Vainganronpa: Trigger Happy Halcyon

A spotlight shone on the small black ram as it stood at attention next to an ominous button. Arden struggled in his energy-depleted powersuit to loosen the blindfold covering his eyes. He couldn't even manage to move an inch.

The ram swayed from side to side as it watched the old man struggle, finally pushing the button once he'd had enough time to build up despair. A massive cloud of magical energy surrounded the old man- his greatest fear. Magic made Ardan sick to his stomach. The tendrils of light wrapped themselves around him and squeezed so hard that his powersuit gave way and crumbled into several pieces, many of which landed on the floor, suspending the old man in midair.

[Wavering Whirlpool!- Ardan's Execution: Executed!]

The tendrils of magic engulfed the old man and spun him around and around, flashing different bright colors as they continued to speed up. Ardan's head swam, and as more pieces of his powersuit broke away, they got caught in the vortex and sliced through his skin whenever they made contact. Ardan tried to move his body- any direction would be fine- but he no longer had any control over himself. Magic and machine encircled him and tortured him, burning him, grazing him, bruising him. It was a very painful way to die.

Finally, the light gave one giant flash before fizzling out with a loud *POP!* and everything still in the vortex came to a sudden halt, dropping to the ground before the laughing ram. Among scattered pieces of the man's powersuit was the remains of his body- nothing more than a dismembered skeleton.

The ram's shoulders shivered as it continued to laugh maniacally at the old man.

The massive castle towers over the roof of the forest in this peacefully quiet area. It's like the fold stands at the center of the entire world. It's sent out invitations to top soldiers in every field imaginable- the beginnings of a cohesive army brimming with hope. They say that once everything is ready, this army will overturn the tyrannical reign of the queen, and all of its graduates will be greatly compensated in the new government. Set for life. It was built as a beacon of hope for the coming future, which makes the Halcyon Fold a pretty fitting name.

There are two things you need to be drafted into this army. One: you need to have combat experience. Two: you need to be the very best at what you do. No ordinary warrior could just join on a whim. The only way in is to be scouted by the army itself.

And standing at the gates of the ultimate fortress filled with the ultimate soldiers... was me.

Before we go any farther, I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Vox. As you can tell, I'm nothing but a hopelessly average teenage male. Average on the outside, average on the inside. I really have nothing going for me when it comes to combat experience, special abilities, even personality. I mean yeah, I have hobbies and stuff I like to do, but it's not like I'm a psychic or a mutant or whatever. Like, if you asked me what my favorite song was, or my favorite story or game to play... they'd all be whatever's most popular at that particular moment. Even among the average, I'm completely average. So I can't even say I'm your "everyday hero" type. That's just who I am.

Anyway, I always figure it's best to introduce yourself right off the bat. But you know, if I have any kind of "strong point," so to speak... I'd say I'm a little more optimistic than other people. I mean, look at me. I'm completely ordinary, but still... here I am, standing in front of the anything but ordinary Halcyon Fold.

I still can't believe I'm standing here. I wonder if someone like me can even survive in a place like this. It's got this overwhelming presence... like it's trying to swallow me whole. But it's no wonder would I feel that way. What you have to understand is...

Well, let me just tell you about the "preparation" I did last night to get ready for today.

The Halcyon Fold only invites the heroes who are the truly elite in their field. My father, who went through the tedious task of selecting these heroes, sent me a device with the profiles of the drafted soldiers for this year. So, to prepare, I scrolled through some of those files. All I saw proved everything I have just stated about the selected heroes- they were way beyond your average recruit.

For example, one of the heroes is the Ultimate Idol. She's the one who's set to take over as the new queen once we win the war. She's travelled all over the world to raise her reputation, both as a mage and the most popular singer this world has ever seen. To make matters worse, she's my bratty twin sister.

There's also the Ultimate Sharpshooter. He used to work at a circus with his two revolvers, "Reason" and "Faith." Rumor has it that even while blindfolded with his back to the throwers, he can still shoot bullets straight through the center of flipping coins. As an added bonus, these coins tended to have the Storm Queen's face plastered onto them. The perfect shooter to take her down.

Then there's the Ultimate Sniper. Despite being in her late teens, she's managed to perfect her aim with a bow AND make it onto the covers of magazines all over the world. It appears she's into cosplay and swimsuits, and ever since seeing her profile, I've wondered if that's all she wears when she's on a job. It's not like anyone would see her, anyway.

Oh, and the profiles made mention of the Ultimate Soldier, too. The scary thing is, I've heard he's taken on opponents ranging from giant crawling monsters to hordes of trained gunsmen. And he does it for fun. Shops everywhere take bets on when he's finally going to get himself killed.

On top of that, there's the Ultimate Swordsman, the Ultimate Selketh, the Ultimate Pilot, the Ultimate Mechanic, the Ultimate Mage, and so on.

Reading that made me realize how totally powerless I was. They were the world's finest, top to bottom.

But still, there was something I couldn't stop thinking about. You see, there was one recruit for which next to no information was provided, and my father isn't the kind of person to do things halfway.

With all those ultimate recruits, I'm the only one without any kind of worthwhile talent. But then, what about that one recruit who didn't appear in the profiles? Could they just be an average person like me, without real combat-oriented talent?

The thought was kind of encouraging. I mean, I know I don't have much in the way of personality. But beyond that, there's an even bigger issue... How did such an unbelievably average teenager like me get picked to join this "ultimate" army?

I mean, I guess there *is* a reason...

You just have to take one glance at my father's letter to see why.

[Vox- I know it's been years since I last contacted you after dropping you off in the prep school. Believe me, it was for your own good. Had the Stormguard traced any communications we had between each other, they would have came after you with malice. Your sister's safe enough as an idol that she doesn't have to worry quite yet, but you... you gave me no choice, with your constant interest in girls, music, and parties. I had to give you the ordinary life you'd've otherwise been deprived.

I *am* sending this letter for a reason. Since our parting, I've searched through every village and listened to every tale, seeking out every person who would be right for the job of claiming the Storm throne. I've mailed out letters to each of them, including your sister, and I've ordered them to meet at the Halcyon Fold, where I've secured a place for them to train up and get to know each other. Which means it's time for you to come back to me.

In the envelope, I'm sure you've already found the archive of recruit profiles. Please read through them, as you will serve as the main link between myself and them. You'll find that they're all Ultimates who are the very best in their areas of expertise, thus I have given them titles corresponding to their abilities. Unfortunately, I don't have one prepared for you, but how about the "Ultimate Luck?" Luck that the Stormguard wasn't able to kill you by now. Heh. Just a joke.

Regards- Ardan.]

He spelled it out plain as day- I was nothing more than a teenage boy with a little luck. Honestly, I probably would've been better off just declining his offer. But after all these years of separation from him and my sister, I just couldn't say no. But then, actually standing in front of the castle... I started to feel lost, like I didn't belong there. I could feel myself losing my nerve.

But still... I can't just stand here in front of the gate forever...

Stunned in place, murmuring to myself, I looked down at my father's letter clutched in my hand. It said there would be a meeting for all incoming recruits in the main hall at 8 a.m.

The meeting still isn't for awhile, but... I should probably just head in. Yeah... Yeah! Let's do this!

I gathered up all my determination and tried to act like I'd done this a million times before and I took my first step toward the main hall...

This *is* where we're supposed to meet, right? I guess I'm the first one here.

There's a really elegant clock over in the corner. It says it's 7:10 a.m. The meeting doesn't start until 8 o'clock. So there's still a full 50 minutes left. It makes sense nobody else would be here yet... I was so wound up, I got here way too early. I have plenty of time before the meeting. Just standing around waiting isn't exactly...

I should take a look around. Maybe that'll help me calm down a little. I *am* a recruit here now, so there shouldn't be any problem with me having a look around, right? It'll help me kill some time, if nothing else.

Trying to play it cool, I took my first step into the Halcyon Fold. It was also my first step toward starting a new life in a new world. At least, that's what I was hoping for.

*VROOOOOOOOOM!*

Vox: What the...?

But the instant I took that first step forward... My view became warped, twisted. It was like some kind of delusion, melting away and mixing together into something else. Spinning, mixing, melting away, then spinning again...

And the next moment...

Everything went black.

That was how it all began... and how life as I knew it came to an end. At that point, I should have realized... the reason I was brought to the Halcyon fold wasn't because I had "Ultimate Good Luck." It was so I could experience ultimate despair...

PROLOGUE: Welcome to Despair!

A/N- Welcome to the world of Vainganronpa! The upload schedule for this story will typically be weekly, but every so often there may be more than one post in a week. This week, for example, I intend to publish the next part tomorrow, so be sure to come back then for Character Introductions.

Please consider joining my mailing list, as it will contain weekly information about when new parts to this story will come out, as well as small looks at some of my other works-in-progress. To join, please email ichorous .

Come back tomorrow for part two!