?-THE LOST PARADISE OF OUR DESPAIR
The girl taps on the screen. She removes her hand, giving whoever is viewing this twisted video a fuller picture of her. But that does not do much, as her face is completely hidden with a black mask. Whoever this is, she wears a black jumpsuit that compliments her curves. Seems to be a woman either in her late teens or early twenties based purely on the body shape.
The room she is in is nothing special either. Looks like a poorly lit storage room, with boxes all over the place with old wood. All the boxes look like they have just been thrown in there without a care in the world, some of them even have the items inside spilling out. One is filled with some kind of liquid, long since dried up and now is only left as a sticky residue being eaten by pump rats. One of the rats past by the foot of the woman but she does not react whatsoever.
"Are you sure about this? This is going to get us killed-"
"Oh, you should know me better than that. I'll never allow myself to be killed by Team Danganronpa. My life is already screwed anyway so I might as well make it Hell for them." Even with the mask covering her face, it was clear that the woman was smiling. The cameraman messes around with the setting, making sure that the camera focuses mostly on the mysterious woman's face. "They think that they've full control over this story. Haha, they even marked this project as complete. But those simple fools have no idea what's coming to them. There's not even a hint that we've always been planning to do this. Surely, making something only sixteen episodes is boring."
"...Whatever you say..."
"Have more faith in yourself! They think they can just reboot this and everything about this place will be forgotten. Just throw away this lovely spaceship and all its lovely history. Or maybe...they plan to do something else with it. There are still people standing without graduation after all." The girl clicks her tongue. "I won't allow this place to be a lost paradise for despair. That simply won't do. You can't waste all of your money like this!" When the girl does a little twirl, the cameraman groaned. It is clear that the masked figure is now pouting.
"Why do you care so much for things like this? I swear I'll never understand you."
"But you stay by my side anyway! Haha, we'll make sure the Committee, Team Danganronpa, and all the other bastards pay for what they've done to the common folk as well. Innocents shouldn't be dragged into the crossfire of all of these organizations having the pettiest of fights! So I'll be the savior of them all! Other Ultimates are so full of themselves, thinking that their suffering compares to what average people in this world go through. Ultimates have it easy, being able to complain about the injustices of life, but everything is handed to them on a silver platter." The woman opens up one of the boxes and finds a rotting apple. Once shiny and red, the apple is now brown and dead. Without hesitation, the woman sits down onto the floor near the rats. Two of them climb up to get the apple, and the woman gets up once again.
"You're going on one of your rants again..."
"Oh, I'm sorry! You always hate me when I do that. I should make it up to you afterward then!" The cameraman sighs as the woman starts to pet the two rats now in her hands. Like the gluttons they are, the rats have already finished eating the apple, leaving behind only the peel and the disgusting juice spilled all over the woman's covered hands.
"I shall name this one Meri and this one Mero! That's so cute-"
"We should really get to the point. It's only a matter of time until they find us. And this camera doesn't exactly have the best battery life." The cameraman checks to see the bars the battery still has, with it being already down to two. He sighs as he checks his camera bag to see that they have already used all of their supplies. "...This is the one time I wished to be an Ultimate..."
"Never wish yourself to have the burden of the title. All it brings is misfortune. Not to yourself, but the people around you. The world would've never ended if Hope's Peak didn't exist," the woman explains. She stops petting the rats and looks directly at the camera. "Ultimates are a plague on this world. We should all be viewed as equals. Praising others because of perceived accomplishments only causes people to be more and more separated. And then we'll start killing each other once again. The world ending is something that will repeat itself again and again as long as Hope's Peak still stands."
"As interesting as your personal views are, we should go to the point already."
"Alright, be a party pooper." She once again goes down to the floor to release the rats from her hands. Having no place to properly place the trash, she just places it down on the floor. Then she goes to one of the other boxes and opening it. After cleaning all of the dust, the woman takes out what looks like a phone and starts tapping away on the screen. "It wasn't hard with my skills to figure out a lot of this. But not many have this kind of experience nowadays. Because everybody else is either being insane or hiding from the insane people."
"Even with your skills, you should hurry. I think I hear their footsteps. This place may be big and a maze but they have an advantage of a map."
"Remember the plan, alright? Messing this up might ruin the lives of thousands of people. No pressure."
"Gee, thanks." The cameraman then focuses on the phone that is in the woman's hands. She pulls up a video that takes place in a room surrounded by the stars. After facing the phone towards the camera, she turns on the volume. Then she finally hits play. When the video starts, the camera for the phone zooms out to reveal a trial room that looks a little less than halfway full. Most of the people inside are girls, with one man with them.
"Watch this video. Although it was only the first trial, it was rigged so they will all lose. Supposedly the mastermind was killed, but, if that was the case, why is the Killing Game still going?" she questions. The video continues, with it showing the class being forced to vote and getting it wrong. "They were not given a fair trial but most of them were executed anyway. Even though she got it wrong as well, and was not the killer, Etsuko Abe, the supposed Ultimate Psychologist, was allowed to live. Just what's her relation to these kidnappers? Because she has to know at least one of them pretty well for the Master to allow her to live and escape the spacecraft."
Skipping through the video quickly, the woman stops when a mysterious gas enters the room. Everybody inside starts to fall, with some of them fighting with all of their power to try to stay awake even a second longer. One of the girls even starts trying to scratch at her neck but succumbs to the gas before she is able to do any sort of damage. Another one tries to punch Monokuma but that goes as poorly as one would suspect.
Surprisingly, after the gas clears out of the room, the person the woman identifies as Etsuko Abe comes back in. After her is yet another woman, somebody that many people call The Master. The two of them seem to have a conversation that is mostly whispering, like the two of them knew they were being watched.
"Just know that I'll never be loyal to you~" Etsuko says loud and clear suddenly to the Master. Without clarification, the redhead leaves the room. The Master is all by herself in the video when she snaps her head towards the camera.
"I know you're watching. You can never win." That is when the video ends. The cameraman begins to sweat, but the woman in the black mask is not phased at all. Instead of either of them saying anything, the woman prepares yet another video. Her fingers tap away with the speed only a professional can have.
The rats begin to dance around the woman's feet. Once they reach near the cameraman, he shrieks and his partner only laughs at him. "They're not going to hurt you. Movies like playing these little guys as the villains when they're trying to just survive." Even with her words, the man still jumps when one scurries past his foot.
"That does not mean I have to like them!"
"Your loss." The woman takes a momentary break to shrug her shoulders. Though she gets immediately back to work once the both of them hear the footsteps become louder. "Oh, and before I forget to mention for the viewers back home, we're not using the phone to call anybody because that option has been disabled along with anything that's actually useful for escape. The power of having Ultimates on your side-"
"We do not need to waste time explaining things they should already know." He sighs yet again. The girl chuckles and possibly rolls her eyes but it's impossible to tell. That's when she pulls up the other video that shows most of the people from before bound to chairs but their backs facing the camera. What was the most important thing in the room was the room they were facing, which was very clear being set up for execution.
"They all get set up for execution even though the whole thing is rigged! And...let's skip all the fucked up shit...oh, I forgot, messed up crap!" The man gives her the eye but she only laughs. She fast forwards through the video, with many of the girls getting deaths that nobody deserves. It stops the moment before the only man in the room is about to get executed, where the camera finally has a good enough picture to show a woman with blue hair. "Here's your Master. Just a simple girl playing pretend and using sick psychological tricks to get what she wants. But, then again, Junko Enoshima even had to resort to underhanded tactics, as I'm sure I could easily find a way to brainwash the entire world without the use of brainwashing videos or inhumane torture."
"...This is not the time to discuss philosophy-"
"Shush now! Its the perfect time. All of this searching would be for nothing if I don't explain myself. Reality is an illusion I control, after all, and you've to follow what I say! Have more faith in me, because I've more faith in you." The man only rolls his eyes, causing the girl to pout. Her actions are so exaggerated now that her mask cannot hide any of her emotions. That moment, footsteps come in the hallway and stop at the other side of the door. Although the woman doesn't respond, the man jumps. "Look! See, everything's under control! We got our 'saviors' here! So believe in me, since I'm always right."
"Shut up, you crazy bitch. I already have to deal with this one!" somebody shouts from behind the door. Whoever the people are, they try to break in, but it doesn't work.
"Oh, come on, I know you like me more than that!"
"Why did I sign up for this shit?"
"Ahem...quoting you from before...Our past character arcs have reached their conclusion and now we've become heroes! Or protagonists of our own story. You know what, the specifics don't matter anymore. You just gotta know that you can't hide your true intentions from me!"
Instead of continuing the discussion, everybody currently present is silent until the door comes down. Its really not that hard with how old everything is, with even the walls threatening to cave in at any second. But everybody is still as they fully understand the situation. The woman in the mask is the only one cheerful, the phone in her hands holding all of the power in the world.
"Told you that I recognized that voice. It's the crazy bitch again-"
"Excuse me, I'm the one with control over this story-"
"Nope, nope, nope! Rather have them fill me with bullets than deal with this shit again!" The rescuer with clearly dyed black hair walks off, leaving her red-headed companion behind.
"You really should not mess with the narrator..." The only man's voice is weak as he continues to film. Although their opponents get closer, it seems like nobody cares about that for a moment. After tilting her head, the redhead looks up and down the bodies of the other two, eyes clearly examining for anything out of place. One of the rats decides to run over to the redhead. The new girl does not look phased when the rat starts climbing up her body as if it is trying to seek out more food since everything they have been given is already gone.
"Narrator? Is that right? I always wanted to meet up with somebody like you." The woman smirks. "I wonder what goes on in your head to create a story as messed up like this one. Really, you must have a messed up childhood, or else you might be a little of a psycho." The new woman steps forward slowly but with confidence. She reaches the cameraman and easily rests one of her arms on his head.
"Oh, this isn't a story! This is reality, a reality in which I seek to control. The Master has tried to take that control away from me. But you shouldn't force people into Killing Games like this with predetermined results. That makes things boring and the audience apathetic," the woman in the mask responds. Slightly moving around the pieces of her outfit, the woman makes sure to reveal a single strand of noticeable white hair to the stranger. Still interested in the phone, but realizing finally that the video she started before stopped played, the white-haired woman pulls up another one, though strangely turns the volume off. Their focus turns away from the phone as they intently glare at each other.
"Are you finally somebody with common sense? That can't be right. I trust my partner to know that something crazy has to be happening with you. What exactly do you plan with all of this?" The red-haired woman pulls out an audio recorder of her own. Although it looks like he has something to say, the man stays silent, only looking at the other woman through the camera lens.
"Finally a good question!" The white-haired woman begins to clap loudly. "Simply, I'm taking control of it myself. Somebody has to take out the vermin and make sure everything has peace. Anybody who breaks the rules of society shall be forced into a Killing Game. That way, peace will be eternal. People will have to stop judging each other because all the bad people will already be dead!"
"What the fuck."
"It is truly the best way," the man adds-on, with his presumed master nodding her head intently.
"You really shouldn't get in my way since, in the end, we both want the same thing. Eternal peace! Sure hope you don't mind that I plan to get rid of Hope's Peak. I know how you Future Foundation scum can be protective over your precious little killing grounds." Without any hesitation, the woman removes her mask, revealing a dreadful smile on her face with eyes of pure white.
"It's you! Goddammit..." The red-headed woman takes out a knife from one of her many pockets. She presses it against the man's neck. He looks frightened, yet the woman does not stop smiling.
"You shouldn't act that way. We all have to work together, you know? To defeat Team Danganronpa. I really do not want to see the Dawn, just like you. So let's become allies, Junko!" Still that goddamn smile. Junko did not know what she was seeing...wait, what.
You really should reality is an illusion I control. And all aspects of fiction are related to that. Really, you shouldn't be surprised. But the Master has control, so I can't make things reach peace yet.
Junko does not understand what's going on. What the fuck is this.
That's because I'm controlling the readers and the writers and everything in this world. The person known as Kaleigh Amanda, otherwise known as Requiem here, has no control since that's my area. And the readers too. Tobi and Sona really thought that their inclusion in this story is some cute little fanservice. But that's not the case. Nobody knows anything about the truth of this existence except for the Master and I. Who cares about grammar, or proper punctuation when I can just change the rules as I wish? After all, Kaneshiro always will do Kaneshiro.
...What the fuck is going on!?
I thought somebody like you would be excited, Junko. What did the Master with your character arc? I could give you the power as well. It's really not that hard.
Without a warning, the woman appears directly in front of Junko and the man. Junko is shocked to see that the knife somehow disappeared from her hands and appeared...appeared?
Why is it past tense now? This is currently happening! Wait, what, this isn't a story...
Everything is a story I control. Get it in your head. That's reality. I already told you past or present doesn't matter to me.
Junko blinks and the scene changes again, with the white-haired woman back in her usual spot and the knife still in her hands. She quickly tries to put the knife away but finds out she cannot. Without warning, she stabs the knife into the man's neck. Mouthing something she cannot hear to the other woman, Junko stares with horror as he drops onto the ground and blood still pooling around him.
"Such a waste. Oh well, such is life. You must always be prepared to die in the world the Master made. I am so sorry that I did not choose to intervene sooner. Then all of this useless bloodshed wouldn't happen. All of your kids still would be free and living your best lives, without the burden of the Committee, Team Danganronpa, or the Future Foundation."
"W-who are you...?"
"Do you really want the answer to that question?" Junko only watches in horror as the other woman walks slowly towards her. Her feet feel like they are planted to the ground.
You should not be scared. There is no reason for me to hurt you right now. I mean, I will put you in one of my Killing Games eventually, but I've got a good feeling that you would be able to make it. After all, you're not really Junko, are you?
...
Oh, silence! You aren't going to convince me with that! All of my followers convince me with their words. The audience is probably wondering where we've been for so long. Simply, we've been manipulating some things from the side. After all, the Future Foundation can't just appear at random and save the day for the poor children stuck in the fourth season. We were giving them so many clues and little things to help their survival rate, so it really does suck that only two of them made it out. And we're making sure the audiobook version is a lot better than the print! We got to improve plot points while we still can, right?
What the Hell are you going on about?
I thought you would be able to understand but then I remember even the smartest of minds need to adjust to the Truth. I tried to tell the Master, my dearest friend, the truth, and she went off and did this shit! But I still believe she can improve herself, and become the good person we're all meant to be. Of course, she too must be put into a Killing Game. Perhaps I can put the two of you together. I think you working together will produce amazing results! Your minds are so alike and you've already worked with her before, right? You've your reasons but that does not matter now.
Gaining a bit of control, Junko grabs onto the camera and smashes it on the ground. The smile continues. No matter what happens, the white-haired girl's face refuses to change, with her not even blinking.
"There goes all my hard work. Really, you should think more about the consequences of your actions. I do not control much in here since this is the Master's domain. Neither of us would want to get mixed up in all that chaos."
"Once again, who are you?"
"It's simple, Junko! I'm Hope!" Hope's sudden change of expression to a frown is all it takes for Junko to regret her actions. "And together, we will be in this next Killing Game. For retribution."
Yes, this was always planned. And every mistake made in this chapter is fully intentional. Because Hope is a crazy bitch. "Mistakes only make us into better people, so defeat your perfectionism and truly love the way that your words form the truest form of your thoughts!" Hope no.
But Requiem shouldn't be continuing this Author's Note. Considering I'm the true author. So sorry, Requiem, but that is the truth and you've made it so. Yes, this was always planned! :D Oh, it's so wonderful that it's finally done. I mean, it's not that long but it's the heart that counts. Yes, LPoD is finally done and there won't be any more secret chapters. So look forward to the true Despair in Our Stars. Especially you Tobi and Sona.
I'm truly looking forward to the reactions of this. Though Requiem would have to reply to your reviews in the next Despair in Our Stars chapter, which is in progress by the way. Except if you want me to answer for now on. Wait, I should do the recommendation and question Requiem usually does! Those look like fun!
QOTC: Hope or Despair? (If you pick despair, I will have no choice but to make you face redemption in a Killing Game. It's sad but true, I have to save all of those who have already succumbed.)
Hope's Recommendation: Danganronpa: The Hopeful Lies We Tell by Prince PokePersona (After all, Sona is canon now to the Committee Saga. The Master calls it that. I much prefer the name Hope Saga but that sounds way too close to canon. The Master is being spiteful towards the Committee, which is not a good thing. Remember, please do not hold grudges or the like, or else you might fall into despair. And I have already told you what happens when you fall into despair.)
So please be kind to each other and make sure you don't break any laws. I don't want any of you lovely people ending up in my Killing Game after all. :3
Also, I love the love my little poems get in the server! I work very hard on those! Remember to love yourself as well and I will make sure that the content continues to flow! Got to make sure Requiem writes because I like the way she writes. It's so hopeful! Knowing that no matter what despair her characters go through, there will be a happy ending.
Oh, and also also, I look forward to your theories! They're so fun to read~ Okay, I really should be going now. But it's so fun talking to you all! Maybe I can do so more on Discord! :D