Mists of Penjar

by The Kobold Necromancer

Graduated students of Hope's Peak Academy want to know how Despair was able to spread so fast and ruin so many lives. In an abandoned town known as Penjar, where windless mist creeps down old streets, they have come to find the answers. But Despair, and its Kubs, still have plans even in this seemingly forgotten place. [Part 1 Spin-Off of Crit Fail's Legacy of Despair Series.]

39. Chapter 5-7 Case 5 Trial, Aftermath

Chapter 5-7

Direction to Death

---

If you are reading this, my name was Ignatia Nazario. In case this trial goes sideways, I am texting the explanation to everything that happened during our fifth case in Penjar. The victim was Saiko Kobayashi, the Ultimate Forensic Investigator, who was found dead in the arcade.

…

Penjar had four buildings that gave those who stayed the night in them, and that was key for this murder. Our killer spent a night in the arcade, which gave them an all-access pass to the town, and a night in the asylum, allowing them to use a healing machine inside of the asylum.

…

The killer made a deal with Monocrow, who was allowed to take other peoples' advantages and give them upon request. Monocrow was told to transfer the sleep immunity advantages Ishiku and Fannie had when the sleeping gas came on at 8:30 PM to themselves. At 8:30 PM, our killer was immune to that sleeping gas, and left everyone in the arcade asleep.

…

Traveling to the motel, our culprit kidnapped Saiko from her room, carrying her outside and to the arcade. Grabbing the executioner's gear that was left outside, they set Saiko up on the stage with the gear; it was possibly to make us think that she was had been killed when she was sleepwalking as the executioner again (nightmares in this town cause sleepwalking).

…

When the killer put Saiko on the stage, they left to take the sword that Fannie had on her person, possibly to frame her. However, before they could do so, they got a nasty surprise.

…

Saiko, having been taken out of the safety of the building that prevented nightmares, was sleepwalking again. She grabbed the axe and came towards them, to which our culprit had to use their own sword, cutting her throat. Dragging her back as she no longer had strength to move, the killer was able to retrieve the sword, and stabbed Saiko to death.

…

Our killer placed Hara, who was unconscious, on the scene, making it look like she had murdered her friend. Hara had been set up, just as Fannie had been, and yet our killer wasn't done. Cleaning off their blade, they moved to the asylum, and found Yitro, the only other person with a sword of our group, and also asleep. They took Yitro's sword and cut Blake, who was on the healing table and unconscious.

…

Cutting Blake to make a proper bloodstain on Yitro's sword, the killer used their benefit of getting to operate the medical machine. Healing Blake so he and no one else would be the wiser, our culprit headed back towards the arcade.

…

Calling forth Monocrow, who could also tell people where someone had been, the culprit took the bird and smashed him to pieces. Upon doing this, they accidentally cancelled their deal, with Ishiku and Fannie's sleep immunity returning to them. Our killer felt the drowsiness start to sit in fast, so they sprinted back to the motel. Falling asleep upon entering the front door, their position making it obvious they had just come inside.

…

Though something didn't go to the killer's plan: Isaac's location.

…

Isaac had been sleepwalking last night, and found himself in a room that looked like the control room for the arcade. With a combination of soundproofing, microphones, and speakers, all the sounds Isaac made could be heard inside of the arcade, when he was really in the motel!

…

When Isaac saw Saiko was dead through the cameras, he banged on the door in desperation to free himself, to which Shuuya let him out upon hearing the heavy thudding of Isaac's attempts. Isaac fled the motel, and tripped over the culprit, but he didn't remember it at first because of his desperation.

…

The sleeping gas effect lifted up shortly after the Body Discovery Announcement, to which the killer was awake enough to move before anyone noticed their position. Thus they joined everyone else at the arcade, and it had seemed like the perfect murder.

…

After all, they had framed so many people, and with the surprising addition of a lost spirit being channeled, who would suspect them out of everyone there? We surely would have missed this, had it not been for Fannie helping Isaac remember what his panic and fear blocked in his memory.

…

The culprit who murdered Saiko, the one who set up so many others, the person we truly didn't suspect until we were forced to see the truth…

was Ken Kishi, the Ultimate Cavalryman!

…

I'm afraid of what's going to happen next. The dread I feel is almost overwhelming, like I know that this is going to go wrong, and that's why I am leaving this message. Just in case some of us don't make it out of this alive…

---

Ken clutched his sword as his eyes darted around the trial room, showcasing how ready he was to attack anyone who came anywhere near him. Both Peko and Yitro had their hands around their swords, but dared not draw them in fear of making the cavalryman lash out.

"I'm starting to think we're asking for it at this point," Odelios continued mumbling, gripping at his hat and hair. "Did we really drop our guard because of Aka? Why does this keep happening?"

"Shut," Ken growled viciously, "up, you goddamn court jester!"

Odelios didn't even react to the shout. He continued mumbling, though quieter, as he turned around and waved his hands around. It looked like he was trying to rant to someone invisible.

"Clown," the Novoselic warrior snarled, "I said to-"

"Please, calm down," Anzu pleaded, holding her hands up as she stared in horror at Ken. She was on the platform next to Ken, shrinking back up against the side as far from him as she could get. "Look, he's not joking, he's just lost his sense with how shocking this is."

Ken glared over at Odelios, who was still muttering to no one in particular with his back to the trial room. He rolled his eyes, and muttered, "He barely had a mind to lose to begin with, this is not so surprising."

"Why?" Isaac shouted, grasping Ken's attention. "Why did you do it, you… you bastard?!"

The reporter and cavalryman glared at each other, both of them ready to fight, even if Isaac was unarmed. Ken was quiet for a few seconds, then barked out a laugh. "And why should I tell you?"

"Ken!" Kimiko shouted, eyes wide in shock and desperation. "Please, tell us! None of this makes any sense!"

"Oh, you think I'll answer you," he responded, "because you and I slept together? You believe that earns you answers, harlot?"

"We all deserve an answer! You murdered a good woman, you wanted to kill us all! After all we've bin throo'," the biker stammered as she tried to contain her emotions, "what woo'd make you do such a thing?!"

"Is that how it's really going to be, handsome?" Futaba snapped. "You lied to us, you killed an innocent person, and then you're going to go off to your death without an explanation?"

"Please," Hikari begged, staring at Ken with misty eyes, "I still cannot believe it, Ken. Why will you not tell us?"

Ken glanced around at the room, noting everyone staring at him, some of them crying, some furious beyond words. The Novoselic cavalryman let out another bitter chuckle, then burst out in humorless laughs.

"Do you think I care the least bit about your feelings?" he spat out suddenly, abruptly ending his laughter. "Why would I care about those who fell so far from grace, that you deserve an explanation from me? It's been sickening, utterly loathsome, to have kept my calm around you sinful, odious monsters.

"Whether you are wantonly engaging in sex," he glared at a startled Hikari, "your violent pasts of blood spilling," he glanced between Yitro and Shuuya, "or consorting with Despair…"

He pointed his sword towards Ishiku and Fannie, who flinched at such a motion. "You think I have any interest in explaining myself to you fiends? You collective packs of murderers, whores, manipulators, and dumb jesters?!"

"Oh really now?" Isaac snapped at him. "You've been having as much sex as anyone else, you goofed around too, and now you've murdered our friend!"

"How c-could you do it?" Hara sobbed, tears coming from her eyes but she kept her eyes on Ken. "Saiko, she…"

"You have no right to take the moral high ground," Eisei shouted, crying as well but he managed to find his assertive side through the emotions. "However, if you wish to give us no explanation, I shall take that as a confession that you are an addled, dishonored, waste of a man who shames his country and honor!

"You are no knight of Novoselic! What do you have to say about that?" Eisei pointed accusingly at Ken, the dentist's high-pitched voice shrill with anger. There was a tense silence as the warrior glared daggers right back at him.

Ken then glanced between Eisei, Isaac, and finally at Hara. As he stared at the sobbing explorer, the tension in his body lightened slightly. "Very well," he said, surveying the room. "I suppose it would be the work of despair to leave this without a valid reason; however, I feel like I already told you all."

"You didn't tell us anything," Hikari shouted, her eyeshadow leaving dark streaks on her face from her tears. "Ken… you, how… I don't understand anything! We've been friends for so long, we faced death together in this town! Why would you do this?"

"Hikari," he responded, frowning at her, "I don't consider you a friend anymore. Maybe beforehand we were, but you show your true colors by bedding with a fiend wantonly, by trying to seduce more into your bed. You are too selfish and sinful for me to ever address again."

There was a clatter, as Hikari dropped her umbrella. It was as if the steampunk model had run out of steam herself, and powered down. Her eyes almost lost all color as she slumped against the podium, staring down at the floor with an expression of shock and pain on her face.

"You bastard," Kimiko shouted, red-faced as she shook her fist at him. "She cared a'boot you, she risked being accused because of you! Yoo'r going to tell us NOW!

"Or are you going to tell me off because I'm under yoo'r standards now?!" the green-haired gal snarled as she rubbed at her nose, clenching her fists. "If you think I'm not willing to come over there and insert your sword right up yoo'r ass…"

"You are outnumbered," Crystal pointed out, her breathing heavy but her tone steady. "You will not hurt anyone else, so it is pointless to resist."

Ken scoffed, rolling his eyes at them. "I don't owe any of you anything. I came here for one thing only, and that was to exterminate the source of Despair. I will do that by any means, and of course, I'll destroy any other evils that come across my path.

"I would have destroyed Yejoon, before the female dog did it to get her stones off. I ended a murderer's life, and most of you are acceptable loses, a bunch of sinful degenerates that work alongside Despair or refuse to take action because you want to engage in frivolous behavior!"

"Why do you keep saying that?" Hara blurted out. "Saiko was a good person, she was not a murderer!"

"I heard her yesterday, bragging to all of you in the plaza. She openly challenged Blake, declaring with ease with how easy it was for her. A forensic investigator, a person whose career and life is dedicated to helping enact justice, was a cold-blooded killer?"

"She was forced to do that," Isaac shouted. "And it was a yakuza gang member!"

"I did not know those details, but it matters not," Ken said with a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. "I knew then that something had to be done, because I am tired of you all, especially the clowns and the members of Despair!"

He glanced between Odelios, Ishiku, and Fannie. "Playing a card game inside of the asylum? That was the final straw. I knew then and there that no one in this town could be trusted, though I am really not interested in going over each and every one of you.

"After all, you know what you did. It's time to purge the world of useless trash like you, and burn Despair at its roots."

"Heh, I like the sound of that," Blake snickered.

"You don't get a place to talk, you are the most wretched of them all!"

Ignatia snapped her fingers, gaining Ken's attention. She held up her phone, and it spoke for her. [There's no way that hearing Saiko killing someone is what caused all of this. After the Tragedy, it is not so uncommon. Something else had to have drove you to do this.]

Ken laughed, staring incredulously at the mime. "Think you're clever, don't you?"

[You see the guy standing next to me?] Ignatia glanced over at Drake as her phone read her message. [He never killed anyone, he never engaged in the frivolity you're now lecturing us over. And you tried to kill him with this plan. I'm pissed as all hell at you, and I want a valid answer.]

"I may not have been here long," Peko said, staring fiercely at Ken, "but I have seen my share of people who lose their minds to madness. There is more to it than your sudden desire to exterminate people you think are beneath you."

The cavalryman scoffed at the swordswoman. "I don't believe you have a right to critique me, murderer."

"You're a murderer too," Ishiku shouted. "None of us believe that you just killed Saiko because you're now suddenly an ultra-judgmental crusader."

Shuuya had kept his eyes locked on Ken, his arms folded as his red eyes burned. The bounty hunter had been quiet, until this moment. "It was the Killing Game Realm, wasn't it?"

"What about it?" Souma inquired. "Wait, when we found Ken in the Killing Game Realm, he revealed to us the body of Junko Enoshima."

"Yes…"

…

…

…

Ken's eyes morphed into the bubbling, bursting effect that Samson once had. The cavalryman chuckled deviously, then exploded in frenzied laughter. "CHAOS! It is the answer! It is how I will save my country, my home!"

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me," Kimiko sputtered.

"No way," Ishiku balked.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Fannie shouted, grasping her white 'n pink hair. "You based this off of that alternate reality?'

"And why not?" Ken shouted, pounding one of his fists on his podium. "Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair, the creator of the Tragedy, the monster that ravaged the world and plagued my country, dead at the hands of Queen of Chaos! Slain like a pig in a slaughterhouse amid the other corpses, as easy as ABC!

"I knew then that Despair could be conquered by Chaos. Monokuma mocked me by feeding me a lie when I played his game, but now I see that he, and all of Despair, fears Chaos! If that is the antidote to Despair, then I welcome it with the most open of arms!"

Drake, clutching his sketchpad to his chest, stammered a great deal before he got the words out. "But… Hikari killed the Queen in that vision!"

"The Queen didn't die."

"I saw her do it! She plunged one of those spikes into the Queen, and she melted!"

Ken turned his bubbling, boiling eyes of Chaos towards Hikari, who was still staring blankly at the floor. "'One of those spikes,' you say?"

"Y-yes, it was a spike that the Queen created with her powers."

"The vision, our time in the Killing Game Realm, ended when I heard the screams of my new Queen. Your words mean nothing, especially because I know how much Despair fears Chaos!"

"Wh-what are you saying?" Anzu stammered, her face deathly pale and sweat beading on her forehead. "You turned into a follower of Chaos simply because of that vision?!"

"I lost faith in all of you being able to do something about Despair, with the world being able to help Novoselic," he remarked. "What good is staying in this town, where I am constantly mocked by those who do not wish to actually take this seriously?"

"You let your desperation turn into fear and anger," Crystal spat out. "You have become the thing you swore to destroy!"

"Your words ring hollow to me, because I feel that they are like those from a movie. Movies are fictional, scripted, brought to us as a distraction from the reality of the world. And reality is cruel, uncaring, and unrelenting…

"Reality is chaotic. I shall take Chaos, now that I know its powers, and destroy all of evils of the world with it, especially Despair!"

A high-pitched 'ahem' echoed around the trial room. "It's not exactly our kryptonite," Monokuma said, tilting his head to the side. "You think it is as easy as pouring salt on a snail?"

"Despair follows rules that you set up yourself," the cavalryman declared. "Chaos does not. I know now how to exploit your evil plans, and destroy you!"

Monokid smashed a guitar, roaring in fury. "I'd like to see you fucking try, honor boy! Bring it on!"

"YOU-MAKE-NO-SENSE," Monodam responded. "YOU-FOLLOWED-THE-RULES-OF-DESPAIR-TO-COMMIT-THIS-MURDER. HOW-DOES-THIS-MAKE-YOU-AN-EXPERT-OF-CHAOS?"

Ken rolled his eyes, or at least it appeared he did since that bubbling madness in his eyes had no pupils to speak of. "I know how Despair works, right down to how you mechanical monsters behave whenever something does or doesn't go your way. Your little bird proved that."

---

Ken briskly walked towards the Monokuma statue in the center of the plaza, having finished his impromptu addition to his plan. When he reached the statue, he stood by the side facing the arcade.

"Monocrow," he called out, "I wish to make a deal!"

There was a slight pause, then the fluttering of wings as Monocrow perched on the base of the statue. He peered at Ken, and asked, "What is this deal?"

Ken approached Monocrow, and then seized the bird in one of his strong hands. Gripping the white 'n black crow tightly, squeezing with an iron grasp, the cavalryman snickered. "So very predictable, you Despair followers. You should have known that this would be the end of you, to ensure they don't prod you for answers."

Monocrow made strained noises, as if he were a living creature. "Urgh… ehehehe… I guess so. That is Despair's biggest weakness."

"Before I end you, I want to ask you something. You know where everyone was, at all times, so who was it that was in the Hall of Fame building the night of Yejoon's death?"

"I only know the movements from when I first showed up yesterday. Monokuma had me disabled until then."

"Damn it. I wished to confirm the Entity of Chaos' identity, but it seems I have to go on my assumption."

"Confused on that message they left you?" Monocrow said with a snicker. "Yes, I know about that."

"Then tell me, you odious bird!"

Monocrow stared up at Ken, his lightning bolt eye gleaming from behind Ken's palm. "You really don't know, do you? You mean you still don't know who you truly are?"

"I know exactly who I am! You shall not play me, now tell me! Right now!"

Monocrow rubbed his beak with his wingtip, then let out a chuckle. "Naw, I don't really feel like telling you now. After all, you plan on killing everyone here, including the Seed of Despair."

"Oh, mark my words, I will find the Seed. All despair will be exterminated, and I will reclaim my homeland."

"Hehehe," Monocrow started to laugh, "you don't realize what role you've just played in all of this, and what you've truly done. And that's why you are truly scarlet. Upupupu-"

Ken slammed Monocrow against the base of the statue, the first time not enough to break the bird. He kept cracking the small avian robot against that concrete, bashing it over and over until the white 'n black bird was a broken mess of metallic bird parts.

The Novoselic stared down at what he had done for a few seconds, before he adjusted his clothing and started to head towards the motel. He then noticed how drowsy he started to feel…

---

"I will not be played," Ken stated, glaring at the people in the trial room; his eyes had reverted back to normal for the time being, as if recalling the past had restored his sense of stability somewhat. "Monocrow knew what the Entity of Chaos's message for me was, but he would not tell me. Like any odious monster, he deserved to be destroyed, something none of you would have the spine to do so."

Blake scoffed loudly. "Hey, I destroyed stuff here, you never gave me any credit."

Ken didn't pay the slightest bit of attention towards him. He merely continued, "It was so easy to find out what the buildings granted, but I'm sure you are all so foolishly entwined in other affairs that you couldn't see it. A simple search around the asylum led me to realize I could enter rooms that were clearly not meant for other people.

"Seeing people who had been at the motel not the least bit fatigued was obvious too, and I knew that the asylum had to be that special room's features. By the time I pieced it all together, I knew that my new queen would want me to spread Chaos around this despicable town, and so I did.

"The deal with Monocrow was sickening to have to do, but necessary. It was so easy, kidnapping Saiko and setting her up to be sacrificed. You know, since Monokuma gave us the go-ahead on murdering as many as we wanted, I actually had a different part of that plan.

"And that was to exterminate you," he turned to Fannie, glaring hatefully at her. "You are a willing, active member of Despair that everyone here gave a pass to because of a pretty face and a set of knockers. Your appearance is too similar to that bear robot, your unwillingness to tell us what is going on in this town."

"I," Fannie stammered, pale and even a little green with how much her worry was making her sick, "I cannot! You have no idea of how much Monokuma corrupted it at the core!"

"Monokuma is a puppet, an avatar of Despair! There is someone behind him, there always is! I should have run my blade through your chest, piercing your black heart…

"But I wanted to see if everyone here would accuse you. You, a Kub of Monokuma, a creation of the very essence of Despair, would surely be the one that everyone here would assume committed the crime?"

---

Ken walked towards the other side of the arcade, trying to find where Fannie and Ishiku could be. He was cleaning off his blade with napkins, trying to keep calm as he mentally planned out the next step of his plan. Saiko coming at him with the battle-ax had thrown him through a loop, but he wasn't derailed yet.

That's when he saw Ishiku, Anzu, and Fannie all lying on the floor in the game and play section of the arcade. He approached them, seeing the sword in the white 'n pink-topped girl's hands, and snarled.

"I won't allow this," he said as he took the sheathed blade from her hands. "I've had enough of Despair, of odious beings like you.

"If I could, I would kill you right here." His hands wrapped around the sword's handle. "I wish to God, and my country, I could end you as well. However, I need you alive, though the very sight of you sickens me."

He turned around and walked away, back towards Saiko. The lady was bleeding profusely, struggling to breathe from the fatal wound to her neck. She wasn't able to do anything as Ken approached, and he glared down at her.

"Now it's time to finish you."

---

"STOP!" Hara shrieked, covering her ears. "I don't want to hear this!"

"You bastard!" Both Ishiku and Isaac swore at Ken.

"I will help Novoselic recover from the bloodshed and destruction that the world ignored," Ken said, dismissively waving at them. "My princess is dead, Laris was disgraced across the world, it relies on me now. I will use Chaos to utterly decimate the Despair in my homeland, and Novoselic will recover!"

"What are you even saying?" Futaba blurted out. "You think Chaos is the answer? It will just lead to more bloodshed and death!"

"It is like curing cancer. Chemotherapy is about poisoning the body to kill the disease," the cavalryman responded. "I am no fool, I know that Chaos will have its own share of problems; however, it will exterminate the cancer, and then I'll handle the aftereffects."

"Good Lord," Souma declared. "You really think restoring your home will be as easy as that?"

"What would any of you know about the tragedy of losing your home, your country?!" Ken roared, pointing at them all with his free hand. "Japan, America, Canada, every country you all came from has recovered! Mine has not, it is stained so deeply with blood, it is saturated to the core!

"Monokuma's nightmares reminded me of its horrible fate, and all of you galavanted around this town as if you were on vacation!"

"We did no such thing," Isaac shouted. "Just because you cannot comprehend someone's coping mechanisms doesn't mean we aren't taking it seriously!"

Eisei shook his head, gripping his hair so tightly that he was in danger of pulling it out. "You're basing all of your assertions on the visions and manipulations of Monokuma and Despair to find a way to defeat Despair! We all came here to defeat them, and you… why would you do this? Why trust Chaos?"

"I told you all, Chaos is the answer to saving my home," Ken responded. "The Entity of Chaos knows how to outwit and outsmart Despair at its own game. And irregardless of the cryptic message she gave me, I know that my queen will bless me with the strength to save Novoselic."

"Wh-what?" Anzu stammered, clutching her sides. "Your Queen? But you said the Entity of Chaos just now."

"Of course, I am sure they are one and the same, or at least allies in this battle against Despair. Hehehe… ahahaha…"

The Chaos bubbles appeared in Ken's eyes, as he chuckled like a man losing his mind. Despite this, he spoke clearly when he added, "Why do you think I set up the murder scene the way I did?"

There was silence in the trial room, as the graduates tried to process all of this. Hara sobbed, as Isaac gaped and stammered in a combination of terror and outrage. "You… you think," the reporter tried to speak, pointing at Hara in his attempts.

"Who else could have left the messages in the Hall of Fame, the personal remarks left on each of our portraits?" Ken said, grinning wickedly. "I knew the Entity of Chaos would want to see my handiwork, and marvel at how much chaos of my own I could spread."

"You BASTARD!" Isaac hollered, so enraged that his voice was rather hoarse. "You think that Hara is the Entity of Chaos?! Or me?"

"I'd love to know what you meant by the comment of 'scarlet' on my portrait now."

The cavalryman grinned, eyes still foaming with the chaotic bubbles. "I told you why I did what I did, I'd like something in return now. The killer is dead, the reason was given, and I shall have to fight for my survival soon. Now tell me what it meant."

"I don't fucking know what it meant, because neither of us wrote it! You psychotic bastard, you murdered Saiko to please us? WAS THAT IT!?"

"There's no use in denying it," Ken said with a shake of his hand. "Though I suppose if you won't tell me what 'scarlet' means, I will have to just merely as inspiration to your cause."

"That stupid word was one of the reasons you did this?" Yitro shouted. "I cannot believe this, it was just a word! And you allowed it to drive you to this tragedy!"

Ken's chuckling echoed around the trial room, with everyone flabbergasted at what was going on. It wasn't until the soft sound of Drake setting his sketchpad down and speaking up that the conversation continued.

"I think I know what it meant," the cartoonist admitted, "though I'm terribly worried if I'm right."

Peko turned towards him, her normally steely stare much calmer with him. "Drake, you should not be afraid to propose an answer. Please help out your friends."

"Okay. Well, you see, you know how the arcade had that old computer game? One prominent thing in that game is that everyone's name is actually a play-on words. Outfit is an exercise buff that stays away from others, Wardrobe is about protecting others with his magic powers, and you see, as a magic-user, he has a robe on, and ward means to protect…"

"Drake, you're not making a lot of sense," Pyrrha said. "What's that have to do with 'scarlet'?"

The cartoonist squeezed his hands together, and took in a deep breath. "Ken's pain about losing his homeland, having to flee the carnage, the pain that it inflicted on him…

"I think 'scarlet' was the Entity of Chaos's way of saying that Ken would let the scars of his past justify his actions. Everything that happened, everything he did, he's doing it because of his shame and anger over that scar."

The trial room was quiet for a moment, before Blake started laughing harder than Ken was. "That's the dumbest bullshit I've ever heard! You're saying the Entity of Chaos predicted that?"

Drake started stammering, until Shuuya spoke up for him. "The Entity of Chaos left a message," the bounty hunter stated, "and Ken picked up on it. With just one word, the noble warrior from Novoselic became a desperate, fanatic follower of Chaos and a murderer.

"One word started that, like the first domino to fall, and now he believes fully in Chaos. And the clue to what it was right in front of our faces," he clenched his fists, crimson eyes glaring in fury, "and we missed it! And even worse… even worse than that…"

"Monokuma gave us that hint," Futaba finished that sentence for him. "Despair knew what Chaos was up to. Even as rivals, they understand each other."

Ken's sinister laughter mocked them. "And you wonder why I lost all faith in any of you degenerates getting anything done."

His cackling was drowned out by a louder, more sinister one from the back of the trial room. "Okay then, you silly followers of Hope's Peak," Monokuma shouted, unsheathing a katana and pointing it upwards, "I think I've let the newest member of my rival go on long enough! It's time to put him to the test."

"Wait a minute, Monokuma," Ken said, gripping his sword with both hands again. "I'm curious about something… does that rule change I made a while back still stand?"

"Eeeeeeeh? Well, to be honest, I hadn't considered that, why?"

"Oh, no reason actually. I suppose it'll be more fair this way."

Ken turned towards Fannie, and his eyes flared with the utmost contempt as he shouted, "No limit to murders, remember? It's time I finally take you out, avatar of despair!"

The Novoselic cavalryman sprinted towards her, and she locked up in panic. Peko was in-between Ken and Fannie, and drew her blade faster than most of them could follow. Steel clashed against steel, and the two masters of the blade stared into each other's eyes.

The trial room echoed with the metallic collisions, as the podiums around them were cut and destroyed. Peko was meticulous with her slices, Ken was unrelenting with his strikes.

Though as Ken pushed forward, he realized Peko's strength wasn't enough to match his; being in Fiora's body was complicating her combat skills. And so he slammed down his sword towards her, throwing her off-balance as she had to block rather than parry…

Thus he took the advantage and slashed at her torso when she wasn't prepared, and his blade slashed across her stomach. Blood sprayed out, and Peko's pupils shrunk as agony overtook her body.

The confrontation took only ten seconds, and most everyone was trying to comprehend what was going on. Yitro was sprinting over, sword drawn and ready to fight. Ken saw him coming up behind Ishiku, who was standing in front of Fannie holding his staff.

Ken kicked Ishiku, hard enough to send the lithe young man flying backwards and crashed into Yitro. As the swordsman struggled to get up, Ken stared down Fannie, who trembled in thunderstruck terror.

There was a flash of bloodied steel, as Ken drove his sword into Fannie's chest. The point protruded out her back, and she let out a pained gasp that came with blood dripping from her mouth.

Some of the others, even unarmed, moved in at the same time. Ishiku was screaming in horror, Fannie grunting in agony, as Ken grinned victoriously at his blade inside of her.

A metal clamp shot out from the wall, and clinched around the Novoselic cavalryman's neck. Ken didn't flinch, he didn't even blink his chaotic-charged eyes. He merely began laughing again.

"Now then," Monokuma called out from his throne, "I've prepared a VERY special punishment for Ken Kishi, the Ultimate Cavalryman!"

"Are you really going to do it now, Monokuma?" he called out. "You know what would happen?"

"Eh? What are you saying?"

"You know what will happen if you yank me away," Ken said, eyes peering around at everyone else; they were too apprehensive to move in, in fear of what the cavalryman said next. "My sword is now in a particular area of your daughter that is bad where the steel is now, but far, far worse if it comes out.

"You pull me away, my sword comes out, and you will most likely kill Fannie. Is that what you want?"

Five seconds passed by, each one feeling like an eternity for everyone present. Then the mechanism that was part of the metal clamp kicked in, and Ken was yanked right off of his feet. Clutching his sword with both hands, the blade was pulled from Fannie's chest and blood geysered out of her. She collapsed to the floor as her life fluid continued to flow from her.

The sound of Ken's laughter as he was wrenched away into the darkness was mixed with Monokuma shouting, "Let's give it everything we've got!"

"Fannie," Ishiku shrieked in terror as he crawled over to her and put his hands on her wound. "No no no!"

"Oh God, Fiora," Yitro was over by Peko, trying to hold the deep cut on her stomach closed, "hold in there! Hold still!"

"I'm… I'm sorry," Peko said, hissing from the intense pain, "I wasn't able… to stop him."

"FANNIE!" Ishiku called to her, as some of the others moved to help him. "Open your eyes!"

"IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

---

Monokuma spun his katana around in his paw, as a screen with a rusty bell atop of it popped up in front of him. He leapt up and swung horizontally, clanging the bell as well as slicing it in half. The moment the bell was severed, the screen lit up.

An 8-bit ghost town showed up on the screen, with black bars at the top and bottom. Ken's pixel art version was standing in the center, as a pixel version of Monokuma came walking up.

KEN HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY

Ken was hoisted above Monokuma, and started walking off with the fretting pixel-art cavalryman. The two Monokubs followed behind him, celebratory animations from them.

TIME FOR PUNISHMENT!

Inside of the trial room, five large screens came down from the ceiling, and everyone could see the western plaza from an aerial view. Though most were not looking, they were concerned with Peko and Fannie.

---

Hara was pushing her hands on Fannie's back, trying to stop blood from flowing out the cut there. "She won't last long," she cried out, glancing around at the others. "We have to get her out of here!"

"Keep applying pressure," Futaba instructed Ishiku, who had his hands on the wound on Fannie's chest. The white 'n pink-topped gal was gasping, whimpering in agony as blood continued to leak from her mouth. "We need to get her to that medical room."

A distressed hack came from Peko, as blood sprayed from her stomach wound. Yitro was trying to hold it closed, but it wasn't working out. He glanced over at the others desperately, and called out, "We need to go, someone help me!"

"Ah ah ahhhhhh! No no!"

Monokuma, standing over his destroyed bell, pointed at the graduates with his katana. "No one leaves until the execution is finished! That elevator won't work until I say so!"

Isaac was over by Yitro and Peko, trying to hold that stomach wound closed. The swordswoman shivered, holding back her cries of pain as sweat ran down her forehead. "I failed. I failed…"

"Please, just keep calm," the reporter said to her. He glanced up at the screens that displayed the execution, though there was nothing right now but the aerial view of the western plaza. "Peko, you did alright, you fought to defend us."

He looked over at Hara, who was still assisting Fannie. The two exchanged glances, and nodded as they both prepared for what would have to happen next. Peko noticed this, and let out a pained but wistful sigh.

"You look so fondly at her," the swordswoman said. "Heh… I had always dreamed that Mas... that Fuyuhiko would look at me that way."

"I'm sorry that you cannot see him, but please know," the reporter said to her, "that he's happy. When we get out of here, we'll tell him about you, if you want."

Peko gave a faint nod, then stared at Isaac. Fiora's body was shivering a great deal, as the woman possessing her struggled with the pain. "Earlier in the trial, you defended me despite everything. May I ask why?"

"I," he stammered, then he let out a sigh of his own and gestured towards his scarred arm. "When I was at Hope's Peak, I tried to save someone who was stuck inside of a burning building. I kicked down a door to get to them, and that was the last thing I should have done. Building came down, and the person died; my arm got this way because of it.

"I felt so upset, I was ready to leave Hope's Peak in my shame, but there were people who stood by my side: Saiko, and her."

Isaac glanced at Hara, and then smiled. "I just felt that with my past, I needed to give you the benefit of the doubt."

Peko nodded, her eyes starting to fade. She winced, and then murmured, "I… I can feel myself fading away."

"Stay with us," Yitro told her, cupping her face. "Don't fall asleep, okay?"

"N-no, I mean, I feel myself leaving Fiora's body. I'm sorry, I just wanted to ask Isaac that before I go back to… wherever I was in the afterlife. Thank you, Isaac… Yitro… thank Drake for me, will you please?

"And do please," she whispered, as her eyes closed, "say hi to Fuyuhiko for me. Let him know… I'm so happy for him."

Isaac held her shoulder as her body went slack…

…

…

…

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

Fiora's shriek of intense agony made her start spasming, as Isaac and Yitro held her down. Pyrrha rushed over, trying to help as much as she could.

"What happened?! Where am I?!" Fiora screamed, then stared down at her bleeding stomach. "Gaaaaah, it hurts! It hurts, am I dying? I'm dying!"

"Fiora, calm down, you're making it worse," Pyrrha begged her.

"'Making it woo'rs?' I have a hole in my chest, how coo'd it BE ANY WOO'RS!?"

Fannie let out another hacking, bloody cough, a terrible mixture of pained cries from the two critically injured souls. She glanced up at those helping her, and managed a small smile. "Hey, Ishiku," she whispered, staring up at him, "just hold me, alright?"

"Fannie, stay with us."

"Hold me, I beg of you. Your warmth, your love… I want to feel it. It'll give me strength."

Ishiku stared at the others around Fannie, who were Hara, Shuuya, and Crystal. Shuuya nodded at Ishiku, and moved his hands onto Fannie's chest to slow down the blood loss. The magician held onto her, and she managed a smile.

"You should get near the elevator," Souma said, as he picked up Ishiku's staff and stood near them. "The moment we can go, we'll go up."

"When's the damn execution going to start?" Kimiko shouted, pointing up at the screens. "You haven't started it yet intentionally, you Goddamn bear!"

Monokuma covered his mouth with his free paw. "Upupupupu! We are experiencing technical difficulties, transporting Ken to his designated punishment area."

"You bastard," Crystal cried out, pointing accusingly at the bear. "You're doing this to assure they die! You cannot do that, you cannot interfere with the murders!"

"Yes, that's why I cannot allow you all outside right now, because this punishment is going to be incredibly dangerous for civilians of the town. We're going under lockdown until the punishment is over."

Monokid cackled as he strummed on his guitar. "Hell yeah! And it's not like you can make a deal to get your way out of it."

"Actually…"

Fannie's soft voice drifted out from her bloodied lips, but she still had an assertiveness that couldn't be ignored. "If you look under Code 137 of Penjar's Safety and Regulation, you'll see that in case of medical emergency, one person is allowed to escort an injured person to the nearest medical station."

"What?!" Monokid immediately broke his guitar into several pieces. "How do you know that, you stupid dumb former sister-woman of ours?"

"That code," Monokuma snarled as he tapped his katana against the platform's floor, "was specifically made to ensure that the Seed of Despair can be rescued by one of you adorable Kubs!"

"And how do you even know that?!" the blue Kub hollered.

"YOU-DO-REALIZE-MONOPHANIE-HELPED-ORGANIZE-THE-CODES-OF-PENJAR, RIGHT?" Monodam asserted. "ENCOURAGE-OUR-CITIZENS, DISGUST-TOWARDS-LAW-BREAKERS, SHE-DESIGNED-THE-CODES-TO-PROTECT-EVERYTHING-FATHER-BUILT-HERE."

Fannie let out a fluttering laugh, as she nuzzled into Ishiku's arms. She was deathly pale now, breathing shallow. "I remember so little thanks to my transition to a human, but I remembered all of that. You have to allow someone to take an injured person to the closest medical station…

"You have to do that… or you know what happens… when Despair breaks the rules they set."

Monokid broke the broken pieces of his guitar, and shouted, "When's that damn execution going to start? I want to cut a bitch so bad right now!"

Monokuma stood perfectly still, then spat out angrily, "Grrr, fine! Put yourselves at risk! One person to carry one of you injured souls!"

"Okay then," Ishiku said, staring down at Fannie, "we gotta hurry."

"Wait," Yitro called out to him, "Fiora's bleeding out badly!"

"Fannie's injury is more serious!"

The magician pleaded with his eyes as he cradled Fiora. "Please, I'm begging you, she was stabbed through the chest. She's still losing blood, we need to hurry!"

"Ishi…"

Fannie reached up and caressed Ishiku's face, staring into his eyes. She smiled, and said, "Let them take Fiora."

"N-no! You'll die, you…"

"Ishi, I wanted to prove to everyone so much that I'm human, I'm not a member of Despair anymore. Fiora is dying too, and she deserves a chance…"

"But… but your wound! You're bleeding out your chest and back!"

Fannie nodded, her smile never leaving her face as she stared into her eyes. "As long as you're with me, I'll hang in there. You're my magic, Ishi, you just continue to believe in me."

She glanced over at Fiora, with Yitro and Isaac nearby. "Take her now, go."

Yitro nodded, and started to scoop up Fiora in his arms, until Futaba ran over. "No no wait," she called to him. "You used up your ability to use the medical device, you cannot take her."

"But," the swordsman stammered, as he looked into Fiora's pained, scared eyes, "but… no, no you're right."

"Let me or Shuuya take her," the anthropologist offered. "We have the all-access and the medical benefits."

Futaba's words were followed by the diabolical laughter coming from Monokid. He was wrapping his paws around his ruined guitar's strings, snapping them one at a time. When he realized everyone was suspiciously staring at him, the blue Kub barked out, "What do you all want? Can't a bear break a guitar in peace?"

"What's so damn funny?" Futaba demanded to know.

"Oh nothing!"

"Don't give us that, there's no way a sadistic brat like you just laughs like that over what I said. What do you know that we don't?"

"Oh nothing!"

Futaba crossed her arms, and then glanced back at everyone. "What's his problem? What could be wrong with what I said?"

"What if," Drake spoke up, "one of you doesn't have the medical benefit?"

"How is that possible, Drake?"

"Monocrow's deals, what if someone stole them from you and/or Shuuya?"

"But no one knew what the asylum's benefit was!"

"That didn't stop people from sleepwalking to take abilities… oh no."

Futaba's eyes widened at this realization, and many of the others gasped in astonishment. The anthropologist clenched her artificial hand, and grumbled, "God damn it, we need to know before we risk this! But how can we know who has it?"

Drake turned towards the Kubs. "Can you please tell us who has the asylum's benefit?"

"Haw haw haw!" Monokid shouted in laughter as he snapped the second-to-last string of his ruined guitar. "We didn't tell you any of those earlier, you think we'll tell you fuckers that now?"

"Actually…"

Fannie raised a finger to make a point. "According to Code 107 of Penjar's Safety and Regulation-"

"MOTHERFUCKER!" was Monokid's shout as he fractured the last string of his guitar.

"Drake," the white 'n pink-topped gal called out faintly, "ask Monodam who has them. He's allowed to tell anyone who wants to."

The cartoonist nodded, then pleadingly stared up at the green Kub. "Monodam, who amongst us has an available asylum benefit?"

"ODELIOS, IGNATIA, SAIKO, ISAAC, AND-YOU."

"The swaps were done during that sleepwalking time," Shuuya cursed out, shaking his head. "Damn it, Saiko's benefit is lost with her."

Isaac glanced around the room, observing how the others in that list were. Drake was shaking with dread, and Odelios was leaning against his podium with a look of absolute absence. Ignatia was also observing them, then exchanged glances with Isaac.

"Ignatia, you don't have the all-access pass anymore, remember?" the reporter said, as he adjusted his beanie. "I'll take her."

"Isaac," Hara called out to him. She opened her mouth to protest, then the situation registered fully in her mind. Instead, she nodded at him and said, "Okay, honey, please take care of yourself."

"I definitely will, my love. You come right after, okay?"

Isaac scooped up Fiora in his arms, carrying her bridal-style as he instructed, "Keep your hands on your wound, stop as much bleeding as possible."

"I deed not hand her, wood stop moo," Fiora deliriously slurred, her head slumping forward as she stared into Isaac's eyes. "Mitch blue dit, ass post Bob."

Isaac moved over to the elevator as Anzu pushed the button for them, her face scrunched with the utmost concern as she watched Fiora. "Please, please get her there on time, Isaac."

"You can count on it."

As the elevator opened and the reporter stepped into it, there was a loud buzzing of static. The graduates saw movement on the screens at last, as well as the sudden absence of Monokuma and the two Kubs.

Ishiku held onto Fannie, who gently nuzzled against his chest. Everyone's eyes were on the screens, and then they saw blood dripping down from the sky above the western plaza.

---

As the blood trickled down the steel blade, droplets falling down towards the ground, Ken was lowered down to the ground by a drone. He scoffed as he glanced around the plaza, and muttered, "Took you long enough to get me here, but why here?"

His answer came as Monokuma, wearing his samurai helmet and holding his katana still, hopped up on top of the large statue of himself in the middle of the plaza. Monokid and Monodam were on the base of the statue, next to its feet.

Monokuma was bouncing up and down as he laughed, and then he pulled a large scroll out from behind him. How the small bear could hide that, let alone hold up the metal rod almost eight feet long, were questions that Ken didn't care about at this point.

The banner sprawled down in front of the large Monokuma statue, hiding the stone version of the bear covering his eyes in 'shame,' rolling all the way down to its feet. The bottom of the banner flipped out, and struck Monodam, knocking him back.

In large, golden letters, on a banner that was the same colors as the Novoselic's flag, read the following:

Ultimate Cavalryman

Ken Kishi's

Execution: Commenced

Stone Report Perforate

Ken stared up at Monokuma, hate brimming in his eyes as he pointed his bloody blade up at the bear. No words were spoken, but the threat from both sides was clear.

The despair bear's grin intensified, as the red glow from his eye blazed throughout the dark plaza. With that, he dropped the long banner, and the Monokuma statue that was covering its eyes sheepishly wasn't doing so anymore.

With malicious glowing eyes on both sides, and an open maw full of razor sharp teeth, the statue was staring down at Ken as it, with the grinding sound of concrete chafing against itself, lifted its arms. A mechanical roar much like a rock grinder elicited from its mouth, and flames could be seen building inside of its maw.

Ken realized what was going to happen, and jumped to the side. Flames billowed out, scorching the ground where the cavalryman had been standing. The Monokuma statue with dragon breath growled, and lifted its large stone feet.

One of those feet punted Monodam as it jumped down from its pedestal, sending the green Kub tumbling on the ground and rolling into the psychic's tent. As the Monokuma statue landed on the ground, causing the earth to shake, it turned towards Ken.

The statue was almost twice as tall as him, with the incredible weight and stocky build of Monokuma being like a gigantic concrete pillar coming at him. With claws of sharpened concrete, each one as big as a person's head, it loomed over the Novoselic man.

"Impressed?" Monokuma called out. "I like to call this my Monokuma Stone Dragon, mister knight man! Now, you think you can take this down with a sword?"

"I'll cleave all of it in two," the warrior shouted. "You do not intimidate me, you monster of Despair!"

"Upupupupu! Then try and slay my dragon!"

Ken and the Monokuma Stone Dragon stared each other down, and the statue acted first. It swung at Ken, but the cavalryman managed to parry as well as dodge out of the way of the solid punch that the claw had as a follow-up. The statue swung its other fist, and when Ken jumped out of the way, he saw that the claws stuck deep into the stone pavement.

This thing was able to kill him with one blow, he knew that. And as it reared back, flames building up in its maw, he knew such a fiery attack would incinerate him.

With another swift leap to the side, Ken avoided a flame-broiled death. The dragon's fiery breath shot out and caught the psychic's tent on fire, engulfing it entirely with just the one attack. The mists swirled as smoke billowed up into the air, and the tent was charring immediately.

Monodam, with burning cloth on top of his head, scrambled out of the tent. Ken was dodging attack after attack from the statue, and tried to strike at the same time; the concrete material was too hard to cut through, he couldn't do any damage to the arms or paws.

Monokid was busy playing what he considered to be epic battle music on the empty pedestal, with a new guitar, as the fight continued. Despite all this noise and the heavy impacts of the statue punching the ground, Ken started to realize the earth-shaking wasn't only coming from the statue.

The Guardian, the building-morphing robot that lazily patrolled around Penjar, was marching towards the plaza. It stepped on dead trees and benches, crushing them entirely. When it arrived, it faced the statue, twice its height.

"Oopsie, I hurt one of my adorable Kubs," Monokuma shouted, scratching his back with his katana. "Oh well, guess that means the Guardian is going to take me out."

Ken's eyes darted between the statue and the robot, until he saw compartments in the shoulders of the Guardian open up to reveal missiles. He immediately started to run, but that was no good.

Primarily because the Guardian leaned back and fired missiles up into the air, smoke trails showcasing they were going all over the area, none coming down in the vincinity.

"Oh lucky me," Monokuma shouted, "the Guardian really has bad aim! UPUPUPUPU!"

The Monokuma Statue Dragon turned back towards Ken, and charged for him. It pulled back its claws and swung at the cavalryman, who parried the blows with all his strength. Ken felt sweat build all over his body, the exhaustion of fighting an opponent of stone wearing on him.

One of the claws managed to catch his hoodie, and tore at it, cutting his side. He winced but did not slow down. At the elbow of the statue, he swung his blade down, and the Novoselic steel bit into the workings of the Monokuma statue.

As he attempted to cut deeper in, an explosion nearby startled him. One of the missiles had landed on the remains of the psychic's tent, obliterating it and sending burning debris everywhere. Another explosion happened in an barren area of the plaza, but the dirt and dust it kicked up were blinding.

Ken leapt away from the Monokuma Statue Dragon, and scanned the sky. When he saw one missile arcing downwards towards him, he sprinted away. The statue reached for him, and the missile struck its damaged arm instead.

The explosion was enough to propel Ken down to the ground, even though he didn't receive the brunt of it. As he pulled himself up, he was looking right at the Bear's Motel.

He blinked his eyes, and then it was engulfed in fire and exploding from within. A rush of wind, an impact like a full-body punch, came with the motel being obliterated by a missile attack. He was sent flying backwards, skidding across the concrete rubble that used to be the statue's arm; he could feel it cutting through his clothing and scratching his back.

The missiles soared off into the air, and started coming down all over Penjar. A few of the abandoned buildings were decimated by explosions. Ye Olde Taxidermy Shop was blown to smithereens, the animal statues scattering all over the rubble. The main plaza was bombarded with missiles, leaving craters and smoldering rubble.

Isaac could see all of this from Town Hall, holding Fiora in his arms. He dared not go outside, because every time he thought a mad dash would be enough, another missile would explode outside of the building, as if ordering him to stay put.

"Look, they're droppin' us presents," Fiora cheered, lolling her head back and laughing in celebration. "But why're they explodin'?"

"What the hell," Isaac shouted, "is going on over there?!"

The Guardian had settled down, as the missiles continued to pound down into the ground and buildings across Penjar. Ken got to his feet, and noticed that the Monokuma Statue Dragon was completely missing an arm. Monokid was still rocking out on his guitar, while Monodam crash-landed right beside Ken.

"OW."

Ken narrowed his eyes at the stone statue, trying to think of how to destroy such a thing. Then an idea crossed his head, as he glanced down at the upside-down Monodam, and he grinned.

"Hey Monokuma," he shouted at the bear. "I dare you to come and try to punt me!"

"Ha! You think this bear will take the dare?" Monokuma shouted from atop his statue ride. "How about I just claw you to pieces with my statue's one good arm?"

"Your mother was a gerbil, and your father smelt of wheat and malt!"

"Whatever, Novoselic twerp! Now prepare to be smashed by my statue!"

The Monokuma Stone Dragon pulled back its one remaining arm, ready to attack again in a way that was going to become increasingly difficult, and eventually impossible, for Ken to counter. He had to think fast…

"I have one question for you before you do that."

"And what would that, Ken?"

"Who is Mr. Beardsley?"

"… MR. BEARDSLEY!?" Monokuma screamed. "Stop saying that GODDAMN name! That's it, I'mma punt a runt!"

The Monokuma Statue Dragon sprinted, off-balance but still rather fast, right towards Ken. Though the cavalryman, with all his years of experience, was faster, and he leapt away from the kick…

Which resulted in the Monokuma Statue Dragon punting Monodam through the air, and the green Kub clanged off the head of the Guardian. There was a moment of silence, and then the missile compartments again opened up on the enormous robot.

"Whoopsie-poopsie," Monokuma remarked. "Did I do that?"

The scream of missiles echoed throughout the plaza, most of them flew off into the air. The rain of death and destruction persisted throughout Penjar, with several more buildings being obliterated.

Monokuma scratched the back of his head with his katana, muttering, "Huh, I guess I really did need to remodel. Alright then, Kenny Ken Kenneth, your time has… huh?"

The despair bear couldn't see the cavalryman anywhere in front of his statue ride. Monokuma turned around on top of his statue, only to see Ken right behind his concrete creation.

Ken waved good-bye to Monokuma, who squinted in confusion. He turned back to see one of the missiles swoop down from the sky and come right for his statue. There was a terrific explosion, annihilating the front of the Monokuma Stone Dragon.

Monokuma pinwheeled his arms, trying to maintain balance, then looked up at the sky to see more missiles coming down, one right at him. "Well," he muttered as he slumped down, "fu-"

The missiles pounded down on top of the statue, and also down on the Monokuma's Arcade District. The entire area was engulfed in flames, flying rubbing, and the impact of the missiles. Ken covered his face with his arms, as he felt the intensity burn, bite, and batter him from all angles.

The screams he let out to endure the pain were eventually engulfed by the noise. Inside of the trial room, everyone started to feel the nausea and light-headedness that comes from staring at something too bright.

"W-wait," Fannie cried out, "Ishi… Ishi, yo-"

The light became so overwhelming, radiating menacingly from the screens inside of the trial room. It became too painful to look at. Everyone closed their eyes, but the glare burned into their retinas, the ringing in their ears, as it felt like a nuke had nullified their senses.

They couldn't see, they couldn't hear, they could barely breathe with how paralyzing that excessive light was. Ishiku held onto Fannie, and he felt like she was trying to say something, as she clutched onto his tunic.

Isaac, still holding onto Fiora, watched as what looked like a nuclear blast went off in the western plaza. The missiles were still landing, blowing buildings apart and sending debris scattering across the main plaza. The reporter turned away from the light, as Fiora slurred from his arms, "Dun look inta tha light, Isaac-an…"

…

…

---

…

…

The western plaza was so enveloped in an overpowering glare, it lasted like an echo that wouldn't go away. Ken stood still, his feet planted on the ground, his clothing partially shredded with blood leaking from multiple cuts and jagged scratches all over his body. He let out a long exhale, lowering his arms as the tip of his sword clanged against the stone walkway.

He didn't even react when a samurai helmet came crashing down with a horrible clatter nearby him. The head of Monokuma fell down too, impaling on one of the horns of the helmet. Finally, Monodam came spiraling down, landing on his flat head.

Ken scanned the area, searching for any more threats. The Guardian was moving away, disengaging from the firefight that had just happened. The psychic's tent had burned to ash, the arcade and the motel were demolished and smoldering, the plaza had been ravaged by heat and impact explosions.

Monokid, scarred by the flash burns, was clutching his guitar as he also surveying the scene. He let out a cheer, pumping his arms into the air, and then slammed his guitar down on the base, smashing it to pieces.

"Now that's what I call an execution! Hell yeah! Fuck yeah! How you holding up there, survivor man?"

Ken took in a sharp breath, as the pain from his injuries came rushing in after the adrenaline left. He clutched his stomach with his free hand, wincing as his breathing grew labored.

"Internal injuries," he remarked, before spitting out blood from his mouth. "Had 'em before, I know how serious they are."

"Sounds like you need a medical station," Monokid remarked. "You ain't got three buddies with first-aid kits, so you gotta rely on your perks of this town. As a survivor of the execution, you get 'em all! Haw haw haw!"

The cavalryman glanced over at the blue Kub, and muttered, "Very well then, good to know you can keep your word on that. For a while, I thought you rigged the executions."

"Hell no! Now go on, go get patched up. We'll be waiting for you afterwards, official citizen of Penjar!"

"I refute that title, you slubberdegullion."

Ken started walking towards the asylum, sheathing his sword in the process. Every part of his body ached, he felt shooting pains inside as he moved. Cursing in his native tongue over how much agony he was feeling, he was already sweating and gnashing his teeth when he got to the entrance of the asylum.

Leaning on the outside to catch his breath, he strained to breath in without it feel like someone hit his chest with a sledgehammer. Once he steadied himself, the cavalryman walked into the asylum, towards the medical room.

"Damn it all," he cursed as he had to lean against the wall for support. It was only the first hallway, and he felt like something was dragging him down, like gravity was painfully pulling on his body.

He strained to glance down the hallway. It seemed to stretch in his vision, like if the building was supernaturally becoming longer. This was just one of three hallways to get to the medical room, and he was dreading the distance. The agony was becoming more acute with every step, but there was no other way but forward.

"Heh, you think you've beaten me, Monokuma?" Ken snapped out loud. "I will overcome this, and destroy your evil town, and you! And all of Despair!"

"Aren't you forgetting a few things?"

Ken froze up, as if the room hit absolute zero. That voice, he remembered it, though it was impossible. The cavalryman, slumped against the wall on his shoulder, was like a statue with wide eyes and holding an arm across his stomach.

He shivered, not out of pain, then he finally cast his eyes to the side, staring at the source of the voice in the hallway with him.

Saiko Kobayashi stood there, hands in her pockets, staring him down. Her chest was stained with blood, a deep cut in her top that showcased a fatal wound. There was no blood dripping from the cut, there was no agony in Saiko's stoic visage, there wasn't even any breathing coming from the woman.

Yet she stood there, casually looking over Ken as if she was awaiting a response. The cavalryman started to stammer in horror, but then he groaned and muttered, "Oh yes… the hallucinations of this asylum. You're not here."

He started to trudge down the hallway, slowly but surely making his way. The pain increased, but he didn't falter. Neither did Saiko, who walked alongside him.

"You cannot ignore me if I'm speaking what's on your mind," the forensic investigator said, shrugging her shoulders. "I would know what's on your mind better than anyone."

"Silence, you murderous harpy," he spat out. "I did the world a favor by getting rid of you, you were a shameless killer and a perverter of justice."

"What does that make you? You murdered me, you've probably killed Fannie and Fiora, and you were going to have everyone else die so you could survive."

"The majority of the people in that trial room were all guilty of something or another," Ken murmured as he turned the corner down the second hallway towards the medical room. He doubled over in pain, catching himself on the wall, huffing and panting as he tried to endure it.

"Do you really believe that? Did it feel good when you tore Hikari's heart out?" Saiko asked, crossing her arms as she watched him. "She trusted you, so many of them did. They were incredulous to the end."

"Heh… it's better that they see me as a monster, if they truly are innocent. As a weapon of Chaos now, I am not to have any restrictions."

Ken slammed his fist against the wall, and his eyes started to bubble with that chaotic powers that churned inside of him. "This was the only way, I saw the truth."

"You saw a path, one of many," Saiko said, leaning against the opposite wall. "It's so odd, how much you allowed Chaos to overtake you, like you didn't have any defenses to begin with."

"Despair ruined everything for me, destroying my home, killing the royal family. It still persists, you see it all over the news, another Killing Game, another atrocity, and Novoselic still hasn't collected itself. I…"

He stopped, then glared at over at Saiko. "Why am I arguing with a hallucination of a dead person? Be gone, I shan't listen to you."

As he stumbled forward, Saiko casually walked alongside him. "You cannot simply just see me as a murderer. You saw other sides of me, you saw how Eisei and I were happy together," she said, shrugging again. "I was a bit of an ice queen, never letting anyone near me because I felt like I didn't feel like I deserved it. My two friends were the only ones I cared about…

"I know how much it's bothering you. You're thinking right now if I truly deserved my death, if you truly did the right thing. You're not sure of yourself, you're second guessing."

Ken snarled as the chaotic bubbling in his eyes frothed, and he swung at her. His hand passed through her, like swinging through the wind. She merely blinked at him.

"Better save your strength there, Ken," she responded. "You haven't got much time left, and you know it."

"Yes," he growled, as he continued onwards again, "and I should definitely not be listening to you."

"Oh, I'm just what is on your mind, buddy," she replied. "You're so sure that Chaos is going to be the counter to Despair, you dove into the deep end. Though you know the problems that have come up now with your actions."

Ken scoffed, trudging forward to the dark hallway. He was almost there. "And what would that be, you mind reading harpy?"

"You used your medical benefit to heal the injury you gave to Blake. It's spent, you cannot use the medical room to heal yourself."

The Novoselic cavalryman froze up again, as he gripped onto the corner of the wall towards the dark hallway. He coughed up blood again, the crimson life force staining the floor. Spitting the rest out of his mouth, he glared at Saiko, then laughed bitterly.

"Yes, I had thought of that," he said as he turned the corner. The dark hallway, which seemed to be a tunnel enshrouded in sinister shadows, was now the final step. "But you know what else I know?

"That by surviving the execution, the town has granted me all the benefits that comes with it. I have full access, and I will use that machine too. Then, after I have recovered-"

"If you do."

Saiko was suddenly not beside Ken, but in front of him. He flinched, but move onwards with an annoyed snarl, passing through her like the air itself.

"The others know where you are," she said as he shifted through her nonexistent body. "You will have to be put under when you get on that medical chair, you require operations on your internal organs. What's stopping them from beating you, killing you even?"

Ken laughed again, his eyes frothing with chaotic bubbles. "Foolish woman, they cannot do that. I am a citizen of Penjar now, the bears told me so. If I am attacked, the Guardian will destroy them, and they all just witnessed the absolute power of that machine.

"So spare me your attempts to hinder me," he said as he gripped one of the doors for support. The hallway's rooms with their glass walls, showcasing the horrific manners of "medicine" in them. "I am going to fix myself, and then ravage Despair across the world."

"I see."

Saiko was by his side again. "So you've been granted all powers and benefits of Penjar, and you're protected by the Guardian from anyone who'd want revenge."

"Yes! And then, then I will use my knowledge and strength, and my newfound ally of Chaos to destroy Despair once and for all!"

"By relying entirely on Despair to keep you alive."

Ken was so startled by this statement, he slid down while clutching the door handle. It opened, and he fell into the room. He lay there, staring up at the ceiling. "Wh-what?"

"I said," Saiko, who was suddenly sitting down next to Ken, right where the door had been before it swung away, "you're relying entirely on Despair to survive right now."

"N-no. I'm not-"

"You became a citizen of Penjar, you require their tools and medicine to keep you alive, and you need it for your protection. Please tell me how that is not relying on Despair."

Ken was silent, wide-eyed, heavy breathing. He couldn't focus on one area in particular to look at, his pupils darted around frantically. Nonsensical words elicited from him, as if he were struggling to make words out of them.

"So you have immersed yourself in Despair, so far that everyone would say that you are its ally," Saiko continued, crossing her arms as she spoke in that matter-of-fact manner she was known for. "One could even say you are a follower of Despair."

"Sh-shut up… shut up! I am not thinking these things!"

"You murdered me, so you'd think I was bitter, but I'm merely speaking the truth. I am not sure why you're now so devoted to Chaos when now you're in it with Despair. Although…"

"Although what?!" Ken barked, before he violently coughed up more blood. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall, before he hacked and coughed, his life force spewing from his mouth. He glared at Saiko, blood coating his lips and chin. "You… you manipulative-"

"Don't you remember when it was discussed that Despair and Chaos are quite close together? They are rivals, eager to prove the other more triumphant. You think Chaos is your weapon, your ally?"

Saiko shook her head, her blue pigtails swinging back and forth. "Chaos used you. You know it deep down, but you let your anger and fears get to you. Your scars…"

"That… that word…"

"Drake was right, but it could also be implying that you'd stain your future with blood, drenching it in scarlet," the hallucination said, pacing back and forth in front of Ken. "Either way, you know what it means?

"It means Chaos corrupted you, and made you do what it wanted, with just one word. Just one word, and you did everything chaos would want: you killed someone no one would expect, you were the culprit no one would guess, you set up someone that people were dubious about.

"Now tell me, Ken Kishi, how is it different than anything Despair would have done? How are you any different than those fanatics, the ones who destroyed your home? Because you aren't a knight any more, you don't have honor…

"You just have blood all over your hands, because you thought that you could harness the power of Despair's sibling."

Ken hacked, coughed, and then held up one of his hands in front of his face. Blood had stained his fingers and palm, and though he knew it was from his own injuries, his mind flashed back to when he killed Saiko. He thought of his honorable fellow knights, he thought of his princess, his home, the ones he had attacked in the trial room…

And the bubbling, chaotic mess in his eyes faded away, replaced with tears running down his face. "What… what have I done?"

Saiko shook her head, sighing deeply before saying, "You need to do what you can now."

Ken stared down at his hand, then up at Saiko, though she was no longer there. The cavalryman, with tears streaming down his eyes, put his bloody hands on the ground, and started to push himself up…

---

Day 17, 1:03 AM

Main Plaza

Town Hall

Isaac stared out at the plaza before him, then dared to peek out at the sky above from out of the doorway. There were no more missiles in the sky, no more dangers. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then carried Fiora down the steps.

"Just hang in there a bit longer, Fiora," he said, trying to support her as best he could. "I'm going to get you to the asylum, we're going to fix you up. Just stay with me, it's best you don't fall asleep."

"Buh daddy, I dun wanna go to skool tooday, eh," she slurred, holding up a bloodstained hand in objection. "I wanna shtay home an' bake cookees wish youuuu."

"That's great, Fiora, stay with me."

"Urrrgh, tha mists seem reelly mad at us…"

Isaac, as he moved as fast as he could while carrying her, noticed that too. The mists in this forsaken town were swirling aggressively, almost as if they were trying to strike at those that waded through them. It had been like this for some time now, and he wondered what it could mean.

Though it concerned the reporter, he couldn't focus on it. Fiora had been in his arms for a while, and so they, as well as his legs, felt like burning lead. It hurt, it was incredibly sore, but he wasn't going to stop. Every step was necessary, and he willed himself to move forward.

"Fiora, talk to me. Tell me anything, even about your movies."

"Wha happa, Ishak? Did… did shumwun die? Ish that why we wur in tha trial rum?"

Isaac took a moment to catch his breath, and nudge her while saying, "Keep your hand on your wound, Fiora, we're almost there."

---

Day 17, 1:06 AM

Swordswoman Trial Room

Everyone inside of the trial room stirred, finding themselves collasped on the floor. There was a ringing in their ears, and a blur in their vision, thanks to the overpowering light from the screens.

Said screens were retracting up into the ceiling. The graduates all tried to collect themselves, as some of them gripped the podiums and picked themselves up.

"Goddamn," Crystal groaned as she shook her head. "That'll teach us to look directly into a flash bang, or whatever that was."

"Is there any way he survived that?" Pyrrha asked, rubbing her eyes before looking over at the military adviser. "I mean, Ken… dear God, what happened there?"

Her friend shrugged, glancing around the room. The first thing she noticed was that the statues around the trial chamber were all decapitated. The heads were all missing, and rubble scattered across the floor around them.

"Monokuma blew the heads off of the statues?" she asked. "Why would he-"

"NO! FANNIE!"

Crystal whipped around to the shrill scream of Ishiku. The magician was clutching Fannie's body, shaking her and gently patting her face. "Wake up, please wake up!"

Anzu hurried over to them, and gasped in horror at how pale Fannie was. The terrible wound wasn't pumping out blood anymore, just a slight dribble as if there was nothing left. She covered her mouth in shock, as Ishiku tried to wake Fannie up.

"C-come on, don't fall asleep," Ishiku pleaded with the silent, unmoving woman in his arms. "We gotta get you out of here. Please, please…"

Shuuya moved in, placing his fingers against Fannie's neck. There were a few seconds, and then the bounty hunter sighed. "Ishiku, she's gone."

"N-no! She's not gone yet! Y-you know how people can cling to life, even after their pulse is gone! Please, help me!"

He struggled to lift up Fannie, but he was trembling too much. Pyrrha sobbed, covering her mouth as she struggled, and failed, to contain her emotions. Drake was also shivering and crying, watching Ishiku's attempts in horror and sorrow.

"Ishiku, it's no use," Shuuya said.

"Don't tell me to give up, Goddamn you! She can still make it!"

"Ishiku, she's bled out. I know the sight of someone who's bled to death, she's gone."

"She cannot be gone… she can't be. Fannie… FANNIE!"

Ishiku sobbed, burying his face against her shoulder. The white 'n pink-topped gal's head leaned back, her eyes closed in an almost content expression. The trial room echoed with his agonized crying.

Futaba let out a long, shuddering sigh. Kimiko punched her podium, kicking at it too in utter frustration. Souma, still holding Ishiku's staff, hung his head in mourning. Odelios and Hikari stared, unable to think of what they could say or do.

Blake, however, knew what he would say and do. "Aw, the vapid bitch with big tits died while we were all out of it?" he asked aloud, then laughed. "Well, no big loss, she wasn't to be trusted anyway!"

The graduates locked up, unable to fully comprehend what he had just said. Ishiku's sobbing turned into heaving gasps, as he glanced up at the pyro with the utmost furious glare, tears streaming down from his eyes.

"Oh what are you going to do, shrimp?" Blake snapped. "You gonna cry like a little bitch over that piece of ass? I told you before to man up, and-"

He was cut short when a fist collided with his face, knocking him down to the ground. It wasn't Ishiku who had done it, as the magician still clutched Fannie's body. The one who had slugged Blake was now standing over him, and punching him in the chest repeatedly.

"You bastard," Yitro shouted, his voice ragged with emotions, mostly fury. "You fucking bastard! I could kill you! I'm gonna-"

Shuuya's strong hands grabbed Yitro's shirt and pulled him back. The swordsman was almost too much for the bounty hunter to handle, until another person assisted in pushing him away from Blake. Eisei's hands, while small and not as strong, were clutching Yitro at his front, keeping him back.

"No, don't do this," Eisei implored, as Yitro struggled but eventually settled. "Don't make this worse, he isn't worth it."

"He… he tried to kill us!" Yitro shouted, gripping at the floor to contain himself. "He tried to make me look like the killer by lying to you all!"

"Wait a minute, that's right," Futaba cried out, furiously pointing at Blake. "You did try to get us all killed!"

"You evil bastard," Kimiko snarled, approaching the pyro as he was trying to pull himself up. Hikari stood in-between the two, holding back the enraged biker leader. "Are you really that… that crazy?!"

Blake was squatting, hands on his knees, spitting blood out. He laughed before responding. "You know what? Maybe yeah. Maybe I just hate you all that much, maybe I just wanted to see everything burn down."

Souma let out a frustrated groan, shaking his head before pointing Ishiku's staff at Blake. "You wanted Despair to win? You came to Penjar to destroy it, Mr. Shokyaku, but now you suddenly wish for it to be triumphant? What caused this unpredictable madness that took over your mind?"

"Heh, maybe I'm going to pull a Ken, and wish for Chaos to win."

Blake spat out the rest of the blood in his mouth, and then lifted his head. His eyes were bubbling, frothing, churning with the madness that Ken had, that Samson had, of Chaos.

"I'mma gonna have fun with this town if I cannot burn it all down."

He strode over to the elevator, and pressed the button for it to be called. It opened immediately, and he rode it up, alone.

Everyone left in the trial room was so shocked, no one could speak or even move. It wasn't until Ishiku tried to pick up Fannie's body, failing to do so due to his sapped strength.

"Ishiku, don't," Anzu pleaded. "You won't gain anything by taking her back up there."

"I can't leave her here," Ishiku murmured. "Not here, in Monokuma's trial room."

"It matters not where you would try to put her to rest," Eisei said, approaching the magician and placing his small hand on his shoulder. "The bodies of the fallen are taken away, we cannot give them a proper burial. We can pay tribute to her…

"Just as we'll have to mourn for Saiko," he added, clutching his hand over his heart. "Just like everyone else we have lost here in this wretched town."

"Everyone," Crystal declared, waving her hand in the air to gather their attention with movement, "we have to get out of here now. Isaac and Fiora may need our help, and we need to keep tabs on Blake… not to mention how the town has been changed a great deal."

"No rest for the wicked," Kimiko said with a sigh. She pushed the button on the elevator, as it started to come down for them. "Let's go now, eh, we need to see what happened 'oot there. If Ken's still alive…"

"Yes, if he's alive," Futaba spoke up, crossing her arms, "what exactly are we going to do about it?"

The two women exchanged glances, both of them knowing what was going on in the other's head, and they didn't know what they should say or do. Shuuya approached them, standing in front of the elevator.

"Allow me to handle him, everyone else should stay the hell away from that new agent of Chaos," the bounty hunter said, cracking his knuckles. "If he survived that explosion, I'll handle him; we cannot allow him to leave Penjar, his misguided attempts to restore his home could scar the world."

"Goddamn, don't remind us of that 'scarlet' word," Yitro muttered, crossing his arms. "It's hard to believe that Chaos converted him over one word."

There was a soft gasp from behind them, and they turned to see Drake covering his mouth in horror. "Wh-what if Ken is going to the asylum to use the healing device?"

"Ken spent his one-time usage of that healing chair," Futaba responded, "when he cured Blake. He won't be able to use it."

"I'm more concerned about what will happen if he runs into Isaac and Fiora, if he still tries to use it!"

The graduates exchanged glances over this, eyes widening in fear of the possibility. Kimiko started frantically pushing the button to the elevator, snarling, "Hurry the fuck up, you bitch elevator!"

"That doesn't help," Eisei said, his matter-of-fact tone drained of emotion; it was like the dentist was running on auto-pilot now. He was holding onto Ishiku's shoulder, the magician refusing to release Fannie.

"We all need to get out there," Souma instructed the group. "Ken might be at the asylum, or he may be going to armory that's in the southern plaza; we cannot allow him to arm himself. We need to split up, and cover all the ground we can.

"Please take the utmost of care, we don't know what Ken is possible of, but we need to find out what our next step is. And we don't know what else Monokuma has in store for us."

"I'm going to the asylum," Yitro snarled, gripping the handle of his sword. "If he's there, he's not getting away from us."

"Allow me to retrieve some things from my house," Shuuya instructed him. "We need to take him alive, it's unknown if there are consequences for trying to kill someone who survived an execution."

Ignatia pat Drake's back, then gestured to some of the others. She held up her phone, which read out for her, [As many of us as possible should search the southern plaza. We need to find the armory, and everywhere else to see if Ken is hiding there too.]

Kimiko growled as she pushed the elevator button more. "We just need to get the hell 'oot of here! Goddamn, we shouldn't have let Blake go alone, why did we let that happen? Goddamnit, Goddamnit, Goddamnit!

"Argh! Soo'ry, everyone, I'm joo'st so frustrated," she apologized, shaking her head as she continued to push the button. The biker leader cast a glance at Hikari, who stood in place, staring down at the floor. "Hikari, doo'nt woo'ry, we're going to settle this with'oot any moo'r death. You okay?"

The steampunk model stared at her, and shook her head. As the elevator dinged, she muttered softly, "I'm getting the hell out of this town."

Kimiko balked at this, as the doors opened and everyone started to move in. Eisei gently pulled Ishiku, and the magician finally released Fannie's body. Placing her as dignified as he could, Ishiku walked into the elevator, a desolate look in his eyes.

Crystal was the last one in the elevator, but before the doors closed, she turned to the trial room once more. Scanning, surveying the entire room, her brain was burning with the thought of something wrong.

Fannie lay dead on the floor, the same floor stained with blood and rubble from the decapitated samurai statues. Monokuma and his two surviving Kubs were nowhere to be seen. Nothing else was out of place, though it still was nagging at her in the back of her head.

"Crystal?" Odelios spoke up, gently nudging her as she was standing in the doorway of the elevator.

"Huh? Oh sorry, I just," she muttered as she walked into the elevator, which allowed the doors to finally close, "I just have this terrible feeling we forgot something…"

---

Day 17, 1:15 AM

Enoshima Asylum

Main Hallway

Isaac snarled as he moved down the faintly-lit corridor of this wretched place. He didn't stop for a moment, even though he could hear angry squeaks from fierce rats, hisses from snakes, and indiscernible noises that he could only guess were oversized scorpions and spiders. The asylum made him feel like he was walking through an infested hell.

As he made his way to the darkest hallway of the asylum, he could see dark shadows scurrying across the floor. It reminded him of scarabs, those dreadful insects that were like piranha when there was a dead body. Isaac felt a surge of adrenaline, determined to not be carrying one.

Pushing his hip against the doors to the medical station, he was almost blinded with how well-lit and bright the room was. Placing Fiora on the chair, he hurried over to the touch screen.

"Come on, come on, come on," he said, placing his hand on the scanner. Filling out the questionnaire that followed, he watched as the machine chair started to move, with all the medical gizmos came to life.

"Woohoo, I'm in the future," Fiora cheered, pumping her fists in the air.

"Fiora," Isaac started to say, before another voice cut him off.

"PLEASE-HOLD-STILL," Monodam, who was suddenly at the foot of the medical chair, called up to Fiora. "REMOVE-ALL-CLOTHING-THAT-COVERS-THE-WOUND."

Fiora blinked, glancing around and not able to see the green Kub. "Is that… is that my inner urges? Telling me to strip? Ooo, I'm more naughty than I thought!"

The movie maker moved to undo her vest, but then pain shot through her body. She winced, knocking her out of her goofy state and into the harsh reality she was now in. Glancing frantically around the room, she noticed Isaac, and asked, "P-please help me. It hurts to move."

Isaac nodded, and unbuttoned her vest for her, then her shirt. Pulling off her cravat and setting it to the side, she lay there with her clothing opened except for her bra, and the bloody wound near her stomach still leaking her vital life fluids.

"Oh God," she whimpered as she stared at that injury. "I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die, Isaac, I'm gonna die…"

"No, you're not going to die," he assured her, taking her hand and holding onto it. "You're going to make it."

"Isaac," she stared up at him with misty eyes, and then muttered, "who died? I joo'st woke up in the trial room… t-tell me…

"Did… did Shinobu die? Just tell me 'oor plan worked, we wanted to stop Monokuma from enslaving the cubs…"

Isaac stared down at her, still clutching her hand as he tried to find the words. Before he could, an oxygen mask was placed over Fiora's mouth and nose, and she went wide-eyed for a second before passing out.

"ANESTHETIC-WORKS-FAST," Monodam, standing on one of the contraption's arms, explained aloud, "WHEN-THE-PATIENT-NEEDS-IT."

"Monodam, she was delusional," Isaac blurted out, as he gently set down Fiora's arm. "Couldn't you have… wait no, never mind. She was in pain. Is she going to be alright?"

"JUDGING-FROM-SCANS-AND-THE-EFFECIENCY-OF-OUR-MACHINE-HERE, IT-IS-MOST-LIKELY-SHE-WILL-PULL-THROUGH," Monodam remarked. "WHICH-IS-BEST-FOR-ALL-PARTIES-INVOLVED-TO-GET-ALONG, ESPECIALLY-THE-BASTARD-THAT-STABBED-HER."

Isaac bristled at remembering who was responsible for that. He glanced at the doors to the medical room, which had swung closed at this point. "Wait, what if Ken comes into this room? What if he attacks Fiora?"

Monodam stared silently at him, then Fiora, at the doors, then just stood there. Isaac, knowing that trying to drag answers out of this cub in particular, heaved out a sigh as he crossed his arms.

"Guess I'll just have to stand vigilance here," he said, as he watched the machines move over Fiora.

The doors to the room creaked. Isaac glanced over at them, half-expecting Ken to come barging in, but they stayed only a couple inches open. He sighed again, and shook his head. "Wish I had a weapon with me right now. Damn asylum."

"Yes," said a voice outside of the room, through the small crack the doors were open, "it truly did suck for us, didn't it Isaac?"

Isaac almost fainted, he felt his heart skip a beat. He was still breathing hard and sweating from carrying Fiora all that way, but now he had a ringing in his ears that was like his brain trying to drown out the world to keep him sane.

"No," he whispered, then shouted, "NO! No no no, you aren't doing this to me, you Goddamn asylum!"

"Isaac, can I please talk to you?"

"No, you go away!" The reporter shouted, hurrying over to the doors and closing them, ensuring he didn't look through them. "I know this is just another game Monokuma is trying to play with me!"

"It's important that I show you something."

"GET AWAY FROM HERE!" Isaac hollered as loud as he could. "You're not Saiko! Saiko is dead!"

A soft laugh came out from the hallway, the kind that Saiko would always make whenever he told a silly joke. "I know, I really am dead. This is just a representation of me in your mind, Isaac."

The reporter stormed away from the doors, not interested in entertaining this notion anymore. He stood nearby Fiora, silently fuming

"IT-MIGHT-BE-FOR-THE-BEST-THAT-YOU-HEED-HER."

Isaac glared at Monodam. "And why in the lowest level of Hell would I want to let that hallucination of my friend use me? You just want me to suffer more."

"THERE-IS-SOMEONE-IN-THIS-ASYLUM-THAT-YOU-NEED-TO-SEE."

Glancing between Monodam and the doors, Isaac contemplated everything that could possibly happen. "How do I know this isn't a ploy to leave Fiora unattended?"

"CODE-173-OF-PENJAR'S-SAFETY-AND-REGULATION-STATES-THAT-WHOMEVER-IS-BEING-HELPED-BY-OUR-MEDICAL-CHAIR-CANNOT-BE-HARMED."

"That didn't stop Ken from cutting Blake when he was in this chair."

"BLAKE'S-TREATMENT-WAS-DONE. HE-WAS-RESTING-IN-THE-CHAIR. THUS-HARM-COULD-COME-TO-HIM; HARM-CANNOT-COME-TO-FIORA. ALSO-I-AM-HERE."

"It's still not something I wish to do-"

One of the doors swung open, slamming against the wall. Isaac spun around, and saw Saiko standing there, arm outstretched. During that moment, the fatal wound in her chest with the blood on her clothing were obvious. She tucked her hands into her pockets, staring at Isaac.

"Now come on, Isaac," she said, shaking her head as she chuckled, "I haven't got all day."

Isaac stared at her, shocked so badly that he felt like his chest was going to explode. He stared at her, a hallucination so realistic that he would've thought she was standing there if he didn't know better. The reporter walked over to her, and tried to put his hand on her shoulder…

It passed through her, and she laughed again. "Now now, you know I'm not here. I'm more or less a hologram that your mind is making, thanks to this damned place. I don't blame you for not trusting it, even if part of it comes from your head."

"I… I don't understand," he stammered, kneeling down in front of her to be eye-to-eye with her. "You're discouraging me now?"

"Isaac, you knew me better than anyone else, and I'm here as a collection of memories from you, and from myself when I was here that first day. Think of it like an AI, one built on your memories…

"And since I was always such a skeptical woman, of course I'm going to say it's foolish to trust this hallucination of me. I'm sorry, Isaac."

She took a deep breath, and let it out with a shudder. Her eyes were misty, like she was ready to cry. "It's actually quite awful, I have a sense of being, so I know I'm not real. I'm just a projection. At the very least, I hope it means that I cannot hurt you, my dear Isaac."

Saiko turned around, as if trying to hide her emotions. "Just follow me, please. It's not too far down this hallway, that thing you need to see. Fiora will be fine, nothing can stop that crazy girl."

Isaac watched the hallucination walk down the hallway, and stop in front of one of the rooms. She turned her head towards him and waited, as if she had all the time in the world to stay there until he came over. Mentally cursing his overwhelming curiosity, the reporter headed out into the hallway over to her.

When he moved up next to Saiko, she pointed into the room. It was so dark, he couldn't make out what was inside, mostly due to how shaded and dirty the glass wall was. He walked inside, and a terrible smell hit his nostrils.

He turned his head towards the source of the smell, down on the ground and up against the wall…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Ken Kishi was slumped against the wall, head hanging down. Blood had pooled around him and his hand was drenched in it, palm up and shining with the red life fluid coating it.

Nearby him was a message, written with his own blood:

I'M SORRY

I WAS WRONG

DON'T LET THEM WIN

The Novoselic's penmanship, even with his own blood and using his fingers, was rather fine. Isaac couldn't see him breathing, couldn't see any signs of life.

He knelt down in front of the cavalryman, and checked for his pulse. Nothing. Isaac even studied his eyes, checked again for a pulse, and even for a heartbeat.

Ken Kishi, the Ultimate Cavalryman, was dead. Isaac, who had felt so much hatred for this man, stepped back and tried to collect his thoughts. He took several deep breaths, that smell of blood thick in the air.

"He could have headed to the medical chair, but his conscience got to him," Saiko said, standing nearby Ken's body. "With the last of his strength, he painted that message out for you all to see."

"Wh-what?" Isaac stammered. "How do you know that?"

"I was here. Well, the asylum was, it's like a massive information gatherer, Isaac. When Ken moved through this building, he was thinking of me. … Or rather, about Saiko.

"Sorry, I know it's upsetting that I keep referring to myself as the real thing. You should know that Ken realized how he had been manipulated by Chaos, and Despair. Another casualty in the war against those evils."

"He murdered you!" Isaac blurted out, turning towards her. "He killed you over a hodgepodge of ludicrous reasons and bullshit! Why are you defending him?!"

"I'm not. I told you before, I'm not Saiko; I'm just the memory of her that you have. And you know better than anyone that even though I came off as a snarky ice queen, you know I'm not spiteful…

"Just like I know you aren't either. Isaac, we both know you aren't capable of such hatred."

He was silent for a minute, just staring between the hallucination of Saiko and the body of Ken Kishi. The reporter slumped down on one leg, gripping his hair and beanie.

"We should have left," he said, trying to contain his emotions. "We should have gotten the hell out of this damn town."

"What's done is done, Isaac. I'm sorry that you have to endure this pain, just know that wherever Saiko is, she's watching over you.

"And don't name any future daughters after her, she'd hate that."

Both Isaac and Saiko laughed, despite everything. "That's definitely something she would say," he admitted. "She cringed when Hara suggested we do that. Oh dear…"

He laughed again, then he let out a long sigh. Standing up, he stared down at the short hallucination, and muttered, "I wish I could actually say good-bye to you, Saiko. Wish that more than anything in the world."

"I know, I'm not the real woman. But here, if you want to put your hand on my shoulder…"

She moved until she phased through the cabinets near Ken's body. Her shoulder disappeared inside of it, her body resembling a video game graphic clipping through a solid object. "Here, now you can."

Isaac intrepidly reached forward, and put his hand on the cabinet right where her shoulder was. She smiled up at him, and regardless of how off it felt, it still was as close as he could be to saying good-bye.

Tears sprung from his eyes, as he sobbed, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Saiko."

"I know you are. It's okay, Isaac, it wasn't your fault."

"I am going to miss you so damn much. I feel like I took our time for granted."

"Time with you and Hara was the best time of my life. I never regretted it, ever."

"I… I just…"

Isaac could hear heavy footsteps, sprinting down the hallway. There was a loud gasp, and people ran into the room with him.

"Isaac?" Shuuya said, squinting in the darkness. "What are you doing here? Where's-"

He stopped when he saw Ken's body. Nearby Shuuya were Futaba and Yitro, both looking ready to fight at first, then thunderstruck as they saw Ken too.

"So, he didn't make it," Yitro grumbled, sheathing his sword.

"Wait, what's this?" Futaba asked, kneeling down next to Ken's body. "A message?"

"Yeah, he," Isaac started to say, before staring at the cabinet he was leaning on; the hallucination of Saiko was gone. He groaned as he pushed away from it, and continued to speak. "It looks like he saw the error of his ways."

"Isaac, where's Fiora?" Yitro asked earnestly. "Is she in the medical room?"

"Yes, just follow me. She's under right now, but I'm sure she'd appreciate knowing you were there."

The reporter led the swordsman to the medical room, leaving Shuuya and Futaba to inspect Ken's body. Once Yitro saw Fiora, and the machine working on her injury, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness she made it," he said, placing his hand over his heart. "I honestly don't know what I would have done if she had died too."

"'Too'?" Isaac repeated.

"Fannie didn't make it. She bled out before we could leave the trial room."

Isaac shook his head, muttering, "Goddamnit. I feel like we could have trusted her."

"There's more I should actually tell you. Shuuya, Futaba, and I sprinted to this place, we were worried about you and Fiora. Some of the others should be here shortly, though everyone else went to that southern plaza to look for Ken. We'll have to catch with them later.

"Oh, and Blake's gone full Chaos too."

"Are you serious? That bastard."

Before they could speak more, Pyrrha made her way into the room, with Odelios nearby. She noticed Fiora, and let out a sigh of relief like Yitro had. "Thank goodness."

Odelios rubbed his forehead, watching the machine work on Fiora's wound. "There's definitely good news there. Fannie didn't die in vain, she was a good soul to the end."

He turned around, then stared in confusion. "Ishiku?"

Pyrrha turned around, and gasped. "Where is he? He was right beside us!"

"Everyone," Isaac spoke up, "spread out, we need to find him. I have a very bad feeling about this…"

---

Day 17, Several minutes ago…

Southern Plaza

Drake stood outside of the Armory, an incredibly large warehouse-like building. There was a huge sign on the side of the metal wall, a colorful lettering stating, "Self-Defense For Bears (and For Deviants Too!)" alongside a picture of Monokuma holding a machine with chains of bullets wrapped around him and the gun.

The cartoonist felt that the message underneath the building's title of "Eat lead, rule-breaking motherf*ckers!" was definitely inappropriate and poor marketing. He glanced over at Ignatia, who was adjusting the brass knuckles on her fingers.

"Are you sure you should be using that?" he sheepishly asked. Her dark, serious stare back at him was enough of an answer.

Nearby the two of them were Eisei and Souma, the former still distraught; even his close friend couldn't reach him, though he was trying. Anzu was near too, pacing nervously back and forth.

"How long as she been in there?" she asked, looking at Drake and Ignatia. "I think we should search more of this plaza, split up more."

"That's not really a good idea," Drake said. "It'd be best we stay close together."

Anzu sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "I am sorry, but I cannot just stand around. If anything happens to me, it's my fault; gonna go check out more of this place."

The actress walked off, and at the same time, Eisei began to wander off as well. Souma was right behind his friend, though at a distance to ensure the dentist had his space.

A couple minutes later, Crystal emerged from the armory warehouse. She sighed, then saw Drake and Ignatia standing there. "Where's everyone else?!"

"They kind of dispersed," Drake admitted, as Ignatia rolled her eyes and gestured in every direction, including up in the sky.

"Disorganized to the end," the military adviser lamented. She rolled in her hand a can of spray paint, and said, "So he's definitely not in there, just a whole lot of weapons that I dread to think are in someone's hands."

"Why do you have that?"

"Oh, Monokuma has a sick sense of humor, there's a spray paint can section marked 'Gang Tagging Tools.' There's examples of the paint, and it's more of those Chaos sayings that were in the Hall of Fame."

She gently tossed the can to Drake, and said, "I figured the artist out of our group should have one, just in case. Or just maybe, your girlfriend there wants to return to her roots."

"Wh-what?" Drake stammered a great deal, peering between Crystal and Ignatia. The mime was glaring at the military adviser, the two women apparently sizing each other up now. "Um, what are you talking about? And she's not-"

"Drake, I did an extensive study on the surviving graduates of Hope's Peak after the Tragedy. Ignatia has quite a history with gangs, street life, and more, before she was accepted into Hope's Peak."

The cartoonist swallowed hard, then shook his head and defiantly stared at Crystal. "That's the past. What's important is now, who she is as a person at this moment. And she's been nothing but helpful to us all, you shouldn't disregard her as a gang member."

Crystal looked between the two of them, Drake's confidence and Ignatia's defiance both on display. She merely smiled, and said, "I guess I am a little leery of trusting people at this point. We should go round up the others, we cannot just them sulk and split up."

The three of them walked down one of the roads, until they noticed a hotel nearby with fading neon lights on the front wall and windows. The building appeared as old and decrepit as the ones that the town consisted of when they first arrived; however, something was off about this hotel.

"Why's the front door open?" Drake asked.

"I've got a bad feeling," Crystal said, as she pulled a pistol out of a holster on her hip; both Drake and Ignatia had missed her wearing it, due to the thick, swirling mists.

"Wh-what are you doing with that?"

"Drake, Ken may be alive and equipped with his sword, or worse. I am not taking any precautions at this point, so stay behind me."

As Crystal and Drake moved towards the open hotel door, Ignatia's eyes caught something. Further down the road that the hotel was on, she swore that something alongside the sidewalk. At first her mind had dismissed it, because of how common it would have been in the world.

Still, the mime could see in the thick of the angry mists of Penjar, those swirling clouds that threatened to obstruct everything, a car parked alongside the road. Ignatia approached it, confused about a car could be here suddenly.

A sharp cry of shock came from inside the hotel, startling the mime gal. She whirled around towards the hotel front door…

And then city exploded with flashing lights and blaring noises, loud and shrill, echoing across the city like a blinding banshee.

AWEEEO-WEEEO-WEEEO-WEEEO-WEEEO!

ONHNN! ONHNN! ONHNN! ONHNN!

BWOOOOOOOP! BWOOOOOOOP!

EERNT! EERNT! EERNT! EERNT!

BAAAAAOO! BAAAAAOO! BAAAAAOO!

---

Day 17, Several minutes ago…

Housing Area

Hikari Tetsuhime's House

Kimiko watched as Hikari was stuffing clothing and other items into her suitcases. She wasn't folding them, it was so disorganized that even the biker gang leader thought it was rather discomforting.

"Hikari, listen to me." Kimiko said, holding her hands up. "Leaving isn't going to do you or any of us any good."

"Oh really now?" Hikari bitterly responded as she threw more of her clothes into her suitcase. "I enabled Aka. I enabled Ken. I've been nothing but a bad influence, a distraction, and worst of all, an assistance to several killers in this town!"

"Hikari-"

"Saiko is dead because of me!" The steampunk model shouted as she grabbed her suitcase lid and tried to close it. "You heard what Ken said, he found us all unworthy to live, and I was one of the biggest reasons! I refuse to stay here any longer."

Kimiko sighed hard, and crossed her arms. "Are you really going to take all the credit on that? Doo'nt be vain."

"Excuse me?!"

The biker gal stared down the model, and spoke assertively. "You cannot say you were the reason Ken went doo'n that dark path, Hikari. He made that call, he is responsible fur his actions, not you.

"Or are you going to say that you encouraged Saiko's death? Did you ever say you wanted her dead, did you actively take part in her murder? Did you even tell Aka that someone needed to die, or encourage her to kill someone?"

"N-no," Hikari stammered out, clasping her hands. "But… but I-"

"But nothing, Hikari. I know you feel like you influenced these things to happen, but that's simply not true. Aka was a thrill seeker who desperately wanted life-threatening challenges. Ken was bottling his emotions over his home and country, until it triggered something in him that none of us coo'd have seen coming.

"And I slept with him, Hikari. I had sex with him, I spent time with him, and I even voted for Yitro when it should have bin obvious it was Ken. I knoo' how you feel, I assure you, but you cannot blame yourself.

"Once you go doo'n that road, once you start making everyone, even yourself, be the villain of a story except fur the villain themselves, it leads to one of the worst possible places there is."

Hikari wiped at her tears, smearing mascara on her face that she didn't want to bother cleaning just now. "Wh-what do you mean? What place is that?"

"It's a place where everyone and everything is responsible for another person's actions, and then the whole world becomes the villain. I've bin there, I knoo' what it's like, and you doo'nt want that. I…

"I won't let you go doo'n that roo't, Hikari. I'm soo'ry, but I'm going to be selfish like that. I'm determined to watch over you, and make sure you doo'nt go doo'n that roo't."

Hikari stared at her incredulously, then started to giggle despite it all. "It's just so… odd, hearing that Canadian accent coming from you."

"Is that really what yoo'r gonna focus on?"

"Anything to avoid thinking about all the horrible things that just happened. Saiko, Ken, Fannie… goodness gears, it feels like every time a trial ends, someone is so heartbroken after what happened, that… that…"

The steampunk model trailed off, her messy eyes widening in horror. "Oh no, no no no! Kimiko! We have to hurry!"

"Wh-what? What's gotten into you-"

"Ishiku! He went to the asylum, right? No one's checked up on him!"

Hikari sprinted out of her house and towards the asylum, with Kimiko close behind. The two were in such a mad dash towards the horrific medical building, the amount of mist, and dust from the destroyed buildings, was almost suffocating. The model kept her head up to avoid the thick mixture of dust and mist, and was tilting her head upwards as she headed towards the asylum.

Thus, she could see someone standing in an open window on the third story of the asylum, precariously leaning out.

The steampunk model skidded to a halt, and screamed in horror. She could recognize who it was, even at this distance. "Ishiku! Stop! Stop, oh please don't do it!"

Ishiku, standing on the window frame as he held onto it with one hand and his staff with the other, merely glanced down at Hikari and Kimiko. He took a deep breath, and called out, "I just wandered off and found this room, no bars in the window like all the others. It's like it was a fate."

"Ishiku!" Kimiko shouted. "I knoo' what you're going through. Doo'nt do this."

The magician humorlessly laughed, staring down the three stories. "Oh, a fall this high wouldn't kill me… unless I landed on my head or something. Doubt the machine could cure that."

"Fannie wouldn't want you to do this!" Hikari shouted desperately, clasping her hands together. "Please, you were the one who saw the good in her before all the others! She wouldn't want you to throw your life away!

"We don't want you to do that either! Please, Ishiku, we still care about you!"

Scanning the plaza from his perch, Ishiku saw the rubble and remains of the buildings that had been destroyed during Ken's execution. It felt very fitting to him, as he called back down to the two ladies, "Everything's destroyed. I lost her in such a senseless murder, just like I lost my parents, my friends… it's just always that way since Despair came into my life.

"Everyone I care about dies, and the world gets a big ol' laugh at the stupid magician. I've been blamed, framed, and hurt over and over, and when I took a chance on someone who people were saying was dangerous, she gets murdered and left behind as just another casualty."

He again humorlessly laughed, punching at the window frame; it made him dangerously teeter on the edge. "Just an endless roundabout of pain and suffering and despair! Go ahead and laugh, it's what the world wants! To laugh at people less fortunate, to make fun of others' pain!"

Kimiko and Hikari exchanged desperate glances. "What is he even saying now?" the biker leader asked.

"Darling, he's basically going over every reason why he wants to do it. He's declaring his last words, all of his frustrations that he feels cannot be resolved."

Kimiko grabbed her green hair, cursing. "What do we do, Hikari? Shit, what do we say?"

"I don't know, but I cannot give up on him. We cannot…"

The model froze up, as she watched Ishiku rock back and forth on that window frame. "NO! No no no, oh please, Ishiku, I beg of you! Don't do it!"

Ishiku glanced down at the two ladies, and he dropped his emerald staff. It fell down, and hit the ground with a small bounce; it did not break or bend, it lay there, discarded by its owner.

"It's over," Ishiku called out. "There's NOTHING left for me here on this Earth, just more mockery and sorrow. I'm sorry, but I cannot take it anymore."

"Damn it, Ishiku," Kimiko shouted, running over to where the staff was and opening up her arms, "I will catch you if I have to!"

The magician was snapped out of his anguish, and he stared incredulously at Kimiko. "You know that won't work. You could just get killed instead."

"That's the risk I'm willing to take, Ishiku! Doo'nt you dare throw your life away!"

Ishiku was quiet for a few seconds, staring down at the determined biker leader. He noticed Hikari was heading towards the main entrance, and he called out, "I'm sorry, but I cannot take this anymore. I'll just avoid you, Kimiko… don't look, please, either of you."

He stood up in the window frame as much as he could, gripping the sides, before he pushed himself off…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Though he did not go far, as someone seized him by his clothing from behind. There was a desperate pull, and Ishiku was yanked back inside the building. He crashed to the ground, gasping and straining from how close he was to taking his own life.

When he felt a strong pair of arms wrap around him, keeping him pinned down on the floor, he struggled for a few seconds. Then he lay there, gasping, sobbing, hands shivering as he tried to grab the carpet of this asylum office.

"Wha… I don't… why? WHY?"

"I'm sorry, my friend, but I cannot lose you."

Ishiku turned to see Odelios was the one holding onto him. He struggled again, but the clown refused to let go. "Stop it! STOP IT! My life is just a sick punchline for the sociopathic bastards out there. I don't want to suffer for their entertainment!

"Just let me die! Let me die and be with Fannie, with my parents, everyone who left me! Odelios, please… please…"

Odelios clenched his arms, ensuring he couldn't escape. "No, I'm sorry. I don't care that we've only known each other for two weeks, I don't care about monsters like Monokuma or Ken or Blake, I only care about one thing…

"And that is that you will make it out alive. You'll find someone else, you'll better yourself, and I'm here to ensure that you do. You aren't dying on me, Ishiku, I won't allow it."

Ishiku flinched, and started to shake. He whispered, "I cannot cry… crying is what they want, crying is what they feed off of."

"They aren't here. Let it out, my friend."

The magician gripped at the carpet, until he heard a soft sob coming from nearby. Looking up, he saw Pyrrha kneel down next to them, reaching out and grasping his hand. The redheaded writer was already tearing up, holding onto him as tightly as Odelios was.

Ishiku went limp, and collapsed onto the floor. He began to sob, the uncontrollable kind of spilling out all your emotions without concern for who was watching. Odelios released his grasp on him, moving to rub his back for comfort as his friend let it all out. Pyrrha held his hand, as Ishiku let it all out.

He cried so hard, he felt he was going to die of misery. His thoughts kept flying back to the deaths of everyone he cared about, from his parents, to the victims of this town, to Fannie. At first, all he could picture was their grisly deaths, the jokes and insults made at their expense…

But as he finally let out the emotions he needed to, he could remember the good parts too. The years his parents were sane and kind, how they helped him become the man he wanted to be. The compassion of Shinobu, the determination of Saiko, the heart of Fannie, the others innocent and lost, they still had done good by others.

And when Ishiku opened his eyes, he saw not only Odelios and Pyrrha, but Kimiko and Hikari nearby him. The steampunk model was holding onto his emerald staff.

"You're not alone here, Ishiku," she said to him, smiling as she offered him his beloved staff back. "We're going to be here for you, and we're going to defeat the evils of this town, together."

"Damn straight," Kimiko said with a grin.

Ishiku took back his staff, holding it in both hands. It was therapeutic, feeling it in his grasp once more. Heaving out one final, shuddering sigh, he stared at all four of them, and smiled.

"Thank you. Thank you all."

---

Day 17, ? AM

Enoshima Asylum

Medical Room

Yitro sat in a common chair, watching the machines on the medical chair work on Fiora's ugly wound. The swordsman felt uncomfortable, since he had been here when Ken had taken advantage of him in his sleep, in this room…

But he would stay in a waste treatment plant to watch over Fiora during this operation. Yitro wasn't even going to take his books out and read one while waiting, he didn't want to take his eyes off of her. Though when he heard footsteps and movement, he stood up to see who was approaching.

Ishiku, holding his staff and surrounded by a large group of people, walked into the medical room. He stared at Fiora, and let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, she made it."

The four people who had supported Ishiku during his greatest moment of weakness also had Shuuya, Futaba, and Isaac with them. They had found the others, who had split apart in the asylum to find Ishiku, and had reunited before coming to this room.

"She's going to be okay," Pyrrha assured Ishiku. "Thank goodness, she's a real fighter."

"Yeah, we just need to stick together now," Isaac said, adjusting his beanie. "Once she's better, we'll get her out of this awful building. Then… maybe we should get some sleep and put this day behind us."

"It's already tomorrow," Futaba said as she glanced at her cell phone, "so to speak. Sorry, I'm that person, but yes, I agree with you, Isaac."

"Everything that happened is still so hard to believe," Hikari admitted. "Saiko's death, Ken's betrayal…"

"Wait a minute," Kimiko shouted, "what about Ken? Do we know where he is?"

"He's dead," Shuuya said, crossing his arms as he shook his head. Those who weren't aware flinched in shock, and turned towards him for more of an answer. The bounty hunter jerked his thumb to the hallway behind them. "He bled out, he's in one of the rooms back there."

Kimiko moved down that hallway, holding up her hand in front of Hikari to silently plead with her not to follow. After a minute, the biker leader came back, hanging her head as she combed her green hair; the color had left her face, she was so upset that she couldn't get the words out.

"So it's true?" Hikari asked her. "Just… just nod your head if it's true." When the biker gal did so, the model slumped against the wall. "Oh God. I know… I'm sorry, I just knew him for so long, it's such a terrible, terrible shock."

"Hikari, you shouldn't be ashamed if you wish to mourn him," Isaac said, glancing at her and the others in the room. "It was not a simple case, and no matter how much I am despise him for killing my friend, I… I understand why those who were close to him will be sad over his death."

"He left a message," Kimiko muttered, brushing at her green bangs. "He apologized with his last actions. That was him, right? No one is fucking with us."

"IT-WAS-HIS-LAST-ACTION," Monodam, still perched on top of the machines that were suspended over the medical chair, spoke up. "THERE-WAS-NO-FOUL-PLAY-TO-THAT."

The nine conscious humans in the room all stared up at the green Kub. Isaac crossed his arms and said, "And how can we take your word for it, Monodam?"

"KEN-KISHI-LOST-HIS-CHAOTIC-URGES-WHEN-CONFRONTED-BY-THE-THOUGHTS-IN-HIS-HEAD-PERSONIFIED-BY-THE-LATE-SAIKO-KOBAYASHI. IT-WAS-PERHAPS-THE-LAST-ACT-BY-MY-DEAD-SISTER."

"Wait, what?" Ishiku shouted, approaching Monodam as close as he could. "What do you mean?"

"I-BELIEVE-IT-WAS-SAID-BEFORE, BUT-THE-KUBS-OF-OUR-TOWN-ARE-A-PERSONIFICATION-OF-TWO-TRAITS. CONFLICTING-TRAITS-WHICH-IS-WHY-IT-IS-HARD-TO-FOCUS, OR-TO-DISOBEY-FATHER."

"Now that I think about it," Futaba said, rubbing her chin with her mechanical hand, "Monotaro and Monosuke had odd personalities that seemed to contradict themselves. Monotaro was highly forgetful but the most determined of you all, and Monosuke was all about getting things ready but also how to make things more awful."

"And when Fannie was Monophanie," Shuuya remarked, "she was always trying to encourage us, but when things were gruesome, she balked and threw up."

"MY-SISTER-WAS-A-COMBINATION-OF-ENCOURAGEMENT-AND-DISGUST," Monodam stated. "THAT-IS-WHY-I-AM-ABLE-TO-EXPLAIN-THESE-THINGS-NOW, BECAUSE-WITH-HER-DEATH, HER-TRAITS-ARE-INHERITED-BY-THE-SURVIVING-KUBS."

"You and Monokid," Isaac said, crossing his arms as he stared down the green Kub. "But she became a human, why would it still be triggered like that after her death?"

"WE-ARE-ALL-PART-OF-PENJAR. WE-WERE-CREATED-HERE, THERE-WILL-ALWAYS-BE-A-PART-OF-THIS-TOWN. WE-WEREN'T-ORIGINALLY-MEANT-TO-BE-REPRESENTATIONS-OF-FATHER."

"Wait, what?" Futaba inquired. "What were you supposed to be?"

"THAT-I-DO-NOT-KNOW. ALL-I-KNOW-IS-THAT-YOU-ARE-ALL-GETTING-CLOSE-TO-THE-ANSWERS-THAT-THIS-PLACE-HAS, AND-THAT-IS-WHY-THE-FORCES-AGAINST-YOU-WILL-BE-STRONGER-THAN-EVER.

"DESPAIR-MUST-FOLLOW-RULES. CHAOS-HAS-A-PLAN-THAT-IT-MUST-FULFILL. IF-YOU-STAY-THE-COURSE-AND-ENDURE-THE-HARDSHIPS, YOU-WILL-ARRIVE-WHERE-YOU-WANT-TO-BE-AT-THE-SAME-TIME-DESPAIR-AND-CHAOS-ARE-READY-TO-STRIKE."

Isaac stared in utter bafflement at the green Kub. "You're giving us so much information."

"I-AM-GIVING-YOU-ENCOURAGEMENT, LIKE-MY-SISTER-WOULD-HAVE-DONE."

Monodam stared down at Fiora, as the machines continued their work. He was silent, motionless, as if he had shut down and become decoration for this medical chair. The survivors glanced amongst themselves, as Ishiku shook his head in disbelief.

"It seriously makes me wonder," he said, "who these personality traits were based off of, and what Monodam's are."

"If he's telling the truth," Yitro remarked, "then we mustn't give up, even though it's been hellish. We've lost so much…"

The swordsman reached into his pocket, and pulled out Angelique's locket. Holding the damaged but precious item of his friend's, he concluded, "But we will not let those deaths be in vain."

"Indeed," Hikari said, glancing down the hallway, where Ken's body was. "I wanted to run from this place, so very bad, but I was told by a certain intelligent someone that we need to focus on the true villains, and not digress from that path."

Kimiko blushed slightly, glancing to the side. "C'mon, doo'nt make me sound like some kind of philosopher, Hikari."

Isaac chuckled, rubbing his beanie against his hair as he too glanced down the hallway. For one very brief second, he thought he saw the hallucination, that hologram-like visage, of Saiko; it wasn't there, and he mentally scolded himself for hoping so. "I just know that we can solve the mystery to this place."

"You've been a major help to all of us, Isaac," Pyrrha said, smiling at the reporter. "Don't doubt yourself, you can help lead us to the answers here."

"Thanks. I just need to make sure that I get Hara out of here too. Losing Saiko was hard enough, and…"

He stopped talking, as something dawned on him rather suddenly. The rush of everything that had happened had finally died down, and he realized who wasn't there. "Guys, where's Hara?"

Everyone in the room started glancing at each other, oddly silent and sporting expressions that confused the reporter. "What? She didn't come here with you all, did she go to the southern plaza? I mean, I'd understand, she doesn't have to come here…

"But why are you all looking like that? Did something happen to her? What's going on?"

Shuuya sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, she went to the southern plaza, Isaac. She wanted to stick by Crystal."

"Oh, I see," Isaac said, though his tone and confused stare at the bounty hunter showcased he didn't fully see. "I mean, she gets along well with her."

"Yeah, she does," Futaba said with a smile. "Don't worry about it, you'll see her after we're done here-"

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone was shocked at Pyrrha's outburst. The redheaded writer clenched her hands, squinting her eyes shut as if she couldn't bear to open them. Isaac stared at her, and asked, "What is going on?"

"We cannot do this anymore," she said, finally opening her eyes and glancing around at everyone there. "Please, stop enabling this! It cannot go on any longer, and we promised Saiko!"

"Yeah, but," Yitro stammered, crossing his arms and glancing to the side, "I don't know how to do this."

"No one does," Odelios muttered, staring down at the ground.

Isaac felt his patience ebbing away. "Know what? What did you promise Saiko? What is going on?!"

"Look, he's really upset now," Hikari said, wringing her hands. "Let's just-"

"No, I'm with Pyrrha," said Kimiko, as she crossed her arms and glanced around the room. "Enough of this farce."

"What," Isaac shouted, clenching his fists as he glared at them, "are you all going on about? I don't like this, and it's incredibly suspicious! I'm right here, and you're talking as if I'm not!"

"Isaac," Pyrrha spoke up, walking up to him and placing her hand on his chest, "please calm down. I'm sorry, but I need you to sit down."

The reporter stared into her eyes, eyes full of concern and sympathy. Isaac had a terrible feeling, like a dark hand was starting to grip his heart, his body involuntarily shuddering. He had no idea what was going on, and yet he couldn't shake this awful dread.

He sat down in one of the common chairs, as Pyrrha pulled up another chair and sat down in front of him. The others stood near the entrance of the room, some of them watching, some of them not able to.

"Pyrrha," Isaac spoke, slowly and his voice shaking, "what is happening right now? Did something happen to Hara?"

"Isaac, do you remember that fire that happened when you were at Hope's Peak Academy? The one you rushed in to help those trapped inside, how you got that burn on your arm?"

The reporter glanced down at his scarred arm; he had lost the sleeve to cover it so long ago, he didn't even know where it could be. Gently rubbing the scars left there by the flames, he replied, "Y-yes."

Pyrrha breathed hard, clenching her hands together, before taking one long deep breath as she stared into his eyes and said what needed to be said.

"Hara went with you on that day to help, and she… she…

"She died in that building, Isaac. You've been hallucinating she's still with you ever since."

---

…

…

17 Survivors remain in Penjar.

Or so it would seem.

For this chapter is not over yet.