened to the truth, to open her arms wide and take it all in. To let herself experience the world with new eyes for the first time, to break the chains and accept reality in a way never thought possible.

†̵̢̫͎̙̯̎̓̔͂͘ṛ̸̨͖̻̺̀̃̽̂̑µ̸̨̛͖̭̤̮̒̃̅͘§̷͓͚̖̻͕̎̾͋͠͝†̶̛̰̗̬̠̜͌̓͛́ ̸̥̫̦̘̄͊̆̚̚ͅð̷̳̜̫̮̣͊́̀͑̉ņ̶̼̟͔̩̃̽͂͐̆͝l̵̟͓͚͖̰̔̇̔̔̚¥̶̢̬͉̝̱̃̃͋̆̀ ̵̛̯͇̣͇͉̾̾̽͠¥̸̯̫̪̦̬̉͗͊̇̚ð̴̧̗̘̼̩̎̂̃̓͛µ̸̨̛̹̱̟̍̈̿͂͜r̶̨̰̥̳͖̈̌̈́͑̑§̵̧̛̯̜̳͎̇̑̂͆ê̸͖̣̼̜͚̓̉̽̆̚l̷̺͙̳̏̃͗̀̈͜ͅ£̸̛̻̞̙̟̬́͐͐̆ ̷̡̭͉̪̊̓́̔͝ͅą̵̡͕̮̯̊͆̏̑̒̆ĺ̴̟̮͖̻̻̑̾̋͝l̶̙̳̹̭̮͂́̔̏̑ ̵̫͉͎̠̼́̈́̋̐͘ð̴̪̘̞̝͈̿̂̔̽͗†̶̫̪͚̓̅̈̇́ͅͅh̷̡͖͈̖̟͂̔͂͂̈́ê̵͚͓̰̠̭̍̀́̇̚ŕ̵̩̗̺̜̮̃̑̒͌§̷̨̛͍̦̟̊̂̎̎ͅ ̸̨͓̠̺͓́̎̔̍̾å̴͚͖̣̫̹̔́́̾͂r̴̮̲̖͕͆̀͐̋͝ͅê̶̡̖̮͉͙͆͒̌̊̌ ̶̟̤͓̰͚̌͐̒̕̚µ̸̢̜̫̖͍͌̀̓͑̾ñ̸̮̖̘̯̤͒̓̈̃̕w̸̬̩̲̖͖̽͑̅̎̈ð̷̳͎͍͎̲̉̒̅̄͠r̴̮̙͓̰͕̽̌͌̓̏†̴͖͎̹̰̖̈̔̍̒̈́h̸̜͎͎͈͑͊͆͘͘͜¥̴̖̼̙̱͗̃̌͛̕͜

Keeping her arms behind her back as she smiled at Shun, keeping her rock firmly clenched in the palm of her hand. She knew that soon it would be time to spread the word to all those around her. It was her duty, it was her honored privilege, it was part of who she was. If they wouldn’t understand, then she would make them all understand, one at a time, no matter what it took.

“Of course, but that does not mean that I can’t assist you if you are willing to embrace the truth into your heart and soul, into your mind and body ... .after all my true name is……” Shun catches Ayana off guard with a swift move, using her facsimile to her advantage. Moving at a blur to the sapphire eyes of Ayana. Shun’s fist meets her chin and violently snaps Ayana’s head backwards, messy hair being sent all about from the whiplash of the blow. Lifting Ayana off of her feet and sending her tumbling and falling backwards with a thud.

Not even a cry of pain or surprise was able to escape her lips as the blow had been so sudden, leaving her stunned from the impact. Blue eyes dazed as not only had she not had been in position to defend herself, she had also had her rock behind her back, having landed on it in the process of falling. Only making the situation worse as it dug into the middle of her back. Legs and arms sprawled out on either side of her as she stared straight up into the sky. Visions and flashbacks flashing through her mind as her mind had become such a blur, chaotic and wild.

It took her a moment to recompose her thoughts and realize where she was at again, coming out of her stunned stupor, just in time to spot Shun already preparing for her next blow. Ayana did not budge or even try to move a muscle. Blue eyes ablaze with a fiery and intense passion as she started to laugh once again. “Then you can remain blind to the truth, but someday you will come crawling back, wanting to experience it for yourself! Do what you must….but I already knew this would be the end result….I knew this is what you would choose to do!” Her laughter filling the air around them even as Shun came flying down at full speed with her facsimile.

Spreading her arms out wide, a big toothy smile across her face, welcoming the next attack with open arms “Lets see this rocket of yours, to see if it is truly worthy of a title such as myself!” All Shun would see as she landed was Ayana’s intense blue eyes, her demented smile and a happiness that would not be expected. Ayana did nothing to avoid it, or to lessen its blow, Shun’s heels of her feet digging into Ayana’s torso with an immediate and blunt impact that rammed her roughly into the ground. Ayana continued to laugh until the very last moment of impact, which brought silence soon after. Bones cracking underneath the pressure, being pushed past the limits of their flexibility, snapping and giving way to the blow. The klutz had experienced many accidents in the past, but nothing as forceful as this.

Dust having been stirred into the air as Ayana lay motionless underneath Shun, eyes closed and not a sound coming from her. Before she began to cough, blue eyes opened wide as she tried to draw air into her battered lungs. A smile soon returned to her face as a strained laugh escaped her lips. Her hands slowly but surely trailing up towards Shun’s ankles as she grabbed a hold of them with a weak grip.

𓆪Ģ̷̧̺̬͚̄̽̀͒͠i̷̮̣͈͚̻͊́̿̿̓v̴̛̥̳͓͕̳͂̄̄͝ě̶̡̱͚̞̖̄̊̃̈́ ̶̼̲̘̩̯̏̓͒̐̅i̸̖̬͕͖̮͗̈͊̕͘ń̵̨̬͕͇͎̓͒̋́ ̶̧̜̹̝͓̿͐̈́̚͘t̵̻̖̱̝͉́̍̽̅͝ö̴̪̪̣̠̗͛̀̒̏ ̴̱͎̟̟̠̍̈́̀̽́ÿ̷̢̝̗̻́͆̓́̊ͅo̵͍̪͍̝͖̐͗̉̅͝u̵͕̦̗̪͇͑̀́̇͘r̸̗̮̠͉̳̉̓̈̚͠ ̵͓̞̩̦̗̉̋͑͆̎ṭ̷̩̪̠͕̎͊̓̈́̈́r̷̘̳̠̣̫͛̄̂̓͘ṵ̷̜̹̖̝̇̀̈́̄́é̶̡̖̤̺͇̀͊̑̚ ̵͎͉̯̳̮̄̆̾͝͝s̵̪͙̦̥̯̏̄̓̄̆ę̵̱̜͈̩̒͒̇̃͂l̷͈͚̰̭͉̉̿̐͆́f̴̧̩͖̖̥̅͂̄̌̈

“I have taken many…..blows before….but that was by far the most forceful one…..I felt my bones giving away to it…..cracking and breaking....however…you are not worthy of the truth….that is clear to me now…” staggered and difficult words being forced from her lips with as much effort as she could muster.

“You will never be blessed like I have become…..you will not be honored, you will forever remain blind…what a shame…what a shame….” gritting her teeth through the pain, a grimace masking her features even beneath her smile that never ceased. Trying to laugh again, followed by a series of coughs.The intense pain she felt radiating from her chest and torso was immeasurable. It was amazing that she was even still conscious after such a blow, but if anything the klutz was durable.

She was injured, but alive, and that was all that mattered to her. Soon she would spread the truth, soon they would all come to understand. Soon they will have no choice but to accept it into their hearts and souls. Soon they would come to know her true self, her true name and title, even if it killed her.

Lifting her head up slowly from the ground, eyes ablaze with determination, gritting through the pain. Even if Shun had proved to be not worthy, it was time to reveal her true name and title. It had been put off long enough…she had arrived and she was here to stay whether they liked it or not. Her grip increased on Shun’s ankles as she began to speak once again, not yet finished. They must all know, it was destiny for them to know.

“You may not be worthy….but I feel generous…my true name…..” Trailing off at the end as her smile began to grow, the smugness returning as she swelled up with great pride.

“Oros The Clumsy….”

Letting her words hang in the air for a brief moment as she began to laugh once again having finally revealed her true name to someone for the first time in ages. It felt like a large weight had been removed from her shoulders. Finally releasing Shun’s ankles, reaching her right hand behind her back, slowly dragging out the rock that had been digging into her back this entire time….”And this is…..my Endless Eclipse….” Her eyes staring into the blackened void of her prized possession. It remained unclear if she was just insane, or if there was any truth behind her claims, but for her it was the full truth. The full truth that she had come to spread to the unworthy and the blind.

[ERode]

---

//Night 1 | Location: Nameless Forest - Lakeside
_{@AThousandCurses@baraquiel@Nakushita@Yankee@Vertigo@Cu Chulainn}
It smelled of pine and spring.

Asahi’s eyes opened, one at a time. It had been the deepest, most dreamless sleep he had had in years, and yet he still felt tired at the end of it, as if he hadn’t recovered at all. There was perhaps some clarity in his vision, perhaps his head no longer felt so woozy, but that sensation of lightness, as his body responded a touch too slow for his mind, persisted. He was starving. A couple of fish wouldn’t do it. He had given so much, suffered so much, and in the end?

Well, it had been worth it.

Framed by firelight, Sasuke sat beside him, offering a slight nod, a slight smile, as he chewed upon a skewered fish. Whatever injuries he had suffered from, whatever the effects of the blood-purge caused by Duncan’s ichor, the youth was there beside Asahi now, a starlight brilliance in his dark blue eyes. It was a miracle, a miracle that they had all struggled through to obtain. And it was their blueprint too now, the elixir they could use to bring anyone else back.

Almost as much of a miracle, really, as the fact that the shelter they were now in had walls. Not high enough to rise to the top of the poles, but tall enough to block out the wind and the bugs. Mud had been caked against a frame made of wooden poles, a primitive yet effective solution, and the architect of all this free-standing shelter, Rin, was curled up in a corner of the space, alongside one of the Ito twins, snoring with such a ferocity that Asahi wondered how he even stayed asleep for that long.

If he closed his eyes though, he could almost imagine it. That they were at that camping spot up in the mountains, two years ago. That they were back in Japan, just a one-hour bus ride away from home.

“Oh hey, Duncan,” Maki’s voice sounded out, followed by a light kick that alerted the dozing basketball ace. “Looks like Asahi’s up now.”

Yuki, however, wasn’t.

While his complexion had improved the same way that Sasuke had, he remained unconsciousness, nothing more than a limp body resting upon the leaf-woven blankets that Tsubasa and Masato had made together. Haruko and Daisuke were present too, the former flashing a smile towards Asahi when their eyes met, while the latter was constantly peeking over the top of the wall, as if checking on the situation.

And what the situation was?

Well, even if they weren’t that close, there was no way Ayane would see her step-sister get smashed into the dirt and stay silent over it.

…

Shun hadn’t had much time to rest, not when she had borne the brunt of Ayane’s tirade immediately after breaking a good couple dozen bones in Ayana’s body and sending the girl straight to bed. Why had she done it? Why did she resort to such extreme levels of violence? What the fuck did Ayana even do to deserve this? Was being stressed and then snapping from it all that wrong? It wasn’t like everyone was out to break Kogen’s skull in, no matter how many dirty looks or weird words the chuunibyou spat out on the regular, so why do that to Ayana? Over a rock too!

Hiroshi tried to mediate, of course, but Duncan had peaced out long ago and while he knew a lot about everything, emotional situations like this wasn’t something he understood how to handle. Shun’s left cheek remained unmarred by the terrific slap that Ayane delivered; the fashionista’s own hand was still an angry, throbbing red from the impact. Even when the others rushed over to break up this one-sided fight, they too had questions. The rock that Ayana clutched so desperately even in her unconscious state didn’t look all that special at all, outside of being black, and there wasn’t really any way for them all to understand how this whole chain of events had happened.

What triggered Ayana to start bringing up a chuuni moniker? Why did Shun decide extreme, near-lethal violence was the way to resolve the situation?

They all sat by the fire now, except for a select few who had checked out into the shelter or were still handling menial tasks around the campsite. Enough time had passed, at least, that Ayane herself had managed to hold back her anger enough that she wasn’t going to lash out anymore, but, well, it all depended on it, didn’t it?

What Ayana was like when she stirred.

How she would respond, when she realized the Endless Eclipse was missing from her person.

Firewood crackled.

Her eyes opened.

[Nakushita]

______________________________________________________________________

@AThousandCurses@Yankee@Erode@baraquiel@Vertigo

Blue eyes once more fluttering open, Ayana laid there staring directly up into the sky. It took a moment for thoughts to flood back into her head, to get a grasp of her surroundings, the crackling of firewood, the presence of others nearby. It all became clear to her, she remained silent as she slowly and gingerly tried to sit up from her prone position.

A jolt went down her spine, a sharp pain stabbing into her side at the slightest of movement. Wincing and grimacing as her right hand went to her rib cage, propping herself up with her left as she tried to get into a sitting position that was more comfortable. Only a quiet murmur escaping her pained lips. A grimace, blue eyes searching around her, taking in all who sat near the fire and close to her.

How long had she been out? Shun had really done a number on her, it took a fair bit of effort to even make the simplest and smallest of moves. “Damn, it feels like I got my ass kicked really good….but for some strange reason, it's like Shun uppercut me so hard that I now have a sudden urge, a strange urge….. to kiss a little green amphibious friend….I must have hit my head right after the uppercut, or when she drop kicked me….”her voice is a mere mutter. Her jaw is still feeling tender and sore after Shun’s sneak attack uppercut. Despite this, she felt no ill will towards Shun for the ass kicking she had given her. Shun was just trying to help in her own way, to try to make Ayana understand.

But the only thing Ayana understood right now was that she was missing something very important. Her Endless Eclipse is no longer within her grasp, nor in sight anywhere nearby. It was clear someone had taken it, but it was of little consequence, they couldn’t keep it from her forever. She would find it again, it was destiny that it returned to her hand and no one could hope to thwart this destiny. They may keep it hidden for now, but even without it, Ayana knew she would be just fine.

Rubbing her rib cage, she let out a sigh “You know, I can’t explain this feeling, I took the ass beating of a lifetime in a game of rock, paper, uppercut, dropkick, scissors….yet I don’t feel sad, or even discouraged…I feel….blessed in a way, even joyful…..” Her grimace and frown slowly left, replaced with a growing smile. Full of happiness and pride, she had never felt more alive then now, the pain only meant she was alive, and boy was it a joyful experience, a blessed experience.

Turning her head and attention to the others gathered around the fire, Ayana spread her arms apart to either side of her “I have a confession, I have not been truthful with any of you, or myself….I am Ayana, but I am not Ayana…the truth may be difficult to swallow, but it is the whole truth, the only truth….I want to help you all understand, to see what I can see…if only you will accept me…” Keeping her arms spread apart as if she wished to embrace every single one of her fellow classmates nearby. Sapphire eyes searching the faces of her classmates for any reaction. Her joy and happiness radiated from her, she could finally be full and true self. She could guide them, to open their eyes and accept her into their hearts and soul.

No amount of violence could dissuade her, what was done was done. She would heal and recover as she always had done so. There were benefits to being clumsy, her durability had been built up, her resilience slowly nourished with each and every incident. It would not be easy, but it had to be done, if they wished to make it out of this world alive.

[AThousandCurses]

The young school girl sat to her formerly-presently-undetermined unconscious friend. After beating her down, Shun had realized that she may had gone a touch overboard. Her fellow students seemed to have the same opinion. At that moment, it seemed reasonable to Shun to try and knock some sense into Ayana. After everything they went through, it wouldn't surprised Shun that Ayana would be possessed by some sort of spirit from this otherworld.

Though Shun jumped when Ayana started to jump. Unfortunately, it seemed that there some screws loose in her head, but Shun didn't opt for violence as an option again. "Hehe, Ayana, are you alright?" The delivery was shaky, but the sincerity behind it was real. Shun stayed silent at the mention of rock paper scissors. Her face went red in embarrassment over that incident.

When Ayana opened her arms for a hug, Shun made sure to only hug with one arm. The reason being that Ayana probably hadn't fully recovered from the beating of a life time. "I'm glad you're back half-Ayana, half-not Ayana." Without delay, Shun took out some food. She had asked Kumi for some food earlier in the case that Ayana woke up. Now that she it was, Shun took it upon herself to be responsible for her recovery. Grabbing a spoonful of the food, she thrusted the utensil inside Ayana's mouth. After all, that's what friends were for right?

At the time, the rock Ayana was carrying around was picked up by Shun. Shun didn't know why Ayana had it, but it must have been important. Stowing it away into some part of her clothes, Shun was going to give it back to Ayana eventually. Since she didn't ask, Shun decided not to give it back. Her friend's health now was more important than an ordinary rock found on a field.

[baraquiel]

---

Upon waking up, Asahi panicked for a second when the sky was black. When he realized it was just night, he softly groaned and stretched his limbs. "Ugh, I feel so hungry..." He grumbled, rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes as he turned to face the other direction. He saw Sasuke smiling and nodding at him while eating skewered fish. Asahi blinked at him, his mind still hazy from overexerting himself earlier and using too much energy.

When he realized it was indeed Sasuke and he wasn't dreaming, Asahi nodded back in greeting. "Hey." He simply replied before closing his eyes. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that he was still exhausted even after a deep sleep, but he was thankful for that because he wouldn't have been able to contain his joy and excitement upon seeing his classmate alive and well.

The memory of what Sasuke was like earlier this morning was burned into Asahi's mind. The purplish lips, the ashen white complexion, the way his heartbeat was getting slower and slower. He vowed to never let that happen to him again. The vow was also for his other classmates of course, it's just that Sasuke will always have first priority.

Asahi spent a couple more minutes resting and getting his bearings before gradually sitting up properly. Yawning, he looked around his surroundings and found that the group had made camp by the lake. He was both surprised and delighted to notice their group had advanced so much that they started building walls. It's definitely an improvement from the last time.

"Please, please. Save the applause for later~" He teased and waved his hand at his classmates when they were noticing he was up and they greeted him. It was only right that they acknowledged him and his Awakened power. Sure, Duncan had the golden blood that could heal anyone but Asahi's connection threads made sure everything was in proper order.

When he noticed Yuki was still sound asleep, Asahi grimaced. "That doesn't seem right. Is Yuki still sleeping this entire time?" He asked Maki while he reached out to place a hand over Yuki's forehead. He did the same to Sasuke and felt his forehead and neck, smirking as the youth looked as handsome and energetic as ever.

Asahi then snapped his fingers multiple times. "Alrighty then. Someone get me food. Lots of 'em. I need to eat to replenish as much of my energy as I could so I can go check out Yuki's situation. Daisuke, go ask around if anyone's feeling funny or something hurts with them and tell them to come here to me. Duncan, be ready in case we're gonna need your blood again. Try to make the hole smaller this time, save up your energy as much as you can."