Your only purpose is to win.
Yet to win, you have to commit yourself to seeking out your own defeat.
You must willingly take the lives of those you love, and those you loathe..
Once you enter the game, you are no more than a soul, adrift in the forever spiraling emptiness of time.
Twisting faster, further towards the end.
When the thorns swamp your comatose body, it's all over...
Chapter 1
Shinku fixed her stare at the mirror, as the once substantial surface began to loosen. She continued to gaze at her reflection, intently watching as the distortion worsened. One by one, four more bodies surrounded her, overlooked. Hesitantly, Shinku placed her small hand in the centre of the mirror, feeling the cool touch against her skin. Slowly, she felt herself being drawn in through the ripples of gleaming silver. Abruptly, everything converted to black. A hushed voice whispered anxiously
"Are you sure it worked?"
"Yes, perhaps" Another voice replied, just as muffled as the last.
"Souseiseki, are you there?" Came yet another call, more audible than the rest.
For a few moments, everyone fell silent.
"Of course I'm here, Suiseiseki." groaned a voice supposedly belonging to Souseiseki.
"Follow me." Shinku requested, with a strong sense of authority in her voice.
Shinku lead the way down the dark corridor. The space around them seemed to be completely empty, apart from the odd door on either side. Each one of these doors lead to another world, and every world was once the same. But through each individual door, the world had been somehow altered in time. The corridor they were in knew no concept of time. It wasn't even part of any world. They were traveling through the N-Field, the space of utter vacancy. The space between worlds.
"How do we even know what door to go through?" Asked a rather bland voice.
"It doesn't matter, Suigintou. As long as Holie can find us." Shinku informed.
'Holie' was Shinku's artificial spirit. It had been given a duty, and that was to bring Jun, Shinku's medium, to the N-Field to meet them.
"Perhaps we should go through this door then, maybe?" Bubbled a voice from the back.
"If you wish, Kanaria" Shinku responded.
Kanaria nodded. At this, Shinku took a deep breath and turned the handle of the nearest door.
It was stiff, but with force Shinku managed to push it open.
Cautiously, all five of them stepped inside, carefully taking in their surroundings. As far as the eye could see was a beautiful garden of delicate, white roses. However, the sky above was pitch black, appearing as if it were non-existent. Warily, the five ambled through the roses, careful not to damage the precious flowers. A cool breeze began to blow through, causing the frail blossoms to swag ever so slightly, as though they had been awakened. All of a sudden, the roses disappeared, leaving the room filled with nothing but pure, intimidating darkness.
"Hello, sisters.." An unseen voice giggled, a voice which was not at all hard to recognise.
"Kirakishou.." Suigintou murmured, as she vigilantly looked around, confused and troubled. Yet wherever she looked, there was nothing. The voice echoed on from nowhere, the worryingly pleasant tone was perceptibly a cause for concern.
"Don't act like you're surprised to see me here, Suigintou.." The taunting voice continued "We both know I'm the reason you're here, do we not?"
This time, Souseiseki built up the courage to speak.
"Why don't you show yourself?" She yelled into the billowing darkness, unsure whether this was a suggestion she ought to have brought up.
"Don't be silly" Kirakishou laughed. "I need more time to adjust to my new body.." She went on, making it quite clear just how arrogant she had become.
"..Where did you get your body from this time, Kirakishou.." Shinku muttered, blatantly displaying her annoyance.
"Where did you get your body from this time..? Oh well, this time it really was quite simple. Jun.. Oh, Jun.." Kirakishou jeered, cherishing the power she felt she had over her sisters.
"W-what? Stuttered Shinku, her once confident tone now replaced with one of concern. "What does Jun have to do with this..?"
"Why don't you ask him? I'm sure it won't be long before he joins us here, right?" Questioned Kirakishou, snickering under her breath.
For a few seconds, everyone failed to speak. Perhaps out of the fear that they may say something they'd regret.
"Well, I guess I'll see you later, sisters.. But don't worry, next time we meet.. Next time, I'll have my own body.." Kirakishou's voice gradually got louder as her depraved bliss strengthened. "I'll no longer be the helpless maiden, no.. I will destroy all of you!"
Kirakishou's hysterical cries rang on throughout the darkness, but it was evident that she was gone.