The Jest

Digimon: Dawn's Glimmering (Dead)

Digimon Emperor

???

Standing in front of the path out of the open area was an odd sight to be sure. The first thing being the little purple-haired boy - couldn’t be any older than 11 or 12 - with eyes just as violet as the hair, and wearing a checker-print scarf, a golden skull necklace with a brown bird on top, and a black cape atop an all-white attire of long-sleeve shirt and pants, with black sneakers to complete the set. It practically screamed of an immature edge, but given his assumed age, it’s likely to be expected. It seems he was the one who jump-scared them and then slipping to the road before they noticed.

A strange boy...

But it was the second thing they might have noticed that may ring some mental alarm bells. Floating behind and slightly to the left of him was seemingly another child about his height and seemingly age. But it was wearing a white cloth covering most of the torso, going over one shoulder, barefoot with giant golden rings on his wrists and ankles. He had short blonde hair and radiant blue eyes, but most importantly of all, this boy had wings. 12 wings, to be exact, the very same 12 wings they saw on the screen when they were asked that question.

An Angel...

The mood they gave out was night and day, while the boy was smiling, practically excited at seeing them, the angel behind him also gave a smile, but one that was smaller, calmer, and brimming with a certain confidence to it, as if everything was going according to some kind of plan.

It’s pretty clear who’s responsible for bringing them here.

“There is no need for alarm. You have not died, but nor is this a dream.” The winged boy said, his voice as calm and serene as he looked.

"But it ain't our world either...Well, not yet anyways." The other boy said, his voice excitable and filled with an immature confidence one would expect from someone of his age range, that goofy smile plastered on his face as he puts his hands behind his head. The two seemed practically polar opposite in their tone and demeanor, to a point where it was almost akin to a comedy duo.

"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves..." The angel said as descended onto the ground and walked forward towards the group.

"You who have chosen emancipation from the suffering of your world, We bid you welcome to our own. This place is a realm created within and beyond the confines of your technology, evolving and growing in relation to your own. Thus, you humans may refer to it as the "Digital World", the denizens of which - myself begrudgingly deemed among them - are known as Digital Monsters, or Digimon for short. My name is Lucemon, the master of this domain." The angel said, his calm prideful smile never leaving his face as he did.

"Before you ask, don't worry, he's not the Devil and this isn't hell...I think. I made that mistake too when I first came here. ...The name's Ty, by the way. ...Uhhh, Is she alright?" Ty said afterwards with a smile on his face, before it slowly faded into a relatively concerned frown when she noticed a lady weakly giggling among them. He seemed like he was going to continue saying stuff after introducing himself but faltered as soon as she noticed Beatrice. It didn't take much observation to tell she was unwell, though it didn't seem like it was due to anything related to their present circumstances...It looked as if she was like this as soon as she got there. Lucemon - slightly irritated at Ty's interrupted comment - seemed to notice her as well, but seemed to have paid it little mind. He also noticed that they seem to be one human short. Did they refuse, perhaps, or was there an error in connection? No matter, they will have to deal with that later, right now time was of the essence. With that in mind, he cleared his throat and continued.

"Some of you may have been collectively invited somewhere in your world before coming here, let me start by saying that I was not the one who led you there. No doubt the one who gave you your invitation will soon summon them here just as I have for all of you. As such, we have not the time to waste, so I shall be brief. I have summoned you all here to grant an offer. True to my word, you sought an escape from your pain, the freedom to be unrestrained in your desires, and we shall provide. However, do not mistaken this as an act of mere charity; we will require your services in exchange, as those chosen by destiny. Aid us in our endeavors, and I shall relinquish my dominion over this world to you. Everything you see before you from the ground to the very sky will be yours to use as you see fit." He explained, spreading his wings and floating once again near the end, that smile once again on his face.

@Spydorking @Mike Dracopyra @TopGrail @TheRealGhost

---

Vergil

Hale Koa Hotel

"...Was this some kind of joke?"

That was all he could say, muttering to himself as he entered the Ballroom, and stared at the others who have arrived there with him.

From the second he arrived in Hawaii, staring at the building from just outside its entrance, he was suspicious of the intent of whoever gave him and his brother an invite. As large as his family was, and as popular as his big brother was, a random invitation to a place as luxurious as this - all expenses paid to boot - was not something one just gives to a middle-class family out of the blue. That's ignoring the fact that of all his siblings they choose to invite the talentless thug and the useless runt to such a place.

From the moment he chose to come here, there was a small part of him that figured that this was just some kind of coincidence or scam, that he was gonna encounter some asshat at the airport while on an airplane, or even arriving on the island state itself who was gonna try to "arrange" a stay for some kind of price and con him out of money, maybe even use the brat as some kind of ransom hostage for the rest of them. He was ready to sock someone in the face from the moment he left his house behind, only to find that everything from beginning to end was legit. No sign of trouble, no issue getting on the plane, or getting out of the Hawaiian airport, not a single obstacle keeping him from arriving at where he was now.

Now that he was here, staring at the front of a hotel he would sooner be seen escorted out of than ever staying in, any doubts he had left faded to dust. This was no coincidence; whoever invited them here had to have been responsible for the brat's disappearance. He had no idea why he'd disappear before the invite would even come to them, and he honestly couldn't care less.

One way or another, even if it means playing along with this bullshit, he is gonna get answers out of whoever brought him here, even if it means beating it out of them.

Without delay or distraction, ignoring just about everything but what was in front of him, he showed the invite to the front desk, got his key, and went to his room. Just as luxurious and out of his league as he expected it to be, he looked around and noticed a note:

GO TO THE BALLROOM

Amazing... He hasn't even met the guy yet, and the second he saw that note stringing him along, he already wanted to break the teeth of whoever's responsible for this. That's got to be a new record for him.

Not even bothering to put his bag down, simply carrying it with him over his shoulder, he did what the note told him and headed out towards the Ballroom. As much as he wanted to just tear the note to pieces and lay back in his room just to spite the sponsor, He didn't come all the way to this hotel from the opposite side of the country just to kick back in a place like this. Whoever's responsible for this seemed to know what they're doing, and likely won't show themselves until he does what they want.

When he got there, however, he ended up seeing a rather colorful bunch of people enjoying a prepared buffet with some ominous PC at the far end. Clearly a pack of misfits and idiots in their own right, but he guesses one has to be stupid to come all the way out here at the behest of some anonymous jackass. The whole thing felt like a convention in the worst way; if he didn't know any better he may not have been too far off the mark on this being some kind of prank.

Not bothering to say much of anything, but choosing to not bother with the buffet either, he took a seat by the window and silently stared out as a storm looked close to arriving.

He wasn't interested in making friends; the sooner he could find the one running this and get the answers he needed, the sooner he can fuck off back home and move on with his life. With, or most likely without, that troublesome little punk in tow.

Digimon: Dawn's Glimmering (Dead)

Vergil Falcon

Name
Vergil Falcon

Age
17

Physical Description


Important items
Family Pendent
He has a gold-coated circular pendent necklace with a small falcon etched on it. It can open up to reveal a small picture of his fives siblings and his father cobbled together in a messy, seemingly ruined attempt to do a family portrait.

Travel Bag
Hardly ever a day where you see him without hiking bag over his shoulder, within which contains typical necessities, first-aid equipment, and snacks.

Personality
Simply put: Vergil is a jerk. He's rough-edged, blunt as a rock, and makes it perfectly clear that he's not looking to interact with others. From the beginning, Vergil has been a boy craving to be strong, to be seen by his elder brothers as their equal, rather than living in their shadow. His life beyond his family in the urban jungle of New York made him jaded and cynical, the only thing keeping him off the deep-end sooner being a kind mother who passed on long before he was ready to accept it, and lashed out towards those who messed with him violently as a result.

Vergil had no real talent, envious of the family around him that were gifted in their own unique ways. Tried as he might to have his older brothers teach him to be strong, they never truly had the chance, so he had to learn to fend for himself. As such, feelings like honor and chivalry in a fight were meaningless words to him, merely the self-restraint of cowards. Pragmatic to a fault in any situation, he's not afraid to play or fight dirty to get what he wants. When his youngest brother was shown to be as seemingly talentless as himself, he couldn't help but project himself hard onto him, verbally beating him down to try and drive him to be stronger as he himself is.

if there was one thing he cared about and had any loyalty for, it was his family. It was driven into his head that his family is something he had to be there for, and for whom would be there for him. Defensive of them to a fault, and willing to go through beatdown after beatdown, outright risking his own life if it means making them happy. He has no self-worth, and so he sees no future for himself compared to them, and so he feels a sense of purpose to help two of his younger siblings to make a decent future for themselves with their talents. He was contempt with the idea of living off the street for them, not caring about the expectations of anyone else.

Even with the youngest, he at least genuinely believes he's trying to drive him to be able to face what he could not at his age. His envy for the attention his little brother had drove him to thoughts of wanting him gone, and when he was, he tried to push forward and move on while hiding the guilt of being responsible for it, responsible for his family's misery, but after finding a potential lead, he made his decision to follow it, regardless of what kind of trouble it would put him in, to find the little brat and if he is alive, drag him back home. Therein lies his more favorable traits: No real interest in other people or even his own standing in society, but once he is focused on something, fueled by familial responsibility, he will not rest until he gets what he wants. No matter who or what stands in his way, no matter how out of his league he may be, for them, he would walk into hell without question or hesitation.

Short Bio
Born the third in a dysfunctional family of 6 children and a single father, living in the big city of New York, Vergil had a rough life from the get go. He still remembers parts of his childhood, admiring the eldest brother who he felt as if he could do no wrong and the next eldest who had strength he could only dream of, the kindness of his mother, a school teacher before her untimely death, and the expectations of an even stronger father for each child to find their talents and find peace through them.

However, the boy Vergil found he had no real talent to speak of. He was far from smart in spite of his attempts to learn, he was far from strong in spite of his attempts to fight. He admired his eldest brother Jordan, who cheered him on to be the best at what he could be... But he never could. Nothing he did was good enough in comparison to everyone else, always living in the shadow of his different flavors of betters. Even outside - especially outside - he found no rest, bullied and beaten by those who saw him as easy prey.

To make matters worse, the mother that was there to help comfort him was no longer with him, due to complications of the birth of the 6th and final child. Her loss impacted the family a great deal. The father tried his best for them, with his two elder brothers now too focused on helping out, but still they struggled to keep whatever they had left. Meanwhile, Vergil was struggling through high school and two of his little siblings are too young to do much to help in spite of their own talents. He started getting into fights with his bullies, and any other thugs who happen to be in sight, using them as nothing more than training dummies, then robbing them blind as his own little way of helping out the rest of the family. Desperate times call desperate measures after all.

As the youngest brother slowly grew up and went to school, he realized that, just like him, the boy had little to no real talent. He had a "unique" perception on things, but it didn't seem to help him much with school, leading to bullying on his part as well. Vergil saw himself in the boy - his weak and helpless past was reflected in this little boy's eyes - and his lackadaisical attitude of accepting his lot in life felt like a spit in the face for everything he worked hard to overcome. Perhaps it's because of that that Vergil was especially cruel and aggressive to the boy, bullying him and reminding him of his insignificance compared to the rest of his family. Yet, one day Jordan decided to take it upon himself to train the boy up, something he never bothered with for Vergil himself for reasons unknown to him.

Seething over the jealousy of the one brother he looked up to passing him over for a lazy talentless runt like the boy, he could do nothing but wish that the boy would just disappear from his life.

One day, as if fate listened to him, he got exactly what he wanted. Without a trace of how it happened, the runt disappeared from their life. He was in his room one day and the next he just...wasn't. A Missing Person report was filed and the police were involved, but in the end, nothing could be found to hint to where he went off to or how he vanished. It seemed like he was just doomed to share the fate of other such cases, never to be seen alive again.

There were many emotions Vergil was experiencing at the time: Shock, Sorrow, Regret, Guilt, but most appallingly, relief. Knowing that this was what he wanted was something that even struck himself as unnerving, and as if to force down those thoughts, he came to the conclusion that the kid was dead and wanted to move on with his life. That was what he wanted, but staring at the depressed faces of his family, the sadness so clear in all of them, he couldn't bring himself to just leave it be no matter how much he wanted to...

Especially when, very soon after the disappearance, two letters were found for himself and the little brother they lost, inviting them to Hawaii for whatever reason. It didn't take long for him to connect the dots and assume that this was connected somehow to the disappearance. There was little chance that the brat was still alive, telling himself he has no interest in looking into it. But he was the one who wished for this happen, and he was effectively the one who may have brought this misery down on the people he cares about; it was his responsibility to try and set things right. With that in mind, he took the invitations and traveled across the country to Hawaii.

If the boy was dead, at least there'd be closure - and perhaps even revenge - but if he's still alive, he will find him, and he will drag him back home kicking and screaming. Either way, he will get his answers!

Skills
High Endurance/Willpower
Vergil has been training his body through exercise and suffering. He has lost as many battles as he won - more than some may argue - and his response every time was to heal up, train harder, and try again until he wins. Every loss he had was another reason to train, and this especially went for his two older brothers who he has never manage to win against. As a result, he has become rather durable in addition to being physically strong. He can take some decent blows and get back up for more. Of course, he's only human and does have his limits, especially in regards to Digimon, but even so, he'll try his damnedest to get back up.

Experienced Street Fighter
Unlike the other Falcons, Vergil is undisciplined and self-taught on how to fight, getting into fights often during his time at school and outright picking fights with his older brothers. His way of fighting is simple and likely predictable, but effective for someone with his kind of build, and his experience has led him to improvise well enough in a fight to hold his own in spite of this.

---

Pulsemon

Name
Pulsemon

Age
3

Physical Description


Type
Beastkin/Vaccine

Personality
Pulsemon is about as energetic as his appearance suggests, a lively sort who prefers spending his time training himself up in mind, body, and spirit. The mon has a dream, and he's damn sure he can reach it. That's not to say he isn't an introvert in his exercises nor self-focused solely on it. He often helps out other Digimon around him with whatever they need to the best of his abilities, particularly beating back any bullies messing with the weaker ones, encouraging other Digimon to get strong themselves.

Because of how his life has been before the tale of Jesmon rung in his ears the first time, there's nothing that annoys him more than the disinterested and bullies, often fighting against the latter and trying to perk Digimon up to avoid the former. What he desires above all else is the power to be strong, to do whatever it takes to reach the top by his own hand and his own will, and then use that power to help out those who cannot help themselves, to encourage them to his level. To him, power should be treated with respect by those who've earned it by having fun with those who are their equal, and helping out those beneath them.

That said, He's a bit of an arrogant sort for a rookie, often cocky because of how much he trained and experienced, chalking up any curb-stomping by higher levels as "warming up". In the regards of digivolution, he acts like a lone wolf. The thought of digivolving simply by having a human with a digivice on hand at all times - not to mention it being a temporary digivolution at that - is a disappointment for him, comparing it to athletic doping. One could argue that he's in denial about the fact that digivolving any other way is not entirely possible, but he would tell you where to stick that remark.

Short Bio
The earliest thing of interest that Pulsemon could remember was a story told when he was about a year old. Until then, he was simply another Digimon lackadaisically living his life, bullied by some and disregarded by others before meeting a story-telling Jijimon one day.

The idea of digivolution and becoming stronger as a result was a far-off dream for most Digimon, but Jijimon told the story of how the Royal Knight known as Gankoomon trained a young Digimon named Hackmon to do just that. The legend goes that the Wandering Royal Knight Gankoomon found a rookie-level Digimon known as Hackmon, and decided to take him as his apprentice and successor to the title of Royal Knight, something that felt inconceivable for the world back then. The training was harsh, brutal, and some may say even cruel, but with an unfailing drive, Hackmon succeeded and became the Royal Knight "Jesmon".

For Jijimon, this was simply a fun story for the young Digimon with a good moral to it. For Pulsemon, it was just the drive he needed to give his life meaning, the motivation and goal he can work his life towards. He wanted to be strong, he wanted power, and most of all, he wanted to Digivolve!

Ever since, he trained and trained himself, fighting back against rookie level bullies that treated him as a weakling, encouraging others to train up whenever he can, and never losing that passion, even in the face of failure after failure.

One day, however, he was encountered by a purple Dragon, Dorumon, who claimed to know of the legend of Jesmon...No, rather, he claimed to know Jesmon himself, as well as Gankoomon, confirming the legends to be true. He then gave the little guy to join him to help save the world from its tyrants, and in exchange, Pulsemon will be taught how to digivolve as he wanted.

For Pulsemon, the decision was a no-brainer.

Powers
Electric Rush
Rams into the enemy with all its might at lightning speed.

Minor Impulse
Discharges electricity generated within its body from its fringe.

Future Evolutions
Dokimon > Bibimon > Pulsemon > Bulkmon > Boutmon > Kazuchimon > ???

EDIT: The CSes are now complete. ^^

@Letter Bee @Ryik

Digimon: Dawn's Glimmering (Dead)

While those who arrived at the call of the invitation would find themselves eventually in that ballroom, a select few may not get the chance to do so. There are still some that have yet to even reach the hotel let alone the ballroom inside, whether by not receiving their invitation in the first place for one reason or another, or declining their chance to partake in it.

It seems fate gets what it wants one way or another, by intended design or by a twisted sense of humor. Most may accept its guidance… while some are drafted to it.

Those select few inside the hotel, just after they enter their room and notice the note saying to go to the ballroom, would notice something strange to happen before they have the chance to heed the note. Those who were not at the hotel themselves, instead residing in the comfort of their own rooms, would notice much the same all of a sudden.

A monitor in their room - be it the TV of the Hotel room, or the screen of their computer or TV in their own room - would suddenly turn on without any action of their own, but there would be nothing upon it but a black screen. For those on the computer at the time, it would seem as if their computer just…restarted itself. However, rather than start up the way one would expect it in modern times, jumping straight to starting the OS, instead it’s the black screen with system information you see when first booting up the computer back in the 90s. In addition, it’s not quite the same information they’re used to seeing. …In fact, it wasn’t really information at all. It seemed to be a collection of bizarre symbols masquerading as letters all but parodying the 90s Start up screen. Whatever information was being shown here, it didn’t seem like much more than random gibberish. Was the computer broken? Was there a Virus on it perhaps?

But those in the hotel or without a computer of their own would find something even more bizarre: Their TVs were showing the exact same screen, as if they themselves were computers, and their room’s lights were blacked out as if there was an electrical malfunction.

Before any of them have a chance to ask what’s going on, the screen changed again, this time to a new black screen, some kind of grey translucent logo appeared of what looked like 12 white wings with a single blinking white rectangle to the center-left of the screen, typing down a message in an actual language this time, in a “Courier” font reminiscent of old 90s Computers.

DO YOU SEEK FREEDOM? DO YOU SEEK ESCAPE? (Y/N)

A single space afterwards and the blinking white rectangle would remain in its new position, as if waiting for user response.

Those on a computer could just type one of the corresponding Keys on their computer. For those on the TV, however, the white Rectangle highlights the “Y” and could be moved to either position with their remote.

For one reason or another, they chose “Y”. As a result, their screen became bombarded with those symbols again, filling the whole screen and moving downward at a rapid pace, making the screen hard on the eyes, as it started to distort in the center, the rapid symbols seeming to shape themselves into some kind of tunnel as it felt like the screen they were staring at got bigger and bigger, that they were getting closer and closer to it. They may panic, some may try to turn away or shut off their screen, only to find that, for some reason, they couldn’t move, completely paralyzed as the screen and its symbols got bigger and bigger until the screen became a black hole with the moving symbols along down the tunnel’s sides blotting out their vision. It continued like this for a few seconds, until they saw a quite literal light at the end of the tunnel. It started off small like a star in the night sky, but eventually it became blinding to the point that they may instinctively close or cover their eyes.

The light faded to black, and for a few seconds, there was nothing. One might assume they somehow died.

But slowly, they would hear something in the distance, faint at first, but gradually becoming clearer; the sound of a voice, then two voices as if talking to each other. It would be hard to make out what they were saying at first; like an imaginary echo with no source, it was a disorienting audial blur. However, eventually, all of their senses would slowly return to them. Their sense of touch felt that they were somehow laying down, and the texture of where they were laying was far softer and more dirt-like than it should be. Their sense of smell and taste gave them the impression of nature as the fresh scents of plants entered their noses. Their eyes as they open them would likely still be blurry, but it was far brighter and likely far more colorful than wherever they were before. Finally, what they were hearing was slowly clearing up, and it was becoming clear that some people were talking to each other over their dubiously conscious bodies.

It seems they were somehow knocked out after they stared at the screen. When they finally came to, however, the first thing they saw and heard was…

Morning, Sleepy heads!

A high-pitched boyish voice, seemingly belonging to the purple-haired child staring at them all as they wake.

The moment they fully awaken and find that their senses are in order will be the moment they realize something is very, very, wrong.

For one thing, they’re no longer where they were before. Be it the Hotel room, or their room, or wherever else they were at the time, this was far from any of that. They were now outside, a bright sunny day, in the middle of a forest. The area itself was open enough that they were all in one spot, but they were surrounded by trees on all sides but one sole path.

The boy who seemed to jumpscare them upon waking was already nowhere to be seen. It appears to be just them with naught but the sound of wind bristling through the trees and each other to keep them company.

Little do they seem to know that from beyond those very trees… They were being watched.

@Petulant @Spydorking @Mike Dracopyra @TopGrail @TheRealGhost

Digimon: Dawn's Glimmering (Dead)

@ReksewTrebla

Beyond what Ryik's already said, I have no objections either. Approval 3/3. Unanimous.

Please make the edits Ryik suggested, then get it on the CHAR section. ^^

Digimon: Dawn's Glimmering (Dead)

@Mike Dracopyra @TheRealGhost @TopGrail

Just one thing of note to Ghost: The Personality section applies to Digimon as well. ^^;

Other than that, Approval 3/3. All three of you have Green Light. You may put your CSes in the CHAR section now. ^^ (And we'd appreciate it if Ghost gives Elizamon a personality section.)

Digimon: Dawn's Glimmering (Dead)

@Spydorking Unanimous Approval. Get them in the CHAR section. ^^

Digimon: Dawn's Glimmering (Dead)

@Aku the Samurai Approval 2/3

Digimon: Dawn's Glimmering (Dead)

@Letter Bee @Rune_Alchemist

Unanimous Approval on both CSes.

You're both good to go. ^^

Fenix Tear [Invite | Ask Only]

Kotaro Kuzunoha

It seems, yet again, Kotaro was caught in a whirlwind of events before he could manage to get an answer out of the Yuki-onna, with Kaiga springing back from her illusion, and her illusion itself breaking down - "Setsuka" included - as the environment revealed itself to be drastically different than he originally thought. The throne room was more worse for wear, there was now a giant tower of ice or some kind of crystal was just outside the castle. No, it's more like...the throne room detached from the castle and the castle itself became the tower?

Anyways, most importantly, there were more people here now than just Setsuka and Kaiga, there was another man and a woman as well, and Setsuka herself seemed worse for wear... something he never thought he'd see, being as powerful as she was.

It was easy to see what happened, but harder to actually believe it. Whoever these other two were, they must have been fighting against Setsuka and actually winning against her. Kitsune, like Yuki-Onna, are illusionists by nature, and illusions require concentration to maintain properly. The stronger the illusion, the more focus and concentration one must have in sustaining it. If someone were to break that concentration, the illusion naturally falls apart like melted ice. Given what he's seeing, these two must have broken Setsuka's concentration, which led to the illusion Kotaro and Kaiga were in falling apart at the seams. No, not the two of them. One of them was front and center facing the Yokai down, the other stood far back from the action as it happens, spectating the situation as Setsuka seemingly summoned up tentacles to consume the children's remains, and empowered herself further.

Kotaro could feel a sudden tightening of his chest as he looked at everything transpiring. As he suspected, the kids who were imprisoned with him are already dead. This situation went far beyond what he could have imagined, and whatever fear he had before skyrocketed as he listened to Setsuka make her statement to the new guy who stood to face her.

"My, oh my, how absurd, to think that there would be another Devil Slayer on par with Gray Fullbuster, Zagrebal will awaken soon, and for the first time in 400 years, I too, will awaken!"

"She's still on about that...?" Kotaro thought as the tightening started to loosen. In order for a devil to properly enter the world, they need a vessel to possess, usually a human. Even if she awakens Zagrebal, it should just be an intangible existence without a vessel to use. He thought that was why she brought those other kids to the castle, but she just killed all of them, apparently as sacrifices to resurrect it.

So...What's her endgame here?

"Hey kid...are these other kids really...fake."

As if to snap the boy out of his thoughts, the fire guy asked him a question. To be honest, Kotaro almost forgot he was here.

"Yeah, ...She was toying with us the whole time. Our entire interaction with her was a diversion to keep us from the real thing. Looks like somebody else took the wool off our eyes though; but it's too late... She... she got what she wanted out of them. The real kids...they're gone." He responded to him, trying to hold back tears. He didn't know these other kids at all, he only managed to interact with them for, what, 10 minutes tops? Even then, it's unsure if the kids he was talking with were even real or just the illusions Setsuka conjured up. Even so, it's easy for him to forget that he's still a kid too; kids weren't supposed to see the horrors he's seen just now. Were it not for Tai's teachings and training, who knows what this kind of trauma would do to his mind; even then, seeing those kids' corpses be taken away still etched itself into his head. To a point where he wasn't paying attention at the grandiose nature of the battle going on in front of him between Setsuka and the Time Wizard Ifrit.

In the middle of talking to him, he put his hands to Kaiga's injuries, summoning up wind spiria around them to help heal Kaiga's wounds.

"It's not much, but it should help you get by for now..."

"I'm Kaiga Agniyastra of Fenix Tear, the rest of my guild should be outside now. If you have any information that could help, that would be greatly appreciated."

"You face an agent of the King of Bargrovyzaria! Chronicler of the Fenix Tear! And Master of the Lost Arts!"

Fenix...Tear?

"Go west, to the land of pendragons where the flaming bird cries, You will find what you need at the gathering of its tears."

As if given a cold splash of icy water to his face, his emotions were once again whiplashed. It was as if something clicked in his mind and connected all the dots.

The riddle his master left him before he was taken away, the riddle that started Kotaro on his journey away from his home of Hizuru and traveling to Avalon in the first place... At first, he couldn't figure it out; he just assumed that he'd find the answer when he made it to Pergrande Kingdom, and that this kidnapping just was a prolonged hinderance to that. But the whole time he's been here, it's been staring him in the face!

"Fenix Tear...Master Tai was telling me to join Fenix Tear!"

Virtually on instinct - like a furnace coming to life - the boy went into his kitsune like form. His three tails alit with his overwhelming intermingling emotions of anger and hope, until it bursts out of the three and they coalesced together, as if becoming a cocoon, and from out of it burst forth a 4th tail.

Kotaro didn't seem to notice the new tail on his back, his eyes staring at the woman who was supposed to be dead by whatever the laughing Time wizard threw at her while he wasn't looking...No, it's possible that that was just another illusion the Yuki-onna made against him as well.

"Zagrebal is close to awakening, it seems that it needs a vessel."

So he was right, she does still need a vessel to contain whatever she's summoning. But she killed off all the kids that were gathered as an offering to bring it here in the first place. In that case, she must be planning on this devil possessing someone currently present in this room. Either two Fenix Tear members present, the regal lady standing in the back of the throne room, or Kotaro himself. As far as he remembers from studying, Devils aren't too picky over who they choose to possess, so having the most likely one leave isn't going to help matters much.

"Aside from what you already know about her, there's only two things I'm certain about. ...First is that that guy's not gonna be able to beat her alone, and secondly, that lacrima should probably take priority. Those kids got sacrificed to summon a devil, and by the looks of it, it's coming out of that crystal egg up there. She's a Yuki-Onna, so fire should be effective against her as well." Kotaro said. The problem is that this particular Yuki-Onna is strong enough to be on par with his Master; even fighting her together with these other wizards here would be incredibly tough at best. She's strong enough that any fire magic that's not strong enough might not actually faze her, natural weakness or not - Assuming at this point that she's even still a yuki-onna or still have that weakness at all.

The path to the egg may as well be blocked by a wall of thick diamond. Speaking of which, there's also no guarantee that the Lacrima is gonna be easy to break either, assuming that destroying it won't just release the devil inside that much faster.

To be frank, this seemed practically suicidal. But time is running out, and Setsuka's definitely going to kill these people if nothing is done. As much as he values his own life, he can't let her destroy the only leads he's got to his goal either.

"Your majesty, ...I truly appreciate the offer you gave me to come out of this alive, but I can't walk away, not anymore. My journey ends here!" Kotaro said, taking out his water jug. Sticking his fiery hand in the jug made it erupt a thick steam covering most of the throne room area. Thicker than it usually is, actually, much to Kotaro's own surprise.

"Kitsune Magic: Hollow Forest Mist"

Kotaro wasn't going to lie to himself: this was probably a stupid idea. Never mind the fact that he basically made himself a target so blatantly, but this particular Yuki-Onna fought against Master Tai, which meant she probably knew all of his magics. Even if she didn't, he's nowhere near his mentor level as far as those magics are concerned.

In a battle of illusion versus illusion, well, it was a child fighting against an adult. She has hundred of years worth of experience with her illusion magic, and Kotaro just barely made it to double-digit age! It's unlikely that any illusions he makes from the fog is going to stick. The fact that whatever illusions are made are also shaped by Setsuka's own mind makes it more likely she'll figure out what's going on.

...But that's not the only benefit Hollow Forest Mist has. Illusion or no, It's still a thick fog that hinders sight, a smoke screen that's good for distractions. Illusions require concentration and it's hard to concentrate when the enemy could attack from anywhere and had the element of surprise.

Of course, the door swings both ways. It's not like Kotaro can make others able to see in it either. But considering Setsuka's and the crystal's positioning - combined with Ifrit's odd shiny eyes and Kaiga's brutish nature - it seems likely the fog won't be as much a hinderance to them as it (hopefully) might be for Setsuka.

Even so, there are plenty of ways this could end badly for him, and everyone else in the room. Truth be told, the chance of this working like Kotaro wants is slim to none.

But he had to try. For his master's sake, for his own sake, he had to try!

"There's only one reason to ever fight a losing battle..."

Fenix Tear [Invite | Ask Only]

Kotaro Kuzunoha



...Well, this was Emotional and Mental whiplash if Kotaro ever saw it.

Of course he didn't expect fire-guy to stand down as he requested. He himself was a kid and clearly out of his league, and by god did he know it. If truth be told, deep down, he was indeed hoping he'd help out and they might tag-team. Not that he was expecting to beat her, but maybe keeping her distracted would somehow weaken the mind control spell on the other kids? To be frank, he was grasping at straws, utterly terrified of what he was about to do, what he was about to fight; what he should have been doing at that point was not backing down on the original plan of being a distraction. After all, those kids weren't going anywhere as long as that mind control spell was in place, and as a kid himself, he had neither the strength nor the time to drag those kids out of the castle himself. The fire-guy at least looked strong enough to carry a couple between his arms and go out of there much faster.

Of course, before he had the chance to say anything - whether gratitude for teaming up or insisting he grabs the kids and run - he made his move.

"What the-HEY WAIT!" Was all Kotaro could get out of his mouth before the fire-cracker threw himself at the Yuki-onna crashing both of them through the wall and now falling down outside...

Or at least, that's what he thought happened.

In a way, Yuki-Onna truly are the rival race of the Kitsune; they are equal opposites in their origins, their existence...

...and most importantly in this case, their ability to deceive and trick the mind through a thickly-veiled mirage.

Setsuka was, in truth, still in front of the throne, having still just stood up, and the Firestarter, well now he was trapped in some illusional loop, falling without the impact. With him now incapacitated, it was just Kotaro that could stand in the way between her and these kids behind him.

Although trained by Tai in the art of illusions, even he couldn't see through Setsuka's. Like Kaiga, he also thought he saw them both crashing through the wall behind the throne, before he blinked and Setsuka was right back where she started. Which made him start to wonder: how much power of illusion did this woman have? Or rather, how much of what Kotaro seeing right now - from the castle, to the kids behind them, to Setsuka herself - real, and how much of it is an illusion this Yuki-Onna crafted to deceive his eyes?

None of that mattered at the moment though, for now that Kaiga was out of the picture, Setsuka's focus was now on Kotaro, and as soon as her eyes' cold gaze met him, he tensed up with sword in hand, readying for what might be his final fight.

But then, to say things took a turn was an understatement; things more took a screeching swerve.

"Kitsune. That magic power essence, I never thought I'd taste it once more, it's been 400 years since I fought Tai. How pathetic, yet another mere human is his successor? How disappointing, oh well, as Queen of Iceberg, all enmity against you is severed, you may take your leave, this instance. Had I known sooner, that Hizuru arranged an appointment, then, by all means have an intelligent discussion."

Wha- ...Wait, what?

Her sensing and recognizing his Kitsune magic wasn't a surprise. Given how powerful she is, her knowing and outright dropping his Master's name also wasn't too much of a surprise. Tai told him about how dangerous a Yuki-Onna is; that was probably due to fighting against one before - fighting against this one before - and clearly it must have ended in some kind of draw.

No, what really surprised him, to the point where he lowered his guard in confusion, was that firstly, she was apparently the queen of this land of ice? Well, they are in a castle, and she was on a throne, but how does a foreigner - a Yokai at that - become queen of mainland country so far from Hizuru? Secondly, and most importantly, She essentially ends the battle on good terms, as condescending about it as she seems to be.

"Nope, I have no further business here, Have a good day!" That's what Kotaro wants to say right now, immediately leaving the castle and never coming back.

But no, he couldn't bring himself to leave the kids here like this, and he couldn't leave the fire guy just falling endlessly like that after he's been trying to help in his own...brutish way.

"So let mask you lad, you're free to go or do you have business with Iceberg because we haven't been accepting foreigners since then, though I made it as gesture of goodwill against my rival to not touch what is his."

Well, that confirms her relationship with Tai; Kotaro would think that the view must be great from the glass house she put herself in when mentioning foreigners, but hell, this might as well be a castle of glass considering how frozen over it is.

As much as he wants to take her offer though... He took a deep breath before slowly breathing out. Composing himself, he sheathed his sword and looked at her.

"I didn't exactly come here of my own free will, your majesty. Your creepy clown jumped and grabbed me on my way through the mainland, and brought me here, no doubt to end up like them..."

"End up like them." The moment those words reached his mouth, an epiphany came to mind as if struck by a thought he never had before. No... More like, struck by a thought he subconsciously tried to hide from himself.

Come to think of it, if this was something of advanced mind control magic, why was he the only kid unaffected? They tied him up and took his sword, but that's all they did, and he knows they weren't brainwashed like that when he was with them in the cell. If it was just activated later on, why wasn't he brainwashed as well?

He looked at the kids behind him again, staring at their blanked out expressions from the mind control, and all the pieces were starting to come together in his mind.

And the picture they made, was something truly nauseous. The reason he was in this castle to begin with, the reason all these kids were in the castle, those creepy people grouping around Setsuka, and Setsuka's showing of her clearly powerful illusions. Everything pointed to one, tragic conclusion.

"...The other kids...they're "gone", aren't they? ...If you thought we had a chance of rescuing and escaping with them, you'd have killed us by now. You distracted us with fake kids so that you can use the real ones for your ritual uninterrupted. If it's a ritual that requires using kids as some kind of offering, ...it must be to summon a Devil, right?"

Kotaro may be young, and he doesn't seem himself as any prodigy, but he is also very studious; Tai practically forced the little kid to be and compressed as much knowledge into his little head as could. In particular, he studied Devils while on his journey, hoping he might be able to find a way to take down the one that framed his Master and put him on this path in the first place. Offering sacrifices in a dark ritual to an entity of evil is an unfortunately common story to hear and read about.

He wanted to remain calm, if only to keep her from killing him next, but something inside him began to stir, a sudden subtle ache in his chest that was difficult for him to explain, perhaps a physical symptom of how anxious and disgusted he was, as it dawns on him that these kids who were kidnapped just like him are now probably dead.

"...Why? Why would you do all this? You're queen of a land of snow, far larger than any of the mountains of Hizuru, and you're clearly strong enough that you don't have to worry about gaining food here. What's there to gain by summoning Zagre-" That was when Kotaro felt the quaking as the Castle shifted. The illusion kept him from seeing the castle's transformation into the R-System tower of crystallized Ether.

But he didn't need to see to realize at this point that something was very, very wrong.