I woke up with a start, launching myself into a sitting position. I sucked down some heavy breaths, my head whipping around at my surroundings. My head and heart were pounding. I was in a tiny room, and I was on a bed.

Wait...a bed?

I looked down and confirmed for myself that I was, indeed, on a bed. A thin satin sheet was draped over me.

The room I was in was small, and I mean small. There was enough room for me to stand and get out of the bed, but that was about it. There was a desk with a lamp on it, and the lamp was the only source of light in the grey-painted room. It felt like I was in a prison cell, but I was pretty sure that even prison cells were a little bigger than this.

It was only after I stood up that I realized I was no longer in my dress. I was instead wearing a white t-shirt with a dark grey half zip pullover. I was in a simple pair of blue jeans and white running shoes. I still had on a pair of gloves, but they weren't mine. They were black leather and I wasn't sure how I felt about the fact they didn't belong to me. Knowing that someone had changed my clothes while I was knocked out made me feel sick, but I couldn't just stand around.

Luckily whoever put me here was generous enough to let me keep my glasses, as they were on the desk next to my bed. I was practically blind without them.

I stepped out of my room and into the hallway. I was greeted with a long hall of doors on both sides; the same kind as mine.

"Hello?" I called out, "Is anyone there? Roman?"

I yelled out again for my friend, but I received no answer. I shut my door and was surprised to see there was a nameplate on it. R. Inagawa.

I looked at the doors next to mine and they both also had nameplates. M. Akahana and C. Itoh. Names that I didn't recognize, but I guess that meant I wasn't alone in...wherever I was. Was I still on The Royal Wing?

I looked to one end of the hall and saw what looked like bathrooms, and on the opposite end of the hall was just a ladder leading to...somewhere. I decided to try my luck with the bathrooms.

"Anybody?" I called out again, but again I received no answer. I reached the end of the hall and saw that my assumption had been correct. There were two different entrances and two signs that said "Boys" and "Girls" on them. I slowly walked into the girl's bathroom.

And I saw a girl.

She was turned away from me and washing her hands in the sink, but I could see her face. Her hair was shoulder length and silvery-white. Her features were round and soft. Her hair was tied up in a bun.

She was also short, like...noticeably so. I'd have ballparked her at 4'11". She was wearing a black and grey pinstripe blouse and a pair of black trousers. On top of the blouse was a dark magenta leather jacket, and her look was completed by a pair of black heeled boots.

She turned off the sink and turned in my direction. We both stopped and stared at each other. Her eyes widened briefly and my breath got caught in my throat. The woman recovered quickly, her eyes narrowing.

"I didn't think anyone was still in their rooms," she said, drying her hands on her pants. She was eyeing me like I was going to jump her, It was kind of intense.

"I don't," I hesitated, taking a step back, "Do you know where we are?" I managed to get out.

The woman leaned against the sink, "We're on The Royal Wing." she said flatly.

I shook my head, "That...that can't be right. This is nothing like The Royal Wing that I saw."

"We're on one of the lower levels," the woman answered me, "the lowest one."

I tried not to, but I made a confused face, "This...doesn't look anything I thought it would."

The woman scoffed, "Yeah, well I don't think any of this is how we thought it'd play out. This was just supposed to be a simple party." she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Do you know what happened?" I was asking a lot of questions, I realized.

She shook her head again, "I don't. I was in the dining hall with everyone else when Akihara gassed us."

My head flooded with memories. They gassed us! The whole party was just a trap!

"Has anyone come for us yet?"

"Not yet. We're in the air so it's probably hard for them to get anyone up here."

"Wait, you're serious?" I said, flabbergasted, "We're airborne right now?"

"We are, yes."

I felt the sickness from earlier slowly creep back into my system. The idea that there was nothing below me but open air didn't sit right with me.

The woman looked me up and down, ignoring my brief panic attack, "You look young. Are you a new student at Hope's Peak?"

I managed to nod, "I'm supposed to start when school begins again. My name is Rumiko Inagawa."

A small smile of recognition crept onto her face, "I've heard of you; the Ultimate Violinist. It's always nice to meet a new student."

The woman approached me with her hand out. I took it, and only when she got close to me did her height sink in. I wasn't very tall; about 5'6", so it felt strange being in front of someone shorter than me.

"My name is Komachi Sugita, and during my time at Hope's Peak, I was the Ultimate Investigative Journalist.

Komachi Sugita

Ultimate Investigative Journalist

"Oh! So you've already graduated?"

Komachi chuckled, "I graduated quite a while ago, Rumiko. I'm thirty-two."

I tried not to react. Thirty-two!? She certainly didn't look like it. With the combination of both her height and her round facial features, she didn't look much older than me.

"How many of us are here?" I asked as we started moving out of the bathroom and back into the hall.

"I haven't counted," Komachi answered honestly, "but there's a lot less of us than before we passed out, I'll tell you that much."

That was...concerning.

We exit the bathroom together, and as we do, we hear voices coming from the boy's bathroom. We stop, waiting for the voices to round the corner. I very subtly try to hide behind Komachi.

A moment passed before two men exited the bathroom. The shorter of the duo was of an average build and an ivory complexion. His eyes were brick red and his hair was iceberg blue. It was midlength and swept back with a few strands sticking out sporadically. He was dressed rather simplistically in a red hoodie with a brown wool car jacket that was unbuttoned over top of it. Below the belt was a pair of black tight-fitted jeans and white sneakers. He had his hand behind his head in a relaxed position.

The taller of the two (and I mean by a lot!) had a completely different look to him. His shoulders were broad and his skin was porcelain pale with an almost rosy tint to it. His hair was light blonde and shoulder-length, and it was also swept-back.

He was wearing a black shirt with a thick wool grey trench coat over top of it. The hems of the jacket were frayed. He was wearing a pair of grey formal jeans with a brown belt, and he had on a pair of black laced platform boots. His look was topped off with a grey scarf wrapped around his neck.

The tall one noticed us first, raising an eyebrow at us. The shorter one noticed that his companion's attention was no longer on him, and turned in our direction.

He smiled, "Oh snap, Komachi. Didn't know you made a new friend." he said earnestly.

Komachi laughed, "Ease up, Hayoon, she just woke up later than everybody else."

The boy, 'Hayoon', shrugged, "I'm just astounded she slept through that insane turbulence an hour or so ago. That's what woke me up."

Turbulence? Man, I guess we really were airborne.

The larger man spoke up next, stepping past his companion and pointing at me, "Well? Speak child." he said, smirking.

"Uh," I hesitated, "I'm Rumiko Inagawa, and I'm the Ultimate Violinist. It's an honor to meet you both." I said formally, taking the tiniest of bows.

'Hayoon' waved me off, "What're we at a press conference? Relax a little, Rumiko. Okay, so," he clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "introductions are a go."

He readjusted his jacket and grabbed my hand to shake it, "It's nice to meet you, Rumiko. Name's Hayoon Saelim, and while I was a student at Hope's Peak I was the Ultimate K-Pop Rapper. That's all in the past now though."

Hayoon Saelim

Ultimate K-Pop Rapper

I thought he looked familiar!

"Hayoon?" I parroted back at him, "Like Hayoon from AXIS?"

Hayoon smiled, "Oh, you a fan?"

"You could say that, yeah."

To say that AXIS was a big deal would be an understatement. Even people outside of K-Pop circles had at least heard of them, and most people who actively disliked the genre can find at least one song they like.

Hayoon chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's always nice to meet a fan," his smile waned slightly, "just wish it was under better circumstances."

"Agreed," I said, trying to keep my excitement under control. I wasn't a fangirl, far from it, but anyone coming face to face with a huge celebrity would've felt the same way!

The taller boy who I still didn't know the name of stepped forward while also pulling Hayoon back. He extended his hand in greeting, which I quickly accepted.

"It's always an honor to make the acquaintance of new Ultimate students. I am Artorius Moriarty, and during my time in Hope's Peak Academy, I was given the prestigious title of Ultimate Businessman."

Artorius Moriarty

Ultimate Businessman

"Businessman?", I parroted back, a little confused, "That isn't very specific."

Artorius simply chuckled, "My dear, when you are talented as I am, you're allowed to paint with a broad brush," he said smugly. I wasn't sure how much I believed that, but he was a Hope's Peak graduate, which meant there must've been some kind of truth to his statement.

"Jeez, man, it doesn't hurt to be humble," Hayoon said honestly. Artorius just laughed again, "There's no need for such niceties. Men such as I are bang up to the elephant!" he said proudly.

I...I didn't know what that meant, and I was afraid to ask.

Artorius put his attention back on me, "Komachi said you woke up later than us, yes?"

"That's right," I said.

"That means you still need to see the rest of the Helios, that and meet everybody else," he explained.

I nodded, "I'm going to get on that now. How exactly do I get out of this...this area?"

Hayoon ran a hand through his hair and pointed to the end of the hall, toward the ladder, "Climb up that bad boy and open the hatch, you'll find yourself in 'Poseidon's Playground'."

I wanted to question what exactly "Poseidon's Playground" was, but something told me I was gonna find out soon enough.

Artorius moved past Hayoon and to the first door on the left side of the hall. I looked over and it did have A. Moriarty on the nameplate. "I'm going to retire for now, but do enjoy your exploration, youngblood. Despite our concerning circumstances, Mr. Volkov has truly created a grand zeppelin." Without another word, he opened the room to his door, entered, and closed it behind him.

Hayoon shrugged, "I'm probably gonna chill for a bit in my room too, but hey," he snapped his fingers and gave the finger guns, "take a real look around, 'kay?"

I turned to Komachi, who'd been silently leaning against the wall, "You gonna go to your room too?"

She shook her head, "I'll come up to the next level with you, if not to just guide you around a little."

I smiled, "I'd appreciate the company."

She nodded, a small smile on her face, "Of course, any time."

We silently walked down the hall and we stood face to face with the ladder. I looked up at the closed hatch the ladder led to and did my best to steel my nerves. I think Komachi was able to sense my hesitance, as she took the initiative and started up the ladder first. It took only a moment for her to fly up the ladder and push open the hatch with her forearm. I saw light blue light reflecting off the metal hatch door and Komachi's skin as she pulled herself up through the hole.

I swallowed my spit and slowly started up the ladder. I hated being nervous, but I wasn't used to being so out of control of my surroundings. Rung after rung, I felt dizzier and dizzier. The ladder was shaking with me as I hesitantly poked my head out from the hatch, and I immediately felt all of my nervousness melt away as I took in what I saw.

"This is...this is beautiful."

The entire floor was an aquarium; to say the least. To say the most, from what I saw, there were gigantic tanks on both sides of the room positioned around a winding pathway. In between the tanks were outstanding paths that let you walk in between the tanks. I stepped up and out of the hatch. I looked up and saw large pipes filled with water snaking in and out through the walls on both sides. Colorful fish, big and small, swam through the pipes without a care in the world. Komachi noticed I was in awe, and smiled at me.

"Welcome to Poseidon's Playground," she said calmly.

That name was starting to make a lot more sense.

"I'm...I'm at a loss for words," I mumbled barely loud enough for Komachi to hear, "Are we really still on The Helios?"

Komachi nodded, "We're on the floor below the dining hall that we were in earlier. I'll give Kazamir this, he certainly pulled out all the stops for this one." she said, giving the closest tank an admiring look. I looked where she was looking and my jaw dropped. The tank reached nearly to the ceiling, and it was stuffed full of large rock formations and little coves that smaller fish were weaving in and out of. That isn't where my attention was, however.

My attention was on the great white shark.

The absolute MONSTER of a fish was swimming close to the glass of the tank, and it gave the illusion that it was gonna break right through and flood the entire room. However, right when it was about to collide with the tank, it swerved to the side and circled back around.

"H-how'd they even get that in there?" I questioned, taking the time to look into the tank behind me. I saw a saw shark, a lionfish, and a spider crab, and those were just the ones I noticed first.

Komachi just shrugged at my question, "That's a question that I do not, nor do I want, the answer to." The journalist looked a little further down the pathway and quickly perked up. She turned back to me, a smile on her face, "I just found the next person you can meet."

I raised an eyebrow as I followed Komachi around a corner and past another large tank (stuffed with only jellyfish).

"Chisaki," Komachi called out to a girl who was sitting on a bench in front of another tank. This girl was much different than everyone else I'd seen so far. Her dress was...lavish, to say the least. It looked like it was from the Victorian era. It was composed of a black bodice and a faded purple capelet over her shoulders. The dress's skirt was a full three tiers and it touched the floors; I couldn't even see her feet! Her skirt was light blue near her bodice at the top, then transitioned into blue, dark blue, and purple near the end. Her hair was short, curly, and light lavender in color. Her skin was brown, but still pale, almost ghostly. Her grey eyes peered off into the distance, but she turned her head at the sound of her name.

A ghost of a smile graced her soft features, "Oh, Komachi, it is...nice to see you again," she looked past the journalist to me, and it was like her eyes were peering right through my soul, "and you've...brought someone new with you."

I took a small bow, "My name is Rumiko Inagawa. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The girl looked away from me, staring off into the distance, "It is nice to meet, Rumiko. I am Chisaki Itoh...Ultimate Horror Novelist...I guess."

Chisaki Itoh

Ultimate Horror Novelist

That was another name I recognized.

"It's an honor to be in the presence of such an accomplished author," I said formally while readjusting my glasses. Saying Chisaki Itoh was accomplished was a serious understatement on my part. Prolific would've been a more apt description. The Velvet Woman, The Disappearance of Haruto Nakamura, The Ghost Boar of Taiakawa Village, the list of best sellers was extensive. Heck, The Velvet Woman alone made enough money that any normal person would never have to work again.

But Chisaki just kept releasing book after book after book.

The author was no longer looking at me, as if Komachi and I had already left, "That...is nice of you to say." she whispered, her eyes following...something around the room. Whatever it was was beyond me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking a step forward, "You seem distracted."

Komachi opened her mouth as if to stop me, but Chisaki spoke up first, "Sorry. The voices...they're calling to me."

I blanched, "The...the voices?"

She nodded slowly, "The voices of the dead. Souls now lost. They call to me."

I considered myself a relatively open person who could prepare herself for most situations. However, her words definitely caught me off guard.

"Oh?" I voiced, trying my best to sound more curious than freaked out.

The novelist nodded again, a little slower this time, "I've been hearing them since I was young. They've gotten louder, though...since we fell asleep."

"Have they now?" I wasn't trying to sound condescending, but I felt like I was being told the sky was falling. How was I supposed to take that this very famous author apparently was able to see the dead!

Komachi put a comforting hand on my shoulder and stepped to my side, "I'm just showing Rumiko around the Helios, Chisaki. You can get back to what you were doing." she said quickly.

Chisaki had stopped acknowledging us almost completely as she stared straight forward at the tank in front of her. She looked solemn like she was at a funeral. Komachi tugged on my shoulder and guided me past the bench Chisaki was sitting on and around a corner. A sign hung off the wall that led into the diverging path that read 'Hands-on Zone'.

"Sorry about pulling on you," Komachi apologized, letting me go, "it's just that you seemed uncomfortable back there."

I shook my head, "No, I was. Thank you." I said, "I don't mean to be rude, but is she...okay?" I asked, already expecting a no.

Komachi shrugged, "It's hard to say. I believe that she's definitely in some way delusional, but I'm not about to try and diagnose her with anything."

That made sense. It was rude to just say someone had a specific mental illness when you barely knew them, but Chisaki didn't seem like she was very concerned about how she was being perceived.

I look up to the nearby sign, "Hands-on?" I said confusedly, "Why would a big fancy party zeppelin have a kiddy area where you can touch coral?"

"Aquatic life is always fun to interact with, no matter the age," Komachi stated matter of factly.

I looked behind me at the "Hands-on Zone". It wasn't particularly big, only three separate waist-high tanks with open tops. What I wasn't expecting was for someone to already be there, their hand in one of the tanks. They were wearing a grey-green kimono-style top with sleeves that ended at the elbow. They also had on a pair of black pants and loafers. Their hair was dark green and went down to the middle of their back, and it was in a low ponytail.

Komachi smiled, "Oh good. There's another person for you to meet." She stepped forward and raised an arm in greeting, "Behind you, Kazuya," she called out.

The man, Kazuya, turned around, surprised to hear his name called. His facial features were thin and delicate, and his skin was light, bordering on pale. His eyes were narrow and green and tucked behind silver oval glasses. He smiled at the sight of Komachi.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Sugita," he said evenly, before giving me a curious look, "And I don't recognize you, Miss…" he petered off, waiting for my answer.

I stepped forward with as much confidence I could muster and offered him my hand, "Rumiko Inagawa, sir. I'm the Ultimate Violinist, or I will be once I start classes."

Kazuya smiled warmly, "It's always nice to meet up-and-coming students. It is delightful to meet you, Rumiko. I am Kazuya Nishikawa, and during my time at Hope's Peak, I was known as the Ultimate Wagashi Artist.

Kazuya Nishikawa

Ultimate Wagashi Artist

An awkward silence overtook us as Kazuya went back to running his hand through the bottom of the tank, disturbing the sand and the poor turtle that was sleeping peacefully. I was overcome with a need to ask a question because something about Kazuya's words wasn't adding up.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend, but how old are you exactly?" I asked carefully, doing my best to tread lightly, "It's just you look really young, so I can't imagine you graduated that long ago."

Kazuya didn't look at me, but he did chuckle as he readjusted his glasses, "You uh...you flatter me. I'm actually thirty-one."

I tried not to let the surprise show on my face, "Thirty-one! You don't look a day over twenty!"

Komachi elbowed me in the side, but that didn't stop Kazuya from lightly chuckling again, "You would be surprised how often I hear that."

"So, uh," I stammered, wanting to change the subject, "you're a wagashi artist? That's cool!"

Kazuya nodded, "That I am. I was actually supposed to use my talent for the festivities tonight, but that plan has clearly...changed." he finished sadly, remembering our current situation.

"Really? I was supposed to perform tonight! I guess you and I are in a similar boat, Mr. Nichikawa." I said in an attempt to make him feel better.

He turned away from me, but he did manage another small smile, "Yes. Yes, I suppose we are, Rumiko."

The three of us talked for a few more minutes before Komachi and I decided to move on through the aquarium. Kazuya stayed in the 'Hands-on Zone', as he was enjoying his time at the turtle tank.

The two of us got back on the main path and made our way through the weaving tanks of various sizes. It barely took a minute to get to the stairs that led up to the next floor, but it felt like an eternity with how distracted I was getting. It was hard not to get lost in the boundless ocean life that was in some of the tanks. How Mr. Volkov managed to get half these creatures onto the zeppelin I'd probably never know, and a part of me didn't want to from fear of it ruining the magic.

The staircase was large, and I could see lights up at the top. That wasn't what was most impressive, however. To get to the stairs, we walked through an archway that exited the aquarium, and on the outside was a giant stone statue of Poseidon; trident and all. Above the archway was an elaborate sign that said 'Poseidon's Playground'. We'd made it through.

There was one person, a boy, sitting on the steps, opening and closing what looked like a pocket watch. His hair was powder blue and reached down past his lower back. He has a perfectly trimmed goatee that was the same color. His eyes were dark purple, and they seemed to hold a tinge of mirth in them as he fiddled with his pocket watch. They were partially hidden behind a pair of golden wire frame glasses.

He was wearing a grey sweater with a thick collar and a light brown blazer over top of it. He had on a pair of black slacks with shiny black dress shoes. He finally noticed Komachi and me standing in the archway and smiled at us.

"It's good to see you again so soon, Miss Sugita," the man said, getting up off the stairs. It was only then that I realized how tall he was. He was easily 6'3", and he made BOTH Komachi and I look like ants. He placed his pocket watch into his blazer and hopped down off the steps directly in front of us.

Komachi put a hand on my back and gently moved me forward, "Good to see you too, Nozomu. I was just showing Rumiko around the Helios."

Nozomu gave me a confused look, "Rumiko? I'm sorry, I don't think we've met yet."

I shook my head, "We haven't. I...woke up a little later than everyone else, so I missed the meet and greet. I'm Rumiko Inagawa: Ultimate Violinist."

The tall man nodded and gave me a polite bow, "Nice to meet you, Miss Inagawa. I'm Nozomu Coda, and I was the Ultimate Analyst."

Nozomu Coda

Ultimate Analyst

An analyst. That was pretty interesting. "I'm assuming you've graduated?" I asked.

He nodded, "A few years ago, yes."

"If you don't mind me asking," I started, "what does being the Ultimate Analyst entail? What do you do?"

Nozomu put his hands in his pockets, "I mainly work in stocks since my skills are most helpful there. People hire me and I help track their earnings and where their funds are most likely to grow."

I couldn't imagine the pressure of having my money in the hands of someone I didn't know, and I also couldn't imagine the pressure of being the person responsible for another person's savings!

"Sounds like a tough job," I said, shuttering at the thought of all that responsibility.

Nozomu just laughed, "It certainly isn't easy, but I wouldn't have been a student at Hope's Peak if I was just mediocre."

I laughed with him, "That makes sense."

"What're you doing just sitting on the stairs, Nozomu?" Komachi butted in.

Nozomu looked back at the stairs and then back at Komachi, "I was going to make my way back to my room to rest, but I got a little distracted on the way."

The analyst moved in between us and gestured at the stairs with his thumb, "You'll love the rest of the zeppelin, Miss Inagawa. It's as grand as it gets."

Without another word, Nozomu meandered into Poseidon's Playground. As he turned a corner, I looked back up at the stairs. Komachi moved past me and started up the steps, only stopping when she realized I wasn't with her.

"You coming?" she called out to me.

"Yeah," I responded, starting up the steps after her.

That's that for the first set of intros! Hope you guys liked them. There'll be two more parts for intros and then hopefully I'll finish the prologue up with that. Thank you to all the writers who sent me the OC's that were included in this part. I'm very excited to work with them as they explore The Royal Wing.

Until next time.